I hate big boobs and I cannot lie …

Posted by Caroline Elliott

Sorry, couldn’t resist the title, but yes, it is true, I hate big boobs. I know I am in the minority as stereotypically men prefer them, and I know that many women would prefer their boobs to be larger, but not me! No way Jose! I also partially apologise for the subject matter entirely, as it does feel a bit odd to be so openly talking about my boobs. But there is something about the lack of modesty that comes with pregnancy and childbirth and breastfeeding that leads me to want to write a post about boobs.

Just to clarify, it’s not that I have anything against women with big boobs, I don’t go round looking at big boobs shuddering and hating them, this is just about me, I hate having big boobs.

Being quite pear shaped, when I was younger I guess I wanted bigger boobs as an abstract theory, but actually grew to be happy with the body that I had, smallish boobs and all. I guess it helps that they aren’t really small, I was a 32D, which actually makes them sound bigger than they are! Then I got pregnant, and with me, one of the first things to happen is the expansion of my boobs. It felt like I was in Mothercare every other week to get bras in the next size up! For a while I was buying nursing bras in the hope they may double as bras when breastfeeding, but I soon gave that up as it became evident they showed no signs of slowing down.

This pregnancy has been no different, except that I now have a drawer full of ever larger bras, but worryingly I am already in a 36 E which I think was about as big as I got when I was pregnant last time. God knows where I will end up this time. One thing I have learned this time is that you can wear underwired bras when pregnant. Last time I read so many things about underwiring damaging your milk ducts that I spent months with huge boobs, wearing really unflattering bras that probably didn’t help my feelings towards them! I have found that research has improved in the last few years and that there is in fact no evidence to suggest the underwiring hurts your milk ducts in any way! Hooray! It makes sense to me as if your bra fits properly the wiring shouldn’t be digging in to breast tissue anyway!

My boob expansion doesn’t just end with pregnancy either. When choosing to breastfeed, I knew all about engorgement, but I did not realise quite how mammoth my boobs were going to become – 36G in the end – and I actually bought some of those clasp extenders for the back as I had given up on buying new bras by that point!

I know some women would love this – in fact some of my friends miss their pregnancy/breastfeeding boobs and even consider surgical enhancement to fill what they call the “empty sacks” they were left with. I have nothing against that, if it is what you need to feel better about yourself, then go for it, but it’s not for me. I was happy to go back to small boobs in between pregnancies, because I felt like myself again.

I was happy with my body (ish, I mean who wouldn’t wanted a smaller bum, flatter tum etc) before I got pregnant and pregnancy changes it so much. Then came breastfeeding, and while I was glad I was able to do it (in the end) and will try again next time, there was a certain loss of self associated with it.

It sounds a bit bizarre as if my sense of self was entirely built around my boobs, but for a pear shaped girl the sudden expansion of my chest suddenly made me feel a lot bigger all over. The clothes I wore were different as they had to accommodate them and I guess there is a link with breastfeeding in that I guess they never felt like mine. They were there for a purpose, to feed my little boy, and with engorgement and leaking at set times there was pretty regular reminders about this purpose. Clothing also had to make them fairly accessible, in order to pop them out on demand.

My boobs at about their biggest, when Monkey was 4mths old

Whenever I joke or complain about the size of my boobs already, people say I am lucky or that hubby must be pleased, but no on both counts. I don’t like them, they are heavy and uncomfortable. I now sleep in little crop top bras because they are too heavy not to have any support. Last time they looked so wide and just bleurgh because of the lack of control I was able to use on them.

This time at least I can shape them a bit with underwiring, but even with underwiring, the bras are huge, and hubby says it looks like I’ve had a boob job. And for the record, no he doesn’t love them. He’s slightly intrigued by the fact that they are huge but has told me before that he finds big boobs in general a little scary. Add to that the fact that mine are sore, so no, he is not allowed near them!

Am I the only one who dislikes this particular change so much? I can’t be, surely?

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My pregnancy craving – Tangfastics!

Posted by Caroline Elliott

There is only one word that can really sum up my week! Tangfastics! I am obsessed with them, they are definitely my guilty pleasure at the moment!

I’ve always been a fan of our sweets but I hardly ever eat them (I have had more than enough work on my teeth over the years to put me off eating them frequently). However, the last couple of weeks they are almost all I can think about. At the time of writing, I have eaten 4 packs this week! It is seriously bonkers and I know I need to ration them, eating a tiny bit extra is one thing, 4 packs of sweets in less than a week is a whole other matter!!

