Mummykimmy's Blog

January 12, 2011 · 4:07 pm

In praise of the bathtub

I hope this is what's waiting when I die

When it comes to life’s little disappointments, a tepid bath is up there with soggy chips and films whose trailers steal the best scenes.

A roasting hot, bubbly, candlelit bath, with chilled out tunes playing in the background – now that is my idea of heaven. That moment of leaning back in the only-just-bearable heat, resting my head on the rim and closing my eyes as I exhale every last bubble of air in my lungs – it’s magical! There is no other way to relax as instantly and completely.

Now that I’m 31 weeks pregnant, I’m appreciating this zen-like experience on a whole new level. I felt actual joy the first time I realised that the upside of having the heating on almost constantly was instant baths. Usually I’d have to decide an hour in advance when I wanted to soak so that there’d be enough hot water in the tank. One of my friends bought me The Sanctuary’s Mum-To-Be range for Christmas, which includes bath salts, so I have been generously sprinkling them and indulging in a bath nearly every night. It’s actually getting to the stage where I look forward to seeing my tub more than my husband at the end of a day’s work!

The funny thing is, now that I’ve fully appreciated how much this small experience enhances my life, I’m completely reconsidering my view of a water birth. My sister-in-law has done it twice and swears by it, while I’ve always shied away from the mere thought. All that gunk floating in there with you? But if the key to a good labour is remaining calm and breathing deeply – well, I’ve just argued that very point.

I’d be very interested to know if anyone’s had a water birth and if it is, in fact, just as soothing as a bubblebath?

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January 6, 2011 · 6:50 pm

Godfather X Factor

Who else could I possibly dress up as at Christmas?!

Our friend Euan, who’s nuts, has suggested that we host ‘Godfather Xfactor’ to determine which of our friends gets the responsibility. This upset my friend Tonia, who’s quite taken with the idea of being godmother, so she’s renamed it “So you think you can be a godparent”. She wants us to distribute an application form and has suggested scenario-type questions like:

Child is 16 and calls you from the city centre to say they’re steaming drunk – what do you do?

I’m not particularly religious and I haven’t been christened myself so I’m not really sure what the rules are – but I like it! It’s a good excuse for another party after our nativity-themed Christmas shindig – so if you have any ideas for what questions we should be asking our eager pals, please let me know!

(PS The Christmas party was in our cabin, hence the random street sign we stole to remind us of our year living in Switzerland and the stag’s head shot by Rod’s uncle)

Hello 1.1.11

Launching a wish for 2011

It was our last Hogmanay without responsibility and my first without a drink for about 16 years!

12 of our best friends had rented a cottage up north, but we’d decided to have a quiet one this year – dinner with our family and the TV on at the Bells.

Rod and I got quite emotional at midnight – 2011 is going to be a huge year for us. We also have six weddings this year – all our best friends are getting married! (Yes, I’m wondering how quickly after giving birth I can employ a personal trainer!)

So after a sip of Champagne, we went out into the garden and Rod and his two brothers lit a Chinese lantern. Watching it float away, we wished for our wee one to be a high flier and for our engaged friends to have a flying start to their married lives.

Happy New Year everyone – what are your wishes for 2011?

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December 22, 2010 · 5:05 pm

Punching is better than kicking

I really hope this has been photoshopped (*not my belly*)

After weeks of nudges on my left side, I was intrigued to feel new movement on the right side this week. It was much softer and prolonged – pressing my hand to my bump I realised it was an arm moving. For the first time I could make out a body part as the wee one stretched and pushed and moved its tiny arm and hand around. It was a lovely feeling – much less uncomfortable than the jabbing its feet have been giving me.

The midwife told me this week that I’m going to have a long baby. This is not a euphemism for heavy or fat, she assured me – both my husband and I are tall, so it makes sense. It also explains why my left rib is aching – it seems to have found a nice wee spot for its foot. I was trying to encourage it away with a gentle massage earlier and got a sharp kick for my trouble – seems the battle of wills has begun already!

I’m not complaining though – I love feeling it move around. Plus the midwife said she’s a bit paranoid about foetal movement and I’ve to call her if it suddenly goes quiet. So I’m enjoying keeping tabs on its whereabouts… It’s probably a skill worth learning!

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Tagged as arm, bump, feet, kicking, movement, nudges, pregnancy

December 7, 2010 · 5:53 pm

More snow woes & feeling vulnerable

After a wet weekend we were all fooled into thinking the thaw had come and climbed optimistically into our cars on Monday morning. Then the snow came back.

