Last night was the first 'kick' experience I had. As always I was having my nightly belly stroke and listen when this thud came from within my wife's belly and I felt the kick raise my cheek.
The baby must have been uncomfortable as in quick successions more kicks came.
This was a great experience as it is one of those that remind you there is a growing person inside and it is alive and kicking - it's so easy to procrastinate with 'baby' stuff as not much has changed apart from my wife's bump and sometimes you even forget your having a baby.
The baby after this must have got comfortable as no more movement occurred that night, however it was enough and I went to bed with a big grin on my face :)
Tuesday, 29 January 2013
The little things
It's weird before the pregnancy if your wife's belly got allot bigger and she started being all kinds of moody you would probably say stop being moody and loose some weight (well you would think it at least). However when your wife is pregnant its a great thing and you find yourself loving the little changes including the bigger belly (and boobs lol) and my wife even has developed a few faint hairs which I also find cute (weird I know)
Not only that but you find yourself doing strange things, for example before I go to bed I always stroke the belly and have a listen. I know the baby can't feel the stroking and I won't be able to hear anything but I do it anyway, and I love it.
Another weird thing is you become more protective of your partner now there is two (or more). I am a little more nervous when my wife drives on her own (ever day) and when we are out I am looking for hazards and making sure I go down steps first (or last if going up) etc. It's like I have gone into a protective overdrive mode.
All in all I am loving every change that is occurring, no matter how weird. It's an unusual sensation as you do little weird things (like stroke the belly or talk to the bump) without even thinking.
Not only that but you find yourself doing strange things, for example before I go to bed I always stroke the belly and have a listen. I know the baby can't feel the stroking and I won't be able to hear anything but I do it anyway, and I love it.
Another weird thing is you become more protective of your partner now there is two (or more). I am a little more nervous when my wife drives on her own (ever day) and when we are out I am looking for hazards and making sure I go down steps first (or last if going up) etc. It's like I have gone into a protective overdrive mode.
All in all I am loving every change that is occurring, no matter how weird. It's an unusual sensation as you do little weird things (like stroke the belly or talk to the bump) without even thinking.
Buy buy buy
So no we know the sex of the baby (a girl) it seems like a good time to go out and buy some nice baby girl clothes. Could not be simpler I hear you say......wrong!
First of all you have to guess newborn clothes as they come in sizes such a tiny baby for up 6 pounds etc. This means you could run the risk of buying lots of normal newborn clothiers (up-to 10 pounds apparently) and if you have a larger baby then it's all for nothing.
The second thing which you must keep reminding yourself if the time of year it is. The bay clothes come in stages I.e first 3 months, 3 to 6 months etc, so it's no use buying a very warm thick outfit when the baby will be born in June.
You must also remind yourself that in some shops tiny baby clothes cost more than the clothes your wearing and even though there so cute, there is a limit to your spending.
Once you have the above sorted in your mind its a wonderful experience and me and the misses went through next, mammas and papas and mother care and bough a select few items we thought were the best of the bunch.
We have also started getting clothes as gifts from other people and I have the feeling our little girl is going to be spoilt for choice when getting ready on a morning.
First of all you have to guess newborn clothes as they come in sizes such a tiny baby for up 6 pounds etc. This means you could run the risk of buying lots of normal newborn clothiers (up-to 10 pounds apparently) and if you have a larger baby then it's all for nothing.
The second thing which you must keep reminding yourself if the time of year it is. The bay clothes come in stages I.e first 3 months, 3 to 6 months etc, so it's no use buying a very warm thick outfit when the baby will be born in June.
You must also remind yourself that in some shops tiny baby clothes cost more than the clothes your wearing and even though there so cute, there is a limit to your spending.
Once you have the above sorted in your mind its a wonderful experience and me and the misses went through next, mammas and papas and mother care and bough a select few items we thought were the best of the bunch.
We have also started getting clothes as gifts from other people and I have the feeling our little girl is going to be spoilt for choice when getting ready on a morning.
Monday, 21 January 2013
Do you want to know the sex of the baby?
Today is the second scan (and for most people their last) to check for certain health issues and if you want to find out the sex of the baby.
These scans are quite unusual. Firstly there is no sound so you feel like your watching a silent movie and secondly they work on depth and therefore picture of the baby often is unclear and if the baby moves part of it on the scan will disappear.
The first part of the scan I was very nervous because they take measurements to determine health problems (which I understand) but she did this in complete silence so naturally all I could think was 'is everything alright', 'why is she not saying anything'.
