Jen's Pregnancy Diary: Week 10

This week was full of excitement. We told Seth and Leon they were going to have a new baby brother or sister. They were both very shocked but happy. We chatted over dinner and they had lots of questions. Leon didn’t believe I had a baby in my belly because I don’t have a big pregnant belly. We showed him a picture of what the baby would look like and that it is still tiny. It was a great conversation over dinner. Seth wants a little brother and Leon doesn’t really mind. 

We told our families this week about our pregnancy - it was very exciting.

The next day we held a family party in our home for Bren my father in law. We exchanged presents and just before we sat down to eat we handed him a birthday card and told him there was a special surprise inside. Seth took a little video of the moment he found out he had another grandchild on the way! I found myself crying. It was a lovely moment :)

I have still been very nauseous and getting sick daily. I am excited to tell people and for the kids to know. Even though I am really tired at night I am finding myself unable to sleep. I have also started having crazy pregnant dreams.

I am starting to be uncomfortable in anything other than leggings. I did some online shopping and will need to get the hubby up into the attic to retrieve my bag of maternity clothes! There are some really lovely options out there now. I also just heard that Pennys now stock maternity wear so I will have to check that out soon! 

Until next time...Jen x

Week 10: What is Happening With Your Baby

© 2012 Fried Dough, Flickr | PD-MK | via Wylio

• Your baby is the size of a strawberry 
• They are becoming really active in your womb - kicking, tumbling and stretching. You won't feel this yet as their limbs are still so tiny. 
• Your baby's heart is now fully developed and beating at approx 180 beats per minute. 
• Your baby is starting to look more like a human this week, though as their is brain is developing their forehead will temporarily bulge at this point
• Your baby can now lift their chin up from their chest - so their head is more upright. 

Week 10: What Might Be Happening With Your Body 

• Your blood volume is increasing significantly this week. By the time baby is ready to be born it will be almost double the amount it would have been before you were pregnant. 
• You may be feeling dizzy at times as the pregnancy hormone progesterone relaxes the walls of your blood vessels. 
• You may find you are suffering from constipation as the muscles of the bowel relax
• Your waist continues to expand and may be disappearing at this stage. 

Pregnancy Tip 

It's a good time to start thinking of how to break the news to your friends/family/work? Some people like to do a pregnancy announcement on social media and there are some great examples here and here on how people announced their pregnancy. Do let us know how you told everyone - we would love to hear from you: info@doulacare.ie or message us on Facebook  

Jen's Pregnancy Diary: Week 9

So another busy week working in DoulaCare Ireland.  As mentioned I have pulled back a little on night shifts while the first trimester tiredness engulfs my being. This week I am starting to come through it a little. I feel less likely to fall asleep while walking down the road LOL. 

I am finding baby brain is making paper work last about twice as long and my ability to do mental maths while calculating shifts for our team is not what it once was! I am taking my time and using the calculator on my phone just to be sure, but find myself needing to use my hands to count out even small amounts of time (10am-2pm = 1,2,3,4 hours) Tell me this is normal and my poor brain will recover?! 

© 2008 jess2284, Flickr | CC-BY-SA | via Wylio

This week I feel I am starting to come through the sickness. I’m back eating dinners now and once I snack regularly I am not gagging (touch wood). I still can’t handle the smell of the fridge – any fridge – and have to hold my breath while searching for items for the kids. This does still set me off and the kitchen sink has become my saviour. I find I am going off food and drinks pretty quickly. 7Up was my best friend for the first few weeks but I can’t stand it now. Perhaps my body knows it won’t be helping the terrible bloating and ****TMI alert****...gas. 

I am feeling more aware of my tummy and feel a ‘heaviness’ low down. I know my body is telling me baby is there. I haven’t found I need to pee all that much more but when I need to go I do not have the ability to hold it for 4 more hours (working as a doula helps to create a super human bladder - one of the perks!). I am also getting the odd pain, which I am presuming is all the ligaments stretching to accommodate my growing peanut. 

My oldest boy Seth has been asking me a lot why I am sick all the time. We have decided to tell the kids next week about baby. It is my father-in-law's 60th so we will tell him then, as he has been begging for another grandchild for years and we know he will be thrilled. So close family will know and then perhaps we will start to spread the word. 

I am unsure how the boys will react. They are both old enough to understand and we hope the gap is big enough they won’t feel shoved out. I will fill you all in next week. How did you tell your other children about your pregnancy?  And how did they react when you did? 

