Earlier in the year I shared my thoughts on a couple of things that had happened to me since I wrote the post describing how I was struggling being back at work full time and leaving Ettie at nursery. There were many things that contributed to me not feeling myself at the time, the main thing being that we were struggling to conceive after losing our second baby to a MMC at 12 weeks. One of the measures I took to help me relieve some stress was acupuncture to improve fertility and so I thought I’d share my experience with you. I’ll start by saying I didn’t go into acupuncture this time as a newby. I had had it in the past on the lead up to our wedding when the stress of wedding planning, working long hours and renovating our first house had resulted in this ugly puffy eye thing. The Dr’s thought it was an allergy and I had all sorts of tests, but the creams they prescribed made it a million times worse. A quick consultation with Dr Google recommended acupuncture and after a few sessions, the puffiness started to clear up and it has never returned so I was already a convert. My treatment this time was with the same lady. We had a quick consultation and I explained what had happened with the MMC and how we’d been struggling to conceive ever since (at that point it had only been 4 months) She checked my tongue and my heart beat and concluded that I was too cold and needed to eat more lamb! (sounds strange but I never eat lamb so perhaps she had a point!) After a quick massage, she stuck some needles in my tummy and behind my ears, then lay me down…
I t gives me great pleasure to introduce you to our baby boy … our little Ollie, although in more formal circles he’ll have the option of using his full name which is Oliver Hugo Stanley. He’s been with us just over a fortnight now and we couldn’t be more in love. He has a head full of thick black hair, blue eyes and and is the spitting image of Stuarts Dad – which is a little disconcerting at times, but he smells absolutely delicious and is oh so scrummy!! He’s also such a boy, feeding non-stop, pumping like a trooper and letting out the cutest little sigh once he’s finished eating. I could genuinely just eat him up! Compared to Ettie, Ollie is super chilled and will happily sleep for hours at a time, only really raising his voice when his little tummy rumbles. We joke that he pretends to be asleep to get a bit of a break from his sister who is constantly smothering him with kisses, but perhaps its because he’s just used to hearing all the madness from inside the womb. Ollie’s entry into the world was a fast one at 51 minutes – but I’m going to write up his birth story in more detail shortly. To summarise he was born here at home, on our bed and weighed 8lb 5oz, which is a whole lb and a half bigger than his sister. Neither of us ever expected to have a boy so when I asked if the baby was ok and Stu replied ‘yes he is’, it was the biggest surprise and I spent the next few hours just looking at him saying ‘its a boy, its a boy, what are we going to do with you?’ Because he was a boy we never…
R egular readers may have noticed that I love a good photo of Ettie and I. She really is my little best friend and I know her childhood is going to be over waaay to quickly so I want to try and capture as many of our adventures together as possible, so I have something to look back (and cry big weepy tears) over once she’s flown the nest and all I’m left with is Stu and his chat about the cricket!! (sob!) Perhaps one of our greatest adventures together will be bringing this new baby into the world! It will make Ettie a big sister, me a Mummy of two (yikes!) and change the dynamic of our relationship forever so it’s no longer Ettie and her Mummy, but Ettie and her sibling (whatever gender it may be) with Mummy just popping alongside them for the ride!! Daunting, but ever so exciting! For that reason I’ve wanted Ettie to be involved in the progress of this pregnancy as much as possible, because it’s going to change her life just as much as ours. I’ve tried to capture photos of my growing bump, with her growing up alongside it as I know they will be photos to cherish in the future! It’s quite bitter sweet that she won’t actually remember this time, but hopefully by having lovely images to show her she will realise it was a time of great love and happiness. (I have a brother and its hard to imagine a life without him, but my parents, like me took lots of photos of that time so I know one does exist!). So imagine my excitement when photographer Becca from Becca Wild Photography contacted me asking if we’d like to take part in a maternity photoshoot. I was…
