Category Archives: Parenting

Laura’s Baby Diary : Week 25-26 – Feeling Fat!

Over the past couple of weeks I have gone from having a cute little bump to something that now makes me look rather like a hippo; I can’t even put my shoes or socks on properly without becoming a contortionist! I have invested in some stretch mark cream, but I doubt that it will work, but I can hope. Does anyone know of any good stuff to stop the stretch marks? If so, please, hook me up!

Aside from ballooning up, I haven’t been feeling great a lately and after a few trips to the maternity unit and an overnight stay I’m praying that we have finally sorted things out and I am now on the mend.

I couldn’t have gotten through it all without lots of help from my wonderful husband, but I am feeling loads better now. However, I still don’t like doing nothing because it drives me mad, but it is nice to know I have lots of support from my loved ones.

On another positive note, I have my graduation soon so I am on the lookout for a dress – or maybe even a tent – that looks pretty yet sophisticated and some flat shoes for those swollen ankles. To be honest, I am really looking forward to the event, I just wish I could find something flattering to wear, but having my husband, daughter and bump there will make sure the day is extra special no matter what happens.

Oh, and baby names update : We’re back onto choosing the names again… I think we are just about to finish throttling each other and have decided on some we like, but I am sure I will change my mind again, it is the prerogative of a hormonal woman!

Laura xxxx

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Laura’s Baby Diary : Week 24 – More Than Halfway Now!

So, I’ve now passed the halfway point now and my bump is already massive! It seems to have grown from a cute mound to this boulder overnight and I can feel the little mite wiggling around all the time!

My husband and I are currently in the process of choosing baby names and if you’re anything think me – pretty indecisive – you will agree that this part is pretty difficult… choosing something that will stick with your child for the rest of their life! We just cant seem to come to any sort of an agreement and every time we get anywhere near, the interference of both of our families throws everything into turmoil again! We’ve decided now that whatever we finally agree on, we are going to keep it to ourselves, it will save a lot of problems.

I am also finding myself a lot more tired than usual and honestly, I am ready to hit my pillows at 8pm every night now! I’ve also noticed that bending down to pick things up and putting my shoes on is becoming increasingly difficult and leaving me rather squashed and off balance. Now only that, but if you are anything like me, I am a little bit OCD with cleaning, but I am learning now that with a belly the side of Mount Everest and a active three year old, the house will never be perfect, so it’s time to rest up a little.

I mentioned last week that I had quite a bad birth experience with my daughter and had discussed with my midwife the possibility of a c-section with this baby, mainly because of some of the problems I encountered after my first. Well, update: I went to see the consultant this week and they recommended a c-section.

To be totally honest, I would have preferred a natural birth because everything is a lot quicker to heal and you get to go home a little bit quicker, but the advice was not to put myself in the same situation as before as they couldn’t guarantee the healing process to be quite as successful so I am very relieved and happy that I can stop worrying about things and look forward to seeing our new addition.

Laura xxx

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Laura’s Baby Diary : Week 23 – Feeling Tired & Grumpy

Another week down and being pregnant is starting to lose its excitement; I’m finding myself getting up a few times every night thanks to the dancing on my bladder, and as a result I am feeling rather tired this week!

On a positive note we have started work on the nursery; together we assembled the cot and crib and started to buy bedding, it is all starting to seem very real now! Our little girl is very excited and loves to play with all the new things we have bought, probably because she gets a small treat when we go shopping for baby, but it’s nice to keep her involved and share the experience with her.

One lovely thing is that the baby has started performing acrobats and my husband and little girl are able to put their hand on my tummy and feel for themselves, it is such a lovely feeling, especially when it is something that you can share with your loved ones. However my ‘innie’ belly button has become an ‘outie’ which is quite odd!

Speaking of odd, does anyone else seem to find themselves getting over-emotional during pregnancy? Yeah so am I!!! Anything seems to be setting me off into floods
of tears lately, even the smallest of things have the habit of opening the tear ducts!

I suppose what we have to accept is that during this time of a woman’s life, your body is going through all sorts of changes, and it is much better to embrace them
and enjoy it all, you will feel much better for it.

Laura xx

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Laura’s Baby Diary : Week 22 The Bump Is Growing & Nothing Fits!

I know a lot of women use the excuse of ‘eating for two’ when they are pregnant, but as you ladies who have experience the joys of childbirth will know, it is pretty difficult not to wolf down mother AND baby sized meals on a daily basis.

