tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2952646437880168122024-03-13T21:23:38.142-07:00Baby Steps in WalthamstowAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04281021541462791272noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-295264643788016812.post-89139687651302056312013-02-25T04:35:00.000-08:002013-02-25T04:35:14.360-08:00Walthamstow Toy Library<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Walthamstow Toy Library</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">After the first hectic few months of maternity leave, things began to settle into a more organised weekly routine of playgroups, NCT mums meet-ups and plenty of coffee and lunch dates! We are very lucky in Walthamstow to have a wealth of organised activity and play sessions, enough to fill every morning and afternoon of the week if you have the energy! One of my regular play sessions was at Walthamstow Toy Library, where I went nearly every Tuesday afternoon for the under 18-months play session. The Toy Library is a fabulous little place, run by a charity, where you can come with your little one for an afternoon of fun and games. For the under 18-month session, each week had a different theme, ranging from active play where the more mobile kids can crawl and toddle around to their hearts content over an obstacle course of soft play blocks, to heuristic play, where the babies can find and explore every day and natural items such as egg boxes and pine cones. Each session ends with a 20 minute sing along session where the babies can take turns to pull a toy out of the song bag and we all sing the relevant song. This is where I re-learned the words to all the old nursery rhymes and picked up a few new classics along the way (The Dingle-Dangle Scarecrow anyone?). It was great after a few weeks to keep seeing the same faces and make new Walthamstow mum friends. I think it was one of baby M's favourite activities and in fact he even crawled for the first time on one of the sessions! (Inspired by watching the slightly older babies I think) The play sessions are very popular, and sometimes people are turned away after the session is full, so make sure you get there on time!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The toy Library can be found next to the Comely Bank community clinic on Ravenswood Road. Check out the latest information on play sessions and room hire here: <a href="http://www.walthamstowtoylibrary.org/" target="_blank">Walthamstow Toy Library</a></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04281021541462791272noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-295264643788016812.post-3745290870487928512012-08-24T02:54:00.000-07:002012-08-24T02:54:19.381-07:00Parent and baby cinema - Screen on the Green<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">All throughout my pregnancy, whenever hubby and I would go out for dinner or on an evening out, I was constantly faced with comments such as 'make the most of it now' or 'you won't be able to do this when the baby arrives'. It got me thinking, surely having a baby doesn't have to be the end of your social life for the next 10+ years?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Obviously, we have had to make a few adjustments but I can honestly say that my social life now with a 4 month old baby is pretty much as good as before. Plenty of pubs and restaurants in Walthamstow are baby friendly, so we just take the little one out with us and half of the time he will nap in his buggy while we eat dinner. I have also mastered one-handed eating for the times when he doesn't want to be put down! For the less baby-friendly evening activities, we each go out about once a week with our friends while the other stays at home on baby duty. And of course there are friends and grandparents happy to babysit every now and then while we have a night out to ourselves. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Screen on the Green - Upper Street</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Going to the cinema is a bit of a tricky one, definitely not appropriate to take a potentially screaming baby to an evening film, but it also seemed a bit of a waste of a precious babysitting offer. I found a bit of a compromise solution recently in the form of 'Parent and baby cinema'. Quite a few local cinemas have special baby-friendly screenings where you can go along and not worry about disturbing the other patrons as everyone is in the same situation. You can also watch up to a 15 rated film (or up to a 12A in some cinemas) with a baby under 1 year old as they are deemed to young to understand the content of the film. For my first parent and baby cinema experience, I went to see Batman: the dark knight rises at Screen on the Green in Islington. I had never been to this cinema before, but it makes a welcome change from the normal faceless Odeon-type places that I would normally go to. Screen on the Green is small and intimate, with just the one screen. It has comfy looking sofas down each side which had already been taken by the more clued-up mums who had arrived early. There is a bar at the back of the seating area, and the staff came round to each of us to take our orders and then delivered drinks and cakes right to our seats! (refreshments were even included in the ticket price!). I probably picked one of the hottest days of the year (and one of the longest films!) which was a bit of a mistake, 3hrs+ with a hot baby on your lap gets a little tiring. