At 12.30am (after only being in bed for an hour) I felt my waters break - I leapt up and ran to the bathroom - catching everything. I was very pleased with this for two reasons: 1) There would be no mess to clear up when we got home; 2) It was the fastest I had moved for weeks! I was really calm despite passing lots of blood so I put on one of those lovely maternity pads I had purchased a few weeks before (which were the size of mattresses), woke James and called the hospital. We were told to come in and be checked out but probably would be sent home as my contractions were yet to start. I decided it was really important to put some make-up on to look presentable - no idea why! I then rang my Sharon to let her know - unfortunately she had been out drinking so wasn't answering the phone for ages, and also my mum to get her to come and let the dog out in the morning. James was running around like a headless chicken and was more scared than me. I don't really know why I was feeling fine about it as normally I am scared of everything so I thought I would be horrendous at this point.
We arrived at the hospital at about 1.20am - it's so much easier to park at this time of night. I had initially said there was no way I was going in the lifts whilst in labour in case it got stuck and James had to deliver the baby in there, however once we got there I really couldn't be arsed to waddle up the stairs. We quickly checked into the consultant-led ward and were put into a tiny assessment room where a midwife strapped me onto a fetal monitoring machine. My blood pressure was a bit high but the baby's heartbeat was really strong. I was told at this point I wasn't allowed to go home because of the blood loss.
At around 4am I felt a pop and my waters broke properly. I was also sick and had really bad diarrohea - which was a real treat to deal with. I got changed into my particularly lovely £4 night shirt from Primark - size 16/18 so should offer me enough room to manoeuvre. I then had an internal examination to see what was happening - it was awful and so painful. I had to have entonox to help me relax so I wasn't holding out much hope for the delivery! I was told that I would have to stay on the monitoring machine for the whole labour so my active labour class was a bit of a waste of time, although the breathing techniques were helping me relax a bit.
At around 8.30am I started to get proper contractions - they came quite quickly and I started to dilate quickly too - just as well as I was already finding tha pain hard to cope with. At this point I asked for pethadine and used that with entonox, which was quite effective. My sister arrived soon but timed her arrival while I was having another internal examination (labour is so glamorous!), and got impatient waiting to come in as she had been awake since I phoned at 1am! Just before she came in I had a room full of doctors and students who were doing their rounds - the head one pointed out that I was in a little crap room and would properly be more comfortable in a better suite. I agreed with him but was really overwhelmed by the sheer volume of people in our little room. We were also on our third set of midwives by this point - one of them was a student but was really good. Luckily these midwives stayed with me until mid afternoon.
I soon realised that my birth plan had completely gone out of the window so I didn't even bother getting it out of my bag. I was gutted as I had spent ages planning it, and although I was realistic that I had to be flexible, I didn't expect to have to abandon it altogether. I also decided that as I was in so much pain already and couldn't move around anyway I was definitely having an epidural. This part of the labour seemed to pass by quite quickly, probably due to the fact I was on pethadine - I'm sure it didn't go quickly for James and Sharon.
Early afternoon saw us moving to a much bigger and better delivery suite. I was put on an IV drip and had my epidural and a catheter fitted - which didn't hurt as much as I expected, although I did struggle to keep perfectly still through the contractions whilst this was being done. The epidural was great, very effective and the midwife could top it off whenever it started to wear off, but each time it was topped off I was sick so Sharon had that dubious honour of holding my sick bowl (I didn't remember this at all until she reminded me several weeks later!).
The second stage kicked off just as we had a new midwife who would stay with us until the baby was born. At around 4pm she topped up my epidural and we started pushing. I was far less scared than I expected to be - just excited that it would soon be over, or so I thought. At first the pushing was going well, it was really effective despite me not really feeling the contractions. My sister told me when to push by looking at the contractions on the monitor print out and James helped me with my breathing - although he got it the wrong way round! Sharon was impressed with my mood - I wasn't shouting or screaming - she claimed that I was making it look easy (what - even with all the bowls of vomit??). However the epidural made my contractions slow down so after what I thought was an hour (it was actually 2) we stopped making any progress and I was getting really tired and disheartened.
