Thursday, July 17, 2014

How to piss off a pregnant woman...

So at 37 weeks pregnant and feeling very much over the whole thing it is fair to say that I have become rather irritable and it doesn't take much to set me off.  However there are a few things that are really starting to piss me off, like when people say:
1. 'When are you due?' And then when I tell them they look at my huge belly and say 'oh wow you look ready to pop'
2. 'Has the baby dropped down yet' - no the baby hasn't dropped, she is pretty bloody comfy in there and making no sign of a quick exit
3. 'The doctors won't let you go overdue given how big the baby is and how little you are' - news flash, the doctors don't care how big the baby is unless they deem there to be a risk to either my health or the baby's health (on that note, must start researching how to elevate my blood pressure before doctors appointments!! - I can handle another 3 weeks of pregnancy but the thought of another 5 would be pure torture)
4. 'The baby will definitely come early' - given that my family has a long history of overdue babies and that first babies are more than likely to be overdue I am certainly not holding my breath for an early arrival, so neither should you.
5. 'Pregnancy is such a beautiful thing, I loved being pregnant' - if you haven't been pregnant in the last 25 years then you probably can't remember your pregnancy, and even if you did think pregnancy was a glorious time in your life, I don't, I am hating almost every minute of it.  I am just looking forward to the best present ever at the end of it.


Friday, July 11, 2014

To my little girl

To my baby girl,

It's now only a few weeks before mummy and daddy will get to meet you, we can't wait to hold you in our arms and to see what you look like.  Will you have lots of hair (more than daddy!) or none at all, will you have mummy's dimples, who will you look like?
I wonder who you will take after, whether you will be energetic and always on the go like mummy or more relaxed and laid back like daddy.  Daddy has visions of you being a sporting superstar, he doesn't mind what sport (as long as it's not power walking).  He's already volunteered to give up his lifetime of Saturdays to be able to take you to play sport. I see you being a little water baby and swimming with mummy in the pool, we already have bathers for you ready for the summer time.
Daddy has put me in charge of education, swimming and cycling (because yes mummy did beat daddy on the bike when we first met each other) daddy is in charge of teaching you everything else! can't wait to buy you your first bike (the pink one that I never had).
Daddy can't wait until you are walking so that he can dress you in little overalls (pink ones, not the brown ones my mummy used to dress me in) and gumboots and take you to Bunnings on a Saturday morning. He wants to buy a house for our little family, one with a big enough backyard so that he can grow a veggie patch with you.  
I want you to be you, whoever you may be. I want you to grow up to be strong and independent, caring and loving with strong values, I hope that I can teach you to be these things.

I love you little girl
Mummy
xxx

4am

It's 4am and I'm awake for the 3rd night in a row, I'm tired, my hips are aching and my heartburn has been keeping me up half the night.  My mind is running overtime with a million questions I should have asked the midwife when I was at the hospital today.  I feel depressed because tonight I discovered even more stretch marks and no matter how much research I do on google there seems to be no remedy to remove stretch marks, these will forever be my scars that remind me of this beautiful thing I am doing.  I'm creating to do lists in my head of all the things I need to do before the baby arrives, it's my type A personality coming out, I need to be organised as it allows me to feel that I have some form of control over this situation for which I know I really have none.
When we saw the midwife today she tried to push out my due dates and Luke thought I was going to punch her! Whilst one part of me wants her to come quickly so I can meet her, the other part of me wants her to hurry up and get out of me so that my body stops aching, so that I can enjoy food again without it coming back up, so that she doesn't grow too big in there.
I feel her moving around inside and I know she too is getting uncomfortable as there is not much room left in there for her to wriggle around anymore, her feet kick me in the ribs and her little elbows try to push their way out. I think about how amazing it is that I have a little human growing inside of me, a mini me! I think about all the things I want for my little girl in her life, of who she might turn out to be.

