It was bound to happen at some point. That terribly awkward “when are you due?” situation. A question that is fine if you’re pregnant, but really quite soul-destroying if you’re not. My own “situation” has just happened at the Tesco pharmacy counter, of all places. The poor pharmacist. I think that after I walked away…
I wasn’t really aware of the concept of co-sleeping until I was about eight months pregnant – I think I’ve mentioned before that I had a complete mental block about anything that might happen after pregnancy. ie, a baby. I was so focused on just hanging on to my pregnancy and making sure that everything…
Well. Nothing to report here. If I had to do a little run-down of my breastmilk expressing experiences so far, they would go something like this: Day 1: look at the MAM Breastfeeding Starter Kit. Try to read instructions, which are printed on one piece of card with a font so small I require binoculars….
I know that this is really unfair, and I hope that he doesn’t read it (and indeed that at least one other person feels this way, otherwise I’ll look like a total bitch!*) but I sometimes feel really resentful when I’m doing a nightfeed and my husband is fast asleep. There’s nothing worse than being awake (and…
Oh, where has the time gone? I honestly thought that being indoors with a baby, constantly feeding, would make the time really drag but actually I would quite like to press pause so that I can savour every moment. I now understand what people mean when they say that each phase flies by – Angelica…
I wanted to do a quick follow-up post on the thoughts that I had on fertility the other day (see here), because the whole “age and fertility” issue seems to be an extremely hot potato at the moment. I wrote that I knew more women who had birthed a baby post-40 than pre-40 but by…
Oh, I’m all in a pickle about this expressing business. I want to do it because it would be nice to get a couple of hours off, during the day, just to get stuff done. Even if it’s being able to pop to the supermarket on my own (YES!) without worrying that the baby will…
I bought these the other day from Amazon (just one of my many middle-of-the-night internet purchases!) and they would make such a good new baby gift. They’re “Milestone” cards for taking photographs with – so if your baby is one week old, or ten weeks old, or however many weeks old, you can…
Call me naive, but I wasn’t really properly prepared for any of the things that happen to your body once you’ve given birth. I had a bit of a mental block about anything post-pregnancy, including what it would actually be like to – y’know – have a baby to look after, and so I didn’t read very…
When I really like something, fashion-wise, I tend to get a bit obsessed and buy multiple versions and colourways and sizes. Just in case, you know, they ever run out. Which is why I have Office’s Cecilia ballet pumps in black, beige, beige with black toes caps, green with black toe caps, bronze and – somewhere in…
My top five breastfeeding essentials. Apart from breasts, obviously. They’re pretty essential for breastfeeding, I would have thought. The nipple part, at least. Anyway, here are the five things that have made breastfeeding easier and/or more bearable in the trickier moments. I had always assumed that breastfeeding would be a totally instinctive process – the…
Right. Apologies. I meant to start this at week 1 and give you all the gory details (bodily fluids, bruises, etc) but the time has absolutely flown by and I now have a baby who is ONE MONTH OLD and a C-section scar that has healed nicely and an arm that no longer bears the marks of a…
Apologies to those who don’t follow me on Instagram or Twitter: it must have seemed as though I had suddenly disappeared from the face of the earth! This is the first time I’ve had access to my main computer and also, more crucially, the first time I haven’t had a very small human being attached…
Whoosh! Just squeaking in with this week’s diary entry, I reckon! Week 41, the week where the bump has become so heavy I have to hold it up on the daily speed-walk because it feels as though something might fall out! (Have taken to a daily dog-walking session that involves a little hill, and I…
Methods suggested by the midwife for “getting things started” and gently inducing my labour: sex, a sweep, fresh pineapple. Also light bouncing – a mini trampoline was suggested – and walking sideways up the stairs. All said with a slightly tongue-in-cheek expression, because obviously baby comes when baby’s ready and the midwife may as well…
Please see “why the rush?” for many of my feelings on Pregnancy Week 40; my time seems to be massively taken up with looking for gross signs of labour such as the loss of the mucus plug. Give me strength. I was hoping that I’d get a relaxing week in before the baby made an appearance…
It has taken my entire pregnancy for something to happen that has me truly, 100% stumped: why is it that everyone goes bat-shit crazy as soon as you reach forty weeks? Is it coming yet? Any signs? Are you going to get induced? Oh my GOD you must be so tired of it by now… For…
Just drafting out a few sentences here, in case I go into labour before I write a proper diary entry! If this cuts off at a weird point, without a photo, then I’ve more than likely gone into labour without being able to amend it. I’m scheduling for this Saturday so it will publish whatever…