After telling my friend she she is now convinced that it means I am having a baby girl, as even though she usually hates sour sweets, she had a huge craving for them when she was pregnant with her daughter. When I was pregnant with Monkey I didn’t really have any particular cravings. I had a few aversions, mainly to spicy food, but no real cravings. This time though, give me those tangfastics!

I wonder if it means something? I have googled pregnancy cravings and according to experts they have no relation whatsoever to the sex of your baby and are merely your body’s response to hormonal changes and nutritional requirements. I’m not sure what nutritional requirements 5 bags of tangfastics could possible be fulfilling!

There are so many old wives tales that suggest you can tell whether you are having a boy or a girl. Whether you are carrying high or low, whether your hair is shiny or dull, and of course what types of food you are craving! But there seems to be so much online debunking these theories that it is hard to tell if any of them have any relation to to reality, or if they really are a load of nonsense.

I’ve been in quite a bit of pain again this week – I have new exercises from my physio which should help in the long term, but which right now are really aggravating my SPD. So on Thursday afternoon, when my stash of tangfastics ran out, and my hip and pelvis were seriously hurting, I made my first “Pregnant Wife who’s in a lot of pain and really feeling sorry for herself” call to hubby to nip to the shop and get me some! I am glad he works so close! Naughty wife!

In other news though we had a lovely BBQ for my birthday at the weekend, lots of family and friends, and somehow the rain held off! As always with lots of people and toddlers it was a bit chaotic at times but overall a lot of fun. Nice that we had the garden ready for it too, although it was a shame we couldn’t walk on the turf!

What’s your Word of the Week? And did you have any pregnancy cravings? Have any stories of Old Wives’ tales that turned out to be true? I’d love to hear them!

The Magic Moment of that First Scan

Posted by Caroline Elliott

The first trimester of pregnancy can be pretty rough. I know it’s not the same for every woman, some have an easier time than others, and some have it far far worse than me, but in general it can be a difficult time.

You find out you are pregnant and feel really excited, but you’re not supposed to tell anyone yet, in case something goes wrong. Then the symptoms kick in. Morning (or all day) sickness, exhaustion, aches, pains, heartburn, constipation, flatulence. All sorts of joyful fun to experience, let alone physical changes such as bigger boobs, and potentially a rounding of the tummy. All the while you are supposed to be keeping it secret.

Even while you are feeling all of these physical effects, I find that for me, the pregnancy still doesn’t feel real at this stage. I guess after the initial excitement of the positive test wears off, I hold myself back from being too happy, just in case. Plus when you feel rough every day it is hard to feel positive about it. There is no doubt that being lucky enough to fall pregnant and bear a child is a blessing, but that doesn’t make it fun. And I don’t think you should have to pretend that it is, if that is not how you feel.

Anyway, digressing, the weeks tick by and, whether you’ve kept it completely secret, or told a few people, to most people in the world, nothing is happening, and even with feeling a bit rough, there are times when you wonder if anything is happening too. I guess what I am saying is that sometimes it is hard to equate the changes to your body, with the life growing inside of you.

Then comes the day of your scan – which I think they call the 11-14 week dating scan now, but it is usually around the 12 week mark. You are excited to see your little one, but nervous as for most mummies this is the first time you see what is going on in there. There’s obviously the nerves associated with wondering if all is ok and developing as it should be.

You go into the ultrasound room and within a few minutes you suddenly see this little baby on the screen. Not a cluster of cells, or a tadpole like creature (that you will probably have seen if you read any of the early ‘your baby this week’ articles on the web) but a teeny tiny human, with arms and legs and a little heart fluttering away it’s own rhythm. It is a truly incredible moment to see that small baby, that you have grown inside you.

It suddenly feels real, and, if all is well, relief washes over you. It doesn’t mean all is safe from here on in of course, but for now, you can see your new little one. That little person created by you and your partner, who is growing and developing safely in your tummy.

We saw baby number 2 on Friday and he/she was such a little wriggle bum, flipping about all over the place. Kicking their little legs about, touching their face with their hands, rolling all over the show while the ultrasound technician was trying to get the measurements.

The first trimester is done (or nearly) and the risks of miscarriage greatly reduce. You can take a sigh of relief and tell the world if you want to. Show them that first picture of your little one. Look forward to the second trimester, where the symptoms *should* reduce and you could hopefully start to feel better and less exhausted.

