Three Engagements and a Birthday

My engagement wasn't the only one in the family recently. A couple of months beforehand both my cousin and my brother proposed to their girlfriends. Last night was the first chance since Tim's proposal for us all to get together and celebrate as my brother and his fiancee live in Newcastle and my cousin and his fiancee work long hours at a restaurant. My brother's fiancee had her twenty-first birthday only two days ago as well so we celebrated that at the same time.

It was pretty stressful and I got a bit worked up at a couple of points (arranging a meal with 22 other people is not an easy task!) but it went pretty well and I even managed to add some finishing touches to the cakes.

All three of the weddings are most probably going to be held in 2015 so that will be a busy year for our family!

Pregnancy Diary: 27 Weeks!

What's going on with me this week:

Babycentre says:

"You may be detecting rhythmic movements, which is simply your baby having an attack of the hiccups. They are common this week and throughout your pregnancy. A spell of hiccups usually passes in moments. The sensation for you may be strange, but rather comforting.

Since your uterus (womb) is now up near your rib cage, you may now find yourself short of breath if you haven't already. Starting now and continuing through the last three months of pregnancy, you may be plagued by leg cramps, haemorrhoids, varicose veins and itchy belly. Are pregnancy discomforts getting you down? Try some natural remedies to perk you up.

If a blood test for your rhesus status found you to be rhesus negative (RhD negative) earlier in pregnancy, you'll probably be tested for antibodies this week or next. These may be present in your blood if your baby is RhD positive, and you'll have what's called an anti-D injection to combat the incompatibility. You may be offered a repeat injection at 34 weeks".


What I feel this week:

I am loving how active my baby girl is, although it does mean that I get very worried when she has a lazy day! I get kicked and punched so much that I am beginning to get bruised but I don't really mind as I love feeling her moving around in there. I have been getting a few cramps in my leg lately and itchiness all over, especially my legs but luckily as of yet I have avoided any of the worse side effects of this stage of pregnancy. I have a midwife appointment next week which I am looking forward to. I have been feeling quite emotional again this week and cried last night when Gary Barlow sang on the closing ceremony for the Olympics.


What's going on with my baby this week:

Babycentre says:

"Your baby now weighs nearly 875g and will probably measures more than 36cm from head to toe. His eyes open and close, he sleeps and wakes at regular intervals and he may suck a finger or thumb.

Sweet dreams, little baby! Some experts believe that babies begin to dream by week 27. What do they dream about? No one knows for sure but your baby's brain is certainly active now. The characteristic grooves on his brain's surface is starting to appear and more brain tissue is developing"

What my baby looks like inside this week:

What my bump looks like this week:



Don't know what I would do without my trusty maternity jeans!

"You're big aren't you?"

I feel I may have even ranted about this topic before now, but I am getting fed up with the fact that being pregnant seems to make you fair game to anyone to comment on how big you are and say things that are bound to hurt, even if you take the raging hormones out of the equation!

Comments about my size have led me to feel defensive when out and about

I have lost count of how many people have asked me how far along I am to then make one of these comments, they're favourite being "Are you SURE you aren't having twins?!". Well, I've had four scans so far this pregnancy and each time I have been assured there is only one baby on the screen... I have also listened to the heartbeat numerous times and they have only heard one heartbeat, so yes, I think I can safely say I that I am sure I am not having twins, but thanks for insinuating that I will be having just the one massively giant baby....

It's not like I would go up to an overweight person in the street and say, "Hey, you're pretty huge, aren't you?" and yet because my body is pregnant, other people are allowed to say things very similar to me. One person serving me in Tescos even had the cheek to say, "Maybe you're just eating more this pregnancy". I mean, seriously, how do people think that is an ok thing to say to a person?

When I was in Brighton at the weekend, I was standing with my nan getting cash out and some foreign girls behind me started singing "I'm pregnant and I know it" loudly to the tune of I'm Sexy and I know it. It really annoyed me but I feel too vulnerable at the moment to even stand up for myself. It makes me so angry!