So, with that in mind, I think it’s quite important to maintain a healthy lifestyle when you become pregnant and recently I’ve been doing a little more light exercise than usual and eating home-cooked food, and not only does it benefit me but also my family.

I am determined to walk to as many places as my little feet will take me, and I’m swimming a lot more than I do when I’m not pregnant! But even though I can’t pull on my skinny jeans like I used to, I can’t think of anything nicer than watching my bump grow!

So, the skinnys are back at the top of the wardrobe and I’ve decided its about time to invest in some  expandable clothing! The only problem is, it is often rather difficult to look trendy and maintain the ‘yummy mummy’ look rather than drifting into ‘slummy mummy’!

Unlike constantly pregnant Victoria Beckham, we don’t all have a stylist and endless pots of cash, so it’s difficult to find something nice to wear when just a few weeks down the line your tummy might have grown out of it once again!

Thankfully I have found Asda, ASOS, and Dorothy Perkins have maternity sections which are far more up my street and affordable for everyday wear, but if, like me, you find yourself attending a lot of ‘black tie’ functions where slinky ballgowns and a pregnancy bump can often leave you feeling frumpy then why not try Isabella Oliver and spoil yourself, you deserve it after all.

Aside from the glamour of dressing up though, I have found that week 22 means that the baby has decided to start pressing on my bladder quite a lot of the time so the sleepless nights have already started for me! Someone has told me that one way to sleep for as long as possible is if you don’t have a drink after about 7:30pm, so I am going to give it a whirl.

Whilst I’m on the subject of body complaints, when I was pregnant with my other child I suffered with really bad heartburn, and the same is happening again! If you have heartburn that is causing you problems, go and see your doctor who will prescribe something for you. If you are like me, the old wives tale was true, and my first child had lots of hair!

If you would like to share your own tips then please leave your comments.

Laura x

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Laura’s Baby Diary : Week 21

Yesterday we had our 20 week scan and myself, my husband and our little girl were all very excited!

We sat there looking at the screen and watching the baby move around, it was so wonderful, I could feel him/her kicking me at the same time! We decided to not find out what the sex of the baby was and wait for the surprise, but I have felt the baby moving around for the past couple of weeks now and it is nice to know that the little one is moving in there and is nice and happy.

The pregnancy has been reasonably straight forward thus far and I am enjoying watching the growing bump. Our little girl loves to say ‘Knock knock, are you in there baby?!’  and it is so nice to see that she is starting to bond with the little one already.

Apparently a baby can hear you talk to them from about 15 weeks, and although it may seem strange talking to your bump, it is a great thing to do, because when they are born they will recognise your voice and know who you are.

We have already started buying lots of essentials and joined a handful of parenting clubs for money off coupons and baby packs, which have lots of little freebies and come in handy for changing bags. I am also very lucky that my husband bought me a Pink Lining Yummy Mummy bag and I have started to put little things in there too.

Personally, I am feeling a little bit tired at the moment, but with a three year old to run after and lots of housework to do, I find that rest doesn’t come easy, but I can always find a few minutes to put my feet up and have a brew! It is healthy to keep active in pregnancy, but try not to overdo it.

Laura. xx

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Laura’s Baby Diary : An Introduction

Hello everyone and welcome to the diary of my pregnancy. I am 28 years old and pregnant with our second child; our first, a little girl, has just turned 3 and I thought it would be nice to mark this second child with a journal of my experiences.

So, to begin, I had quite a bad birth experience with my first child, which had initially put me off having anymore children, but after realising how much love our little girl had brought into our lives, we decided that we would like another child.

Obviously I still have some concerns about what might be around the corner, but up until now, the midwife has been very supportive about my anxieties towards giving birth and has suggested that maybe a C-Section would be the better option, so I am currently weighing up all the pros and cons.

I had my dating scan quite early after suffering some blood loss, but all was fine and
the baby is due 29th January 2011. The hospital has an Early Pregnancy Unit and their help and support was very reassuring. That said, if you experience anything you are worried about, always seek advice if at the very least to put your mind at rest. It is important in early pregnancy to take things easy so relax and enjoy things.

Finally, the dreaded morning sickness, I suffered with it with our first child and now it’s started all over again!  I have found that ginger biscuits are a great help though, and even though you don’t feel like wolfing down a plate of food, try eating little and often as it does make you feel better and be assured that this does pass!

Until next time.
Laura.x

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