Friday, September 19, 2008 Libby takes to the water....

Libby at 12-14 weeks

I cannot believe that Libby is 3 months…it won’t be long before I have to pack away the 0-3 months clothes. It is just flying and it won’t be long before I have to go back to work, but hey let’s not think about that. In the mean time, let’s hope we might miraculously win the lottery and then I could give up work and have lots and lots of babies…

Now back to reality and I am wondering how mums cope with having more than one child. Now Libby is older she needs stimulating even more and this in itself can be quite tiring. Tim often comes home from work asking what we have been up to and he probably thinks that we are just out socializing but we are always doing thinks at home in between naps and socialising. She lovers her door bouncer and will easily spend 20 minutes or so in that and then she likes having a good kick about on the play gym or playing with her toys or bouncing around on my knee to nursery rhymes. I always try to interact with her as she loves this.

Libby had her second set of jabs this fortnight and again she didn’t have a reaction to them which was a relief. She obviously cried when they were done and slept for a while afterwards and was a little bit grizzly but was otherwise ok. It will be good when she has had the last set in another 4 weeks as I don’t think that she has to have any more until she is one after that.

We started our Waterbabies classes at last. It is great as there are 7 of us who became friends through ante-natal and aqua-natal and we meet weekly for coffee and decided to take Waterbabies classes together. It is quite expensive but the way I look at it is the child benefit helps to pay for it. Tim and myself decided to use the child benefit to help pay for activities for Libby as she grows up. Waterbabies classes are held at very warm swimming pools – our takes place in a hydrotherapy pool and it is boiling. The classes last for 30 minutes and the term is 10 weeks. In our first class, the instructor dunked our babies under the water and they were all pretty good and there were only a couple cries. In the last class a photographer takes underwater photos, I hope none of them cry!! I have always wanted a Nirvana underwater style baby photo, I just hope we don’t have to re-mortgage to get one!!

Wednesday, July 16, 2008 Kelly's social life is booming!

Libby at 11 weeks

We went to the local library for “Rhymetimes” this week and it was great fun. It was just as good for me to learn all the nursery rhymes that I had long forgotten as it was for Libby to bop along. I think Libby was getting a bit bored of Old Macdonald, The Grand Old Duke of York and Ince Wincey Spider so I now know a few more to add to my nursery rhyme collection. She is such a sociable and alert baby, she loves music and looking around at all that is going on around her. I think she is going to be nosey!!! Not sure where she gets that from??

I thought that I was pretty busy and sociable before I had Libby but I think that we are even busier now. If it’s not baby group, baby massage, coffee with fellow mums, swimming or baby clinic then we are generally out walking about. We have made lots of friends from walking about and everyone always loves to stop and look at Libby whether it is at a supermarket or in town. It’s quite funny how everyone goes crazy for babies and they love her great big blue eyes. I must admit, although I loved babies before, I just adore them even more now and think I will soon be a “aah how old is she, what is her name…etc” interested onlooker too!!

Everyone said to me before I had Libby to cherish every second and it’s true, I can’t believe that she is no longer that totally dependant newborn. She is nearly 3 months and can push herself up on her front and has already developed a personality. She is also happy to play by herself for about 20 minutes which is great when I need to do something. I think that it will not be long before she will no longer fit into her moses basket which means that she will have to move into her own room.I am not quite prepared for this yet. The milestones pass so quickly before I know it she is going to be crawling and then walking. I have made a mental note to bring the camera and camcorder out more often as she is changing all the time. I do use them quite a lot but I don’t want to miss any phase.

Libby is now in a pretty good routine. She is in bed by 7:30pm and sleeps through until 7am, waking up only once at around 4am. I feel so much more rejuvenated and really don’t mind getting up once. I don’t think that she will sleep through until she is on solids but I don’t mind, she is a pretty good sleeper and otherwise good baby. It is great as I get to spend the evening with Tim and have even decided to join the gym next week and to go once she is down to sleep.



Her daytime naps have become more structured now as well. I haven’t imposed a strict routine as I am pretty flexible but it has just evolved. She tends to wake up about 7am and then fall to sleep about 2 hours later for about 40-60 minutes. She then has another nap at lunchtime for 1.5-2 hours and then one in the afternoon about 3pm for about 40-60 minutes. Her naps fit in well with our social events and she sometimes takes them in her car seat or in the pram but if we are at home then they are in her cot. She is so much like Tim in that she can pretty much sleep anywhere. I wish I could!

Thursday, June 26, 2008 Little Libby Gets Her First Party Dress...

Libby at 8-10 weeks

Libby had her first set of jabs this week. She cried just after she had them and was very cuddly all afternoon when she wasn’t sleeping. At teatime she was a bit grizzly so I gave her some Calpol and it seemed to help. No adverse reaction to the jabs so was really pleased but I felt so sorry for her when she had them. I know she needed to have them but she’s so tiny and I felt quite emotional when she was having them done. But she only cried for a few minutes so it really wasn’t that bad. She has to have her 2nd set of injections in 4 weeks and then her 3rd set in a further 4 weeks.

I had my first night out with friends and we had dinner at a lovely Japanese restaurant and I had even expressed enough milk to have a couple glasses of wine. I was only out for a few hours and was home by 11pm but it was fab to get dressed up, slap on some make up and feel attractive. Since having Libby, I normally only spend 5 minutes getting ready after a shower every day. Your priorities do totally change but I am sure that once Libby is into more of a routine things will get easier.