Hello little one, and hello second trimester!

My pregnancy, week 10 – symptoms are improving!

Posted by Caroline Elliott

I am now 10 1/2 weeks pregnant (eek, I think the baby is now officially a fetus, and is about the size of a prune!) Sickness has abated very nicely and with getting a few early nights lately I am feeling a bit less tired. A quieter week than last week is definitely helping on that front too! I’m getting a bit of heartburn now though so am relying on gaviscon a lot at the moment, which does help, so we will see how that goes.

The only thing that is draining the joy out of this pregnancy now the sickness is fading, is my Pelvis and PGP/SPD issues. Regular readers will know this already, but if not, the hormone relaxin, which is essential during pregnancy to allow your body to make room for your baby, isn’t kind to some of us, and makes our pelvis relax too far, meaning it is less stable and moves around more. This in turn causes friction and irritation on the joints of the pelvis, and anything from a little, to a lot of pain. It generally comes on later in pregnancy but for some of us unlucky ones it springs up as early as the first trimester. I had it in late pregnancy last time, and this time it appeared at around 6 weeks :(.

There has been all sorts of ups and downs over the past month in regard to this but I am pleased to let you know I am in a very definite ‘up’ at the moment! After a lot of tears I managed to speak to the head women’s health Physio at the hospital last week and I saw her on Monday and she was just as lovely in person as she was over the phone!

The physio session itself was great, we talked a lot and she laid some of my fears to rest. Fear has played a big role in this pregnancy so far, as I know how painful it got last time, and how immobile I was. Information about the condition has also grown since last time. Last time I was warned that I could pull my pelvis apart because it was so unstable, and I was told not to swim, and my physio didn’t even want me climbing stairs. So I have been afraid this time and not known what to do, out of fear of doing permanent damage. The meeting with my new physio has helped set many of those fears to rest.

It is extremely rare to be able to pull your pelvis apart so the key, key thing is that if I cause myself pain, I am not actually causing myself any damage. My biggest fear was that I would damage my pelvis and that the pain would continue after the birth. It is possible that the pain will be there after birth, but it is unlikely, and I can’t pull my pelvis apart. She said that short of falling downstairs with one leg staying up, and the other going down (ouch!), it would be incredibly hard to damage your pelvis in that way. So that is a big relief! It obviously doesn’t mean that I can just carry on as normal, and pretend it’s not happening as it will get more painful. But at least I know if I do overdo it, it should only result in short term suffering.

There is also pain relief I can get! Woohoo! I mean there’s the obvious paracetamol but that just doesn’t really do anything for me, and aside from that it can be so hard to know what to take when you’re pregnant as you obviously don’t want to risk the baby. I am going to try and do without as much as possible, especially this early in the pregnancy, but it is great to know that if things get really bad, I can take some co-codamol – which I will need to get prescribed by my doctor.

She has also given me a proper support band. Basically my muscles in my bum should be strong enough to hold my pelvis in the right position, but apparently they aren’t, so wearing the support will do the job of holding my pelvis in place, meaning I can do more, while experiencing less pain. It’s quite tight (as you would expect) and not very comfortable when sitting – but it does mean I can carry on with going for walks with my neighbour every morning (which had been giving me a lot of pain) and I can take Monkey to the park without worrying about how painful it is going to be. I’ve only had it a couple of days but already it feels soo much better!

She also worked really hard on some of my muscles which were in spasm, it was incredibly painful but so so worth it. She has recommended heat packs, and I am kicking myself for not thinking about a heat pack earlier! I have a microwaveable wheat bag anyway and it is so handy for sore muscles, can’t believe I haven’t thought to use it! It will be in use a lot from now on though!

I’ve got a couple of very simple exercises to strengthen my bum muscles (sounds weird doesn’t it?) which should help without putting too much strain on my pelvis. So hopefully I can do those without too much pain, and they can help my body to support my pelvis a bit better.

She was so lovely too and we were chatting away throughout, and everything she said just made sense to me! So I feel much more relaxed and confident about it all now. I was reading something about PGP the other day, which said something that really struck home. It isn’t just the physical limitations of the condition that cause harm to women in pregnancy, but also the psychological effects. Pregnancy “should” be a joyful time, but when you’re in pain, it is incredibly hard to find that joy. You worry about being seen as constantly moaning, and you want to be able to just do the things you would normally do, but you can’t. It makes it incredibly difficult and because many people don’t know about the condition, it can be hard for them to understand what you are going through, and therefore very hard to explain.

