Summer week 24

Hi all,
Sorry this is a day late but i had warned you it probably would be.
So yesterday we went to the first antenatal class. I was by far the most pregnant woman there. As i have explained previously there was a mix up and i should have been to the first class ages ago so i was not too surprised by this. The other women were between 14 - 18 weeks and most of them were not even showing. The midwife holding the session was great - very funny but obviously loved her job. We discussed various things like posture, how to sit at work and how you should lay in bed to how your internal muscles are changing and why. We also practiced our pelvic floor excercises which was hilarious as she made Phil join in (men have a pelvic floor too you know). I should also point out at this stage that there were only two guys there, phil and another lad the same age named freddy.
I didn't really learn anything i didn't already know or hadn't already experienced but i think phil found it all quite interesting. She went over some stuff about stomach muscles and a common problem woman have nowadays is that the bottom stomach muscles are worked on to the point where they are too strong. If they are too strong they do not have any give in pregnancy and that is why so many women today grow to the front and not much at the sides. This lack of stretch causes the long muscles that run side by side down the front of your tummy to split in the middle and cause a dome effect. This is when you tense your stomach muscle there is a strange dome like shape that appears down the centre of your tummy. I have this. Not sure how serious it is yet but i have to show my midwife on monday and she will advise me of ways not to make it worse. I wouldn't have known about this if i hadn't have gone to the class so it was well worth it.
It was meant to last 2 hours but we were actually in there for over 3 hours... we were all talking too much i think. As predicted Phil was the teachers pet, she definately took a shine to him. He did ask lots of questions but i was very proud of him and i am sure the other women were slightly enviouse of how much he wanted to learn and be involved.
Class 2 will be much more interesting as we will be discussing labour and breathing etc.
I actually feel like a whale now. I am doing that pathetic thing of struggling to get out of chairs and groaning when i have to lug my fat tummy anywhere. Can't walk too far as i get so out of breath - apparently the uterus is starting to squash my lungs a bit so breathlessness is very normal and will get worse.
Started to think about when i will leave work. I only need to give them about 4 weeks notice so its still quite soon but for my own piece of mind i want to have a date to work to. Adding on my rmaining holiday etc it looks like i will be leaving on or around the 17th August (only 3 months time) its all so exciting.
Oh - my Aerosmith tickets turned up this week. I think i must be mad going to stand about in Hyde park watching them while being extremely huge!!! They are worth it though.
Also i have been informed this week that Orlando Bloom (my future second husband) will be appearing in a play in London - have to have tickets!!! He was quoted as saying "I'd like to live a proper family life - with a partner and kids. That's what it's all about, isn't it?" Yes Orlando, that is what its all about and i already have a baby on the way!!!! (Phil - I'm obviously only joking.... There is no way Orlando would actually be reading my blog).
Back to reality, Phil bought a nintendo Wii a couple of days ago which is brilliant. Hope none of my neighbours could see into my living room as i must look like a right idiot pretending to play golf & tennis etc.
I have nothing else to write I'm afraid.
I have a nice evening to myself tonight so i am thinking a long hot bubble bath, some dairy milk whole nut (large bar of) and some Daniel Craig and that is my evening sorted.
Catch you next week.
Mum to be
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Summer week 23

