Wednesday, October 1, 2008 Rosee comes back down to earth...

After the high of giving birth, I came back to earth with a real bang the first week of Storm’s new life.

Despite having had a caesarean section I spent just 36 hours in hospital – I think the staff were desperate to have my bed as it was a real baby boom month in Bristol.

But, even though I felt very frail, I was glad to go home early. The nurses and midwives had been lovely, but there’s nothing like your own bed.

The food in the hospital was absolutely disgusting as well, with no real healthy options and certainly nothing organic in sight!

Storm mostly slept through her time in hospital, although we did manage to get her to breastfeed successfully after a few false starts.

When I got home, it was a different matter. My milk came in the day after we got home and I felt extremely hormonal and teary. I couldn’t look at Storm without getting upset, because I felt so protective of her and so overwhelmed by the love I felt.

I also began having some struggles with breastfeeding as I was producing so much milk Storm couldn’t gulp it down fast enough. She was getting terrible wind, which was really upsetting her, and no amount of burping seemed to help.

Then we had a really hot day and she kept falling asleep while she was feeding, and not taking in enough milk. This left her dehydrated and hungry and fractious. By the end of the day I was desperate and, having read the suggestion on the internet, starting using a cold flannel to keep her awake by dabbing her with it.

The technique worked and she fed for TWO HOURS, before finally falling asleep at midnight.

Staying in the house all the time left me feeling cooped up, so Al and I went for a walk. But, six days after the birth, it was too much to even walk around the block, and I had to stop half way around, thinking I was going to throw up or faint.

By the end of the week I was at my wit’s end. I spent half my time weeping with love for Storm and the other half terrified something might happen to her or that I would have a bad feeding session with her.

I wished I’d understood how hard those first few days could be. I’d read about the baby blues, but nothing really prepared me for it, and at times it felt like too much to bear.

Happily, by the time Storm finished her first week in the world my hormones began to settle down and I started to feel slightly more normal. I realised that, although parenthood was the biggest challenge I would ever face, that, if so many millions of women could meet that challenge in far tougher circumstances, then I could do it too.

Thursday, July 31, 2008 Rosee is a mum!

Week 38

Well, I got my wish for an early labour!

My waters broke mid morning on the Sunday, when I was 38 weeks and 5 days pregnant. I’d spent three hours the previous day working in the garden and looking back I guess I was in nesting mode!

I called the delivery unit and they asked me to come in, as our baby was still breech and they wanted to make sure things were okay. After spending some time bouncing on my birthing ball and a quick pit stop at Tesco for snacks, Al and I arrived at the hospital at about 3.30pm.

Our midwife Vicky had been told about my wish for a natural birth and so we agreed a plan of minimum intervention, although I would have to put a heart rate monitor on towards the end of the first stage of labour to make sure the baby was okay.

Although Vicky warned me that first labours are often erratic and it was likely I could be at least a day away from giving birth things progressed surprisingly quickly.

Within a couple of hours I was having contractions every five minutes and had to get in the bath to ease the discomfort.

Al was a star, massaging my back and playing me Stephen Fry podcasts to take my mind off it, but it was a lot worse than I expected.

My natal hypnotherapy definitely helped me to relax, but by early evening I was starting to find the pain overwhelming and, after an hour or so using my TENS machine, I asked for some gas and air.

This meant Vicky had to examine me to see how far along I was so that she didn’t give it to me too early. I was dreading being told I’d hardly progressed, but the good news was I was 7cm dilated!

Unfortunately Vicky also discovered our daughter had decided to stick a foot out first. As earlier ultrasounds had shown she was sat cross legged inside me this meant she was at a real risk of getting stuck if her other leg didn’t come down as well. Not the best time to be doing the hokey cokey!

The senior registrar was called and he recommended I have a caesarean to remove any further danger to our little girl.

By the time I got into the operating theatre I could feel she was really on her way out and when they dropped the screen across my tummy so that I could see her being born she was pink and wriggly and clearly ready to make her entrance in the world!

Storm Josephine Frances Woodland was born at 10.58pm, weighing 6lb 7oz, just 12 hours after my waters broke.

My friend Jo was with me in the operating theatre as Al is so squeamish, but he did come in for a few minutes to have some skin to skin contact after Storm was born. He went a bit grey when he saw all the medical equipment, but he was very brave to come in at all and I was so proud of him.