Until next time...Jen x

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Week 9: What Is Happening With Your Baby

© 2010 Dennis Hill, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio

• Your baby is the size of a Grape this week
• All of baby's essential body parts have formed now. 
• Your baby's head is beginning to look rounded and there is a clearly defined neck.
• Your baby's limbs are developing rapidly and you can see clear fingers and toes.
• Your baby's eyes are fully formed now, but their eyelids are tightly shut (and won't open until 27 weeks). 
• Your baby's teeth are developing and their heart has divided into 4 chambers 

Week 9: What might be happening with your body

• Your hCG levels are at their highest this week - so all the changes to your body that have been happening over the last few weeks can be at their most intense this week (nausea, fatigue, vomiting, frequent urination etc). 
• Your gums may be softer now with pregnancy hormones - be careful with dental hygiene
• Those pregnancy hormones can give you lovely skin BUT they can also give you very intense mood swings - so be gentle with yourself and know that these will ease off over the next week or so.
• Your nose may be very congested - your body often produces more mucus when pregnant, leading to a constantly blocked up nose. 
• You may be finding it hard to button your trousers or skirts this week as your uterus expands. 

Week 9: Pregnancy Tip

You can try the GentleBirth app free for the first week. 

The GentleBirth App is a fantastic tool for pregnancy and birth, with tracks for early pregnancy and mindfulness to help you have a positive pregnancy and birth experience. It's such a  nice way to connect in with your baby throughout your pregnancy. You can try it for free for the first week and there's a fantastic GentleBirth Facebook Group that you can join for support as well (and it's a closed group as you may not want to announce to the world yet that you are pregnant! But to be on the safe side - if you have friends in the group and you don't want them to see you are pregnant yet, you can always join under a fake profile). Get more information on the GentleBirth App

Big News - Jen has an announcement!

I’m Jen :) Mam to two fun loving boys (Seth is 10 and Leon is 6) Wife to my hubby Paul, living in North Dublin. I am a Birth & Postpartum Doula, amongst other things, and I am co-owner of a national Doula agency DoulaCare Ireland www.doulacare.ie Follow my story as I learn what it’s like to be pregnant again! Juggling a crazy work life around my family.

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Jen is expecting. Baby No 3 is on the way

So here I am, pregnant after 6 years and learning it all again! I am a doula, and so through my work I am surrounded by pregnant women constantly. I answer their questions and we have discussions around many topics. But now that I too am pregnant it all changes. I am no longer the professional, I am simply a mother scrambling to do best for her growing baby. 

It’s crazy really. I’ve done this twice before. It is truly amazing how much you forget and how ‘baby brain’ takes over. I am finding myself googling things like “is it safe to eat honey while pregnant?” 

Yes, I actually had to check that as I remembered my babies couldn’t have honey until 12 months. I was almost sure honey was ok in pregnancy.....but the seed of doubt was there and sure it only takes a few seconds to check and have peace of mind. Where would we be without the internet?

“...now that I too am pregnant it all changes. I am no longer the professional, I am simply a mother scrambling to do best for her growing baby. ”

Things have changed a lot since my first was born (he will be 11 when this baby makes an appearance). I remember sitting up on the PC searching for information. Yes the PC, no laptops or smart phones back then! Oh no ;) I found a chat room called Rollercoaster and without even knowing it, I found my tribe. I could speak to other women about my pregnancy and we could offer peer support. It was wonderful and refreshing. As I was only 19, I found everywhere in the ‘real world’ people gave me the sort of “ah bless her she hasn’t a clue” look whenever I would ask about breastfeeding or co-sleeping. I found my instincts toward these strong, even though I knew nobody who did either. 

Through parenting trial and error with my first two, I realised that for me personally breastfeeding, cosleeping (in a safe way) and responding to my baby's needs was the type of parent I wanted to be. My first son got a little of everything, pressure from around me to “put him down, not hold him all the time”, “get him out of the bed” or “give him a bottle he is starving” meant I doubted my instincts and had some rough times attempting “pick up, put down” methods and topping up with bottles. We found our rhythm eventually (and hopefully I haven’t scarred him for life!). 

By the time my second guy had come along, I had much more confidence and so he was exclusively breastfed.  We did erect the cot, but it remained an ornament to drape dirty clothes over. My husband was pretty supportive in everything I chose and really was happiest with whatever option gave him the most sleep. 

Now that you have some background on me you can follow my weekly updates. Ask questions and share your own stories and please do feel free to share with friends. 

Jen x