Monday, October 29, 2007 Ria gets emotional...

This last week has been a bit of an emotional one! Have had tears at work and a real feeling of not coping with all the demands at school, Autumn term is a very busy one and I’ve been spending an average of 11 hours a day at school and am shattered!!! Hopefully the second trimester energy buzz will start to take effect, otherwise I may crash and burn quite soon!

Having said that any morning/afternoon/all day sickness has well and truly passed which is making things a lot better, as I’m not feeling too grotty, just looking grotty and emotional! Bump is developing slowly, other people still don’t think there is anything there, but to me it seems to be growing by the day!

We’ve had a lovely weekend, eating out with friends and celebrating Jon’s mum's birthday. We went to a newly opened Giraffe Café in Exeter for brunch on Sunday with friends – topical because Jon is nicknamed Giraffe at Rugby because of his height and so many people have joked about us having made a baby giraffe! They did quite possibly the best banana and blueberry pancakes known to man…worth a visit and good for you!

We are looking forward to a trip up to London in a couple of weeks to go to the Baby Show at Earls Court, something we never thought would attract us but it seems a good idea to look at everything all under one roof and make decisions about prams and other baby expenses! We have seen a few things that interest us, like carrying baby in a sling rather than a pram all the time, that really appeals and seems natural, and we have also found a really snug hammock type cradle which allows baby to lie flat but feel like it’s still suspended in the womb, lovely!

Monday, October 22, 2007 Charlotte decides against a double buggy...

This week has been a quiet one.. Hayden and I came down with a cold on Wednesday and so we spent most of the week and the weekend sneezing and generally feeling under the weather. It’s quite tough being ill, 29 weeks pregnant and looking after a 20 month old, because I really wanted to rest or sleep but unfortunately Hayden wanted me to play or look after him so I didn’t get much time to rest! By the time the weekend came, Craig caught the cold too so we were all suffering!

We went for a lovely walk on the beach yesterday. Hayden wanted to walk rather than be pushed in the buggy and so he walked the whole way along the beach promenade and back! We are trying to encourage him to walk as much as possible as once baby number 2 arrives I won’t be able to carry him so much, and he is getting heavy now! The trouble is he wants to run off on his own accord, but thankfully my mum bought Hayden some reins which have come in really useful!

I have been trying to decide whether I will need to buy a two-seated buggy for when the baby arrives. My current buggy faces me which I like as I can talk to Hayden while we are walking around. However, there are only two rear-facing double buggies on the market, all costing about £300 - £400 each - so pricey! There are buggy boards which you can buy to attach to your buggy and the child stands on the board and holds onto the buggy as it is pushed along. However, I’m not sure if Hayden is old enough to do that (or if he would stay on it for long!). So I think I’m going to chance it without a double buggy and see how I go when the baby is born.

I am going on the day trip to Rome next week. I’m feeling a bit nervous about flying while pregnant and hoping I won’t get too tired, but hopefully lots of pasta and pizza will keep me going for the day!

One week to go for Jodi...

One week till due date! I am definitely getting more achey and twingey and if I've been on my feet for a while I am certainly aware that there's a baby's head low down in there! I have definitely perfected the waddle that's for sure.

I've spent the week taking it fairly easy. I did go shopping with my Mum one day but after a couple of hours on my feet I was absolutely exhausted. I honestly felt like I'd walked from John O'Groats to Lands End, not just round the local shopping centre! Other than that I've been partaking of my current favourite activities of baking and cleaning. Our flat has never been so clean!

Without a doubt, the highlight of this week has been the arrival of our travel system! Finally after ordering it three and a half months ago it has arrived and both Rhys and I are over the moon with it. We spent many hours playing with it the first day it arrived which hopefully was a worthwhile exercise as we don't want to look stupid when we get it out the car and try and assemble it on our first family trip out in a few weeks time!

The new pram:




I also took delivery of a nursing cushion this week which I've read good things about. Anything that helps to make breast feeding easier is worth it as far as I'm concerned. I'm fairly laid back at the moment when it comes to most aspects of parenting, I'm of the thinking that I'll see what my instincts tell me when the time arrives. However I am determined to breast feed, that is really important to me and it's something I will really persevere with. Hopefully I'll have a baby that takes to it like a duck to water.

