Hi friends,
I hope that you have all been doing well?
Thankfully the ligament pain that I was getting last week seems to have settled down. I am relieved to have a break from the discomfort, and have swapped the gym for some swimming.
Last night I discovered such a wonderful way to bond with the baby. When the baby kicked, I patted that spot about 4 or 5 times. The baby kicked again and I patted once more.
Then I moved to a different spot on my stomach and patted the new spot. Much to my surprise, the baby followed my patting by kicking me in the new spot! He/she chased me all over my stomach, and it is the first time I really felt connected to the baby. It was such a thrilling moment, and I couldn't believe that at just 27 weeks the baby is so conscious of what I am doing. It brought such a huge smile to my face, and now I can't stop the pat/kick game!
On another note, I am still having trouble deciding on a baby girl's name. Unfortunately DH doesn't like my favourite names (Charlotte and Annabel), so we have had to compromise. These are the names on our joint short-list at present.
Alexandra (I like this name as it is strong and regal, but maybe a bit too strong?)
Elizabeth (I am leaning towards this name now. It has so many cute nicknames and is traditional).
Arabella (a cute name but maybe too much of a name!)
If you have any thoughts or advice, please feel free to share!
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Stomach pain
Hi friends,
When I was desperately trying to fall pregnant month after month, I would sometimes read pregnancy blogs in which women complained of their pregnancy symptoms. I promised that if I were to ever fall pregnant, I would never complain. Surely, any sickness or discomfort would be worth it for a baby after all?
Having said that, I don't want this to sound like I am complaining about the pregnancy. I am just finding this period of the pregnancy a little challenging, and I am trying to figure out how to manage it.
Yesterday I had a horrible day at work. I had some very difficult clients and I could feel my stress levels rising dramatically. I am really not in the head space right now to cope with challenging clients. I just want to go on maternity leave ASAP!
I went to the gym and spent 15 mins on the step machine. It felt great at the time and I was just about to proceed to some light cycling for 15 minutes. However, I started to experience some strong pain in the lower right side of my abdomen. It freaked me out a bit, and so I left the gym and rested at home.
The pain continued to get worse all night. I was pretty worried out about it, but it doesn't feel like I imagine labor cramps to be. For one thing it was only on my right side, and it was only uncomfortable while I was standing up. Laying down was much better. Surely if I had been having early signs of labor I would have felt pains in both sides and they would have been equally intense whether sitting or standing?
I felt too silly to call the hospital..After all, I am only 26 weeks pregnant and unlikely to be having the baby anytime soon.
So, I rested last night and also waddled around the house feeling extremely large, uncomfortable and pregnant! I felt like my stomach was being pushed to the limits by the baby. I said to my husband "no one told me that pregnancy actually hurts sometimes!" DH calmed me down by explaining that of course pregnancy is bound to be uncomfortable at times - growing a baby can't be comfortable every day!
Today I am feeling better. I am just feeling tired, large and a bit overwhelmed.
When I was desperately trying to fall pregnant month after month, I would sometimes read pregnancy blogs in which women complained of their pregnancy symptoms. I promised that if I were to ever fall pregnant, I would never complain. Surely, any sickness or discomfort would be worth it for a baby after all?
Having said that, I don't want this to sound like I am complaining about the pregnancy. I am just finding this period of the pregnancy a little challenging, and I am trying to figure out how to manage it.
Yesterday I had a horrible day at work. I had some very difficult clients and I could feel my stress levels rising dramatically. I am really not in the head space right now to cope with challenging clients. I just want to go on maternity leave ASAP!
I went to the gym and spent 15 mins on the step machine. It felt great at the time and I was just about to proceed to some light cycling for 15 minutes. However, I started to experience some strong pain in the lower right side of my abdomen. It freaked me out a bit, and so I left the gym and rested at home.
The pain continued to get worse all night. I was pretty worried out about it, but it doesn't feel like I imagine labor cramps to be. For one thing it was only on my right side, and it was only uncomfortable while I was standing up. Laying down was much better. Surely if I had been having early signs of labor I would have felt pains in both sides and they would have been equally intense whether sitting or standing?
I felt too silly to call the hospital..After all, I am only 26 weeks pregnant and unlikely to be having the baby anytime soon.
So, I rested last night and also waddled around the house feeling extremely large, uncomfortable and pregnant! I felt like my stomach was being pushed to the limits by the baby. I said to my husband "no one told me that pregnancy actually hurts sometimes!" DH calmed me down by explaining that of course pregnancy is bound to be uncomfortable at times - growing a baby can't be comfortable every day!
Today I am feeling better. I am just feeling tired, large and a bit overwhelmed.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Slowing Down
Hi Friends,
Do you ever feel as though life becomes overly busy for a period of time? That you know you need to slow down, but it's hard to know how to. Everything seems like a priority and nothing can be dropped from the schedule?
