On the 15th July at 5:27pm I gave birth to a little girl. She was a healthy 8Ib 6oz and we have called her Roisin – pronounced Rosheen.

After all the waiting, and eventually getting my head around the fact that I was going to have to be induced, my labour started naturally the day before I was due to be admitted to hospital. When my contractions were five minutes apart we set off for the hospital, only for them to slow down slightly! At 3:25pm the midwife broke my waters and two hours later I had my little girl!

Even though it is only a year since I had Trent I’d managed to put the experience out of my mind… as soon as the contractions started I realised what I’d let myself in for. Fortunately I only had to have gas and air for the last hour or so when the contractions were really intense. Most of my friends say the most painful part is when you have to push, but for me this means the end is near and I’m then in a position to help myself – it’s my favourite stage of labour. During the birth I tried to do everything the midwife suggested, like breathing as she instructed to stop any tearing – thankfully it worked and I feel really good now, a lot better than after I had Trent. We came home the following day and Roisin has settled in well. Trent’s a bit nervous of his sister but I will update you on that relationship as it develops. Dad is also finding it a bit different with a girl – he keeps saying he is scared he will hurt her but I keep reminding him she’s a pound heavier than Trent was!

So far so good, I’m managing well and really happy. I’m breastfeeding her myself, and last night she only woke once for a feed. I’m sure there are going to be some really hard times ahead but we’re doing fine at the minute.

My gorgeous girl:

After finally finishing my university exams (though I’m yet to find out if I have passed), it was time for me to finish work and concentrate on getting ready for the arrival of the new baby. Needless to say I’m nowhere near as organised as I was last time around, but this time I’ve been so busy with Trent, the pregnancy just seems to have flown by.

With eight weeks to go I had to return to hospital for another scan because my placenta had been lying very low. The scan revealed that it was still lying low, and so I was told to come back a fortnight later when they would have one last look and decide whether or not I needed to have a caesarean. I had assumed that this birth would be similar to Trent’s, but now I was hit by the realisation that I might not have this baby naturally, and I went in to overdrive panicking. I was worried about how long I would need to be in hospital, whether I would need a longer recovery period, and if so how Trent and dad would cope. I also wasn’t sure if I would be awake or asleep during the labour, and if it would hurt afterwards. The questions were endless!

I returned to the hospital at 34 weeks, but this time saw a different nurse. After taking a look she asked why I had need another scan. I explained and she said that the baby’s head was engaged and ready to go, and that my placenta was as it should be! I couldn’t believe it, and in a way I’m still a bit sceptical, but I’ve stop panicking and have calmed down. Whatever will be will be – if the baby doesn’t want to enter the world naturally that’s just life and I will deal with it.

Now we are back from the excitement of the holiday I have realised that there are only ten weeks to go until I’m due to have my second baby. The pregnancy has flown by and I am now starting to panic. I feel like I haven’t seen my midwife as much this time around but she assures me I have, and its just that I am so busy with other things that the time is going so quickly.

I haven’t thought of any names, and I haven’t even bought the double pram I will need – I keep getting side tracked whilst I am supposed to be looking for one! We need to sort out a nursery, my plan is to move the computer downstairs and turn that room into a nursery, but it’s still just a plan! Dad assures me everything will be ready in time, but I am not so sure.

I think part of the problem is that I did not realise I was pregnant until I was twelve weeks; last time around I was trying so hard to get pregnant it was on my mind constantly. My mind is working overtime like it did at this stage in my last pregnancy – I’m wondering what the baby will look like and if could I have done anything different to make sure the baby is healthy. During my first pregnancy I had morning sickness for the first five months, and then swollen ankles and a sore back for the rest of the time; this time around has been much easier but I do have to return for a third scan in a few weeks as my placenta is lying low. The midwife has reassured me that usually by the next scan it should have moved, but if it doesn’t I will more than likely need a caesarean. This concerns me as I will already be leaving Trent to go in to hospital, and if I do need to have a caesarean then I will be away for even longer, and then won’t be able to do as much when I come home. At least it would be a break though!

I have rhesus negative blood, so I have now reached the dreaded time when I not only need to have my blood taken more frequently, but I also need to have two Anti D injections in my bum before the birth, and – depending on the baby’s blood group – one after the birth. It isn’t pleasant and the first time around I was convinced that everything that could have gone wrong during pregnancy had gone wrong. I now realise that I am lucky to have Trent and another on the way, so I can live with a numb bum! I have read a lot of really awful stories of women not realising they were rhesus negative and the affects it can have, so it’s great that now there are things which can be done.

The next step for me is passing my MSc exams. I will sit when I am 33 weeks pregnant so I’m grabbing any second I can to revise…

Making the most of my little one before number two comes along!

No work today! It’s great that I have accumulated enough holidays whilst being off on maternity leave that I can work four-day weeks till the new baby comes. Friday is our special day together without anyone else. Unfortunately today we’ve spent it in the doctors as Trent has impetigo.

Trent visited his paternal Nanna’s last weekend and his cousins were there, unbeknownst to dad and me one had impetigo. All week Trent’s been getting what we thought was chapped skin from the cold or teething, but it looked quite weepy today so I took him to the nurse who would not deal with it and referred me to the doctors (that’s when the alarm bells started ringing). The doctor diagnosed impetigo. I immediately felt really bad at the thought of Trent being in pain but apparently he may have just felt slight discomfort and itchiness – if he has been in pain he has not let on one bit.

Trent will have to stay away from other children for another few days until he gets over the infectious period, although I think it is clearing up now that we know what it is and how to treat it properly. I just hope no children at nursery caught it from him before we realised. As soon as I found out I informed everyone whom Trent had been in contact with so as to make sure that they could monitor their children and themselves. I just wish I had spotted the signs earlier – I wouldn’t have dreamed of sending Trent to nursery and putting other children at risk.