The new nursing cushion:



I wonder if I will be a Mum the next time I speak to you? I'm not expecting anything to happen early as most first time pregnancies go overdue but I imagine that my family and friends will start applying the pressure if baby doesn't appear by its due date!

Right, time to go and have another cup of raspberry leaf tea! Got to keep that uterus in tip top shape! Speak soon x x x

Ria gets "lumpier"!

Time is speeding by and we are hardly noticing, this last week I have started to become “lumpier”, and am having to train myself not to say “fat”. Over the weekend, I’ve caught myself in a couple of mirrors and thought, 'Actually you are starting to look pregnant'!

This is now a good thing - I was getting fed up of feeling poorly and rubbish for no seemingly no reason, but now we’ve seen baby on the scan and the sickness has faded a little, I think I’m getting mentally prepared for my inevitable lumpiness!

We have started to think a little more about what we need to do and all the decisions we have to make. Channel Four have begun a series called “Bringing Up Baby” which we decided to watch: it is following the stories of six couples who are following three contrasting but well-known concepts of how best to bring up their babies. All of this had not even occurred to us yet, and it will be good to be able to watch and see all the highs and lows of the different techniques.

With this in mind, we also had our first adventure in Mothercare! Very early to be buying anything, but we just went for a look. Jon and I are both sure we want a baby sling so that we can carry baby with us as much as possible, but also went to check out strollers, and go gooey over baby clothes and cribs!

Having now told the majority of people it is interesting to see their reactions...most are very intrigued in the state of my belly, I guess I will have to get used to that! Jon’s mum has been very sweet and bought a really cute book of quotes about having babies, and also a pair of stretchy pyjamas! And my sister Lizzy has given me a fantastic book called “Being a Yummy Mummy” - it says things exactly how things are and has made me feel like my experiences are a lot more normal than I thought!

Kelly starts thinking about labour....

I cannot believe that I am now in the third trimester - it just seems to be flying. We started parent craft classes at the local church hall this week and there were quite a few partners there and everyone lived locally so hopefully we will make some new friends. We discovered that next week we are covering pain relief and birth plans. I suddenly started to feel a bit more nervous. At the beginning I was so happy to get pregnant straight away and then had such bad nausea for 16 weeks that I did not really get a chance to think about labour. I was just happy to make it through to each important milestone and that was as far ahead as I was thinking. The second trimester flew by and I felt great and now it’s like labour is only around the corner!

I think I just want to keep things as simple as I possibly can. I would love a home birth, but with this being our first baby, I think that going to hospital is the right option on this occasion. I would also consider a water birth but the local hospital only has one birthing pool and given that a bath always makes me hot I think I will opt for the standard run-of-the-mill delivery in a hospital bed unless the baby has other ideas! I have heard that the local hospital is unbearably hot, so I will be packing a vest and shorts. I wonder if anyone has even given birth in a bikini top?

I also started aqua natal classes this week and found them good fun and a great chance to meet fellow mum-to-be's. The classes are taken by midwives and it’s another great occasion to ask any burning questions. I met someone who lives a few streets away and is due two days before me, so we have already swapped numbers. Who knows, we could even be in labour at the same time?! It will also be nice to go along to some baby groups together after the birth.

I have being doing yoga for a few years now and do a weekly body balance class but obviously have to adjust some of the exercises for being pregnant. It is really good exercise, great for my posture and makes me feel so relaxed. I am hoping that some of the breathing and positions we do in it will come in handy when I eventually go into labour. I am also hoping to carry on going to these classes for as long as possible but as the bump gets bigger it gets a bit more difficult. I know that there are some pregnancy yoga classes so if I have to stop doing the normal ones at least I can try these ones. For me it’s important to still stay relatively active and I try to walk wherever I can as well but I make sure I listen to my body too.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007 Ria has her first scan...

