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Josa’s pregnancy diary - weeks 14-16

The story so far: Josa Young has 2 children aged eleven and eight. She’s now 41 and expecting another baby. She’s 14 weeks into pregnancy. Follow her progress

Sharing the glad tidings

Once we felt confident enough, we told the children, and they were thrilled. Both of them have been begging me for years to have a baby, or a dog; they are not too fussed which.

But as Mummy didn’t look all that different, and nothing exciting was happening, the novelty wore off fast. However, Maud, 11, wants a girl and Archie, 8, a boy – he has Lego in mind. As we know there is only one baby, this is bound to disappoint someone. Archie has become very sentimental about his stuffed hedgehog, pictures of baby penguins, a friend’s piglets, and other cute triggers. ‘I just can’t get enough of sweet things,’ he says. I wonder if he is gearing himself up emotionally for the little person, who will be so much his and Maud’s as well as ours.

The expanding girth

This is the point at which you are meant to start feeling better, and I suppose I do – a bit. But the surge of energy, heralded enthusiastically by many written sources, does not arrive. The gradual disappearance of the waistline does, though, and I go to Marks & Spencer to see if I can find anything to fit. I come home with a pair of drawstring linen trousers designed for a short fat man. For the original intended recipient, I would describe them as a fashion disaster area. Only the youngest and slimmest should attempt the drawstring. For me, the accommodation designed for the beer belly is a boon and should last for months.
I am on a one-to-one scheme and my midwife, Risi, comes to my home for the first time. She cannot pick up the heartbeat yet, but seems unworried. She comes from Nigeria, and cannot understand the fuss made here about older mothers. She seems quiet and calm – is this what I want, or do I want something more pro-active?
There is one, very definite difference between pregnancy now and in my early thirties. I did a whole trade show, standing up and chatting to the public for three days, when pregnant with Archie. This time, I lasted two hours, before going home and falling straight to sleep.

Catch up on Anastasia's pregnancy diary for Weeks 14-16.

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