Things I Think To Myself During Pregnancy

At some stage or another, I have thought all of these things to myself... why? Because pregnancy. Hormones. All of it.


'I feel like shit'
I've thought this to myself on numerous occasions. Like 5 times a day. Pregnancy is wonderful, don't get me wrong... but feeling like crap is normal apparently. Cramps, tears for no reason, aches all over, the inability to get comfortable enough to sleep for one night. Every little thing winding you up. And don't get me started on the acid reflux. I. CAN'T. EVEN.

'Why isn't he moving? The last time I felt him was like 20 minutes ago'
Don't be surprised when I tell you this... babies sleep! Of course I knew this, but it didn't stop me from panicking when baby stopped moving for a little while. Cold juice or something sweet, and a little bit of gentle prodding always gets my little boy moving. My midwife told me at least 10 movements in 24 hours is good. I tend to get a lot more than that because my son loves punching me, rolling around and kindly reminding me where my ribs are. With his feet or his butt. Babies are mostly asleep when we walk or move around because we're 'rocking' them to sleep. When I rest, though, that's when my little boy decides he wants to play.

'Why is everyone looking at me?'
I've had this a lot. It feels like everyone's staring at you, and you get paranoid that you have something on your face or in your hair. Or that your clothes are on inside out. Maybe they are staring, but a lot of people appreciate a pregnant bump! I haven't figured it out still - most people smile when they see the bump, but a couple of older ladies have looked at me sympathetically or thrown a dirty look my way. GTFO.

'I think I'm gonna vomit'
From 7 or 8 weeks, I was sick for like two weeks. That was as far as my 'getting sick' stage went, so I'm lucky. Laying in bed one minute, feeling nauseous 'nah i got this under control'. Nope you don't, take yourself straight to the bathroom. Dry crackers and ginger biscuits didn't work for me. Although the ginger biscuits did go down well with a cup of tea.

'Get this baby out of me!'
Okay when you hit like 37 weeks, you might start to get tired of being pregnant... nine months is a loooong time. When 38 and 39 weeks hit, you're dying to have your body and control of your bladder and emotions back. The second you hit 40 weeks, it's like 'okay let's get this show on the road'. Everyone will tell you that he'll come when he's ready. It doesn't make it any easier though. That's probably when your baby will decide to stay put until you HAVE to be induced.

'I miss sleeping on my tummy'
Enough said. Sleep with a pillow supporting your bump as you lay on your (preferably left) side.

'I'm so getting this room sorted tomorrow'
You're not. Baby is sapping all of your energy. Maybe it'll all happen in the 'nesting' stage. In fairness though, our house is ready for our little man. The spare room is a mess, but it's okay, we'll get there - no one's staying and it's not used for anything other than a place to store car magazines, home decor, Christmas bits and the computer is set up in there. The nursery is 100% ready, and has been for a while now. Even though he won't be in there for at least six months. Can you tell how impatient/excited/prepared we are? Everything is ready!

'I want to cry. For no reason at all'
Let it out. Let it aaaallllll out. We're hormonal as hell and every little thing upsets us. Can't tie your shoelaces? Cry. Put too much sugar in your coffee? Have a meltdown. Missed a spot when vacuuming? Throw a tantrum, why not. Just cry. Don't get me started on someone saying something genuinely innocent, but your hormones decide that it was malicious, and you feel like you're being picked on. Seriously, the amount of times this has happened. Damn hormones.

'Is this safe to eat/drink?'
I am a huge coffee-drinker (or was before I fell pregnant), and it took me ages to pluck up the courage to even have ONE after reading that it wasn't safe. I did a lot research and spoke to my doctor (who insisted it was fine) but I still only have one per day, max. We've got plenty of coffee (and my cafetiere!) on standby for when I'm home with a newborn! I LOVE my eggs sunny side up. I haven't had any runny eggs this pregnancy because of the risk of salmonella. I've read lots of different articles and opinions on it, and of course, I'm none the wiser because everywhere tells you different. I don't think I could risk it though, but it will be one of the first things I eat when he's here. And wine. And Red Bull. Not all together.

'I hope I don't go off anything'
I remember thinking this to myself. It wasn't long after that, that I went completely off spaghetti bolognese, which was one of my all-time favourite meals. I still can't stomach the thought or the sight of it, but I sometimes (okay, rarely) still make it for my boyfriend because he still loves it. I don't know if I will ever eat it again... Yuuuk!