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Mixed Emotions

Day 4 of my mat leave and all this free time allows my mind to work overtime!  Part of me can't wait to meet my little girl, I am so excited to see what she looks like and finally hold her in my arms for the first time. I can't wait to bring her home and show her all the love we have for her and the wonderful nursery we've created for her.
Then there is the part of me that starts thinking about the labour and how petrified I am to actually go through the birth and bring her into the world, although upon reviewing the 32 week scan her head is normal size, it's just her belly that's off the charts for size and apparently head size is the only thing to worry about (I'm not so convinced). I know that women go through child birth every day and that our bodies were made for this so called amazing thing, but it doesn't mean I can't be absolutely s**t scared of my body being torn apart to bring life into this world.
Then I start thinking about what happens when I bring her home from hospital, what if I have no idea what to do, what if I am a terrible mum.  I've always been so in control of my life, from my education to my career and my sporting achievements, I've always had so much control over all of these elements.  For the first time ever I am going to have no control and it scares me. 
I think about my body (I know this sounds vain), am I ever going to get my old body back, will my stretch marks ever fade away? Some women will criticise me for even thinking this, tell me that the extra flab on my belly and thighs, the saggy boobs and the stretch marks are all just part of the experience and it is such a beautiful thing to be able to bring life into this world.  I used to pride myself on my fitness and now I look at old photos and wonder will I ever look like that again, will I ever get my fitness back.
I think ahead to next year when I return to work and wonder how am I going to juggle a career and motherhood and can I really do both well.  I feel guilty that I'm going to be putting my little girl into child care at only 6 months so that I can go back to work, to earn money to make sure she has the best possible life.  I worry that I won't be any good at my career because I'll spend all day thinking about my little girl, I worry that I won't be a good mum because I wont't be there for her when she needs a hug, I may miss out on those special first moments.
I've spent the past 8 months wishing time would hurry up so that I can hold her in my arms but now that it's so close I feel so scared. I always put so much pressure on myself to deliver the best I can in life, no matter what it is that I am doing, and motherhood is no different, I want to be the best mum that I possibly can.  I'm scared that I won't be and this is the most important job I'll ever have in my life.



Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Maternity Leave

Finally on maternity leave!  It feels great! Day 2 and so far it has been a very productive break from work!
Day 1
Housework
Laundry
Long walk
Massage
Coffee with a friend
Catch up with another friend
Afternoon nap
Tax returns done
Grocery shopping
Photos developed

Day 2
In true blog form I spent a lot of my day baking (after a well overdue haircut!).  Seeing as I can't really bike at the moment and baby is not quite here yet it felt like I should be true to this blog and do some baking!!  
I recently discovered the Natural Nutritionist website and some awesome recipes so I made some energy bars and a healthy chocolate slice.  I also made some pumpkin soup, prepared dinner and dessert for tonight and made some home made jam!!

Looking forward to a relaxing day at home tomorrow having a Scrapbooking day with mum.

Beer and Bubs

Luke went on a blokes birthing class entitled 'Beer and Bubs'! Held at a pub in South Melbourne it was a good opportunity for him to get a good understanding of what will happen during labour and how he can support me with what he should do and say and more importantly what he shouldn't do and say!! He came home very enthusiastic with a page of handwritten notes, the first of which being 'Do not coach her'!  He also announced that if he had to massage me for a whole 12 hours of labour then he would (wish I had have had a tape recorder to record that!!). We are both so excited, hurry up little girl.

Baby Shower

Was completely overwhelmed today when bubba and I were showered with love and gifts by my amazing friends and family.  I am truly blessed to have such amazing women in my life, and my little girl is going to have such amazing role models in her life.  Definitely feeling very real now and only one more week at work.

Big Bubba!!

Had another scan at 32 weeks to make sure everything was looking okay with jelly beans kidney, we were pretty excited to get to see our little jelly bean again!  At the scan she was not so much a little jelly bean anymore but rather a whopping big baby girl, measuring in the 90th percentile for weight, already weighing approx. 2.2kg or 4.8 pounds. With another 8 weeks still to go and this being the time that baby usually puts on the most amount of weight I am starting to get very nervous about the birth.  It is perfect timing that today I have a birthing class which helps to out my mind at ease a little about the birth, and apparently the weight means nothing and can be incorrect, all that matters is bubs head size!!  Can't wait to meet my little girl, let's hope she doesn't put on too much weight these next few weeks.

