Ah, there’s a heartbeat!

Last Friday was a beautiful day, which started with the most perfect morning at Lyall Bay. There was an extremely low tide, perfect for rock pooling and safe paddling (even though the water was quick to numb the ankles!).

The day was rounded off with the most wonderful sound, our baby’s heartbeat! Other than my already swollen belly we knew nothing of how our baby was faring until my midwife’s visit on Friday afternoon. With both the girls we heard the heartbeat around 15/16 week’s. And it is always a tear jerker of a moment. I recorded the sound for Dan and the girls, as they were all out at work, school and kindi. My eyes welled up with happiness and excitement.

I have also been feeling some slight movement as our wee lemon sized baby flip flops around. I don’t know why I always refer the growth to various foods – but somehow it’s the easiest way to imagine. When Charli and Sophie ask me how big baby is I find it easy to grab for a piece of fruit to demonstrate – of course this will get harder later on in the pregnancy – but by then they’ll be able to feel for themselves with a quick belly hug!

It really was so reassuring to hear that fast little heart, pulsing with life. I have the most wonderful midwife, who was my back-up midwife for Charli. She is very experienced and a wonderful advocate of natural birth. I was over the moon when she said she’d be able to be my midwife this time round. I feel extremely confident and safe in her hands. I also feel very fortunate to live in a country where so much choice is given to women in pregnancy and birth. It is wonderful to have my midwife visit me in my own home and the continuity of care before, during and after the birth has, in my case, always been over and above any of my expectations. Especially since my first labour, with Charli, lasted so long – my dear midwife (who has since moved back to her home in Australia) was with me through one whole night, the following day and then into the next night. The day after Charli’s arrival she was there again, at my side. For the first week or so she visited me every day at home – even bringing homemade soup!

I will be at 15 week’s this Thursday and we are looking forward to a scan around 20 week’s, when we can check where the placenta is and ensure baby’s support system is all in good working order. We will be resisting the temptation of finding out baby’s sex. We didn’t find out with either of the girls and the surprise was so worth it at the end. Charli has said she’d love a brother, but we know that when she sees the baby she’ll love it whatever. It’s more about personality than sex, especially in this day and age when anything goes!

The pregnancy is going great and I’m loving the positive side affects with a healthy glow and lush locks (not looking forward to the post birth hair malt!). I’ve already started commandeering pillows for comfort at night – only one at this stage… I usually end up with around five positioned in precise places around my body by the end! Second trimester and I’m blooming. Yes, I have had people ask if ‘it’s’ twins – but I seriously doubt it. I’m so little that I can’t hide a darn thing and plus my body is all, ‘Been here before, time to move out, make room, squeeze everything up and away for a baby is making itself home for a while’.

As for cravings, well I’ve never had them, but with Charli I had a ‘thing’ for carrot cake, Sophie it was ‘mandarins’ and this time round I can’t get enough fresh fruit, vegetables, milk, cheese, yogurt and fish. I have really gone off meat this time round – I just can’t face it in the supermarket – no appeal what so ever. This baby is saying, ‘Give me some of those OMEGA things. My brain is growing fast and I want to be an astronaut when I grow up!’.