WEEK 8

I am 8 weeks pregnant (32 weeks to go!!). BabyBunny is about the size of a kidney bean. Bunny can bend his elbows and knees.

Appetite: none (constant dislike towards all kinds of food in general). Tiredness, fatigue: none (sluggishness: some). Well-balanced diet: none. Cravings: none. Exercise, workouts: none. Housekeeping: none.

My skin is very dry, especially on arms and legs. When observed closely it looks like a thin white layer on the surface of skin.

I had a dream last night. We (me and DH) were in the hospital in a spacious room full of pregnant women with big bumps waiting to deliver their baby, and DH was copying or filling out some form, a daily schedule or something...

Exhaustion of all day every day nausea, breast growth (swollen breasts and nipples, discomfort), more pimples, funny taste in the mouth. Miserable with nausea which lasts all day long.

Ginger root tea and toast for breakfast, something for lunch and mozzarella salad for dinner, this is how my weekly diet looks...

WEEK 7

I am 7 weeks pregnant (33 weeks to go!!). BabyBunny is about the size of a blueberry. Bunny has webbed fingers and toes. Tiny Bunny is still an embryo. He has a tail, an extension of his tailbone, but it will disappear within a few weeks.

My appetite is lost and gone. I cannot remember what it feels like being hungry or wanting food. I made my favourite dish over the weekend but the smell, the look and the taste too made me sick so poor DH had to ate it (for 3 days!!).

Toast for breakfast, toast for lunch. I ate much more bread in the past two weeks than in the past two years. Now even the smell makes me sick. When the first trimester is over I don't want to see another slice of bread for the next two or three years for sure.

For dinner I enjoyed buffalo mozzarella and tomato with green salad (rocket, watercress and spinach leaves) - four evenings is a row. Finally something healthy for BabyBunny!

DH makes a fresh ginger root tea for me every morning. Maybe because of this one day is better than the other but the next one is worse than the previous one when it comes to nausea. The 'Comfort Bands' are useless.

Still spending my days in my PJs. I did not leave the apartment in the past 4 days. I do not feel I want to dress up or go out see people or want to go near to a restaurant.

I noticed that when sleeping or lying on one side for longer period of time my arm, hand or hip grows numb on that side. I will definitely mention this to the midwife on my first appointment which arrived on post early this week. The appointment is on the 15th DEC. So much for an early scan after what happened in APR. I also booked a screening test (a scan and a blood test).

Diarrhoea is still an everyday companion but I am happy that I am able to keep food down (so far) thus BabyBunny gets his nutrition.

I have pimples all over my face, painful, red pimples deep under the skin...

8 weeks

Weeks really crawl. Can't wait to get my scan for the peace of mind, for reassurance, so it will seem real. Seeing is believing ;-)

The internet can put ideas into our head and make us stress unnecessarily. Is the baby's growing in the right place? No strong pregnancy symptoms? Incompetent cervix? Twins (double trouble but twice the fun)? I haven't had cramps or bleeding, which is good. I did not really want to plot my weight on a chart or monitor everything I ate each day. Worrying is no good for us both. Every pregnancy is different!

Feeling queasy, nauseous. Can't look at food, can't think of food. No appetite at all. It strikes at all hours of the day, from the moment I open my eyes till I finally fall asleep. It seems go away when I eat but after the last bit jumps back on me. I am sleepy. I have metallic taste in my mouth and excess saliva from time to time. Once the baby is healthy that's the main thing. No food cravings though. Maybe the vitamins do the trick.

Battling with a mountain of laundry. The place looks like a bomb went off!! I wish I had a magic wand to wave around.

I am 8 weeks today! 8 completed weeks!!

To get a girl or a boy

How is gender determined is a mystery. The life finds its balance. There are countless old wife tales on how, when and where to do the making. Well, I do not believe that making love in boots (the male wearing it) will produce a boy, but I do believe that nutrition can bring the scales closer to what a heart desire.

To those who want nature in their favour here are some tips, but results can't be garanteed however. Please report back with your experiments, I am curious to know how it works out for ya ;-)

X (female) sperm prefer more acidic conditions (pH of the vaginal environment), so eat calcium- and magnesium-rich foods like dairy, nuts, pulses, chocolate, spinach, while Y (male) sperm fare better in alkaline conditions, so you need more sodium and potassium like salty meat products, banana, rice and pasta (says Rana Conway).

To get a boy:
- shows a link between higher energy intake around the time of conception and the birth of sons;
- eating high-calorie foods and consuming a lot of calories in general;
- high levels of glucose encourage the growth of male embryos while inhibiting female embryos;
- strong correlation between women eating breakfast cereals and producing sons (skipping breakfast depress glucose levels);
- eat plenty of salty food, bananas, vegetables, lots of breakfast cereal and lots of food in general;
- a nutrient-poor diet could be less favourable to a male embryo;
- avoid foods like cheese, legumes and yogurt;
- acidic: calcium-and magnesium-rich foods: dairy products, nuts, legumes, chocolate, spinach;
- alkaline: more sodium and potassium, salty meat, bananas, rice and pasta;

To get a girl:
- do the opposite of what is written above;

Busy little bees

Calculating back my last ovulation: we stopped trying 3 days earlier. November: it was 3 days late when we tried. The sperms can live for 3 days, and in a good condition for up to 5. The egg lives around 12 hours only, so the little fellows must be waiting for her in the fallopian tube where the conception takes place. I must admit I previously thought it happens in the womb.

Making a baby can be tiring. For five days in a row, for 1-3 times a day especially is. My calculated ovulation is well in the middle. Three days before and 3 days after, we couldn't miss it this time. I couldn't feel much down there by the end!

Staying in bed, legs up for half an hour could do the trick. I want a boy for the fist one to be so I avoid dairy (calcium-rich food), I ate lots of bananas and lemon (freshly squeezed, diluted in water) for a week for alkaline conditions. Pregnacare Conception does not contain calcium.

The waiting game

Spending the Christmas just the two of us is so relaxing. We didn't do much. Eating, watching DVD, eating, another DVD, eating, and eating a little more :-D)) We prepared quiet a lot of food, it will last for days!

I feel a bit of guilt, I couldn't resist to the Christmas Pudding. I made the Brandy Cream without the brandy and we didn't flame up the pudding but still I tasted much alcohol in it.

Just over a week to find out...