Wow! First scan time, and very very exciting! This is our little mung bean, looking very real and cute:



The scan was amazing you could see so much detail – little toes and fingers wiggling, we even saw little mouth opening and swallowing.

All of a sudden it seems very real, and less daunting… we’ve both been a bit nervous this morning, laughing and joking as to whether it might have a tail or horns! I was secretly scared there wouldn’t be anything there, which is crazy, but still a worry. But there is definitely somebody in there, and only one!

We now have official date, from seeing how long little one is from bottom to head, and we’re scheduled for the 31st March…so looks like we may have an April Fools baby! At least if that’s the case people will remember when his / her birthday is.

Jon is very excited, and went a bit gooey during and after the scan! Looking at the scan photo it looks like babe is kicking, so now Jon is convinced it’s a boy, with very good kicking form that is going to make a very good rugby-playing No. 10, either that or she’ll be a great gymnast!

We decided to have all the tests done, so now are awaiting letters to say that little one is hopefully as normal as can be expected! We have also told pretty much everyone now… I made an announcement on Facebook and suddenly got 'poked' like never before!

Kelly's bump makes its presence felt!

I met with the midwife this week and she measured my bump for the first time. I am currently measuring 26 cm but it’s only a rough guide - as I am sure you all know, the guide is 1cm for 1week of your pregnancy at this stage. Everyone seems to have a comment on my bump and most say that it is not that big. I am actually quite proud of it and it has definitely had a growth spurt. I have stayed pretty healthy and active so maybe that has helped. Perhaps all those sit-ups and press-ups in the past are actually helping. All I know is that everyone woman carries differently and you can’t really compare bumps. I am sure I will be waddling along and catching up soon, then everyone will be commenting on how big my bump is!!!

Here's the bump!



Some might say it's bad planning, but I will be celebrating my 30th birthday in a few weeks when I will be 32 weeks pregnant. I cannot believe that I will be 30 as I still feel about 25. I am not bothered at all about not being able to drink and I still feel well, so just looking forward to catching up with family and close friends to celebrate it. I was going to have them all around to our house but realized that this would be quite a bit of work. My parents have kindly sorted a social club which has a bar and they are going to sort food and kids are welcome so although it will be a dry 30th celebration for me, it will be great to catch up with everyone before the big event.

I have experienced movements from our baby since about 16 weeks but this week they have got very strong. Tim was rubbing my belly the other night and we felt an arm or leg movement across my stomach. It was as if the baby was trying to push itself out of my stomach and was such a strong movement it freaked us out and gave us a good chuckle. My stomach moved and you could see the movement so much more clearly then before. I normally take showers but am thinking of starting to have a couple of baths to see if baby likes it and to watch the movements across my belly. I wonder if this will work? Will let you know next week...

Jodi is earning her 'Mummy stripes'...

Here I am at 38 weeks pregnant. How did I get here so fast? Sometimes I am very ready to meet my baby and not be pregnant anymore, but sometimes the prospect of being a Mummy is too daunting and I decide that being heavily pregnant isn’t that bad after all!

Last week I met up with a number of my friends, all of which have at least one child. The subject of stretch marks came up (as it does!) and I was proudly exclaiming how I had none and was praising my skin’s amazing stretching abilities. Well it appears as if I tempted fate, as this week they are rapidly appearing by the hour! I’m actually not that upset about it, I consider them my ‘Mummy stripes’ and will be a reminder that I achieved the amazing feat of growing a baby.

I am beginning to have aches and pains and twinges, all a sign that the end is in sight. To be honest, I think once you get to this stage, you can convince yourself that any niggle is the onset of labour! However I’ve been told by my midwife that the average date for a first baby to appear is eight days after the due date so I’ve probably got a few more weeks to go yet.

The best thing to have happened this week is that baby’s nursery is finally completed! As you may remember me saying, my Dad has been busy painting a couple of murals on the walls. These are now finished and despite me knowing that he’s a very talented man, even I am amazed at how brilliant they look. Thanks Dad!

So, it’s just the travel system to arrive now and then Rhys and I are ready for you to arrive, baby - I hope you are listening in there!