After spending so long waiting to see her it was amazing to be able to hold her pressed tight my chest and look into her wide eyes and welcome her to the world.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008 Rosee is going through the mill...

Week 37

After the shock of discovering last week that our little lady is breech we’ve been through the mill a bit.

On Sunday, 48 hours after a scan showed she was the ‘wrong’ way up, I started to feel ill and have mild contractions.

Because I hadn’t seen anyone since, I called the hospital and they asked me to come in for a check up.

This meant a panicked call to one of my friends to ask her to be my birth partner if I ended up needing a caesarean that day as Al thought he wouldn’t be able to cope with being in the same room as me having an operation – he is extremely squeamish.

The hospital staff were lovely and, when it became clear my contractions weren’t really going anywhere, they offered to try to turn bambino as I was already there.

It seemed the obvious thing to do, so the consultant gave me a drug to help my womb relax and then tried to move the baby. This involved him grabbing her from the outside of my stomach and forcing her to try to do a forward roll into the right position. Al said the consultant was using so much pressure he could see the outline of the actual baby through my skin! It really was one of the most painful things I’ve ever experienced.

About three quarters of the way through the ‘roll’ the baby’s heart rate literally halved and, even though the consultant immediately stopped the attempt, it took her several minutes to recover to normal, which really scared me.

I stayed in hospital a bit longer, and the midwives wanted to keep me in overnight but I insisted on going home, reasoning that I was only a few minutes away if labour started again.

The next day we went for our appointment with the acupuncturist, who used a technique called moxibustion to try to get our little one to move in a gentler way. She lit an insence stick the size of a cigar and held it near a pressure point on my little toe to heat it up. The scientific theory behind this ancient Chinese technique is that it stimulates the circulation in the pelvis and uterus, causing the baby to move. Amazingly, she started to turn straight away. But at three quarters of the way through a turn she stopped again. The moxibustion brought on very strong contractions and over the next couple of hours she moved back to her normal position.

Al and I tried the moxibustion half a dozen times more over the next few days but each time the same thing happened , and after a while it seemed to have less effect.

So on Friday, a week after the breech diagnosis, we went back to the hospital for another turn attempt. This time I saw a woman consultant, who was a lot more gentle with me. After a couple of gos at moving the baby she stopped, and said she thought our daughter simply didn’t have enough room to get the whole way around. This is what I had thought all along, so I wasn’t surprised, although it was disappointing news.

What was surprising, however, was when I told her I wanted to try for a natural birth she agreed! She said that because I’m tall and have had a trouble free pregnancy (well, up to this point), and the baby seems not to be huge I’m a good candidate for attempting a normal delivery.

It’s not considered good practice to induce breech babies, or use interventions like epidural and forceps, so we agreed I would move straight to having a caesarean if I go into labour and it doesn’t seem to be progressing or the baby is in distress. Although I felt really low for 24 hours after the second failed turn attempt, I now feel much happier. At last someone has taken my wishes seriously and accepted a compromise which means our daughter at least gets the benefits of the first stage of labour, when the contractions help the baby to prepare to breathe.

I’m now just hoping I’ll go into labour fairly soon. I’m so excited about meeting our little girl and giving her the best start in life I possibly can.

Monday, May 19, 2008 Rosee is doing head stands...

Week 36

Well, it’s been quite a week.

I saw my consultant on Monday, a follow up appointment from early in my pregnancy, when I was diagnosed with a bicornuate uterus. A bicornuate uterus is basically heart shaped, with a dip in the top, and can cause problems with progress of labour, and also increases the chance of a baby being breech.

But I’ve really had a very straightforward pregnancy and, after double checking our baby was head down, my consultant was happy for me to go ahead with my home birth as planned.

So on Thursday my community midwife came to my house and we talked through my birth plan and discussed the implications of home birth. She was absolutely lovely and very positive about us having the baby at home.

Again, she checked the baby’s position and again all was well. I’d had some sharp pains and buzzy sensations recently and she confirmed the baby was starting to engage in my pelvis, making delivery likely to be two to four weeks away.

The good news made me very excited, and I went to bed feeling positive and happy.

Perhaps you can see where this is going…

On Friday, having had two or three days with my baby being a bit quieter than normal, I decided to go in for a double check on her well being at the hospital’s day assessment unit.

Thankfully, all was good. Her heart and lungs are working nicely and she was wriggling around.

But… she was also the wrong way up!