'I wonder if I'll crave something weird'
I didn't. Near the start, I REALLY wanted McDonald's, so I had some, then felt sick as a dog. I told my boyfriend to never let me have it again. Buuut after a few weeks, I wanted it again. Same thing happened... men, huh? It's all good now though. I rarely have McDonald's but I'm at the stage where I love it as much as I did before. After that, my cravings for all things lemon came and lasted for a few days, twice. Lemon cake, lemonade, lemon mousse... anything lemony. That went, then I had a huge craving for pork scratchings. And I mean huge. It was satisfied when we went out for dinner and I had some. I would totally go for it again right now.

'Nothing fits'
Work with it. I didn't buy into the whole 'maternity clothes' thing, bar a pair of maternity jeggings. I absolutely had to because the hair-tie trick with my normal jeans just didn't cut it. Boots, layers, leggings and long tops are the way to go for me... I can't wait to fit into my old clothes again so I can feel human once more!

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Hopefully my little boy will be here the next time I update my blog... stubborn little dude does not want to come out yet!

Pregnancy | Finding Out

Well, our little boy was due yesterday, September 19th, so I'm 'overdue' as of today (I know I'm not 'officially' classed as overdue until 42 weeks!), but our little boy is showing no signs of making an appearance just yet - I reckon he's far too comfortable in there! I came up with the idea of sitting down and telling you our 'finding out' story. It brings back memories and is a time we'll never forget...

Before pregnancy, my periods were somewhat regular; averaging between 28 and 30 days. Some months, I would be a day or two early/late, but for the most part, I could tell my period was coming, and it would be on time. The most I had ever been 'late' was three days. In January 2016, my period didn't come. After two days of being late and no sign of my period, I began to question it, but put it down to things settling down having just moved house the previous month, and things going wrong in the house we had moved into. I noticed my boobs were sore... like, extremely sore. On fire. That's the only way I can describe it. I wanted to cry with the pain. I couldn't sleep, and even cloth touching them was agony. I normally get sore boobs when my period is due, but this was something else. I think we both knew something was up, but didn't want to get our hopes up as I was still technically 'early', and could come on at any time. We had talked about having kids already, but didn't expect it to happen so soon.

On day three of being late, the sore boobs got worse and I literally wanted to chop them off. Day four came and went with no sign. We started to get our hopes up, but didn't want to get excited until we knew for sure. On day five, Tuesday, January 19th 2016, we took a trip to town and picked up a box of three cheap strip tests from a discount store, instead of splashing out on a Clearblue test right away. The nerves were killing me and I was worried I wouldn't be able to pee when I needed to! We went home and I was dying to do it, but reluctant in case it was negative. It was just after 1.30pm when I went into the bathroom and peed into the teeny cup that came with the test strips. I called my boyfriend in before we dipped the strip. He came in and stood beside me and I dipped it. We were a bag of nerves, the pair of us! The control line came up instantly. I backed away a little, thinking it was negative. Then the test line came up. All I could say was 'babe, oh my god', then walked over to the bathroom door. I had to turn away because I was so shocked. My boyfriend said 'what does it mean?'. He knew but we were both in shock. I think he picked up the box or leaflet to see, but before he could figure it out, I turned back to him and double checked the test. I knew what it meant myself, but we both looked at the box and I said 'we're having a baby.' He looked at me and smiled, then pulled me into his arms and hugged me. All we could say was 'oh my god'. We were so happy. I didn't cry. I wanted to but I was too shocked and happy.

My boyfriend put his hand on my tummy and rubbed it and said 'that's our little baby in there'. I hugged him again, and went back to the strip to 'make sure' it was positive. (I'm not sure how many times I did that - I even dipped another strip a while later, again just to 'make sure'). My boyfriend went out and stared up at the sky and clouds, letting the news sink in. I called my mum and told her. My tummy was full of butterflies. We were both on cloud nine, so we told a couple of people. It was a surreal time, and still is to think about it now! We worked out from my last period that I was 4 weeks and 5 days when we found out. What made the day even more special, was that it was the anniversary of my boyfriend's brother, who had passed away 21 years ago. It was bittersweet to have such positive news on a sad day. The rest of the night was spent smiling, hugging and discussing names! Then a late night trip to Tesco for some Clearblue Digital tests. Of course, it was confirmed on that, but I must admit, it was nerve-wracking waiting for the word 'pregnant' to come up on the screen. But it did, followed by '2-3 weeks'. The other digital test was kept for the Friday morning, so it showed up as '3+'. It was so surreal, and a time neither of us will ever forget.

That was how we found out we were expecting our beautiful bundle of joy... and now we're waiting to meet him any day now! I think the sore boobs will be a dead giveaway next time! Exciting times ahead to say the least :)