Here's some pictures of the newly decorated nursery:

Charlotte meets the hormone monster!

I saw my midwife again this week now that I’m 28 weeks pregnant and I have grown masses! My bump now measures 29 cms in comparison to 22 cms at 24 weeks pregnant! Everyone at work has been commenting on how much bigger my bump has grown – there’s no getting away from the fact that it’s starting to get in the way! Things such as putting my son to bed in his cot are getting more difficult as I have to bend over the cot and my bump is stopping me from doing that! My baby regularly lies across me so I often get punched and kicked on both sides of my tummy! I can even feel a foot or hand now and again which is really lovely.

I just spent a great weekend with my parents-in-law who live in the Midlands and came to stay with us. Hayden loved seeing his grandparents and had lots of fun playing games with them (he really missed them when they left and kept looking for them around the house!). It gave me a chance to relax a bit which was nice and to catch up on some things. They kindly helped us clear out our garage too as it will be knocked down in a couple of weeks to make way for a new extension, hopefully everything will be finished in the New Year in time for the baby to settle into his/her new room!

As I have so many things from my first pregnancy, I have been thinking more about preparing Hayden for the baby’s arrival. We are going to buy a bed for him soon and in the next couple of months will hopefully move him from his cot into the bed, so that when the baby is ready it can have the cot.

The hormone monster was back this week too. My last pregnancy went so smoothly I was totally chilled. This time the hormone monster creeps up on me now and again and I find myself getting teary at the stupidest things! I have to confess that I got a bit teary when I watched the X Factor on TV on Saturday night!!

Tuesday, October 2, 2007 Ria has gone public!

Week 12 – hoorah! We have been thinking of this as a bit of a milestone, and even though we still haven’t had our scan it’s a relief to be here! Jon is convinced that I’ll instantly start to feel better once we hit week 12, I’m not sure about that but hopefully my hormones might start to behave themselves a little better!

From today we are also going public! The date coincides with Jon’s birthday so we thought it would be nice to tell all our friends then. We have found it a real struggle not telling people up to now, especially when we’ve been excited, nervous, or feeling rubbish!

Our scan date is actually a week tomorrow, I can’t wait for lots of reasons, I think mainly because at the moment I don’t actually feel pregnant, just ill, and am hoping that seeing the little wiggler will make it all seem a bit more realistic and worthwhile. We have decided that at the next scan we will find out the sex of our baby, (just because we’d both like to know rather than be surprised), but for this one we’re just checking that it has two legs, two arms and no tail!

I am starting to get an ickle bump – probably only noticeable to me, but I’m used to having a flat tummy and am feeling podgy, which again, because I don’t feel particularly pregnant, is not a nice feeling. My clothes are all still fine, and hopefully that wont be an issue for a while yet, but we’ve got lots of weddings to go to in the next six months so that might take some planning!

Next week, I’ll hopefully have a little picture of our little one to get excited about, let's hope he/she is on good form and performing!

Kelly enters the great nappy debate!

This week we went to my nephew Jacob’s christening. It was great and we got to see some family we've not seen for a few months. My sister and brother-in-law had kindly asked me to be one of his Godmothers, which meant an awful lot. Jacob is gorgeous and he was very well behaved on his special day.

Here's some photographs from the christening:

Auntie Kelly and Uncle Tim!


Jacob and his godmothers:


Jacob and his mum:



I hope our baby has a similar temperament to Jacob as he is just so content. He will go to anyone and my heart just melts when I look at him, especially when I make him chuckle. Then, I imagine what I will be like with my own son or daughter. Managed to get a good bit of practice for our own little one this weekend - and the nappy changing was of course the highlight!

I also took a day off this week and met with my friend who is due in two weeks and we had lots of great baby chat over coffee (don’t worry it was the only cup we had all day). She already has an eight-year-old daughter but says she has forgotten loads of stuff and is starting to feel nervous but excited. She has just stopped working and trying to rest as much as possible. She was two weeks late with her first and is prepared to be late with her second but hopes she has at least two weeks rest. It’s just so exciting and the fact you do not know when the big event is going to happen makes it even more exciting.

