As the time for our second babies arrival gets ever closer, I'm experiencing random feelings of what can only be described as dread. Not because of a feeling of reluctance to have another baby- we had desperately longed to expand our family for nearly a year before falling pregnant. But because of the change, both exciting and scary, a new baby will bring. I was starting to worry that these bouts of fear were a bad sign, but after a google search and read of a pregnancy book I have been reassured it is perfectly normal to experience such feelings with a second baby. So I thought I would write my 7 biggest fears that have kept me up at night! 7 is an odd number I know but I thought I'd keep it to my biggest ones! 1- Giving birth again. An obvious one for sure. I was really lucky with my birth with Abi and suffered no damage (other than my pee bag for 2 weeks) and a super quick labour with just a 5 minute pushing phase. It's probably because of this that I'm more nervous this time around. I'm using the law of averages rule to prepare myself for a horrific long labour with a bit more than a pee bag too top it off. 2- Breastfeeding. If you have read a previous post about my plan's to breastfeed, you will know that I struggled with Abi and gave up after a mere 24 hours. I'm so eager to successfully feed our second child that I am finding myself getting fretful over the possibility of not being able to do it again. I am hoping that my extra preparation this time around help's make this fear not progress to a reality. 3- Not having enough space. We live in quite a spacious 2 bedroom house and the only thing it's lacking is the third bedroom. When the time comes for baby to move out of our room, Abi's room is big enough to share so the extra bedroom isn't my main space concern. My concern is the amount of space that a baby chair, a play matt and bottles and sterilisers take up. I had forgotten how much room a babies toys take up and along with a toddlers it will be a constant chaotic mess. That being said, I secretly love the feel of our house being messy with children's toy's- a messy toy filled house is a fun house I say! 4- Not feeling the same love. I love Abi more than I ever thought possible and I've spent the last 3 year's convinced that I wouldn't ever be able to share that love between 2 children. That's one of the main reasons I didn't ever feel like I was ready to have another baby, because I can't imagine sharing the love between two! My greatest memory is the feeling of overwhelming love that filled me entirely the moment Abi was placed on my chest and despite being reassured that it will happen again, I'm terrified that it won't. That being said, I already feel so much love for this little bladder kicker while she rolls around my belly and she's not even here yet so when I do have my fretful moments, I remind myself of this! 5- Abi. I'm terrified at the prospect of how Abi could react. She is so in love with her little sister already and she is not even here but I am scared that when the true reality of her new sister hit's she will be a little less excited. It's the one fear that I can't calm myself down from and won't be able to until we see how it play's out. 6. Lack of sleep. I coped ok with minimal sleep with Abi, we were also really lucky with her sleep routine. But the idea of sleepless nights followed by early mornings with a toddler do fill me with a small dread. I'm absolutely terrified of taking my exhaustion out on Abi but I'm hoping that by the time Chris returns to work after Paternity we will have a routine in place. 7. Losing the baby weight. Fickle, I know. But with a wedding exactly a year after our due date and an extra 3.5 stone to shift I am getting quite panicky. I also have terrible self confidence and I'm desperate to shift my added weight gain so I can be a healthy Mumma of 2 who can promote a healthy body image and idea that you should always be comfortable in your own skin. I don't ever want them to see me shy and unhappy because of my hatred at how I look. Having the reassurance of other mums who have experienced these fears is a massive help. It makes it all seem normal and makes me more eager to start our life as a family of 4. Hopefully all these fears will amount to nothing, especially the long and painful labour! I do feel a lot more more relaxed this time around as opposed to how I felt at this time with Abi, but I still have my worries and concerns. All of which are mainly to do with Abi and how Abi will adapt. I am 35 weeks today, so If baby B is like her sister she could be here in 3 weeks!! Not much has changed this week of pregnancy, other than I feel that my bump has dropped suddenly so im alot more uncomfortable! My hair is also really dry and so is my skin so I'm covering my hair in coconut oil as I write this in an attempt to regain control over my straw like locks!! Like clockwork, Chris has hit his excited stage like he did with Abi at 35 weeks and is desperate for our new family member to be here. I'm receiving phone calls and texts every opputunity asking if it's time yet! Mine and babies hospital bags are finally packed and all that's left is for Chris to fill his bag with some entertainment and snacks! Here's hoping this week goes quick and February goes faster than January- and that's its not as eventful as January was! Jess X
