How to Survive the First Week of Breastfeeding
The first week of breastfeeding is tough. Really tough, but so very worth it! I honestly believe that so many more women would breastfeed if they knew just how much better breastfeeding life gets once you just get through the first seven days. Your body (and boobs!) go through so much in the first week of breastfeeding; least not forgetting that you are recovering from the birth of your baby. This, combined with the massive learning curve that both you, and your baby have to go through to get breastfeeding sussed, is a big ask of both of you. However, as big an ask as it is, it’s finite. The…
How to Survive the Toxic Gas Phase
At the very beginning of my first pregnancy, I began experiencing a pregnancy symptom that I never expected. I never fully classed it as a pregnancy symptom until it made its triumphant return at the beginning of this pregnancy. Potent, uncontrollable, unmistakable, undeniable, unendurable, toxic GAS. My sudden particular brand of flatulence could clear an entire branch of Debenhams of the even the most die hard of Boxing Day sales shoppers with just one ‘drop’. Nowhere had I ever heard about this pregnancy symptom or ‘side effect’. I knew about morning sickness, boob soreness, tiredness, extreme hunger, weight gain, moodiness and all the like. But no one or no book…
How to Survive the Twelve Week Wait
So you find out your pregnant… You pee on that little stick and those two lines, pink line, smiley face, cross or statement ‘Pregnant’ appears to confirm to you that life as you know it is about to change forever. It’s all very exciting (and simultaneously terrifying!) in those initial few days. You might have your partner with you when you do the test. You might phone them at work or plan to surprise them at the right time with the news. Whichever way you share the news, as soon as you’ve told them, you can both let it all sink in and let the excitement out. You might of…
How to Survive Eczema During Pregnancy
Surviving the ‘Itchy Nipple’ Phase Even before I had any idea that I was pregnant, my eczema had clued onto it. It was like the most highly sensitive, early pregnancy test. Thinking back on it, if I had understood the correlation I could have saved money on pregnancy tests. Additionally, I could have known at least 2 weeks before they would give me a result! If I could bottle it and sell its magical pregnancy indicating qualities (minus that actual eczema), I could give Clear Blue a good run for their money! Before my first pregnancy, I hadn’t had any eczema flare ups since childhood, then, once I was knocked…
How to Survive Ravenous First Trimester Hunger
My Experience of First Trimester Hunger; I’m hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry! I have, very thankfully, not suffered with morning sickness with either of my pregnancies. There were some days where I felt like being sick for most of the day, but apart from that nothing particularly noteworthy. That is not to say that I didn’t have my own share of problems; see ‘How to Survive the Toxic Pregnancy Gas Phase’ and ‘Surviving the Itchy Nipple phase’. However, I do feel like I am very lucky in my lack of morning sickness. One of my friends barely left the house for the first six months of her pregnancy. My own sister…
How to Survive the Twelve Week Pregnancy Scan
Yay! You made it! Finally, you have survived the twelve week wait and have arrived at your twelve-week pregnancy scan. Now you are about have all of the questions that have been burning in your brain answered: Is baby alive and well? When will baby be due? Is there more than one baby in there? Is there a baby in there at all? At this stage in your pregnancy, you have little more to confirm that you are indeed knocked up, than a (probably now very old!) positive pregnancy test. Maybe coupled with a handful of first trimester symptoms. Did you keep your pregnancy test?! I know that I was…
When will I feel baby move?
How to Survive the Wait for the Butterflies! I am currently at 22 weeks pregnant and for the last couple of weeks I have been very aware of baby’s movements, due entirely to the fact that it has been incessantly kicking me in the bladder. Trying to explain what this feels like is no easy task – it mostly feels like I get kicked and then simultaneously have an overwhelming urge to go for a wee, a temporary urge, it feels oddly like I am being kicked in a tube that connects my bladder to my urethra; it’s weird! My twenty-week scan last weekend confirmed that baby is indeed lying…
How to Survive ‘The’ Comments During Pregnancy
Mind your bump! As part of one (of my many) job roles, I have to deal with people, a lot of people. A lot of people that I have to be nice to despite their, sometimes, rather unpleasant natures. Mostly I have to endure people complaining about the food they have received, or the service they have received or any other number of (mostly unfounded!) complaints that one has to deal with when working in the service industry. These types of comments and complaints I can deal with by solving a problem or shaking off at the end of the day, but today I encountered the worst comments I have…
Why should you listen to THIS Mother?
Why should you listen to my ramblings about pregnancy and motherhood? I admit it, wholeheartedly; I am not a midwife, I am not a GP, I am not a paediatrician. I have no clinical or medical background of any sort (bar a part degree in Genetic Biology). I am an Accountant by formal qualification. This bears no useful impact on prenatal or antenatal care, except maybe if you are querying your entitlement to maternity leave and pay. So why, therefore, do I think I have anything useful to tell you about your journey into pregnancy and motherhood? Simple; I am a Mother! I have been pregnant, twice! I carried both…
How to Survive Sex During Pregnancy
Gettin’ jiggly with it! Strange how conceiving a baby, which usually relies on some sort of sex, can wreak havoc on your sex life for the next nine months. One shag creates the problem for all future shags! Unfortunately for The Husband, baby number two took no time at all to conceive. A couple of shags was all it took. Compared to Lil’Mem took a full three years to appear in conception! ‘Wish I’d of got a bit longer at the trying phase’ he says. ‘Mate, poor you!’ say other blokes. Apparently in ‘man world’ the ‘trying’ bit is in fact the best bit of pregnancy! To be fair, thinking…
