gurgle.com blog

I went to an antenatal appointment yesterday where they told me my baby's head has engaged. Even though this is my second pregnancy, it's treated as my first because I had a C-section with The Bean and she was born five weeks early so this is the furthest I've got with pregnancy. This means that with every new bit of information such as 'the head has engaged' I'm rushing to gurgle to see what this means! I start my maternity leave in a week, so does this mean I'll give birth in the gurgle.com offices?

i was also told that my baby is 7lbs... this seems huge to me as The Bean was 4.7lb when she was born and she seemed tiny. It's going to be strange having a 'normal' size baby. The Bean was so small she couldn't go for long between feeds so I felt a bit like a milk machine for the first six weeks, so fingers crossed breastfeeding will be easier with this one. It's daunting and lovely at the same time to think about entering into the world of breastfeeding again. I did love nursing The Bean. She got the hang of it pretty quickly and I actually ended up breastfeeding her for a year, until she moved on to cow's milk. I also appreciate the fact that lots of mums can't breastfeed and find it very difficult, so I'm not going to take it for granted this time around. I'm not looking forward to that engorged feeling or waking up in the middle of the night in a puddle of milk...

I'll keep you posted on whether this baby takes to breastfeeding and we get the hang of it...

So, at nine months pregnant (almost) I survived the delights of The Bean's second birthday! Thank goodness my parents-in-law were there to help make potato salad and dig out our 'party' champagne glasses from Ikea, because at one point, about ten minutes before the guests arrived I thought i was going to have a meltdown - and I couldn't even glug a glass of champagne to help me through the day...

It was probably something to do with the birthday cakes I'd made coming out of the oven about fifteen minutes before the guests arrived, and my husband was still hell bent on decorating them himself (and manning the BBQ and marinating the steaks). The cake was actually a huge success and featured The Bean's face including pigtails made out of Victoria sponge and icing. It was all high in sugar and very un-carrot cake! (I'm afraid organic mum had to keep little Milo away from my monstrosity).

The Bean enjoyed the day immensely apart from throwing a few presents on the floor (they were un-opened and I think she was overwhelmed by everyone giving her parcels when she wanted to play on her new micro scooter). The food and drinks was distinctly un-toddler and everyone snacked on delicious steak burgers and quaffed champagne... I'm not sure what the toddlers ate, I think it was pieces of my un-carrot cake cake! (judging by the hyperactivity anyway).

The day was a success but I was exhausted by the end. With fifteen toddlers and their parents to look after it is no surprise that I was longing for my bed by 9pm... This was fulled by the fact that friends who didn't have babies stayed on to get drunk whilst I watched jealously from the sofa, elevating my swollen ankles.

My husband and I decided this would be the last time we threw a party for toddlers and their parents - there is just too much to think about. I'll bet you'll find me in the same position next year though, but this time I'll have TWO children to look after...

For those of you who enjoy reading about other mums and the ups and downs of having children, do follow this link to Jo Beaufoix's blog which I am enjoying reading at the moment. Jo describes herself as being like Kate Moss, but not, whcih made me chuckle! Jo is a 30 something mum who has two daughters, Miss E who is 7 and Miss M who is 3. She lives in Nottingham and describes herself as ‘a would-be writer , who tries to view the world through rose-tinted glasses but often finds they're covered in something sticky.’ I'm sure this is something we can all relate too. I pulled out my maternity notes to give to the midwife this morning only to discover they were covered in Charlie and Lola stickers!

I love to read about what life is like for a mum who has children older then my own so that I can fully prepare myself for what is in store. Yeah, I know it's torture to read about the tantrums and homework struggles, but I'm also looking forward to the struggles of brining up kids! Anyway, check our Jo's blog to read enticing entries such as pink pets and strange knees...

So I am approaching my daughter's second birthday and I am almost nine months pregnant. Some people might think I'm mad to throw her a party, but since she will  soon have to share her life, her parents and probably most of her toys with a screaming newborn, it's only fair that we celebrate in style! Like last year we're going to have a BBQ, although we did experience a heat wave back then and I'm all too aware that we had snow two weeks ago!

I haven't gone mad on presents this time as tit's the only year we have left where The Bean isn't able to tell us exactly what she wants! An Upsy Daisy doll from In The Night Garden will probably make her happy until August as will a sticker book that promises 100 stickers! We've also invited a sprinkling of our friends as well as The Bean's little toddler friends, because again, this is the last year we'll get away with turning our daughter's birthday into a boozy adult party!

I've got three weeks left at gurgle.com until my maternity leave starts. Don't worry I won't be gone for long... as much as I'm looking forward to being at home with The Bean full time, looking after a newborn baby and experiencing massive sleep deprivation again I will also miss working at gurgle. I'll still be dipping my toes in from time to time and reading our articles on sleeping through the night, getting a good nights sleep and bedtime routines. I'll probably also be picking the brains of gurgle's resident experts to help me through any baby queries i'll no doubt encounter.

I've been keeping my eye on other mums blogs recently, and I particularly like reading one at www.parentingissuesuk.co.uk. written by Rosie, mum to a four year old who lives in Nottinghamshire. Encouragingly for all parents, yesterday's entry has pictures of Rosie's house in utter chaos after she has looked after her child had a stomach bug all weekend! I'm glad to see that all parent's lives descend into chaos when their children get ill...Mine was a nightmare and I couldn't shift the 'sick' smell for about a week after The Bean and her cousin got tummy bugs! I also like Rosie's take on Aloha Friday, which means she takes it easy on Fridays and asks simple questions such as, 'What book are you reading at the moment?', instead of entering a full on blog entry. (We are all keen on Friday afternoon 'drinkies' in the gurgle office!) I also like her Wordless Wednesdays where she posts up a funny image usually based around parental escapism! If you like parenting blogs, you'll enjoy reading this one...

There aren't many times in my life that i've felt particularly famous, although I did win the raffle at a fun run once... so it is with pleasure that I show you a little glimpse of my current gurgle fame: http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/digitalcontent/2008/04/elevator_pitch_gurgles_new_app.html

Apart from living the high life, my pregnancy has reached new proportions: or should I say my stomach. I fell as if I have doubled in size over the past week and I only have to walk ten minutes before needing the loo! The pressure on my pelvis and bladder is huge and I have also been experiencing round ligament pain which is very painful!
I am now 34 weeks pregnant, bearing in mind that I had my first daughter at 34 + 4 days, the gurgle.com office has become a nervous place to work. Every time I yawn or say 'Ow' my colleagues think I am in labour. The problem is, I haven't actually experienced labour before because I had a planned C-section because of pre-eclampsia and because The Bean was breech. That means that with every sneeze, yawn or stubbed toe, I also think I'm in labour. Luckily I've read up on gurgle.com's article - Am I in Labour? so I don't start to panic!

I also haven't taken my own advice and packed my maternity bag so I will be visiting Mothercare this weekend to stock up!

See our new April baby gallery this week and add your cutest pictures. Vote on your favorite and enter the chance to win baby of the month and £200 worth of Mothercare vouchers.