5 things that have surprised me about pregnancy

As my due date gets ever so closer, and conversations with friends and family inevitably turn to pregnancy and baby-related topics, I have found myself reflecting more and more on my experiences during pregnancy thus far.

Being my first viable pregnancy, I really don't have a lot to compare it to. And a part of me is certainly curious to know whether any subsequent pregnancies (if we are, of course, blessed enough to do this more than once) will be similar or completely different.

So bear with me as I get a little reflective on one topic I have put a bit of thought into lately.

5 things that have surprised me about pregnancy...

1. I am more laid back

Despite generally having a Type A 'must rush and organise this NOW' personality, I have found myself to be relatively laid back when it comes to planning and preparing for the arrival of Baby BBB. (I wrote about my theory for this here if you are interested). And, although I bought quite a few baby books when we found out I was pregnant, most of them remain unread, and I have found myself "going with the flow" far more than I ever expected I would.

(a nursery sneak peak…)

2. I did not get morning sickness

Before being pregnant, I just assumed that all pregnant ladies suffer from morning sickness. However, as the weeks progressed in the first trimester, and I had nothing aside from tiny fleeting moments of nausea, I realised that I was one of the lucky ones who wasn't going to be affected by morning sickness. I am really quite curious to see whether this remains true in any subsequent pregnancy, as many friends have mentioned having completely different symptoms the second time around.

(10 weeks pregnant and no morning sickness in sight!)

3. I miss my pre-pregnancy body

I want to start by saying that I am incredibly grateful for the wonderful gift that is being able to carry a child. Given our journey to become pregnant was a little longer than some, I figured that I would do nothing but embrace my pregnancy curves. However, if I am to be truly honest with myself, I do miss my pre-pregnancy body and the fitness it represented. It will come back, I know, but that's not to say I don’t miss it.

4. I forget that I am pregnant. All the time.

I am not kidding. Even at almost 35 weeks pregnant, with baby BBB regularly kicking and moving in my tummy, I forget that I am pregnant at least once a day. You would think the "oh my goodness there is a child growing inside me" realisations would have lessened by now, but they continue. And I really do feel sorry for the well meaning strangers who ask when I am due only to be met with a blank confused stare from me in response.

5. I am excited about labour

Before I was pregnant, the thought of labour was actually quite terrifying to me. However, as I get closer and closer to the 'big day' I find myself getting really excited. I am super curious to see how my body handles labour, and am feeling rather grateful that I get to experience labour at all.

Although perhaps Mr BBB will have to remind me of this philosophical outlook on labour a few hours in??

What about you? For those mummies ore preggy ladies out there - what surprised you most about being pregnant?

Lazy gal’s herbed quinoa and mushrooms

Despite all appearances on this blog, I can assure you that some nights I find myself staring blankly in the fridge without a clue what to make for dinner. Throw in a long work day, an up and down pregnancy appetite, and the temptation to have a bowl of cereal instead of putting together a meal is ever present.

However, knowing that I am ‘eating for two’, I have made a conscious effort when these moments strike to delve into the crisper drawer and try to put together something a little more nutritious.

Tonight was one of those nights.

Back in the pantry went the box of cornflakes, and out of the fridge came a bunch of mushrooms.

Along with a bag of herbs, picked from a friend’s garden, and kindly donated to the BBB kitchen.

Into a pan, with a heaped spoonful of ginger,

And a pile of quinoa (that I had pre-cooked for 15 minutes or so, until fluffy).

Warmed through for a couple minutes, and this lazy gal's herbed quinoa and mushrooms was ready for the plate.

And, with the help of Mr BBB who was out on BBQ duty, our dinner was complete.

Herb-filled quinoa…

Served with a sausage and grilled zucchini.

And certainly worth the effort!

Delish!

What about you? What is your ‘fall back’ meal when the desire to cook is missing?

Our beachside getaway

After 4 days spent by the sea, I would be lying if I said that heading back to ‘the reality’ of work was not a struggle this morning.

For although I live in a landlocked city, I love the calmness and peace that hearing and seeing the ocean inevitably provides. And our recent beachside getaway proved no different.

Our trip away was everything that I had hoped it would be.

 

I traded office meetings for crosswords…

Paperwork for afternoons spent reading by the pool….

(ps this is a great book!)

And corporate attire for flip flops and a bumped up bikini (gasp!!)

 

Our evening walks around the suburbs were replaced with daily long walks along the beach...

And off the beaten track…

With coastal views being our reward.

My camera was all but retired for the trip away, although it did come out rather quickly when I saw a frangipani tree near our hotel room.

So very gorgeous!!!

And not a tree you see in the city!

And even though one day was a little rain sodden…

Meaning our picnic lunch had to be eaten in the car….

The others were nothing but sunshine!

Making for some spectacular views as we dined alfresco at Rick Stein’s seafood restaurant - a fancy meal to celebrate Mr BBB's birthday!

 

No photos to offer, but I can assure you that the service was impeccable and the food was nothing but delightful. You’ll just have to take my word for it

And so we returned from our beachside getaway refreshed and relaxed. And finding it a little hard to believe that our next trip away will be as a family of 3!

What about you? Are you a fan of the beach?

Pregnancy Update – Week 34

Happy Sunday lovely people!

Mr BBB and I have just returned home after 4 glorious days spent close to the ocean. Our plan was to do a ‘whole lot of nothing’, and I am pleased to report that we stuck to that plan!

And, as we have just returned from our last holiday as a ‘couple’ before we become a ‘family’, it is rather timely that I’m due for another weekly pregnancy update.

How far along? 34 weeks, 4 days

How big is baby? This week baby BBB has grown to the size of a cantaloupe.

