Pregnancy

9 months In & Out

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It’s been a fast 9 months but it also feels like he was never not here. I always find this milestone a memorable one as they are out of your tummy as long as they were in there….

Here are 9 nuggets we’ve learnt about Master Max in the last 9 months

1. His smiles are wide but his cries are loud. 

He’s more of a smiler than I remember his brother being and gives them generously but can also ‘crack it’ fairly intensely when the mood takes him too.



2. He is a mamas boy hands down. 

Having said that he is happy to give anyone a snuggle and a smile for a bit of attention in return.

3. He’s an inquisitive little thing.

He’s always looking around observing and taking it all in and I’ve no doubt with the way things are going he will be on the move soon.

4. He looooovvees the ‘3 Bs’ bread, boobs & bath.

A slice of toast can not pass your lips without him digging in too.  My boobs are his primary food/drink source, his comfort and his general go to/pull out of when he fancies it! 🙄  At bathtimes, the squeals of delight when he is in the water and the squeals of horror when we take him out are memorable.

5. He’s a blondy now but started off very dark.

This meant people who haven’t seen him in a while can’t believe the transformation.



6. He doesn’t sleep great, never really has, despite a fairly good routine.

This is a quality he has taken from his bro. We thought we might luck out with a sleeper this time but it seems not.

7. His personality is emerging a little different to Josh.

I kinda thought they’d just be the same, naively, but Max is more impish, he’s more gentle but also has a determination we didn’t see emerge in Josh until a little later.

8. He still has no teeth.

9 months, ‘teething’ since 3 with lots of symptoms and tons of drool but not a tooth in his head yet.

9. We all love him more than we thought possible.

Yes of course I knew I’d love him, our second child but my goodness the love I, and our whole little family have for him is more than we could have imagined, it’s intense and lovely and he brings us little nuggets of joy every day, 9 whole months of them with lots more to come! 

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Living up to it!

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I was due to post this before Max was born and then he decided to arrive a week early.. More on that in a post on Wednesday when he will be one week old and what was meant to be his due date! The feature image is of my bump the night I went into labour-I had a sneaky suspicion it could be the last!

Anyway I think it’s funny and interesting being able to look back on musings before yet another life changing event. 

I am going to leave what I had written below but pick up at the end how perhaps, even though only a few short days have passed that with Max’s arrival I already have a slightly different perspective now! 


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We live in a society with social media and increased access knowledge that parents/parenting skills are constantly put under scrutiny and comparison. 

As a parent you will be judged, there is no getting away from that and as a first time mum you kind of just have to take it on and brush it off as you so wish. 

Ahead of having my second I am about enter another aspect of parenthood-being a mum of 2. It bring new joys and new challenges. I am one of the first of my peers to go on and have a second baby for now so hopefully I’ll have the ‘suss’ before they all follow suit, however right now that seems unlikely. 😕

I’ve done the newborn stuff, the working mama stuff, the staying at home stuff but recent weeks has been my biggest challenge with Josh’s sudden reaction to baby on the way, I’ll admit I haven’t coped very well. We have tried every route to no avail.  I try and generally be a positive person but this has broken me down. 

I hate moaning when I know how blessed I am… I also have lots of friends going through their own challenges to do with motherhood and other stuff. There are some first time mums adapting with sleepless nights along with complete life change and my own mum was a single parent to me and that is hard to compare to but heading into the world of number 2 seems quite daunting right now.

I want this to be a happy time and yes it’s exciting but it’s tinged with constant exhaustion and frustration like nothing like I’ve ever experienced. I am a social media sharer, like many others of today and try to show the balance of good and bad with my blog rather than the rose tinted view! We live in a world where we constantly question and scrutinise what we do/don’t do and this only adds to the pressure of life for some. 

We have had a bit of a road to get here and recent bumps have not been easy but as the saying goes.. this too shall pass! A new beginning is on the horizon, yes with further expected sleepless nights and endless feeding so I just hope I can live up to being a mum of 2! 

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So here I am a mum of 2, 6 days in and we are doing ok, more than ok. Yes I am completely sleep deprived, have boobs like pumpkins with razor blades attached but it’s the most mesmerising and magical time. It’s almost like you appreciate it all the more and lap up every moment second time round. Josh has adjusted well, I think it was the uncertainty that was bothering him. He loves his ‘baby brudda’-keeps saying ‘hi mister’ and was only asking today when we are having another baby-jeesh Josh give us a chance 🙈

I’m quite sure there will be busy, tricky, exhausting and challenging days ahead but knowing and expecting that helps. Reading back on the above I’m hoping that I’m actually going to be ok at this mum of two gig. Being a mum weirdly makes me more relaxed and further let go of ‘the crap’ and that can only be a good thing. I’ve taken more time to rest, unplug and focus on our new little family and this has been very beneficial too. 