I’m now in the penultimate week of work before starting my maternity leave for baby number 2 and whilst I cant wait to have some extra time on my hands, I’m also feeling a little weird about adjusting to becoming a full-time mum. I shared a little post about my Third Trimester Nerves last week and the fact that I’m not sure whether I have the energy to round-up two children, but after having spoken to friends I think that’s probably down to the fact that I’m finding this pregnancy so bloody tiring and hopefully my energy will return once the baby is born! Aside from the energy issue. I’m also really nervous about leaving the workplace. I’ve been employed in at least one job ever since I was 14 years old… in fact there was one time at University where I rotating myself around five!!! To this day I’ve still no idea how I achieved it, but I’ve always been a bit of a ‘grafter’ because I hate sitting around being idle, my main motivation being that I might as well earn some money from my down time! Because of that I’m starting to feel weird about leaving work. I’ve been there for almost 10 years, building a career that for the most part I enjoy and getting fulfilment from stretching my brain! I know I’ve left for maternity leave once before, but somehow this feels different. This time I’ll be returning after having had two children and with childcare costs as ridiculous as they are, I’m not even sure if that’s financially possible! So after counting down the days till this moment every week since I returned to work… I’m actually starting to freak out (such a contrary Mary!!) … so in the interests of reminding myself that…
Its little more than 7 weeks until baby number 2 gets here and I’m starting to have a mild panic!!! I only really noticed it yesterday when I was showing Ettie the baby book I’d completed for her while she was in my tummy (and again once she was born). All the pages were full with little photos of my bump and a message about what we’d been up to each week. It’s such a lovely keep-sake, but looking at I was smacked with Mum guilt because this little one doesn’t even have a new babygrow to call his or her own yet! At this stage in my pregnancy with Ettie, I felt really connected to my bump! We’d built the crib, had drawers full of nappies and I was checking the Baby Centre app almost daily to look up her development. But for the little pea in my tummy, I’ve made one solitary purchase! Granted it is another baby book which I do intend to fill in once he/she is here- but I think I’m in a bit of denial that they’re actually on their way! Until the weekend, I’d put this severe lack of organisation down to the fact that I’m still working (almost) full-time, telling myself that there’ll be time to sort everything out once I finish work, and I suppose that is still partly the case. But thinking about it, there’s probably another dimension to this lack of preparation and that’s fear!! … Fear of the unknown, fear of change and most of all fear that I wont have the energy to parent two small children? I think I’m burying my head in the sand osterich style because I’m worried I’m not going be able to cope? Before going back to work, I feel like I…
I spoke recently about our Babymoon to Santorini which we took when I was 28 weeks pregnant with Ettie and it was one of the best holidays we’ve ever had! Unfortunately we haven’t managed to plan anything quite as glamorous this time round, but we have book a cheeky trip to Hamburg next week which we are ever so exited about. Thinking about travelling when pregnant, it dawned on me that many women may be put off by the thought of sitting cooked up on a plane for a number of hours with an ever-expanding waistline. Flying can be uncomfortable at the best of times, never mind when you’re pregnant and have a little one to think about! What I would say in response to that, is that for me, the benefits of a babymoon outweigh all such reservations as it’s a chance to spend some time quality time away relaxing before your bundle of joy arrives. If you still have reservations, the good news is there are some simple steps you can take to make sure your trip is as pleasant as possible. Here are eight ways you can make flying when pregnant more comfortable. 1Talk to your doctor before you travel Not only will they be able to identify any pregnancy-induced conditions which could affect your travel experience, but they can also give you advice (and medication, if needed) to make your flight as worry-free as possible. The best time to book an appointment is when you’ve decided on a destination and the timing of your trip, but before you’ve booked it, just in case. 2 Travel in your second trimester Some advice I’m not following for our forthcoming trip to Hamburg, but would recommend is that if you do have any control over when you fly, take your trip during your second trimester.…
A few weeks ago, I shared the first part of our Babymoon Guide to Santorini where I talked in detail about our beautiful hotel and some of the best places we found to eat on the island. Because the post was a long one, I promised to follow it up quickly with Part Two, delving a little deeper into the holiday with an overview of our top ten sights and things to do (all suitable for pregnant people!) Our Babymoon was actually one of the best holidays we’ve ever had, but prior to travelling to Santorini, we didn’t really know much about the island – other than the fact it was magnificently beautiful and the views were worth a bob or two too. With that in mind, I thought it would be useful to share some insights from our travels and a little run down of what there is to see, in case like us, you have a niggle to visit Santorini but aren’t quite sure what to expect when you get there…. 1. Imerovigali I’ll start with Imerovigli as that’s where our hotel, La Maltese, was and so it’s the area we know the best. Located on the highest point of the Caldera Imerovigli literally means ‘viewing point’ in Greek. True to its name, the village offers spectacular views out over the ancient volcano and along the western coast line. At sunset the sun burns bright orange before sinking into the sea behind the volcanic islands of Palia and Nea Kameni. It really is a magical experience and ever so romantic. Imerovigli is also extremely central to all of the goings on in Santorini. From our hotel you could take a beautiful walk around the narrow winding streets of the Caldera into Fira (the island’s capital) or a short bus…
