When did you tell people about your pregnancy ? 12- 16 weeks guest blog

When did you tell people about your pregnancy ? Since finding out that we’re expecting, it has been incredibly difficult to keep a secret.  I was so excited and wanted to tell everyone straight away…and start shopping!

Sam and I agreed that we would wait until we were out of the “danger zone” and tell everyone after 12 weeks, however, this didn’t happen.  I found it extremely stressful not telling anyone; after just 3 weeks I persuaded Sam to let me tell our best friends.  They were already suspicious and telling me that I must be pregnant due to not drinking!  So, I jumped straight at the opportunity to use this as an excuse to tell them.

It felt so good to finally tell someone, and to be able to discuss the pregnancy and get excited about it all over again.  This was short lived, as I was desperate to tell more people.  After another few weeks I decided it was time to tell my mum and her partner.  I was so excited and nervous before telling them, I was shaking and full of butterflies!

I gave my mum a replica scratch card we had ordered from eBay and a 2p to prompt her to scratch it straight away.  The suspense of her scratching the card so slowly and immaculately was killing me, and I ended up crying before she had scratched the revealing panel.

Again, the relief I felt after telling them was huge, and I felt like a massive weight had been lifted.  I’m not sure if anyone else has had this feeling of desperation to tell someone something, but I have never experienced anything like it before.  After another couple of weeks, I told the rest of my family and work colleagues and the secret was finally out.

The following week we had our 12 weeks scan which went very well.  I had drunk gallons of water prior to the scan in hope of a clear picture, except, the baby had other ideas.  The baby was moving around so much and wasn’t “posing” for a picture, so I had to lay on either side, lift my bum up off the bed and wriggle around until it was in a position for that perfect scan photo.  All of this was exceptionally difficult because every time I moved it made me need the loo more and more!

Leading up to the scan I found it very strange knowing I was pregnant with no official confirmation, only the two home pregnancy tests I had taken.  To finally see a real-life baby inside me was amazing and clarified the morning sickness and lack of appetite.

I have been extraordinarily lucky so far in my pregnancy and have only suffered from mild morning sickness.  Actually, my sickness hits me at around 4pm and lasts until I go to bed.  I would feel nauseous and have sudden hunger pangs but wouldn’t fancy anything to eat, especially the usual healthy vegetable, lean meat and fish.  Instead, I opted for pot noodles, pasta and mash potato! Luckily, this only lasted until around week 16.

Sam and I are both quite active and like to take part in most kinds of sports activities.  So far, the pregnancy hasn’t stopped me doing anything I wouldn’t normally do.  We have been mountain biking around challenging routes and have been invited out with friends go karting and paintballing, where I just made sure I had plenty of padding around the middle.

I think, as long as you know your fitness and limits, you should be able to carry on with your usually activities and face no problems.  I am early on in my pregnancy and I think as I get bigger, I may have to change a few things!

They say that moving to a new house is one of the most stressful things you can do, not only did I find it stressful but exceptionally hard work.  Sam and I had only hired a van for 24hrs and were both working away leading up to the move meaning that we had to pack the van and unload at the new house in one day!  I didn’t find it too bad until we were still unloading the van during a dark cold night and our new house is over 3 floors, where we were storing most things on the top floor for the time being.  At one point I sat on the top stair and had a little cry.  I was so exhausted from the constant back and forth carrying boxes all day that I felt so guilty for putting the baby through this pressure. On the other hand, I also felt guilty for Sam who was obviously lifting the heavier things and working at twice my pace.  I didn’t have my mini melt down until we were almost done, so I gave myself a few minutes rest before getting the job finished.  Since this experience, I now make a conscious effort to remember I am pregnant and to make sure that I don’t push myself that far again.

I am looking forward to feeling those little flutters everyone keeps telling me about…

When did you tell people about your pregnancy ? You can read Eloise’s other blog here