Going out was a hassle from the point of view of having to express and throw away my contaminated milk throughout the night. Libby usually wakes up once in the night so I had to express after I had fed her my non contaminated milk else it would have been like experiencing engorgement again. I had built up quite a supply of milk in the freezer over the last week I had expressed once a day. I had been advised that you could keep it in fridge for 24 hours or in freezer for 3 months. I defrosted the milk either in the fridge overnight or at room temperate for a few hours. I bought some sterile freezer bags but you can also freeze it in containers. I like the freezer bags as you can write the date and amount of milk you have frozen. This is so handy for knowing how much to take out of the freezer and which milk to use first.

We also had our first long car journey away for my nephew’s christening in Warrington, Cheshire. My parents live in Gloucester and we decided to split the journey up by staying up there on the way up and by stopping there on the way back to feed Libby as it is conveniently halfway to Warrington. Libby slept most of the way and was fine with the traveling. She loved all the attention at Jacob’s birthday when she got to wear her first party dress.





I cannot believe that Jacob is already one. I am really trying to appreciate every week with Libby as the time just flies. I cannot believe that she is 10 weeks already either! It was nice to spend time with my sister, Neal and Jacob. Jacob is doing so well and is nearly walking. He is a cutie. I really hope that Libby and him grow up to be as close as I am with my sisters.

I also traveled to Poole with Libby to stay with my best friend Vicki. Vicki is heavily pregnant with her second child and her daughter Abby, who is 2, absolutely loved Libby. She was helping me change Libby’s nappy so I think Vicki is going to have a real helper there. I timed leaving once I had fed Libby and she happily slept all the way. It’s only about a 2.5 hour drive so the perfect distance to travel and for Libby to sleep most of the way. I was careful not to take too many things and Vicki had quite a few things that I could borrow to save me loading the car up.

I also suffered from a bad back over the last fortnight. It started in Centre Parcs, from lifting Libby awkwardly out of the cot and I just aggravated it with lifting her and carrying shopping as well as being in the car for long journeys to both Warrington and Poole. I ended up having some much needed acupuncture and it was brilliant. The physio gave me some exercises to do and within days it felt so much better. I decided to go back to yoga once it was healed as this has always helped keep my back strong and I had not had a problem with it over the last 6 years since practicing yoga. The doctor advised that I had to take it easy and not to overstretch as the pregnancy hormone relaxin was still in my body.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008 Libby goes on her first holiday!

Libby at 6-8 weeks

Libby’s first holiday!! At last our first weekend away to Centre Parcs Longleat had arrived. We were celebrating Tim’s mum’s 60th birthday with all the family. It was great and was nice to spend time with Tim’s folks, brother, sister and nieces. The accommodation was brilliant and we cooked all our own meals that was easier with the children. Tim’s mum, myself and my two sister-in-laws had a much needed 3 hour spa session which was so relaxing. The men played badminton and pool and it was just so nice to chill out. Libby also slept in a cot for the first time as to save on luggage we decided not to take the moses basket. She takes after her dad and can sleep pretty much anywhere so we knew it would probably be ok. She looked so small in the cot and I wondered how long it would be before she was in her own cot at home (I secretly hoped a long time as she will move into her own room when she no longer fits in the moses basket and I am not ready for that yet!)

Libby went swimming for the first time at Centre Parcs but I was disappointed with the toddler pool. It was not that warm and it was quite shallow so I didn’t let Libby stay in for long. I decided to take her to the local baths the next week instead. I had checked it would be ok with my doctor to take her before her first set of jabs and she said that as long as the pool was warm enough it would be fine. We have signed up for Waterbabies classes with some of our friends so I want to take Libby swimming a few times beforehand to get her used to it.

After Centre Parcs we decided to start putting Libby down earlier at night between 7pm and 8pm. Then I would either dream feed her or wake her when I went to bed and give her another feed around 10:30pm. I found that gently waking her would make her take more feed and sleep a bit longer. It was working well as meant that Tim and myself had a few much needed hours together in the evening before we went to bed. She even managed to sleep through until 6am a couple times!!!

The breastfeeding is still going well and Libby seems to be thriving. At 8 weeks she weighs 11.5 pounds, 4 pounds heavier than birth so she is putting on half a pound a week. No wonder I feel so tired!! She has moved from the 50th percentile to nearer the 75th for her weight now but this is more in proportion with her length. I have been getting her weighed weekly to make sure that she was getting enough milk as breastfeeding you have no idea how much they are drinking. Although I obviously don’t have anything to worry about, I think I will just get her weighed fortnightly now unless she is not very well.

Libby is developing well she is smiling all the time and cooing lots. You can even have a cooing conversation with her which is fab. She is a real cutie and we are so proud. She has such big blue eyes and I think they will probably stay blue as they are a real blue and not dark. Her eyelashes have grown really long just like her dad’s. I just spend ages looking at her every day and never get bored of looking at her. She is gorgeous!

Tuesday, May 6, 2008 Little Libby is starting to smile!

4-6 weeks

Libby is now regularly smiling and we can actually make her smile by tickling her chubby cheeks and humming the tune that she loves from her V-tech radio. Sometimes she laughs so much she screws her eyes up and I love it. She has also started to coo and make noises I think she is going to take after me and be a little chatterbox when she is older.




Libby continues to show her strength by holding her head well and I have started to put her on her front partly to help her strengthen up and partly because some of her clothes are awkward to do up unless she is on her front. I only put her there for a few seconds and sometimes she can managed a minute or two before she tires and wants to get back on her back to have a kick. I have also started to regularly put her on her play gym and as the weeks go by she is showing more interest in it and wanting to stay on it for bit longer. The first couple times she could only cope with a couple of minutes. It’s amazing how much everything stimulates them and tires them out.