All time low

I hit an all time low in my pregnancy.  They say that morning sickness is usually only in the first trimester, however I had it in my first, second and now again in my third.  Only the sickness I have now comes with severe vomiting, like gastro kind of vomiting as opposed to just nausea. I left the house this morning feeling pretty average but had plans and wasn't letting pregnancy get in the way!! I drove down the street when I started feeling extremely sick and before I knew it I had thrown up in the car, all over me and all over the car.  I turned around, drove back home and told Luke to meet me downstairs with a towel, poor guy prob thought I was in labour!! He took one look at me and the car covered in vomit and did what any good boyfriend would do, cleaned it up whilst I went upstairs to clean myself!!  I'm hoping that it is true when they say that sickness is a sign of a healthy pregnancy, hopefully she is one healthy bub!

Friday, April 18, 2014

Men nest too...

I've always heard about women nesting during pregnancy, what I hadn't known about was that men also nest. This became apparent the other weekend! Upon purchasing a cot from eBay and collecting it, Luke decided that this meant he must suddenly paint the nursery so that he could set up the cot. A trip to Masters and the paint colour was selected, I was kicked out of the house and Luke started painting. After 5 days of painting and re painting (just a little bit of Mr Perfectionist wanting to get everything absolutely right for his little girl!) the room is starting to take shape.
However this was just the start of the daddy instinct kicking in! A trip to baby bunting and it was Luke asking all of the questions about prams and capsules, making me then test out every capsule to work out which one would be the easiest to get out of the car.
He event spent a Saturday morning calling 5 baby stores to find out if we could get an adapter to fit the capsule we'd bought and the pram we were wanting to buy.
I'm certainly not complaining, it's nice to have a partner showing this much interest in the pregnancy and his little bub!

Baby moon!!

Luke and I have decided to make the most of our time whilst bub is still in belly so we've used the Easter break to take off to WA to have some well deserved down time. Travelling whilst pregnant certainly does have its challenges though! I used to love flying, now a 4 hour flight was a struggle, my back was killing and being seated in a window seat is no good for the frequent trips to the toilet (must make sure I get an aisle seat on the way home). Our 4 hour flight was then met by a 4 1/2 hour car drive down one of the most boring roads ever with stops required at every petrol station because my attempt to stay more hydrated and drink more water just means needing to pee every 5 minutes. After a long day of travel we arrived in Albany where we are staying with some of Luke's friends for a few days before we head off to the Margaret River for some time to ourselves. 
Staying with friends with 2 small children is certainly giving us a taste of what our life is soon to become! Whilst I'm excited to become a mum and meet our little girl, definitely need to make the most of life for the next 16 weeks!

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Which one is harder?

As I was spectating Melbourne Ironman yesterday I found myself wondering which is harder, having a baby or completing an Ironman?
Both involve 9 months of training with no drinking and partying, however in training for an Ironman over the course of 9 months you lose weight and gain extreme fitness. In the 9 months of pregnancy you gain weight and lose all your fitness. You then arrive at the day of days, one has a definite start time where a gun goes off and away you go, knowing what you are capable of and having a rough idea of how long you will endure the torture for. The other arrives with no warning and you have no idea how much pain you are in for nor how long you will endure this pain for. At the end of an Ironman you can finally rest and go back to drinking and partying, knowing that you have achieved something pretty amazing. After childbirth you have achieved something even more amazing by bringing a new life into the world, but your days of rest, relaxation and partying are long gone!!

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Baking more than just the bun in my oven!

I had a sudden urge to do some baking tonight, has been a very long time since I baked some tasty treats and decided that bub and I needed some home baked healthy goodness for morning snacks. So as I sit here writing this I have a batch of raspberry and bran muffins cooking nicely in the oven (whilst bub is cooking nicely in my oven!)
Whilst whipping up the muffins, Luke pipes up from the couch 'I can't wait for you to go on maternity leave, I'm going to come home to amazing dinners every night.' He's dreaming!! Most women I know with new borns are lucky enough to manage to have a shower long enough to wash their hair, yet he thinks he's coming home to a gourmet meal each night. I think he believes that babies just miraculously sleep all day and that I'll have plenty of time to cook gourmet meals, clean the house and do mountains of laundry. Anyone with a new born that might want to share with him what the day in the life of a new mum looks like? If I do manage to get some time to myself it will be spent whipping my body back into shape not whipping up gourmet dinners!

