Is there such a thing as feeling TOO well during the 2nd trimester?!

According to Dr B the answer is a resounding "no" and I should thank my lucky stars & not subscribe to all the hype around the many signs and symptoms that others at the same stage seem to have and take delight in sharing with the world.

On the other hand, it is a little worrying feeling so well - is there really a baby in there at all?! Is it ok?! Is it growing fast enough?! These are all the questions I have been asking myself.

The constant nausea has disappeared (apart from one little incident that was only prompted by my vitamin turning my stomach), I don't need to wee all the time - I can sleep through the night without having to get up - and I'd even go as far as saying I feel slightly less tired.

So this is the joyful 2nd trimester where I'm supposed to be glowing (possibly?), have an appetite like a horse (nope) and the rollercoaster of pregnancy hormones have settled (definitely not - Adam will attest to that!!). I have to say I've found the past couple of weeks a bit - well - underwhelming but I know that I should be very, very grateful for this and make the most of these healthy, complaint-free, quiet times whilst I can!

So what has been happening? My bump finally appears to have popped a little, we've been to see Dr B again and we wandered around the baby expo this morning.

With regards to the bump, this has prompted a little excitement in me in the form of online shopping!! I went a bit nuts & ordered 6 maternity dresses from ASOS the other day - free international delivery don't you know?! Their maternity section is excellent for any expectant Mums-to-be out there... here's a link:-

ASOS Maternity Range

Only one of the dresses has arrived so far but I wore it to a charity lunch on Friday and felt quite the Yummy-Mummy-to-be! I don't have a picture of me in it but use your imaginations with the following:-

I also treated myself to a pair of maternity tights on Friday because my usual tights either hang around my crotch & make me walk like John Wayne if I wear them 'under the bump' or leave an angry red line down the middle of me if I attempt to pull them 'over the bump'! Expensive at $19.99 a pair but hopefully worth it...

I was also excited to see Dr B again on Friday - especially as Adam was coming with me - but this excitement did wear off a little when he was 50 minutes late for our appointment!!! There's only so much coo-ing at babies in the waiting room you can do before you start to get a bit cheesed-off.

Once we got to see Dr B all went well though - he gave me a referral for our 19-week scan which is to check for 'fetal anomalies'. This scan checks how the baby is developing and looks for any abnormalities in the baby’s structural development and growth, such as spina bifida or heart anomalies, and checks the position of the placenta.

We should also be able to find out the sex if the baby is in a good position - fingers crossed!!!

He also did a little scan on his own machine there and then. The baby has now moved up away my bladder (hence less weeing) and towards my belly button (hence the bump) and he/she looked well with a strong heartbeat and a fair few movements. This was a relief! I should apparently start to feel some of these movements between 16 and 22 weeks which start off like little butterflies fluttering around and then gradually get stronger - I can't wait!!

We'll see Dr B again in 3 weeks' time - around the same time as my scan. They should be exciting appointments indeed!

Finally, we went to a baby expo at Olympic Park this morning - got lots of goodie bags and managed not to buy anything apart from a baby names book for $5 - bargain! It was good - we got to look at some nursery furniture & prams & spoke to the Family Assistance people about the Government's Paid Parental Leave Scheme ($570 per week pre-tax for 18 weeks) - we'll need to apply for that around August ish. We're a bit reluctant to buy anything else at the moment - don't want to jinx anything as Adam said - and we're also keen to wait until we know the sex so that we can buy something other than cream or white!

I did, however, have a nose around one of the many bargain baby websites and spotted the attached set which I would love love LOVE if we were having a girl!!!