Pregnant Women Q&A's

Why do pregnant women always rub their belly's?
This idyllic image is nothing to do with bonding with the baby beneath. No. Really its because stretching skin is itchy and uncomfortable. And especially in my situation, the baby will sometimes stick something out through your belly in a bid to permanently enlarge their room. It is therefore a normal reaction to reach down to this spot and by rubbing try to convince the baby to change position. However this doesn't always work, and if your baby is anything like Starbucks they'll actually push back and reassert that they are now claiming this place for their own.

Why do pregnant women always put their hands on the arch of their backs?
This is annoying. There is simply no where else to put them. You can't cross your arms normally, as there's a bump in the way, you cant fit your hands in your front pockets anymore as thigh growth has made this pocket incapable of holding anything other than list of all the things you can't remember. Additionally, anywhere you can find on your front to put your hands will only contribute to overbalancing forward as your already very front heavy. Therefore somewhere on your back is the only option, so why not go for the typical pregnancy pose, as if you are pushing the bump out from behind.

Its fun learning these things, as they are pretty much an instinct and nothing you can do to stop them without a massive conscious effort. Its so odd being part of the pregnant culture. My only fear is - how much will remain post birth?!

Father Hen

I have not been busy nesting, XSS has. Over the past three weeks we have painted every wall in our flat, got a new boiler and two new (larger) radiators, new carpets throughout and yesterday a flat pack cot and change unit arrived! Xss made the cot instantly. In someways it makes this whole journey more believable, and in others, its just really a little odd. Why do a perfectly normal 20 somethings couple need a tiny little bed in their spare room. This worries me a little though- When will it seem real? When I'm screaming pushing her out- is that a little late?

Its great to have new carpets throughout as walking on the cold 'floor boards' (read big chunks of plaster board) to pee in the middle of the night was getting old. But in order to fit the carpets we fit our whole flat, and lives, into our bathroom. And there it remains. We can access the toilet, and half the sink if you lean over the toilet. It feels good to know we own so little stuff, and it encourages me to throw more things away. Part of the liberty and joy of travelling was having so little stuff with us, however ironic that might be to the locals as we wandered past with massive rucksacks containing only a sample of our lives but double the amount of stuff they will ever own in theirs.

In other news i have gained a new niece, bringing my total up to 4 nieces and nephews! Rhea was born on last Monday night, and is doing a good job of keeping her parents and elder sister awake all night at the moment. I'll update with a picture when i have one. Its a great a joyous occasion when someone has a baby- a whole new person enters the world. But its easier to see it when someone else has to raise them.

For lunch i will be mainly eating butter

Hello. Starbucks is moving a lot now days, not kicking- moving, and often when i picture her i think of her hitting or headbutting instead, leading me to worry for a two days that my baby was paralysed from the waist down- i guess that's a little irrational, but welcome to pregnancy!

I've not written much on here about Starbucks' development yet, although i do read every week whats new, and whats normal. Nice things about Starbucks is she now has eyelashes (cute), getting hair (and more importantly those annoying cow licks and crowns that she will lament in her teenage years if they're not where she wants them), she can open her eyes and see, although what that is I'm not sure. I like to imagine it looks like the winter sun coming through your closed eye lids, but what with me wearing clothes all the time -darn winter-it must really be pretty dark in there. She can also breathe in and out her own amniotic fluid and has toe nails. All things which i am sure i will check time and again once she's here.

I'm trying to look forward to her coming, but its hard knowing about the lack of sleep and space i will experience. However, i only rank sleep about 4th in my life after chocolate and Xss and God so at least all those things i love more will still exist.

Speaking of God, i find it very easy to believe that God created Starbucks and is choosing everything for her perfectly, to give her the character and person he knows works, but i am finding it much harder to believe that he has chosen me to be her mother. Ironic as that is, as i am here first, and she is very obviously my daughter (being an unmissable lump sticking out the front of me permanently now days). So I'm trying to rejoice that i have been chosen, as really i know i should, motherhood is by no means a given for everyone and i should not grow complacent with this. Its a work in progress at the moment though.

Oh the pregnancy woes go on, moan, moan, moan.

After getting pregnant i vowed i would not write on hear each week about the joys and more often pitfalls of growing your own human. However, i did not account for how much this one task would take over my life. This morning i woke up with an additional one long side burn, of a dark shade, having just dyed my hair blonde again. (it reaches right down to the bottom of my jaw and is almost an inch thick). Like all things pregnancy related, it'll be gone sometime after the baby is here. Your just resigned to that message playing on repeat. I have cramp in my calves regularly, again, i guess it'll go. I also don't ever feel like washing up- will that go too?

In good news, i'm also growing a linea Negra, a dark line down the middle of my stomach, probably just to aid the doctors in measuring the enormity of my bulge. How exciting to be growing a fine dark line, but i think its going wonkey.