My six week check was pretty informal and I was not examined at all which I thought was strange but everything seems to be ok. I was just asked some routine questions and I enquired about returning to exercise. I have been doing lots of walking as I love to get out and about and get some fresh air. Libby loves it too and normally doses off in her buggy. Libby had her six week baby check and it was all fine so now we can participate in the baby massage class at our local baby group.

Libby has been sleeping better and we have even had 7 full hours of sleep! Hooray. She always sleeps at least 5.5 hours and then usually has a smaller stint of about 3 hours. We put her down about 10 or 11pm when I go to bed and then I only have to get up once in the night. I want to try and get her into a routine of going down to sleep between 7pm and 8pm but I think it may be a little early to introduce at the moment. I may try in a couple of weeks as it works for both me and her at the moment



Next week we have our first weekend away at Centre Parks, Wiltshire to celebrate Tim’s mum’s 60th birthday. It should be good and it will be interesting to see how much luggage we will have to take now we are three!!

Thursday, April 3, 2008 Kelly gets to grips with breast-feeding...

2-4 weeks

Our midwife has now signed Libby at 2 weeks old over to the health visitor and it was quite sad as our midwife Tamsin had been a great support but I guess we will see her again with the next one!!

From 2 to 4 weeks old Libby has changed so much as she has started to fill out a bit more. At 3 weeks old she had regained the weight that she had lost and was a whole pound heavier than at birth. Thankfully she was feeding well and my milk was doing its job! At 4 weeks old had put on 10oz in a week to reach 9lb 2oz and was known as a right little guzzler at baby clinic. I was so pleased that she was doing really well. At times in the first couple of weeks I had thought twice about carrying on breastfeeding as the sore nipples had been excruciating and the actual breast feeding was so demanding and physically draining. It was also so important to remember to eat and drink so that I had a good milk supply.

But after the first 2 weeks breastfeeding became much more enjoyable. At 4 weeks it seemed completely natural and I was now at ease with it and really enjoyed it. Libby needed me to feed and that made me feel so important and I just loved the cuddles from breastfeeding. It was really cute when she would pull on my bra or top or touch my breast. I was really pleased I had persevered with it.

Libby tended to feed around every 2 hours at 2 weeks but this increased to every 3 hours at around 4 weeks. I was pretty flexible and just fed her when she wanted it. Initially she sometimes whinged for it after an hour and a half so I started to use a soother which helped her go to 2 or 2.5 hours. Whenever she didn’t want it she would just spit it out but using a soother also helped her to calm down if she was ever overtired.

The sore nipples finally eased off at 2 weeks thanks to the Lansinoh ointment. I started to express my milk at 2.5 weeks. I know that most midwives advise to wait until feeding is established but I thought that I would give it a go and see. Libby occasionally used a soother and it did not seem to cause any teat or nipple confusion so I thought I would try expressing to feed her with a bottle. My sister-in-law lent me her electric breast pump and off I went. It was a very strange sensation at first and I felt it bit like a cow milking but once used it, it was actually ok. The trick is to gently increase the pressure/suction so as not to be too painful at first. My first attempt achieved 20ml and I was so impressed and within a week I was expressing 60ml and guessed that this must be what Libby takes during a feed. I decided not to freeze any for a few weeks and just to express once a day so that Tim could give Libby her last feed at 11am which gave him some special bonding time and meant I could try and get to bed a little bit earlier. You can keep breast milk for 24 hours in fridge or 3 months in freezer. I didn’t express at any fixed time and either did it in the morning or late afternoon. This worked fine for me and I wished I had expressed from the beginning as I really think that it would have helped immensely with engorgement.

I now can distinguish Libby’s cry from the other babies’ cries in our group. As long as she has been fed and not overtired Libby is very chilled and does not cry that often for a baby- we are so lucky. At night time, she never cries, she just stirs and makes a few low grunting noises, I feed her and then put her back down and she goes straight back to sleep. She can also sleep anywhere – in her bouncer, pram or in the car. I am touching wood as I type this for the fear that this could change…hopefully not.

At 2 weeks old she got her first cold. Poor Libby was quite mucousy and had a snuffly nose so the midwife advised to get some saline nasal drops and these seemed to do the trick. I also placed a towel under her moses basket mattress so her head was slightly elevated. It was horrible as there was nothing more I cold do except wait for her to get better as she was too young to take anything.

When Libby was 3 weeks old we went along to the local baby group with my mates from ante natal. Although it was a challenge to get there for 1030am the first couple of weeks, it was well worth it. They do a free baby massage class there which I can’t wait to try with Libby once she has had her 6 week baby check. Initially it took me about 2 hours to get myself ready and Libby fed and ready before I could leave the house but the more I got out and about the easier it became and I suddenly was able to leave the house at 9:30am looking more respectable.

At 4 weeks she started to do her first non-wind smile but didn’t give them away easily. I couldn’t wait for her to smile regularly and to start to coo. She is such a strong little thing and holds her head so well for a 4 week old, we are so proud. I think that she is going to be sporty like myself as apparently I was the same as a baby. She has to be a bit like me as she looks totally like her dad!! When I hold her against my chest she even pushes herself off it a bit. I think she is going to be a stubborn little madam too – but both her father and myself are stubborn, so this is very likely!

Monday, March 17, 2008 Kelly gets back to normal...