That's how life has felt to me over the last 6 weeks or so. I have been very busy at work, and also socially. DH and I have had loads of visitors (that were booked in a long time ago), and we have also been travelling a lot lately. We have hosted a lot of dinners for our friends. I thought that the second trimester was a good time to tick all of these things off the list - work, travel and old friends.
Last week I felt so exhausted that I knew I needed to manage my time better. It felt as though I had no time to enjoy the pregnancy, and I was becoming exhausted and easily upset. I realized that I was rushing around trying to please everyone - my DH, family and friends as I never said "no" to any invitation.
So I have made the decision to cut back on some of my commitments. I contacted some of the groups that I am a part of (i.e. book club and church groups) and outlined my intentions to stop being a part of these groups for now. Today I organized a day off work just for "me time." I have a list of things to do today, but I am going to have a pyjama morning and just chill out.
I can feel the stress literally rolling off my shoulders. I can feel myself starting to breathe more easily. I feel more on top of everything again. I feel more connected to my DH and the baby, because I am creating more time to focus on and cherish them. I feel so much better and I want to continue this until the baby arrives. As of now, I am on "maternity leave"! Not from my work (unfortunately) but from many of my other commitments!
Do you ever feel as though life becomes overly busy for a period of time? That you know you need to slow down, but it's hard to know how to. Everything seems like a priority and nothing can be dropped from the schedule?
That's how life has felt to me over the last 6 weeks or so. I have been very busy at work, and also socially. DH and I have had loads of visitors (that were booked in a long time ago), and we have also been travelling a lot lately. We have hosted a lot of dinners for our friends. I thought that the second trimester was a good time to tick all of these things off the list - work, travel and old friends.
Last week I felt so exhausted that I knew I needed to manage my time better. It felt as though I had no time to enjoy the pregnancy, and I was becoming exhausted and easily upset. I realized that I was rushing around trying to please everyone - my DH, family and friends as I never said "no" to any invitation.
So I have made the decision to cut back on some of my commitments. I contacted some of the groups that I am a part of (i.e. book club and church groups) and outlined my intentions to stop being a part of these groups for now. Today I organized a day off work just for "me time." I have a list of things to do today, but I am going to have a pyjama morning and just chill out.
I can feel the stress literally rolling off my shoulders. I can feel myself starting to breathe more easily. I feel more on top of everything again. I feel more connected to my DH and the baby, because I am creating more time to focus on and cherish them. I feel so much better and I want to continue this until the baby arrives. As of now, I am on "maternity leave"! Not from my work (unfortunately) but from many of my other commitments!
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Taking an interest in the nursery
This is our gorgeous Labrador retriever. He is spoilt rotten.
He has taken a great interest in the nursery, and is always in there sniffing everything. He generally emerges with one of the baby's toys which he presents to us as a gift. It is very cute but a bit annoying, as he has started to ruin some of the baby's teddy bears. We are now using a "Decoy Bear" (above). We put this old bear in an obvious place in the nursery and the dog retrieves it, leaving our more expensive toys alone.
I think our biggest issue is going to be keeping our current baby (the dog) away from the nursery when the real baby arrives in February!
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
25 weeks!
Here is my 25 week belly shot!
Since I took this photo the baby seems to have grown a lot more. I can now feel regular, strong movements that often keep me awake at night.
It is incredible to believe that the baby is just 15 weeks away now. We are so excited.
Life has been super busy of late. I have been very produtive at work and have seen a lot of my friends, but I want to slow down and enjoy the pregnancy more. I also haven't had much of a chance to comment. I'm looking forward to relaxing over the coming week and catching up on my blog reading.
Just wanted to say a big hello to all of you!
Caroline xx
Since I took this photo the baby seems to have grown a lot more. I can now feel regular, strong movements that often keep me awake at night.
It is incredible to believe that the baby is just 15 weeks away now. We are so excited.
Life has been super busy of late. I have been very produtive at work and have seen a lot of my friends, but I want to slow down and enjoy the pregnancy more. I also haven't had much of a chance to comment. I'm looking forward to relaxing over the coming week and catching up on my blog reading.
Just wanted to say a big hello to all of you!
Caroline xx
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
What to expect in 2010?
Thank you so much for your help and advice regarding the name options. We are still deciding but I will let you know when we have made a final decision.
I am just about to reach 24 weeks. It is amazing to think that the pregnancy is going so quickly! I am feeling really good, and am trying to keep as fit and active as possible. Work has also been busy. As I am paid by the hour I have been able to save extra money for maternity leave next year.
I am someone who tends to have very high expectations of myself and others. Sometimes this can be a good thing as I am a high achiever. However, sometimes this can be a bad thing as I find myself getting upset when things don't go to plan.
Over the last few years of trying to conceive I have had very high expectations of the experience of being pregnant and having a baby. So far, my expectations of pregnancy have been wonderful. However, I want to try to get a realistic perspective of motherhood. I know that becoming a mother will be a wonderful thing, but it will also be a very challenging experience.
