Second Trimester: 13 - 21 weeks

Week 13: I had my nuchal scan this week. Seems I am at week 13, not week 12, so I have a week less to go. They have changed my due dates as a result, so I am now due in early August.

Everyone at work now knows about my pregnancy now. I feel quite awkward about this as I think this is what people see in me now, rather than the job I do. I am sure I am being paranoid but it is always there in the back of my mind.

Week 14: I suddenly put on a lot of weight this week (3lbs in 4 days), and it feels like it. My clothes are starting to get uncomfortably tight, and my bump is starting to be noticeable, to me anyway. I am a bit upset about the weight gain - most Internet sites I have looked up say anything from 0-4lbs in the first trimester is normal, and I have put on more than that. Mind you, with the nausea I have been snacking a lot, and usually on what I fancied, rather than what I should eat, because that is all I could stomach. The nausea continues and I am waiting for it to abate.

However, everyone says not to be obsessed about weight gain, as some people will gain more early and some later. I enjoyed being slim and am starting to miss it. I am also not enjoying tight clothes! I continue to go to Pilates classes which I started just before I was pregnant, and think these will be great - it helps to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles and hopefully mean I have less to do when the baby is born.

Joshua has been a little star this week. I think he is getting used to the idea that Mummy won't play spaceships with him in the washing basket anymore, but that Daddy is still just as willing. We had a lovely drawing session this week, testing my drawing skills, as I am not adept at drawing Bob the Builder, but I think this reinforced our closeness. He still wants his hug from his Mummy at the end of the night, even if I don't put him to bed as I am lying exhausted on the settee! Maybe my fears have been unfounded.

Week 15: I am still concerned about my weight gain. I have now put on 10lbs in total. I am still nauseous, and this is definitely affecting my ability to do my job. I have some tight work deadlines coming up, but I really can't stay late at the moment, as I feel so sick in the evenings that I couldn't work even if I wanted to, or had to. I really feel quite stressed about this, as I hate to have a lot of important work hanging over me. I usually would prefer to work late and get it done.

I had a chat with the Pilates instructor this week and we mutually agreed that I would not return to the class after the half term break. The class is not for pregnant women and she said that there would be more and more emphasis on floor exercises which I will not be able to do. She says I am not allowed to lie on my back after 16 weeks (I assume this is for exercise purposes) and also she can't give me the sort of attention I would need being pregnant, because of the other people in the class. However, she has been fantastic and will order me an exercise ball (which could also double as a birth ball). She will also put together a sheet detailing exercises suitable for pregnancy.

I found this a huge blow. I really want to stay fit during this pregnancy. Last time I did very little exercise, and thought that Pilates would be great (it is). Problem is, all classes designed for pregnant women, for any form of exercise, seem to be in the day. Not much good if you work, and also not much good if you have a small toddler to look after and your partner is at work and can't baby sit.

Week 16: All my clothes are suddenly getting unbearably tight. I can still fit into the trousers that were baggy before, but I am still far too small for maternity wear! I am down to a very limited wardrobe, and I really hope we don't get asked to any more formal do - I have no formal clothes left that I can fit into! I feel huge for 16 weeks, but my midwife assures me that it is normal to get bigger faster the second time around!

Week 17: I have had an interesting week with Joshua - he is really getting used to 'baby' in Mummy's tummy and last week going round Tesco, when he was in the trolley seat, he would periodically unzip my jacket, point to my tummy, shout 'baby' very loudly, then zip my jacket up again. Very cute, but definitely embarrassing! He also points to his tummy and says 'baby' so he really hasn't got much clue. I have tried to show him my pregnant friends who then go on to have babies, to explain that the baby comes from Mummy's tummy, but this is to advanced for him. Hopefully, before my baby is born he will have some idea of what is gong to happen!

Unfortunately at the end of the week he got a nasty tummy bug. He bounced back within 48 hours, but now I have got it! I hadn't thought of this problem with having a toddler when I got pregnant again. I haven't kept down much over the last 48 hours, but enough liquid for me not to phone the midwife (yet). Maybe I should have done. This has helped with the weight gain, although I would definitely not recommend it. In fact it is quite horrible when you can't take anything to settle your stomach, or just make you feel better.

Week 18: I am getting over the tummy bug now, thankfully. It didn't have much impact on my weight, and I am still putting on weight hand over fist. I am starting to get concerned, as I didn't want to leave myself too much to do after the baby is born.