2-4 weeks

It is surprising all the administrative tasks to get done after having a baby: registering the birth, applying for child benefit and Child Trust Fund, confirming place at nursery and thinking about pre-schools. I know it sounds crazy but the local pre-school is fantastic and has an outstanding Ofsted report so you need to put your baby’s name down when they are born for the term when they are 3 year’s old. Libby was 8th on the list for September 2010!!!Let’s hope that she manages to get in.

Libby holds her head so well at this very early stage and will push herself up off my chest when I hold her, so I have to be very careful. Everyone including the midwives and health visitors has commented on how strong she is and we feel very proud. We were signed over by the midwife to the Health visitor at 2 weeks and Libby had regained the initial weight that she dropped to going back to 50th percentile. At 3 weeks old she had put on a whole pound from her birth weight to weighing 8.5lb. I was very pleased as when you breastfeed you never know how much your baby is feeding but Libby was obviously feeding well. At 4 weeks she had put on 10oz in a week to weigh 9lb2oz, still the 50th percentile. It was no wonder that I was feeling exhausted.

Poor Libby suffered from her first cold and sore throat at 2 weeks old. It broke my heart that I was unable to do anything. The midwife suggested using nasal saline drops and they really helped to cure her snuffly nose. She had been quite mucousy when she was born and this was obviously her body reacting to get rid of it. I put a towel under her mattress in her moses basket underneath her head so she wasn’t lying totally flat and this also seemed to do the trick. It sounds strange as although she cannot talk you can hear the sore throat/voice in her cry. Fortunately she was better after a week. I knew that it was nothing serious as when she was poorly she was still pretty content and fed well but as a first-time new mum you can’t help but worry.

Libby is feeding ever 2.5 hours on average so I am getting up a few times in the night. I hear Libby wriggling in the moses basket waking up next to me, so I then jump up and feed her. She then falls asleep feeding on my breast, I change her nappy and it is back to sleep within 25 mins. We are very lucky as she never cries during the night and goes back down straight away. Libby always feeds for about 15-20 minutes which is great as one of my friends’s baby is feeding for almost an hour!! The first couple weeks are tiring especially when you are breastfeeding. I did not realise how tiring this would be and always have to have a glass of water handy as it does drain you and you need to keep your fluid levels up. I have also tried to eat regularly as my friend’s milk supply temporarily dried up one day as she had not ate or drank enough. You really have to look after yourself when breastfeeding.

The breast feeding is going really well now and the sore nipples have healed after using the Lansinoh cream and I guess that they have just generally toughened up now. I now feed Libby in a great position which ensures that she is latched on correctly and feeding well. I love breastfeeding, Libby cuddles in and touches me or pulls my top and it is really sweet. I am so glad that I have been able to breastfeed as it is really nice to know that Libby relies on me for food and only I can give it to her as her mother.

I started to express milk at 2.5 weeks as the feeding was going well. I had read that it was best to wait 6 weeks to express but Libby had taken a dummy and was not confused by the teat nor did it impact on the breast feeding so I thought that I would give it a go. My sister-in-law lent me an electric pump and I managed to express 20ml the first time but it wasn’t long before I was expressing 60ml. I guess this is what Libby was drinking at each feed. You can keep expressed milk in the fridge for 24 hours or in the freezer for 3 months. It was nice because we managed to get into some kind of routine with Tim giving her a bottle of expressed milk around 11pm so I could get to a bed a bit earlier. This was a nice bonding opportunity for him and I wish I had expressed earlier really as I think it would have helped minimise engorgement. I will try that next time…

Libby sleeps a lot during the day and I was shocked but pleased at how much newborn babies sleep. Whilst she sleeps I get on with the household chores but with hindsight I probably should have taken this opportunity to get more rest. The first few weeks have felt that all I have done is feed, change nappies, sort out the washing, do housework and have visitors. With hormones all over the place I have had a few tears or two but after speaking to my fellow mums they seem to having the occasional emotional moment so I feel pretty normal. In the evening when you reflect back on what you have done in the day it doesn’t seem very much but then looking after and feeding a newborn baby does take a lot of time.



I was feeling more like normal and any pain/bruising from labour had now gone. In the first couple of weeks if I had done too much I would know as the bruising would intensify. I realised that it was really easy to overdo things and so started to be more careful. I think when I went to the supermarket on day 3 this was totally stupid and really I should have left it a week. It sounds silly but you forgot what your body has been through with labour and just because you feel ok doesn’t mean to say that you are back to normal. It has taken me about 4 weeks to feel like normal but even now I am still careful not to overdo it and I make sure that I listen to my body.

Wednesday, March 5, 2008 Breastfeeding and dummies for Kelly...

0-2 weeks

After spending one night in hospital we left to go home to start life as a family! I was exhausted as had spent the whole of the Thursday night in labour and had little sleep in hospital on the Friday night. On the Saturday one of my closest friends was having a marital blessing in church and as I felt ok, I thought that I could manage the 45 minute service so I went along. I left Libby in the capable care of her daddy and this gave them, an ideal time to bond just the two if them which I knew they both appreciated.

The first night at home, I managed to sleep better than in hospital but could not stop looking at her and checking that she was still breathing. She was pretty well behaved and was feeding every 2-3 hours. Tim was a star and got up to settle her all night, did all the nappy changes and brought Libby to me in bed when she needed a feed so I could get as much rest as possible. When I spent the night in hospital with Libby, he went home and had 12 hours kip, so it was only fair…

Libby has been spoilt rotten and got so many cards and presents that her keepsake box is not big enough to hold all the cards - so they will be going into a large box file. People are so kind and some of my friend’s parents even gave her a gift which was really sweet.