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Bub craves carbs!!

I think my bub is going to come out looking like a potato, she sure does seem to love her spuds! Any type of spud, though it seems the more fattening the better. Spud bar, chip, wedges and potato gems seem to be her favourite though, and what my little bub wants she gets. Hope she appreciates that mummy is ruining her usually fit physique to ensure she gets her daily spud craving satisfied. Funnily enough when I log into my 'What to Expect' app this week it tells me that bub is now the size of a sweet potato, pretty fitting really!

Friday, February 28, 2014

Decisions, Decisions...

Once upon a time I would be researching new bikes to buy now I find myself spending hours working out what pram to buy. At least with bikes it's pretty simple, they all have 2 wheels, they all pretty much do the same thing it's just a matter of what brand you want and how much you're willing to pay and really there are only a few big brands out there to choose from.
Prams are a whole different story. Firstly I find myself torn between buying a running pram versus a standard pram, then for each of these choices there seem to be 100 different prams, varying levels of prices and a million different colours. Even buying an apartment wasn't so difficult! I looked at 4 in one day, made an offer on one and 4 weeks later moved in. I've been researching prams for 4 weeks and am still no closer to making any kind of decision. Any recommendations???

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Morning sickness is a bitch

Morning sickness or should I call it morning, afternoon and evening sickness has probably got to be the worst thing about pregnancy. For those people lucky enough to never experience it, I hate you (sorry that's the hormones talking). I was in a constant state of feeling nauseous for the majority of the first trimester spending all afternoon and evening feeling like I was going to puke. As I progressed into the 2nd trimester I started to feel better and was hoping that the morning sickness monster was finally losing its powers and then wham! As I approach my 17th week the morning sickness monster has decided to attack me again, this time far worse than before. Got to love almost throwing up on a colleagues desk at work or whilst trying to do Pilates. Looks like it's back to dry toast and lemonade icy poles, funny that my never fail hangover cure also seems to help with my morning sickness!

Saturday, February 22, 2014

Pregnancy is a beautiful thing?

Who are these women that love being pregnant? For I am yet to meet one and I am certainly not one of them. Of course I think pregnancy is a pretty amazing thing to be able to bring life into the world and I certainly cannot wait to be a mum and meet my little girl but I just wish I could bypass this whole pregnancy thing!
During the first trimester I felt like I was permanently hungover, I got hideous back acne, my boobs hurt like crazy and I stacked on a few kilos because the only thing that seemed to make me feel better was carbs and lots of them. Everyone then kept telling me that the 2nd trimester is the 'honeymoon period' and you get all your energy back and your morning sickness goes away. Well at 16 weeks I am still awaiting this glorious honeymoon period because right now I am the most exhausted I have ever been due to crazy insomnia, I feel ridiculously fat and now have cellulite and to top things off this morning out of nowhere I was sitting on the couch when I suddenly felt sick and only just made it to the kitchen sink before I threw up brekky and half of last nights dinner.
It's no wonder women are the ones to bring life into this world, if you think men are bad with man flu imagine what they'd be like with pregnancy!
I know it's all going to be worth it when I get to hold my little princess in my arms for the first time but the thought of another long 24 weeks is slightly depressing!

Friday, February 21, 2014

Pregnancy Insomnia

For the last few weeks I have been suffering from insomnia which is extremely annoying given that being pregnant is leaving me feeling absolutely exhausted so I need my beauty sleep more than ever!  So today when I was lying awake at 4am tossing and turning I decided rather than staying in bed getting angry about not being able to sleep I would just get up and be productive then when I crash and burn later I can go for an afternoon nap. This the insomnia today has actually proved rather productive! Managed a solid session at the gym, a load of laundry, taken bags of clothes and books to the op shop, reconciled my finances (yup I'm still a geek!) and half tidied the house all before 8.30am!! Next up to paint the newly renovated wardrobe before I fall in a heap!

