MY 2024-25 PREGNANCY DIARY – Inspiring Wit
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My full pregnancy diary just before I’m due to give birth to our second child. Covering all the trimesters, what I’ve done differently this time and our journey through fertility.
MY 2024-25 PREGNANCY DIARY
This is the one and I think only pregnancy diary this time around. I am currently 39 weeks, so it’s almost at the end. However, since I documented my pregnancy with Navy I wanted to share a little this time around.
Why haven’t I done so sooner? A few reasons, one being that I have such limited time to work or share much of anything now. Navy is in daycare twice a week and I have to fit in work, appointments and Pilates on those two days. Unfortunately, social media demands more attention than good old-fashioned writing or blogs these days.
Another reason would be fear. Or maybe awareness. It’s just ticked over to 2025 now, but in 2023 I lost two pregnancies. It took a long time to fall pregnant again, we tried for over two years, testing, tracking, etc. In 2024 when I found out I was pregnant, I was excited but reserved. Those reservations have continued somewhat, despite every wonderful scan, test, kick and symptom. Going into that first pregnancy, I was not as aware. I was, on paper, but in reality, nothing can prepare you for the feeling of loss or emptiness that comes with losing a baby or child. Yet it happens everyday, to more couples than we will ever know.
The funny feeling I have now is excitement and fear of that excitement. I don’t know what exactly is to come. I’ve stayed as positive as I can be, thinking and speaking without doubt. I am so proud of how well this baby has grown, and how strong and happy they seem. It is so wonderful to feel. I am still using a midwife-led program through the Family Birth Centre here in Perth and have loved that experience. It makes me feel understood, safe and covered if anything should come up, the hospital is connected right next door. Having been admitted to the hospital with pregnancy loss I am less fearful of the hospital system but all the same, plan to avoid it.
PRE-BABY PREP
I have ticked off my to-do list of things to prep before my due date, had a late scan, checked in with my midwife and everything is all good to go. This baby is positioned optimally, the practice contractions are in full swing and I am excited to meet our baby.
Last time I visited my chiropractor once a week to position our baby in the pelvis and open it up as much as possible but this time around she has been on maternity leave. So I’ve seen a different chiropractor who doesn’t necessarily specialise in birth prep once every six weeks so that is different this time. I’ve been sitting in a deep squat when I can in a day- holding for up to five minutes, sitting and moving on the ball each day as well as sitting on my sitz bones and forward-leaning with good posture. I’ve been sleeping on my left side with a pillow between my legs and knees to align my hips. I am listening to the Hypnobirthing tracks, mantra meditation tracks, and practising breathing techniques. Pilates, walking, swimming and yoga have helped me be more active and position the baby in the best spot.
Our house feels about as prepped as it can be, we pulled out all of the baby gear from storage, so it is all cleaned and ready. The list of things to buy this time was shorter but we finally have the second car seat which we left till the last minute! That is a good feeling. I packed a go bag that I’ve been keeping in our car. I am pretty sure it is a quarter of the size I packed last time but I’m still confident I have what I need. I am doing things like perennial massage and trying to hand-express colostrum.
The last thing on my to-do list is to make snacks and meals to be frozen. Mario is off work for eight weeks at the end of this week, so I feel more assured that he will be able to keep on top of meals for us. Cleaning too, I hope! Keeping up with these largely added to the pressure I felt last time in those first couple of months, particularly when expecting visitors.
PREPARING NAVY FOR HER NEW SIBLING
I think for Navy we have had a fair few new adjustments over the last month or two. Navy’s room has been changed around so she has most of her toys to play with and her ‘big girl’ bed. Sleeping in it all night and for naps has been a bit hit-and-miss but we persevere! A small one, but her bike went from a three-wheel trike to a two-wheel balance bike. She is still hit and miss about toilet training despite us trying for a year and a half. I’ve learned to just let this go until she is more ready, I hated the times when she got worked up over it and it caused digestion issues.
Navy is soon to transition into the next classroom up at daycare, which she is excited about, as they have a bigger playground and new activities. She will keep going twice a week for now, I love seeing how much she learns and grows from those days spent with her peers and the educators. Her language and interactions with others are both so confident, she has spoken fluently for well over a year but it never ceases to amaze me when she connects things for the first time or comes out with something I’ve never seen her do or say before. She is so smart. I am sure every parent would think that of their child, but man, it blows me away.
I’m very curious and maybe a little nervous to see how she interacts with a new member of the family. She tells me she doesn’t want to share her toys, so that might be interesting to navigate. I am also a little nervous to explain my attention being given to the baby while I feed etc but I guess time will tell how this all pans out.
WHAT I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS YEAR ON A PERSONAL LEVEL
Some of the things I am looking forward to in the next year are being able to workout more, I miss certain moves at Pilates, running and being able to move as much as I can. Last time I had a significant ab separation postpartum, so I am interested to see how my body responds this time around. During the pregnancy with Navy I was not exercising as much due to my pelvic separation. It only affected me a little bit early on this time around, possibly thanks to the strength I could maintain through my reformer Pilates classes. I did not have to wear the hip brace and could walk okay without feeling too much discomfort so I made the most of it when I could.