She is such a little wriggler and strong thing with a great grip, her cord fell off in the first week. I think she is going to take after her mum and be a sporty little thing. Libby looks much more like Tim then me, especially when she frowns. I heard it was an old wives tale that babies often look like their fathers initially to confirm paternity. I am looking forward to her starting to look like her mum and am sure it won’t be long before she develops my chubby cheeks.

Libby is a very content baby and spent most of the first 2 weeks feeding and sleeping. I am breastfeeding and as Libby didn’t latch on properly after the birth, I got very sore nipples. I used Lansinoh nipple ointment – not cheap at £10 a tube but worth every penny. I also bought those Avent breast shells to help ventilate my nipples and they worked a treat. Their gentle pressure also helps with engorgement. Engorgement was very painful and I had to use hot flannels and massage my breasts to help ease the pain, which thankfully only lasted a couple of days. Within a fortnight my nipples had toughened up and breastfeeding was going well.

A friend leant me the “Breastfeeding Without Tears DVD” by Clare Byam-Cook which is more than 2 hours long but well worth watching. It goes over the importance of latching on and how to do it correctly and how it is all about positioning. It even shows different women latching their babies on to make sure that you are doing it correctly. I wish I had watched it whilst I was pregnant and then I think I would have had an easier first 2 weeks. I think whilst pregnant you worry so much about labour, you forget about what happens when you get home with your little bundle of joy.

I can appreciate why some many mothers don’t get along with breastfeeding and convert to bottlefeeding as the first 10 days or so can be quite painful and it takes a bit of time to get used to it, but once you get through that it becomes much easier and feels completely natural. Breastfeeding is tiring and it’s important to get rest where possible but with chores and visitors, it’s sometimes difficult to find the time to take a nap and with hindsight I should have napped more while Libby was sleeping.

Libby was 7.5lb at birth and dropped down to 7lb 3 oz which was fine as most babies lose weight at first. It wasn’t long before she was back up to birth weight...the breastfeeding was obviously working out. I had some newborn babygros but they were all hanging off her. Fortunately we were given some tiny baby outfits that my niece had and these fit perfectly. It’s funny as different makes of clothes sizes vary. I found that Tesco newborn clothes were the smallest along with Mothercare whilst Asda, Adams and Ladybird were some of the larger newborn clothes.

We decided to use a dummy in the second week for when she wanted to be soothed and as she enjoyed it and was good at sucking, so she took to it well. I know some parents are against using a dummy but I myself had one until I was 2 and I know it never did me any harm. Libby doesn’t use it for very long and it sometimes helped her go a little bit longer to the next feed and helped her settle herself to sleep at night. When she didn’t want it she just spat it out. I know some babies have problems taking a dummy and are not interested in having one but my little Libby found comfort in using one when necessary.

Thursday, February 14, 2008 Kelly finally goes into labour....

Week 40

Well my midwife was right, I went into labour two days after my sweep and gave birth to our beautiful baby daughter Libby Louise Perryman, weighing 7.5lb, two days after my due date.



The day after my due date, I started to get bad period type pains in my lower back and lower abdomen and then these intensified to become contractions. I managed to stay at home for 4.5 hours using my TENS machine but the pain became too much I had to go to hospital hoping to get some gas and air.

When I arrived at hospital to my utter disappointment I was still only 3cm dilated. Two days previously when I had my sweep I was 3cm dilated and had only had mild type period pains to get from 0cm to 3cm. I asked for gas and air but because I was technically not in “established labour” (not 4cm dilated) I was not allowed to use it so I had a half shot of diamorphine instead. Crazy isn’t it - that I was allowed diamorphine over gas and air? B I guess I would not have been able to use the gas and air for a sustained period of time. I was hoping not to have any pain relief. Diamorphine did not get rid of the pain but it relaxed me and helped me to get through the contractions and it also made the time pass very quickly.

As we had no idea how long it would take to get to 10cm dilated, under the circumstances the diamorphine was a good option for me. I did not suffer any side affects and it helped me get through the next 4 hours to become 6cm dilated. I then had another shot of diamorphine which took me through the next 3 hours to become 9cm dilated. I then used just gas and air to get to 10cm dilated.

When I was pushing out the head I could not concentrate on using the gas and air and making the best of my contractions, I was only doing two pushes per contraction so I decided to forget about the gas and air and let natural pain relief take hold. I was then able to do 3 pushes per contraction and then finally managed 4 to do the final push to get our baby’s head out.

I would not change my chosen pain relief and I think being open-minded during labour is the most important thing as a first time mum you have no idea of what to expect and everybody’s labour is just so different. I had a fantastic midwife in the delivery suite and this really helped. I feel that I have learnt a few things that will help me with my next labour. For example, pushing the head out, now I know the technique and what to expect I am sure that I will hopefully be able to do this more quickly and effectively next time around.

Libby was born at 9:30am and by 1pm when I had moved up to the labour ward, I just stared at her and thought that my labour was really not that bad at all and I had already forgotten the pain. I mean how can you not when you look at the beautiful bundle of joy you have created with your partner? It is amazing and we will definitely being doing it again….. labour really was not so bad and worth every second.



I am so happy to have a beautiful healthy daughter and look forward to the wonders of motherhood and all the important milestones. I do not want to miss a thing!

Monday, February 4, 2008 Kelly is nearly ready for labour...

Week 39

Well I have started to relax and unwind this week from not working and have enjoyed a facial, manicure and I even managed to get my hair cut. I was beginning to experience life as a lady of leisure and it was not that bad. I just thought, when was I going to get the chance to get my hair done once the baby is born and I am so glad that I did as I felt a million dollars.