DH and I have been having some realistic conversations about what we expect when the baby arrives in February. I was amazed when DH shared with me that he is anxious about his ability to cope with the birth. He is normally such a confident person, but he is worried how he will cope watching me in pain. He even said that he would like his own support person there to support him through the birth!! He also told me that he has been aware that our freedom is going to be limited once the baby arrives. And he has also been more aware of finances than ever before.
I am more focused on how I am going to cope with a baby! I have been spending time with a neighbour who has a baby, and she is coming over next week to show me how to bath the baby, breastfeed, and swaddle the baby. These are simple skills but I think I will feel more confident once I have tried them myself (obviously I won't be able to breastfeed but I will watch her to get some tips).
Have any of you had concerns/anxieties about your babies arrival? I have decided that I am going to do a relaxation/meditation course before the baby arrives. I think the skills will come in handy for the birth and afterwards.
I am just about to reach 24 weeks. It is amazing to think that the pregnancy is going so quickly! I am feeling really good, and am trying to keep as fit and active as possible. Work has also been busy. As I am paid by the hour I have been able to save extra money for maternity leave next year.
I am someone who tends to have very high expectations of myself and others. Sometimes this can be a good thing as I am a high achiever. However, sometimes this can be a bad thing as I find myself getting upset when things don't go to plan.
Over the last few years of trying to conceive I have had very high expectations of the experience of being pregnant and having a baby. So far, my expectations of pregnancy have been wonderful. However, I want to try to get a realistic perspective of motherhood. I know that becoming a mother will be a wonderful thing, but it will also be a very challenging experience.
DH and I have been having some realistic conversations about what we expect when the baby arrives in February. I was amazed when DH shared with me that he is anxious about his ability to cope with the birth. He is normally such a confident person, but he is worried how he will cope watching me in pain. He even said that he would like his own support person there to support him through the birth!! He also told me that he has been aware that our freedom is going to be limited once the baby arrives. And he has also been more aware of finances than ever before.
I am more focused on how I am going to cope with a baby! I have been spending time with a neighbour who has a baby, and she is coming over next week to show me how to bath the baby, breastfeed, and swaddle the baby. These are simple skills but I think I will feel more confident once I have tried them myself (obviously I won't be able to breastfeed but I will watch her to get some tips).
Have any of you had concerns/anxieties about your babies arrival? I have decided that I am going to do a relaxation/meditation course before the baby arrives. I think the skills will come in handy for the birth and afterwards.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Name advice appreciated!
Hi friends,
I am really enjoying this part of the pregnancy. One thing I wasn't expecting to be SO difficult is deciding on a girl's name! DH and I decide on a name, and then I go off the name, and then I decide I like it again. It is driving DH insane!
Being an organised person like myself, I would really like to decide on a girl's name - I would really appreciate your feedback on our name options please!
Before I tell you the name choices, I will give you some background. DH and I both like traditional girl's names. Unfortunately, DH doesn't like names that I consider to be "pretty" girls names such as Lily, Rose, Grace etc. He prefers names that I think are "strong/elegant" names.
Secondly, we would like to use a family name as a middle name. The two family names that we can use are Elizabeth (his mother's name) or Caroline (a traditional name used in my family.)
One final consideration is that DH and I tend to shorten names. So we have to find a long name that we like, and also a shortened nickname that we like the sound of (as we will probably use the shortened name!)
So, let me introduce you to the names that we have tentatively agreed on.
1. Hannah Elizabeth Caroline (shortened to ?)
2. Emma Elizabeth Caroline (shortened to Emmie? Em?)
3. Alexandra Elizabeth (shortened to Ally or Lexie)
I would really appreciate some feedback on which name/combination of names you like and which nicknames too?
Thanks friends,
xx
I am really enjoying this part of the pregnancy. One thing I wasn't expecting to be SO difficult is deciding on a girl's name! DH and I decide on a name, and then I go off the name, and then I decide I like it again. It is driving DH insane!
Being an organised person like myself, I would really like to decide on a girl's name - I would really appreciate your feedback on our name options please!
Before I tell you the name choices, I will give you some background. DH and I both like traditional girl's names. Unfortunately, DH doesn't like names that I consider to be "pretty" girls names such as Lily, Rose, Grace etc. He prefers names that I think are "strong/elegant" names.
Secondly, we would like to use a family name as a middle name. The two family names that we can use are Elizabeth (his mother's name) or Caroline (a traditional name used in my family.)
One final consideration is that DH and I tend to shorten names. So we have to find a long name that we like, and also a shortened nickname that we like the sound of (as we will probably use the shortened name!)
So, let me introduce you to the names that we have tentatively agreed on.
1. Hannah Elizabeth Caroline (shortened to ?)
2. Emma Elizabeth Caroline (shortened to Emmie? Em?)
3. Alexandra Elizabeth (shortened to Ally or Lexie)
I would really appreciate some feedback on which name/combination of names you like and which nicknames too?
Thanks friends,
xx
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