This week I’ve realised just how different this pregnancy is to when I was carrying Frog. It’s not the fact I’m far more knackered, already having a young child to run around after and juggling motherhood with work and general life stuff. It’s the fact I now blog.

Without wanting to sound like a total blogging cliche, starting this blog has had a huge effect on my life. I’ve learned new skills, made new friends (real life friends who I see and spend time with – not just Twitter mates!) and managed to gain new freelance work from it too. Who knew, when I trained to be a journalist 8 years ago that blogging would become a valid string to my freelance bow?!

When I was pregnant with Frog I did all the usual things: went to an antenatal class, Googled stuff about pregnancy, got excited about buying baby clothes. This time, I’m doing all that and more. As well as the odd Facebook status update (sorry non-pregnant friends – I know, I’m a baby bore) I have this pregnancy documented good and proper.

I have more photos of the bump than I ever had with Frog. My thoughts, feelings, gripes and rants are laid bare for all to see. And, most importantly, I’ve connected with a whole range of other mums who are also expecting – a bonus I really never predicted when I started this little linky seven weeks ago.

This is where I want to say thank you to Chelle at Unique and Chic for her little messages of support over the past few weeks. Whether it’s a quick “How are you feeling today?” or a “Don’t forget to put your feet up at some point!” Chelle has regularly been on hand via the medium of Facebook and Twitter with a kind thought. She’s also put together an inspired idea for a bump secret santa type present swap, which shows she is kind AND incredibly organised.

Finally, if you’re feeling huge and pregnant and in need of a laugh, I urge you to read this post by Amy Ransom. It captures perfectly the last stage of pregnancy: denial. So pleased to see it’s not just me!

LINK UP!

If you’d like to join the #BlogBumpClub it couldn’t be easier. Simply link up your latest pregnancy post below and grab the badge to display on your own blog. You’ll find a lovely welcoming community of expectant bloggers ready to read your post and nod along with cankle empathy. Plus, we’re all in the same boat and promise not to call you a baby bore.

You can also join the chat on Twitter by tweeting with the hashtag #BlogBumpClub (I’m @mollyjforbes over there).

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Before I begin, this is not a post about Ed Miliband, or indeed any member of his party.

I wish. For that explanation would be far, far, easier.

“Mummy, how is your baby going to come out of your tummy”, asked my almost-four year old the other day.

Like all questions of this nature, she threw it in casually when we were doing something totally unrelated. A bit like, “Can I have some chocolate buttons? Oh – and where do you go when you die?”

It was one of those parenting moments that remains etched in my brain. As I stammered and stuttered, trying to buy myself some time, she went on to offer her own suggestions.

“Maybe the baby will come out of your mouth, like a big sick?” and, “Will your head fall off when it comes out? Will you die?”

Deciding that the truth, in all its gory detail, was probably better than her own version of events, I took the plunge.

“No, my head won’t fall off and the baby won’t come out of my mouth. The body is a very amazing thing. Mummy’s body will do something amazing that it was designed to do. It will stretch and I will push the baby out. And we will all be OK. No one will die.”

Feeling rather smug and awarding myself an invisible gold star, I thought that would be the end of the matter. But she persisted, with a new light of interest gleaming in her eye.

“So you will poo it out of your bottom and it will land in the toilet?”

And here is where I fear I made a mistake. I don’t know what the rules are regarding telling four year olds about birth. I assume you’re not to mention stitches, dilation and intense pain, but I don’t want my child walking round thinking I’m going to pass her brother or sister like a large stool.

So I told her. I told her the truth. I told her that the baby will be born out of my “tuppy” (her word for vagina – long story, don’t ask) and that it will be rather incredible.

And that was that. She didn’t ask again. She hasn’t become fixated on the idea. And she hasn’t seemed to make the link between her own “tuppy” and the possibility she may too give birth out of it one day far in the future. Phew.

I didn’t think much of it, until recently when I overheard her telling a friend how her mummy has a “super stretchy tuppy”. This friend, I later found out, thinks babies come out of belly buttons.

We discussed how “mummy’s tuppy” isn’t a subject for conversations with her friends (or any conversations come to think of it), and how maybe she should keep the whole baby being born thing to herself. But I was mindful of not wanting her to think it was a secret, or a bad thing or end up leaving her associating anything negative with the birth at all. I don’t want her to be scared for me and hate the baby before it’s even born, after all.

And that’s the thing. It’s a very different situation having a baby when your eldest is four, not two. You can fob toddlers off with all sorts of half-truths, but a couple of years on kids get wise to the white lies and start asking more probing questions. Or, that’s my experience any way.