There was a few more views on this scan than last time, including watching the blood flow in the heart chambers (quite cool) and a close up of the face which shows up the eyes like polo's giving a certain terminator feel and it is weird to see the midwife really push on the belly and seeing the baby react.
Once the measurements were done the midwife was very chatty and goes through all the tests she had been doing from checking the spine to fluid in the stomach.
After this I finally relaxed and she informed us (as we asked) that we were having a little girl. I know it's not 100% and it was confirmed by spotting 3 white dots which represent the woman parts on a not so clear scan picture, but it won't matter and if it comes out a boy then it can wear pink for a year (no one will know)
Like the last scan it did not hit me as much as hearing the heartbeat and adding sound to the scan would enhance the experience more. However I have a big smile on my face knowing I am going to have a little daughter.
These scans are quite unusual. Firstly there is no sound so you feel like your watching a silent movie and secondly they work on depth and therefore picture of the baby often is unclear and if the baby moves part of it on the scan will disappear.
The first part of the scan I was very nervous because they take measurements to determine health problems (which I understand) but she did this in complete silence so naturally all I could think was 'is everything alright', 'why is she not saying anything'.
There was a few more views on this scan than last time, including watching the blood flow in the heart chambers (quite cool) and a close up of the face which shows up the eyes like polo's giving a certain terminator feel and it is weird to see the midwife really push on the belly and seeing the baby react.
Once the measurements were done the midwife was very chatty and goes through all the tests she had been doing from checking the spine to fluid in the stomach.
After this I finally relaxed and she informed us (as we asked) that we were having a little girl. I know it's not 100% and it was confirmed by spotting 3 white dots which represent the woman parts on a not so clear scan picture, but it won't matter and if it comes out a boy then it can wear pink for a year (no one will know)
Like the last scan it did not hit me as much as hearing the heartbeat and adding sound to the scan would enhance the experience more. However I have a big smile on my face knowing I am going to have a little daughter.
Wednesday, 9 January 2013
Heartbeat
Ok I decided to re write this post after comments that it was just too short.
So today I have just been to the 17 week midwife appointment but before I go into detail I will explain that midwives appointments are sort of the optional appointments for blokes and your partner will let you off with not being there.
I have been to all of them so far as my work is flexible and up to date they are like military operations. Your in on time (very unusual for our doctors), a few things are said, a few quick forms filled in, blood taken, pre done urine sample handed over and your out of there.
I like attending as I don't want to miss out on anything but so far they have not been anything special, however in today's appointment we were hoping to hear the heart beat.
Now it surprised me that not every midwife does this as not hearing a heartbeat can scare parents too be, however the midwife put on a portable speaker and our child's heartbeat was clear and loud.
This was incredible (I enjoyed it more than the scan picture). The sound was loud and fast and I was instantly in the best mood I would be in all day.
If you get the chance to go I would highly recommend it as it is something I won't forget in a while.
So today I have just been to the 17 week midwife appointment but before I go into detail I will explain that midwives appointments are sort of the optional appointments for blokes and your partner will let you off with not being there.
I have been to all of them so far as my work is flexible and up to date they are like military operations. Your in on time (very unusual for our doctors), a few things are said, a few quick forms filled in, blood taken, pre done urine sample handed over and your out of there.
I like attending as I don't want to miss out on anything but so far they have not been anything special, however in today's appointment we were hoping to hear the heart beat.
Now it surprised me that not every midwife does this as not hearing a heartbeat can scare parents too be, however the midwife put on a portable speaker and our child's heartbeat was clear and loud.
This was incredible (I enjoyed it more than the scan picture). The sound was loud and fast and I was instantly in the best mood I would be in all day.
If you get the chance to go I would highly recommend it as it is something I won't forget in a while.
Sunday, 6 January 2013
Addicted to baby stuff
Ok me and my wife are going through a crazy stage in which we love to look at all the baby clothiers and cuddly toys in a shop. It's frustrating as we have no idea if its a boy or a girl (and everything is either pink or blue) but we don't care.
So far we have baught a few things which were too cute to resist.
I love this time as I am so excited but I need to remind myself to stop staring at babies as people may think I have a problem. You will find this occurs all the time and usually after you have done something productive, for example after visiting mammas and papas for a pram we noticed (and often stared at) other people's prams and how their babies were in them. This is great research but people are not too fond of other people, who don't have kids, string in their direction.
So far we have baught a few things which were too cute to resist.
I love this time as I am so excited but I need to remind myself to stop staring at babies as people may think I have a problem. You will find this occurs all the time and usually after you have done something productive, for example after visiting mammas and papas for a pram we noticed (and often stared at) other people's prams and how their babies were in them. This is great research but people are not too fond of other people, who don't have kids, string in their direction.