Feeling more positive about the fact that I now have a physio who I believe can help me, and steps in place to improve things already, I feel like a bit of weight as lifted from my shoulders. I know that it isn’t a quick fix and I will continue to struggle with a lot of this, but a little bit of hope really goes a long way!

A Rollercoaster of Emotions, but a Glimmer of Hope

Posted by Caroline Elliott

This week has been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. After a wonderful night in London on Monday, on Tuesday I was in a lot of pain, and shattered. But it was a busy day and I had what I thought was going to be a physio session at the hospital, so I was quite excited. My parents looked after Monkey and hubby came along to be my advocate. But we got there and unfortunately hubby wasn’t allowed in and it turned out to be a group session where they basically told us all the things we shouldn’t do, to manage our pain. No hoovering, no loading the washing machine, no washing up, no crossing your legs. Don’t do anything that causes you pain, keep your knees together at all times.

I could have screamed as I know all of this. All the other ladies were much further along in their pregnancies and for many it was the first time they had experienced pain. We had to describe our pain too and there was a real variety. I am not belittling anyone else’s pain because no-one can know what things feel like to different people, but it seemed like such an unspecific session as there was some ladies with a bit of lower back pain, one with what sounded like sciatica and a few of us with the real sharp pains at the front of the pelvis. All grouped under one session which seemed a bit generalised to me!

I understand why they do it, as I am sure for some ladies that would be enough, but having been through this once before, and with all my fears about the fact that it has started so early it felt like such a waste of time and I was miserable when I left. I’ve been given a tubi-grip support but been told it won’t help me now, though it will do later when I have a bump. And in the meantime???? It wasn’t a happy evening for me as I had been so hopeful and the letter from the hospital had been really misleading about what to expect, advising me to wear loose clothing so the therapist could examine me, when they never even got close enough to touch me, let alone examine me!

But, and there is a But, a positive one. We were given an SOS appt. Basically we are meant to follow these instructions for a few weeks and if we can’t manage then call back. Because I have been through this before I have been doing so many of the things they have described since I first felt pain at 6 wks pregnant. So I called them on Wednesday morning. The receptionist was very snooty (why are they like that sometimes?) and really didn’t want to listen to my explanation and just kept repeating, “you only came in Yesterday” and eventually said “Well I’ll pass a message to the physio to see what they want to do with you, because you only came in yesterday and they are very busy.” I felt gutted and was sure that I was going to be told to wait or something.

Not very positive yet is it? Well, then I got a phone call from the head Women’s Health Physio at the hospital, and she was LOVELY! So helpful and by the time I spoke to her I couldn’t stop crying, and you know what, she understood! I didn’t have to tell her how worried I was about it starting so early because she described my feelings exactly! She even understood how hard it must be with a toddler to look after.

She gave me a glimmer of hope that for some women it is at it’s worst in the first trimester because of the crazy rush of hormones, and that it may get better in the second trimester (please, please, please, please, please). But she also said that because it is so early SHE wants to see me personally, she doesn’t want anyone else to see me as she wants to make sure she does everything they can! Yay! She was very very kind and supportive and made me feel like what I am going through mattered, and that it was something she had helped other ladies through before. After feeling like I was basically being told to just lump it and get on with it, having someone agree that there is a problem, and actually offer to help, felt miraculous!

She started off saying that she is very busy and has a full diary so I was bracing myself for a long wait for an appt, but then she said she can do 8.30am on Monday! Wahoo! So watch this space and I really hope she can help me in a way other than telling me not to do anything that causes me pain for the next 7 mths, as that means basically lying down all day which is impossible with Monkey to look after!

I really hope I can stop boring everyone with posts about this soon, but I have to blog it out otherwise I would go mad!

Signs of SPD/PGP and Burying my head in the Sand

Posted by Caroline Elliott

After announcing my pregnancy on Friday, and my ‘Back to the Beginning‘ post on Monday, this is another post about what has been happening so far – in an attempt to fully chart the progress of my pregnancy and get up to date!

I suffered quite badly with SPD (Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction, also known as Pelvic Girdle Pain, or PGP) in my last pregnancy and ended up on crutches and I was pretty immobile. I was advised not to swim as my pelvis was too unstable and my physio was very concerned and wanted me to keep my knees together as much as possible at all times, even to the point where she recommended tying my knees together overnight! Try keeping your knees together for a few hours, it makes climbing stairs, getting in and out of cars, and even walking pretty tricky!