At about 7pm we had a visit from some doctors who said that as my blood pressure was going up a little bit they were treating me for suspected pre-eclampsia. This seemed really stupid as the treatment for it is to induce labour, so I wasn't at all bothered by this. I was given syntoxine to help speed up my contractions but was told that the baby was now facing the wrong way which wasn't helping, neither was the fact I hadn't been able to stand or go on all fours to give birth, where gravity would have helped. I was told that I needed to go up to theatre for an assisted delivery and may need a c-section. I was prepped, which was basically doing a really crap job of removing my make-up and nail polish, and made to read and sign something, which I couldn't read as I was so drugged up and I just got frustrated and wanted it over with. Despite all of this my baby was mega strong throughout! Sharon also had to call Mum and Dad to tell them they couldn't come to the 7pm visiting session - I wouldn't have wanted them there anyway even if I had managed to give birth beforehand - surely I'm entitled to some time to myself!
The trip up to theatre was a bit like an episode of the Chuckle Brothers, my drip was being pulled so hard it I had to hold it against my hand in order to stop it coming out, and when we got to the lift they couldn't get it in with my trolley and kept banging it into the sides! In the theatre there were so many staff - definitely in double figures. Sharon looked terrified as I was wheeled in and she wasn't allowed in so had to wait in the recovery room. James had to dress in scrubs to come in which was quite funny to see. I think I went into shock a bit at this point as I was shaking uncontrollably so the doctor in charge tried to distract me with dreadful jokes and by telling me I was expecting twins. I wanted to tell him to 'fuck off' but tried not to as I had got this far without swearing! He gave me a mega strong epidural and couldn't feel anything at all. After 3 strong pushes the baby was out and placed on me. I announced to everyone that it was a boy(!!!) - the midwife soon shouted across the room to correct me. So Maya Amelie was born - crying and perfect, although very slimey! She was wiped down a bit and handed to James whilst I was stitched up by two attractive men who were younger than me (after an episiotomy and slight tear - my second worst fear after pushing piles out!), still in stirrups - not sure whether I was covered up or not. There really is no dignity in giving birth, although I didn't scream once and offered them some tips on where to go out for dinner through this procedure! After thanking everyone about 100 times I joined James and Maya in the recovery room where they were meeting my sister.
Maya Amelie was born at 8.26pm on Friday 8th July (during the Year 11 prom which I should have been at - they always joked I would give birth during it!), weighing 6lb 13oz despite being two weeks early. She was 50cm long and perfect in every way and we were soon down on the post-natal ward to recover. After the exicitement of the day it was really nice to get down on the ward. It was completely empty, and after a couple of hours James went home and left us to get some sleep. It was so hot due to the closed windows and the heaters over the baby cots. Around midnight a hideous woman noisily arrived on the ward before shouting about wanting to go out for a cigarette. She was gross and snored like a pig all night - she was almost told to 'fuck off' the next day when she was complaining about a lack of sleep. Apparently her baby was number 7 - and she was excited as she has been told she was to be sterilised the following week - probably should have happened before, and she was induced as it wasn't growing. She was 39 weeks and the baby was 4lb!!!! Her and her horrible entourage took over the ward for most of the day, and annoyingly it was also the day of the annual charity abseil down the maternity block so every few minutes there would be a massive cheer - not great when trying to get some sleep. So within 48 hours, despite my body undergoing the most exhausting experience ever, I had only had about 2 hours sleep. Waiting to go home was really boring and I was up and showered by 7am - but we had to wait until almost 24 hours after the birth before we could be discharged. After some hospital food I was well and truly ready to go home, so we delighted at 8pm to be able to take Maya home. Once there we were totally overwhelmed, but excited at the new addition!
Wednesday, 28 September 2011
My third trimester - and now the end is near....
I was so excited when I got into the third trimester. The baby was kicking all the time which was nice, however the occasional Braxton Hicks contractions were not. However every time I felt a bit crap I got it into my head that I was suffering with pre-eclampsia as everything I was suffering with seemed to be a symptom! My bump was growing to quickly and I was convinced that I would be giving birth to an enormous pelvis-shattering baby! Being back at work after the Easter holidays was a shock - I was really uncomfortable sitting down and knackered standing up, and my concentration span was about as good as some of our ADHD kids. However lots of people said I was looking good and glowing, and even glamorous - make-up is a miracle worker!