I had a friend’s hen do at the weekend and it was great fun. I have not laughed that much in ages. I started to get very different pains from the period-type pains I had been experiencing over the past fortnight on the hen night. They were intense pains in my lower abdomen but did not feel like I expected a contraction to feel but just like something was happening but they were bearable. I had the same pains on Monday night too. Was this the sign that my body was getting ready?

I saw the midwife for a sweep on Tuesday the day before my due date. I was able to have it done as the baby has been so low for so long. I was measuring 35cm at nearly 40 weeks when I had been measuring 37cm at 38 weeks so the baby had obviously dropped even more. During the sweep I had a gentle contraction and it was like a wave over my stomach so now I know a little more what to expect in labour. To my amazement she told me that my cervix was 3cm dilated and that labour starts at 4cm.

I know that the pushing stage of labour starts at 10cm. She was pleased with the status and condition of my cervix and gave me a Bishop's score of 9.5 for my cervix after the sweep. I got a sticker with all these important facts - it was like visiting the dentist as a child and getting a smiley sticker. It did make me smile. I had not heard of Bishop’s score before but she informed me that a score of 10 would mean that I was in labour, so something was going to happen very soon and likely within 48 hours.

She seemed pretty confident that the sweep would work as she could feel the baby’s head and it was so low down that she also added that as long as I pushed correctly with each contraction, the pushing stage should take less than one hour. Fingers crossed. Just in case this sweep does not work I have booked in for another sweep this coming Friday and that should definitely do the trick. You have to be ready to have a sweep but, if you have the opportunity, I recommend it as it has obviously stirred things up and I have found out lots of things and it has reassured me that labour will happen soon. If you ever feel too uncomfortable, the midwife can always stop.

I did not find it as bad as I was expecting it to be and to be honest it was not worse than a smear. I did bleed slightly afterwards as baby so low and she obviously interfered with things, but it was actually fine. I have some period type pains at the moment but at least I know that the baby will be coming at some point in the next few days. I have my bags ready and TENS machine on standby.

As my parents and middle sister live away I forewarned them and they are now in the process of packing their bags...

Just think this time next week I could finally be a MUM!!!! I cannot wait.

Monday, January 28, 2008 Pineapple and curry for Kelly!

Well dancing in high heels at the work party did not result in an early labour after all. Never mind - when the baby is ready I guess she/he will make an appearance. I started to take raspberry leaf tea tablets this week as I had heard that they may help me to prepare for labour. I hope so because at £7.50 they don’t come cheap!

I decided to start doing all the things that the old wives tales say : fresh pineapple, hot curries, raspberry leaf tea and of course the thing that got me pregnant in the first place (not quite so keen to try this though with my bump…). I’ll let you know next week if any of this works - I guess it may help but you can never tell.

Decided to still go to aqua natal this week as thought a bit of activity may help and I do enjoy the feeling of weightlessness in the water and it’s good to get together with the other mums-to-be and have a good natter. Steph is due two days before me and we were both gutted to find that one of the mums due on Christmas Eve had had her little baby before us so we went home feeling a bit frustrated for ourselves but obviously happy for her.

We are trying not to focus too much on our due dates but this is difficult as friends and family are inundating us with texts and calls checking that all is well. It is also hard because you cannot help but think every night when you go to bed “Will tomorrow be the day that I get to meet my little prince or princess”. I am so glad that I do not know if it is a boy or a girl and this is even more intriguing and exciting and I cannot wait to find out nor to find out what she/he looks like. I imagine that the baby will have lots of hair as I have been suffering from indigestion lately and Tim has thick hair...guess I will find out soon.

Because the baby’s head was engaged at 31 weeks I just thought something may have happened by now, but guess the baby is too comfy. You really don’t know when the big event will happen it’s frustrating but terribly exciting. I am not nervous at all and just really want something to happen and for everything to be ok. You can't help but think about it!

Wednesday, January 16, 2008 Kelly is hoping dancing will bring on the baby!

I have finally finished work with 2 weeks left until my due date hooray!!! We have a work party this Friday night and the theme is James Bond. I just manage to fit into a pre-pregnancy black velvet evening gown which is lucky and my bump looks very prominent which is great. We are hoping that having a dance or two and wearing high heels may help stimulate labour as we are getting so impatient to meet our baby and feel ready now……here’s hoping as I really don’t enjoy this waiting game, can you tell I am a bit of a control freak?

The nesting instinct continues to have an influence with cleaning the fridge, dusting, washing, shopping, sorting out, doing housework and baking my Christmas cakes. I have turned into a domestic goddess. Watch out Nigella!

Four of the six of us from our antenatal group have given birth now and it’s just me and Steph left… So far there are 3 boys and 1 girl and Steph knows she is having a girl so if we have one too that evens it up otherwise the boys will be fighting over the 2 girls. They have all chosen lovely names – Ciaron, Polly, William and Sonny.

I saw the midwife this week and she said that our baby has gone even lower and is in the perfect position for birth - let’s hope the wriggler stays that way to help its mum out. I have booked in to see her again the day before I am due for a sweep should I have not given birth by then. I have also booked in for a manicure and a facial to help me relax next week and I cannot wait. I think probably the best thing is for me to relax while I can and the little one will make an appearance when they are good and ready….

Kelly is counting down the days...

I have started to count down the days left at work until my maternity leave begins – only 4 more working days to go!! I feel ok but with hindsight perhaps it would have been better to finish this week with 3 weeks before my due date but at least I only have 3 working days left next week and then I will be off.