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I will definitely go to more baby-cinema sessions, the only downside really is that there is usually just one showing a week, so you have a pretty limited choice of films.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Baby screenings are usually on Wednesdays at midday at the Screen on the Green, you can find out whats showing on <a href="http://www.everymancinema.com/cinemas/screen-on-the-green/find-us" target="_blank">the website</a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Other local cinemas with baby-friendly screenings include <a href="http://www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema/Stratford_London/" target="_blank">Stratford Picturehouse</a>, <a href="http://www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema/hackney" target="_blank">Hacnkey Picturehouse</a>, and the <a href="http://www.riocinema.org.uk/" target="_blank">Dalston Rio</a>. </span></div>
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- Posted using BlogPress from my iPadAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04281021541462791272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-295264643788016812.post-15179191367053150042012-07-24T13:36:00.001-07:002012-07-24T13:36:54.655-07:00E17 Baby massage classes with Madeleine<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">After the first couple of hectic months settling into life with the new baby, I felt it was time to start trying out some of the many baby groups and classes available to new mums in E17. First up on my list was baby massage. Baby massage is a great way of bonding with your little person, taking some uninterrupted time out of an otherwise busy day to spend focussed on the baby, and of course, to meet other local new mums. There are a few local places offering baby massage classes, such as The Healthworks and some of the SureStart centres, but I went on the basis of a friend's reccomendation and signed up for a series of 5 classes with Madeleine, from www.E17babymassage.co.uk . The classes take place in Madeleine's light and airy living room, and are limited to just 5 people so you can get plenty of personal tuition. Each week we would learn a new routine for different parts of the body, with some massage strokes designed for relaxation and others to target specific problem areas such as colic or congestion. Since the course finised, I've started using the massage as part of a relaxing bedtime routine for baby M. It seems to be working so far as he's recently started sleeping through the night! Hurrah!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">You can find more details and the latest course dates on Madeleine's website at <a href="http://www.e17babymassage.co.uk/">www.e17babymassage.co.uk</a></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04281021541462791272noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-295264643788016812.post-76508347419889529652012-05-02T07:14:00.000-07:002012-05-02T07:17:53.873-07:00Waiting for Baby sewing classes with Significant Seams at Wood Street Indoor Market<br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: justify;">I started my maternity leave at 35 weeks pregnant back at the beginning of March, leaving myself 5 weeks before the due date to relax and finish off the final preparations before the big day. It became ridiculously easy to fill my days with shopping trips, afternoon naps and long leisurely lunches, and very quickly work felt like a distant memory. I had been along to the relaunch of </span><a href="http://woodstreetmarket.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: justify;" target="_blank">Wood Street indoor market</a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> earlier that month, and one of the shops that caught my eye was </span><a href="http://significantseams.wordpress.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: justify;" target="_blank">Significant Seams</a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: justify;">, the hub for a local sewing and craft initiative. I signed myself up for a four week 'Waiting for Baby' sewing course, where pregnant women can get together and create individual handmade objects for their impending new arrivals. Now despite being a scientist by trade, I've always had a bit of a passion for arts and crafts, as anyone who has seen my elaborate fancy dress costumes that I've created over the years can confirm! I had been thinking for a while about making something personal for the baby, but I knew I had left it far too late to learn knitting, and I hadn't touched a sewing machine for about 15 years, so these classes seemed like the perfect solution.