Jules and Clem: Pregnancy

Showing posts with label Pregnancy. Show all posts

The whole 9 months

This weekend I put some of my maternity clothes on ebay. Only the ones in good condition and not the jeans which I am, sigh, still wearing. If you're preggers I would definitely recommend picking up some second hand maternity clothes. It's worth buying the basics (jeans and jersey) new as you'll get so much use out them (pregnant and postpartum, as I am now discovering) but other stuff just seems a waste of money. Sorting through my maternity clothes made me feel a bit wistful about my pregnancy (I know, I hated every second of it - how quickly you forget) and so I decided to do a little insta-montage of the growing bump. The last picture was taken 3 days before E's birth, it's the only one I have of the full 9 months and as its taken from the front you can't see the full extent of the bump. Trust me, it was huge.

Wowzer. Even with the evidence presented like this it is still surreal to think this adorable little being grew inside my body.

I may have hated it but pregancy is effing amazing.

Elizabeth Erin Foster

Baby Elizabeth was born on Wednesday 25th July at 7.05am. Bang on time. Her journey into the world took a few unexpected turns - hypertension, induction, epidural, forceps - but she is perfect. I've struggled to find the time to write this as Baby E's first days have been so full. Full of well wishers and first experiences; for mummy, daddy and baby. Looking after a little one whilst recovering from birth has been tougher than I could have thought possible, but with Matt's unfaltering help we've made it through and day by day it's getting easier. Here are some snap shots from her first week...

Just born

Flowers from work and Matt

Waking on her first morning at home and cuddles with Auntie Roz

Hanging out with Daddy

Enjoying foods missed for 9 months

Asleep and awake

Hospital bands and thoughtful gifts

Our beautiful baby

All photos by Juliet and Matt Foster

30 weeks pregnant

30 weeks feels like a milestone. 10 weeks left – a nice finite number. I feel like I’m finally settling into pregnancy and have started thinking about the birth. I’ve always had an idea of the kind of birth I’d like (natural and no intervention) but now I’m thinking about the mechanics of how to achieve that. I’m reading The Gentle Birth Method, as recommended by a friend who had a positive labour. It’s sort of hypnobirthing but with a good helping of yoga, nutrition and massage on the side. After my first prenatal yoga session last Saturday I can safely say I am a convert. I told the rather lovely teacher the problems I’ve been having (achy hips and sleepless nights) and we worked on ways of solving them through gentle stretches and breathing exercises. It worked, hooray! I’m practising deep relaxation (some might call this hypnosis but I am still too cynical for that) and it turns out Matt is a willing and accomplished masseur. I am one lucky lady. The only bit I’m not so sure about is the strict wheat and sugar free diet. Cake has been an understanding and loyal friend throughout this pregnancy business. Can I turn my back on it now? Doubtful but I’ll try. I’m not expecting miracles and have been fully briefed on all the out-of-your-control things that can happen once you hit the labour ward, but at least I will know I tried. If labour is a marathon then let the training begin. RAH (or something more zen).

Welcome to the third trimester!

We made it to the third trimester! This photo was taken today at 28 + 5, so that's just 11 + 2 to go. When I first got pregnant I thought I'd blog about my experiences, keeping a diary of the bump's progress, a 'maternity series' if you like, as so many other mummy bloggers have done so well. But that didn't quite work out. There have been a few updates, here and here and the bump has featured a few times in my week in photos. But I thought it was high time for a proper catch up.

Below - Bathroom instagraming - 25 weeks and 28 weeks

Maternity clothes look bad. I know, I know, we have way more choice than ever before with highstreet heavy weights like Topshop and ASOS making maternity versions of a selection of pieces in their key lines. Our mothers spent 9 months hiding under large floral sheets. I know. But they still look shit. The jeans, leggins and jersey items are excused from this. They are a God send. The dresses however have not come far since those large floral sheets. They are tenty and unflattering. I wore one and was told I looked 'ready to pop'. Not what anyone wants to hear at 6 months pregnant.

I have a raging sweet tooth. I used to wash every meal down with half a bottle of chablis which kept the old sweet tooth at bay. Now I finish my dinner with pudding. I have recently extended this policy to lunch. And in the words of Alice I am eating my feelings. Every drink I can't have and party I'm too tired to attend goes down the hatch. Nom. Which leads neatly onto my next point...