Friday, February 7, 2014

Looking a bit porky!

Whilst the common response to my pregnancy announcement has of course been "Congratulations". Last night at a work function upon telling a colleague of my pregnancy his first response was "I'm glad you told me because I thought you were looking a bit porky lately" how rude!! Yes I may have chubbed up a bit lately, a combination of eating far too many carbs and a lack of exercise, but of all things to say to a pregnant woman with raging hormones. I certainly was very insulted by this remark but it did also give me a bit of a kick up the bum to get off my fat arse this morning and go to the gym! I also think I may take on the advice of another pregnant friend "the secret to looking slim whilst pregnant is just to buy the same clothes in a bigger size" a shopping trip today may be in order to hide my big bum and thighs and my baby bloated belly!

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Boy or Girl?

Before meeting Luke I had always said that I'd rather have 2 boys than 2 girls. Of course I'd love to have one of each but if I couldn't then definitely 2 boys. Have always thought it would be easier to bring up boys, that was until I met Luke and his brother! The mischief they got up to over the years is enough to age any parent extremely quickly. So I find myself hoping more and more for a baby girl. Of course at the end of the day all I really want is a healthy baby. Both families have a pretty high ratio of boys to girls and I'm pretty convinced that our bub will also be a boy. Upon reading an old wives tale about peeing in a cup of baking soda to determine gender of course I raced off to the bathroom to give it a go!! The tale is that if it fizzes it's a boy and if it doesn't it's a girl. It fizzed! I then used a Chinese gender predictor calculator which also told me boy!!
Before getting pregnant I always said if never find out the gender but rather keep it a surprise but now I really want to know!! Luke of course doesn't so looks like another 25 weeks of waiting to find out!! Or maybe not!! Post writing this we did give in and find out the gender of little jelly bean and I am so excited to be having a baby GIRL!!!!

Responses to pregnancy announcement!

Have so far had a lot of different responses to my pregnancy announcement. Mostly of course everyone is thrilled and excited for me but some people like to ask strange questions or offer their advice.
A common first question from work people is "who is your obstetrician?" When I advise that I'm having the baby in a public hospital people seem shocked! Another question from work colleagues "was it planned or unplanned?" Pretty personal question for a work colleague to be asking!! There are of course the many people that's first response was "I knew it!" I guess the rumours started after the work Christmas party when I wasn't drinking. Especially given that the prior year I earnt the nickname "reverse sorenson" as I consumed far too much alcohol! Another funny comment from a colleague "I thought your boobs had gotten big!" Then of course there is the advice, there is no shortage of advice! Upon seeing me drinking a coffee I was told to limit my caffeine intake, not drink alcohol and to not have soft serve ice cream. Other advice includes:
Get lots of rest (hard not to when you crash on the couch watching TV at 8pm)
Spend as much money on yourself now because soon you'll be spending all your money on a baby.
For Luke and I to spend as much time together now before bub comes.
All very good advice and I'm sure once bub comes there will be advice coming in by the truckload.

Friday, January 31, 2014

Bikes, Baking & Baby!!

It's been awhile since I've written on this blog and a LOT has changed since I last wrote!  This blog was originally started as I counted down to ironman number 2 whilst I attempted to meet Mr Right and share my crazy dating stories. 
Not only did I never quite make it to ironman number 2, I managed to meet Mr Right and now I'm having a baby! Yup that's right!! No more bikes, boys and baking, it's now bikes, baby and baking. Yikes!!  I'm not sure what is more daunting, counting down to an ironman race or counting down to having a baby. Both involve months of no drinking, one involves becoming the fittest you've ever been, whilst the other the fattest you've ever been!! Instead of researching fancy TT bikes and carbon wheels you find yourself researching every type of pram.
Whilst labour could be likened to competing in an ironman with both involving hours of torture the big difference is that after you finish an ironman you get to go back to a normal life, after labour you will never have your life back again!
Whilst I'm extremely excited to be entering this next chapter in my life I'm also scared, for the first time in my life I feel like I have no control over my body or my life and this is just the beginning! So join me on my journey as I count down to baby number 1!!