I was advised to have a second birth partner as a back-up as everyone was convinced that James, who is famously squeamish about everything, would faint and would miss the birth. My sister Sharon was desperate to be there, and although initially I didn't want her there as I didn't want to be on display, I thought it would be a good idea (and in the end she was amazing!). I made James read the labour parts of the birthing books, and along with the parentcraft classes I began to have a bit more faith in him. That is until we saw a 3 week old baby at a family barbecue and James didn't know whether she was a boy or girl despite the pink floral outfit and matching hat - oh dear!
I particularly enjoyed antenatal classes - and experienced two very different ones. I paid for a 6 week active birthing class with Lazy Daisy which was lovely, lots of yoga moves and breathing techniques and relaxation at the end, although the affirmations were a bit laughable..."I will be strong and proud..." - we'll see! Towards the end I did struggle with any form of exercise there though! We also did Parentcraft classes at the Ipsich Hospital, which were okay - the other people there were an odd bunch although I was entertained by the youngest expectant mother there who thought no topic was too embarrassing to discuss and was happy to share with us the news about mucus in her pants! James thought he was hilarious when he asked me in front of everyone whether I had piles!! I did also have the misfortune to sit through a dreadful breastfeeding workshop run by a biased and uninformed idiot called Petra, who had no medical evidence to back up anything she said. Apparantely breastfeeding reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke for the mother in later life - however when questioned she had no idea how or why! I particularly enjoyed filling out that course evaluation!
Late May saw Year 11 go on study leave. I was looking forward to this as it meant I had much more free time at school, although I would miss my form. I had an impressive haul of presents, including lots for the baby. My best present was the wine! I was beginning to regret saying that I would work the 2 weeks after half term as I was knackered and also had started to get cankles - which I went mental about (and my friends at school found hilarious, particularly Zoe and Charlotte). I had to teach mostly sitting down and had to waddle to the loo several times each lesson - which my Year 8s enjoyed telling the Head!
Half term was very welcome - we were far too busy though. James' sister and her kids came for the day - my niece Ella spent the day stroking my tummy and boobs, which was odd! Meeting up with Alice and Charlotte from work, who have recently given birth, was lovely but I did not enjoy their awful birth stories about piles, pooing, tearing and how a birthing pool actually looks like a shark attack film at the end! Going to weddings heavily pregnant is crap - no alcohol and very limited dancing. We had two that week - a reception which was properly rubbish although it was nice to catch up with friends, and then my sisters. Unfortunately hers was in Cyprus so I missed out on going but we did watch it on Skype which meant I could cry in the comfort of my own home! A week or so later (when I was 34 weeks) Sharon and Richard had a fab reception back here - apparently I looked very well despite my earlier (totally unnecessary) crying about my hair and dress! I managed to stay in heels all day - possibly because my feet were so swollen my feet were wedged into them. Dancing was a stupid idea and I could barely move the next day, and I did well not to punch Richard's sister who kept referring to me as 'Preggers' and grabbing my bump!
During week 34 I had to have a third scan to check my low-lying placenta - it was good to see the baby so well developed, however the placenta hadn't moved up that much so I officially had a Placenta Previa Minor. We got stuck at the hospital for over an hour to see a consultant, who was completely useless and patronising and was surprised I knew anything about the condition I had been told about 14 weeks earlier - she even asked me if I knew what the placenta was!!! Anyway I was told it wouldn't cause me any difficulties but they wanted me to give birth on the consultant-led ward, which I was happy with.
Anyway my baby arrived 2 weeks early - I was very pleased. Although I was enjoying maternity leave I was so uncomfortable all of the time, getting no sleep through a combination of needing to wee every 20 minutes and having acid reflux (I discovered that Gaviscon was so vile that I would rather keep reflux!), pooing a lot, had mega cankles and regular Braxton Hicks I had had so many signs of labour that I knew the baby would make an appearance soon. So when my waters broke at 12.30am on July 8th I was delighted...