GGGRRRRRR. How annoying, i typed up my blog yesterday and went to post it and i got a message to say that blogs were down and when i tried to get back  to what i had written it had been wiped!!!!!! so i have to type this up again which is very uninspiring.
Another busy week for me which included a weekend of shopping. I popped into Aldershot on saturday morning to get some flat shoes to help with my afternoon shopping with my mum. Thank god i got them, what a godsend. I think the heals are out for the next 4 months now. I got some lovely black sequinned ballet pumps.
Anyway popped out shopping with my mum in the afternoon and got loads of baby stuff. I was mainly looking to start my stockpile of nappies, wipes etc and although i did get alot of that stuff i also got a bit sidetracked and got some really cute girly things. I always said that if i had a girl i would not dress her in pink and be really girly as i was always and still am a bit of a tom boy. But i got a bit carried away with little pink socks and one t-shirt that says "daddy's princess" and one that says "if you think i'm cute you should see my mummy" - how true (that was a joke!!!!). Primark is amazing too, i managed to get two of the softest baby blankets i have ever felt and they only cost £3 each - bargain.
We then went to a massive mothercare in brooklands and found an excellent baby starter kit. It cost me £25 and has a little of everything i need - nappies, cotton wool, wipes, muslin cloths, nursery scissors etc. It even had a tiny soft hair brush. It all comes in this really nice bag which i will probably get a lot of use out of too.
I also bought myself a maternity bra. Why the hell was i avoiding getting one??? they are so comfy i am not sure i will ever go back to a normal one, although they are not that attractive and maybe my husband will have something to say about that. The one i got kinda reminds me of the crop top bra's i used to wear when i was 13.
Enough of the shopping talk. The baby seems to have started some kind of sleeping pattern which is great as i get a break from all the kicking. Oh and Phil has finally managed to feel her kick which is amazing everytime as i think it makes things more real to him. His little face lit up when he felt it and every night when we go to bed he cuddles up to me and feels my tummy hoping to get one last feel but she is usually sleeping at that point.
Ok, when i started these blogs the one thing i promised was to give a completely honest account of pregnancy (including the not so nice stuff). That was sort of the main point as there are things i am finding out that people didn't tell me about and i think everyone deserves the right to know what to expact. So this bit is probably gonna get me some stick of my mates but so what i can handle it! The main thing that shocked me is the bleeding... I get constant nose bleeds but not so much that it runs out of my nose, more the kind that you have to pick the dried blood out of your nose. I also have to pick it every day otherwise it actually hurts. Apparently it is very normal to produce more snot than ever before and get nose bleeds so its nothing to worry about. The other thing i have neglected to tell you up until now is about the bleeding from the back passage. At first i was in a state of panic but after reading up on it it seems it is very common and it is more surprising if this doesn't happen to you and is more than likely hemmeroids. No point seeing a doctor as there is nothing they can do about it. Also do not forget to do your pelvic floor excirsices regularly as if you do them you are less likely to tear in child birth (that remains to be seen!!). If you don't know what pelvic floor excersices are then look it up as i am not going to explain it here.
Right, thats the embarrassing bit over with. Everyone seems happy that we are having a girl and people who do not know the name keep bugging me to tell them (i won't). You will have to wait and see.
People keep saying that she looks really fat in the scan picture but i must point out that she is actually poking her chest out as she would not stop wriggling around. I was born around 7lb and so was phil so fingers crossed that my daughter will be around this size too (daughter - that sounds so funny to hear me say it).
Next Thursday we have our first antenatal class so my blog will probably be sent on the friday again. I am hoping that phil won't be the class swot and embarrasse me but unfortunately his track record points to it! Oh well i will have plenty of funny things to tell you from the class i suspect.
Anyway best go - and hope this one gets posted!!!!!
See you next week
Mum to be
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Summer week 22

