Monday, November 26, 2007 Ria is now on her "second semester"...

I received a card from my sister this week saying happy second “semester”! A little misguided but very sweet of her, and it's true the second semester / trimester is shaping up to be a bit happier than the first one. Sickness is completely gone, and although I’m very tired that I’m sure is more to do with work than baby, so hopefully half term will provide necessary opportunity to sleep and prepare for the next onslaught until Christmas.

All in all we’ve had a successful weekend, Jon kicked the winning penalty for his team's second win of the season on Saturday and we then rushed up to London to take my mum to the Baby Show at Earls Court. We arrived nervous and excited and quickly became overwhelmed! Our main aim was to go and decide upon a buggy / car seat option, which we achieved after several test drives and chats to various people. We are hoping as much as possible to be able to carry baby in a sling, and minimise the use of a buggy, and we managed to buy ourselves said sling and have been practising wearing it already (how sad!). Having decided on the buggy we want we will now be scouring e-Bay at regular intervals hoping to find one!

Other important decisions we made were about nappies - we are very keen to use re-useable nappies and were impressed with how efficient and economical they seemed, and also how surprisingly cute, so we were sold on those too! Surprisingly we managed to escape without spending too much money, although we made up for that starting our Christmas shopping on the next day.

I am really starting to feel bumpier now, although the majority of people say they still can’t notice, I’m pleased that so far I don’t seem to have put on any weight elsewhere, but plenty of time for that! The last couple of weeks I think motherhood has really started to sink in and I’m getting excited. The baby show made me a feel a bit daunted for a while, what with all the decisions we have to make, but at the same time I want to stop planning for it and get the next 5 months out of the way!

I am conscious I don't want to get too obsessed with baby stuff, and try to enjoy life with Jon while it’s just the two of us, after all we are going to have the next 18 years at least worrying about someone else, maybe for the moment we should focus on taking care of each other!

Charlotte is picking out names...

This week I collected all the baby clothes out of the loft and washed them. I had forgotten how small new born babies are! It was so cute to see all the little babygrows and vests pegged out on the line! Luckily I have lots of white baby grows so I can use them for the new baby. When the baby arrives if it is a girl I have asked Craig to buy some pink ones as the baby won’t be wearing blue! I really don’t mind though if I have a boy or girl; as long as he/she is fit and healthy that’s all that matters.

A work colleague had a baby last week (congratulations Kylie!!) a beautiful baby girl called Aria who she brought in for us all to meet. She weighed 6 lbs 7 ozs and when I held her she was so light! I have been so used to picking up Hayden (who is nearly 21 months old) and carrying the weight of him that holding a newborn baby felt like holding air!! It made me feel really gooey and even more excited about meeting my new baby if that’s possible!

I have another scan next week when I am 34 weeks pregnant to check how things are, and then I will also see the consultant to discuss having another caesarean. I can’t wait to see my baby on the screen and hope that all will still be well. As I write this my baby is doing somersaults in my tummy. It has been particularly active today at work, more so than usual. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I went to a Stereophonics concert last night – so perhaps it got grooving and can’t stop!!

We have decided on a girl's name for the new baby but we are still stuck on a boy's name. There are so many nice names for girls, but boys names seem to be harder to choose. I keep looking out for names in the paper, magazines and on tv credits for some inspiration but so far we are still stuck for a final name.

Everyone at work keeps laughing at how big my bump has got, so below is a picture to show you how big I am now!! Only another seven weeks to go!

Kelly has a surprise from the midwife...

After my great birthday weekend I managed to pick up a tummy bug and spent two days vomiting and feeling sick. I have had a sensitive tummy for a week now so decided to check out that it was nothing more serious with the midwife. To my surprise when she examined me she said that the baby’s head is already engaged and I started to panic thinking that it may come early as I had read that the head usually doesn’t get engaged for a couple more weeks. I was of course pleased that our baby is already in the right position which also explained why I need to go the toilet much more frequently again but I was also a little in shock.

The midwife reassured me saying even if the baby came early now then they probably wouldn’t have to stay in the Special Care Baby Unit for very long. She also said that she had no idea of whether it would come early or not but I decided to pack my hospital bag just in case and I will make sure that I will take my hospital notes to London next week. I then decided to wash all the baby’s clothes, blankets and muslins and get everything ready. I am sure if any of the neighbours had looked at our washing line then they would have thought that I had already had the baby!