I was advised to have a second birth partner as a back-up as everyone was convinced that James, who is famously squeamish about everything, would faint and would miss the birth. My sister Sharon was desperate to be there, and although initially I didn't want her there as I didn't want to be on display, I thought it would be a good idea (and in the end she was amazing!). I made James read the labour parts of the birthing books, and along with the parentcraft classes I began to have a bit more faith in him. That is until we saw a 3 week old baby at a family barbecue and James didn't know whether she was a boy or girl despite the pink floral outfit and matching hat - oh dear!
I particularly enjoyed antenatal classes - and experienced two very different ones. I paid for a 6 week active birthing class with Lazy Daisy which was lovely, lots of yoga moves and breathing techniques and relaxation at the end, although the affirmations were a bit laughable..."I will be strong and proud..." - we'll see! Towards the end I did struggle with any form of exercise there though! We also did Parentcraft classes at the Ipsich Hospital, which were okay - the other people there were an odd bunch although I was entertained by the youngest expectant mother there who thought no topic was too embarrassing to discuss and was happy to share with us the news about mucus in her pants! James thought he was hilarious when he asked me in front of everyone whether I had piles!! I did also have the misfortune to sit through a dreadful breastfeeding workshop run by a biased and uninformed idiot called Petra, who had no medical evidence to back up anything she said. Apparantely breastfeeding reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke for the mother in later life - however when questioned she had no idea how or why! I particularly enjoyed filling out that course evaluation!
Late May saw Year 11 go on study leave. I was looking forward to this as it meant I had much more free time at school, although I would miss my form. I had an impressive haul of presents, including lots for the baby. My best present was the wine! I was beginning to regret saying that I would work the 2 weeks after half term as I was knackered and also had started to get cankles - which I went mental about (and my friends at school found hilarious, particularly Zoe and Charlotte). I had to teach mostly sitting down and had to waddle to the loo several times each lesson - which my Year 8s enjoyed telling the Head!
Half term was very welcome - we were far too busy though. James' sister and her kids came for the day - my niece Ella spent the day stroking my tummy and boobs, which was odd! Meeting up with Alice and Charlotte from work, who have recently given birth, was lovely but I did not enjoy their awful birth stories about piles, pooing, tearing and how a birthing pool actually looks like a shark attack film at the end! Going to weddings heavily pregnant is crap - no alcohol and very limited dancing. We had two that week - a reception which was properly rubbish although it was nice to catch up with friends, and then my sisters. Unfortunately hers was in Cyprus so I missed out on going but we did watch it on Skype which meant I could cry in the comfort of my own home! A week or so later (when I was 34 weeks) Sharon and Richard had a fab reception back here - apparently I looked very well despite my earlier (totally unnecessary) crying about my hair and dress! I managed to stay in heels all day - possibly because my feet were so swollen my feet were wedged into them. Dancing was a stupid idea and I could barely move the next day, and I did well not to punch Richard's sister who kept referring to me as 'Preggers' and grabbing my bump!
During week 34 I had to have a third scan to check my low-lying placenta - it was good to see the baby so well developed, however the placenta hadn't moved up that much so I officially had a Placenta Previa Minor. We got stuck at the hospital for over an hour to see a consultant, who was completely useless and patronising and was surprised I knew anything about the condition I had been told about 14 weeks earlier - she even asked me if I knew what the placenta was!!! Anyway I was told it wouldn't cause me any difficulties but they wanted me to give birth on the consultant-led ward, which I was happy with.
Anyway my baby arrived 2 weeks early - I was very pleased. Although I was enjoying maternity leave I was so uncomfortable all of the time, getting no sleep through a combination of needing to wee every 20 minutes and having acid reflux (I discovered that Gaviscon was so vile that I would rather keep reflux!), pooing a lot, had mega cankles and regular Braxton Hicks I had had so many signs of labour that I knew the baby would make an appearance soon. So when my waters broke at 12.30am on July 8th I was delighted...
My second trimester - enough already with all the sickness!