We did the hospital tour last week and a top up ante-natal class and this was the perfect time for us to do this as I am constantly thinking about labour and our new arrival. It was both great and reassuring to see where everything was at the hospital and how things work. I would recommend that if you are having a hospital birth that you take the time to visit the hospital in your last month so you know what to expect. We were taken to the delivery suite and then the maternity ward and shown rooms on each. We did not hear a single scream either which was quite calming. We felt an awful lot more relaxed afterwards and I now feel more ready for labour. I am so excited and really hope that everything goes well and that we have a very healthy baby very soon.

Over the last couple of days I have started to get period type pains and my pelvis has become a bit sore especially when I have been sat in the same position for a while. I guess that this is my body getting ready for the big event and the baby seems to be even lower down than last week. I am not suffering from any puffy ankles and I am still trying to be as mobile as possible. I stopped yoga this week as I was going to a normal class and not a pregnancy class so I thought at 36 weeks this was a good time to stop.

However, I am still going to aqua natal which is very relaxing - a bit of a workout and a great excuse to chat to other mum’s-to-be. I have met some great friends at both aqua-natal and ante-natal and although I have lots of friends and family with babies and young children it is nice to experience having a child at the same time as my new mum-to-be-friends. I meet weekly with my fellow ante-natal mum’s and we already have a baby boy and girl added to the group. I have a feeling there will be another addition this week…..

Friday, January 4, 2008 Kelly is nesting...

At 35 weeks, I have suddenly started to really feel quite heavily pregnant and the baby is so low down it feels like I am going to the toilet every 20 minutes. I am still not as big as I thought I would be at this stage and have not really put on any weight anywhere else. Although I feel heavier, I am much more active and less tired than I thought I would be in this trimester. The 3rd trimester really is not that bad and I think doing yoga, aqua natal and walking has really helped me to stay relaxed and healthy.

Although I am still at work, I have stopped working Wednesdays for my last month to break the week up. I decided to work until 2 weeks before my due date as I wanted to have more time off with our baby. I am also very active and always like to be doing things so I felt that this would work better for me. I am not working the last two Fridays either, so at least I will only be doing 3 day weeks for the last fortnight at work unless the baby decides to come early of course!!

The nursery is finished – hoorah!!! It looks fantastic and is such a lovely bright yellow and it looks so homely. I cannot stop myself from going in there and looking around as it makes me smile and I am really looking forward to the baby coming. A kind lady at work extended our 'Jungle Fever' curtains as they only seem to make matching curtains for small windows and not older style houses and they look brilliant. I spent hours packing all the clothes and baby bits away and staring at all the tiny vests and wondering what our baby would like in these teeny weeny clothes – aah, I cannot wait. I also packed my hospital bag and the baby’s bag so I really feel that I am getting things sorted. Perhaps the nesting instinct has come early...must start thinking about attacking the kitchen cupboards soon…..or maybe not.

Thursday, December 13, 2007 Kelly bonds with her antenatal group...

Having a baby has suddenly become all very real, as the first mum Susan from our antenatal group has given birth. Congratulations Susan! At the weekend we all caught up over coffee and listened intently to all the labour details and had a really good laugh. We also had a lovely cuddle with the newest addition to our group, Kiaran Charles. Susan was very honest about the big event and made us giggle constantly over every detail. At times we were all a bit nervous but she said it was much better than she had thought so we all took comfort in this. She looked great and for 3 days after labour her stomach was tiny, we were all so jealous.

I have met some fantastic ladies at the local NHS antenatal group and even though we only got together 4 times for antenatal, we all exchanged numbers and have already met twice for coffee. They are all lovely and it is so nice to be going through the experience at the same time with a really nice group of ladies and that our children will all be born within a month or so of each other. It is especially great as all those personal questions you cannot ask anyone else we have been able to ask each other and have a giggle at the same time - oh and we have really enjoyed all the cakes we have eaten so far! I think this will need to stop once we have all given birth, although if we all manage to breastfeed maybe we can allow ourselves some cake once a week as we are burning so many extra calories after all!!!

We were all discussing cravings and I have not really had any but some of the others have had them. Beans on toast with banana in the first trimester seemed the weirdest and then a few of them have been eating and crunching ice. Cécile and myself felt quite boring since we had not experienced any other than having the odd sweet tooth!

Kelly gets her Christmas shopping done early!

Our weekend in London was great and came at the perfect time. Although I was 33 weeks it was fine walking about and getting the tube and I was not too tired. The highlights were seeing “We Will Rock You” and eating at Fifteen - I was totally spoilt. We will not get the chance to have a weekend away again before the birth so it was really good to get away.

I bought one of those maternity support pillows that can be used for nursing as well last week as I am finding it uncomfortable lying on my side now that my bump is bigger. The pillow helps a lot but as the baby’s head is engaged I constantly need to make trips to the bathroom in the night so my night’s sleep is constantly interrupted. I guess that this is the training for the big event so I had best get used to it! I have also started a trend of waking up at 3am a bit hungry and having a snack of toast or a yoghurt. It’s a good job that Tim is a deep sleeper as he hardly seems to blink at my movements. However, I am sure that this will change at the sound of a baby crying though…

Tim is in the process of completing the nursery and he should have it all painted, floor laid and furniture erected by next weekend. I cannot wait as my nesting instinct has taken over and I just want to sort everything out and put it all away. I will feel much more organised and ready when this is complete. Tim has worked really hard and it’s great to have all the bedrooms nearly finished. I wonder what room he will start next…

I think we have now got all the necessary essentials that we need to get before labour which is a relief. I have also managed to do a bit of Christmas shopping and hope to have that all sorted this weekend. I am due 12th December, so don’t want to be Christmas shopping with a newborn or extremely heavily pregnant. I have bought a few things on line and planned my purchases so I have not had to spend too long in town and it seems to be working. I will have to start wrapping them all soon!! I would not normally have done my shopping by now as think it is nice doing it nearer the time but this year I am going for the safe option.

