Introducing Sophie

It's been a while since my last post. Things took an unexpected turn and we have been somewhat busy since then. Our little girl Sophie was born at 12.06 on Tuesday 4 September, six weeks and two days early, weighing 3lb 14oz at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. She arrived in a hurry, came out screaming, stayed in hospital for ten days, and has been bringing joy and night wakings to us ever since! We have been overjoyed to see her grow and progress. She's more or less doubled in size since she was born, and she gets more beautiful each and every day. Nick and I absolutely adore her and she is starting to show signs of adoring us, which makes my heart feel like it will burst.

The first few weeks at home with a tiny baby who could not breastfeed consistently were very hard. Sterilising bottles and expressing breast milk on a four-hourly routine was laborious, tiring, time consuming and a bit soul destroying. But seeing our Sophie grow and thrive made it all worthwhile. We have been blessed with amazing help from family, friends, and some wonderful professionals who have made all the difference to us. I am certain that I would have given up breastfeeding had I not had such help and encouragement. Happily Sophie is now fully breastfed and although we don't get it absolutely right each and every time, she is growing and is for the most part a happy baby. Parenthood is easy, broken sleep is hard, but we are getting through it as a team and we are so thankful for our gorgeous girl.

In other news...

In other news...

We went to watch 'The Merchant of Venice' at the Said Business School's rooftop amphitheatre yesterday evening. It was a real treat. The production was very good, had some very funny and some very poignant moments, and we enjoyed a hot chocolate and a brownie in the interval. Plus, the company (my lovely husband) was superb.

I've also been enjoying watching 'The Great British Bake Off' on iPlayer. It's inspired me to want to do some baking, having not really done any since becoming pregnant. Since the coming Bank Holiday weekend is set to be rainy, and since I don't really have the energy for more active pursuits, I hope to do some cake-making very soon!

32 weeks down, 8 to go

Unbelievably, we will be parents in only eight weeks time (or a little more or less). The last few months have gone by so quickly. I've been feeling quite tired and a little bit anxious for the last few days. What if the baby isn't well? What if I've done something to harm her? What if I've done something bad? What if she's born too early? I need to keep reminding myself that I am not in control! God has the big picture and he knows what is going to happen, so just relax already!

We are now so close to finishing decorating the nursery. All that remains is to put up some curtains and a few pictures. It looks really nice already, thanks to my wonderful mum who came to wallpaper and paint, and then came back to weed and tidy the garden a week later.

I've also started to cook for the freezer, preparing for those days after the birth when I won't have the energy or time to cook. So far, there's an Italian beef stew in there and after today there'll be at least two or three portions of chicken curry. Tomorrow, bolognese sauce. My aim is to have it full of things that can be defrosted and heated in the oven or microwave, and served with rice or pasta!

31 weeks down, 9 to go

The number of weeks left has now reached single figures. I can hardly believe it! After the first three interminable months when I felt that I would be pregnant forever and would never not feel sick again, the last 18 weeks have gone incredibly quickly. We're so excited about meeting our baby! Our house is almost ready - currently looking like a disaster zone but soon to be transformed into a lovely haven once all the renovation works are done. I'm almost ready too. I won't say I'm thrilled about the prospect of labour and delivery, but having been to a few classes I feel I understand it more, and am prepared for it being gruelling and hard, but wonderful when it's over.

This week, baby is still in the transverse position, so hopefully she will turn round soon, especially as my tummy is feeling quite tight now with a hard bulge on each side! Apparently doing yoga in the all-fours position will give her room to turn. Baby is healthy with a good heartbeat, and I'm healthy too, though pregnancy insomnia has really kicked in, partially because of aches and pains and partially because I can't stop thinking about the baby and my nesting impulse is irresistibly strong. It's currently the middle of the night and I've just been googling about car seats and how to use them safely, and about car seat covers so my little one will be comfortable. It's an obsession.

(Written from my lounge computer, surrounded by shoes, decorating equipment and packets of food, which are temporarily displaced from their home under the stairs.)

30 weeks down, 10 to go

This week, we've been busy learning yoga for labour, starting antenatal classes, beginning to get the nursery ready, and coping with restless nights. Only ten more weeks to go until the due date, which is both thrilling and a little bit scary. I've been enjoying shorter weeks at work before the final long slog of September.

Baby girl is lying sideways (transverse) so I keep telling her to point her head downwards please! She still has plenty of time to do so. My bump is now huge and heavy, quite a load to carry round and quite uncomfortable at times too. But overall, things are great. It feels like we'll be chasing our tails up to the very last minute, but little by little we are getting ready for our new addition.

Here's a new picture of my baby bump!

30 week bump