We were still in shock about the rapid progression with the pregnancy but were so pleased we could start telling people. Straight after the scan James shared the news with his sisters - one had already guessed as my lack of alchol at Christmas had triggered alarm bells, and since then had set James' mum a series of traps to see whether her suspicions, her buying a travel cot and accepting a baby bath confirmed it! My mum spent that afternoon on the phone telling anyone that she thought would be vaguely interested, I spent that afternoon constantly running to and from the loo as my bladder was still angry about the 2 litres of water consumed before the scan. I also told my two best friends, Shelley and Beccy, straight away, they were mega shocked as I had never shown any inclination towards motherhood - and they certainly don't want kids, as were all of our other friends - it is so easy to hide a pregnancy when people think you hate kids!
I told my form group fairly early on that I was pregnant - I didn't want them to hear from others as I have had them for almost 5 years, and also didn't want them all whispering that I was getting fat! They were delighted for me - and really impressed with my timing as I will leave just after their exams therefore they won't be affected by my maternity leave - however they did say it was an extreme measure to avoid having a Year 7 form next year! By lunch time the whole of Year 11 knew but it took many weeks to trickle down through the whole school - kids are very unobservant! Luckily most kids were really considerate during my pregnancy which made teaching a bit easier, as did choosing a date for maternity leave early on! However teenagers are a little bit too interested in pregnancy and are really crap at suggesting baby names!!
I quickly realised that maternity clothes are disgusting - who honestly thinks that when someone gets pregnant they want to spend their days wearing tents and hideous curtains. Several people on ebay were selling bundles of 'maternity clothes' - which on closer inspection were actually just size 16/18 clothes being marketed towards regular size 12s - thank god for Asos! Luckily I seem to have a tidy bump - possibly because I was so sick!
Last year I stupidly bought an MX5 on an impulse - not the best car for a pregnant woman. In fact that car had been the worst purchase decision ever - I work out in the sticks and driving a rear-wheel drive car on untreated back roads in the ice and snow was no fun at all, most mornings I was impressed that I had managed to get into work without sliding into a ditch! By late February I was struggling to get in and out of it so we bit the bullet and started looking for a more sensible family car. Already having a massive dog meant our choice was estate or people carrier - we opted for the people carrier as I didn't want a wardrobe on wheels (I am perfectly aware that a people carrier is also very uncool!), and bought the first one I thought was vaguely acceptable! Researching the buggy was a much bigger job!!
At the beginning of March we had our sexing scan. I was really nervous about this and had got it into my head that it would show something was wrong, although the huge amount of sickness I was suffering with (which didn't actually stop until about 22 weeks) was a sign that the baby was thriving. The sonographer was silent for the first 5 minutes which made me think she was finding all sorts of hideous things - she wasn't - apparently she was just quiet as she was concentrating! Everything was good which was great to hear although I did have a slightly low-lying placenta which I wasn't particularly worried about. And despite my massive nosiness we didn't find out whether we were having a pink or blue baby!
The low point of my second trimester was contracting a filthy bug from a filthy child at school. I was so so sick and had horrendous cramps like nothing I have ever had before. I stupidly went into school despite not sleeping at all and crying all the way in, however it was the Year 11 photograph which I didn't want to miss. I didn't make it to the photo though as I was sent home to see the midwife. She was unhelpful - according to her I either had a urine infection or was going into labour - and rather sensitively she said that if that was the case there was nothing we could do. I was distraught and an hour or so later I was in so much pain that I was admitted to hospital. Thankfully everything was okay with the baby but I was so dehydrated that I had to spend the next 24 hours on a drip (listening to other women give birth!) and the rest of the pregnancy drinking as much water as I could. Very scary!
Throughout this stage everyone said how well I was looking, despite not feeling it. Towards the end I started to feel better though, even with weighing in at 11 stone and it being really hot! We did get the nursery sorted, the buggy purchased (the Britax B Smart 4) – which took longer to pick than the car did) and have a couple of weekends away in Norfolk and the Peak District. These trips away coincided with the return of the pea-sized bladder which was not great on the motorways or when we were trying to walk anywhere. The Peak District was a particular challenge as Shelley has no comfortable furniture, we walked too far and another friend sent me home with an array of disgusting maternity tops I would never wear but was too polite to refuse!
