Category Archives: Pregnancy

Pregnancy

Swollen pregnant feet and my new boots

10 Wednesday Dec 2014

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40 weeks pregnantWhen I was about eight months pregnant I bought a new pair of boots. They were a cute leopard print number with laces and an ankle high shape. And could I fit my fat pregnant feet into them? Could I heck.

As I tried to squeeze my puffy toes into these pretty little boots I felt very like one of the ugly sisters. I was determined, but the boot wouldn’t budge. I’m not sure, but I think it’s likely I cried.

You see, for me, the one thing that plagued the entire second half of my pregnancy was fat feet. I got to know both my feet intimately throughout those months, as I massaged and pummelled them, in an attempt to reduce the puffiness.  Continue reading »

The A-Z of Post-Birth Recovery

24 Friday Oct 2014

Posted by in Baby and toddler products, Breastfeeding, Motherhood, Pregnancy, Well being

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Post Birth Recovery

Just over two weeks ago I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. She’s my second baby, so you’d think I’d be familiar with the tender post-birth recovery period by now, having gone through it all before. Well you’d be wrong.

What I remember from last time around appears to have been filtered through a rose-tinted memory box in my head. It’s all newborn cuddles, quiet naps, endless bouquets of flowers and snuggles on the sofa. The actual body bits – the rather gross bits – have all been blanked out.

So in the interests of keeping it real, I’m sharing my A-Z of post-birth recovery symptoms with you. Be warned, much of this is TMI, but if you think we all bounce of bed looking like super-model Gisele Bundchen after having a baby then you’re in for a shock.

A is for… After-birth pains

Newsflash: contractions don’t end the moment you’ve had your baby. Annoying but true, the uterus has to shrink back to its pre-baby size. This means after-birth pains which feel like a cross between a contraction and an intense period pain. They get worse the more babies you have, so this time around I was shocked by how uncomfortable they were compared to with my first baby.  Continue reading »

The final #BlogBumpClub from me

10 Friday Oct 2014

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Blogger Bump Club

This week has passed by in a blur of cuddles, nappies and very little sleep. I’ve spent most of the week in my pyjamas gazing at my brand new baby girl.

I’ve loved hosting the #BlogBumpClub over the last few months and finding lots of new blogs to follow. It’s not the end of #BlogBumpClub though, as Becky from The Mummy Adventure will be taking over. Whether you’re newly pregnant or about to pop, it’s a chance to connect with other pregnant bloggers and share the highs (and lows) of pregnancy.

Because I can barely string two words together this week I’ve made a little picture video instead for my final Blog Bump Club. Kind of amazing to think what started as a tiny bump is now a hiccuping, milk guzzling cute bundle of gorgeousness currently keeping me awake all night… Continue reading »

The day I had a baby

08 Wednesday Oct 2014

Posted by in Motherhood, Pregnancy

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This is a long post. Forgive me.

I wasn’t going to write about the birth, once this baby eventually made an appearance. I’ve always thought birth is an intensely personal experience and I hated the idea of being self-indulgent with a birth story plastered all over the internet. Throughout this pregnancy, though, I’ve gradually changed my mind. Reading about other women’s labours has helped me stay positive and balance out all the screamy birth scenarios you see on films and TV. I still wasn’t sure if I’d write about my own labour, but my mind is now made up. So, here it is. The day I had a baby… Continue reading »

Blogger Bump Club Week 21 #BlogBumpClub

02 Thursday Oct 2014

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Blogger Bump Club

So…. I’m still here!

Still no baby and I’m quite pleased about that. It’s my birthday today and, call me Mariah Carey, but I’m a total birthday diva. I didn’t fancy a) spending my birthday pushing out a baby and b) sharing my birthday forever more with a more important member of the family. I know, shallow. What can I say?

Anyway, it’s now just gone 7pm and still no baby so I think it’s pretty unlikely this baby is going to make an appearance tonight. Don’t get me wrong though, I am MORE than ready to have this baby now. The baby’s head is so low it feels like I’m wandering around with a bowling ball permanently in my pants (who says pregnancy isn’t dignified and glamorous?).

40 weeks pregnant

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40 weeks pregnant is not overdue

29 Monday Sep 2014

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40 week bump

I have now reached 40 weeks pregnant. My due date has been and gone. There is still no baby and my bump is as huge as ever. But, despite all of this, I don’t consider myself “overdue”.