Sorry, I know this has been just one big rant, but it is really getting to me. By the time I am actually due (and, let's face it, probably overdue) I am going to end up punching someone in the face if they decide to comment on my size.

Jessica Simpson had news stories written about her increasing size during pregnancy, yet gave birth to a healthy sized baby

So, for the record.... Yes, I am just having the one. No, she isn't off the charts in her size, in fact she was on the small side at my 20 week scan. No, I have not been taking the 'eating for two' thing literally. And YES, I do mind you touching my bump whilst simultaneously insulting me! Eurghh!!

This Week I.... Went to the Seaside!

Yes, I know I live right by the sea so this might not seem surprising, but at the beginning of the week I went to a couple of different seasides for a mini break with my mum, my nan and Cameron. We went to Brighton on Sunday where we met up with one of my best friends who is also pregnant. As she lives in Brighton I haven't seen her for quite a long time so it was nice to catch up. We went to the park across the road from our hotel and had a nice lunch and played with Cameron in the swing park.

In the early evening we went to the seafront and walked along the pier before going for dinner at the Harvester by the beach.

In the morning we went to Eastbourne where we were staying the second night. We met up with my aunt and some of my cousins and had a picnic in the park. Cameron got to play with his second cousin Spencer who he adores, they are so cute together!

We went back to the hotel and ended up having takeaway pizza for dinner. In the morning we went for a cooked breakfast at Toby Carvery before driving home, so yummy!

It was a lovely couple of days away and made the week go a bit quicker too, bonus!

Pregnancy Diary: 26 Weeks!

What's going on with me this week:

Babycentre says:

"Since your baby is now growing so fast, and brain development is so intense at this stage, your nutrition is very important. Continue to eat a well-balanced diet that includes plenty of grains and vegetables. Fibre-rich foods, including whole-grain breads and cereals, lentils and brown rice are high in vitamin B and help fend off constipation.

Your antenatal classes should start some time in the next few weeks, if they haven't already. Classes should provide you with good, clear information about the birth and the early days of parenthood. Keeping informed goes a long way towards calming any concerns you may have about giving birth".


What I feel this week:

I wish it was true that my antenatal classes were due to start soon. I have them booked in but they don't start until mid september so I still have a while to wait! I am definitely thinking more about healthy eating. In the last few weeks I have let my cravings take over a little and I have been eating a lot of 'bad' foods such as crisps and chocolate. I am aiming to be more healthy, especially as I am now getting further along in my pregnancy and don't want to gain too much weight. I have been cooking a lot of mexican food as that is definitely a big craving for me this pregnancy! I went away at the start of the week and met up with a friend who is 15 weeks pregnant, it made me see how far I have come so far in the pregnancy and feel a bit less frustrated with how slow the weeks are going by. I still have so much to do before the baby is here so I am trying to enjoy the relative peace before then.


What's going on with my baby this week:

Babycentre says:

"Measuring your baby from top to toe with her legs extended, she is probably about 36cm. She weighs a little more than 760g. Your baby's eyes begin to open around now. Her response to sound grows more consistent towards the end of the seventh month, when the network of nerves to her ears is complete. She may be able to hear you and your partner chatting. Your baby also continues to take small breaths, getting plenty of practice for when she's born. It's all preparation for when she takes that first gulp of air".


What my baby looks like inside this week:

What my bump looks like this week:

Ta-dah!

Why Date Night is Important

I don't often write about my relationship, apart from my recent updates regarding our engagement. However, I have recently been thinking about the difficulties of keeping a relationsip special during pregnancy. Let's face it, being pregnant doesn't exactly make you sexy. The first trimester saw me stop exercising because I felt too sick and tired. In fact, Tim was lucky if I made it out of bed long enough to say hello to him when he came round to see me. And being in bed all that time didn't mean more sexy time. In fact, quite the opposite happened as doing what had gotten me into that position was the last thing on my mind....

