At last you are pregnant; those little blue lines confirm it. You are overjoyed. Do you share your news with all around you; your relatives, friends and work mates. Or will you and your partner keep it your secret for a few months. You can’t stop smiling you are so excited..
Will you suffer morning sickness? The worst I suffered was nausea and I spent my days sucking mints, however there are now some little blue wrist bands with a bead to activate a pressure point, which is a great help. There are called ‘sea bands’. Google them is you are having problems.
You may get cramps and sciatica later in your pregnancy, or find the last few weeks tiring, but many sail through pregnancy working until days before the birth. Many find their hair shines and their skin glows and they feel great. Don’t expect problems enjoy your 9 months of nurturing a new little life.
In the book I read prior to having my three babies they all spoke of the wonderful cup of tea you would enjoy after your ordeal, but for me cups of anything didn’t materialise! My recollection following immediately after the birth of my first child was a comment from my husband saying – we would soon provide a baby brother for our new-born, not quite what I wanted to hear at that point in time!
My first birth was a forceps delivery following 3 days of labour, so with my second child I decided to stay at home keeping busy until the last-minute. This I almost achieved, as he was born 15 minutes after arriving at hospital. All was going well with my 3rd until it was discovered her cord had wrapped tightly 3 times around her neck and she wasn’t going anywhere. However with the expert help of my midwife she was soon safely delivered. What a great job they do!
Needless to say ‘stitches’ were a common occurrence and the aid of a rubber ring made sitting almost comfortable.
After your beautiful little bundle has arrived you may feel a mixture of emotions for a few days or weeks. Your hormones are all over the place and you are probably sleep deprived. Baby blues usually soon pass but if depression persists get help from your doctor of health visitor don’t suffer in silence it could prevent you bonding with your baby or spoil your relationship.
You may find bath times very scary at first as wet wriggly babies can be very slippery! Cocoon baby in a towel to wash and dry his hair, you will both feel safer when holding him over the bath water. Then holding your baby’s thigh with your left hand, with his head in the crook of your left elbow, he is safe and cannot go anywhere. You can easily lift him in or out of the water washing him with your free hand. He will feel safe and you will feel confident too.
Why do mums not tell you these things? Probably because the soon forget. If memories of childbirth didn’t blur into insignificance, we would all have very small families! Believe me it is all worth it.
Guide created by Natera, who provide ctdna testing