After the initial panic (I don’t feel ready yet) I was fine and realized that she must have to inform you that you could go into labour early as soon as the head engages. I also spoke to some friends whose baby’s head engaged early on and they didn’t have a premature labour so I felt a lot better but I am now going to make sure that I take things easy and that I am not too active just in case.

I decided to try and phone Tim as he is working away in North Devon about 1.5 hours away for the next month or so. As the signal is poor, I could only get his voicemail and his two workmate’s voicemails, so he failed the dry run! Fortunately he is now going to give me the site number should I need it but hopefully this won’t be the case!

Friday, November 16, 2007 Jodi's baby boy is starting to smile...

Here I am, a month in to my new life-long career as a Mummy and I can't believe where the time has gone. For those of you that are already Mums, you will laugh when I tell you that before I had Iestyn, I committed to continue writing this blog weekly after I'd given birth! As if! Yes, I do get some time each day when Iestyn is asleep but there's always a billion other things to get done!

I said in my last entry that I would post my labour story. Well let's be honest I'm not going to get time to do that so I'll just let you know in case you read my pregnancy entries that I did get my waterbirth and I did it on just gas and air! As these things go, it was a very relaxed experience with minimum medical intervention: exactly as I wanted. And yes, it is so true what they say about you forgetting the pain. For the first 24 hours I was telling everyone that I would never do that again and I can't believe anyone has more than one child, but already I'd willingly put myself through it again; although not for quite some time!

I cannot believe how much my life has changed in just one month. What now constitutes a good day is one where I manage to get showered, dressed, make-up on and to have all the washing and washing up done and to have had my breakfast and lunch by the time Rhys gets home from work! Honestly, I feel great when I have done this (which incidentally is every day so far)!

What milestones have we achieved so far in the first month? Iestyn was 7lbs 15oz at birth and he was weighed at 4 weeks 4 days and is now 9lb 8oz! So I am obviously doing something right! He is weighed at Baby Clinic which is at my surgery a 25 minute walk away and we have made it there the last two weeks. We have also made it to the Under 1's group at the same location. I was absolutely dreading going as I'm not very good at engaging in chit chat with total strangers but it was actually really good and I'm so glad we went! Iestyn was the youngest there by a good 8 weeks and all the Mums loved him as it seemed so long ago for them that their babies were so tiny! I also managed to have lunch out in a restaurant yesterday. Iestyn slept through the whole thing thankfully but I must admit to being a little stressed as I ate my lunch in case he woke up and started screaming the place down!

However by far the best milestone he has reached is that he is now smiling! Each one totally melts me and I'm afraid he has been covered in my tears a few times! I told my Mum that he was smiling (the smiles started when he was 4 weeks and 2 days) and she laughed at me and said it's far too early; it's just wind. I told her that they were definitely smiles and the next day, when we popped round to see her, he put on a fantastic grinning display to prove her wrong. There's my boy!

Well, I best get going. I can't believe that my little angel has given me the time to write this. I popped him in his bouncy chair whilst I got his bottles done and he actually fell asleep which is a first, so I quickly grabbed my laptop (after doing the bottles of course!) and got blogging. However the peace and quiet has been short lived so I'd best go and give him some attention in the hope of getting some more toothless grins!

Hope to speak soon!

Jodi & Iestyn x

Thursday, November 15, 2007 Charlotte is preparing for a pre-Christmas birth....

Hi all, I’m feeling bigger than ever I and can’t stop eating chocolate – help! I am 31 weeks pregnant now so only 9 weeks to go – where has the time gone?!

It’s getting uncomfortable to sleep in bed and I can’t stay comfortable on the sofa for long, even at work sitting upright I can’t sit still for long. The baby is either pressing up against my ribs (painful!) or pressing down on my bladder, and if that’s not enough, it’s regularly partying in there and kicking and stretching on both sides of my tummy – no wonder I feel so exhausted!!

All this has made me think even more about preparing for the birth. I had to have a caesarean when Hayden was born so it is likely that I will have one when the new baby is born which means I will only have 8 weeks to go! (If you have a caesarean your baby is born at 39 weeks). Consequently I have been thinking about Christmas (I know it seems early!) but I am paranoid that the baby may come early and we will be without presents for baby and Hayden or a Christmas tree!

Hayden’s new bed arrived at the weekend and Craig spent a few hours putting it together ( it came as a flat pack from Next but it had excellent instructions so it wasn’t the usual nightmare – I thoroughly recommend Next for their excellent instructions!). Hayden absolutely loves it! We put a bed guard up at the side and so far he hasn’t fallen out. He gets up in the morning and pads over to his door and stands at the stair gate we have put there calling out for us! I wanted him to have time to get used to his bed now so that he doesn’t have too much change after the baby arrives.

Also we bought an excellent story book called ‘I’m a Big Brother’ by Joanna Cole from Amazon. It’s great as it introduces him to the baby and explains that he is the big brother and can look after and help with the baby, but also that even though there is a new baby in the house he is still special to mummy and daddy who love him very much (ahhh!). He loves the book and requests we read it to him every night before bed, so hopefully it will help him to understand when the baby arrives.

Happy birthday to Kelly!

Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me! I have at last reached that milestone age of 30 and I cannot believe how quickly it has arrived. I decided to have a family party and it was a great idea. My mum sorted all the food, my youngest sister sorted the music and we all had a really good laugh. I never even had a drop of alcohol and did not even fancy one and I even managed a dance or two with my mum. I got so many presents I was extremely spoilt with lots of lovely jewellery, flowers and pampering days for before and after having my baby. I love being 30 and who said it wouldn’t be fun without alcohol?

Tim bought me a lovely black dress from H&M amongst many other gifts and he is treating me to a surprise weekend in London in a fortnight for us to enjoy before the baby comes along. He is so sweet and thoughtful and I cannot wait to go as my mum bought us tickets to go and see We Will Rock You and I have always wanted to see that musical. I was totally spoilt and who knows what else London has in store for us?! Friends suggested that a weekend away beforehand would be a brilliant idea as it will be a while before we get the chance again. I am not at the waddling stage yet so I will have plenty of energy to attack Oxford Street and all the shops!!

We also finally went and chose the pram. After much deliberation over the last couple of weeks, we opted for a travel system as they are such good value for money. We also wanted a carry cot for when our baby is very small but there weren’t that many that did them or they were outrageously priced. It is a bit heavier than I would have liked but I think that it will be fine for the first 6 months or so and then we will get more of a lightweight buggy. My parents were very generous and bought it for us and are looking after it as it is apparently bad luck to keep it at our home. The travel system came with a carry cot, buggy, car seat, car seat base and foot muff so it was a real bargain and we just need to get a rain cover now. I aim to do lots of walking with the little one as I enjoy walking to town which is a good 30 minute walk but have calmed this down lately as don’t want to overdo it. So pram should be sturdy enough to do this and for having future babies…!!!

Time is flying for Ria....

We are fast approaching 4 months and can’t believe how quickly the time is flying. Jon and I are both under pressure at work and the days seem to zip by in a blink - it’s making being pregnant quite stressful, or is it that being pregnant is making school stressful!? We have one week to go until half term, and can’t wait, we are desperate just to spend some time together and try and relax a bit.

We have booked tickets to go to the Baby Show at Earls Court on the first weekend, and we’re taking my mum, hoping to check lots of things out and hopefully make decisions about prams, buggies, slings, nappies and all the other things that are currently a mine field to us baby novices!

I am slowly starting to look more bump-like! To me it is so obvious, but other people still assure me you can’t notice, but suddenly my tummy feels much fuller and tighter. I haven’t gained much weight else where at the moment, something I’m hoping to maintain for a little while longer!

I had my 4 month midwife appointment this week, and got to listen to baby's heart beat – this was nearly as amazing as the scan…it was so quick, and sounded like the sea! After a few bubbles and gurgling noises I thought my belly was rumbling, but apparently that was baby moving!

Next time I will hopefully be de-stressed and chilled looking forward to a week in Cornwall for half term, not sure there’ll be mush surfing going on though, bump doesn’t seem to keen to my laid on any more!

Friday, November 2, 2007 Jodi has a baby boy!