Cot or cot beds
I always though you got a cot and that was it, oh how I was wrong. Today I have learnt that you can get cots but most stores will push the cot beds (as in they will have 20 or so cot beds and 3 cots).
Cot last a year or so and then you upgrade to a normal bed, cot beds last until there 4 or 5 and then you get a normal bed. There are pros and cons about both and there is not right or wrong answer. Again my wife instantly disliked cots and so it was cot beds or nothing (at least the choice is narrowed down).
My wife loved a solid oak cot but I cannot justify paying £480 on a cot bed without the mattress (demonstrated in the picture below). It's not that we could not afford it, it's just the cot would be better made than my bed which seems wrong.
If you are going to buy a cot from mammas and papas (and they have some beautiful stuff) be aware they make there cots 1 cm smaller in width and length so you have to buy the mattress from them. There sheets and duvets will also fit better but they cost a fortune (there duvet sets for the cots are around £90) so make sure any products from other shops you like will actually fit.
So far we are undecided, but currently there is a good sale on and you can get a cot bed, changing unit over the cot and storage drawer under cot for £280 which is a good deal, we just need to see if other sheets and duvets from their places would fit.
Ps the highlight of my day was asking the assistant in mammas and papas about them making their cots smaller. If you get a chance to do this I would as their facial expressions are great.
Cot last a year or so and then you upgrade to a normal bed, cot beds last until there 4 or 5 and then you get a normal bed. There are pros and cons about both and there is not right or wrong answer. Again my wife instantly disliked cots and so it was cot beds or nothing (at least the choice is narrowed down).
My wife loved a solid oak cot but I cannot justify paying £480 on a cot bed without the mattress (demonstrated in the picture below). It's not that we could not afford it, it's just the cot would be better made than my bed which seems wrong.
If you are going to buy a cot from mammas and papas (and they have some beautiful stuff) be aware they make there cots 1 cm smaller in width and length so you have to buy the mattress from them. There sheets and duvets will also fit better but they cost a fortune (there duvet sets for the cots are around £90) so make sure any products from other shops you like will actually fit.
So far we are undecided, but currently there is a good sale on and you can get a cot bed, changing unit over the cot and storage drawer under cot for £280 which is a good deal, we just need to see if other sheets and duvets from their places would fit.
Ps the highlight of my day was asking the assistant in mammas and papas about them making their cots smaller. If you get a chance to do this I would as their facial expressions are great.
Pram, Pushcair or travel system
Ok the first major stress I have encountered is what to buy to cart the baby around. The biggest challenge is choice and I feel it's going to be like this all of the time.
So you can get a pram but this only last up to 9 months, you can get pushchairs for after the pram is redundant or you can get a travel system which transforms into both. This ease of purchasing one item for both comes at a cost and your wife will instantly choose this and dismiss any other option. My advise here is go with it and choose a travel system as it is inevitable.
You think once you have decided to go with the travel system (and you will) it would be easy but then the battle begins between you (cheaper the better) and your wife (most expensive the better). After several weekends going between mother care and mammas and papas and almost knowing the staff on a first name basis my advise would be decide what you want in a system. For us it was that my wife could easily operate the travel system (put up and down, mobility, and easily change the parts). We ended up choosing the Greco Evo from mother care as the one hand fold facility is excellent and you can rotate it on the spot. Second was the zoom system from mammas and papaya in the sale but my wife spent 15 minutes trying to fold it down and failed.
I also have now come to terms with the fact this baby is going to cost allot of money, but I am also starting to not care as I can't wait for it to be in my life and I think this realisation is important and will help me through what's to come.
So you can get a pram but this only last up to 9 months, you can get pushchairs for after the pram is redundant or you can get a travel system which transforms into both. This ease of purchasing one item for both comes at a cost and your wife will instantly choose this and dismiss any other option. My advise here is go with it and choose a travel system as it is inevitable.
You think once you have decided to go with the travel system (and you will) it would be easy but then the battle begins between you (cheaper the better) and your wife (most expensive the better). After several weekends going between mother care and mammas and papas and almost knowing the staff on a first name basis my advise would be decide what you want in a system. For us it was that my wife could easily operate the travel system (put up and down, mobility, and easily change the parts). We ended up choosing the Greco Evo from mother care as the one hand fold facility is excellent and you can rotate it on the spot. Second was the zoom system from mammas and papaya in the sale but my wife spent 15 minutes trying to fold it down and failed.
