The birth story of my second child...

It all started with a craving, spicy noodles(aka two minute noddles, instant ramen etc or whatever you call them in your country). I didn't really have cravings as such during my pregnancy unless you count all the tomatoes that I ate so me requesting that my partner pick up some spicy noodles was a rare request.

Monday January 11th and I was now officially a week overdue. At my midwife's appointment that day my blood pressure, heart rate(suffered from Tachycardia during my first labour/delivery so midwife checked to get a base rate), pee, everything was fine. My feet were massive however and I could only fit in jandals(A.K.A flip flops or thongs). Baby's heartbeat was normal and it was head down(though not in an optimal position). I booked in to see my midwife the next day for a stretch and sweep and went home with some positions to try for turning the baby or my stretch and sweep wouldn't happen.

I spent a fair amount of Monday afternoon on my hand and knees in an attempt to get my baby from a slight back to back(posterior) position into a more favourable one. But they were a determined wee thing and wouldn't budge. Bear in mind however that while my son spent most of my pregnancy in the optimal position during labour he moved and was posterior making my labour and birth with him long and hard.

Monday evening rolled around and after an early dinner my partner and I were feeling a bit peckish again. E was in bed asleep and we were watching some tv when my partner decided he wanted pizza so went out to get some. I was craving those spicy noodles that I mentioned earlier so asked him to pick some up while he was out. About 20 minutes later he returned home with pizza and a 5 pack of spicy noddles. While my noodles were cooking I stole some of the pizza then gobbled up the whole bowl of spicy noodles. Man they tasted good. While I knew that they were in no way good for me I was beyond caring, I was fat, uncomfortable and running out of time until an induction needed to happen.

I finished my noodles and within 30 minutes I started to get contractions. Throughout the whole pregnancy I had had relatively painful braxton hicks contractions so I wasn't holding out much hope that these were the real deal. Due to a very stubborn baby being in a slight posterior position these "contractions" started in my back and then progressed round to my stomach. At about 11pm after approx 30-60 minutes of regular contractions I decided to try and get some sleep. At this stage they were lasting 30-40 seconds and were 3 minutes apart. I took a panadol(paracetamol) to try and relieve some of the discomfort and laid down in bed.

The contractions didn't ease and despite doing all the helpful positions during the day the baby didn't flip to a more favourable position until I had been lying down for a bit. I felt it move and suddenly the contractions were easier to deal with. They no longer centered in my back. Sleep became illusive as they became more intense and more frequent. By 1.45am when I called to midwife they were about 60-90 seconds in length and 3 minutes apart. My midwife had told me to call her once they were 5 minutes apart but they were never that far apart always 3 minutes right from the first one. We had a chat about how I was doing and then I talked to my partner.

We decided it was time to go to the birthing centre so text the midwife and took E over to the neighbours for the night. By 2.15am we were at the birthing center and all settled into the birthing suite.

I was very calm at this point, very collected, the total opposite to the birth of my son. I had the oil diffuser going with some calming lavender oil and I was breathing through my contractions, while walking around the birthing suite. I couldn't stay still, I just had to keep moving even when a contraction was upon me. I would just stand on the spot and sway my hips while I breathed in an out calmly. It was kind of a surreal experience.

At about 2.50am the pressure down there was starting to get a bit much so I decided that I wanted to get in to the birthing pool/bath. My birth plan had been to use the bath while in labour and then move elsewhere to actually give birth. But my body was telling me otherwise, I wanted to try the bath. As soon as I got in I relaxed and the pressure while still there was far more bearable.

I just concentrated on what my body was telling me. There was no " ok time to push, thats it keep pushing" etc from the midwife. In that moment when I realised mentally and physically I was ready to start pushing it was like a release of some bind that had been holding me back. At that moment I trusted myself and I trusted my body(it had kind of failed me a bit during the birth of E) and I began to push.

Not long after I got into the birthing pool and felt the true need to push my baby was born. I had done it, I had conquered all my fears that my body wouldn't hold out like last time and I would need an assisted birth again. I had released all the negative thoughts that was holding me back and embraced what my body had told me to do. Giving birth had been a massively empowering experience. I had read multiple stories about empowering births and that amazing feeling that you could get, but I never experienced that with E's birth. I don't and never have felt disappointed by the type of birth that I had with E. I had tried, I couldn't cope and had needed help and I have always been fine with that. Sure I would have liked to have had an all natural empowering birth but for me to cope with what the universe had dealt me birth wise I needed an epidural(though ended up being a spinal block), I needed the help of the forceps and I needed all the drugs afterwards.

