What to Expect, When You're Expecting

Pregnancy is beautiful, and no doubt tough. It can also be full of discomfort, emotional outbursts and the constant need to pee! Whilst no two pregnancies are the same, we thought that carrying our precious babies for 9 months serves as enough common ground to come together and discuss all the laughs, the tears and ultimately – the experience.

This week, we have teamed up with two amazing mums who share their raw experience with two aspects of pregnancy – that is, morning sickness and birth.

Charne and Morning Sickness

“If only morning sickness was just in the morning!

I found out I was pregnant with Gracie when I was 4 weeks along. We were beyond excited as we had been trying to fall pregnant for a while. I was doing wonderful in my early pregnancy journey until one day, I woke up with a strange icky feeling… welcome to morning sickness!

My morning sickness hit me at around 6 weeks of pregnancy. I woke up nauseous and went to bed nauseous – it also didn’t help that your nose and olfactory receptors become extra sensitive while pregnant!

The cravings were real… I lived on KFC chips and chocolate milk shakes! I found my nausea got worse if I didn’t eat, and it was more likely to strike me when I was running on empty. Crackers truly became my best friend for the road.

My advice to expecting mothers who are enduring morning sickness would be ginger tablets – they did wonders for me, as well as peppermint oil. I would add a few drops of oil on a tissue and just breathe it in for a few seconds. Several friends also mentioned using sea band wristband however, I didn’t get the chance to give these a go.

My morning sickness became more severe around the 13 week mark and lasted until 18 weeks – at which point, I had to ask my obstetrician for help and it was recommended that I try meditation.

Pregnancy is an amazing ride, but the morning sickness that comes with it is not so fun. Don’t forget to give yourself plenty of rest… your body is working overtime on growing that baby!

I don't know how to put into words the love I feel for Gracie and how much I love being her mum. I always knew from a young age I wanted to be a mum... when Gracie was born, an instant love swept over me. I enjoy watching life through her eyes, seeing a bird for the first time, hearing sounds for the first time... it is all so absolutely amazing.

That smile that Gracie gives me is everything! How can I have a bad day when my daughter looks at me with those gorgeous eyes and a smile that can light up the room? Becoming a mum is the best thing that has ever happened to me.”

Jess’ Story on Birth

“I fell pregnant with Valerie at the age of 23 and my pregnancy was blissful and magical… I could have easily have stayed pregnant for a few more months. I have always had a maternal instinct and yet, I just couldn’t grasp the idea that a little human was growing inside of me, it was just so special.

Throughout my pregnancy, I had very little nausea, only the swelling of my feet towards the end of my pregnancy – but overall, I loved having a bump! I was induced at 39 weeks. It was not at all how I expected birth to be – it was all scheduled and planned. They broke my waters at 6am and I was in labour for six hours… I was so lucky to get skin on skin contact with Valerie while the cord was being cut. Everything was going as planned, until after the birth.

Following the birth of the placenta, the nurses couldn’t stop the bleeding. Valerie was pulled away and given to her dad, whilst nurses began to pull out my jewellery, putting cannulas in both of my arms and preparing me for surgery. One doctor even put her hand inside to determine where the bleeding was coming from, which resulted in me hitting her telling her to get her (insert profanities here) hand out of me – don’t worry, we laughed about it later! The surgery went for 3 hours – I had lost 3 litres of blood from a torn artery, a second degree tear and membranes still on the uterus wall from birth. The next few days were still tough, but I began to heal, and I was re-united with my beautiful baby girl.

What us women go through, and particularly what our bodies endure, is incredible. You are stronger than you think and sure sometimes, your birth won’t go as planned. I remember loved ones asking whether I would have another baby after everything I went through – to which, without hesitation, I replied ‘absolutely, she was worth all of it!’.

Our bodies are beautiful vessels. We literally create life; tiny human beings. We carry them and then birth them – it’s something no man will ever feel. The bond between us mothers and our babies can never be broken. Pregnancy, motherhood and birthing are all unpredictable, but we are strong enough to get through it”.

We are so grateful to these two beautiful mummas who have been kind enough to offer their time in sharing an aspect of their pregnancy experience with us, and YOU!

If you would like to connect with these two beauties and their adorable babies, to share your own experience or even to ask questions, you can follow them on Instagram below:

@charne.clarke
@jessicakarafilis

Stay tuned next week for more story time.

Always,
Louie Meets Lola x