(I suspect it will be melon comparisons from here on…)

How I'm feeling? Confident enough (or perhaps it is indifference?!) to flash the BBB bump in all its blindingly white glory in a bikini while holidaying at a beachside resort these past few days. Here’s hoping I didn't scare too many beachgoers

 

 

Weight? No idea. And I have no intention of jumping on the scale after the indulgent few days we have just had.

How I'm changing? I am getting very excited now that we are most certainly in ‘countdown’ mode until we meet our baby girl. Now….if only we could decide on her name…..

What I miss? Shellfish! Dining at Rick Stein’s seafood restaurant the other night was delightful – but I am certain that it was not as delightful as it could have been had I been able to indulge in the various shellfish dishes on the menu.

Symptoms? I am very aware (and grateful!) of the fact that I have had a relatively symptom-free pregnancy, compared to some people, with my major current symptoms being the fairly standard aches and pains associated with a growing belly.

So I thought this week I would look at the symptoms that most pregnant women report suffering from, that I have been lucky enough to avoid to any great extent thus far:

• swollen hands / feet. My wedding rings still fit. I for one am super surprised about this as my fingers had a tendency to swell before I got pregnant?!
• no nausea or morning sickness
• no real increased need to pee. I have heard that many women need to get up several times throughout the night, however I am able to sleep right through (most nights)
• no sleep problems. I have always been a very good sleeper, and am very grateful that aside from a couple episodes of insomnia (mainly when my brain wont switch off), physically I am still quite comfortable when sleeping.

Hmmm…..here's hoping I have now not jinxed myself for the next 6 weeks!

Cravings? Shellfish. See above!

Highlights this week? Spending 4 amazing days with Mr BBB near the beach, during our last 'pre baby' getaway. Swimming, reading, sleeping, walking and generally luxuriating. It was bliss.

Replay: Taste of Australia

Happy Australia Day lovely people!

While many Australians are gearing up for a day filled with BBQs, flip flops, eskies, beer, cricket and beaches, Mr BBB and I are on our way to spend 3 nights at a glorious beachside resort as our last getaway before Baby BBB arrives.

I think they call this a babymoon?

We have both been looking forward to this trip since November (when we booked it), and plan on doing a whole lot of nothing while away.

Nothing except for reading, sleeping, lying by the pool, swimming and eating. Of course.

So given we are most likely on the road by now, but in honour of Australia Day, let me re-share with you some of the “Australian” recipes that featured on BBB last year in my Taste of Australia series.

For Australia Day is also a great chance to get cooking and baking!

Part 1 - Kangaroo and Macadamia Salad

Part 2 - Vegemite scrolls

Part 3 - Lamington Cake

Part 4 – Damper

Part 5 - Homemade tim tams

What about you? What are you up to this Australia Day?

Baby things…

Slowly but surely, Mr BBB and I are getting ready for the arrival of our baby girl.

But, for someone who is rather 'type A', I have actually surprised myself by the lack of rush on my part to get everything in order. I suspect that perhaps given our pregnancy journey was not as straight forward as some, and with my anxiety levels remaining pretty high during the first 20 weeks or so, a part of me didn't want to jinx everything.

A little silly right?

But as my body and mind started to relax, particularly in the third trimester, I have certainly come to accept that there is a very good chance that we will be welcoming a healthy baby girl into our lives in the not too distant future. That nothing will go wrong. Or even if it does, it is not something that I can control.

And with it, has come a renewed desire to start getting everything in order!

Over the last couple of months, I have received quite a few questions about our choices of equipment. So, for those who are interested, here is what we have chosen for some of our 'bigger items'.

The pram

It was choosing the right pram that caused me the most grief during our baby preparations. I found the ridiculous amount of brands, options, styles and prices thoroughly overwhelming, and just didn’t know where to start. So Mr BBB and I spent quite a few hours discussing what we considered to be our 'must have' features when it came to the pram, and slowly but surely we got a better idea of what we were looking for.

On the list -

• Could be fitted with a car capsule instead of a bassinet when baby BBB is a newborn
• Could fit a car capsule and a toddler seat (should we be lucky enough to have another baby down the track)
• Was of good quality
• Was easy to use and fold

With these 4 'must haves' in mind, I was then able to go to our local baby store and drill the sales assistant for a good 1.5 hours until it became clear that the Baby Jogger City Select was the pram for us.

While it was rather expensive, it ticked all the above boxes, and we are hoping that this pram will be suitable in the future should there be further additions to our family.

The car capsule

To go with our chosen pram, we opted for the Maxi Cosi car capsule.

 

This capsule clicks straight into the pram (we had to also purchase an adapter in order to do this), meaning that Baby BBB can be transferred from car to pram without having to be taken out of the capsule.

(Our pram fitted with the capsule)

I won't bore you with how long it took us to realise that a part was missing from the box, however, in order to install the base into the car. Let's just say that after 2 hours, we were feeling rather flustered that we couldn't work out how to install the carrier. Turns out we didn't have all the pieces!

Carriers / wraps

While I am yet to purchase any slings, I have my eye on the Baby Bjorn active carrier as well as the Hug-a-bub sling. Mr BBB and I are hoping to get at least one sling / carrier that we can both use, although given he is 6'3 and I am 5'7 - this may be easier said than done.

Well comfortably at least.

Nappies

We are planning on using disposable nappies initially, while bubs is a newborn, but then hope to switch to cloth after 6 weeks or so. I have heard some glowing reviews about both Bonnibuns and Itti Bittis, so are looking at giving both types a try to see what suits us and baby BBB best.

So there you have it – some of the bigger items we have crossed off our list thus far. I am really curious to see how each item goes once bubs arrives – as the ‘baby item’ industry certainly seems to be a big one…there is so much choice (and so much ‘sales spin’)!

Now all that is missing is a baby to test them all out

Any ‘must have item’ recommendations for a first time mum?