What a week its been.
Last saturday i managed to throw my back out cutting my hedges back. This was probably not the most intelligent thing i have ever done and probably not the kind of job a pregnant lady should be doing but it seemed like a good idea at the time. So for the last week i have been hobbling around like a 90 year old and it takes me a got 5 minutes to stand up from a seated position. The good thing that came out of this is that i now admit defeat and may start to take it easy like i have been told. I can't bear another week of pain like this. The worst part is that i cannot even take anything for the pain - not even deep heat.
Had my nephew stay over on saturday night. He is only 5 but is one of the most enchanting kids i have ever met. So i got in some practice. Think Phil has some things to learn about patience but apart from that he is great with him too.
Back to my baby and the news that everyone was waiting to hear (i suspect not). I had the scan yesterday and i am having a baby girl!! I did want a girl slightly more than a boy (obviously would not have been disappointed if it had been a boy though) so i am over the moon. Phils family are really happy too as they have no girls on their side of the family so phils mum especially is so happy. Phil didn't quite react the way i had thought he would but its for one of two reasons (in my opinion). Either he is gutted coz it means i was right and he was wrong or its because he has never been around a little girl before and maybe is frightened about what he could do with her etc. I have tried to explain that he can still take her out to the football and play computer games with her especially if she ends up being anything like me when i was little. I was such a tomboy. I would rather be out playing football with the boys or playing in the mud than sat inside playing with dolls (in fact i only ever owned one doll, a cabbage patch kid, which i drew all over and hid in the wardrobe - god i hated dolls so much).
I also suspect that he was in slight shock as he was absolutely convinced it was going to be a boy. I do think he will be a very doting dad and will spoilt her loads. She will be daddy's girl for definite. Oh in case you were wondering Phil didn't leave the room yesterday when they told me the sex so he does know.
The scan was good (pictures on my page). Although she rolled over half way through and wouldn't roll back so i had to go away and walk about for 20 minutes and come back in the hope she had moved. Thankfully she did move otherwise i still would not know what the sex was. Everything is in proportion, normal, and in proper working order.
We have decided a first and middle name but will keep it to myself for now as i may change my mind later on.
She is still kicking ALL the time. Phil finally felt a kick last night, hopefully he will feel plenty more. I am definitely getting bigger and am starting to find the high heels difficult... ballet pumps here i come - but don't anyone call me short....!
My mum went to another carboot sale and found me a lovely rocking chair which i am sure will get plenty of use at 2am feeds! Also my dad has bought us a lovely second hand pushchair which has so many gadgets i just hope i remember how to use them all. I am ordering a wardrobe and chest of drawers in a few moments so most of the big things are all done now. Can start getting bibs, bottles, blankets etc now...
I kinda feel that its all systems go now and its full steam ahead. Only 4 months (18 weeks) left...
Its Phils birthday tomorrow so i suspect we will be busy but saturday night he is going to Bournemouth for a stag do so i plan to take advantage and have a pampering evening with baths salts and lots of chocolate - every girl should spoil herself from time to time.
Don't forget to have a peak at the scan pictures and have a great bank holiday weekend!
Mum to be
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Summer week 21

Hi all,
Sorry about the short blog last week but it was manic at work and i had to work through my lunch hour (which is when i usually write these things). Had to prepare a presentation for my company away day which went very well in case you were wondering.
Finally the nursery is complete (feels like we have been doing it forever!) and as soon as i figure out how to get the pictures of it off my dads digital camera i will post them on my page. It is so awesome and i am so happy with how it has turned out. I have never seen a nursery quite like it which is cool as i like things that are unique. So now we are fitting it out with furniture.
I went to the car boot sale on the A3 last sunday with my mum and Phil which was very productive. Mum bought us a beautiful moses basket on a stand which is ideal for the baby when he/she is first born and also handy when you need to be mobile. It only cost her £8 and is in mint condition. I also bought a rocker/ bouncer for £1 which again is in perfectly good condition and i got a baby monitor for £3 (bargain - and it works). Phil had his priorities straight as the only thing he bought was three star wars figures which when you hook them together they perform a battle scene with the music playing and the sound of light sabers clashing against each other - do boys ever grow up? It was very very hot on sunday so didn't really look around the whole thing but plan to go back in a couple of weeks.
Sunday afternoon we went to a 3 year olds birthday BBQ - that was a real eye opener! they played musical statues and pass the parcel which bought back many memories of my childhood. But there was this one kid who was so naughty, you turned your back for 1 minute and he had managed to climb to the top of some trelacing, then he disappeared up the end of the garden and started bashing the greenhouse door with a stick etc. He was such a handful but so cute and entertaining - not sure if his dad would agree as he was up and down like a yo yo reining him back in and constantly apologising for his behaviour. Why do i get a funny feeling our child will be the mischievous one! We made a quick exit once the E numbers and sugar highs had kicked in. watching eight 3 year olds running around throwing balls at each other didn't seem fun anymore.
6 days until we find out the sex!!!! i will have to post my blog a day late next week though as its Phils birthday on Friday and he has decided he would like me to not tell him the sex until his birthday! - yeah like that will happen. He thinks it would make a nice birthday surprise but im not sure i can keep it to myself until then. Hopefully my sister & brother will stop calling it a jelly bean once they know the sex but i doubt it.
Me - I'm bloomin' massive and getting annoyed at people calling me fatty (Lee!) only kidding i do have a sense of humour. But i made the mistake of sitting on the floor last week and needed help getting up! My side of the bed is creaking alot more and I'm sure its to do with the added weight. Getting in and out of bed is a struggle and i have to kinda roll out - I'm just glad that Phil leaves for work before i get up and doesn't get to see the flapping beached whale getting out of bed as its not exactly a sight that would turn him on!
The baby is now kicking all the time with the occasional massive wallop which almost winds me! I thought babies in the womb fell into a sleeping pattern but this one doesn't seem to sleep at all or at least if it is sleeping it is still flayling about. Phil still hasn't felt one yet, everytime he puts his hand on my tummy it stops so maybe i should just get him to walk around with his hand permanently attached to my tummy so that i can get a break from it! I shouldn't really complain as its a constant reminder that he/she is there happy and healthy.
We have decided on our names now - well we have picked the boys name and have two shortlisted girls names which i think we will make a final decision on when it is born. I won't put the names in here as i don't want people to use them for themselves so if you want to know feel free to drop me an email or just ask next time you see me and i will probably tell you.
Oh Finally got around to booking our antenatal classes. Got our first one in about 3 weeks that will be interesting as i should have been to the first one already. They will tell me what to expect to happen to your body in the second trimester - so in affect tell me stuff that has already happened to me. Oh well its still worth going in case there is anything else i should know. They are 2 hours long and we have to attend three of them. Phil isn't looking forward to it but i think he thinks its just a bunch of people sitting around doing silly breathing exercises.
Thats all folks!
see you next week with the all exciting news.
Mum to be
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P.S as i am finding out the sex next week i am intrigued to hear what you predict and see which one is the most favoured (like a poll).
Some hints to help you, i am carrying all up front with a neat little bump, i am craving sweet things like chocolate, sugary sweets and ice cream, the baby's heart beat is 144 beats per minute and it is kicking all the time.
And next week we can see if the majority prediction was right. Comment me!