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Over the weekend I was hit with a massive nesting and cleaning urge. I cleaned the bathroom, cleaned the bedrooms, finally finished packing my hospital bag, sorted the utility room and cleaned the kitchen. I will hasten to add I took about a million tea breaks so I had plenty of rest- I just couldn't handle the dust and mess anymore! I also did about 10 loads of washing (massively behind on the washing thing clearly!) and my god, does it feel good having an empty wash basket at last! I attempted my ironing and I managed to get half way through before getting bored and refusing to do any for another 48 hours- pregnancy hormones are 100% to blame, not my laziness! Chris was also off this weekend and Monday so was super nice to have 3 solid days as a family- even though we didn't actually leave the house till today (Monday) On top of my cleaning mission, I also became like some sort of Nigella wannabe. We ate like royality this weekend- a massive change to my recent easy cooking choices. Abi and me also baked some cakes, with a buttercream that actually tasted nice! Saturday saw us devour a massive full fry up for brunch after a morning of ballet! Then, with the help of my little co chef- we made a huge Mexican feast for our Saturday night dinner! We started Sunday with pancakes and for dinner we had a gorgeous roast pork dinner (not that I'm blowing my own trumpet but the crackling was particularly good) The weather on Sunday was an absolute wash out- it rained non stop from about 10am so our plans of a small walk and a trip to the park didn't quite work out. But when we woke up Monday I was adamant we would be venturing out to Poole Park to feed the ducks (which turns out haven't returned from their winter vacation just yet- oops) and a play in the park. It was a bit drizzly and foggy but luckily we missed any big down pours. Despite Poole Park only being a 25 minute drive away from our home, we definitely don't make the most of it. So while walking around today I made a promise to myself that this year we will definitely be taking advantage of having such a great area to play in so close by! I have to take the time to mention a massive milestone for both Chris and Abi this weekend too. I have mentioned before Abi's absolute hate of having her hair done in a few previous posts and this weekend we turned a massive corner. How I hear you ask? Well. Turns out, the answer to my hair nightmare prayers was Chris! Without any argument or hesitation, Abi allowed Chris to do her hair (something he cannot do!) and has now decided that only Chris can do it!! There really is something to be said about a daddy daughter bond! The rain hit eventually today so we spent our afternoon cuddling the rabbits that Abi named Tebby and Bunny... Unique I know (needless to say she has very little say in what baby B will be called, if she had her way her sister would be called Biyah). We also played our favourite game- Elefun! It's super entertaining for us all and in a learning curve sort of way, it really help's Abi with improving her hand - eye coordination! Despite the weather, It's been a really productive and fun family weekend. I am desperate to make the most of our last few weeks as a family of 3 before the new baby arrives, even if it is just days of baking and elefun.
Abi is really excited for the new arrival, asking us today when she can finally see the baby and for the first time we explained that she could come to the hospital once the baby is born, then we would be coming home. She's interested in every aspect of her arrival, including what's in our hospital bags and how she will hold the baby for cuddles. I've also noticed that over the last few days Abi is more interested in feeling and watching the baby move. She often sits watching telly first thing in the morning with her hand on my stomach and is always talking to my moving belly about her dreams! She's definitely become a super excited big sister to be. Im soooo ready for this baby to be here now and for me to have my body back. I'm definitely struggling after a bit of a hard working weekend (despite all the rest inbetween) and I can't wait to be able to clean the bathroom without walking like I've pooped myself after. I'm also desperate to be able to turn in bed without the help of Chris, that goes with getting out of bed as well. I definitely can't wait to be able to get up without help!! This week we don't have much planned other than hitting 35 weeks and a couple of coffee and play dates! Happy Monday Jess X When you're a mumma of a toddler and expecting another little time hoover, having any time to pamper yourself is a rare occurrence. That being said, if I ever get a chance, no matter how short notice, I will make sure I get to use these products that I absolutely swear by! My pamper routine is pretty quick (like I said most of the time I realise im able to have a nice pamper right at the last minute. Usually Abi distracts herself or she naps etc) so I'll start from the beginning.