It turns out she has been sitting cross legged for many many weeks, a fact which has been missed by three midwives, two consultants and one student doctor!

I am, honestly, devastated, as if she stays breech my chances of delivering at home are zero. Our local hospitals will only deliver breech babies by elective caesarean, which is just about the last thing I wanted.

I am now booked for an ECV (external cephalic version) next Friday, when my consultant will try to turn my baby manually. I’ll go into the delivery suite and will be given a drug to relax the ligaments in my womb. Then my consultant will manipulate my baby using pressure on my abdomen to encourage her to somersault into position.
After that the baby’s heartbeat will be monitored to make sure she isn’t in distress, as there’s a 1 per cent chance the movement will pinch the cord, or damage the placenta, in which case I’ll need an emergency caesarean there and then.

The chances of an ECV working for a first baby are about 30 per cent, so I am trying to be positive, but it’s not easy.

In the meantime, I’m booked into to see an acupuncturist, who is going to carry out a process called moxibustion which has a higher rate of success. This involves the burning of herbs over pressure points to encourage the baby to turn.

I’ve also got to spend 15 minutes out of every two hours inverted for the next five days as this has also worked for some women.

But because my uterus is bicornuate there may simply not be enough room for my baby to move through 180 degrees.

Honestly, I am utterly crushed by this discovery so late in the day and can’t quite believe that within 24 hours I went from planning where to put our birthing pool in the kitchen to all this.

Who said having children was predictable?!

Wednesday, May 7, 2008 Rosee is getting her washing done...

Week 35

It seems like a lifetime ago now, but last Friday was moving day. Al and I had been given early access to our new home, as we're renting it from a good friend. We'd used the headstart to take over most of the contents of our kitchen, books, clothes, and basically anything else we could fit in our smallish car. But there was no getting around it - we had to move the sofas, bed and wardrobe. That meant hiring a van and lugging the stuff out of our first floor flat and down the road to our new abode.

As by that point I was already almost eight months pregnant we enlisted the help of another good friend and Al's brother in law and spent half a day trawling back and forth with our worldly goods. Unable to lift anything much I was charged with driving the van and, my favourite job - directing. This all went well until we tried to get our giant sofa into our new (small) living room. Despite trying different angles, and taking off most of the paint from the hallway walls, the sheer mathematical impossibility of it won in the end, and we now have our nicest sofa in the kitchen!

However, hiccups aside, the move went well and we now have a garden and a bath - just in time for the baby's arrival next month. I've been making the most of the outdoor space to finally wash and dry all our baby clothes, towels, bedding, muslins and so on.

I'm feeling a little overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of stuff we've accumulated, despite my best efforts to keep everything streamlined. I'm using Ecoballs instead of washing powder, and have been impressed how well they clean considering there's no powder involved.

It's pleasant work. There's something rather charming about hanging out the tiny cotton dresses, frilly bloomers, tiny t-shirts and seemingly endless supply of babygros. I love to think that our little lady will be wearing them in just a few weeks, and when she gives me a shove in the tum just as I'm pegging up yet another sleepsuit it really makes me grin.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008 Rosee is burning the candle at both ends...

32 weeks

If you'd have told me a year ago that I'd be starting a new job, moving house and having a baby all within the space of six months I'd have laughed out loud. But here I am, 32 weeks pregnant and I haven't left work before 7.30pm in the last fortnight, my house is full of cardboard boxes and bubble wrap and I'm barely sleeping for worrying about it all.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. I've got two weeks left at work and I wanted to wind down slowly, but a major crisis in our department which I had to solve ate nearly three weeks of my time and left me seriously behind. So now we have a huge deadline looming in a couple of days and it's all I can think about - when I'm not thinking about moving that is. Again, it wasn't meant to be so last minute. We were due to move last November, but a series of delays meant that it all happened at the last minute as well.

It's all a bit much really. I've been trying to relax by listening to my natal hypnotherapy CD. But I keep waking up in the night and not being able to get back to sleep, with all the work and moving spinning around in my head.It's all in hand and I know I'm wasting energy getting stressed - in two weeks I'll be done with work and we'll be in our new home, waiting for our new baby to arrive.

I just need to breeeeeathe.

Thursday, April 3, 2008 Rosee is spending all her time on eBay...