The second trimester came and I thought things would get better but the sickness remained for a few more weeks, and even after it had gone and I had gotten enough energy back to get out of bed and start attending an antenatal exercise class once a week, I still didn't feel affectionate towards my poor boyfriend (soon to be fiance). I had started showing very early on and by the middle of the second trimester I resembled a small whale (now growing to look more like a pretty large whale). My old stretch marks suddenly darkened and became much more prominent, and walking even a short distance became my Everest. Things were not looking great.

I question Tim's sanity about proposing to me when I hadn't exactly been number one girlfriend in recent months, but I am very glad he did. It has come at a fortunate time, for as I reach the end of the second trimester and can almost see the finish line, albeit very far ahead, I have regained my mojo so to speak and am starting to embrace my new pregnant figure. As a result I have become more affectionate and am feeling more loving.

I think something that has managed to keep our relationship going through the sometimes tough times during this pregnancy has been date night. This was originally going to be weekly, until I realised that this would soon start costing a lot. It is now once every few weeks and doesn't have to be fancy, in fact I prefer it to be as low key as possible now I am the size of the aforementioned whale. This week for example, Tim and I went to our local Pizza Hut and then rented a film at Blockbuster, which we watched back at my house with a bag of popcorn.

Date Night doesn't have to be too expensive, it doesn't have to be too impressive. The main thing is that we both make the effort to put aside other things in our life to spend the evening together and talk. Tim doesn't live with me yet and I often don't see him during the week, and as we don't really talk on the phone, it is nice to catch up on these nights and chat about what has been going on whilst we've been apart.

As I am often dressed in leggings and a vest top these days it is nice for me to have an excuse to stretch out one of my pre pregnancy going out tops, teamed with my trusty black maternity trousers and to pamper myself and make an effort with my makeup for Tim. It shows him that I still care and want to look my best for him, and it gives me a confidence boost.

dressed up for date night at 25 weeks pregnant

We are fortunate to have my mum who is more than happy to have Cameron for a few hours every so often to make date night possible. I hope that once the baby comes we will still be able to make time for date night as we will need the break more than ever then. so that we can truly get away from being 'mummy' and 'daddy' for a bit and just be Emma-Louise and Tim again.

Going out for date night :)

My Hypnobirth Taster Experience

As this is my second pregnancy, I'm not that worried about labour as I've done it before. I know it will most likely be painful but that I have to do it and other than that I'm just impatient to meet my baby. I am looking forward to going to antenatal classes, as it's something I didn't get a chance to do in my first pregnancy. However, I am more looking forward to meeting other mums to be in the area than gaining information, I guess I just feel they won't be able to tell me anything I don't already know....

A few days ago I saw an advert for a free taster session for Hypnobirthing locally. Hypnobirth is something I have heard of but never really taken an interest in. I guess I just see people who rely on relaxation methods when giving birth as a little bit 'different' to how I was and will most probably be during labour. Despite this, I wanted to give it a chance and see what it was all about. If nothing else I figured it would be good for Tim to get a taste of what antenatal classes might be like in advance. I was pretty worried that I would feel out of place and I will admit that I did when I arrived and clocked the tiny bowls of dried fruit on the table as 'snacks'. I've never been a dried fruit kind of girl and this gave me the instant feeling of not belonging (yes, I know that is really bad, but I aim to be honest!). Personally I would have preferred fresh fruit or crisps (I know they are bad for you but seriously, a pregnant woman has her cravings and dried fruit just won't cut it!).

There turned out to be only one other mum to be in attendance to the session and to be honest she managed to annoy me within a minute of talking to her when she guessed we were around the same stage of pregnancy from the size of my bump and then proceeded to say that she was 31 weeks... Not a great start when I am self conscious about my size! This woman was really into hypnobirthing and I felt a bit like I was intruding as her and the teacher were talking lots about her planned homebirth etc. I plan to have my baby in the midwife led unit attached to the hospital most probably with more pain relief than this woman would ever consider.