I told my form group fairly early on that I was pregnant - I didn't want them to hear from others as I have had them for almost 5 years, and also didn't want them all whispering that I was getting fat! They were delighted for me - and really impressed with my timing as I will leave just after their exams therefore they won't be affected by my maternity leave - however they did say it was an extreme measure to avoid having a Year 7 form next year! By lunch time the whole of Year 11 knew but it took many weeks to trickle down through the whole school - kids are very unobservant! Luckily most kids were really considerate during my pregnancy which made teaching a bit easier, as did choosing a date for maternity leave early on! However teenagers are a little bit too interested in pregnancy and are really crap at suggesting baby names!!
I quickly realised that maternity clothes are disgusting - who honestly thinks that when someone gets pregnant they want to spend their days wearing tents and hideous curtains. Several people on ebay were selling bundles of 'maternity clothes' - which on closer inspection were actually just size 16/18 clothes being marketed towards regular size 12s - thank god for Asos! Luckily I seem to have a tidy bump - possibly because I was so sick!
Last year I stupidly bought an MX5 on an impulse - not the best car for a pregnant woman. In fact that car had been the worst purchase decision ever - I work out in the sticks and driving a rear-wheel drive car on untreated back roads in the ice and snow was no fun at all, most mornings I was impressed that I had managed to get into work without sliding into a ditch! By late February I was struggling to get in and out of it so we bit the bullet and started looking for a more sensible family car. Already having a massive dog meant our choice was estate or people carrier - we opted for the people carrier as I didn't want a wardrobe on wheels (I am perfectly aware that a people carrier is also very uncool!), and bought the first one I thought was vaguely acceptable! Researching the buggy was a much bigger job!!
At the beginning of March we had our sexing scan. I was really nervous about this and had got it into my head that it would show something was wrong, although the huge amount of sickness I was suffering with (which didn't actually stop until about 22 weeks) was a sign that the baby was thriving. The sonographer was silent for the first 5 minutes which made me think she was finding all sorts of hideous things - she wasn't - apparently she was just quiet as she was concentrating! Everything was good which was great to hear although I did have a slightly low-lying placenta which I wasn't particularly worried about. And despite my massive nosiness we didn't find out whether we were having a pink or blue baby!
The low point of my second trimester was contracting a filthy bug from a filthy child at school. I was so so sick and had horrendous cramps like nothing I have ever had before. I stupidly went into school despite not sleeping at all and crying all the way in, however it was the Year 11 photograph which I didn't want to miss. I didn't make it to the photo though as I was sent home to see the midwife. She was unhelpful - according to her I either had a urine infection or was going into labour - and rather sensitively she said that if that was the case there was nothing we could do. I was distraught and an hour or so later I was in so much pain that I was admitted to hospital. Thankfully everything was okay with the baby but I was so dehydrated that I had to spend the next 24 hours on a drip (listening to other women give birth!) and the rest of the pregnancy drinking as much water as I could. Very scary!
Throughout this stage everyone said how well I was looking, despite not feeling it. Towards the end I started to feel better though, even with weighing in at 11 stone and it being really hot! We did get the nursery sorted, the buggy purchased (the Britax B Smart 4) – which took longer to pick than the car did) and have a couple of weekends away in Norfolk and the Peak District. These trips away coincided with the return of the pea-sized bladder which was not great on the motorways or when we were trying to walk anywhere. The Peak District was a particular challenge as Shelley has no comfortable furniture, we walked too far and another friend sent me home with an array of disgusting maternity tops I would never wear but was too polite to refuse!
My first trimester - it's all about the toilet!
Operation 'Let's Get Pregnant Before We Change Our Minds' had been underway since mid September when we got the blue line early December. Absolutely delighted! - with the added bonus of having a great excuse to eat loads over Christmas - although also the difficulty of making excuses for not drinking loads of gin over Christmas and the New Year.
My first trimester was exciting and very scary, however it largely focused around the toilet as I was so sick and needed a wee all of the time. I also had headaches constantly so embraced the piss-poor pain relieving properties of paracetamol.
