Why you should celebrate being pregnant : Love your bump

Being pregnant is a celebration, you should love your bump and indulge in the chance to ignore your expanding waistline and embrace the amazing changes in your body.

I always feel superhuman when I am pregnant. I am growing an actual human being and that is impressive in my books but there are many women that hide their bump and shy away during pregnancy.

On the reverse, there are women that take every opportunity to celebrate being pregnant and pregnancy “bump art” has become very popular, with former ‘CBeebies’ Host wearing little more than the body paint, turning her baby bump into a globe in Trafalgar Square this week to promote being vegan. Sarah Jane said “I’m vegan because I want to tread lightly on this Earth so that others – hopefully, my son’s own son or daughter – will be able to enjoy it, too”, says the mother-to-be. “I also want to be healthy, strong and energetic for my son, and I can do that simply by choosing plant-based meals.”

Sarah Jane - Cbeebies PETA

Whereas there are others than take a less public and political stance with cute artwork and pictures for their bump.

Beautiful young pregnant with baby toy  and picture on her belly, on light background

Beautiful young pregnant with baby toy and picture on her belly, on light background

 Or those that take a more lighthearted look at their bump.
pregnant woman indicates the fingers on her belly. Picture ladybug in cabbage. isolated on a white background. close-up

pregnant woman indicates the fingers on her belly. Picture ladybug in cabbage. isolated on a white background. close-up

My heart was bursting with pride at my beautiful baby bump but, to quote a famous saying, my girls will be the only ones who knows what my heart sounds like from the inside, so no matter what my bump looked like, I was just happy they were safely growing inside.
Pregnancy Bump Photo
So however big or small your pregnancy bump is, you are growing an actual human inside there and those 9 months are a precious celebration. Love your bump!
LOVE your Bump

Reasons why you should have a baby shower for your second child

Every single pregnancy, like every child, is unique so why should you not have a baby shower to celebrate a second (or third) child? Baby showers  have traditionally been thrown for the expectant mother by a close friend or co-worker and only for her first baby but more recently baby showers are given not just for the first child, but for subsequent pregnancies aswell.

So here are our reasons why you should have a baby shower for your second (or third) child.

It’s time to spoil Mum and Baby

Mums expecting their second baby can sometimes feel like this one is less important or exciting than their first and they don’t have the time to dedicate to enjoying subsequent pregnancies, so having a celebration to honor her and the baby is a great way to help her feel loved.

Baby Shower Pink Flowers

Its a good way to get friends and family together before the new arrival

A baby shower is a great way to get family and friends together, so why not take the opportunity to celebrate each pregnancy. If the time between each pregnancy is large or they are expecting a different sex, Mum very often needs new things, although gifts shouldn’t be an expectation.

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It’s not about the gifts, it’s about the moment and the memories.

The celebration should be about the child, not the material items. For a second child, the new trend is to call it a “Baby Sprinkle” and ask for NO gifts (getting gifts seems to be what puts folks in an uproar). Some people will still buy gifts but those are the same friends and family who would do so with or without the celebration. The Baby Sprinkle is more a time to make memories and spend time with family and friends.

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It is about celebrating the life of a new child

For those who are genuinely worried about ruffling feathers but who still want a party, then some mums suggest you have a “meet the baby” bash for everyone to celebrate and meet the baby after he or she is born. Such a soirée eliminates the “expectation of gifts, and you get to celebrate your new little one (if Mum and baby are up to all those visitors in one go)

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It is a good giggle

Most baby showers that I have been to have ended up in raucous laughter, so whether it is a baby shower or sprinkle, if you are hosting a party for a friend, make sure that all the games are tailored to the Mum to Be, no one wants her to be uncomfortable with outrageous games if that is not her style.

Ultimately as mums, we always try to be fair and treat our children equally, and most importantly, we give them the same amount of love without thinking who came first or second. So why shouldn’t mum get a second dose of love and fuss too?

33 weeks pregnant – how should I feel?

Our resident baby blogger, Lynette, shares how she is feeling in the third trimester.