I'm getting fat. And not just on the belly. My thighs touch in the middle. I have cellulite and when I waggle my arms there is the distinct beginning of a bingo wing. I've always been quite body conscious and small portions and a high metabolism kept me at my regulation size 8. Here is a photo of Matt and I on honeymoon in Belize in January 2011. See? skinny. But it's ok, it's better than ok, it's totally worth it. I get to have a baby and that's really cool.

Decent sleep is hard to come by. I haven't had a proper night since somewhere around week 16 when I could no longer sleep on my tummy. How does anyone sleep on their side? Where do your arms go? How do you not wake up with a numb hand and achy hips?

I have been religiously rubbing oils on the bump since the start of the second trimester. My mum didn't get stretch marks when she was pregnant but I have the silvery scars on my hips, bum and boobs from teenage growth spurts to prove that I may not be so lucky. My good friend Marie bought me Mama Mio Tummy Rub with the endorsement that all her mum friends had used it in pregnancy and none had stretch marks. That's the kind of endorsement I like. I've also been using good old Bio Oil. So far, no stretch marks.

My eye-sight is shot to shit. Pregnancy truly destroys every bit of your body. I am dreading the dentist.

We have a amassed a decent stash of baby stuff. My in-laws brought us loads of amazing Baby Gap stuff from the states and have even crocheted the little lady tiny outfits! She is going to be better dressed than me, as it should be. We also have a crib and have been buying up 241 nappies as and when. Still to buy - a pram, a sling, bottles and sterilising equipment. we're trying to keep things to a minimum and just buy the bare essentials at first. Is this sensible or stupid?

I've joined twitter. Apparently it is a good way of building a network of supportive mums. They will be the ones who will reassure you that your baby is normal and keep you sane through 4am feeds. I've already made a few friends although tbh I'm yet to get the hang of it or see the point of it. At the moment I just seem to be eavesdropping on other peoples conversations. Is that the point? Anyway you can follow me @julesandclem and I will try to be an engaging and funny tweeter. Try being the operative word.

Next Saturday I start prenatal yoga. This is something I've wanted to do all through pregnancy and only just got round to. It's supposed to be good for general pregnancy aches and pains and excellent labour preparation. My local class, at The Sunflower Centre, is also very social. The ladies all go for coffee and a chat after the class so hopefully I'll make some new mummy buddies too. Score.

Me right now

I have a lot of aspirations. They used to be all about having a good time but as I've grown up so have they. Now I aspire to have a good marriage, be a good friend, be accomplished at work whilst building my own creative business, live artfully and intelligently, have a healthy and enjoyable pregnancy and eventually be the best mummy I can be. I often fall short. Case in point - the last few weeks. Work has been full on. Normally this would be great. I like to be challenged and I thrive in a busy environment. I've worked hard over the last few years to be in the position I'm in. But all of a sudden I can.not.hack.it. I come home in a daze unable to focus on The List. Oh yes, The List - the normal domestic chores and the tonne of sorting and organising that comes with accommodating a baby, the redesigning, restocking and remaking of jewellery, the orders I need to fulfill, the upkeep of my blog, the unanswered emails etc etc. The List is unending and overwhelming, and full of hormones, after a sleepless night, and a hard days work, I just can't seem do any of it. All I want to do is watch trash TV, eat toast and have a cuddle. So that's what I've been doing. I feel like a failure but I know it's the right thing to do. And that's me right now. Things are improving. We spent a relaxing weekend in the midlands with Matt's parents, being spoilt rotten, and this week has been better for it. I'm gradually de-stressing. I've been working on some new jewellery designs, this picture is a little sneak peek. More to come soon. I'm getting there, slowly. We made it to the third trimester. Quite a milestone I think. More on that later too. But for now the bank holiday weekend stretches ahead of us and I'm going to enjoy it. Have a good one!

Lust list: Maternity edition

This week's beautiful weather has got me thinking about summer, and in particular, how the hell I'm going to dress the growing bump in city temperatures. So the theme of this week/month/year's lust list is maternity fashion. There's nothing particularly forward thinking or trend conscious here, just practical ideas on getting through a summer of sweaty commutes and elegant weddings. Hold onto your seats.