My first product - Origins Clear Improvement Clay Mask. This is my absolute favourite face mask, it really helps to clear my pores and leaves my skin feeling incredible and is a really light consistency so doesn't leave my skin feeling tight and uncomfortable while I'm wearing it. I apply a thin layer and can see an instant different in my skin as soon as it's washed off. Next is my trusty Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish. If you've read my recent post on my love of this Isle of Wright based product, you will already know how much I swear by it. The one pictured above is a limited edition version with jasmine and it's divine. I tend to leave this one for my pamper moments! I have quite thick hair so washing, drying and straightening fast becomes a boring and long task! But when I do embark on my hair washing mission I will always use the frizz ease 6 effects serum. All I need is two pumps and I apply to the ends of my soaking wet hair before blow drying and straightening as usual. It leaves my hair feeling soft and smooth and helps tame my pregnancy hair loss fly always. It also helps keep my hair straight and smooth for the 3 days it tends to take me to pluck up the energy and enthusiasm to wash and do my hair again. Now to my two moisturising essentials- first up - stretch mark cream!! I suffer with quite dry skin and it's especially worse when I'm pregnant, more so on my belly! The cocoa butter is definitely my favourite stretch mark cream on the market, I weirdly like the smell and it leaves my very stretched and itchy skin (attractive picture) feeling relived and soft. Ive also been using this on my growing boobs, which unfortunately have suffered a couple of stretch marks this time around. But after Few weeks of applying this they have already faded! When it it comes to all over body moisture my favourite without a doubt is the Calcott Manor moisture soufflé. It's super thick and creamy and it's perfect for when you have such dry skin. That being said I can't even dream of applying this in the summer months because it's just too thick. But it's great for the colder months and like I said, it instantly makes my skin feel soft and smooth while smelling absolutely amazing. Last but not least, it's all about my hands!! I've had a few hand creams in my time but the Laura Ashley hand cream really is amazing. It's so luxurious and after a few applications my hands are already healed from any cracked dry skin I've been suffering with. It's also great at helping to soothe any cracked cuticles. On top of this, it smells like heaven and it's worth the little bit expensive price tag! Having some 'me' time when you're pregnant is so important- although, I am my own worst hypocrite when I say this. But I like I said, even if it's just half an hour, I feel so great for it! My next pamper product mission is to try and get back into using coconut oil on my hair once a week! As the babies arrival draws ever nearer, I am trying to make a bit more time for some little pampers here and there (I want to make the most of it before I no doubt have a new born continually hanging of my breast and a toddler swinging off my leg 24 hours a day!) I will have to keep you updated as to how I succeed with that!! Happy Sunday Jess X Before I fell pregnant with Abi I used to love running.
As soon as I found out I was expecting I hung up my Nikes and despite the fact Abi is nearly 4 and I've since fallen pregnant again, I have never been able to get back into it. I used to love absolutely everything about running and this entire pregnancy I've been planning how I am going to ensure I can fit my trusty 'couch 2 5k' program back into our schedule as soon as I am able too. As well as the endorphin releasing benefits of running, the weight loss side of it was my initial motivation for getting back in to running at least 3 times a week. Who doesn't want a nice toned set of legs for their wedding day? But recently I have found my self wanting to do more- using something that I love for a good cause. Of course, what better way to achieve this than to take part in a run of some sort? Chris helped with this next bit when he came up with the idea that I take part in Bournemouth's marathon weekend this October. It's a weekend with several different runs ranging from a junior km to a full 26 mile marathon. I instantly picked the 5k - it's a distance I've managed before and like I said above, with the help the of the 'couch 2 5k' app, I know I can achieve it. But I didn't just want to run for the sake of it- I wanted to make sure all my training and effort had a cause and a meaning. As as a mother, the idea of having to say goodbye to my children causes my heart to stop. I can only imagine the pain it causes an entire family to lose a child and because of this, the charity Julia's House has always been a charity I've strived to support- even if it's just putting a penny in a bucket. Julias house isn't a typical children's hospice charity. They provide both practical and emotional support for families who are caring for a child with a life limiting or life threatening condition. Providing frequent and regular support in their own homes, the hospice and the community. They help every member of an affected family which is unlike any other hospice charity. This is why it was a no brainer when it came to choosing a charity to raise as much money I can for. They are also a local charity and it's always amazing to be able to see how I'm helping first hand. 5k isn't much- it's a walk in a park for a marathon runner but after so long not running, I am expecting a pretty big challenge. Now that I have signed up, I am so excited to