Welcome, Shroom 2.0*

I'm beyond excited to share that we are expecting another little one to join our pack in August!

We loved the idea of Eden having a sibling so this is beyond exciting. Recently I've loved looking back on my previous pregnancy posts and reminiscing about my experiences, so I'll be sharing a bit about my experience of this first trimester. Feel free to read on if, like me, you enjoy hearing about how the pregnancy experience differs for all of us, even from child to child.

This experience of pregnancy has been totally different than my experience with Eden. There are plenty of theories as to why. My most likely theory is simply that as I'm now a toddler mama I have more uninterrupted sleep, less time to rest, and therefore pregnancy is harder the second time. However I also wondered about other possibilities - for a while I was convinced I was having twins because the symptoms were twice as intense (I'm not!) and part of me wonders if the experience might be different if I'm expecting a boy (but we're not going to find out!) So what's it been like this time?

- I found out I was pregnant at 5 weeks. I experienced a lot of cramping which was consistently only on one side which worried me as this could be a sign of ectopic pregnancy. I visited my doctor to be sure, but fortunately this wasn't the case. I don't remember having much cramping with Eden, but apparently it's common and normal.

- I've felt more bloated and am showing much sooner. This doesn't surprise me - although I tried to keep fit after having Eden, it's fair to say my core was probably less strong, and I know many women show sooner with a second pregnancy as the muscles have stretched this way before.

- I felt bloated from week 6 and already have started sleeping with a pillow between my knees for comfort. (I forgot how hard it is to get comfortable while pregnant, and this is just the beginning haha.)

- I felt extremely exhausted from about week 7 and often needed to nap when Eden napped.

- My boobs were very sore and Eden was feeding a LOT. I've found that with breastfeeding, at times where my hormones change (such as during a period) Eden works me really hard. I suspect that's what she was doing so that my supply didn't disappear as she's clearly not ready to give up milk just yet.

-The nausea. The nausea is SO much worse than with my previous pregnancy and kicked in from around week 7. My food aversions are super intense, as are my cravings which change every day (mostly). I've fluctuated between phases of only wanting plain, buddha-bowl style vegetable dishes, then the next day I only want a vegan burger and oven chips. They say the first trimester is the beige food phase which is so true - for somebody that ordinarily eats very healthily I have switched to surviving largely off of carbs, white flour and sugar. Consistent aversions have been chocolate and curries (!!), consistent cravings have been tofu, potatoes and Alpro mango yoghurt.

- I tried some acupressure bands for sickness around week nine - they did seem to help but aren't a "cure".

That's the majority of what it's been like for the first trimester. Honestly, the mum guilt has been real when I've been feeling too sick or tired to play lots with Eden, but to give myself some credit she's a happy soul and doesn't actually seem bothered in the slightest! It's a shame that the majority of my first trimester has been spent in lockdown as I haven't been able to see friends/family or go to groups or activities to keep her busy when I'm feeling rough. But I also feel hopeful that because of lockdown happening now, perhaps when baby is born there may be less restrictions needed. I certainly know I'd have struggled hugely when Eden was born without the support of family and friends, and sympathise greatly those families who have had babies during lockdown.

I'll be back with more updates as the pregnancy progresses, but for now, let's hope the sickness goes away soon - I miss enjoying food!

*PS - we haven't come up with a nickname for this wriggly little babe yet. As Eden was referred to as "Shroomie" when in utero this baby will be known as Shroom 2 until we find something that fits!!

*PPS. relating hugely to this amazing post about being pregnant in a pandemic!