As I knew that it can recur with subsequent pregnancies I had been trying to prepare for this next pregnancy. To get my muscles strong so that it could be minimised, but, well, I have failed. I had been doing the exercises my previous physio gave me, and thought all was well. Then I fell pregnant. I carried on with the exercises but realised that I was now getting the pain in my pelvis. Sad face. So I stopped doing the exercises and the pain went away. Tried to do them again, and the pain came back. Not what I was expecting and definitely not what I was hoping for!

I figured maybe I was doing the exercises wrong or something, and one thing I learnt with SPD last time was that something is causing you pain, don’t do it! It’s not like other conditions where it gets worse before it gets better, or you can push through the pain.With SPD, it get’s worse, before it gets even worse! So I stopped the exercises. The pain stopped for the most part but still popped back intermittently which meant I was worried about what that meant for the rest of my pregnancy!

The physio I saw privately when I was pregnant before is on maternity leave so I can’t see her to ask for advice. I needed to find a new physio. I went to see a lovely physio at about 6 weeks pregnant, who filled me with confidence. She felt some of my previous exercises were quite hard and may put pressure on my pelvis, and basically confirmed that if they are causing the pain then I should definitely not do them. We did some very simple exercises and apparently my legs, back and even arms are all quite weak which is why my pelvis is under so much pressure (bonkers really).

The exercises were so simple they seemed daft but I could feel them working and was full of confidence when I left her. But, she said to me that if I was in pain the following day as a result of the exercises, that there may not be any exercises I can do to prevent it getting worse. The following day I was in huge amounts of pain and my spirits slumped. I went from feeling completely positive and optimistic to abject misery and negativity.

What I should have done, was call her and talk to her right away, but, I was afraid. Afraid of what she would say if those ridiculously simple exercises had caused me so much pain. Afraid that she may reiterate what she said before, that if they caused me so much pain, there may not be anything I can do to prevent it happening. So I haven’t. I have buried my head in the sand. I know it’s daft, I know it could be said I am being a martyr and making the problem worse by not getting help, but I don’t know what to to do for the best. Do I go back to her and see if she can do anything? Or do I try somewhere else? And if they can’t do anything, what then? I’m scared and so I am being daft and hiding from it. My head is firmly in the sand because I don’t know what the solution is.

I am writing this 2 weeks later, at 8 weeks pregnant. I have been in pain basically every day. It’s intermittent and some days are better than others. I have been trying to be more aware of how I sit, and stand and basically do everything, to try and put as little pressure on my pelvis as possible. But with a toddler, it’s nigh on impossible. How can I be the mum I want to be, when I can’t sit on the floor, I can’t kneel, I can’t carry him, I can’t bounce him on my knees, I can’t crawl around with him to play games? I’m struggling at his tumble tots class and don’t know how long I can carry on taking him. I hate it and feel really unhappy about it. The fact that it is so early in the pregnancy and that I can’t blog/talk about it makes it even harder.

I’m struggling with the housework as it is now hurting when I do the hoovering, and again, crawling around cleaning floors and bathrooms is painful. I know I should call her, or someone else but I still can’t bring myself to do it. I have my first midwife appointment this week so will go down the NHS referral line. Last time I didn’t suffer from the SPD until a lot later on in the pregnancy and by the time I got the appt at the hospital I was already booked in for a C section, so I cancelled. This time I may fight to get a cancellation appt or something to get in as early as possible. I’m not sure if they will be able to do anything else to help though. I just wish I knew what I could do.

I have been feeling really down about it and I know that to some extent it is my fault, for not getting my head out of the sand. But we have so much other stuff going on in our lives at the moment (with operation garden renovation, and all the dramas surrounding my flat and our tenants) that it is easy to push this to the back of the queue and get on with everything else. I have been in tears quite a few times with the pain (and hormones no doubt) and with having to ask hubby to do more about the house as I am already finding so much of it physically difficult. I am wearing support pants every day to hold myself together as clearly my muscles aren’t doing the job on their own. The pants help but aren’t exactly comfortable and I just worry they are masking the problem, and that they aren’t making things better in the long run.

I need to make a decision and go to the physio, or find a new one, but at least do something. Time to get my head OUT of the sand. I am not an Ostrich, and repeat!