The session involved a short introduction along with a video on the history of hypnobirthing. The teacher then went through the basic theory behind hypnobirthing and Tim found it interesting when she started talking about muscle groups as he spends most of his time in the gym... To be honest, most of this went totally over my head and I felt a bit bored and like I was back at University in a lecture. It didn't help that I was having some crampy pain which was worrying me, having been in the hospital the night before due to a UTI.

After this we were told we would be doing a relaxation exercise. This involved the teacher reading through a script meant to make us go into a deep relaxation which would help ease the pain of contractions. My mind kept wandering and I was worried about the pain I was feeling at the time so didn't think I would be able to relax but strangely I did feel myself float away a bit and although I was aware of still being awake, I also felt very strange and like I wasn't really there. I managed to wake right up at a point when I was supposed to fall deeper into the relaxation, and then had to close my eyes again and get back into it, but at the end I felt like I'd had a lovely nice sleep.

We were shown a film of a birth using the hynobirthing techniques which was ok but I felt it was pretty out of date as it was filmed a long time ago. I also again felt I was out of place as the woman in the video was much older than me. Hypnobirthing just doesn't seem like something young and modern to be doing, not that this makes it a bad thing, but it just doesn't help appeal to me as a young mum. I was a bit concerned that Tim would have been freaked out by the video as he was reluctant to have watched One Born Every Minute and that was far less graphic! However, afterwards when I spoke to him he said he was surprised that it didn't bother him as much as he thought it would, which bodes well! There was a bit more talking after the video, including me telling the teacher about my last birth experience and being hooked up to the IV drip and her explaining her classes and availability.

I had known before attending the session that I couldn't afford the class prices and, in my opinion, they are very overpriced for what is essentially an antenatal class teaching a different approach to birth. However, I wanted to give the class a chance and I feel I did. I will be looking into getting a hypnobirthing book and CD as I did like the main ideas behind the technique, and I felt better for having done the relaxation exercise in the session.

I wouldn't go for a completely natural childbirth. Although I like the idea of having the baby in water, I don't hold out a lot of hope as there are limited number of birth pools available and things can prevent a water birth being possible, as I found in my last labour. I will try to use some relaxation techniques to help myself stay as calm as possible but I will still be using some pain relief during labour, definitely gas and air as it helped last time, and most probably pethidene as well. I will also be shunning a relaxation CD and instead using a compliation of my favourite songs as I used in my labour with Cameron. I find things that I am used to and will distract me are a lot of help in labour and I feel I would get stressed out with music that is 'meant' to keep me calm.

For anyone thinking of trying out hypnobirthing I would definitely advise going to a free taster session if you can find one as it will save the cost of attending a full priced session and then possibly finding out it wasn't for you. I would also suggest buying a book online, there are some great ones on Amazon complete with the CD for around £10. Of course, for some people hynobirthing will be amazing, and I do admire women who can go through childbirth without pain relief. I don't think this is necessary though, and I don't feel any less of a woman for giving in and admitting birth can be painful and using pain relief.

Have you used hynobirthing techniques during labour? Did they work for you? Would you recommend any particular methods to help during labour?

This week I.... went to the library!

Yet another new feature on the blog is a weekly post on something I did each week. As I am poor and we are in the middle of the worst summer weather-wise ever, I am not doing anything too extraordinarily exciting but I will try and find something to write about!

Today it was cloudy...again... so my mum and I decided to finally get our acts together and sign up at our local library, something I've been meaning to do since we moved in February! Cameron loves books, and we already have quite an impressive library for him in his room, but I love the idea of him being able to go and choose new books to take home and read whenever we want. I also thought it was a good idea for myself as I love to read but can't justify spending an average of £7 a book when I get through them within a few days.

Signing up to the library was pretty simple and Cameron absolutely loved the kids section as it was made up like a castle and had lots of little settees and foot cushions which he loved. Cameron wasn't very interested in choosing books, apart from the In the Night Garden one he found, but my mum and I managed to find 11 others for him for the month.

