Tag Archives: Pregnancy

Mar 24 2014

A Relationship in Reverse - Dating AFTER Kids

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I’m forever blogging about my whirlwind romance with Craig. In just under three years together we’ll have notched up an impressive three pregnancies, (sadly only) two children and three house moves. To say that we live an unconventional life is an understatement.

For those who are unaware of our story, I can condense the entire thing into a couple of paragraphs.

We met back in 2000 in a pub (I wasn’t quite 18 yet but moving swiftly on…). Craig is 12 years older and I wasn’t for one second thinking we would up in a hospital delivery room together. I knew he quite fancied me but I was young, dare-I-say-it pretty and very ambitious. We were friends though and my group of girly friends had a few nights out on the town with his group of slightly greying ones.

At 19 I headed off to university in Chichester and lost touch with friends back in Reading. From there, I moved to London where I spent several years donning suits, working too hard and getting obliterated in bars. It was sometimes fun but often lonely and I made the decision to return to Reading in 2010. Just 5 months later I met up with Craig following a quick “how are you?” exchange on Facebook. He came over to my flat, cooked me a meal that must have seriously impressed me as we had a cheeky kiss.

Just two months later we were buying ovulation sticks, having tests for PCOS, and talking babies. One more month and I was carrying Dexter and beginning this blog. The rest, the miscarriage, my pregnancy with Mini Madam and all those horrid house moves followed in quick succession. And now, we’re planning a wedding. Reading Festival A Relationship in Reverse Dating AFTER Kids

Reading Festival 2011 - note the randoms in the background…

Despite cramming loads of life-changing experiences into our relationship, the one thing we haven’t really done is date. Before I got pregnant with Dexter we went to Reading Festival. But this, along with a few meals here and there, has been the sum total of ‘couple time’ we’ve had. Having been pregnant for the majority of our relationship so far, any dates we have squeezed in haven’t been the frivolous care-free kind that most couples will have to reflect upon.

But this is set to change.

As soon as Mini Madam is old enough to stay with grandparents overnight, we’ll be putting aside regular time for each other. That time will be spent ignoring the fact we have bills to pay and trying to forget that week’s parenting dilemma.

We’ve created a sort of bucket list of dream dates we want to crack on with before we say ‘I do’. This is pretty eclectic with things that are eye-wateringly expensive, to things that are free; things that we’ll do together by ourselves, and things we’ll invite our friends along to… a real mixed bag. Among the things to get excited about will be music concerts, spa days, rugby matches, going track-side at the F1, sky-diving, theme parks… all designed to whisk us away from our babies for a few precious hours.

C7A8795B D795 4F46 AD37 ACB34118606A.CIMG A Relationship in Reverse Dating AFTER Kids

The first one we’ve got our eye on is horse-racing. Both of us have been tons of times with friends and family, but never together. Although I’m more likely than Craig to spend big on the horses, it will be so nice to get dressed up and enjoy a few drinks in the sun. There aren’t many racecourses I haven’t been to - I used to live within walking distance of Goodwood, Newbury was our nearest course when I was growing up, we’ve both been to Ascot, Newcastle, Epsom, and Aintree on various hen/stag weekends … but Kempton Park is one neither of us have been to.

Kempton has some big meets over the next few months too with April, August and September looking to be particularly busy. We’ll probably aim to stay overnight somewhere so we can take advantage of some of the evening entertainment and Craig can have a cheeky beer. With adult tickets starting from £24 (early bird rates) and dinner packages from £85pp, it’s not a hugely expensive day out (before you factor in your bet money of course). For a full day of entertainment, it’s actually pretty good value.

In September there’s even a feature day with Dizzee Rascal taking to the stage in the evening. He wouldn’t necessarily be our top pick of acts to watch but I’m sure we can manage a bit of mum and dad dancing with the younger set after a few jugs of Pimms!

With quality hotels nearby such as the pretty Carlton Mitre, Harrisons and dozens of Heathrow hotels a short taxi ride away there’s also plenty of places to stopover and make a weekend of it whilst the kids are having fun with Nanny and Grandad.

So that will be our first date night together without our babies. Did you plan days out like this when you were nearing the end of your pregnancy?

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Mar 19 2014

35 Weeks Pregnant

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So I’ve kissed goodbye to 35 weeks and now the countdown can really begin. Just one more week and I’ll be officially considered ‘full term’. I’ve done all my homework and collated a bunch of natural labour inducers (from the whacky to the scientific) and plan to pack them all in over the next few weeks. My diet will consist of raspberry tea, curry and pineapple (I expect I’ll get some strange looks in Tesco when stocking my trolley with this lot) and my evenings will spent frantically trying to fit in hour slots of Wii, bouncing on gym balls, breast pumping, and sex.