start training again. I secretly can't wait to put my Nikes back on and start sporting some Lycra again! Ill make sure to do lots of updates on my progress and how I'm getting on! I am so excited for this challenge and I can't wait to be able to say I achieved it. Jess X Abi love's books, be it having a story read to her or her 'reading' it herself, she adore's them. About a week ago Chris found an offer that the discount book store 'The Works' had online which was you could by 10 children's books for £10, plus free delivery! We spent 45 minute's browsing the selection and despite what we initially expected we were amazed to see that all the book's in the offer actually had RRP's of £4 and above so it was definitely a worth while deal. We went for several classic book's like the meg and mog serie's and we're going on a bear hunt and several new stories as well. The website was really easy to navigate and we ordered our book's with the added bonus of free delivery! Our order before the offer's came off was £25 but with the £10 offer and free postage it came to just £10- an absolute bargain and definitely worth how long it took us to decide which book's to go for! With in 5 days we have received all our book's and Abi is thrilled! She thinks it's the greatest suprise ever and has spent the hour since we've been home reading through them all and enjoying story time. I've never considered 'The Works' before when it's come to purchasing new reading material for Abi, but after seeing the wide range of offers they have on I will definitely be using them again!
The website was quick and easy to navigate and the books arrived a lot faster than I had expected- especially with free delivery! The selection of books were also incredible which is unusual for these types of offers as usually the choice is limited. But the works had several pages of very popular titles and you most definitely get your money's worth. Abi is super happy, she now has 10 more new stories to add to her book shelf and she's very, very excited to read them all and is already talking about which one she will read at bed time. I love reading and always have so I'm very eager to encourage both Abi and the new baby when the time comes to enjoy reading just as much as me. There is nothing better than losing yourself in a good book and Abi seems to already really enjoy it, often choosing reading a book over watching Tv. I would definitely recommend visiting www.TheWorks.co.uk and having a browse. They also have a massive sale on everything at the moment and Im already looking at purchasing some learning books to help with Abi's writing! They do everything from books- fiction, non fiction, children's and adults- to stationary and diaries etc. So, a very big thankyou to The Works for a great bargain that is sure to keep our toddler very very happy for a long time! Jess X I have never been a particularly big make up wearer. I love a new foundation and a good set of make up brushes as much as any girl, but I can go weeks without even a glance at my make up bag.
When I'm at work I will alway's make a mild effort- by effort I mean I wear a tinted moisturiser and a lick of mascara... That's it. Much the same if we are going out for the day, though if I have any spots etc I may really treat myself and use a very light foundation - boots No.7 colour match to be precise. To be honest it's so light it doesn't even look like I have any on, hence why I'll only wear it if I have a few blemishes. One stigma I have never been able to get my head round is the argument that women have to wear make up to get on in life, in both relationships and working. I have never agreed with it- women should not be made to feel less of a success if they don't wear make up. I for one would rather the extra half hour to eat my breakfast and lay in bed than apply a foundation that's for sure. This morning when I turned the telly on to the news that make up artist Charlotte Tilbury has criticised Dame Helen Mirren for not wearing enough make up infuriated me. Apparently MUA Charlotte has found research and believes that in order for women to get anywhere in life they need to take the time to do a full face. Now I would say I am in love with Helen Mirren and if I can look even half as good as her at her age I'll be a happy lady. She's flawless. And has achieved more than what most will in their lives. And that's without the added help of make up. So because of this love I am probably very biased. Charlotte Tilbury is an extremely popular make up artist, with many young girls aspiring to be able to afford her ridiculously expensive make up. She is fantastic at what she does and I'll be the first to admit that watching her make up tutorials are inspiring. But surely a women in her position- with a cult like following of young impressionable girls desperate to become beautiful and successful should not be encouraging said girls to believe they will only ever get somewhere in life if they cover their faces in make up and hide who they truly are? To make this matter worse, This morning had a women agreeing with Charlotte Tilbury. She sat there and admitted that she would never hire a women who doesn't have a full face of make up in her company. Her reason? If a women can't be bothered to apply make up then it surely means she can't be bothered to make herself and the company successful. That is absolute crap. All that is, is a women, shaming and penalising a fellow women for her personal preference when it comes to her appearance. It goes back to the equal rights for women argument- you don't see men having to make any extra effort with their appearance than usual just to get a job Or even