Monday, November 26, 2007 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!

Thursday, November 15, 2007 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…!!!

Friday, November 2, 2007 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.

Monday, October 22, 2007 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 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...

Tuesday, October 2, 2007 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!

Tuesday, September 25, 2007 Kelly is loving it!

Feeling great and still got lots of energy, I love this phase! Just found out that two of my friends are pregnant and they are 11 and 14 weeks and are both badly suffering from nausea. It seems like such a long time ago that I was affected and wondering how I would get through every day but on the other hand it is unbelievable that I am already 26 weeks pregnant. Only 14 weeks to go!

Friends and family have been great with all their gifts. One friend gave us her cot so we just needed to buy a new mattress and a kind neighbour has donated their stair gates. Other friends have donated various maternity clothes which has saved me a fortune, I have really appreciated it. Another neighbour has been giving advice on local baby and toddler groups, nurseries and child minders which has also been very handy.

We have started to look at nurseries as a friend advised us that many good ones had waiting lists and indeed they do. It does seem crazy as 3 months before the baby is due for there to be waiting lists for 9 months time, but then I would rather look now then when I am the size of a hippo or when I am getting to grips with motherhood.

Got my nephew’s christening this weekend and I have been asked to be his Godmother. I am really looking forward to it and bought a lovely dress from H&M whose maternity clothes are very reasonable and pretty trendy. Jacob is nearly seven months old and he changes every time I see him.

Here's Jacob:


My sister is loving motherhood and has given me plenty of tips. I love playing with him and cuddling him. He is a really contented baby and will go to anybody. When I look at him I see both my sister and brother-in-law in him. It will be great for our baby to have a cousin so close in age as there will be only 10 months difference and we hope that they will be close growing up. We also have two nieces who will be about 16 and 17 months older, so our baby will be spoilt with fellow cousins to play with.

Wednesday, September 19, 2007 Kelly's chosen her baby names...

Still feeling well and energetic and long may it continue! Bump has had a significant growth spurt this week and I keep rubbing it with pride and glancing to see my reflection in a passing shop window. I often catch myself holding or rubbing my belly without even realising that I am doing it. Although my bump has got bigger it has not yet started to effect me getting about.

I keep wondering whether underneath my bump is a baby girl or a baby boy. Up until a week ago, I was convinced I was having a girl, but now for some reason I feel it is boy. Although looking at the old wives tales on the web, I have experienced things from having both a boy and a girl. Tim never wanted to find out the sex but I initially did - but we decided against it at the 20 week scan. It is a personal choice but I am now actually quite glad that we do not know and am looking forward to the surprise. A friend has already found out the sex and has named the baby already, which was right for them, but has reassured me that it was right for us not to find out. I look forward to Tim announcing whether we have a son or a daughter at the birth.

I also keep wondering what the baby is going to look like, will he or she look more like me or Tim? …I hope the baby gets his thick hair and dark skin rather than my paler complexion. We have decided on names already: Libby for a girl and Finlay for a boy.

This week I got organised and booked ante-natal appointments and a hospital tour of the maternity unit. I would love to have a home birth as the mothers in the ones that I have seen on maternity TV programmes seem to be quite relaxed during labour, but given this is our first baby we have decided to go to hospital which is only a ten minute drive away. There is not that long left to go now, being pregnant seems to just fly by, I cannot believe that I am nearly six months pregnant…

Wednesday, August 29, 2007 At 24 weeks, Kelly is blooming!

I am feeling great at the moment and definitely in the blooming stage. Not as tired as my first trimester, I have so much energy to do things especially lots of walking. Now that I no longer feel nauseous I can eat anything and am definitely stocking up on the fruit and veg and have not yet experienced any cravings. I am really missing not eating the foods that we have to avoid: prawns, blue cheese and goat cheese. These are the only cravings I have experienced but nothing wacky yet, but guess only time will tell.

My skin is glowing and not a sign of a spot, I love this trimester. My partner, Tim also loves it as I have not really had any mood swings, unlike in the first trimester when my hormones were going crazy. It’s amazing how each pregnancy is so different for each woman. My sister did not experience any nausea but then she did not have a particular blooming stage either as she was pretty well throughout.

We moved house not long after we found out we were expecting so my partner has been busy decorating our bedroom before starting on the spare bedroom and nursery. The pressure is on! We had a week off work and this was a great time to sort things out at home and start some baby shopping. Ordered the nursery furniture and bought the bedding and a few bits and we are starting to get really excited about meeting our new arrival! I am sure that it will soon come around as the last 24 weeks have flown by.

My bump is starting to get bigger, looking pregnant and no longer look like I’ve piled on a few pounds. Our baby has been kicking since about 16 weeks but they have got a lot stronger in the last few weeks, junior often makes me jump out of the blue, it’s really amusing, especially when I am sat at my desk. I did have a day the other week where the baby did not kick and I started to get a bit worried but the next day junior was kicking like crazy. I guess that our baby must have had a sleepy day or been in a different position but you can’t help but worry and it’s been nice to get reassurance from other mums who have experienced the same things.