I went and looked around for some books of my own and will admit I was a little disappointed in the book selection as most were really old and I couldn't find many authors I had actually heard of. It's not a big deal as there are several other libraries in the local area which I am now a member of, so I will just shop around until I find some good books. I did manage to locate a Paige Toon book. I have heard a lot of people raving about her books but I wasn't overly impressed with her writing style when I read one of them but I've decided to give her another chance. I also picked up a novel about women with babies as I thought it might interest me and then I turned to the non-fiction section.

I was actually looking for a book on pregnancy when I came across the IT section and a dummies guide to blogging. Although it is now a few years old, and without sounding big headed, upon flicking through it I feel I know most of what it covers, I have taken it out to see if I can get any pointers from it on how to improve my blog. I also found a book on starting your own business which I will be reading as I am plannning to start up by Spring/Summer next year once the baby is around 6 months old and slightly less dependent on me all the time.

Are you a member of your local library? What books would you recommend I try and hunt out on my next trip?

New Feature: Planning My Wedding

As you may recall, I got engaged a few weeks ago and as a natural born planner, I wasted no time in starting off our wedding plans. Luckily for me, my fiance is very laid back and is allowing me free reign over most of the wedding plans.

Due to having very little money, and the fact that I am not giving birth for another few months, we have set a date for February 2015. Although this sounds miles away, it is in fact only two and a half years away and only two years from when we are due to move in together, so I feel it actually gives us a great timeframe to work with.

The first thing we had to work out was our budget, not the most fun part of the wedding planning process, but something absolutely vital in working out when we can realistically afford to get married, and where and what our wedding can include. We both agree that you don't need to spend a huge amount on a wedding, especially in a recession, but it will still involve saving a lot over the next couple of years!

Having set a rough date, and a budget to work with, the next thing I am focusing on is finding a venue. I have emailed quite a few of the local country houses enquiring rough prices and have found so many of them totally out of our price range that I started feeling disheartened. However, we are now discussing having the wedding on a Friday, which would bring the cost down a bit, and also trying to negotiate the catering packages, as neither me or Tim are really fussed about providing a big sit down meal and would prefer to have an intimate ceremony at a church and then a party in the evening with friends and family.

One of our possible local venues

Obviously as our wedding won't be for another couple of years, we aren't in a massive rush to find a venue but I feel that by finding our dream venue as soon as possible, I can start bringing the rest of the planning together more as I'll know what setting I'll be working with.

Coming next: Deciding on a theme!

I hope you have enjoyed reading about my wedding plans? Is it something you would be interested in reading about in future posts?

Pregnancy Diary: 25 Weeks!

What's going on with me this week:

Babycentre says:

"Your fingers, wrists and hands may be feeling achy and numb. The passageway, or carpal tunnel, in your wrist that carries your nerve and tendons to your hand is swollen, as are many other tissues in your body. The nerve that runs through the tunnel is pinched, creating pressure that causes shooting or burning pain. Wearing a brace may help. Talk to your midwife or doctor about other ways to cope. Find out about natural remedies for numb or achy fingers".

What I feel this week:

I don't know about achy hands and wrists, but my whole body is aching this week! On top of this, my daughter has managed to work out a fun way to hurt me before labour, by kicking me in the ribs- ouch! Although it does hurt, I don't mind as it shows me that she is moving around in there. I am finding it painful to walk around still and have been advised that I might have to wear a support band, which I will be looking into. I am starting to get impatient now as the pregnancy seems to be going very slowly so I have been trying to book up things for August to take my mind off things.

What's going on with my baby this week:

Babycentre says:

"Your baby now weighs nearly 660g and is about 35cm long from crown to heel. He's beginning to exchange his long, lean look for some baby fat. As he does, his wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and he'll start to look more like a newborn. His senses are becoming more sophisticated, too. At 26 weeks, fetal brain scans show response to touch. If you shine a light on your belly, your baby will turn his head, which means his optic nerve is working".

What my baby looks like inside this week:

What my bump looks like this week: