Mother knows breast: is breastfeeding for me?
Funbags, boobies, jugs…our front bumpers go by many a comical name, but do not exist only to fuel schoolboy jokes (and fantasies). They’re quite amazing, actually, as I discovered at a session on...
View ArticleHospital or home birth? There’s no place like home
Before I became pregnant I was adamant I would give birth by caesarean. I would insist upon it. I had a number of reasons why. After hearing a selection of horror stories, I’d become convinced that my...
View ArticleThe painful truth: pain relief options for labour
Last session, Nicki the NCT teacher had us draw up a chart listing pain relief options during labour. We were then to work our way through them giving a tick or a cross against various criteria, such...
View ArticlePlanning for success, writing my birth plan
This week I have written my ‘birth plan’. Quite a few people have said to me that theirs went out the window almost immediately due to unforeseen complications, however I still thought it worthwhile to...
View ArticleMaternity leave begins: Me time!
Today is the first day of the rest of my life. That is a dramatic way of saying I have started maternity leave! Well, actually, that’s not quite true; I am on regular leave at the moment because I had...
View ArticleNesting frenzy: It’s all in the preparation
I’ve have gone into a nesting frenzy. I’m finding it impossible just to sit down and relax. Even at night my mind is whirring with all the things I need to do and it’s keeping me awake. Still, I have...
View ArticleBustin’ out all over: my growing bump
So, the sun has finally come out…and so has another luminous spherical object – my bump! I was having a proper pregnant lady meltdown yesterday because literally none of my summery clothing would fit;...
View ArticleBreathe and stretch…perineal massage
Today, children, we’re going to talk about vaginas, specifically perineal massage! I admit that the concept of getting a baby’s head out of mine fills me with dread. I’d like to say it’s akin to...
View ArticleOne week to due date: The home run
So here we are, my baby’s due date is one week today – how exciting! I’m trying not to get too fixated on the date, since only five per cent of babies are born on the day they’re due, but I have been...
View ArticleThe waiting game
So my due date came and went yesterday with not even a twinge in womb region. I think the most frustrating thing about this waiting is the constant barrage of calls, texts and Facebook messages asking...
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