Week 29

It's been a busy week baby wise. I've been feeling really tired, and a bit daunted about another eight weeks in the office, so I've decided I'm going to leave earlier than I originally planned. Of course, this means working out my holiday and maternity leave dates all over again, and I've now got less time than I thought to do things like create handover documents and fill in all the various forms. But I'm actually relieved. Even working four days a week is getting hard - I'm pretty big and not sleeping so well at night - our little girl is a right little wriggler!

Now I've only got a month to go it all feels a bit more manageable.When I've not been writing letters to our human resources officer, I've been spending my lunch hours on eBay, ordering the rest of the various bits and pieces our little girl will need. I love eBay for several reasons - it's cheap, you get everything delivered to you, and it's another way of being less wasteful - I have no problem with anything second hand, as long as it's in good nick.

There are so many baby things that aren't needed for long - baby baths, monitors, moses baskets. While I'm following the guidelines and getting a new cot mattress and bedding, pretty much everything else will be second hand. I just don't see the need to spend more for the sake of it.

One thing I have got brand new, however, is our baby's buggy. It arrived this week, courtesy of my parents, who wanted to get us something 'big', bless them. I spent ages researching all the various types you can buy and ways of keeping the cost down, as I've been a bit stunned by how much some buggies are. We've now got a kingfisher blue Britax Vigour 3+ three wheeler, with a matching carrycot attachment for the early months and I'm really chuffed with it.

It's got full suspension to keep our little one comfy when we're going for one of our long country walks, and comes with all the accessories that are often charged for as 'extras' with other buggy models. After getting it out of the box to make sure all the bits are there and in good working order, it's had to go up in the loft to make some space, but I can't wait until I can use it every day!

Monday, March 31, 2008 Rosee is trying to have a green baby...

Being a green mum is easier than ever these days. There are organic baby foods, washable nappies, and lots of lovely wooden toys (sustainably grown natch).
But there are still some hurdles to get over.

This week I took delivery of a mammoth bundle of handed down clothes from my sister in law – almost 100 baby gros and sleep suits, plus tops, trousers, dungarees, dresses, hats, socks, and bibs.

I already had a few things which I’d bought for next to nothing from charity shops, and I’ve also benefited from the kindness of strangers thanks to Bristol Freecycle.
If you’ve not heard of Freecycle, it’s a Yahoo! network of literally millions of people all over the UK who offer unwanted items to other people in their local group. You get regular emails with what’s on offer and just contact people if they have something you’d like.The Bristol one has been fab, and I’ve got washable nappies, breast pads, blankets, maternity clothes, toys and lots of other bits and pieces this way.

Anyway, I digress. My point is, will I really need all of this stuff? As I hefted the massive bag of clothes from my sister in law into our car my mother-in-law Julia pointed out that when my husband was a baby she’d had just three of everything – one to wear, one spare and one in the wash - a traditional layette. And mums often spent their pregnancy knitting most of this.

I know babies need their clothes changed A LOT and it seems to me that chucking 40 baby gros in the machine once a week is preferable to having to handwash a few of things every three days. But even though it’s all second hand, and I’ll pass it all on to someone eventually, it still feels a touch excessive.

Monday, March 17, 2008 Rosee is saying ommmm...

I have finally bitten the bullet and started yoga again. Thanks to a couple of fairly serious knee operations it’s been a couple of years since I last got down to floor level for some bendiness. But, although I’ve enjoyed doing lots of walking since I got pregnant, I’ve missed the high intensity cycling I used to do as well. I’ve also found it harder to sleep and, although I’m by no means porky, I’m definitely a little less toned.

I’m keen to have as active a birth as possible, and that means being strong and reasonably flexible. So yoga seemed the answer to several problems at once. Last weekend Operation Ashtanga began. Al and I made a trip to Ikea on Friday evening – always the quietest time, and bought some bits and pieces to sort the room out.

My yoga area isn’t just my space. It’s also where Al keeps all his personal training gear, where our rats live when they’re in their cage and where our clothes dry. This meant I couldn’t just take over the whole room, so some careful planning was required. Our visit to the giant blue furniture store yielded a blanket box – to store the steadily accumulating junk which had been piling up in the corners of the room, and a giant chest of drawers, which would hold the rat bedding and food, and our baby stuff. Not in the same drawer, obviously! We also grabbed some cushions for our very hard kitchen chairs, and a lovely big picture, which hopefully not too many other people we know will have purchased…

Luckily, I am highly experienced in the ways of the flatpack, so the new furniture was banged together in no time. I could have asked Al to help, but, going on past rows experience it’s better if I just get on with it myself. Once the furniture was done I stuck Daisy and Muffin’s cage on top of the chest and moved the table it had previously been sitting on into the corner, where I added some candles, and the iPod speakers for my relaxing classical music. A few more candles on the window sill, some fairy lights, and another picture a very talented photographer friend took in India, and the room was complete.