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The sewing classes were run by Catherine from Significant Seams, who expertly guided us through the steps of putting together our fabric toy blocks with applique and embroidered designs, and a baby bib. I felt a real sense of achievement each week, proudly coming home with my latest design to show off and arrange in the cot ready for the new arrival. I really enjoyed just taking the time out for a couple of hours each Wednesday to sit and chat with Catherine and Katie (the other pregnant lady on the course), sharing pregnancy and baby stories while we worked away on our sewing machines. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">You can sign up for a whole range of classes at the Significant Seams hub including sewing and knitting classes for beginners, patchwork quilt making sessions and classes for children so why not indulge your creative side and try something new? You can find the latest details on the <a href="http://significantseams.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Significant Seams</a> website here.</span></div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04281021541462791272noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-295264643788016812.post-38584712571606398002012-04-11T08:34:00.001-07:002012-04-11T09:18:18.565-07:00Baby M is here!<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I'm very happy to announce the arrival of our little bundle of joy, on Tuesday 3rd April, weighing in at 7lb 10oz, one week early! I had been pretty convinced all along that I was going to be overdue, even going as far as to book an acupuncture induction session for the day after my due date. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baby M in the special care ward</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">So it came as quite a surprise when labour contractions started just after I had passed 39 weeks. We had been told in our classes to try and stay at home as long as possible during early labour as the first stage might last a long time and you were likely to get sent home from hospital if you tuned up too soon. For me, things seemed like they were moving much faster than I had anticipated, and just a couple of hours later my waters broke and we made a rather frantic drive to Whipps Cross to find that I was already 8cm dilated and ready to go! The next few hours are something of a blur, until 22:54 that evening, when little baby M made his way into the world. They put the baby onto my chest for just two seconds, when something seemed to be wrong and they whisked him up and ran out of the room, leaving me on the bed rather shellshocked and scared. We found out later that the cord had been wrapped around his neck and he was having difficulty breathing, so he was taken away to the special care baby unit to spend his first night in an incubator being monitored and given IV antibiotics. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My first meeting with little M</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Jon was able to go up and visit the special care ward, and brought me back the first glimpse of my little boy on his camera. It wasn't until the next morning at about 10 am that I was able to visit the ward myself and finally hold my baby. It was quite an emotional moment as you can imagine! My beautiful little boy was lying there wrapped in blankets covered in tubes and wires with a feeding tube going into his nose and a big IV cannula and splint taped to his arm. He was discharged from special care later that day, and we spent another two days together on the hospital ward before finally being allowed home on Friday evening. We had an amazing if tiring Easter weekend at home settling in, and look at him now! </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">M relaxing at home - day 5</td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04281021541462791272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-295264643788016812.post-86220619604930724022012-03-17T04:00:00.000-07:002012-03-17T04:00:42.664-07:0037 weeks - the final countdown!<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Hurrah! I've made it to 37 weeks, this means the baby is now generally considered to be full term. All his little internal organs are fully developed now, so whenever he decides to make his appearance he should be fit and healthy to face life on the outside. I haven't seen any signs of approaching labour though, so I'm fully expecting to hang on till the full 40 weeks if not a bit longer. At my 36 week check-up, baby had finally turned into a head-down position after being breech for several months, which is good news as it means I can avoid having to go through an ECV procedure to manually turn the baby which I've heard can be quite painful and sometimes ends up with an emergency C-section if the baby becomes too distressed. The baby's head is only 1/5 engaged, so I need to spend this week focusing on my posture and sitting on my gym ball to help him drop down into position. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I think I've had a pretty good comfortable pregnancy up until now, but these last couple of weeks I've been really starting to suffer from lack of sleep caused by severe heartburn and acid reflux. Every day I take a cocktail of remedies including Tums, Zantac, Gaviscon chewable tablets and two spoons of liquid. I have to sleep with my head up on four pillows to keep the acid reflux from spilling up into my throat, but can never seem to get comfortable and wake up exhausted and with a sore back from where I've been lying at a funny angle. I knew that my insides were all squashed up by the growing baby, but we were shown some pictures at my NCT class this week which really brought it home for me.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before pregnancy</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">You can see just how much the pregnant woman's intestines and stomach have had to be squished and moved to make room for the growing uterus, no wonder I feel like this! There is some light at the end of the tunnel, as the baby drops further down, which should happen in the next week or two, my lungs and stomach should get some very welcome relief. Until then I will continue to stock up on the Gaviscon and be grateful to have made it this far so smoothly!</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04281021541462791272noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-295264643788016812.post-63161643047331080322012-03-05T10:20:00.003-08:002012-03-05T10:20:23.864-08:00Yellow Lolly pop-up shop<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrQIR1Q0mREtUtR2G8Sc7IfB4ipde6R1SS1K7_xgIntOcoAHHvIl9yU5NqlfmiOFmeBfxNHaAR2IHz-ws7AgRgrUy8ptjg5GrC71iB57l2F-ciI0EeP95KbsXALdSTDVdfBbclDWOfJt4/s1600/bodysuit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrQIR1Q0mREtUtR2G8Sc7IfB4ipde6R1SS1K7_xgIntOcoAHHvIl9yU5NqlfmiOFmeBfxNHaAR2IHz-ws7AgRgrUy8ptjg5GrC71iB57l2F-ciI0EeP95KbsXALdSTDVdfBbclDWOfJt4/s200/bodysuit.JPG" width="148" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bodysuit by Moonkids</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Thanks to the awesome power of Twitter this weekend I caught wind of a pop-up baby clothing stall that was appearing at Penny Fielding's Beautiful interiors shop in the village for one day only. Now that I've finished work I am in full-on nesting mode preparing for the new arrival and it didn't take long to convince myself that I needed to head out and buy yet more cute baby stuff. </span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKpbl_C4gSgDGH_r-5lNYnfrIAZ9db9wh8rvqyoHBPW0avORWYAtsEHzze6aHqbXDWFnEsz4z4n2RHxifbGP6kCOpYatVlKaUQUGyjrohMpQWby4C6sSHHVV3pKMYLNp16cXIXdwSsRbA/s1600/toy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKpbl_C4gSgDGH_r-5lNYnfrIAZ9db9wh8rvqyoHBPW0avORWYAtsEHzze6aHqbXDWFnEsz4z4n2RHxifbGP6kCOpYatVlKaUQUGyjrohMpQWby4C6sSHHVV3pKMYLNp16cXIXdwSsRbA/s200/toy.JPG" width="153" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pull Toy by Esthex</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Heading out into the back garden of Penny's shop<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">I saw the stall run by the Yellow Lolly team - a
local company who specialise in gorgeously funky scandinavian style baby and
kiddy clothes and accessories. Everything looked really great quality - the
type of stuff that will last for ages instead of falling apart after two washes
like so many cheap baby clothes out there. The prices were very good too, and
the clothes were flying off the shelf pretty much as fast as they could be
unpacked! I managed to snag myself an adorable little blue striped bodysuit and
had to fight over the last gorgeous mobile toy which plays soothing tunes when
the string is pulled. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">You can check out and order from Yellow Lolly on
their website here: <a href="http://www.yellowlolly.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">YellowLolly.com</span></a> , and keep an eye out for future
pop-up shop appearances!</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04281021541462791272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-295264643788016812.post-86213707219660703522012-02-22T06:49:00.000-08:002012-02-22T06:49:20.851-08:00Bumpwatch - 33 weeks<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCv6IaS1qEuhVLWteY4VfF5la9Zeo5SkBva4oG6PxSLkiIUuEmIMUdTGD0bMpV_0TcEm2otMDoqKyu5yFiHrx5rSvi2CakBrd8K897yVln2Y0OU4XfXxGwn5p6oFrHnbTnozV3U7U7Mnk/s1600/33+week+bumpwatch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCv6IaS1qEuhVLWteY4VfF5la9Zeo5SkBva4oG6PxSLkiIUuEmIMUdTGD0bMpV_0TcEm2otMDoqKyu5yFiHrx5rSvi2CakBrd8K897yVln2Y0OU4XfXxGwn5p6oFrHnbTnozV3U7U7Mnk/s200/33+week+bumpwatch.jpg" width="141" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bump at 33 weeks</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">33 weeks into my pregnancy, and this last trimester is really starting to fly by! I only have 8 more days left at work (whoop!), and my D-day of 9th April is starting to loom ever closer on the horizon. I feel like I'm pretty much there in terms of getting all the baby stuff together, just need to get a cot bed and a car seat now and I will have all the essentials ready and waiting for whenever the little fella decides to make his grand appearance. The nursery is painted and my hospital bag is neatly packed and waiting on standby. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">On the slightly more negative side, after a pretty enjoyable 6 or 7 months, several of the more common pregnancy symptoms and complaints are starting to catch up with me now. I've had to stop going to the gym after suffering from severe nosebleeds every time I start exercising. My medicines cupboard is stocked to the brim with every heartburn remedy known to man (I work for the company that make Tums and Zantac so at least I get a staff discount!) and I have to sleep on an ever-increasing pile of pillows to stop the dreaded acid reflux creeping up my throat when I lie down. If I drop something on the floor now I have a long hard think about whether it is worth the effort to bend over and pick it up again! The baby seems to be constantly headbutting me in the ribs or trying to escape Alien-style straight out through the front of my stomach, both of which are rather uncomfortable. But these are all the joys of the last couple of months of pregnancy!</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04281021541462791272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-295264643788016812.post-1303942396063045112012-01-27T03:49:00.000-08:002012-01-27T03:53:51.181-08:00Pregnancy Yoga - Walthamstow Toy library<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I've been trying to keep as fit and healthy as possible throughout this pregnancy, but now I am well into the third trimester it is starting to become a bit more of a struggle. My husband has decided to kick off the new year with a new exercise regime which I am trying really hard to support him with. We go to the work gym two or three times a week from 5-6pm, and while he attacks the weight machines I do some uphill power walking on the treadmill and a bit of light cross training and cycling. It's nothing like what I was able to do before, but I feel good for getting some exercise, and I keep reading how you are much more likely to have an easy labour if you can keep your pregnancy fitness levels up. I do get some strange looks from the other gym users as if they think I shouldnt be there, and I do feel about twice the size of the skinny girls in their lycra shorts, but I will keep going as long as possible!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Last week I decided to throw in some more pregnany-oriented exercise into the mix, and signed up for a 5-week pregnancy yoga class. It's a 5-week course currently running on Thursday nights in the Toy Library, just off Beulah Road in Walthamstow Village. At the first class it was lovely to see that most of the other women were about as far along as me, with most people somewhere between 25-32 weeks. The exercises might look easy for anyone not carrying a big bump around with them but I found them to be just the right level of difficulty and I'm sure they are doing me some good. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">You can find contact details for Helen who runs the class and other non-pregnancy yoga <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">classes here </span><a href="http://www.theasiancentrewf.org.uk/ContentList.aspx?ContentTypeId=5yBwBg+oqQY=&d=1" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Walthamstow Village Yoga</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> . </span><br />
<a href="http://www.thehealthworks.co.uk/pilatesyoga.php" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The Healthworks</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> just off Hoe street also offer antenatal pilates and yoga, plus some post-natal classes where you can bring your baby along too!</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04281021541462791272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-295264643788016812.post-23868678819072708672012-01-21T05:13:00.000-08:002012-01-21T05:13:16.933-08:0028 week check-up<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixpqVRjSaIoo6f9Hpd2ZH8T_Z6b1C1q3UuEwrcVW6fXW91pp3IqApBYGPGeXfN1Awkn6jauUbBglC4zhBRknkidgGtOvB3Mwz9vIJA88KDHlG58RIAydr2xH9DoiWuNZOEWNeZlNgHsDY/s1600/bump+week+28.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixpqVRjSaIoo6f9Hpd2ZH8T_Z6b1C1q3UuEwrcVW6fXW91pp3IqApBYGPGeXfN1Awkn6jauUbBglC4zhBRknkidgGtOvB3Mwz9vIJA88KDHlG58RIAydr2xH9DoiWuNZOEWNeZlNgHsDY/s320/bump+week+28.JPG" width="210" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">28 weeks</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I had my 28 week check-up this week and things are still going well! I've been lucky enough to see the same midwife at all of my appointments which from what I hear is quite unusual as a lot of people seem to get moved around between 4 or 5 different people. So it's been really nice to get to build a bit of a relationship with her and not waste time going through your details and medical history with every new midwife that you see. She took some blood for more iron level tests, listened to the baby's heartbeat (which was about 136 bpm) and then measured the size of my bump with a tape measure. Apparently, the height of the uterus in cm should be roughly equal to the number of weeks pregnant you are, giving the midwife a quick and easy guide to see if the baby is growing at the right rate. My measurement was 28 cm which is exactly right for 28 weeks! She also confirmed that the baby is lying in the breech position which is what I thought as I can often feel the rather unpleasant sensation of the baby's head trying to stick out of my stomach up near my ribs. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">She also asked me to start counting the baby's kicks, starting at 9 a.m. each day I have to count until I feel 10 movements and then record the time on a little chart which goes all the way up to 9 p.m. each day. I think this baby must be super active as he is always way past 10 kicks by 9.30 a.m. which is the first box on the chart! The next check up is not until 34 weeks, which will be my last week of work, can't wait!</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04281021541462791272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-295264643788016812.post-7647022086988881062012-01-08T10:30:00.000-08:002012-01-08T10:31:27.810-08:00Bump watch - week 26<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp2mtH0bQ9fht-OSrYgFn6yILaaNMA2qgBa7fV-PxMOJP0vV9c39Mnh_DXHz2Ghe3YtKJZmE_ehvATJjygqLYCJKQBp8k51CQYDJvmrODj7OjHert7y9A_nsQ4vgBBk3Nq-dg9pL_tAxc/s1600/bump+week+26.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp2mtH0bQ9fht-OSrYgFn6yILaaNMA2qgBa7fV-PxMOJP0vV9c39Mnh_DXHz2Ghe3YtKJZmE_ehvATJjygqLYCJKQBp8k51CQYDJvmrODj7OjHert7y9A_nsQ4vgBBk3Nq-dg9pL_tAxc/s320/bump+week+26.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bump - week 26</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Happy New Year everyone! This is it - the final three months for me and reality is starting to sink in. I came back to work this week and it suddenly dawned on me that I only have six more weeks at work this year! I get my full years holiday allowance to take before starting maternity leave so I will be finishing up at week 35, giving me 5 weeks or so to hopefully relax before the little guy makes his appearance (depending on if he is early or not!) The second trimester was a pretty smooth ride, no more morning sickness, a nice noticeable but not-too-massive bump and plenty of energy to keep up with my normal hectic social schedule. It's only been the last week or two where I have started to feel a bit more tired and achey and I'm sure I will have to start easing up on things soon. The next couple of months are all about the final preparations, buying everything that I've been researching before Christmas, starting with a bigger 5 door car to replace my little Peugeot who finally clapped out in the Autumn. Exciting times ahead :o)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1vquN3FN5RlcES59DSXGdBec-N4FFfbeQletVQ7mLbcQgbbtAHU9vhCjGY4HhbpUv3X6bPedTdiaGMgEWgSmCxLddufB-MqM6g7ZRtR3dWxZVog4E0MH0yTuwq1cedJRJ0Imbv_B19uc/s1600/bump+week20" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1vquN3FN5RlcES59DSXGdBec-N4FFfbeQletVQ7mLbcQgbbtAHU9vhCjGY4HhbpUv3X6bPedTdiaGMgEWgSmCxLddufB-MqM6g7ZRtR3dWxZVog4E0MH0yTuwq1cedJRJ0Imbv_B19uc/s320/bump+week20" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bump - week 20</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04281021541462791272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-295264643788016812.post-36707906068391856572011-12-12T09:02:00.000-08:002011-12-16T01:38:57.934-08:00Tis the season........<div style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUKKg0T9Il9qpdE18EIDWNLaS02Ahf_eBhcIe1hkTI3NRYhecgvY8CbRNlbEhtYeJVcgOZum0gTuzejiQQaCHDFUZd-qNo64hfWKjMrSxgHMJwO_IX6hm74f3sXcoL5XIf-W5ZBegc55Y/s1600/photo+%25284%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUKKg0T9Il9qpdE18EIDWNLaS02Ahf_eBhcIe1hkTI3NRYhecgvY8CbRNlbEhtYeJVcgOZum0gTuzejiQQaCHDFUZd-qNo64hfWKjMrSxgHMJwO_IX6hm74f3sXcoL5XIf-W5ZBegc55Y/s200/photo+%25284%2529.JPG" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">5+ months preggo in the festive season</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It's mid December and the Christmas festivities are in full swing. My desk at work is decked out in tinsel and the Christmas tunes have been on the lab radio for a good couple of weeks. This time of year is always particularly manic, and 2011 is no different for me, with 6 Xmas meals and a wedding lined up over the space of 14 days! Unusually for me though, this year I will be completely sober for the entire party season. With the two biggest work parties coming up this week, I've become a bit despondent at the thought of another evening as the sober one in the corner getting fed up while everyone else staggers around blind drunk laughing at their own jokes that are only comprehensible to other pissed-up people. So to cheer myself up I've tried to think of some of the good points about being pregnant and sober at the office Christmas party..