I also have now come to terms with the fact this baby is going to cost allot of money, but I am also starting to not care as I can't wait for it to be in my life and I think this realisation is important and will help me through what's to come.
Catch up
I decided to start this blog in the second trimester of my wife's pregnancy with the sole reason that things are getting more stressful thinking about what to buy, how to re arrange my small 2 bed house to accommodate a newborn etc and I thought I would blog about my experiences to help guide other soon to be parents with their experiences.
To set the scene I am a man in my late twenties who has been married for 3 years and decided to have children (logical step) and after 2 months of trying the test was blue. At this point I was slightly disappointed as I was hoping for more practise, however it was nice to know everything was working and I was so happy that we were going to have a child.
This news is like being engaged, you announce it, everyone is happy but then you realise you actually have to wait 9 months for the arrival of the baby and that's nearly a whole year so you immediately go back to normal.
The doctors appointment is not like what you see in the movies. You walk in and hand over the urine and then within a minute they confirm the news which is great then they hand you lots of paperwork and send you to the pharmacy and ask you to come back in 3 months and the only assurance your actually pregnant is a due date (16th June 2013 for us)
The first trimester was very strange. My wife felt sick most days but never was sick which made her go completely off food. She lost around 6 pounds and was tired all the time, especially after work. Now what this meant for me was I had to look after my wife and do most of the work around the home. She got so tired I would go to make a cup of tea and when I came back she would be asleep on the couch. This does give you allot of time on your own so my advise would be do your chores straight after work and then take up a hobby as you can spend a few hours whilst your wife is asleep doing what you want (for me I enjoyed my PS3)
The first trimester flies over and you will be so busy (and your partner asleep) and even though this is a big change it still feel unreal and you often question if you actually are having a baby.
The end of the first trimester is great as you get the scan of your baby. This moment for me was not as monumental as I thought, it was nice but not as moving as I thought as the scan half resembles a baby and half an alien. This combined with the fact it is still so small still makes it feel surreal. Don't get me wrong it's still amazing and sharing this with family is great but there still is a long way to go, you don't know if its a boy or a girl (you have to wait until 20 weeks) and my wife still looks like she always has, no baby bump.
So where am I now, we'll my wife is 17 weeks pregnant. Her appetite is fully back and she no longer feels sick. She has a cute baby bump we she thinks is fat (she always says it looks like she has a cider belly), either way I love it. We now enter a realm of stress as we are now starting to look at everything we will need and what we need to do to adjust when the baby comes which is why I started this blog
To set the scene I am a man in my late twenties who has been married for 3 years and decided to have children (logical step) and after 2 months of trying the test was blue. At this point I was slightly disappointed as I was hoping for more practise, however it was nice to know everything was working and I was so happy that we were going to have a child.
This news is like being engaged, you announce it, everyone is happy but then you realise you actually have to wait 9 months for the arrival of the baby and that's nearly a whole year so you immediately go back to normal.
The doctors appointment is not like what you see in the movies. You walk in and hand over the urine and then within a minute they confirm the news which is great then they hand you lots of paperwork and send you to the pharmacy and ask you to come back in 3 months and the only assurance your actually pregnant is a due date (16th June 2013 for us)
The first trimester was very strange. My wife felt sick most days but never was sick which made her go completely off food. She lost around 6 pounds and was tired all the time, especially after work. Now what this meant for me was I had to look after my wife and do most of the work around the home. She got so tired I would go to make a cup of tea and when I came back she would be asleep on the couch. This does give you allot of time on your own so my advise would be do your chores straight after work and then take up a hobby as you can spend a few hours whilst your wife is asleep doing what you want (for me I enjoyed my PS3)
The first trimester flies over and you will be so busy (and your partner asleep) and even though this is a big change it still feel unreal and you often question if you actually are having a baby.
The end of the first trimester is great as you get the scan of your baby. This moment for me was not as monumental as I thought, it was nice but not as moving as I thought as the scan half resembles a baby and half an alien. This combined with the fact it is still so small still makes it feel surreal. Don't get me wrong it's still amazing and sharing this with family is great but there still is a long way to go, you don't know if its a boy or a girl (you have to wait until 20 weeks) and my wife still looks like she always has, no baby bump.
So where am I now, we'll my wife is 17 weeks pregnant. Her appetite is fully back and she no longer feels sick. She has a cute baby bump we she thinks is fat (she always says it looks like she has a cider belly), either way I love it. We now enter a realm of stress as we are now starting to look at everything we will need and what we need to do to adjust when the baby comes which is why I started this blog
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