1.
The first trimester is rough. I had really bad
morning *all day* sickness which really impacted what food I could eat (hardly
anything). It literally felt like torture because I was so hungry but just
couldn’t eat- also, don’t count on the
morning sickness ending abruptly at 12 weeks- I remember waiting for the 12
week mark, excited to see the back of the sickness. And when it didn’t happen,
I was so gutted and was worried I was going to feel sick forever. Fortunately,
it did eventually subside at 16 weeks!
2.
There is a reason why people say ginger biscuits
help with morning sickness. Listen to this, even though you don’t like
gingerbread and are convinced they are just going to make you feel worse. I
couldn’t get out of bed in the morning if I didn’t eat from my stash of ginger
biscuits in a tin next to my bed.
3.
It might not be the best idea to get a puppy
when you are pregnant- granted, I did this completely by accident and I love
Toby to bits, but morning sickness plus puppy poo is not the best combination.
4.
Use stretch mark oils/ cream early- I started
using it pretty much as soon as I found out I was pregnant and I didn’t get a
single stretch mark. I think it is mostly meant to be down to genetics, but I
definitely feel like the oil made a big difference.
5.
Your best buy will be your pregnancy pillow. It
was a god send throughout my pregnancy. I don’t know what I would have done
without it. It is also gives you a perfectly good excuse to take up most of the
bed.
6.
There are some really cute (and useful) apps out
there. Pregnancy+ shows you what your little one looks like at each stage and
compares them to fruit, animals and sweets. There does come a point in the
third trimester where the novelty wears off as the only change each week is
that baby has gotten bigger, but in those early weeks when it feels like
nothing is happening, there is actually so much going on inside and it is so
fascinating- and when you can’t physically ‘see’ the pregnancy, it makes it
feel all the more real.
7.
Picking a name is a lot harder than you think.
And make sure you try it out with middle names and second names. It can
surprise you what names really don’t work together, even if you think you love
them. Picking a name is obviously a lot of fun too. We really loved ‘Baby Name
Together’ which is like a baby name version of Tinder where you swipe and match
the names you both like. We narrowed it down to a list of 5 names for a boy and
a girl and ultimately chose Teddy’s name from this.
8.
If you can afford it, consider an early private
scan. Seeing as you are paying, they feel much less rushed than the NHS ones
and they really take their time with it. It is amazing (and reassuring) to see
that tiny heartbeat, even though the baby somewhat resembles a small mushroom
at this point. Alternatively, consider paying for a positioning scan in the
third trimester so you have absolute confirmation of your baby’s position. If I
hadn’t been sent for a growth scan, Teddy would have been an undiagnosed breech
and I don’t know if I would have had the same knowledge and confidence to go
through with a VBB and may have panicked and opted for a c-section in the
moment.
9.
Don’t worry about the size of your bump! I had a
small bump throughout pregnancy and almost felt like I was pretending to be
pregnant throughout most of it as I didn’t look pregnant for such a long time.
I was envious of the big, beautiful bumps I would see. However, in hindsight, I
didn’t have nearly as much back pain and I didn’t find my third trimester as
uncomfortable as I know others did. I was blessed with a cute, little bump,
just right for me and I wish I had spent more time appreciating that and less
time comparing my bump to others!
10.
Get your flu shot- for the first time ever, I
did not catch a cold over the Christmas holidays. A major accomplishment for
working in a school.
11.
Make the most out of the second trimester- it is
true- it is the best one! We went on holiday during the first trimester as it
fell during the summer holidays, however, I do think the second trimester would
have been the perfect time as it was definitely when I felt my best. The baby
had started kicking, I was rocking a little bump, I had this renewed energy
after weeks of throwing up. It is the perfect time to start ticking things off
your to do list.
12.
Although I do think the second trimester is the
prime time for a babymoon, don’t be afraid to go in your first trimester. I was
so anxious about going away as was worried about my morning sickness,
especially with travelling, and that I wouldn’t enjoy the holiday- although,
yes, I did feel sick most days, it was much better feeling poorly in a
beautiful setting with time to chill and relax than feeling rubbish back at
home.
13.
Spend more time in the moment- especially when
baby is kicking. One of my best memories of being pregnant is at my mum and
dad’s van. We had just taken our dog, Toby, for his first time at the beach and
he was lying snoring at my feet. I was resting after the long walk and Teddy
decided to have a right dance party in my belly. It was the first time I had
seen the kicks visibly moving my belly and it was lovely knowing that he was
there with us too.
14.
Get your dog ready for the baby. As well as
taking Toby training, we also played baby crying sounds. I carried a cuddly toy
in the sling and put it in the car seat with the crying sound playing. Toby is
totally unfazed by the baby crying now. We also practised walking Toby with the
pram so he could get used to that too.
15.
Siobhan Miller’s Practical Ways to Make your
Birth Better was the best thing I read throughout my entire pregnancy. It
helped me reframe my fears around pregnancy and supported me in feeling really
positive about what was to come. It enabled me to visualise the birth I wanted
to have and even though Teddy’s birth didn’t quite match that, it gave me a
really good sense of what I knew I did and didn’t want.
16.
Antenatal classes can be empowering. I wasn’t
aware of how much choice I actually had when it came to birth, and how it
important it is to be informed, until I attended the antenatal classes. And I
do feel that they contributed to both James and I being able to have the
vaginal breech birth that I wanted.
17.
Try and exercise as much as you can as it can
make you feel stronger and have more stamina for birth. Join a class, if you
can. I started aquanatal classes after Christmas and absolutely loved them. It
also enabled me to get to know other people who were pregnant and due around
the same time as me, and I felt I had a lot of support from the group when I
found out Teddy was breech- helping me do handstands in the pool in hopes of
turning Teddy, etc.
18.
Massage your perineum! Enough said- trust me,
this is an important one!
19.
Invest in a birthing ball- great way to exercise
at home, super comfy, massively helped me keep active and upright during labour
and (although unsuccessful) was also useful to have when I was trying to turn
Teddy.
20.
Do a pregnancy shoot- I didn’t get enough
pictures of my bump, so it was the perfect opportunity to get some nice ones.
21.
As you approach your due date, make and freeze
some meals- you will be grateful that you did this the first few weeks after
baby is born. I was making and freezing a lasagne whilst having contractions
the day before Teddy was born! Oddly, I remember that I kept thinking my
fingernails smelt of garlic as I was giving birth to Teddy and was worried that
would be the first thing he would smell…
22.
Allow yourself to slow down- especially in the
third trimester. You will never get this time again.
23.
No they aren’t Braxton Hicks- they are the real
thing…
24.
Don’t be embarrassed to record your labour. I
didn’t intend to take any pictures or videos of the birth but I am so glad I
decided to at the end. There is a wonderful video of James and I meeting Teddy
for the first time that I know I will treasure forever.
25.
Go with your gut- you are so much stronger than
you think!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment