Appetite's made a comeback!

Week 14

 Since getting my appetite back, I’ve been overjoyed with the novelty of being able to eat such a wider variety of food. For the first time in a while, I look forward to the prospect of food shopping on a Friday after work, taking in all the different food, looking at what looks nice or sniffing the freshly baked bread and actually enjoying it, whereas before the smell churned my stomach.

My latest craving is cheese and pickle sandwiches – on multi-seed bread. I just can’t get enough of them. That and an occasional love of peanut butter sandwiches – for some reason I just adore them. Or rather, the baby does. I can’t help what the baby wants to eat, can I. One night it was a big piece of battered cod  that I wanted – I just couldn’t get it out of my head. And when I ate it, it was the most scrumptious piece of cod I’d ever had. Next day, and a few weeks after that, I couldn’t even bear the thought of cod. The latest fad became hard boiled eggs with salad cream…then it was scrambled eggs with pasta. Then came hot cross buns.  Ah yes, the magic of toasted hot cross buns with a bit of butter. Next it was vegetarian burgers and jacket potatoes. But the current fad is cheese and pickle sandwiches – oh – and I started making my own soup. Sweet potato and butternut squash being my favourite at the moment. Everytime I get a sniff of it, I get this almost irresistible urge just to shove it all into my mouth and slurp it down. Erm, think I’d better remember my etiquette as a well-mannered lady…Who knows what I might want to chomp on next? I just count myself lucky that I haven’t been one of those women who’ve wanted to eat something completely random like slugs or bars of soap. Yet. But I’ll keep you posted.

Bring on trimester 2!

 Week 12

Exhaustion, constipation, headaches, diarrhoea, nausea – you name it, I’ve had it. Never before did I realise how physically shattering and full of symptoms pregnancy could be. Just as I think how fortunate I am to be getting through the first trimester, gotten through my first scan with all looking positive, finally getting my appetite back – along comes a new lot of symptoms – headaches, irritability and stomach feeling like it’s about to burst. And going back to school for the start of term and toughing it out there sure does make it a little bit harder. Demanding little ones, excited and needy, while there’s me trying to battle out waves of nausea and sleepy eyes. Not to mention the paperwork demands, which have had me, like many teachers, racing to get it all done at lunchtimes, after school and then in the hours at home between making the dinner, fitting in my Pilates session and clambering into bed for a quick nap. I almost want to design a sort of bed that I can fit neatly under my desk, that I can quickly bring out at lunchtimes or after school whenever I feel the need for a light sleep. That would make life a bit easier. What happened to all of this energy I was meant to be getting back once the second trimester started? I’m not feeling the benefits of that yet! I have to ask hubby to start dinner and do the washing, because I’m just too shattered when I get home. Gone are the Friday night dancing and late nights – these days I’m ready for bed by 9 o’clock, much to my husband’s disappointment.

I guess I’ll just have to hold out a bit longer. Ride it out and remember that the worse I feel, the better the baby must feel. Right?

No massage for me!

Week 7

 It’s been a couple of weeks and as much as possible I’ve been trying to enjoy the summer holidays. Hubby and I went on a lovely spa weekend to a hotel set in gorgeous Norfolk countryside. We had a treatment booked soon after checking in and we made our way to the little waiting room. On entering, this heavenly scent of fresh fruit and citrus floats around us and the sound of soft music, like you’re in a rainforest with all of the frogs and birds moving around  you. The chairs look like they’re made of bamboo and there’s herbal tea available on tap. This is truly glorious and relaxing, I think, sitting down in a seat, lying my head back and closing my eyes, husband sat next to me.

Moments later, a member of staff pops her head round the door. Mr and Mrs Out…Ot…?” She looks round the room in question.

“That’s us,” I put my hand up and stood up.

The lady came over to us. “If you’d just like to come with us, my colleague will take you through to her room and I will take you to mine,” she looked at me.

“Oh –” my husband and I exchanged glances. “We don’t have out treatment together?”

“No, well you can, but you need to request it when you make the booking,” she shook her head sadly. We weren’t told that when we booked! Oh well.
“So I’ll see you at the end then,” I looked at husband, slightly disappointed.

But when I got into the massage room, I quickly relaxed. It was hard not to with the soft music and pleasant aromas filling the air. “So which treatment would you like?” she asked me.

“Oh, well I booked a massage actually.”

The lady checked through the form I had completed and looked at me for a few seconds before speaking. “As you’re pregnant and less than 12 weeks, I’m afraid we won’t be able to massage you, as the stimulation would be a bit too much.”

I stare at her, dumbfounded. I had no idea there would be this kind of restriction on me.

“Erm, so what treatments will I be able to have then?”

She widens her eyes at me, and hesitates. This didn’t seem promising. “Well, as we use aromatherapy oils for all of our treatments, I’m afraid the only thing you will be able to have is your nails painted. “Oh, like a manicure? That would be fine th-“

“-well, it wouldn’t be a manicure, I’m afraid. Just a nail paint,” she tried to explain.  As you’re so early on in your pregnancy, we just aren’t able to do any type of massage for you,” she shook her head. “We’ve got a lovely selection of pregnancy-free nail varnishes,” her voice brightened up. “I’ll go and get them and you can choose your colour.”

I tried to join her in the positivity. “Yeah, alright then, please.”

Off she bounced, as I sat back on the bed. Well, at least I could get my nails done. Better than nothing. If only I had thought this through earlier and checked, we could have postponed this weekend until my second trimester. I’ve been obsessed with checking absolutely everything in pregnancy – but I didn’t think to check about this! As if it wasn’t bad enough, I’m now going to be doubly obsessive about everything.