I kept diaries throughout my two pregnancies and really loved it. I still add to them for important milestones such as birthdays and starting school. I found it a great experience and was reminded when commenting for the piece that I had actually kept diaries for many years at different intervals in my life.

Here are some of the questions that journalist @McGuinnessRoss asked me about my pregnancy diary, and my answers, which reveal my motivations for recommencing with diaries during my pregnancies.

Why did you decide to keep a diary for your pregnancy and afterwards?

It was actually my husband’s suggestion! – Probably because I was talking about my pregnancy too much. It was such a new and exciting time for me, so I thought it was a lovely idea to document everything that was happening and how I was feeling. I put down thoughts and details that weren’t for public consumption. After their birth, recording important milestones seemed the natural thing to do.

How long have you been writing the diary for?

I started the first diary a couple of weeks into the pregnancy on March 21^st 2008 and it went right up until my daughter’s birth date (December 2^nd 2008). I then did an entry when she was six months old and every birthday since. She started school last week, so I documented this too.

I automatically started a diary a couple of weeks into my second pregnancy. This pregnancy diary contains my reaction when I discovered I was expecting twins! This time around I went past their birth date and continued writing for their first two weeks (I think I was in shock). Again, I made a further entry at six months and their first birthdays; and have just done one for their second birthdays.

In what ways did it help you?

I found it quite cathartic. It was a channel for writing not only about events in the pregnancy, but also about my many worries and neuroses. I was aware that I was probably boring my husband, so it was good to write down what I was feeling instead. It also helped me to gain some perspective.

Did you have a diary when you were younger? if so, what kind of things did you put in it?

I did have diaries when I was younger. The earlier ones mainly contained stuff about which friends weren’t talking to which, the boys I fancied and how much my boobs had grown (or which outfits showed them off to best effect) – The things that were obviously important to me at the time!

My mum bought me a five-year diary just before I started University. Again boys featured heavily, as did the student union. 

Do you find you write differently in your diary than in your blog posts? if so, in what way?

Yes. The blog posts are definitely from the heart and feature things what are important to me at any given time, but the diary entries are far more candid and reveal details that I wouldn’t put out into the public domain.

Do you think diaries are a good thing or do you accept that they are a bit passé these days in the age of the blog/social media?

I think they are lovely keepsakes; and it’s actually really nice to have the physical entity. They may seem a bit old-fashioned, but I certainly don’t think they should be resigned to the history books. They are very different to a blog. A blog puts your personal thoughts and feelings into the public domain; that’s its reason, and the emphasis is on sharing. A traditional handwritten diary is far more private – you can literally write things that you wouldn’t (at the time) share with your nearest and dearest. You don’t write it with an audience in mind and it is far more likely to include details that are important to the writer but mundane to other people.

They are very different mediums and have very different aims.

Have you let anyone else read your diary?

No. However, when I go to update it and flick through, I often read little bits out to my husband: funny little anecdotes or something that really makes us stop and think (mainly where has the time gone?!). As time goes by it is far easier to share their contents. Many things that weighed heavy on my mind at the time are now quite comical in retrospect. My plan is that my daughters will read them in the future.

What is the goal of a diary, in your opinion?

It is so easy to forget about thoughts, feelings and events during specific periods in your life; memories become very hazy. My goal with the pregnancy diary was to keep a record of as many details as possible during this important time in my life. Every time I go back to the diaries I love to reminisce and there is also that romanticism of leafing through a handwritten book. Ultimately I think it will make for a unique memento for my daughters. I hope they enjoy reading them on their 18^th birthdays (that’s when I intend to hand them over).

The post Keeping a Pregnancy Diary appeared first on The Parent Social.

Pregnancy isn’t just demanding on your wallet, it can also be pretty demanding on you physically and emotionally. We went on holiday for the last time as a couple and as a family of three before the arrival of babies two and three. I definitely recommend it by the way, especially the last holiday as a couple!

The Fitness to Fly Certificate

Why NHS doctors charge patients for letters – BBC News – BBC.com

During my first pregnancy we took said trip to go and visit my family in Italy. We were taking a short EasyJet flight to Nice (we fly to France and then cross the border) when I was 25 weeks pregnant and definitely in the honeymoon period of the second trimester. I mentioned the trip in passing to my midwife when she next visited and discovered that lurking on top of the cost of the holiday was an additional pregnancy-specific expense: the fitness to fly certificate. She advised me that I should get one from my GP. I was charged £20. The minimum charge I’ve heard of is £15 and the most is £30.

