We're having another baby! Months 1-3

It's so ridiculously late but I am hoping to blog every month about my second pregnancy so it makes sense to talk about the first three months before I catch up and post month four!

As regards planning this second baby, me having MS was definitely a huge consideration. First of all my husband and I had to decide how we would manage and when the time would be right.

In the 18 months following Charlotte's birth I was convinced that we would wait until she was at least at nursery before having any more. Kids are hard work and I had a tough year last year with two relapses hitting me hard in a six month period.

But as we reached the end of 2012 it became clear that health-wise I was doing the best I had for a long, long time.

I had already stopped taking any disease-modifying drugs, after feeling that the side effects were too difficult to manage, so when the discussion of a second baby arose I have to say we were both positive about taking the leap sooner rather than later.

MS is so unpredictable that it seemed silly for us to try and map out the future perfectly. Instead, we took my good fortune and relatively good health as a sign and decided that there was no better time than to have baby two.

When I fell pregnant with Charlotte I have to say I wasn't counting the days until I could take a pregnancy test, I just felt if it happened then great but with this one, I went through five tests, all coming up negative, before number six showed the faint red line we were hoping for. It was a strange feeling because I knew I was testing too early with the first five but I was so convinced that I was pregnant that I couldn't help myself! And when we found out it was an amazing feeling.

It felt, once again, that we had made the right decision, that falling pregnant so easily was a sure-fire sign that this baby was coming at the right time.

The following weeks were pretty tough. I suffered from morning sickness with Charlotte but this time I was nauseous morning, noon and night. I could hardly eat and even now, at week 20, I weigh less than when I first fell pregnant.

My body seems to do that though, as I lost quite a bit in my first pregnancy too.

The tiredness was also really tough but I think everyone gets that and I always take it and the sickness as a good sign that the baby is growing well! My husband was really good and let me spend quite a bit of the first 13 weeks in bed when I needed to rest.

We also kept the pregnancy much quieter this time, not really telling anyone outside of our close family until the 13 week scan and it was really hard.

But it was lovely to have the scan the week before Christmas and let everyone know at Christmas gatherings - and everyone has been so excited for us.

Cravings wise I haven't had many but in the early days I was eating whatever I could manage and unbelievably, for about two weeks, all I wanted was fast food.

I rarely eat at the chip shop or at McDonalds and the like, but I ate about six bags of chips over those two weeks, absolutely covered in salt. Very strange.

Then the week before Christmas we were at my husband's parents' for a lunch and I was suddenly hungry. I think my mother-in-law couldn't believe her eyes as usually I'm a small enough eater, but on this occasion I had about three helpings of potatoes.

My appetite was back with a vengeance ......