Week 16 To 17

Friday 16+1
Time seems to be flying by now. It won't be long until the 20 week scan and then I''ll be half way there! I had a very emotional day on Wednesday. Just couldn't seem to stop crying from the time I got up to the time I went to bed. Consequently I was left with a stinking headache by the end of the day. Yesterday was a much better day although by early evening I felt like I was coming down with the flu and sure enough, today I feel rotten. Chris has had it recently so I guess it was only a matter of time until I caught it. At this point the baby is going through a growth spurt and needing a lot of nutrients from my body leaving me susceptible to virus. I'm trying to combat it by drinking lots of water to flush out my system, eating food rich in vitamin C and resting as much as possible. I need to fight this off quickly as I'm due to travel to England in 5 days.

I've been wondering about the lack of baby movement recently as it seems the majority of ladies feel movement from about 15 weeks onwards. When I asked my doctor about this, he said not to expect anything before 21 weeks for a first pregnancy but maybe slightly earlier if I'm more in tune with my body. I've been doing a little research on this and I think the main reason is because I have what is called an anterior placenta. This is where the placenta settles at the front of the uterus between your tummy and the baby. The placenta acts as a kind of shock absorber for the babies kicks and punches so you don't tend to feel anything until the baby is bigger and stronger. I'm disappointed in a way as I am itching to feel movement, but apparently it's not a bad thing as it means you get more of a peaceful night sleep for longer without being disturbed by the baby. Mmmmm, I think I'd rather take the disturbed nights though!

Monday 16+4
Finally I seem to have gotten rid of this flu thing after a very restful weekend. I'm feeling a lot better today and have been to see my acupuncturist this morning to help with treatment to lower my blood pressure. She reckons it is something she can do through the needles but it will need to be done gradually as it is dangerous to change the blood pressure too quickly. I have every confidence in her! I'm also following the DASH diet which is aimed at lowering blood pressure. It is very rich in potassium, magnesium and calcium and low in sodium. I have read reports that this diet plan can start to lower blood pressure within two weeks. It's also deemed to be very healthy in pregnancy as it is very high in whole grains, fruit and vegetables which are all excellent forms of nutrition for the baby. My aim is to have lowered my blood pressure significantly by the time I go for the 20 week anomaly scan at the end of July.

Still felt nothing on the movement front. My bump seems to have changed in appearance this week. It seems as though it has moved up and gotten rounder. It's not so noticeable as the early stages when it was all sticking out lower down. It makes me look more pregnant though rather than just bloated. I'll be shopping for maternity clothes when I head back to England on Wednesday. I can't wait for the trip!