This time round however the universe dealt me a different set of cards. The labour while being more intense, was easier to cope with. It was shorter, 4hrs and approximately 45 minutes from first contraction to the birth of my baby. I only pushed a couple of times before the baby was born. I did it and the only pain medication I tried was a panadol(paracetamol) when I had attempted sleep at the start of labour. Sure I was exhausted, but I had done what I had once thought impossible. I had birthed my baby without any medical interventions or any pain relief. The only unfavourable bit this time was having to get stitches for a minor tear along my old episiotomy scar from E birth.

At 3.13am on Tuesday January 12th we welcomed a little baby girl, C into the world. And while she may be nearly 6 months old when this is posted, she still amazes me, just like she did when I first laid eyes on her.

Me and baby C 24hrs after birth.

So for any of you pregnant ladies out there wanting to know my secret of how I coped this is what I did. I spent the whole labour thinking and chanting in my head " I made it through the last contraction I can make it through this one". I just keep repeating that in my head while concentrating on breathing in and out. I found it helped to concentrate on the breathing rather than the pain. I have always been a firm believer of the power of positive thought and it worked. Now it may not work for you and you may require a c-section or possibly an epidural to cope with the pain but just remember no matter what type of birth you have, all births are magical as all babies are miracles.

Comment below with your story, how did your birth go? Was it exactly as you planned, or did nothing go the way you had wanted?

Bump date weeks 17-24

Hello there again. Yep I'm still pregnant. I kinda promised myself that I would post a new bump date every two weeks and somehow I missed a few, but oh well better late than never.

My belly has definitely popped out and I am starting to feel fat something which didn't happen this early when I was pregnant with my son. I think this time round the reason why I feel that I am larger is more to do with what I do everyday. When I was pregnant with my first I worked in a call centre answering telephones, now I run around after a two year old all day and spend far less time on my bum. Another first with this pregnancy is that I actually own pregnancy jeans, I just used track pants with my first. While they may be comfortable I do find that the style of waist band I got and the way my stomach is(still have a flabby bit at the bottom, bloomin genetics and baby weight) pushes my pants down a bit and I repeatedly have to pull them up when walking. I have also started wearing more to show off my belly which has meant that I am getting more comments about it.

I do find that if I do too much I ache some at night and sometimes into the next day, but other than that nothing much is wrong. The night cramps in the legs have returned, something which I got with son but much later in the pregnancy. I hate night cramps.

Cravings I don't really have many as such but I am loving Snickers bars at the moment and will eat maybe about 3-4 a week. Oh only other craving is anything that involves pastry so our menu plans rather than be a lot of dishes that require rice(a previous craving) they now include pies and the such 2-3 times a week..... MMMMMMM apple pie. This week we will be having steak pie and fish pie. I am still loving fish at the moment so have been trying to eat it at least once a week.

In terms of baby buys I have only purchased one item of clothing and a new nursing singlet. Though to be honest we are sorted for everything else except a baby carrier than can be used from newborn(trying to avoid buying a double pram) and a new bouncer as the one we do have I don't like as it is too upright for a newborn. But then again that is a non essential item and I will wait until something comes up for sale or is cheap secondhand.

Only thing I don't feel overly ready for is the birth itself, but that is another kettle of fish.

Thats it for now, I think I have covered everything....

Bump Date Week 16

Hi all, so as I sit here in bed writing this I am technically into my 17th week of pregnancy but only just so it still counts right?

 So for this past week and I bit I have really been feeling like a pregnant woman. My belly has popped out, I have been having cravings and I have wanted to nap some days. But other than that its been a good week.

As my belly has popped out and isn't just this layer of jiggly belly fat anymore sitting in some positions is a little uncomfortable and pants that used to fit are getting a bit tight. I've started to have "I have nothing to wear" issues quite a bit earlier on this pregnancy. It has made me contemplate actually investing in some pregnancy pants, something I didn't do last time as my trackies fit fine. But even the larger pairs I have for my 'fat' days are getting a bit tight and my fat jeans are just the wrong shape for my body type so are useless and won't stay up.

For cravings I still want sushi often, though that is passing a bit. I still cannot stand the smell of beef, especially when cooking so my poor partner is having to do without steak for a little bit. I still love my toast in the mornings with cream cheese and tomatoes. Overall I haven't had any major cravings this week, I really just eat what I feel like eating even if it is egg sandwiches for dinner.

So overall a good week, though a busy one.

Bump date weeks 1-15

So weeks 1-15 were relatively uncomplicated and uneventful but here's a recap anyway....