Onwards and upwards for this Felton family of 4. 

Prepping the Pelvic Floor and Beyond.. 

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They say labour is like running a marathon, I am not sure about that ( as in which is worse/better) but it is definitely an assault on your body of sorts with a great result for both. 

With my first baby, like many do, I went in fairly blissfully unaware what lay ahead. Putting the feet up the last few weeks was about all the ‘preparation’ I did for Josh’s arrival into the world. The room was done, the clothes were bought, the buggy was made but I had not really thought about how it would affect my body.

 Whilst I had a fairly ‘easy’ labour and pregnancy with Josh, it was fast and furious and like many others I did not come away completely unscathed. 

This pregnancy has been totally different. I had bad nausea and vomiting until 26 weeks and still do on occasion. My back (upper and lower) is in constant pain and just this week after several weeks of being a complete moan I got my iron levels checked and they too have plummeted. (one big giant moan to add to the list now too)

This is my ultimate moan face..  I took it to remind myself one day of how tired I actually was 😝 I do not share this easily I might add! 

Based on the above I have taken some steps to get ready for the next:

 Physio:

First off I went to get some pelvic floor preparation. The things you have to do 😉. I went back to Stephanie in Milltown who I went to after having Josh. She examined me and said nothing is any worse than last time I saw her and just reminded me of the ‘Sniff Flop and Drop’ method that my midwives now talk regularly about. We will also do some perineum preparation on my last appointment in October. You can of course do this yourself but it was not something that I was that comfortable doing first time or this time myself to be honest.

 

Iron:

Next up was taken out of my hands this week when my iron levels came back dropped by 3. Normal range is between 11-14. Mine started at 13 and went down to 10. Normally levels drop by 1 in pregnancy, if that and 1 during labour. This had to be addressed and pronto. I was kind of relieved in a way as I knew I was not feeling right at all. No rest was relieving my symptoms, I was eating well but was dizzy, weak and out of breath all the time. I now have to go on a double dose of iron to get my levels back up. I never respond well to iron and have always been sick on it and along with my continued nausea with this pregnancy and the double dose I am not looking forward to what lies ahead but we will see how I go as it has to be done.

 

Osteopath:

Finally I think I will probably have to get my back seen to before baby arrives. My lower back was pretty sore after Josh but not before so I at least want it marginally better than it is now. Ian, my husband has become a dab hand at massage and I have also had a few throughout the last 7.5 months but nothing really relieves it. Heat patches, pillows are all is use and give short term solutions but I have no doubt the odd carrying of Josh/shopping and they way I sit at my desk when I am working all doesn’t help but life must go on so these elements can be tricky at times. I hope to attend a recommended Osteopath and see if she can assist or give some guidance on how to get some relief.

If I had known the above lay ahead I probably would not have jumped at changing my health insurance plan to save a few pennies but again ignorance is bliss. In some ways I think you are better heading into number 1 with this lack of awareness, there is enough to get your head around and if you are lucky enough or choose to go on to have others then you are more aware of what can or cannot crop up. One thing you become fully aware of is that all in all your body is nothing short of incredible for doing all this!

Pregnancy Update: 22 Weeks

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A late post after Ireland’s great win.. Hence the green colour to my artwork 🍀.. It’s been a busy 4 weeks but feeling well and getting very excited now!


How far along? 22 weeks 

Total weight gain: A lot, I think 1.5 stone! Eek! *puts down the cake 

Maternity clothes? In my jeans but the warmer days sees me wearing cotton dresses that are not necessarily maternity-I’ll do a post soon! 

Stretch marks? No but running out of oil so need to get more Asap! 

Sleep: Not too bad pregnancy wise… When Josh isn’t sleeping though it is pretty tough going. 

Best moment this week: Getting to spend some quality time with Josh, the weeks are flying by so I cherish the moments we have together before we have another one to add to the gang! 

Miss anything? I do really miss wine this time! 

Food cravings: Just food.. Need to scale this back-see above 😬

Anything making you queasy or sick? Unfortunately I came off the tablets and the vomitting returned so back on them for now!

Gender: We know and so will you soon.. 

Labour signs: No!

Symptoms: Lots more kicks which is lovely. Usual back pain and round ligament pain but nothing unmanageable. 

Belly button in or out? Very out!

Wedding rings on or off: Still on. 

Happy or moody most of the time: I am definitely moodier this pregnancy but I am tireder due to toddler so I am lucky I have a patient husband.. 😉

Looking forward to: Starting to buy some new things for baby.   

