Pregnancy and Postpartum
Maria Martin  

20 weeks pregnant – half way there!

I am quite fortunate and very aware of it. My pregnancies seem to be quite mundane, the small human grows in there with very little interference for the most part and for that I am endlessly grateful. I do, however, suffer some of the usual pregnancy complaints and this time it’s all happening a little sooner than before!

Hip pain.

In my previous pregnancy my hips didn’t start to bother me too much more than usual until I was about 30 weeks, this time I made it to 16 weeks before the hip pain crept in. I’m not impressed and I starting to worry that it is going to affect me quite badly as the baby grows. If you are suffering with hip pain in pregnancy you can see what the NHS says about it here. To combat this (and to maintain some level of fitness) I have started swimming three days a week. Being in the water is a huge relief for all of my aches and pains whether they are pregnancy related or caused by Fibromyalgia. 

Heartburn.

My goodness, the heartburn is getting to me. I have indigestion tablets in every room and every bag and I have a huge bottle of heartburn relief on my bedside table. It’s aniseed and it is gross but it does a good job. This has happened much sooner than I expected as well, I was hoping to get a few more weeks before the pregnancy heartburn really kicked in. My mum keeps telling me I’m going to have a very hairy baby so keep an eye out in another 20 weeks and we will see if this old wives’ tale has any truth.

Kicks and wiggles

Of all the things in this pregnancy that have happened sooner I am sad that this was not one of them. I started showing sooner this time but didn’t feel any kicks until I was at least 16 weeks, if not 17. Last time I felt flutters at 14 weeks. After a few quiet weeks with just one or two flutters a day baby has now discovered there is room enough for a party in my womb. The kicks all feel very low down so I am taking a guess that the placenta is front and centre, which would explain why I didn’t feel anything for so long. I will see if I can find out at my scan next week.

Cravings

silhouette of  a pregnant woman on the beach at sunset with title text overlay

I’ve had some oddly specific and slightly strange cravings this time, compared to fairly average ones last time. My first craving – before I knew I was pregnant – was burger relish. Specifically the one they use at McDonald’s on the cheap cheeseburgers. The cravings then moved on to basically anything salty, this was during ‘morning’ sickness and no one could understand why I was fine eating Greggs pastries for breakfast but not cereal. This is where it starts to get strange though, I craved the lettuce from inside a burger. Not the burger itself, not fresh lettuce or a salad – the soggy, warm shredded lettuce from inside a burger. And now it’s just Mustard. Mustard on everything. I don’t even like mustard but there we go. Compare that to peanut butter, strawberries and chicken noodle soup last time and things certainly are looking a little odd.

All in all, I am having a pretty good pregnancy and I am looking forward to the little milestones over the next 20 weeks.

If you liked this you’ll love…

Writing a detailed birth plan
7 important things pregnant women need to know

0 thoughts on “20 weeks pregnant – half way there!

  1. Lisa Pomerantz

    Stay healthy, eat right and keep on keepin’ on, momma! May you meet this little bundle of joy in due time, in full health and love! #KCACOLS xoxo

    1. Maria Martin

      Thank you 😀 I can’t believe how quickly it’s going!

  2. Morgan Prince

    Aw it all sounds lovely. I remember having a craving for Tomato Juice when I was pregnant with LP. I’d not drank tomato juice since I was a girl but I happened to see it in the supermarket and just knew that’s what I wanted. Over the course of the pregnancy I must’ve drank gallons of the stuff and I can’t stand it now!
    Thanks for sharing with #pocolo

    1. Maria Martin

      Our bodies are so clever, the way they know exactly what we need! I was the same after my first pregnancy and chicken noodle soup – haven’t managed to have it again until this pregnancy!

  3. AliDuke (@weirdoA)

    I suffered really badly with heartburn with my second baby too. I didn’t have any odd cravings, I just wanted to eat everything in sight lol. Thanks so much for linking up at #KCACOLS. Hope you come back again next time

  4. LanaPummill

    Awe! Yay! You are almost there. I had a craving for orange juice and chili dogs with my second! 🙂 So exciting! #KCACOLS

    1. Maria Martin

      Orange juice and lemonade is my go to drink at the moment, love it! Aggravates the heartburn though…

      1. LanaPummill

        Yes! I had really bad acid reflux.

  5. crummymummy1

    I got hip pain in my third pregnancy too – & it’s never gone away, worst luck! #KCACOLS

    1. Maria Martin

      My son got stuck during my first labour and I have been suffering with niggling hip pain since, it’s just worse now. Childbirth definitely changes your body forever!

  6. A Moment with Franca

    Not long now. I had a lot of heartburn with my two pregnancies but more with the first one and I agree it can be very uncomfortable. I had some cravings too but never anything too odd. Craving the lettuce inside the burger was funny but I can understand why. I like it too but of course with everything else lol Wish you all the best with the rest of your pregnancy. 🙂 x
    #kcacols

    1. Maria Martin

      The Heartburn goes from 0 to 100 in seconds now. I could be fine all day and then BAM. I don’t go anywhere without something for it in my bag!

  7. […] 20 weeks pregnant – half way there! […]

  8. Emma Me and B Make Tea

    happy 20 weeks! I had awful heartburn with both of mine. luckily it’s gone now! #KCACOLS

Leave A Comment