Weeks 1-4 are void and null since I was but wasn't pregnant during this time as that's when sex etc occurred.

Weeks 4-5 - Not many pregnancy symptoms appearing apart from some slight nausea. It was at about this time that I confirmed the pregnancy by peeing on a stick and visiting the doctor to make it all official.

Once I hit the 5 week mark however those early pregnancy symptoms started to appear. I got terrible morning sickness all day every day for nearly 4 weeks. My stomach bloated so pants no longer fitted and I felt like a fat blob most of the time and my boobs ached.

Morning sickness for me however never results in vomiting other than once or twice, I just get all day every day nausea that causes a loss in appetite and weight loss from not eating. However this time rather than not eat I did force myself to eat little and often and it helped ease the queasiness. Having naps when my toddler did also helped.

Once I reached 9-10 weeks the nausea eased off and I could eat properly again. However I discovered new food aversions that I didn't have when I was pregnant with my son. I can't stand steak/beef and occasionally pork. Before pregnancy a nice juice steak was one of my favourite meals, now just the smell of raw beef puts me off. I'm loving chicken, fish and rice at the moment with lots of veges.

The bloating went at about 12-13 weeks so now pants are started to fit again, though if I put on any weight it wont be for much longer.

We told all the family the good news at about 8 weeks, same as last time and all those public pregnancy announcements were made at about 12-13 weeks after we had the first scan.

Overall the my first trimester wasn't as hard as other peoples and I get that others have it worse. But for me having morning sickness and exhaustion was not fun with a very full on toddler.

So that's it really for the first trimester. Stay tuned for more bump dates to be posted soon.

Oh and in case you missed it in the last post here is my scan pic:

A wee something in the making!

So some of you may know if you are either a follower of my business page or a personal friend, but here it is. I am pregnant! I am currently 15 weeks pregnant with baby #2.

I had planned on doing a big announcement on this blog, but to be honest I am an exhausted pregnant woman who has to keep house, chase a toddler and run a business, so unfortunately a simple announcement will have to suffice. But isn't bubs just so cute. Scan picture below is from 12 weeks, so nearly a month ago now, gosh how time flies. 

Just like last time we won't be finding out the sex until it is born. But I do kinda hope just a little bit that it is a girl that way I can have one of each. In reality I don't really care too much just so long as it is happy and healthy..... So please hit me with baby names, while I know what I like for girls most of the boys names I liked were poopooed by the father. 

More pregnancy updates to come, though I cannot guarantee how frequent they will be.

Formula Recalls, Botulism and all important decisions - Part Two

I could quite easily delete the original post and part of it no longer applies, but that would not be staying true to my pregnancy and motherhood journey, so an explanation is required.

While pregnant I researched and discussed with both my doctor and midwife about the option of breastfeeding. The decision was made that I would breast feed twice a day when my medication levels are lowest and then formula feed all other feeds. My medication can cause drowsiness in my baby if the levels in my milk are too high. So feeds were going to occur just before I took my doses. Research showed that there  were no adverse or significant effects to the baby when breastfed exclusively on my current dose so I could take that as meaning it is safe. I also decided that I would at least breastfeed while I was producing colostrum so bubs would get all the benefits.

After birth however that changed. I spoke with lactation consultants, a specialist for my condition and midwives before I made a new decision. I am now exclusively breastfeeding my darling we baby, which has come with its challenges. Sure I do worry that my medication could have adverse affect on my baby, but it is just a matter of watching out for the signs and checking the levels in his blood on a regular basis. For now my son is happy and healthy.

Another tough decision: Diaper/Nappy Bag... Need a top of the line one, or something simple?

That dreaded diaper bag, do I need a fancy one, a cheaper alternative or none at all? I have been given one, which I will find helpful, but i don't know if the style is right for me.

I have seen quite a few online that I like the look of but so far have resisted buying one. Sure I want to be a trendy mum and have a stylish nappy bag, but do I really need to spend $100 on one when I can get one similar or the same size for less than half that, that also does the same job. What about you mums what style/price/absolute must haves did you decide on.

In other news, I have officially gone past my due date, am now sitting at 40 weeks and 3 days and totally over the waiting. Have been off work for 4 weeks now and had honestly thought that I would have a baby by now. This time last week there was what we assumed as the start of labour but it went no where and since then nothing. Here's hoping the walking that I will be doing when I go out this afternoon will kick start this baby into arriving. It unfortunately is banned from arriving this Wednesday or Friday as I wish for my child to have it';s own birthday and not share it with another family member.

Feel free to also check out my YouTube and Instagram channel and latest pregnancy vlog.