And if I’d have told her some nonsense about a stork delivering the baby then what would I say in a few years time, when she comes home from school aged fourteen, devastated at the news storks aren’t physically capable of carrying babies in their beaks – let alone making one of those fancy tied up hammock things they’re meant to carry them in?

So I told her the truth. But now I’m concerned that I shouldn’t have. I don’t know. What are the rules of telling four year olds about labour and birth anyway? Anyone?

The post Labour and kids: to sugar-coat or tell the truth? appeared first on Mother's Always Right.

This week has been one of those weeks where I’ve been torn between doing the best thing for my bump and doing the best thing for my child. It’s reminded me how different pregnancy is when you already have a child or children to look after (something I wrote about in more detail over at Babycentre this week).

Anyway, after an accident on a trampoline, we now have an almost-four year old with a broken leg who’ll be in cast for at least four weeks. It means there’s much carrying around and lifting, things I’m sure aren’t always the best for the bump, but I don’t have much of an alternative option at the moment (Stannah stair lifts are out of our price range!).

Besides the cast drama it’s been a good week bump-wise. No more bleeds and, despite the lugging around of my surprisingly heavy child, I’m feeling in pretty good shape. There are a few products that have helped me feel better recently – if you’re in need of a lift you might find this post useful.

I’ve also been attempting to take a few more photos of the bump this time around, mainly involving hastily-snapped bump selfies in less-than-glamorous places. Excuse the awful hair, black bra with white top and loo roll in the background of this pic taken last night. I was just about to get in my PJs, so I’m not exactly looking my best…

At only 25 weeks my bump seems enormous to me and I’m wondering if this means I’m going to need a crane to get around come August. The one plus side of having such a big bump so early on, though, is that I get to take funny photos that make it look like I’m sunbathing in the nude. This was intentional, honest….

If you’re looking for bump pictures that aren’t of the comedy variety, then check out these beautiful shots at Nicola… Life Through My Eyes that she linked up to last week’s #BlogBumpClub. They’re a great example of simple photos that document a beautiful bump.

And if you’re based in the South East and have a budget then I’d be stupid not to recommend my lovely friend, professional photographer Caroline at CP Photography. I still treasure the images she took of my huge bump four years ago – despite not even wanting any pictures taken of me at the time! (The photo in the image at the top is one Caroline took of me).

 LINK UP!

Anyway, what have you and your bump been up to this week? Link up your most recent pregnancy post here and join our online blogger antenatal club. It’s always nice to share the cankle chat with other people who are in the same boat!

Don’t forget to grab the badge below so other pregnant bloggers find out about us too – and if you like you can tweet me using the hashtag #BlogBumpClub on Twitter (I’m @mollyjforbes over there).

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Being pregnant when you already have a child to look after is a very different ball game to first time around. There’s no time to Google each stage of pregnancy, for starters. I also find it really tricky to squeeze in the same amount of exercise I did when pregnant with Frog – mainly due to work and mum duties taking up every spare minute of my day. But there are a few things helping me to feel pretty good at the moment. It’s fair to say these are my healthy pregnancy addictions. 

I discovered Vita Coco water via the Instagram feed of everyone’s favourite midwife, Clemmy from the blog Gas and Air. Clemmy had posted a picture of a carton of Vita Coco and said it had just helped her get through a 12 hour midwife shift. She then told me she recommends her ladies include it in their hospital bag, to stay hydrated through labour. That was all the persuasion I needed.

I’ve been struggling to drink enough since pretty much the day I did that wee on the glorified stick. Although I was thirsty, water didn’t seem to be cutting it. My health checks all showed I was (am) healthy, so I just assumed I needed to drink more than I was doing. Vita Coco has genuinely helped me up my fluid intake and it gives me a little energy boost when I get my afternoon slump.

I’m going to admit something – I’m not a fan of food fads. I’m all for food, but when it seems everyone with a beard and a checked shirt is eating it, I can’t help but be suspicious and assume it’s just some trendy, over-priced hipster fad. So I surprised myself with my sudden interest in Chia seeds.

I’d seen lots of talk of Chia on Twitter (I blame Ruth from Let Her Eat Clean) and was curious to know what the fuss was about. A quick Google told me it’s packed full of nutrients, with omega-3, vitamins, protein and antioxidants making it an ideal addition to a pregnant lady’s diet.

This is where I got lucky – The Chia Company recently sent me a sample of Chia seeds to try out and I loved them. They give added crunch when sprinkled on top of sweet potato wedges, offer a health boost to a bowl of bran flakes, fruit and yoghurt and are so easy to use it’s like having a secret bomb of goodness you can add to your food.

