If you follow my instagram then I guess this is old news, but if you don’t then baby O’Shea number two is officially on the way!

This is probably another feature in it’s self but I was very happy in what I suppose I can now refer to as my “old” life. James, Mabel and I – our Edwardian semi in a familiar area. The joy I used to gain from silly frivolous things like loving my gym, the fact we could get to everything easily, the routine we built for ourselves that meant we could could balance work, friends and our own individual hobbies and activities.

And then we moved to a much bigger house in the country. And now our family dynamic is going to change all over again. I don’t want to sound ungrateful, I completely appreciate how very lucky we are to be expecting another child, but I would be fibbing if I didn’t admit to feeling anxious and slightly off-balance. But then I guess the hormones are partly to blame. And the fact I’ve felt extremely sick for the last two months – with the only cure seemingly being a plate of chips or taking a nap.

In fact this pregnancy thus far has been completely different to the last (which in hindsight was a breeze). I’ve been so tired at times I could literally sleep standing up, I find myself easily bored by literally everything (maybe I am tuning into the mentality of my 3 year old daughter Mabel?!) so I have to be doing something interesting all of the time otherwise I’m two foot stamps away from throwing a full on strop. I must be an absolute arse to live with right now.

In my first pregnancy I was borderline for high risk downs syndrome, it was a very confusing time (I won’t go into detail otherwise we would be here all day) so I had the Non-invasive prenatal (NIPT) tests at 10 weeks to gain the most accurate results we could at the earliest opportunity. I’m pleased to report I am low risk for everything and the scan showed a healthy “dancing” baby with a strong heartbeat and an innate desire for carbohydrates (as proved by the craving for aforementioned chips. And the occasional bag of Quavers).

I still think the vast majority of “maternity” clothes are awful, I’m planning on investing in some kind of small budget capsule wardrobe so I feel comfortable and confident for the next 25 weeks. The plan is to save as much as I can so I can have a fashion blow out when I feel more “me” after baby number two arrives. A Mother’s gotta have goals – and something to look forward to after everything I own will undoubtedly be covered in milk and drool.

One of the most remarkable things is that we already know the sex of the baby, modern science is amazing isn’t it? The NIPT can determine the sex from as early as 9 weeks. Which is crazy bananas. I am still in a state of shock at the result to be honest. Please feel free to guess in the comments box below (there’s a 50/50 chance you’ll be right!)

I hope all of your pregnancies are going really well and I’ll update you on more human growing adventures along the way!