ProjectXY

It’s probably strange for me to be writing a post about sleeping well, because I have never found it an issue to shut my eyes at any time, or in any place, and drift off to sleep. It has always been a problem to wake up, whether by alarm or being hit over the head numerous times with a pillow.

Cat on the other hand is a light sleeper, and often spends hours trying to drift off to sleep. Being pregnant only makes matters worse, as the constant changes to her body, extra pressure on her abdomen means needing the bathroom more often and having a growing bump makes lying down in a comfortable position more difficult.

Enter the pregnancy pillow! I never heard of these before, but there are hundreds of different types of pillow that surround you to provide extra support and comfort to expectant mothers. Cat bought one and tried it out for the first time last night. Did it make her sleep better? Well… no. But she was more comfortable!

Taking this back to the start of this post, surely none of this “pillow talk” affects me? Alas, I have never slept so poorly than this past week. With Cat needing to move, get up to go to the bathroom, and even burst out laughing as she remembers bits from Ice Age 3 which she recently watched, has meant I woke up 4 or 5 times. And to top all that off, the pillow that surrounds her has made snuggling up to her all but impossible!!

So when you all see Cat, and offer her support and sympathy as she undergoes the changes of pregnancy, spare a thought for poor Russ, who is waking up throughout the night, is half asleep throughout the day, and all before the baby is born!

I can only really reinforce Cat’s post. Nothing really prepares you for seeing your first baby for the first time on screen, no matter how many other ultrasound images you have seen.

What amazed me most was how clearly you could see the baby’s arms, legs. It was an emotional moment for both of us when we saw the heart beating live before our very eyes!

Also we couldn’t believe how much the baby moves! Right now, it only measures about 6cm, but it was moving and wriggling, full of vigour! Today was the day I truly understood what it means to be a parent, and what I have to look forward to. I can’t wait for the next scan!!

Even though Cat will be solely responsible for “holding the baby” we are going to try and share as much of the baby experience as we can. I want to be involved right from the start, so neither of us has to go through anything alone, and neither do I want to miss any of the many joys along the way. We are both nervous first timers so I think we have many feelings and emotions we can share.

I have to be honest and say that the thought of having a baby scared me at first. I guess I still don’t see myself as very old, but I’m at at age where many people have already have 4 or 5 children! The real problem comes from having never truly understood how to take care of a new born. Sure, once they reach a certain age, I am OK with children, but at first I’d be clueless.

However I’ve come to realise a few things. Firstly is that everyone is in much the same boat, and everyone has to start somewhere. In fact I am very fortunate in that there is a wealth of knowledge freely available – something my parents never had. The other thing is that people have been having babies for millions of years, even before the internet!! So this is really nothing new in the grand scheme of things. And finally I realised like every other experience, I’ll learn it, and so I should not be afraid and hold off until it is too late!

The other problem to face is the cost. Everyone knows babies cost money, and with the wedding still to come, things could get difficult. But as my friend Adam T always says “You’ll find the money”. And it’s true. We’ll find a way no matter what else life throws at us.

Today was proof to me, that my nerves and worries will dissipate with the acquisition of knowledge. Vicky, the midwife we saw today, was absolutely lovely and answered all of our questions, and took us through much of the process we have to look forward to. I feel a lot better already, and we are barely 2 months in!

I don’t think I’ll truly be anything less than petrified, but more than anything, I’m looking forward to holding little baby Aloysius in my arms for the first time