Of course, I am excited to be able to wear my clothes when I can too. I’ve been adding a few staples to my wardrobe during the sales in anticipation of being that little bit smaller again postpartum too. I just miss dressing in my own style, which has naturally evolved with motherhood. Over the coming years, it will evolve and change again but I am overall excited to embrace that experience. And I think I’ve had more than enough of wearing knit dresses!
THAT WHOLE ‘BOUNCING BACK’ THING
I think I have a fairly healthy understanding of how long it might take to gently drop back down in clothing sizes this time around. I think the first time I expected that ‘bounce back’ to be much quicker and put a lot of pressure on myself. However, with the ab separation, breastfeeding and lifestyle changes, I just wasn’t able to move as much as I wanted to for a while.
This time my goals with breastfeeding are much the same, ‘to feed for as long as I can’ but not to put as much pressure if this isn’t working as smoothly. Navy did not feed easily, I’d guess she was always hungry as I wasn’t able to produce enough and it made for fussy feeds despite continuing up until she turned one. We supplemented with a goat’s milk formula that we felt happy with towards the end of that journey, so I feel more prepared this time around. Research and experience make such a huge difference.
Once I have finished feeding I’ll also look forward to incorporating a calorie deficit diet to help shift some of that excess along with my workouts. I didn’t start to notice a huge shift in my size until doing this along with a routine of Pilates and running at the beginning of 2024. Of course, each to their own, but I miss feeling lighter, more nimble and being able to fit into the clothes I’ve lovingly curated over the years that I am not willing to part with. I invest in my wardrobe with longevity in mind, so having so many things I can’t wear has been frustrating, to say the least. I’ve not wanted to shop for replacement pieces either as my budgetary shift has been to make sure it goes towards kids.
HOW IT FEELS GOING INTO THE NEWBORN STAGE AGAIN
While I am sure I have forgotten things, instinct and experience allow for a lot more confidence going into the newborn and baby stage this time. I feel sad thinking back to the newborn stage with Navy when I was so scared that I wished that time away. I just wanted her to be strong enough to support her head, to put on more weight etc during a time that is so unique and fleeting. Truly those first few months fly by so fast. Knowing this is the last pregnancy and last baby after this whole journey, I can’t help but feel a little bittersweet and want to make the most of that time.
Naturally, I’ve been looking back over my images and videos of Navy’s first year wondering where the time has gone. My little girl is truly a little girl now, a sassy, fun and defiant three-year-old who knows what she does and doesn’t want. I am honoured to be her mama and can’t wait to meet this little one too.
This time I wanted to do a baby shower that was more like a baby sprinkle, just with a few Mama friends at home in our courtyard but the timing didn’t pan out. Unfortunately, I had to cancel despite planning it all and having everything ready to go. It felt like a frustrating waste of energy and I am a little sad to have missed out on a nice afternoon. So I am thinking if I can work it around the peak summer weather, I might do something like that after having the baby. That way everyone can get together and meet our baby too, be it for the first time or not. Again, it’ll depend on finding a time that isn’t super hot but we will see how we go.
RECAP OF MY PREGNANCY SYMPTOMS THIS TIME AROUND
Because I shared these in my first, second and third trimester recap blog entries when I was pregnant with Navy, I thought I’d document how similar my symptoms were this pregnancy too.
Nausea and reflux – I have had from the beginning to the end. Every day almost all day. I’m looking forward to that being over!
Feeling Lethargic – I had to rest and nap all through this pregnancy and at the end of my second trimester found out I was super anaemic, despite taking two iron supplements each day for four years. I went from being weak and fainting to having an iron infusion and feeling much better. Possibly I’ve been anaemic for a long time, since I have fainted from my teen years up till now but I’ve never had an infusion before. My first impression was of utter surprise that this is how most people feel each day. SO much more energy!! It’s wild.
What I ate and drank – mostly my normal diet, which is low gluten and dairy, lots of whole foods, vegetables, bone broths, some meat and fish as well as plant-based protein. I avoided your non-pregnancy foods and cut out caffeine. I love water so drank plenty of that, found carbonated water wasn’t helping so avoided that too. I’m not big on sugar so only had a bit of dark chocolate and tried to keep pastries to a sometimes treat. I occasionally craved things I’d never usually eat like ice cream in the second trimester but mostly wanted savoury snacks. This time I’ve also supplemented with iron, vitamin D, fish oil and multi-vitamins when needed, based on recommendations and blood tests. After having my iron infusion the issues with constipation (which at times kept me awake) certainly died off so I blame those supplements.
