Pregnant with a Peppercorn // 23 weeks pregnant

It’s a little bit scary (and very very exciting) to think that Peppercorn will be with us in around four months time! This week he is the size of a large mango or papaya, and should be approximately 29cm long (almost as much as a school ruler!). Nick saw him move and kick my tummy for the first time on Monday night, which produced many smiles.
Peppercorn has been reacting to sounds this week; he loves the sound of the hairdryer, and it’s almost always guaranteed to make him move. I’ve been really enjoying some of the new The Prodigy tracks, and I’m hoping he might like the bass as Busby did when I was pregnant with her!

We decided to rent an apartment in Beverley this week so Busby and I could explore our new area, get to know our new amenities, and spend some Mama-Daughter time together. Nick works nearby, so it made his commute substantially less than the 100 miles a day he’s currently driving! I feel a bit like I overexerted myself again – I haven’t had any bleeding, but I am very tired, I’ve had swelling, and Peppercorn has gone a little quiet. (I write this now, tucked up in bed at 7pm!) It was good to explore though, and I may have fallen in love with a house in Beverley that costs a cool £1.5m… Better start playing the lottery!

I’ve started to develop really dry skin this week. I suffer from eczema flare ups, especially when I’m stressed, and I’ve now got small patches all over my bump, back and some on my legs too. My ring finger is red raw, so I’ve had to take off my rings to help it heal. Isn’t pregnancy sexy?

As for cravings this week, I’ve been wanting cheese and cherry tomato sandwiches… I went completely off tomatoes during my pregnancy with Busby and haven’t been able to eat one since, so it’s been a novelty to be able to eat them again! I decided to make a batch of fruit scones on Monday to fulfil the scone craving; I haven’t made scones since I was at secondary school, and they turned out surprisingly well. Salmon has been pretty high on my list too, and I’ve been really enjoying the freshness of baked salmon with new potatoes and broccoli.

It’s become more and more apparent over the past few weeks that my depression has returned. At a time when I should be overjoyed with the miracle of pregnancy, excited about our new house, and appreciating our last few months of life as a three… all I can seem to do is cry. Depression is not rational. It does not work in a way that makes sense. I can’t just cheer up and feel happy again. But I will not let it rule me. I’m off to the doctor next week to see whether there’s anything that can be done. I’m not holding my breath as mental health provisions for pregnant women seem to be few and far between up here in Yorkshire, but I’m hoping they might be able to recommend a service to speak to. If not, I guess I’ll have to travel down to Brighton once a week as there are people a-plenty willing to help us depressed pregnant ladies down in Sussex.

So that was 23 weeks… I have everything crossed that 24 weeks might be a bit brighter.
Hannah