Week 19: This week has gone very smoothly. I have been busy with a deadline at work. However, it made me realise that children and career don't always mix. Because I have been working late, my husband has been looking after Joshua almost by himself and also dropping him off and picking him up from nursery. I am just lucky that we both have jobs close to Joshua's nursery. However, his boss did notice that he has been regularly leaving early (to pick up Joshua) and made a comment. Hopefully my job will soon calm down and I will take back some of the nursery runs.

I don't know what I would have done if my husband had not been able to help out and do all the work with Joshua over the last few weeks. Missed the deadline at work I suppose?

Week 20: We went away for the weekend this week, walking in Derbyshire and I really noticed the effect of my pregnancy on my relationship with Joshua. Joshua is too small to walk as far as we did, and as we don't have an all terrain buggy we decided that we would have to carry him a lot. Well, my husband carried him a lot. I really can't manage this. After a while, Joshua kept asking me to carry him and I had to refuse. He got very upset by this, and also became very clingy for me when we did stop (he even came to the bathroom with me in the hotel, and got upset when I had a bath). This upset me quite a lot. I do explain to him all the reasons why I can't carry him, and give him lots of hugs on the ground, but this doesn't really seem to help.

Week 21: I went away overnight with work this week which was tiring. Airplane seatbelts are suddenly getting tight and I was glad the person in front didn't recline their seat. Space would definitely have been limited then. All is going well apart from the weight gain and I am quite happy with everything.

I have felt the baby kicking a lot for a few weeks now, almost since week 15, and it is very reassuring, and quite exciting, to feel the movements. Mind you, with Joshua I couldn't be sure that I had felt him until about 21 weeks, so it is true that you feel them a lot earlier second time round!

Week 22: I had my anomaly scan this week. It was such a relief to know all was fine and that all the bits that should be there were there! However, I was nervous before hand, because, although it is wonderful to see your baby, it is always in the back of your mind that they do the scan to check the baby is OK and normal.

I got my usual weekly e-mail from a web site telling that this should be the most comfortable period of the pregnancy. Am I alone in not actually having felt comfortable or 'normal' since getting pregnant? I am definitely not feeling as if I'm blooming!

Week 23: OK so I have put on more than two stone now. That's the amount they recommend for the whole of pregnancy! My bump feels huge (although the baby was the right size on the scan I had last week) and I'm becoming quite worried about my weight gain. The books say I should have only put a stone or so by now, and I can see there is extra fat, but I feel hungry all the time. Everyone says that I can deal with it after the baby is born, like I did last time, but Joshua was one before I managed to get on a proper diet. I also don't want to sweep the issue under the carpet now.

I had an appointment at the hospital this week. As I had a caesarean with Joshua, I will have to have the baby at the main hospital. However, I am keen to try a vaginal delivery if possible. I think that the recovery times are potentially quicker and a caesarean scar and an energetic 2 stone toddler isn't the most practical if possibly avoided. They will let me try normal labour under supervision, as there is a small risk of the previous scar tearing. I have to go back to the hospital at 36 weeks to check if this is still possible, and whether I will have changed my mind by then, and ask for an elective caesarean.

Week 24: This has been an exhausting week for me. I have been traveling a lot for work and I just can't take long days and late nights any more. It takes me days to recover from one late night. I also have a bad cold, and to top it all, Joshua has just contracted chicken pox. I checked with a local midwife as some books suggest that chicken pox may be a problem if you are pregnant, but as I had chicken pox as a child I am ok. Still it was worth checking anyway.

I am starting to worry about work and the stress associated with it. I saw an article in the Evening Standard that quoted a study that stress at work increases the chance of premature labour. This could be just journalistic hype, but you take everything seriously when you are pregnant. As I am really not enjoying work at the moment, I am now concerned about the effect it may have on my pregnancy and I have started thinking about starting maternity leave earlier than the 36-37 weeks I currently have planned. The problem with this, as always, is financial, as my company only gives the 'basic' maternity package and it would mean that I would have to come back to work sooner after the baby is born that I would like. It's so difficult to work out what to do. A crystal ball would be nice!

Week 25: This week has been quite uneventful. My work continues to be very busy, and I am exhausted and Joshua is getting over his chicken pox (thank goodness for parents being able to come up and look after him so I didn't use up all my holiday from work staying at home with a sick toddler). It's often difficult working with a small child, and I am very lucky in that this is the first time Joshua has had to be home from nursery on a day when I would work.

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