We had the 'Terry nappies versus disposable nappies' debate as she had used Terry nappies with her first child and I was interested to see if she was going to use them again. She is indeed.

I have read so many articles about the environmental effects being about the same due to the usage of water and energy etc, but you can’t deny that reusables are more cost effective and perhaps better for baby’s bum and our UK landfill sites. Tim and I are keen to give it a go but will probably use a mixture of disposables and Terry nappies if it works out, as we plan to have at least two or three kids.

She said that I am more than welcome to pop round for a Terry nappy trial run and practise on her baby, which will be great to see before we decide to buy any kit. It’s a tricky decision but we are prepared to at least try them - of course, it worked fine for our mums!

A Cornish break for Charlotte

Hello, I have just come back from a lovely break in Cornwall. We had a great time. We stayed in a caravan right on the beautiful Hayle Beach. We took lots of trips out and enjoyed the scenery.

One place we went to was St Ives, it was lovely but it was so hilly – not good with one-and-a-half year old Hayden in a buggy and with me being 27 weeks pregnant! I really felt pregnant trying to walk up the hills; luckily they provide a shuttle bus which takes you from the centre back up the steep hills to the car park. A welcome break for my partner Craig and I - and lots of fun for Hayden who hadn’t been on a bus before!

Here's Hayden in Cornwall:





We ate out every day and I was impressed to find that the food choices for children were really good with lots of fresh vegetables, but as I’m a pregnant vegetarian it was a bit limited for me! It was quite a challenge to eat healthily and not have chips every day! By the end of the holiday I really noticed that my bump had grown (maybe it is has something to do with all the lovely Cornish pasties I ate?!).

I’m starting to find it difficult to sit or stay comfortable for long. I’m also feeling the baby kick and move about lots more. Craig and I sometimes watch my bump moving about as the baby kicks! I have tried to explain to Hayden that there is a baby in my tummy, but he just finds it funny to prod it!

I can’t believe there are only 13 weeks to go until baby number two arrives! I’ve been thinking lots about how things may change when we have two children, and hoping that I will still be able to give Hayden lots of attention. My friends tell me that the new baby slips into the routine you have with your first born. Hayden has always been a really good sleeper so I’m hoping baby number two will be the same!

Jodi is now full-term

Another week’s gone by but this one is a particularly important one as I am now 37 weeks. This means that I am officially considered full-term and I am now able to have my baby at the local midwife led unit as long as I go into labour naturally and there are no complications. Hopefully as I haven’t had any complications thus far in my pregnancy, my good fortune will continue into labour as well!

I am definitely feeling physically ready to give birth now. I am really struggling to get comfortable, particularly in the evenings and when it comes to bed time. I have been told by my midwife that good posture is very important at this stage of pregnancy. I should try and sit upright, leaning forward a little, to stop baby going into the back-to-back position (where their back is against my back) as this can make labour a lot longer and more painful; definitely something I want to avoid! So I am trying to do this as often as possible but sometimes the lure of a lie down on the sofa is too hard to ignore!

I repacked my hospital bag this week as I needed to squeeze a couple of big towels in just in case I get my waterbirth. I also added the baby clothes to the baby’s bag now that these have all been washed and ironed. Thankfully it seems that both of my bags are like the Tardis - there is so much stuff to take, yet both bags zip up ok!

The contents of the bags should see both me and baby through the first couple of days. The unit I will hopefully give birth in encourage you to stay in until breast feeding is properly established (if that’s what you choose to do) so as long as I am getting some rest in the hospital I shall stay there for about 4 to 5 days. However I will be sharing a room with three other new mums and babies so I’m not sure how long I shall be able to cope with hearing their babies screaming in the middle of the night as well as coping with my own!

I’d love to stay and chat to you, it gets a little lonely being on your own every day, but the important task of my afternoon nap is calling! I very much expect I’ll be updating you next week when I’m 38 weeks as I don’t expect an imminent arrival of my little one.

Until then…