</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">No expensive taxi ride home - you can just drive home whenever you want to leave</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Soft drinks are cheaper! I'm spending so much money at the moment on all these meals out, so it's good to keep the bar bill down</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">You won't be the source of any office gossip for your embarrassing drunken behaviour</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">No hangovers!</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Happy Christmas to all the mums and bumps out there!</span></div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04281021541462791272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-295264643788016812.post-42836768432595904432011-12-07T12:58:00.001-08:002011-12-07T13:20:54.606-08:00The 20 week scan - team pink or team blue?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis2nWFiECEzJLzSh1JiGOfdkPQ6VT45ol6M11xy8YosiRpCvgFwXohEipGThnPT_nmbB_idVr6rXhsnEmKkx9teg-dwoMw8QlOWIW20ohGGmIPQOp0JggJBtK2nD1gJ8il4Y8JuzPd7uk/s1600/20+week+scan.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis2nWFiECEzJLzSh1JiGOfdkPQ6VT45ol6M11xy8YosiRpCvgFwXohEipGThnPT_nmbB_idVr6rXhsnEmKkx9teg-dwoMw8QlOWIW20ohGGmIPQOp0JggJBtK2nD1gJ8il4Y8JuzPd7uk/s320/20+week+scan.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bumpy at 20 weeks</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<u><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Monday 21st November</span></u> <br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We headed back to Whipps Cross for a second time today for the 20 week scan, another chance to see how little bumpy is growing. The first thing the sonographer asked as I laid down was whether we wanted to find out the sex, and just a few seconds later she said 'It's a baby boy!'. She showed us on the screen and there is no mistaking that we are in team blue! The baby had at least doubled in size since the last scan, and everything was so much clearer. We could see the little heart beating, count all the fingers and toes, and watch him wriggling and kicking away contentedly. I was quite jealous of Jon being able to see the screen for the whole time while I had to lie back and let the sonographer do her measurements. Everything looked perfectly healthy again, and all of bumpy's measurements were right on track! I had trying to stop myself from doing too much shopping before now, but I think I will go out and treat myself to some cute little boy clothes this weekend :o)</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04281021541462791272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-295264643788016812.post-43189099004064569762011-12-06T00:46:00.001-08:002011-12-06T01:49:43.857-08:00Pushchair dilemmas<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I'm currently facing a dilemma which I'm sure will be very familiar to other first-time mum-to-be's: which pushchair to buy for the new baby? There is an absolutely overwhelming choice available; three-wheelers, off-roaders, lightweight buggies and fully functional travel systems that convert into different shapes at the press of a few buttons. Do I want a forward, parent-facing or reversible seat? Does the price include the optional carrycot/footmuff/raincover? How easy is it to fold? Will it fit in my car boot and my hallway? And why is everything so expensive???? AAAH! I find myself staring at other mums as they walk past trying to subtly check out what brand of pushchair they have. To try and help me decide I've come up with my wishlist for my perfect pushchair.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Must haves:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Lightweight - I will be using public transport a lot so need something I can get onto buses and up the stairs at tube stations</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Very easy to fold - when not in use the pushchair will be mainly living folded up in my hallway. A simple fold mechanism without having to remove the seat or wheels everytime would be ideal</span></li>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Nice to have:</span></div>
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<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Removable carrycot option - I have a couple of weddings to go to soon after the baby is born and it would be ideal if the carrycot clipped onto the pushchair base so that the baby will have a comfortable cot to sleep in rather than being stuck in the pushchair seat all day.</span></li>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Here are my current top three choices!</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxxasuGJ0iDYXqcogqMnHkteFdpwLopapqu6hpc7sHZyP0jWcqKLpkhF-34dzrDfzOOTk144qt1eVLEWCcp2wbJt-CoheGnuIKpPlch5jerv3FcVwx7GCgmLfjyfmnw7QdtkNUdAWpO6c/s1600/babyjogger+GT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxxasuGJ0iDYXqcogqMnHkteFdpwLopapqu6hpc7sHZyP0jWcqKLpkhF-34dzrDfzOOTk144qt1eVLEWCcp2wbJt-CoheGnuIKpPlch5jerv3FcVwx7GCgmLfjyfmnw7QdtkNUdAWpO6c/s200/babyjogger+GT.