My letter consisted of a few short sentences, which I thought was pretty scandalous, especially as the doctor didn’t even see me; it was all on the midwife’s advice. She’d checked my blood pressure, urine etc and she relayed this info to the doctor along with my travel dates. I later learnt that the letter isn’t even normally required until after 27 weeks (and I was still just under 27 weeks on my return flight).

Airline policies

It’s all quite confusing. After looking into it further, I found the rules vary quite a lot – according to carrier – as to when a letter/certificate is required and also at what point in the pregnancy you are not permitted to fly. There are also different rules for multiple pregnancies (which I discovered second time around). It is definitely worth checking out before booking those flights. This guide is very handy.

I do question this charge as the doctor didn’t even ask to see me and it was a very standard letter. £20 for this seems rather excessive. See me talking about it in more detail on the BBC.

The post Fitness to Fly Certificate: Another Pregnancy-related Cost appeared first on The Parent Social.

Pregnant Katie Price compares her morning sickness to Kate Middleton’s! on.reveal.co.uk/YHRDrI

— Reveal Magazine (@RevealMag) March 10, 2013

Is Katie Price actually suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum like the Duchess of Cambridge – or is this another attempt to grab headlines? I’m not saying that Jordan hasn’t had bad – day long – morning sickness, but hyperemesis gravidarum is a very serious condition (affecting just 0.5%-2% of pregnancies).

I quote directly from Wikipedia here:

When hyperemesis gravidarum is severe and/or inadequately treated, it may result in:

• Loss of 5% or more of pre-pregnancy body weight
• Dehydration, causing ketosis, and constipation
• Nutritional disorders such as Vitamin B1 (thiamine) deficiency, Vitamin B6 deficiency or Vitamin B12 deficiency
• Metabolic imbalances such as metabolic ketoacidosis or thyrotoxicosis
• Physical and emotional stress of pregnancy on the body

I do hope this isn’t a publicity stunt. Anyone I have ever spoken to who has suffered with HG has described a total inability to go about their normal daily life.

The post Jordan compares herself to Kate Middleton – Does she really have HG? appeared first on The Parent Social.

I had a well balanced diet so had no worries about my nutrition and took Pregnacare pre-conception and throughout pregnancy (and whilst breast-feeding), so was happy with my vitamin intake and getting that all-important folic acid. However, the things to avoid seemed like an absolute minefield.

Initially it felt like I had to give up pretty much everything I enjoyed and I seemed to be forever Googling to see if something was on the banned list.

Cooked shellfish is fine

Foods to avoid

Following some research I reassured myself that not everything was a threat to an unborn baby. I differentiated between what could make me ill (it’s easier to get food poisoning when pregnant and the effects are exaggerated) and what could potentially harm an unborn baby. What follows are foods that are in the latter category.

Listeriosis

Anything that can contain listeria bacteria can cause listeriosis. This infection in pregnant women can cause severe illness in a newborn and can even lead to miscarriage or stillbirth.

To avoid this bacteria don’t eat mould-ripened soft cheeses or soft blue-veined cheeses. This includes: Brie, Camembert, Chèvre, Danish blue, Gorgonzola and Roquefort. All types of pate are off the menu for the same reason.

That said, you could have any of the cheeses above if they are thoroughly cooked through (ie piping hot). For example if they form a pasta filling or come as a hot sauce; you can even indulge in a baked Camembert.

Toxoplasmosis

Toxoplasmosis, caused by a parasite, is fairly common and you may have already had it without even knowing it. However, if contracted when pregnant it can cause problems such as blindness and brain damage. The parasite can be found in undercooked or raw meat, so make sure meat is well cooked and, in the case of red meat, there is no pink showing. It can also be found in cured meat such as salami and Parma ham; and in unpasteurised goats’ milk.

Mercury

High levels of mercury can harm a developing baby’s nervous system. Therefore don’t eat shark, swordfish and marlin. Tuna consumption should be limited. However, anything up to four medium-size cans in a week is fine (or two steaks).  For the same reason you shouldn’t have more than two portions of oily fish a week (fresh tuna, mackerel, sardines and trout).

Vitamin A

Too much vitamin A can damage the development of cells in foetuses and lead to conditions such as Spina Bifida. Aside from not having any supplements containing vitamin A (Pregnacare doesn’t), you should avoid eating things like liver.

Peanuts – back on the menu

When I was pregnant with my first daughter I experienced an energy slump on my way back from work and devoured a Snickers bar in five seconds. I then realised with horror that peanuts were iffy at best and a no-no if there was a family history of allergies such as hay fever, asthma or eczema. No damage was done and now the advice to avoid them has been revised.

You might be interested in:

10 Useful facts I gleaned from weaning 

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