When I was a kid my nickname (among many) was “Fruit Bat”. I’ve always loved fruit and this time of year is my absolute favourite when it comes to fresh, juicy fruit that’s in season. Strawberries become less of an expensive indulgence when they’re picked fresh from the garden. To me, eating sweet succulent strawberries brings me more pleasure than gorging on a family sized bar of Dairy Milk. And I am rather partial to Dairy Milk.

I was lucky enough when pregnant with Frog not to suffer from too much swelling. This baby, however, is more than making up for it. I’ve already had to take off my rings and wear them on a necklace instead. The puffy fingers complement the puffy feet perfectly.

I jumped on the bandwagon and bought a pair of white Birkenstocks a month or so ago and have pretty much lived in them since. This is where I need to thank Erica from Modern Mum Must-Have (a mate from our collaborative blog The Motherhood) for helping me see the Birkenstock light. They’re comfy, hide the increasing fatness of my feet and look good with nearly all my summer maternity outfits.

With a child in cast at the moment pampering has taken a bit of a back seat. It’s all I can do to brush my hair in the morning, let alone paint my nails. However, before the broken leg incident I was managing to have at least a couple of bubble baths every week and regularly sported pretty nails. It’s amazing how such a small thing can boost your mood.

I was sent some Essie nail varnish in Fashion’s Playground and Bobbing for Baubles by new site Nailpolish.co.uk. Although neither colour withstood more than a couple of days of mum-duty battering (one of those days included an afternoon at the beach), the colours were vibrant, stylish and looked great until they eventually chipped.

All I need now is a spa weekend and a foot massage to make my list complete. Seeing as I’m only 25 weeks pregnant, there’s still time.

Did you come across any surprising products or foods that helped you through your pregnancy?

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Somehow it’s Thursday already and I’m now approaching the 25 week pregnancy mark. I’m becoming convinced this means I am stuck in an alternative universe where this pregnancy just whooshes by without me even realising it.

This week has, unlike the last one, been much calmer. Work hasn’t been so manic and I’ve even managed to squeeze in a few episodes of the new series of Orange is the New Black on Netflix. (Seriously, I don’t know how I got through my last pregnancy without the companion that is Netflix.)

Bump-wise, I’m feeling about a million times better. There’ve been no more scary situations *touch wood* involving trips to the hospital and the baby continues to make his or her presence known with many a kick. I’ve noticed the kicks get stronger when I’m sitting down or in the bath, and it’s been lovely for the (self-proclaimed) Northern Love Machine to feel more kicks too.

Now the bump is bigger, my early pregnancy body hang-ups are pretty much gone and I’m actually enjoying being pregnant (although I do miss the wine). I loved this post from Susanne over at Ghostwriter Mummy linked up to last week’s #BlogBumpClub. I could really relate to that feeling of being uncomfortable in your own skin in those early weeks of pregnancy.

At the moment I’m on the hunt for maternity clothes suitable for summer, so if you have any recommendations let me know. I could do with a couple of comfy, flattering summer dresses to see me through the next couple of months – especially as my maternity clothes from last time were for a different season.

I seem to be living in my black maxi dress at the moment (a non-maternity number from Asda George that gets shorter as the bump gets bigger) and a really cute grey jersey maternity dress from Asos. My Next boyfriend maternity jeans and stripy Asos vest are also getting a lot of action, as are the maternity trousers I got from Topshop recently.

So how have you been? What are you wearing? Have you felt much baby movement? Are you battling cankles like me at the moment?! Link up your most recent pregnancy post and join our blogger antenatal club.

Don’t forget to grab the badge (below) so you can let others know about us too. Plus, there’s always plenty of pregnancy-related chat over on Twitter if you follow our hashtag #BlogBumpClub (I’m @mollyjforbes on Twitter by the way).

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When I had my pregnancy dating scan and then my anomaly scan a few weeks ago, my husband was with me. I was nervous – partly because I don’t really like hospitals and partly because I was worried about the results of both scans.

But on Friday night, at around 10.30pm, I had to go to hospital on my own. As I sat in the back of the taxi, trying ever so hard not to vomit all over the leather interior or sob too loudly, things shifted sharply into focus. 

Around half an hour earlier, just before going to bed, I had experienced a bleed. It wasn’t a huge bleed, but it was there. And kept being there every time I checked. I was then sick (probably because I was scared) and felt short of breath, as I panicked. I genuinely thought I was losing my baby.

As the dark fields rolled past through the taxi window the driver asked if everything was OK. “I don’t know yet,” I replied, stifling a sob. I looked out of the window and thought of all the stupid things I’ve worried about during this pregnancy so far: weight gain, puffy feet, trendy maternity wear, the colour of the nursery. Inconsequential things that don’t matter. And I hated myself.