a promotion. I think what makes this situation worse is, like I said above, a women has said this. A women, who knows the struggles of women equality and how all women have high emotions when it comes to appearance and knows the struggle of how long it takes to get ready and have a life has said all this. When a man who has no idea about the female mind says similar, you can forgive a little- they will never understand how different our feelings are about appearances etc to theirs and the sheer level of commitment it takes to ensure a full face of make up and having our hair done takes. It's not just about progression in careers this subject affects. It's also about personal relationships with fellow females. Personally I think it's one of the worst situations when you get to know someone and then the first time you see them without a face full of make up you're shocked at what's underneath. Not because they are unttractive like they no doubt believe but because they look so different. Women should never feel the need to hide- young girls especially. Its only since being with Chris that I embraced the no makeup natural look and that's purely because Chris is inpatient and couldn't stand waiting around for me to throw my face on. He will however regularly tell me he prefers me without a load of make up which was a stark contrast to being told from the age of 13 by media that it's the norm and is necessary if you want to be popular in both school and now the work place. Don't get me wrong, if we have an actual thing to attend- weddings or parties etc then I will make sure I apply my Estée Lauder double wear and at least two licks of mascara but even then, it's minimal. Having a daughter and another on the way has certainly made me more sensitive to these inequality, women bashing issues. It baffles me that in this day and age, all these years after this blatant inequality should of ended that there are still women sitting on day time TV admitting they wouldn't hire a women who doesn't wear a full face of make up. Women are meant to support each other. Women are meant to fight for each other. Not knock each other down and encourage the modern day issues that our future generations face. It almost makes the women marches and the work that so many women put in to this cause seem futile. I personally will always strive to encourage my daughters to love who they are- if they want to wear make up I'll allow it (from a reasonable age) but what I will fight against is them ever feeling the need to hide how they really look to please others. I spent most of my teenage years disliking how I looked- I still do now- and in some respects it ruined what should of been a fun and exciting time. And this was down to arguments like this where we are being made to feel like we are not enough. After this hormone fuelled rant, I am going to drink a cup of tea and get dressed- and not apply even a scraping of make up for my midwife appointment... who I'll hasten to add also doesn't wear make up and she seems to have done pretty well in life! Jess X Up until a year ago I have always had fairly easy skin, rarely suffering with breakouts and minimal blemishes. My skin care routine had always reflected how easy my skin was and I've always been able to flit between different brands like 'simple' to 'Clinque'. I could mix and match different products and never suffered any skin changes. Around the time I stopped taking my birth control I did however start to suffer with quite horrible acne like breakouts around my mouth and nose at random intervals. I had never experienced spots like this and would actually find myself in pain sometimes. It was also horrible to try and cover up for work etc as they were horrid sore whiteheads. I eventually made a visit to the doctors and they said it was the hormones leaving my body. Great. My mum had been using Liz Earle for a while and I had tried it on and off but never fully committed to the proper regime. Like I said above, I could easily go a few days with a simple dove bar of soap to the face and never suffered any consequences. After my doctors appointment I decided that Liz Earle was my next plan of spot attack. I had yet to hear any bad reviews and the random time's I had used it, my skin felt great afterwards. At first the Liz Earle skin care seems quite daunting but once you get used to the different products it's a dream and well worth the different step's and cost. First step is the Cleanse and polish. You simply apply 1 pump of the cream to your dry face and remove it with the a warm cloth- Liz Earle have some beautiful muslin cloths that come with each cleanse and polish and they make your face feel amazing. I'll Hasten to add that this product is the only of its kind that I have ever used that fully removes Estee Lauder double wear foundation- Any double wear wearers will know the struggle when it come's to fully removing that stuff!! The next step is the instant boost skin tonic. After drying your face you just apply the tiniest amount to a cotton wool pad and wipe over your face to remove any left over makeup/dirt etc. Unlike a lot of similar products, this Liz Earle Tonic smells beautiful which is an added bonus. It also leaves your skin feel super clean and refreshed, just like it says, it gives your skin a boost. If you want the basic regime then the next step is the Moisturiser. This moisturiser is by far one of the best on the market. You need the tiniest scraping and on average a single pot will last 6 months- and that's being used twice a day, every day. It leaves your skin feeling well nourished and moisturised and again, the smell is to die for. Liz Earle has many more