Okay, so it wasn’t perfect. Al’s chin-up rack still lurked in the corner, along with his lifting belt and a pile of weights. And of course, it was still the home of our furry friends, who watched me with bemusement as I threw my first ‘shapes’. But with the lights down low and the candles lit, it was surprisingly relaxing.

Since I set up the room I’ve managed two sessions this week, and next week I’m sure I’ll do even more. I’m not bending myself into daft positions, and there are a lot more cushions involved than in the past, but I feel more relaxed and my ever-growing bump now feels a little easier to carry too. Now I’ve just got to get swimming…

Wednesday, February 20, 2008 Rosee is dropping stitches...

I could knit before it was trendy. Of course, the fact I hadn’t bothered for nearly 20 years is neither here nor there – I knew what I was doing.

So, after getting back into the habit a few years ago when it hit the headlines (strictly scarves and bobble hats) I was excited about the prospect of knitting our baby some cute clothes. I love the idea of creating an ‘heirloom’ for our daughter. Something she can pass onto her own children.

Three months into my knitting project, I’m on my third cardigan and have about 30 balls of wool which I’ve picked up from ebay or in craft shop sales, waiting their turn to become a family masterpiece (hopefully).

Often as I sit on the sofa purling away, I get a kick or two in the tum. It’s a helpful reminder that there is a purpose to it all when I’m silently swearing about dropping stitches or trying to decipher a supposedly easy pattern. The pokes from Her Highness also help put into perspective the interminable monotony that descends when the piece I’m making is growing at a snail’s pace thanks to the tiny needles the baby patterns demand.

Of course, on the more frustrating commutes I have into work knitting saves my sanity by giving me something constructive to do when there are leaves on the line. And I’ve also joined a Stitch ‘n’ Bitch group at work - very helpful when I’m stuck on a pattern.

Still, I’ve got to be honest. Yes, handmade clothes are cute, and yes, knitting may be fashionable. But it’s also really really really really really really dull.

Thursday, February 14, 2008 Rosee is worried about Miffy...

Is Miffy evil? I hadn’t ever pondered such a troubling question until I took the photo for the blog you are now reading.

I’d originally intended to simply write about the joy of buying these toys for my firstborn. I was a big Miffy fan when I was a kid. I had a whole stack of Miffy books which I adored reading, but never any toys. So when I saw Little Miffy and Big Miffy in a traditional kid’s shop recently I snapped them up with glee.

“Ahhh, the first toys for our little lady”, I thought. “How wonderful to be able to give her the same things I loved.”

Then I took this picture.



And, looking at it objectively, it occurred to me that there’s something almost sinister about our little Dutch friend. I’m not sure if it’s the blank staring eyes, or the strange mark that could be either a mouth or a nose, but either way shows no discernable emotion.

When I hold Little Miffy I feel nothing but happiness. She’s a gentle reminder of my happy childhood and makes me feel nostalgic for a simpler time. However, she’s not the most cheery of toys – if anything she looks a little, well, miffed.

I will still give Big and Little Miff to my daughter. I really did love the white rabbit when I was a tot and I’m sure she’ll be just as fond of her. But I do wonder whether a blank faced, expressionless bunny is really such a great present after all…

Monday, February 4, 2008 Rosee sees her baby breakdancing...

Week 20

Wowser. We are having an actual baby.

My pregnancy books had said that because I’m a first time mum I wouldn’t feel baba move for ages. In fact, I got the first inklings of movement at 12 weeks, and was getting regular nudges by 16 weeks. Turns out my mum was the same with me and my brothers.

Anyway, despite all the kicks, and two previous scans, I still hadn’t quite connected with the fact that bubs is not just a wriggly bean in my tum, but an actual person who will have a mind and a life of their own.

That all changed with my 20 week scan on Monday, probably the most amazing day so far since I discovered I was pregnant.

We were lucky and had a good long time for the ultrasound, because our little one was practically breakdancing, making it hard to take all the very important measurements.