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baby Jogger City Mini GT</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><u>Baby Jogger City Mini GT:</u></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">A new updated version of the very popular baby jogger city mini is due out in spring 2012. It promises to have solved all the little issues of the 2011 version with new features such as an adjustable handle, bigger storage basket and improved tyres. The one handed fold looks amazing! The biggest problem for me: will it be out in time for my April 9th due date?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><u>Maxi-Cosi Elea:</u></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3T-nUNU-d8VtaxjSPbHMYh0j6pm_xX8f_rTnG69Qc59D6mPElVHQx2rvgyvp8zRtj17xxb2BnRx5-7t7safbIvVamogiUIog_Ac-Vrxsh93dhtHM_tvBdPoZ3DbZAqjXxXmFVCdfI7Vo/s1600/maxi-cosi-elea-pushchair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3T-nUNU-d8VtaxjSPbHMYh0j6pm_xX8f_rTnG69Qc59D6mPElVHQx2rvgyvp8zRtj17xxb2BnRx5-7t7safbIvVamogiUIog_Ac-Vrxsh93dhtHM_tvBdPoZ3DbZAqjXxXmFVCdfI7Vo/s200/maxi-cosi-elea-pushchair.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maxi-Cosi Elea</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">A great looking pushchair, and as it is made by Maxi-Cosi the car seat can click straight in without the need for fiddling around with adapters. Cons: at just over 13kg, it is a bit on the heavy side</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDlIZ5Ti0_77V222CQTVLDpVDjCuIUX6HeFkSiiGmy0RehgofL4EvTBRMaIcGB0caN_K_WLN9i3WMacROju5la5y1KhwzV9ghshz9gkbSt3J0fofD6_PGlj0KiXuDZN9nQBZ6raCsDO-k/s1600/bugaboo+bee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDlIZ5Ti0_77V222CQTVLDpVDjCuIUX6HeFkSiiGmy0RehgofL4EvTBRMaIcGB0caN_K_WLN9i3WMacROju5la5y1KhwzV9ghshz9gkbSt3J0fofD6_PGlj0KiXuDZN9nQBZ6raCsDO-k/s200/bugaboo+bee.jpg" width="166" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bugaboo Bee</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><u>Bugaboo Bee:</u></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I see these all over London, they are definitely the must-have stylish pushchair for urban yummy mummies. They come in a range of vibrant colours, and look small enough to easily fit in my doorway. Cons: very expensive! To get the full set including the optional footmuff and newborn cocoon will set you back in the region of £650-700. I would be reluctant to buy a second-hand version after to the recent recall of the 2011 edition due to safety issues with the wheels. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I think I really need a trip to somewhere like Babies'R'us to see them all in the flesh and have a bit of a test drive. In the meantime - any suggestions or recommendations would be happily welcomed!</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04281021541462791272noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-295264643788016812.post-43487190531114701252011-11-30T12:18:00.001-08:002011-11-30T12:41:08.794-08:00Week 13: the first scan<div align="justify">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><u>Wednesday 5th October, 3.30pm</u></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="justify">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">After a stressful first visit to Whipps Cross Hospital, eventually finding a parking space near the main entrance only to discover that the maternity unit is about half a mile away on the other side of the site, and an uncomfortably long wait in the too hot waiting area full of frazzled looking pregnant women, Jon and I finally found ourselves in the relative peace and tranquillity of the ultrasound room, staring delightedly at the blurry image on the screen. The 12 (or in our case 13 and a half) week scan is such a milestone for parents-to-be, the first time you see your little baby on the screen, and you can finally tell the world the happy secret you may have been keeping for the past couple of months. In my case, most of my work colleagues had figured it out long ago, as I had already moved from my normal job in the lab to a desk-based role to keep me and the little bump safe from potentially harmful lab chemicals. It was still nice to make it all official, and I brought in some cakes the day after the scan to celebrate, laughing at the bemused faces trying to figure out where the baby's head was on my scan photo.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfeeGNa7u-Kb4OfjaR1zCZVpRIm7AKYDYDwv5Wf15Hb_MDeZG23EPWjzwHMahcsokyM1tm_-UGRBg0O0UzOFEw39jSSEaBY8vy7eq0z68amv8CJr_enHXmkEGnTnNvb3AF7le40eUYeCc/s1600/13+week+scan.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfeeGNa7u-Kb4OfjaR1zCZVpRIm7AKYDYDwv5Wf15Hb_MDeZG23EPWjzwHMahcsokyM1tm_-UGRBg0O0UzOFEw39jSSEaBY8vy7eq0z68amv8CJr_enHXmkEGnTnNvb3AF7le40eUYeCc/s400/13+week+scan.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bumpy at 13 weeks, 2 days</td></tr>
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<div align="justify">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We were so relieved to hear that everything looked normal with the baby, my due date was put back three days to April 9th 2012, and the little one was measuring in at 7.1cm from crown-to rump. Everything seems a lot more real now!</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04281021541462791272noreply@blogger.com0