Too much information? Trust me they’ll be nothing glamorous about it! week 35 35 Weeks Pregnant

In other news, I had my final midwife appointment last week. I had been really looking forward to sharing the news that Mini Madam had nosedived but unfortunately my midwife was at a conference. To my frustration, the stand-in was the very midwife we moved GP surgeries to avoid with this baby. Luckily, I didn’t have any real concerns to raise so could just about tolerate her lack of English, half-arsed conversation, and generally scattiness. We just have one more consultant appointment and scan left to go then we’re home free. No more weeing in pots or being poked and prodded until D Day.

Unfortunately, most of the exciting symptoms I’ve experienced over the last few weeks have dried up now. I’m still getting random tightenings and I can feel her exerting pressure on my pelvic bone whenever I’m upright, but the actual contractions have stopped. All this downward momentum has led to even more frequent trips to the loo which is beginning to get on my wick. I seem to be up every single night at 2.29am for a quick pit-stop so the Mystic Meg in me is wagging her finger furiously.

In truth, I’d be hugely relieved if this turns out to be middle of the night dash to the hospital as the drama will give me less time to tot up all my little niggles with the NHS. If I’m stuck on a hospital bed all day you can bet both Craig and I will be swapping complaints under our breaths and generally making a nuisance of ourselves. I’m actually a fairly placid person but I tend to lose all power of diplomacy when I’m feeling nervous or frustrated.

The biggest concern right now is that I’ve become a real basket case. I spend most of day crying, slamming doors and generally ranting. I’d make a great a candidate for Gogglebox but I won’t be winning any Parent of the Year awards anytime soon. I think these last few weeks are definitely going to test my metal as I’m now really frustrated, tired, and fed up. I struggle to pick up Dexter so he’s bored to death and acting up as much as I am. I tried to do some pregnancy yoga yesterday, but let’s just say it doesn’t have the desired effect when you’re being pelted with wooden puzzle pieces when your eyes are closed.

Right that’s it. Let’s get week 36 out of the way and I’ll start blogging about my ‘experiments’ to try to tempt her out. Over and out.

 

 

Feb 26 2014

32 Weeks Pregnant!

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… And it’s taking forever! Given I’ve had a severe case of insomnia over the last few weeks, the days seem to be taking twice as long. I’m not sure why I can’t sleep but I can guess at anxiety - I know I’ve been over-the-top upset about name choices. Stupid I know. I can just see us repeating the same mistake we made with Dexter and bickering at the registry office! It’s so much responsibility picking a name for someone to live with for the rest of their lives; something cool, something unique. something that can be shortened. something that sounds great on a CV, something an Olympian might be called…

Then there’s the usual niggling feeling that something might be wrong with her. Of course we’ll love her whatever the future holds, but every mother wants a healthy baby. I get incredibly panicky about all the times I’ve forgotten to take a vitamin tablet, or had a half a lager with my dinner. Then there’s the times I haven’t eaten my broccoli as I’d run out of gravy… it’s all very ridiculous.

117 32 Weeks Pregnant!

Of course One Born Every Minute also started again this week and I defy any pregnant woman not to watch it. Although I tell myself it’s all good research, it does scare me to death. One of this week’s couples (Michelle and Micheal) had me inches from the television screen sobbing as he missed his daughter’s birth. As Craig plans on working until the last-minute and is often 100 miles from home, it’s got me worrying that I won’t have a familiar face in the room either. Given he’s also teasing me about going to his school reunion the week I’m due, I have this fear he’ll be staggering through the hospital stinking of beer and insulting all the midwives! If it’s going to happen to anyone, it’ll happen to us.

Physically, my sciatica has been a little better this week, but I’m still on the loo every 5 minutes. My boobs have also ramped up their milk-making endeavours with the occasional leak (I told you pregnancy was ugly). My stretch marks are also getting more and more pronounced and I’ve grown a double chin overnight. I wouldn’t mind any of these transformations, but walking around The Baby Show this week and seeing so many beautiful women who have kept up the spray tans, freshly-styled hair and full face of slap, I’m feeling like the frumpiest mum-to-be in the world. I’ve made a mental note to at least waddle to the beautician for a wax before the big day. Let’s face it, what we don’t see on One Born Every Minute is the midwives giggling about the lady gardens they’ve encountered that day in the staff room!

Apparently, baby is around 4lbs and 18 inches at this point, and it’s still slightly too early to rush down to Holland and Barrett for raspberry tea. She’s cramming in all the study time she can to perfect those survival skills she’ll need to thrive outside the womb — from swallowing and breathing to kicking and sucking. She also looks less opaque now and her skin colour is beginning to look more like her mum and dads (and less like Casper) - great stuff.

Just hurry Mini Madam. Mummy has had enough. I’d much rather be up at 3am nursing you, than watching television for the hard of hearing. Oh and if you can pick a side and stick to it at night it would be really helpful.

 

pixel 32 Weeks Pregnant!