products- one of which that I also swear by is the soothing eye lotion. Like the Tonic, you merely apply a tiny dab to a cotton wool pad and wipe over your eyelids. It removes even waterproof mascara and eye shadows and can also be used as a soothing eye mask. You just apply to a cotton wool pad and place on your closed eyes for 5 minutes. It leaves your eyes feeling refreshed and even reduces puffiness. The final product I love is the exfoliator. Like any other exfoliator you just apply to a damp face. I do this between my cleanse and polish and tonic. It's super gentle on your skin and really helps clear the black head prone areas of your face. Liz Earle isn't cheap- prices range depending on where you purchase it but I personally always find the Liz Earle website the best place to purchase. They always have offers on and you often get some free goodies when you spend over £20 plus free postage.
The above being said about price, it's a lot cheaper than the likes of Clinique and it's worth every penny. Since using this religiously, twice a day, every day my skin has minimal breakouts. I've also found that my skin is a lot softer than before (although I am now suffering with some very mild exezema on my cheek but this is down to hormones) I also notice a difference if I don't use it for a couple of days and after a restless nights sleep the eye lotion is my life saver. It makes my eyes seem brighter and like I said, it really reduces puffiness. Needless to say I've packed my travel Liz Earle products in my hospital bag ready to make me feel a bit more normal after labour! Before using Liz Earle I used to question if all the rave reviews and obsessive love over it was just publicity and wondered if it was all true opinion or just hype. My personal opinion? Liz Earle is very worthy of the love it has. The smell is divine and the effects of using it regularly are almost instant. It's also an all natural product so it feels great knowing I'm not covering my skin in the rubbish that a lot of these products have in them. Because it's so natural it also means you don't need to use a lot so it really does last. Needless to say, I often find myself raving about all of the above whenever given the opputunity. I even got Chris using the men's set and he noticed such a difference in his skin. If you're apprehensive about splashing out on the set, I would definitely recommend spending £10 on the sample set. I did this and even the sample sizes lasted me at least 6 months so I got a really good feel for the products before committing to the full sizes. I'm so eager to try out some of their other products- especially the body lotion and they even do candles so I plan on treating myself once baby is here! Jess X As our time as a family of three get's closer and closer to becoming a family of four, I've found myself getting overly emotional quite often. I'd say this is 50% hormones but also 50% the realisation that my first baby, the little human that taught me about a new kind of love will soon be our biggest baby, and she will soon be a big sister. One of the biggest responsibilities any little girl will ever take on- and I'm not just saying that because I'm a big sister! I love looking through all our old pictures and reminiscing over all of our adventure's as a family of three, but when you're expecting a new baby that reminiscing take's on a whole new meaning. Looking back over our first few day's as new parents alway's make's me emotional. I can't believe how quick the last 3 year's have gone. But that's not the only reason I get emotional now. Now I get a weird sort of excited emotional at the thought of experiencing those first few day's again with our new addition, and this time with the help of our biggest little one who will be learning all sort's of new things and adjusting to a new life almost. The excitement of the memories we will create over those first few weeks creates such a strong emotion that sometimes I find myself crying with sheer happiness (part hormones, part genuine I'm sure). I have a bit of a bucket list if you will when it comes to experiencing our new born this time round. I feel we missed so much with Abi as I took how long she will be so small for granted. It's true what people say- enjoy every minute because it will be over before you know it. When I see pictures of Abi even a year ago I can't believe how small she was. I find myself looking at this tiny little human in a picture then looking up at this little girl who is brushing her teeth and getting herself dressed and I alway's say out loud- how did that happen so fast? We have 1000's of pictures of Abi- so many that I can't remember taking some. But my favourite type of picture's are the one's of Chris and Abi. They are my greatest achievement and the bond they have fill's my heart with the greatest love that I cannot describe. I can't wait for all the adventure's that we will enjoy as a family four and all the memories that we will create. We have had the best 3 year's and the arrival of this new little bundle will be just the start of the rest of our live's full of adventure and love. I will no doubt spend the next few week's crying sporadically at how much Abi has grown and how much change we will all experience soon. But the little bit of nervousness I feel is nothing compared to the excitement and love I am already experiencing. When you become a family, the overwhelming love you feel is like nothing else. In a completely non soppy way, I feel like the luckiest girl alive every night when I get into bed with Abi snoring in one room and Chris snoring next to me. And it's genuine. Because the bond between a family is like no other.
I can only assume this more emotional and sentimental post than usual is down to how tired I am and the fact I'm fairly certain I've got the cold Abi had but it's the truth none the less. I guess it could also be the stress and worry of the last week that's made me feel even more in love with this little bundle in my belly and even more excited for her to arrive to complete us. Jess X After such an eventful 33rd week of pregnancy, my 34 week update will seem pretty tame.
Since our accident, the tightening's stayed much the same. They come and go in different intensitie's and baby girl's movement's have been nothing short of constant! The above being said, Sunday didn't go great for us and everything started to go a little wrong again. I didn't notice that babies movement's had been less than usual on Sunday until a bit later in the evening. Quiet day's aren't unusual for baby after an active couple of day's so I made my hot chocolate and headed to bed early, laying down is alway's a sure fire way to get her moving. I had about 10 minute's of her kicking eventually then she went to straight back to being quiet. I hate wasting people's time, despite constantly being told that a change of babies movements is the opposite, so I will always try and wait it out until she is back to her usual routine. Very silly I know. When I woke up yesterday (Monday) she still wasn't moving. I had my cuppa and my cereal and nothing. The tightening's were also back to being very regular and very uncomfortable so reluctantly I called the hospital. We were told to come straight up and been checked out. To save Chris having another day off he very reluctantly let me get my mum to take me. He spent the entire day calling me every 5 minutes to check for any update's but at least he was at work! We were seen straight away and hooked to the monitor. Her heartbeat was found straight away and of course, as soon as the midwife had had a good feel and moved her around and attached the monitor, baby girl woke up with a vengeance and god did she let me know that she was not happy about it. Her heart beat was strong and happy and despite her constantly kicking the monitor off and moving away she was perfect. My tightening's however became even more regular and more painful and after 45 minute's I was taken off and told the doctor wanted to see me. These tightening's were to regular again and they wanted to check I wasn't progressing into an actual labour. In walked a very attractive young male doctor with a physique like a Greek god... Post examination I did ask my mum to find my dignity for me. Horrific. Luckily, no dilation or sign of an impending preterm labour but I still wasn't allowed to leave just yet. The tightening's continued to increase in pain and frequency and I was given paracetamol (we all know how I feel about those). After a few more hours, and the talk of staying for a few days on labour ward, they started to subside. I have never felt more relieved. The idea of staying over night was not something I could comprehend and I was getting quite anxious at the idea. Luckily, the registrar and midwives completely agreed with my thinking and could understand why. Staying at hospital away from my family and home comforts was just going to make me worse and more stressed so they agreed that because they had slowed down again I was free to go home. It turn's out that I'm suffering with something called an 'irritable uterus'. Luckily they think I probably had this before the accident and its just been irritated from the bang so I can stop worrying that this is entirely my fault due to the crash and that it's just one of those unlucky things. It does unfortunately mean that it won't go until the baby is here and anything could cause these tightening's from walking up the stair's to letting my bladder get to full, but with rest and a drink they should subside (which thankfully they do!) I just need to keep an eye on my water's and if they turn in to proper contractions. The registrar also thinks that because Abi was born at 38 weeks pregnant so she was fully term, it's very unlikely that this little one will make an early appearance. For once, statistics are on our side! Despite yet another problem, hearing baby girl's heartbeat was yet again reassuring and thankfully her movement's are back to usual. She was clearly just having another one of her quiet day's. Other than another lengthy day in hospital another week has been successfully ticked off the pregnancy list. Finally we are on the home stretch and we have just 6 weeks to go until our due date- hopefully 4 if this little one is