Fitness during pregnancy 💪🏼

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I stayed pretty fit during my pregnancy with Josh, I was very fit before I got pregnant with him so I adapted but kept up a regime of sorts. I ran until I was five months and generally kept active. 

This time is a little different, I wasn’t quite as fit going in to this pregnancy despite my efforts in between. I am also a lot more sleep deprived so energy is a lot lower. Pelvic floor a problem too. Having said that exercise makes me feel better so once I was over the wrist of the sickness I decided to try out a few options but to be honest there is not a lot of option around! I alder a personal trainer friend why this was and main reason being the risk and other being the market. 

This is me finishing my one and only race whilst pregnant with baby 2!


First up was aqua aerobics in my gym, a very soft workout but good to get the body using light movements. This is something I will continue every second Wednesday and it is so low impact I’ll be able to do it right up to d day.

Next up was Antenatal Pilates in Platnium Pilates. I had never done a reformer Pilates class so didn’t know what to expect but whilst this was only my first class and it was one of the warmer days, it was tough but good tough. I felt confident in the instructor and felt I was getting a really good workout that was being adapted for baby, bump and me. One I’ll be doing regularly until I can! 


I will also be starting a Yoga class weekly in July but more for the relaxation and stretching purposes..

Walking and running after Josh should keep me going in between 😉

One thing  post pregnancy I think is important is doing the right type of workout to get you back in shape but keeping mindful of the new limitations of your body in the early days. A friend of mine runs private tuition for post natal mums and even one or two sessions post baby I think would be really worthwhile to get your body strong before returning to your normal routine . 

FITMOMS is run by Triona; Mother of one and passionate about delivering postnatal appropriate training to Mothers. 
FITMOMS ensures effective, safe, fun workouts for ALL fitness levels.

Pregnancy Update: 14 weeks 

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I am going to do updates every 4 weeks until due date with some sub topics dotted in between… 

As you will see below my vomitting has subsided but nausea still plays its part in daily life. I am definitely coming out the other side based on my last morning sickness post but I’m not quite out of the woods yet!

I was bouncing around at this stage with Josh, with first trimester symptoms disappeared and that second trimester energy had kicked in. However despite this being a different pregnancy I do think number 2 is going to be trickier, your body is tireder and you have a toddler to contend with too.

I am back eating better which I am enjoying as I do love my grub so will write a bit more about what I eat as I go through the pregnancy. I feel I don’t look amazing and I’m going through that ‘fat phase’ so I’ve booked in for a massage and nail paint on Friday ahead of the bank holiday to hopefully perk myself back up and my back has been pretty sore so hopefully that will relieve it a bit! 

Hopefully by the next update I won’t be quite as moany as I was only saying to my husband the other night how much I enjoy being pregnant, even despite all this yucky stuff and feel so lucky and excited to have number 2 on the way. 

See below for some more of my week 14 updates. 

How far along? 14 weeks 

Total weight gain? I had put on a few pounds after Christmas and never got down to pre Josh weight by a few pounds. So far this pregnancy I think about 5-6lb gain 

Maternity clothes? Not yet but I’m window shopping! However I think I’ll be in my maternity jeans sooner on this baby than with Josh. I was 21 weeks with Josh. 

Stretch marks? No, didn’t really get any with Josh either. Just 2 small ones on my side so lashing lots of oil on. 

Sleep? Ok, Josh is still not the most wonderfully consistent sleeper but Ian is taking the lions share of that at the moment. I still wake a couple of times and if I feel sick it takes me a while to get back to sleep. Ian has been great with giving me the lie ins and my mum has been great at taking Josh on a couple of overnights too. 

Best moment this week: Getting some of my appetite back and feeling somewhat normal on Tuesday being out and about! 

Miss anything? Me! I can’t wait to feel a little more energised and nausea to go completely. 

Food cravings? White toast usually does the job. I still have quite a few food aversions but they are slowly coming back.   

Anything making you queasy or sick? Anything and everything. Still can’t do Josh’s bad nappies  so along with everything else Ian is taking the lead on this one at the mo. 

Gender? No idea but a lot of people are saying a girl as the pregnancy so far as been so different to Josh. 

Labour signs? No!

Symptoms? Low energy, nausea (vomitting has pretty much stopped), congested skin

Belly button in or out? In! But starting to peek out. 

Wedding rings on or off?  On. Never came off with Josh. 

Happy or moody? Happy most of the time and so happy to be pregnant but can get moody with the relentlessness of this nausea. 

Looking forward to: Our holiday in 3.5 weeks! 

*I look so grey I thought I would add to it with this filter 😝