Anxiety – I saw both the acupuncturist and a psychologist from pre-conception to help me sort through my grief, anxiety and I guess get my head together. I ended up only going to three of the six sessions with my psychologist, after which time I haven’t felt the need to go back as yet. It helped me so much. I think even working through some things and then rebuilding the tools I already used to handle any anxieties was what I needed. Naturally, each ultrasound, test and appointment brought up things each step of the way but I felt more prepared to handle those feelings.
Sharing our news – I think I put this off longer this time and still haven’t shared the gender, as I just wanted to be more down the line in the pregnancy. I worried less this time about who to share with and when in person but haven’t shared as much on social media.
Weight gain – Ugh this is a tough one. I feel huge this time around and have gained more weight than during my first pregnancy. I think I gained about ten kilos last time and probably fifteen this time. It is all within the healthy ranges, so I guess it’s just fine and more for me to work off when the time is right, the health of the baby is the priority.
Other symptoms – Have included the general ones like nose bleeds and constantly needing to blow my nose. Swelling in my hands, face and ankles has been fairly minimal, less than last time probably due to walking more and acupuncture. I’ve had insomnia at times but overall sleep has been pretty good, I attribute a lot of that to getting a maternity pillow via The Memo. I got the Butterfly one and it is a game changer. I’m still always getting up to pee but getting back to sleep is not so bad. My emotions haven’t been as full-on, though I have had some mood swings and Mario will tell you I’ve complained more this time. I don’t think I have but both of us have probably forgotten. Or it is admittedly harder to be pregnant the older that you get and I am 41 now.
THINGS I’VE DONE DIFFERENTLY THIS PREGNANCY
The circumstances this time have been a little different, I was pregnant last time during COVID and there were a lot of restrictions in place. This time I’ve been able to do baby moon staycations, have my family come over from interstate to visit, see friends more and not have such strictness with regard to medial facilities. I’ve not retaken the Hypnobirthing course but refreshed my memory of the practice. I also didn’t have Pilates reformer as part of my first pregnancy and it’s made a huge difference. Of course last time I didn’t have a toddler so that is wildly different to handle. And no, she does not listen to me, so it’s been challenging. Below are the main things I’ve done differently apart from not having my usual Chiropractor available. I miss her!!
Chinese Medicine – To help boost fertility (among other things) I adopted the traditional Chinese organ body clock diet recommended by my acupuncturist (whom I saw once a week preconception to the second trimester and again in the third trimester, more on that below). The Body-Energy Clock is built upon the concept of the cyclical ebb and flow of energy throughout the body. During a 24-hour period, Qi moves in two-hour intervals through the organ systems. 7-9 am is the time of the Stomach so it is important to eat the biggest meal of the day here to optimise digestion and absorption. Warm-cooked meals that are high in nutrition are best in the morning. This included eating a savoury big breakfast before 9 am including things like salmon, eggs, ghee, spinach, mushrooms, steak, you name it and then having smaller meals later in the day. I mostly did this pre-conception and in the early months.
I also made a congee with Chinese red dates and lotus seeds a few times a week through the first trimester to help keep the baby and improve growth. Lotus seeds are a medicinal food in Chinese Medicine and can be used to strengthen the Spleen and Kidney energies to prevent miscarriage. Red dates are nutrient-rich, a good source of fibre and iron, and act to tonify the blood. Essentially, I did whatever was suggested to help, I figured I’d try anything. I avoided raw foods, cold water, and anything cold or frozen, and always kept my feet and belly covered to keep things as warm as possible. Tricky in the hot months but doable.
Acupuncture – My acupuncturist Dr Adeel Munshe from The Modern Dr used acupuncture, cupping, ear seeds and Infra-red LED therapy during pre-conception and the first trimester. He treated me for things like grief, helped reset my periods and then helped with keeping the baby going. The Infra-red LED helps increase connective tissue renewal, and collagen production, improves blood circulation and flow, a great adjunct to acupuncture therapy. In the third trimester I visited to help with swelling, the fight or flight response if I’ve been anxious, encouraging bringing in milk supply, getting the pelvis in the correct position and slow natural induction.
OVER TO YOU MAMA’S
That is enough from me for now. I hope you have enjoyed this pregnancy recap and if you are expecting, gotten something out of it. Have any questions? Let me know below. I’ll likely share the first updates on Instagram, so follow me @inspiringwit to keep up to date. Anytime now.
Thank you again for sharing this journey with me and reading my journals. If you missed any of the pregnancy blog entries, see them below. If you are a Mama, or Mama-to-be, I hope these have been helpful, and I wish you all the best on your pregnancy journey.
Have you had any experience with Hypnobirthing? Or a non-medicated birth? Please feel free to share below. I’d love to open up the discussion with you. I didn’t talk much about this here but that is once again the plan. I went into detail on our birth experience last time over on YouTube with this video here. It’s quite the story, since we gave birth naturally to a surprise breech baby at home alone!!
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Want to read more about my pregnancy journey? Take a look at these posts below:
BIRTH STORY: HOME BREECH NATURAL BIRTH