anything like her big sister! Hopefully there will be no more bad new's for a while and my next pregnancy update will be all about her kicks and baby shower planning! Jess X The last week has been particularly stressful and after what feels like month's of constant commitments at the weekend's (it's not been months, I'm 100% being dramatic. But since Christmas we have had parties and general being social that we've had to keep up) I was desperate for a weekend of absolutely nothing. Just Chris, Abi and me. Of course, bedrest and minimal activity is the perfect excuse to keep this up so other than taking Abi to dancing - special thanks to my mother in law- and the first food shop in weeks we have made sure we could have a super relaxed and chilled Saturday evening and Sunday. Despite working for Tesco, I am a massive fan of a trip to Aldi for all our shopping. We get double what would get at Tesco or Sainsbury's for half the price so it's a no brainer. We usually go shopping every couple of weeks but haven't actually been since before christmas. How we've managed I don't know!! As you can imagine, so long without minimal top up shops meant our shopping list was pretty big so our shop was a little larger than usual. We got everything from Aldi other than 4 items so it meant only a quick extra trip to Tesco to pick them up. It's also Aldi's baby event this week and we picked up some more new born nappies (which at half the price of pampers and Tesco and with more positive reviews than any other nappy we figured it's worth a try) We also picked up some nappy wipes- which we have always rated and a couple of packs muslin cloths with some nice girly designs on at £2. Which compared to mothercares plain white ones for £10, again, I'm sure we can't go wrong! Packing away the shop is always hard work but nothing beats the feel of a kitchen full of food. To top of this week- Abi woke up yesterday morning with a stinking cold and with her having asthma it's never nice. But she wasn't bothered at all so spent the day playing at nannies and running around unphased by it all. She did have a restless night needing her inhaler a couple of times but woke up this morning just as happy as usual albeit a little paler than usual. She was a delight while shopping then on arrival home proceeded to throw up so hard so pooed herself- completely out of no where, mid lunch eating. But after a mid day shower she was fine and continued to eat us out of house of home and lounge on the sofa! Despite Abi's sometimes over dramatic nature when ill (she gets it from her daddy!) she is also very good at getting on with it and doesn't make a lot of fuss (she gets that from me!) As she was so good shopping, she was aloud to choose and a treat and chose a cake making kit. Something daddy was particularly excited about because it means he has some nice treats for this weeks lunches! Abi went for Moana cakes and after recovering from our slight sickness mishap we cracked straight on with them! They were really simple to do and even Chris got involved! The finished product was one of our best to date as usually these cake kits go a little wrong for us (as does most general baking/cooking!) To top of our chilled and easy Sunday we went for a super easy dinner- make your own pizzas. As a family we love this dinner and Chris and Abi especially love pizzas. They would both live of them if they had half a chance! I am a bit fussy when it comes to make your own and I'm not a fan of the ready made bases so always opt for a make your own base with mine while Chris and Abi get some ready made posh bases! For such a messy child - Abi was quite obsessive over her pizza. She went for every available topping and placed it all with an obsessive precision- again, this is exactly like Chris. They are like the same person! The best thing about such a big home made pizza is that she will save half for tomorrow for her lunch! She loves it!! It was amazing to finally have a weekend with no commitments and I'm secretly hoping we have minimal things to do now until baby is here. Its NFL play offs so because it's been super stressful for Chris I've taken myself to bed for an evening of Netflix and reading (I have 100% made out like I'm doing him a favour but secretly this is just what I need) So this is my Sunday evening set up... My pregnancy pillow, fresh and new bed sheets, Harry Potter and Netflix!
Im 100% going to bed praying for a better week that will bring us some good news and that these contractions settle. A think one more day ofintense worrying that every twinge is it will send me over the hormonal edge!! Jess X |