The update to this post is that I did dig my head out of the sand and called the physio. Full credit to her for her honesty, she admitted defeat and confirmed what I had thought, which was that I needed to see someone with more specific experience with SPD/PGP. So the hunt is on for another physio… stay tuned!

Do you ever bury your head in the sand, or are you stronger than me and face your problems head on?

Back to the beginning…

Posted by Caroline Elliott

As of Friday the truth is out, it is now common knowledge that we are pregnant (just over 9 weeks now)! As there are bound to be a number of pregnancy related posts over the next 7 months or so I thought I should start at the beginning. If I am documenting this pregnancy I’m going to do it properly!

We always knew we wanted more than one child, and even though the reality of having a child is sometimes much harder than you ever realise before you have one, we haven’t changed our mind. Different things work for different people and of course I understand not everyone is fortunate enough to have a second (or even a first) child, but, for us, purely on a personal level, we haven’t felt our family is complete. Lovely yes, but not complete. Hubby says he feels like a couple with a baby, as opposed to a family with a couple of kids.

On crutches at 8 mths – look at the size of me!

Initially we thought we’d like a 2 year gap between babies, but with my problems in my first pregnancy we thought a 2 1/2 to 3 year gap would be better as Monkey would be that bit older and able to do a bit more for himself should I become immobile! We started trying after Christmas and tried to be open minded about how long it may take. We fell pregnant with Monkey incredibly easy (within a month) and had to prepare ourselves that the same might not happen again. Nevertheless we were disappointed when I wasn’t pregnant immediately. I know it’s daft but on some level, even though we knew how unlikely it was, we hoped to get pregnant straight away again.

We re-evaluated and re-steeled ourselves that it may take some time. As it happened though, it didn’t and I fell pregnant the second month of trying. Bonkers and I know we are incredibly lucky! We knew before I was due on because my boobs (which grew to humongous proportions last time) started to grow. Hubby also felt a rise in my body temperature and remembered the same happening last time. But we didn’t want to be too hopeful!

Pregnant yay!

We’d jumped the gun the previous month with early pregnancy tests so this time we were determined to wait until the day I was due on. At first Hubby wanted me to wait for a week after missing a period before taking the test, but I knew I couldn’t wait that long! On the morning I was due on we talked and decided to take the test. No hesitation on either side, he was as excited as me. I took the test and yep, pregnant. So excited, I ran upstairs to tell hubby. Feeling thrilled.

But soon the fear and worry set in. Hubby was being all tiggerish, bouncing around the house with a huge smile on the face, gushing about how happy he felt. I loved it and part of me was with him… but another part felt terrified. My stomach was in knots and I struggled to feel excited. I kept thinking about what may go wrong, and was scared to be excited in case it does. I don’t trust life to be kind, things go wrong all the time and I’m not someone who thinks “It’ll never happen to me” I think “It could happen to me, I’d better be prepared in case it does.”

I also felt nervous about what this means to our lives. This baby is so wanted, so loved already, we had been trying and it is the perfect timing we hoped for in terms of Monkey’s age…. but it still means a lot of changes. I hated being pregnant before and hope I don’t feel the way I felt last time. I worry how my pregnancy will affect Monkey. What if I get to the point where I can’t walk again?

Monkey’s life is going to change so much. It’s what we want, so he isn’t spoilt by the constant attention of two doting parents, but I can’t help but feel for him. He’s had us at his beck and call for his whole life, and now there will be another member of our family to think about. Another child to share things with. I know it’s a good thing but I am nervous about it.

I guess I need to worry less. Kids are resilient and if I do become more immobile I am sure he will cope. Hubby keeps reminding me that it’s only for a few months so I have to hold on to that if things do get bad! As for having to share some attention, we already try to encourage him to be independant and to share, as both are so important, so hopefully this will help prepare him for the arrival of a sibling. Plus it will be lovely to watch them grow together, to play (and fight) and talk (and argue).

I am still nervous, but I am also very excited and looking forward to this new chapter of our lives as a family!

How did you find out you were pregnant? Is your family complete with your child/ren or do you hope for more?

SuperBusyMum

Becoming a Stay at Home Mum

Can I really do this?

pregnancy symptoms

I hate big boobs and I cannot lie …

My pregnancy craving – Tangfastics!

The Magic Moment of that First Scan

My pregnancy, week 10 – symptoms are improving!

A Rollercoaster of Emotions, but a Glimmer of Hope

Signs of SPD/PGP and Burying my head in the Sand

Back to the beginning…