So… it is getting closer and closer… and closer and closer… to the due date of Baby Barton #2.
Time is absolutely flying by at such a rapid pace that I feel like we only found out we were pregnant just the other day.
And as time ticks by, there is one thing that we have been meaning to do. And that is, to create a proper Big Boy Bedroom for Jesse.
Because the room he was using still looked and felt like a nursery, we figured the easiest option for us would be to turn the spare room into Jesse’s Big Boy Bedroom, and move him into there, rather than converting the nursery and having to shift two lots of furniture.
And so that brings us to Sunday, 27 January 2017. The day we finally committed to creating his bedroom… and wow, did it turn out great!!!
We are so happy with it. In fact, I’m a little jealous… I wish we had stuff like this for our bedrooms when I was a kid!!!
But we did… We finally bit the bullet, went to Ikea and Kmart, stocked up on flat packs and the necessary trimmings, and created what is now, Jesse’s Big Boy Bedroom.
I think it turned out pretty good too… If I don’t say so myself!
It is quite common for mum’s who have had a traumatic birth experience or one that didn’t go according to plan to be anxious about their subsequent labours.
I’m having the opposite dilemma. My first labour giving birth to Jesse was everything I could have hoped for and now I’m freaking out that the second time round won’t go as smoothly or live up to how I remember the first time. Ridiculous I know.
My first labour was relatively quick with about five and a half hours of active labour. I had very little intervention (my waters were broken at 4cm and I had to wear a heart rate monitor on my belly the whole time but that’s it). I managed to avoid any pain relief (I thought I was using the gas towards the end but turns out it was too late for that and the midwife only allowed oxygen to come through!). I was able to be mobile and use active labour positions like squatting and all fours throughout. And I didn’t tear! This was a huge fear of mine after 31 years of mum regaling me with the delightful tale of my birth.
The worst part (oh besides squeezing out a 2.7kg human from my vagina!) was the agonising back labour. That searing pain in my lower back with each contraction became almost unbearable. Here’s hoping I don’t get that again!
So now I’m preparing to labour for the second time and I’m praying I can do it all again as close to my birth plan as possible.
I’m drinking the raspberry leaf tea again, listening to my hypno-birthing meditations and affirmations and have just started prenatal yoga. Does any of it work? I don’t know. But I did it last time so I’m doing it again!
I’m keeping as active as possible and viewing every activity as birth preparation. Simply walking is proving challenging at times but between Kangatraining, yoga and weight training I’m doing ok. This makes me sound like a bit of a fitness freak which I’m most definitely not. Because I’m also eating ALL THE FOOD!
So tell me your tips. How did you prepare for birth? Or did you find just winging it and trusting your body was the best option?
With roughly 10 weeks to go it is all getting very real. This threesome will soon be four.
Today Jesse and I did our final Kangatraining class for 2016.
We had such a fun last class with all the mums and bubs getting into the Christmas spirit.
It’s hard to believe it’s almost been a full year since we travelled to Melbourne to do the instructor course. I didn’t really know what to expect; starting my own traditional business, being a ‘fitness instructor’ and juggling that with being a new mum. But I knew how much I loved Kanga and hoped I could bring that joy and sense of community to other mums.
Well, my expectations have been truly surpassed. I’ve been so privledged to get to know some wonderful women and I have seen them support, encourage and befriend each other.
I am the first to admit I was so turned off by the ‘mum club’ before and during my pregnancy with Jesse. I just saw so much bitchiness, competiveness and judgement amongst mums that I didn’t want any part of it.
Thankfully, my personal experience has been much different to that. In a Kanga room there is zero judgement or shaming. Just tonnes of laughter, understanding, sweat and friendship. Totally refreshing!
But now it’s time for a few weeks off while we celebrate Christmas, spend time with our families and, in my case, grow another Kanga joey.
Today, we had our morphology scan for Baby Barton number 2!
Wow… how great is it that we live in a world with such amazing technology!!!
We had forgotten how amazing and beautiful it is to be able to see a tiny human growing inside Renee’s tummy… hearing it’s tiny heartbeat… seeing it’s tiny feet and hands… seing it’s profile for the first time.
Parenthood is so wonderfully delicious. But sometimes it can be really bloody hard.
There have been some tough times in our house over the past couple of weeks. Jesse just wasn’t himself much of the time and we were all feeling burned out.
Thankfully, after the appearance of two lovely little molars and some much needed R&R for Mummy and Daddy, things seem to be getting back to normal.
But those hard bits inspired this…
Today I cried. And so did you.
I cried because I didn’t know what was wrong with you, my love. Because I couldn’t take away your pain or even know where it hurt.
I cried because nothing I tried seemed to soothe you.
I cried because for the first time I wanted, needed some time away from you.
I cried because the flutter in my belly reminded me there will soon be another and I worried how I will cope in times like this with two.
Today I cried.
I cried because when you felt better you smiled and laughed and played.
I cried because you cuddled me tight and my heart lightened.
I cried because the flutter in my belly reminded me there will soon be another. Bliss!
I couldn’t exactly put my finger on it, but I just had a feeling. So when the first couple of pregnancy tests came back negative I wasn’t bothered. A far cry from how I felt when I would get a negative test when trying the first time. I sensed that Kaine was feeling pretty confident this month too.
We had decided back in January that we wanted to get straight into trying for another baby. Jesse was 7 months old. It seemed a tad crazy but we had to be prepared that it might take a while again. Plus we knew that chances were slim straight away anyway because I was still breastfeeding and my cycle hadn’t yet returned.
Over the next few months we weaned and four cycles later I couldn’t shake the feeling that we had been successful. I took another test and a beautiful yet faint second pink line confirmed my suspicions. It only took four months… I swallowed hard at the realisation that I was now that woman that long term TTC’ers want to throat punch. I know all too well how that feels.
I couldn’t wait to surprise Kaine with the news, and I had a plan to do so the following day. So when he asked me if I had got my period yet, I lied. I could sense his disappointment which only fed my excitement to tell him.
Thankfully, it all went to plan and I surprised him with the news that Jesse was going to be a big brother.
One of many outtakes from our ‘Pregnancy Announcement Shoot’
Fast forward a bit over a week, I went to the doctor who confirmed the test result and I went for a dating scan. I left the scan feeling confident. There was a gestational sac, its not Ectopic, however, it is early days and there is not yet a foetal pole to measure. I’m told its normal for this early and to come back in about two weeks.
But the doubt starts to creep in. My mind races with questions. Is there no baby in there because there isn’t one? Suddenly I’m protective with the news. I was so excited to tell our immediate families but now, I’m not so sure. We keep it our little secret for a bit longer.
Fast forward a couple of months and the secret is out. All is going well, and now that I’m not feeling like crap all the time, the excitement is starting to kick back in.
This time around I think I’m both more excited, and more terrified. Excited because I know how wonderful having a baby and being a mum is, but terrified because I know how hard it is.
We could not be happier though. No doubt these next six months will fly by, but we will take joy in our time as a family of three while we wait for Baby Barton #2 to join us.
not so secret life of us 