Last week I shared a post recalling the lessons I’ve learned from the three very different birth experiences I’ve had to date. The post was getting long and I was due an appointment with my midwife, so I thought it better to leave it until this week to talk about the birth options I’m considering for the baby currently residing in my tummy. At the moment I’m 27 weeks pregnant, hurtling swiftly towards the third trimester and ready to start considering how to get the baby out! Because I’ve have had a C-section in the past, if I opt for a vaginal birth this time, it will be known as a VBAC (Vaginal Birth After C-section). The term itself worried me at first because I didn’t like thinking a vaginal birth after c-section was so risky that it deserved a special name. However after doing a bit of research, a VBAC seems pretty standard practice, there are just a few options that won’t be available to me which is why it is named differently. I will pause for a moment here to say that all hospitals are different. I have spoken to a few friends who have had VBACs at different hospitals and the options available to them have differed to mine. However, for me, Induction will not be an option, the reason being that the drugs delivered to induce a labour can intensify contractions often placing strain on the uterine wall. Because my C-section scar serves as a weak point in this wall, the risk of a uterine rupture is increased and so inductions are avoided. Secondly, I won’t be able to have an epidural if the pain becomes too intense. The reason behind this being that epidurals can actually slow a labour down, placing additional pressure on the…
Wedding season is upon us and to celebrate the occasion we’ve been invited to five summer weddings this year – all around a month before my due date!! Now I love a good wedding as much as the next person, some would say even more so! There’s nothing like putting on a posh frock and dancing to Aga Doo with friends to lift the spirits… but when you’re the size of a house, your feet hurt walking around in even the comfiest slippers and there’s a baby doing a little Irish jig on your bladder every five, finding an outfit thats going to make you feel stylish, but is also comfortable and practical can be a little bit tricky! If you follow my stories on Instagram, you’ll all know I got a little carried away with my ASOS order recently and ordered 50% of their maternity dresses!! I really wasn’t sure what style to go for, or what would fit my ever expanding figure and so to cover all bases I ordered a variety of styles in all patters, shapes and sizes. Some were better than expected, some were indecent and some made me question my sanity at ordering a low cut dress when my boobs are 200% bigger than their usual size! Here is a selection of the few that I felt confident enough to share on Instagram. From the variety of dresses I ordered, I’ve picked out my favourites below. I tended to choose styles that had an empire line as I’m short and so found the break in pattern made me look a little bit taller. I also opted for block colour rather than patters as again I think these suited my short frame a little better. Naively I thought I would be ok wearing heels to the…
I’m going to start by adding a little disclaimer here, just to note that everything discussed below is based on my own personal experience and is by no means meant to influence your decision. Birth is a very personal experience and I’ve written the post for information only. I would always recommend you speak to your Midwife before choosing the best options for you. I should also point out that the paragraphs below cover sensitive issues such as baby loss and miscarriage so if you’re not quite ready to read about those just yet, perhaps leave this post for now. I’ve had three birth experiences to date, all very different. The paragraphs below set out what I have learned from each experience and how those lessons will feed into the decisions I make for the birth of the baby currently residing in my tummy. Whilst I talk quite matter of factly about each birth, they were all obviously deeply emotional times. I try to tone down the emotion when talking about baby loss because I think its important to try and bring the subject into every day conversation to try and help break down the taboos. If we can all talk about baby loss without feeling scared about knowing the right thing to say, then I think it will help those going through it feel less isolated. And on that note, I will begin…. Edie My first experience of birth was, well I don’t really have a word to describe it. I was 21 weeks, so too early to have had any antenatal training or preparation for what was about to happen. I also knew that I wasn’t going to be able to take my baby home and so it was far from a happy experience. I’ve thought long and…
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