Unlike the first two slightly blobby scan experiences, baba now looks like - well, a baby.

And eventually, when bubs kept still for long enough we were told that everything appears to be normal. This was a great relief as there are two cases of children with spina bifida in Al’s family and I feared we were at a higher risk.

We also discovered that our baby is probably a girl! Al was chuffed as he has convinced himself that ‘girls are easier’ – I didn’t have the heart to contradict him…



Seeing our little lady moving around and sucking her thumb really brought it home to me that soon she will be with us, and then the real work will begin.

It’s been easy for me to really immerse myself in being pregnant – apart from feeling tired and nauseous during the first couple of months I’ve enjoyed almost all of it so far.

But it’s also been easy to forget that all this new stuff is just the start of a life-long adventure. It’s all rather overwhelming.

When the sonographer zoomed in on our daughter’s tiny little face, and she yawned right on cue my heart practically melted onto the floor. No going back now!

Monday, January 28, 2008 Rosee tells her workmates the good news...

This week has been an odd one as after much baggy jumper wearing and “no thanks, I’m driving” I’ve finally ‘fessed up and told everyone at work my good news. One person had guessed already, but some of them seemed pretty surprised, which amazed me as I feel like it’s really obvious. I’ve only put on 9lb so far, but it’s all on my bump!

I was glad of the good reaction because I’ve just moved departments. Although I already feel pretty settled in my new job, it’ll soon be time to go. But I’m looking forward to coming back at the end of the year and there’s lots to do before I leave.

It’s company policy to take all your holiday for the year up to and including six months maternity leave before your due date. This means I’ve got 24 days to take between now and June 11 so I can go down to four days a week from Easter, and stop work in mid May, which will be brilliant.

I was worried about how I would cope with working up to my due date, as I only get six weeks on full pay once the baby’s born so I didn’t want to take maternity leave beforehand. Now I don’t have to worry about that and can enjoy the rest of my time in the office. I love my job and the last thing I wanted was to have to drag myself in every day when I got really big!

On Monday I’m having my 20 week scan and also seeing a consultant, as I am at a higher risk of having a breech baby and they want to keep an eye on me. Hopefully it will turn out to be straightforward. I’d really like a homebirth and I doubt they’ll recommend that if there are serious complications.

Still, whatever news we get, Al and I are very excited about finding out what we’re having, especially as it will help to resolve the Great Name Debate. We’ve got a few ideas already but we’ve decided not to tell anyone our name choices to avoid a diplomatic incident. I can just imagine revealing our great idea only to be told it’s the name of someone’s evil ex-boyfriend or horrible boss. This way, by the time we tell people it’ll be too late for them too say anything other than: “Oh how lovely, it really suits him/her.”

I’m all about tactics!

Friday, January 18, 2008 Meet Rosee, our new blogger!

Hi, I'm Rosee, I'm 32, and I'm expecting my first baby at the beginning of June. My husband Al and I got a bit of a surprise when I discovered I was pregnant - not least because I was about to start a new job!

I work as a deputy editor for a mountain bike magazine, and am normally very active, cycling 40 to 100 miles a week. Since I conceived I haven't been cycling anything like as much, and I really miss my long rides, but I try to get out when I can and walk lots too.

Cutting out the booze means the reduction in exercise hasn't really affected my weight much, and I'm trying to eat sensibly and healthily during my pregnancy. I'm very into everything organic - my mum has worked in organic gardening for 16 years, so I had the whole ethos drummed into me as a child. Normally that doesn't stop me having the occasional McDonalds, but I've been amazed by how I've completely gone off junk food now, which is probably a good thing.

Having said that, I have been craving sweet things, which is unusual for me. I try to stick to fruit most of the time, but quite a few cakes and muffins somehow find their way into my lunchbox for work each week!

In the past I've been very into yoga and swimming, and I know I should be doing both of these again now, but my job keeps me very busy and I often don't feel like it. I keep telling myself "I'll start on Monday" which is not good enough really.

When I'm not reading baby books and day-dreaming about names I like going for long walks and I love making stuff - jewellery, chutney, jumpers - whatever takes my fancy. I'm also into photography and playing my guitar. Although I'd rather read a book than watch telly, I'm addicted to The Daily Show on More 4.

This year is going to be so different for me. I've got a very full life and I know that the baby will bring a huge change of priorities. But I love a challenge, and I guess there's no greater challenge than motherhood!