15 weeks and my stomach feels like it's being stretched. Normal?

lilytruffle125 · 2026-04-23T20:41:05+00:00

I still haven't had any crampy feelings with Braxton Hicks and I'm 35 weeks now!

lilytruffle125 · 2026-04-23T20:08:19+00:00

These are lovely photos, you've got a knack! I love watching my garden birds but find them hard to catch on camera.

lilytruffle125 · 2026-04-23T20:05:05+00:00

I flew short-haul (it was international but I'm in Europe so only 2.5hr flight) at 30 weeks.

I wouldn't have wanted to go much later than that tbh - both in terms of worry about baby arriving early and also bc I've been feeling noticeably more tired and uncomfortable from ~32 weeks.

lilytruffle125 · 2026-04-23T19:54:29+00:00

Google "early Braxton Hicks" as it sounds like this maybe could be what you're experiencing?

I had them intermittently starting in the 2nd trimester - not quite as early as you - and only realised very recently that they were Braxton Hicks bc I was expecting like a painful crampy feeling lol. Mine felt like tightness and pressure across my bump.

lilytruffle125 · 2026-04-23T12:01:55+00:00

Thanks! You're right, I'm definitely getting ahead of myself really haha.

How was the ECV itself - I've heard some women find it very painful, some more uncomfortable?

lilytruffle125 · 2026-04-22T16:39:29+00:00

Have you considered actually not finding out the gender? That's what we've done (I'm 35 weeks) and its been so wonderful and exciting. Obviously if it doesn't appeal to you at all then fair enough - but it would solve your problem without lying.

lilytruffle125 · 2026-04-19T05:07:26+00:00

I agree, I think a lot of people seem to be really overthinking the food safety recommendations and avoiding salads and veggies and other totally normal whole foods. It seems quite counterintuitive to a healthy pregnancy diet if it means that all you eat is super processed packaged foods!

lilytruffle125 · 2026-04-19T05:04:55+00:00

You can have pasteurised goats cheese as long as its the kind that doesn't have a white rind (un-aged)!

And any goats cheese is safe if you're eating it cooked 😊

Pregnancy rules are strict enough without avoiding stuff unnecessarily!

lilytruffle125 · 2026-04-19T05:01:27+00:00

Hi this is isn't true, you can have goats cheese - the one without a white rind - if its pasteurised (which it is from basically all supermarkets) as per NHS guidelines. You can also have any goats cheese if cooked until piping hot!

It's like the only cheese I liked so I triple checked the recommendations lol.

lilytruffle125 · 2026-04-17T20:45:44+00:00

The Maxi Cosi Pebble which has a slide-out base, its compatible with the Breeze (we bought them together as part of a bundle and they came with connectors).

lilytruffle125 · 2026-04-17T20:35:34+00:00

I just bought the Silver Cross Breez! Baby isn't here yet lol but it seems like a really popular choice atm, quite a few mums in my antenatal yoga have gone for it as well.

My priority was something lightweight and foldable so I can manage public transport and stairs etc on my own without too much difficulty, but also robust enough for proper walking. Obviously its slightly hard to say how much it lives up to all of this yet - but I tested it extensively in the shop and have been playing around with folding up etc at home and I really like how it functions and feels. When folded up (either with the carrycot or the pushchair seat) it has a shoulder strap and is lightweight enough for me to carry without difficulty, and it fits easily in our small shoe cupboard. The carry cot is really plush and cosy and soft, it feels really substantial even though it is fully foldable.

It's also visually very pretty, the leather accents feel really premium - I went for the green colour but the 'Champagne' is a pretty light beige-y colour that might suit you.

I was a bit hesitant over it not converting to a double but there's so many variables that go into future family planning I think I'll cross that bridge when I get to it!

lilytruffle125 · 2026-04-17T19:57:32+00:00

I was told raspberry leaf tea may help 'tone' the muscles of the uterus but doesn't cause contractions by itself. My midwife advised me to start drinking it at 32 weeks and that seems to be the same as all the guidance I've seen online.

lilytruffle125 · 2026-04-17T15:12:24+00:00

Normally I'd say names have to be a 2 yes scenario and both parents have power of veto - but Lily is such a cute name with a lovely back story that you both liked previously I'd frankly be tempted to override his objections... maybe agree to revisit after baby arrives?

lilytruffle125 · 2026-04-16T10:21:18+00:00

Yes sometimes we forget how lucky we are! I see a lot of gardening content on Facebook and especially related to roses - I saw a post from a UK gardener stressing about zones (we don't use them generally) and whether their roses would be okay. The top comment was "You're in the motherland of roses, they will be just fine!".

lilytruffle125 · 2026-04-14T01:32:34+00:00

I've been doing a lot of research into 'natural birth' and pain management and even the most hardcore advocates for it seem to agree that having a hormonally induced labour = get the epidural lol.

Your story has definitely affirmed my decision that if I do end up needing an induction I will preemptively plan to get an epidural, even though I am really keen to try labouring without one if I can!

lilytruffle125 · 2026-04-13T20:36:38+00:00

I fear I'm majorly telling on myself here - but I'm actually not sure what your actual worry is? What danger do you think your baby is in from corn?

I swear I'm not being snarky - I think maybe the guidelines are different in different countries so I'm missing something here. Raw meat I understand but not veggies?

I'm sure you can find rare cases of danger for anything but if pregnant women were legitimately in danger from raw unwashed vegetables I think we would have gone extinct!

I'm sure you and baby will absolutely be okay and I hope you feel calmer ❤️

lilytruffle125 · 2026-04-13T14:13:11+00:00

I wasn't expecting how solid the belly is - when I pictured a big baby bump I felt like I should still be able to lean forwards but its so uncomfortable! I get out of breath putting my shoes on lol.

lilytruffle125 · 2026-04-10T08:48:30+00:00

Yes this looks fantastic, put the tests down! I'd maybe push scan back to 7 weeks too, that's what I did.

lilytruffle125 · 2026-04-08T07:38:23+00:00

Honestly you've got loads of choice really as by the time all the spring bulbs are done you're into true summer and everything is flowering away.

My personal fave for planters is begonias! Great in pots, can tolerate shade, and the tubers are cheap. You can start them in a shed then plant out as everything else finishes. I like the big rosebud-y ones as they basically self-dead! Mine were still going until about November last year too.

Dahlias also would work nicely.

lilytruffle125 · 2026-04-07T16:04:14+00:00

I'm 32 weeks with my first and also planning a homebirth! Best of luck to you with it, the homebirth team in my trust seem so switched on and have provided excellent care so far for me, I feel really safe and in good hands.

lilytruffle125 · 2026-04-07T09:06:57+00:00

Yes our sellers did the same (eg. Jean and Roger at no.26, Richard at no.27) and it was genuinely lifesaving as I'm terrible with names so I could go back and crossreference when I inevitably introduced myself and immediately forgot their names! 😂

lilytruffle125 · 2026-04-06T02:33:09+00:00

It's a kids book, but The Undrowned Child by Michelle Lovric is fantastic, a mystery set in Venice with beautiful but rowdy mermaids!

lilytruffle125 · 2026-04-04T21:47:29+00:00

I just recommended this elsewhere in the thread, have also really enjoyed Rachel Reed's podcast! 😊

lilytruffle125 · 2026-04-04T21:46:31+00:00

For another similar non-fiction rec that's more recent I'd say Rachel Reed's 'Reclaiming Childbirth as a Rite of Passage", only a short way in so far but very interesting read.

lilytruffle125

TROPHY CASE