I had to wait in a delivery room on the labour ward until someone was free to come and see me. Tiredness enveloped me, in between bouts of nervous nausea. The (self-proclaimed) Northern Love Machine had rung my parents and I knew my mum was on her way. With a sleeping three year old upstairs at home it wasn’t an option for the NLM to come to the hospital with me – another thing you don’t think about when you’re pregnant with a second (or third) child.

And so I waited. And while I waited I heard the cries of a brand new baby in the delivery room next door. The new mum was having a shower in the bathroom in between the two rooms. I could hear their conversations and the soft cooing over the tiny new life. It took me back to those precious few hours after the birth of Frog and reminded me how much I wanted to meet this new baby in the autumn.

My mum arrived a little later. Followed soon after by a midwife. I nearly vomited again when there was nothing but a blank, static, fuzz as the midwife checked for the baby’s heartbeat. And then it came. Thudding loud and clear. A strong, healthy heartbeat. Of course I cried.

I’ll never forget the kind, calm and reassuring manner of that midwife. She held my hand as the doctor arrived to do an uncomfortable examination and try to find why the bleed had happened in the first place. I still felt nervous as I looked to the ceiling. But I held onto that healthy heartbeat and made a silent promise to start properly looking after myself and this tiny life growing inside me.

I was not going into early labour, the doctor confirmed. She could find a couple of possibilities for the bleed, but it had settled and she was happy to send me home. She told me she couldn’t promise everything would be OK, because pregnancy can be unpredictable, but that she thought it unlikely she would see me again before my baby was ready to be born in a few months’ time.

I was sent away with instructions to try to take things a bit easier, not to worry and (by the midwife) to give myself a break.

And so here I am. Yesterday passed by in a bit of a blur. I didn’t get to bed until gone 2am on Saturday morning, but I slept and our plans for the day were scaled back. But I don’t mind admitting that today has been tough. I’m not a natural sitter. I see things that need doing – washing that needs putting on, work deadlines that need to be met, a child who needs entertaining. I’m a do-er. I like being busy. It takes conscious effort to slow down and step off the treadmill of daily life.

But I’m determined to do it. The next few months will be calmer. Less frantic. More focussed on the important things. I’m pledging right now not to keep pushing myself. I’ve made some big work decisions – or rather, the decisions have been made for me – and I’m trying to remind myself that I don’t always need to be set on GO GO GO at every second of the day. As much as it frustrates me, I know I need to slow down.

I never want to experience another night like Friday. I’m trying to be relaxed about it all and not let my over-active mind fret over what I can’t control. But I can, at least, be a little kinder to myself and to this baby my body is working hard to grow.

Any tips you have for slowing down and forcing a usually busy person to take a step back are much appreciated.

The post When pregnancy doesn’t go to plan appeared first on Mother's Always Right.

Somehow, I am hurtling towards being 23 weeks pregnant. Somehow, we’re in our third week of the #BlogBumpClub (the new blogger antenatal club!). And somehow, it’s Thursday of half term already. I swear time is speeding up for me at the moment.

That’s sort of how it’s been throughout this pregnancy actually. Although I felt really sick and tired in the first trimester, it did hurtle along pretty quickly. And now I’m already over halfway there it seems kind of unreal. I remember being pregnant with Frog four years ago and forgetting what it felt like NOT to be pregnant. Time seemed to move more slowly back then!

The last week has reminded me of the need to listen to my body a bit more at the moment. It’s half term, so the daughter and (teacher) husband are both at home. That means cramming in more family activities alongside my regular work deadlines – and some redecorating. Last night I was sick again for the first time since I was 12 weeks pregnant. A reminder that I’m not super-woman and tiredness is especially unglamorous when you’re pregnant.

Still, it was nice to have a night away in my home town of Bristol last weekend. I caught up with my oldest friend and we had lunch, went to the cinema, did a spot of shopping and she even did my nails. It was AMAZING.

I even had time to try on a pair of maternity trousers from Topshop. And, of course, I bought them…

If you’re struggling to find maternity clothes then I suggest you check out Jennie at Edspire’s #BlogBumpClub post from last week – Pregnancy Pretties. There are some lovely brands featured, including some lovely comfy PJs which are my main obsession at the moment.

LINK UP!

So how have you been this week? Link up and don’t forget to join in the chat over on Twitter if you like too – just follow our hashtag #BlogBumpClub. It’s always nice to find others in the same boat! There’s also a badge too – you can grab it yourself at the bottom of this post.

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