Summer week 20

Hi all,
Its official i have reached the halfway point!!
This will be very short this week as i am very busy trying to put together a presentation for tomorrow (talk about leaving it to the last minute!!).
Had an appointment with the midwife on monday which again went well. The baby's heartbeat is 144 beats per minute which according to old wives tales means its a girl! Boys heartbeats are under 140 per minute and girls are above...apparently.
Everything else is fine and healthy although the midwife did inform me that i should have been to my first anti-natal class (the physical one). Apparently you should go between 12 - 18 weeks but she had neglected to give me the appropriate forms or even to mention it to me.
So i have rushed to book the three 2 hour classes. I have asked to have the first one next week and the second and third in July. These are the classes where you talk about what will happen to your body and what excercises will help prepare you for labour!!! Just have to wait and see if they actually have any free spaces for the dates i have requested.
My medical card came through (i should have sent off for it a long time ago but never got around to it until last week. So i don't have to pay for prescriptions or dental work until Sept 2008... Phil is so jelouse : )
Dad finally finished painting the second coat on the nursery yesterday. So now to get the furniture and actually fit it out properly. This part is going to be quite exciting.
Thats about it - sorry short & sweet but there is nothing more to say really. Except i cannot remember if i told you that we had decided on a girls & boys name now and no i am not posting them up here you will have to wait and see!!!
Bye
Mum To be