When I was pregnant with Frog I remember looking at her due date much as one would look at a deadline. To me, that date marked the end of my pregnancy and the beginning of motherhood. The idea that my baby may have other ideas didn’t even cross my mind.

In the end, my daughter came into the world twelve days after she was “due”. She was perfect, weighing only 6lb 14oz, with pink skin and a tiny smattering of hair. There was nothing about her to indicate she was twelve days “late”. Her skin wasn’t all wrinkled and she wasn’t scarily big. Looking back, I now know she simply wasn’t ready to be born at 40 weeks.  Continue reading »

Blogger Bump Club Week 20 #BlogBumpClub

25 Thursday Sep 2014

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Blogger Bump Club

I can’t believe we’ve now had 20 weeks of the Blogger Bump Club. Over that time I’ve blogged the second half of my pregnancy, come across some fantastic new blogs and made connections with lots of other pregnant bloggers via Twitter, Instagram and their blogs using the #BlogBumpClub hashtag. When I started this little linky 20 weeks ago I was convinced no one would join in, so I’m thrilled that so many people have linked up over the weeks.

I’m now 39 weeks pregnant and knocking on the door of 40 weeks. I know from past experience that doesn’t mean there’ll necessarily be a baby here this time next week (Frog arrived 12 days past her due date), but it does mean there’s a very high chance this could be my penultimate #BlogBumpClub linky post.

I’ve arranged for another blogger who is still fairly early on in her pregnancy journey to take over the mantle and I’ll give you the details of who that will be on my last #BlogBumpClub post. I hope people will continue to join in and share their pregnancy posts, it really has been a brilliant way to find other people going through similar things and share the joy of baby kicks and irritation of cankles – not to mention the other glamorous symptoms that come with pregnancy. Continue reading »

The un-waiting game

23 Tuesday Sep 2014

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39 weeks pregnant

Apparently it’s the law that as soon as you reach full term (37 weeks+) when you’re pregnant, you become grumpy, twitchy and are desperate to “get the baby out”. Well, if that’s the law, then I just broke it.

It’s official. I can now no longer sit in a ladylike manner as my huge bump and partially engaged baby make it impossible to close my legs. Attractive. Still, despite what many people seem to think, I’m in no rush to down huge quantities of raspberry leaf tea or eat bucket-loads of curry.

I’m 39 weeks pregnant and my due date is fast approaching, but I know from experience that putting a big ring around a day on the calendar and expecting your baby to know their “deadline” doesn’t work. Fewer than 5% of babies are actually born on their due date after all. Frog arrived 12 days past hers.

This is what I currently look like:

39 week pregnant bump

This is what my four year old daughter thinks I look like:  Continue reading »

A snoop around the baby’s nursery

22 Monday Sep 2014

Posted by in Baby and toddler products, Home, Pregnancy, Style

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Baby's nursery mint and yellow

One of the most exciting things about preparing for this baby has, for me, been decorating the baby’s bedroom. When I was pregnant with Frog we lived in a rented cottage, so couldn’t splash paint on the walls or hang pictures. Although she had a lovely bedroom it wasn’t necessarily the bedroom she’d have had if we’d owned the house.

One of my freelance gigs is writing the interiors pages for a magazine. It means that I spend a lot of time oggling beautiful blogs, interiors magazines and nosing round various shops to look at the latest trends, be inspired by new colour pairings and generally make long lists of things I want to do in my own home (much to the dismay of my husband).

So you can understand why I was so excited about decorating the nursery. Continue reading »

Blogger Bump Club Week 19 #BlogBumpClub

18 Thursday Sep 2014

Posted by in Pregnancy, Sleep

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Blogger Bump Club

You know what they say about not properly missing something until it’s gone? In the case of pregnancy that’s been true with wine, pate and my favourite cheese. But the one thing I’m realising that I miss more than anything else at the moment is a good night’s sleep.

I can handle the regular nightly toilet trips and the inability to get comfortable with a huge nine month bump. But my reserves of stamina are well and truly depleted when it comes to dealing with my snoring husband or wakeful child.

Last night we had one of the worst nights we’ve ever had with Frog. Apart from one particularly bad night when she was about six weeks old and had terrible wind, and another when she was teething at around eight months, I don’t think there’s been a worse night. Even when she was a baby and waking regularly for milk she would still snooze in between feeds. Last night was different though.  Continue reading »