Jodi & Rhys are very proud to announce the arrival of their son Iestyn Rhys.

Iestyn (pronounced "yes tin") was born on Sunday October 14th at 00:32 following a 27 hour labour from start of contractions to birth.



He weighed 7lbs 15oz and was 20 inches long.

Unfortunately he was poorly after his birth and ended up in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for four days to received treatment for pneumonia. After five days of treatment he seemed to be fully recovered and finally, a week after his birth, we were able to go home.

So now our lives have been turned upside down and we are being held to ransom by a 19 day old baby! He's generally a pretty contented little boy but a few times a day we find that he won't settle (now being one of them, as I type this one-handed!). One thing I will find time to say today is that being a Mum is already, without a doubt, the best thing I have ever done. The love I feel for my little boy is like nothing I could ever have imagined; I am totally smitten.

I really hope to find some time soon to post my birth story as well as sharing with you my early experiences of motherhood but I can't promise anything as I'm not in charge anymore!

Jodi & Iestyn x

Sleepless nights already for Kelly...

I have started to wake up a few times in the night which has lead to feeling a bit tired in the day time. Baby Perryman must have started to get me into night training already. I did not realize until the other day that I was not supposed to be sleeping on my back, now that the baby is bigger but I just can’t seem to get comfy on my sides. I have tried putting an extra pillow behind my head and one at my side to support my bump but it still does not quite do the trick. Has anyone got any tips? I just keep wondering what will it be like in a few weeks when my bump gets even bigger? My neighbour said that in the end she had to sleep upright propped with lots of pillows as she was just too big to do anything else.

I am not suffering from heartburn much now as I have avoided certain foods and drinks that aggravated it – fizzy drinks, citrus juices, rich foods, Weetabix (guess they must have swelled up in my stomach) and I am snacking and eating very small meals and not eating too late at night. Peppermint tea also seems to do the trick.

It was my brother-in-law’s birthday at the weekend and I managed to stay out until midnight at their dinner party. I was most impressed but did pay for it a bit the next day so it ended up being a lazy one.

Only eight weeks left at work now and there is just so much that I need to do before I leave. Our busiest time of the year is January and I will be off on maternity but I have been training a new member of staff so hopefully all should go ok. I think I will do a couple of Keeping In Touch days to help out in March with our year end audit but we shall see how that goes - I know our lives and priorities will change forever once baby Perryman is born and I may not be able to.

Charlotte and baby have a Roman holiday!

I had a great trip to Rome last week. I had managed to get a note from my doctor to say that I was fit to fly at 30 weeks pregnant (but it cost me £10 for him to write it!!). I was a bit nervous when I got on the plane, and I hoped that the baby would be okay. The flight was fine and we landed with no problems.

I had some free time to explore and so I did lots of walking on the day. Luckily my friend Vicki came on the trip and she is pregnant too so we took our time walking around! I also made sure that I took lots of sit down breaks and snack breaks and tried to drink lots of water as it was quite muggy there.

Charlotte and Vicki in Rome:


We stopped at a nice restaurant in Piazza Cavour for lunch; I had a lovely meal of pizza followed by Crème Caramel. My friends ate some freshly made Italian ice cream and it looked yummy, but I wasn’t sure if I could eat it, as you should avoid unpasteurised freshly made ice creams when pregnant, so I played it safe and didn’t have any. I miss the freedom of being able to eat what I want!

We visited lots of sites including the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain. Luckily Rome is quite flat so there weren’t many hills to climb! The traffic is manic there though, the cars just pull out everywhere and you have to be so quick crossing the road. At one point I saw an Italian lady cross the road with a buggy and stop about five different lanes of traffic all coming towards her – very scary!!

We were back at the airport for 6pm and boarding the flight by 7pm so the day went quickly. The security ladies at the airport noticed I was pregnant so they asked me to walk around the scanning machine rather than through it.

When I got home late that evening my feet felt funny, and I looked down to see that my feet and ankles had swollen up loads! I spent the next day at work with my feet up as they were still swollen!

My baby was quiet for a couple of days after the trip, I guess it could feel how tired I was, but he/she is now back to kicking and moving loads! I think I would advise any pregnant mum hoping to travel so late in pregnancy that you can do it, but beware that the next day the tiredness catches up with you!