Summer week 19

Hi all,
Hope you all had a lovely easter weekend, mine was full of BBQ's and general merriment.
This week has not been such a good one for me. I think i may have overdone it somewhat over the weekend as i have been feeling rather ill for most of this week. At first i felt like i just had a stomach bug but now that has subsided a bit and i keep getting cramps in my abdominal area. I am pretty sure the stomach bug had something to do with the sandwhich i ate on monday as i started to feel ill almost immidiately after eating it and i am putting these stomach cramps down to the baby laying on something or simply stretching my insides. I was feeling the lower part of my stomach last night (where it was hurting) and i swear i felt a foot... It freaked me out a bit and i tried to feel for it again but it was gone and so was my cramping feeling.
Phil is giving me a hard time as i wouldn't phone the midwife but like i said to him the only thing she could have done was to book me in for an appointment and as i already have one on monday it is pointless. I will simply fill her in on monday and i am pretty sure she will tell me its nothing.
Its getting pretty uncomfortable to sleep now and i am having really broken sleep which i am sure my husband is loving... not. It hurts to sleep on my back for too long but everytime i wake up i have rolled onto my back so not sure how i can stop that.
Apparently at this stage i should be feeling really energetic and stuff but believe me i am not. If i sit for too long watching telly i start to fall asleep. I am usually really tired by 10pm which is most unlike me.
Oh one last thing that i have noticed recently is how clumsy i am becoming. On Monday i popped out on my lunch hour to get a sandwhich and managed to walk into three walls, one door and one short bollard - what is up with that!!! I have fallen over my bed countless times this week and keep misjudging doorways. After doing some research i have discovered that due to the increasing size of my tummy my centre of gravity has changed but nobody has bothered to tell my brain it seems. The website suggested that i start wearing flat shoes - thats not going to happen until i have absolutely no choice as i am much shorter than people realise as hardly anyone has seen me without heals on.
The short hair is brilliant and i am really loving it - no regrets at all. It now takes me 15 minutes to dry and straighten it in the morning - how great is that compared to 40 minutes! This will definately help when the baby comes and i have less time to spend on my own appearance. And it definately helped the other morning when my hairdryer actually set on fire and broke so i had to go to work with wet hair!!
Nursery is now painted and looks great. Just want to start putting the finishing touches up now but my dad is insisting he puts one more coat of paint on first. When it is completed i will put a picture on my site for you to see, its going to be very unique. Just need to get the furniture now to fill it up! - All second hand donations welcome... : ) as we have absolutely nothing yet except 3 car seats and a travel cot.
No more to say I'm afraid except one peice of advice - if you decide to use the Johnsons holiday skin moisturiser make sure you wash your hands afterwards... learn from my mistake as i have very funny coloured palms at the moment!
See you next week when i will hopefully be feeling lots better.
Feeling crappy mum to be.
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Summer week 18

Not much happening this week apart from alot of movement. The flutterings are getting stronger and it won't be long before other people can feel the kicks. I am slightly alarmed by the frequency and am wondering how much sleep i will end up having as a result... The baby is definitely a fidget just like its daddy.
I have been burping alot and having pains one side of my tummy. This is probably just a stretching pain where everything is growing and expanding.
I have had alot of compliments about how "well" i am looking which is nice.
The financial side of things has played a big part this week. It suddenly dawned on us how much money we need to have saved before i go on maternity leave to pay my share of the bills and it is a frightening figure. Statutory maternity pay is rubbish (£108 a week). We will inevitably cope somehow but it is still quite terrifying. The saddest part about not having lots of money is that it impacts on how much time maternity leave i can afford to take. I would love to take the full amount of time allowed but looks more like it will be 6 months at the most. It will definitely be a very lean Christmas this year... : ( Phil is being very good and is willing to work lots of hours and had even mentioned getting a second job but to be honest i just want him at home with me enjoying the prospect of being a parent, not getting home so tired that he goes straight to bed. I have even considered getting a second job myself but in reality who would take on a pregnant woman and would i really be able to cope (probably not).
Anyway money isn't everything and we still have our health : )
The stickers for the baby room arrived a couple of days ago. They are so cool! I am really glad i went with this option. Hopefully we can get on and get it finished over the long weekend. But the weather is supposed to be very nice so no doubt we will want to go out and enjoy the sunshine.
I am really struggling with the no smoking thing now. It is getting ridiculous. The longer i give up the more i want one. I know i gave up for a very good reason but i also know that i will start smoking again afterwards. I am even starting to wonder if i want one so bad just because i know i can't have one not because i am craving the nicotine. I desperately want to get drunk too which is very strange as i wasn't exactly a heavy drinker before i got pregnant. So i am sure it is partly wanting what you can't have! I just have to keep thinking that i only have another 4 1/2 months to go!!!! sh*t thats scary!
Nothing more to add this week (told you there wasn't much to say). Hope you all have a fab long weekend and get fat with all that chocolate.
P.S if you are still coming out into Guildford on saturday night i will see you then (i will be the one staring at everyone very enviously from the corner!!)
Bye - mum to be
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