5 inches fell in a couple of hours

I had only a short journey to make from my home to my office, but arrived in tears. The sudden drop in temperature combined with the furious snowstorm to make the roads an ice rink with a lovely slippery coating of fresh snow on top. After a seriously near miss with a car full of kids, I pulled over to call my husband for advice. Should I go back, carry on or park and walk? That’s when I realised my options, as a 6 months-pregnant woman, were limited. Walking any distance in the cold, with a very high risk of falling, was clearly stupid. But so was dodgem-driving. People seemed to have lost all common sense. One guy in a wildly wheelspinning Mini insisting on inching up past a broken-down lorry to get to the roundabout, with the result that he got stuck in the only passable lane. Then, when the lorry driver pushed him out of the way, the rest of us struggled because we’d lost any momentum to get us up the hill.

Eventually, many skids and slides later, I arrived at my office. Despite my ordeal it pained me to email and reschedule all my meetings. It made me feel like a quitter. I didn’t want to say “I’m pregnant and I don’t want to risk falling” – it sounded pathetic somehow. I didn’t like knowing that I wouldn’t be able to help push a stuck car, or go out and rescue relatives who were stranded around the city. I wanted to go outside with my camera and my Flip to get footage for my video blog, but I knew it was too dangerous. I knew this because the M8 – the busiest motorway in Scotland – was a carpark. The whole of central Scotland was gridlocked because of the snow. It had taken everyone by surprise at rush hour, which meant ploughs and gritters couldn’t get through. I was glued to the news channels, incredulous at the stories of people stuck in their cars for seven and eight and nine hours. My husband phoned to say one of his staff had broken down on the motorway, waited 5 hours for rescue and ended up in hospital with mild hypothermia. I worried that people would be stuck on these impassable roads overnight – and sure enough, the next morning, the news was full of stories of snow ploughs’ blades snapping in the minus 13 degree conditions, and tales of motorists spending the night in their cars.

So while I may be feeling sorry for myself for feeling weak and helpless – I am a very lucky girl indeed. I’ll certainly not be taking any risks that might lead to my need for rescue!

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Tagged as snow, vulnerable, worried

November 30, 2010 · 7:26 pm

Snow trials

This was the view from my bedroom for the third day running today:

Snowed in?

My husband had parked up on the main road and sent me a text when he got to work warning me to stay inside, where it was safe. But the thought of working from home for a second day, worrying about the cost of keeping the heating on, or my health if I didn’t, wasn’t pleasant. I saw an awful (but quite funny) clip on BBC of a little old lady getting flattened by a snowdrift falling off a roof and decided, at 6 months pregnant, I was just as vulnerable. It wasn’t worth the risk.

Half an hour later, stircrazy, I decided it was. Using a golf umbrella for support I gingerly made my way up the drive. I opened the car door, sending a cascade of snow onto the driver’s seat, turned on the engine, pumped up the fans, pressed the button to heat the back window then, slowly and carefully, used the brolly to sweep the 12 inches (honest) of snow off the roof, windscreen and sides. Then I scraped away the ice, taking care to hang on to the wing mirrors and not reach too far. Eventually I got in. It took me precisely four minutes longer than usual to get to my office. What a bloody fuss about nothing.

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Tagged as pregnancy, snow, vulnerable, work

November 25, 2010 · 5:59 pm

Being thankful on Thanksgiving (even tho I’m British)

I just read a lovely blog post here written by a woman who has moved from London to New York and who’s celebrating her first Thanksgiving. She said: “Taking time to really appreciate what you have is something I certainly feel I benefit from.” I totally agree. So here are some things I’m thankful for:

A healthy pregnancy
My husband (in general)
My husband’s boss, who’s recognised Rod’s 15 months of hard slog commuting to Edinburgh and working 11 hours a day, 6 days a week, by promoting him and letting him be based in Glasgow.
My great circle of family and friends who always support me

I don’t take any of that for granted, but today, especially, I appreciate them all.

What are you thankful for?

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November 24, 2010 · 4:00 pm

Feeling grumpy, but I think I know why

I’ve been feeling out of sorts lately to the point where I’m annoying myself.

On Monday I got up at 6am, powered through my to-do list and even some of my one-day-I’ll-get-round-to-it list, but I still felt I hadn’t done enough. On Tuesday I decided to work from home so I could have a slower day, but I ended up feeling restless, guilty and bored.

Over the two days I ate a huge amount of crap – thanks to my friend Stuart who brought round giant chocolate chip cookies (they’ve gone), my husband who bought Kettle Chips (not even a crumb remains) and my determination to find and demolish every scrap of sugar in the house.