I can’t believe that as I sit here and write this I am 33 weeks pregnant, with our little lady wriggling around inside my tummy like mad. I feel like I have blinked and the last 8 months have flown by. This is my second pregnancy and it has been a completely different experience than my first with our beautiful son. With your first child, you are entering the unknown. I read many books, advising me on what happens in pregnancy and labour. I will say that many of them were right in what they were saying in hindsight, but at the time I was a little freaked out by them. I remember thinking “how can it stretch that far?”or “how did that baby fit in there?”, but it does and they do.

So now that I am on the home straight or the Third trimester as the professionals call it, how am I feeling? The simple answer to that question is, excited, nervous, fretting and blessed.

I am excited about meeting our beautiful daughter. My husband, son and I have conversations most evenings about what we will think she look like. My son was the double of my husband when he was born. In fact he was his little mini me. So I am hoping that she will look like me. I found it quite upsetting how everyone commented on how much our son looked like his dad. Not because my husband isn’t a looker, I think he is hot anyway. But, merely down to the fact that I had been in labour, I had done the hard work, couldn’t someone at least say “isn’t he like you”. However, this time I am going to embrace whatever people say. As D day gets closer we are looking at names and we have now officially made a decision, but we are not telling anyone yet.

Why am I nervous when I have done this before? I think it is only human to be apprehensive of things. But what I have come to realise is that this is what our bodies are designed to do. I have been listening to my yoga and relaxation CD from MamaBabyBliss and I have to say I was skeptical at first but the CD is really relaxing and it has chilled me out. It certainly has enabled me to focus my mind somewhere else and if you are like me and suffer with anxiety then I would recommend it.

The Third Trimester

I’m trying to think of things that I want to do differently this time round in labour. I whole heartedly focused on labour last time, which I don’t think helped as silly as that sounds. This time I intend on going into labour with a full face of makeup and decent hair. Why? You may ask. I figured that when the contractions start I need to focus my energy somewhere else as it can be a long process. I’m not going to lie, it takes a lot of work to get this face looking decent, so thats a couple of hours sorted. I am also going to read a book if I can. I am an English teacher, I love reading. I find that I lose myself in books, and don’t notice what is going on around me.

I also said that I was fretting. I am obviously fretting because I had a difficult birth last time. However, looking back, it is that experience that gave us our beautiful son and I can only in some respects see that as a positive. So why else am I fretting? When I had our son, because there was a chance I may have to have an emergency section (thankfully I didn’t) they came round to tidy my “area”. This has to be the biggest all time low in my life. Normally well kept I explained to the midwife who laughed. But like I explained to her, “how can you trim the hedges when you can’t even see the bush.” I can not go through this again, any dignity I did have went in that 5 mins. So a trip to the grooming parlour is in order!

The midwife asked my husband at our last appointment would he be active in the labour and would he watch the baby coming out. Now, I know this is an experience that all partners should be part of and my husband will be there in the labour room and will be very much an active part of the labour. I don’t know how I would have coped first time round without him. But as for him looking “down there” I’m not so sure. I told him it would be “like watching your favourite pub burn down” does he want to be left with that image?

Most people say that in the last trimester they start to feel tired, which I have to say is true. But it isn’t like the tiredness in the first 12 weeks. In a strange way it’s a nice tired, knowing that your body is getting its rest so you can bring life I to the world. My hair is great and so is my skin, so much so that I can’t remember the last time I wore makeup in the daytime.

But most of all, as our little lady wriggles around, sticking her elbows and feet out of my tummy I feel blessed. So many people long to be in the situation I am in, and I by no means take it for granted. So when I sit there , worrying, fretting or complaining about how many people have called me huge that day, I count my blessings and realise I should embrace every aspect of my pregnancy.

Things to do in the Third Trimester

Being pregnant can be one of the best times of your life but as you enter the third trimester, maternity leave is looming and the arrival of the baby is imminent, so what things should you be doing in those final weeks?

We asked some fellow parenting bloggers for their top tips of things to do in the last trimester.

Thirdtrimester

There may have been other suggestions, such as get a good on demand TV package (!!) but we thought that these were certainly worth sharing. Thank you to Annie, Cerys, Otilia,  Aly and Helen for their words of wisdom.

Have you found anything else you have enjoyed doing in the last trimester?