Giving up alcohol wasn't actually too bad and I feigned a combination of migraines and taking anti-sickness medication to get me through the festive period. Giving up lovely cheese was far harder! The biggest bladder and headache challenge came in the form of a day trip to Arras just before Christmas - not fun!
Parents were told at Christmas - they were ridiculously excited!! My sister was also told - but James' had to wait until our first scan as they had made us wait for their pregnancy news. The Christmas holidays were spent mainly sleeping and watching Christmas films - which kept making my cry due to bloody pregnancy hormones!
My booking appointment gave us a due date of August 16th - perfect as I could work right up until the summer holidays and not have to start my maternity leave until I had given birth - therefore would get more money - very well planned I think!
Teaching during my first trimester was a struggle - only a couple of people knew about the pregnancy so I had to hide my sickness and lack of energy from everyone. I had to have a couple of days off as I was so sick. I did feel relieved when I ran into my pregnant friend Hannah (also a teacher) who was saying how hard she found this stage - I wanted to say me too! I did tell a friend on the school's SLT as he was worried that I was either going mental or had developed a terminal disease but he promised to keep quiet until my scan. However I felt a bit guilty when involved in discussions about the department next year and staffing - this is something I was really worried about as I am a total control freak when it comes to my department and Lauren is also trying for a baby and Lana wants to move to the West Country - what on earth will I find when I eventually return to work?!
Just before our 12 week scan I had to buy some maternity trousers for work - at this point I was really worried that I was already struggling to fit into my clothes. Had visions of being a massive weeble towards the end who put on 4 stone and never managed to lose it!
Anyway we eventually got to our 12 week scan in early February - imagine my shock and delight that we were actually 16 weeks along so had missed a whole month of the pregnancy - new due date of 21st July. Much relief was felt in terms of why I already couldn't fit into my clothes, however I was annoyed that the morning sickness hadn't disappeared as it should have done. It also meant that I would have to go on maternity leave much earlier so would get rubbish pay over the summer holidays - and obviously I had to let work know straight away.
My first trimester was exciting and very scary, however it largely focused around the toilet as I was so sick and needed a wee all of the time. I also had headaches constantly so embraced the piss-poor pain relieving properties of paracetamol.
Giving up alcohol wasn't actually too bad and I feigned a combination of migraines and taking anti-sickness medication to get me through the festive period. Giving up lovely cheese was far harder! The biggest bladder and headache challenge came in the form of a day trip to Arras just before Christmas - not fun!
Parents were told at Christmas - they were ridiculously excited!! My sister was also told - but James' had to wait until our first scan as they had made us wait for their pregnancy news. The Christmas holidays were spent mainly sleeping and watching Christmas films - which kept making my cry due to bloody pregnancy hormones!
My booking appointment gave us a due date of August 16th - perfect as I could work right up until the summer holidays and not have to start my maternity leave until I had given birth - therefore would get more money - very well planned I think!
Teaching during my first trimester was a struggle - only a couple of people knew about the pregnancy so I had to hide my sickness and lack of energy from everyone. I had to have a couple of days off as I was so sick. I did feel relieved when I ran into my pregnant friend Hannah (also a teacher) who was saying how hard she found this stage - I wanted to say me too! I did tell a friend on the school's SLT as he was worried that I was either going mental or had developed a terminal disease but he promised to keep quiet until my scan. However I felt a bit guilty when involved in discussions about the department next year and staffing - this is something I was really worried about as I am a total control freak when it comes to my department and Lauren is also trying for a baby and Lana wants to move to the West Country - what on earth will I find when I eventually return to work?!
Just before our 12 week scan I had to buy some maternity trousers for work - at this point I was really worried that I was already struggling to fit into my clothes. Had visions of being a massive weeble towards the end who put on 4 stone and never managed to lose it!
Anyway we eventually got to our 12 week scan in early February - imagine my shock and delight that we were actually 16 weeks along so had missed a whole month of the pregnancy - new due date of 21st July. Much relief was felt in terms of why I already couldn't fit into my clothes, however I was annoyed that the morning sickness hadn't disappeared as it should have done. It also meant that I would have to go on maternity leave much earlier so would get rubbish pay over the summer holidays - and obviously I had to let work know straight away.
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