Today, having given myself a stern talking-to, I allowed myself a half-hour browse round the shops after my morning meetings. I bought myself this dress cos it actually made my bump look cute. So now I can’t eat any more crap cos it’s a size 12 and I’ll end up bursting out of it.

The pockets look like a heart over my bump!

But I think I’ve realised why I’ve been grumpy and antsy and generally dissatisfied with everything except chocolate lately… It’s just a theory, so let me know what you think. I’m entering my third trimester.

On Friday I’ll be 24 weeks, which apparently is when it stops being a foetus and starts being a viable human life. My wee small bump, of which I’ve been so proud, especially when the nail technician paraded me round the whole salon demanding everyone look at me cos she couldn’t believe I was nearly 6 months pregnant, is growing. Fast. Seriously – NOTHING fits any more. I am kidding myself with a black pencil skirt, the waistband of my leggings and tights hovers dangerously near the top of my legs and people are actually having the courage to say to me “so when are you due?” in public places.

So I guess I’m into my final three months and all the joy of nighttime toilet visits, backache and swollen ankles. But you know what? Now that I know that’s what’s up with me, I’m OK with it. I’m actually quite looking forward to being properly pregnant. And at the end of only 16 weeks I will have made a little person – and I cannot WAIT to meet him or her!

The work-bump balance

My "professional" image

My professional image was one of the little things I worried about in the early stages of pregnancy. I only started my business in February of this year and I’d spent months networking my socks off, paying into the Favour Bank, winning clients and building myself a good reputation. How was my pregnancy going to affect all that?

It may be the 21st century, but I’m not so naive as to think we’ve achieved equality between the sexes in all areas. There was also the practical consideration: if I was out of the loop for a few months after I gave birth, who’d be growing the business?

I am delighted, however, to report how positive everyone has been.

My clients, god bless them, were all really pleased for me. None of them asked about maternity cover, which I expected, despite my detailed contingency plan. In fact, in many cases, it’s given our working relationship an extra dimension. With one client I sit and chat about his son for ages before catching up with what’s happening workwise; another has sent me a couple of links to Mothercare products his wife found useful.

I don’t know if it’s just human nature to treat a pregnant woman with a little more care, if it’s as simple as discovering a common interest or if I’ve just been very lucky with my great clients… But I have been very pleasantly surprised!

I’d be very interested to know if other pregnant women have had similarly positive experiences?

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Tagged as balance, pregnancy, work, work relationships

November 15, 2010 · 5:19 pm

Sick

Swimming in the reefs made me feel much better!

I’ve been told that the main reason you’re advised to avoid shellfish/blue cheese/paté when you’re pregnant is to reduce the risk of food poisoning.

If this is true, I’m wondering why my husband and I thought a holiday in Egypt was a good idea. I’ve yet to meet someone who’s visited this fascinating country without the post script that they spent half the time in the toilet.

We went to Sharm El Sheikh, to a five star hotel and believed the travel agent when she said I’d be absolutely fine. I was not.

We arrived in the early evening and enjoyed a fabulous meal. We got up early and lay for a blissful day on the beach, returning for lunch and carefully washing our hands, avoiding the peeled fruit and insisting on no ice in our drinks. After dinner I felt like I had indigestion (nothing unusual) but we went to bed relaxed and happy.

At 1am I had to bolt to the bathroom. I think I was a child the last time I was that violently ill.

All day I lay in bed feeling enormous sympathy for the Haitians affected by the cholera epidemic. I drank dioralyte and as much water as I could, worried all the time that I was dehydrated and making my poor wee baby suffer. After 24 hours of crippling cramps, I was absolutely delighted to feel the familiar nudge of the wee one – as if it was saying, “It’s OK mummy, I’m fine and you will be too!”

I called my GP friend, who reassured me junior was cosy in his/her amniotic sac and probably completely unaware. She did remind me to drink lots of water and canned fizzy drinks (to replace sugars) and to stick to rice, pasta, chicken and other easily digestible foods.

Unfortunately Rod got the bug too, so we decided to play it safe and call the doctor. He checked our blood pressure and temperatures, which were fine, and prescribed three sets of pills for Rod and just the one set for me, as my pregnancy meant I couldn’t have the antibiotics. They seemed to do the trick.

We didn’t let it ruin our holiday. In fact, it was maybe nature’s (admittedly extreme) way of telling us to slow down, sleep lots, drink tonnes of water and, in Rod’s case, lay off the booze. It’s the only holiday we’ve ever had where we’ve come back lighter!

It’s also made me realise how important my personal health is during this pregancy. I’ve started taking multivitamins, I’m swimming regularly and I’m trying to remind myself that it’s OK to just sit. I have to say I’m feeling great now – long may it continue!