My Pregnancy: Nine Months
I'm sure everyone's thoughts are on babies today, as William and Kate have just announced the birth of their new Prince. Our thoughts have been on babies for a long time now and we are so excited to welcome our own little prince or princess very soon, it has come around so quickly!
I thought it was about time that I wrote a post about my pregnancy – I haven't shared much until now, as to be honest I've been feeling a little private and introverted. I don't know how much of that is normal pregnancy hormones – a feeling of withdrawing slightly from the world - or whether it's because of my previous pregnancy experience, that I've been more sensitive and a much quieter, more reclusive version of myself over the last nine months.
When I found out I was pregnant again last September I was in shock at first – longing to celebrate the little miracle growing inside me, but also too frightened to feel much excitement, in case something went wrong again. That feeling stayed until about week 26, but I'm pleased to report that since then I've been feeling physically and emotionally well and able to start getting really excited about the arrival of Baby BM.
My Experience of Pregnancy After Loss
I wanted to write a post to share a few of the wonderful people (and things) who have been really supportive of and helped me throughout the pregnancy, in case there is anyone else out there who could also benefit from their help and support.
The first few months were predictably rocky – I managed to say pretty calm all things considered, but those early months were full of uncertainty, extra medical appointments and a very tentative feeling of excitement. I managed to busy myself with work and then Christmas was a welcome distraction – spending a few weeks with family and friends really helped me get through the trickiest part of the pregnancy, the middle months, which is when things went wrong for us last time.
In my head, I thought that once past the 22-week mark, I would feel a weight lift and would be able to embrace the pregnancy and start preparing for the arrival of Baby BM. This did happen, but not until later around 26 weeks at the end of January, which made me realise that these things aren't always black and white. You have to give yourself the space to feel however you feel and can't hurry emotions.
We went away to London for a babymoon in late January and it was around that point that something switched. I could feel the baby moving regularly by then, so I think that helped reassure me that everything was ok.
It was so lovely when the weight did lift and I really felt that a new chapter had begun – since then Patrick and I have been able to start feeling more and more excited, plan the nursery and really get prepared for Baby BM to join us.
My Wonderful Support Network
Over the last year, I have been receiving support from the gorgeous Cath from Catching Rainbows. She has really held my hand from starting the IVF last summer and throughout our journey since then. She is a counsellor and also a Reiki practitioner – the perfect combination and is such a lovely, warm person.
I can't recommend her enough to anyone struggling with fertility in any way – she is so knowledgeable, has been through a tough time in her own journey to become a parent and is an all-around wonderful person. She and her business partner Lucy (ex-nurse and practises reflexology) are amazing and if you feel that you need any support in this area then do contact them. They are Dorset based but can counsel and support you via Skype if you don't live locally.
I have also been having (initially fortnightly), but now monthly acupuncture sessions, which have been brilliant. In Dorset, I go to Louise, who is an acupuncturist and Chinese Herbal Medicine specialist. She is so clever and also a lovely person – she helped me so much in the run-up to getting pregnant with her herbs. My cycle was a bit all over the place and I was suffering terrible PMT, which she managed to get under control and get my cycle both regular and calm, which was amazing. Throughout the pregnancy acupuncture has helped both physically and emotionally - I can't recommend her enough.
When we're in London I go to the wonderful Emma Cannon for acupuncture (funnily enough she and Louise trained together and are friends). Emma is a fertility guru and such a wonderfully supportive person. Both of these ladies are amazing, so if you are anywhere near London or Dorset, then I would totally recommend going to them for a consultation if you have any health or fertility issues.
Finally, to really pamper me and keep everything calm and my body physically in shape, I've been having monthly massages with Annabel Fox, who practises at Dorchester Yoga Centre or her home in Ansty. She is also a Reiki practitioner, so her massages really are magical and really take you to another place – I'm sure it's down to her that I haven't had any back issues during the pregnancy. All of these things combined have meant that I have felt physically and emotionally really well throughout the pregnancy. I promised myself at the beginning that I would make the time to look after myself and all these treatments (and the wonderful women giving them) have most definitely helped keep me mentally and emotionally positive and on track. Just knowing that you have some time in the diary every fortnight – an hour or so of your time and a calming treatment has been so powerful and has definitely been worth the investment.
Health & Wellbeing
Throughout the pregnancy, I have been really conscious to look after myself and the little person growing inside me by eating as well as possible (the first three months were tricky as I went off almost everything except pasta cooked with a chicken stock cube...don't ask!), but after that, I have been trying to eat as well as I can and also have been taking wonderful supplements from Wild Nutrition.
If you haven't heard of Wild Nutrition, then I highly recommend that check them out. I am super sensitive to vitamins, particularly synthetic ones (most that you buy from chemists and even in specialist shops are synthetic), whereas the ones from Wild Nutrition are all food-based and natural.
The company was set up by nutritionist Henrietta Norton, who also had a tough fertility journey, suffering from severe Endometriosis for years, before going on to have three beautiful children. As a result, the brand is really in tune with female fertility and has a wonderful range of products. One of the things that I found most useful is that they offer a free phone consultation with one of their nutritionists - a really bespoke service.
All of these things combined have meant that I have felt physically and emotionally well throughout the pregnancy. I have been really lucky that I haven't suffered any tricky symptoms – a small amount of insomnia (which Louise fixed by working out it was probably a blood sugar drop, so a milky drink and a banana just before bed sorted that out.)I promised myself at the beginning that I would make the time to look after myself and all these treatments (and the wonderful women giving them) have most definitely helped keep me mentally and emotionally positive and calm throughout. Just knowing that you have some time in the diary every fortnight – an hour of you time and a calming treatment, has been so powerful and has definitely been worth the investment.
We are now only a few weeks away from welcoming Baby BM (my due date is next week!) and needless to say we are super excited. I will be slowing down a bit with work and the blog for the next month or so but will keep you up to date with our progress on Instagram and social media.
How long I take off will very much depend on how things go, but the plan is not to disappear for too long! We just want to make sure that we enjoy every moment with our newborn in those first few weeks and months. It's such an exciting time though! I've been learning about breastfeeding, and that all babies are different when it comes to weight gain. I've also learnt about developmental stages and I can't wait for my baby to be born!
I want to take this opportunity to thank you all for your support to date – it means so much that you enjoy following along and reading the blog and I hope that post baby you will continue to enjoy it. Content will of course, always be based around interiors and lifestyle, but I will also want to share some of our journey into parenthood with you, so I hope you'll enjoy those posts too.
Finally, I just want to add that this post is not in any way sponsored – these are just all the people and things that have really helped me over the last year and I wanted to share the full details with you, in case any of them can help you too. I hope you have a wonderful week.
Laura x
Credits:
Photography by Patrick Butler-Madden
Hair: Robin James, Sherborne
Outfit: Cardigan from White Company, Vest is M&S, Maternity Boyfriend Jeans from H&M, Shoes are Topshop