Bumps of Edinburgh: Cake Cravings and Waters Breaking

Family: Already a mum to a 2 year old

Pregnancy: 36 weeks

Location: Born in Edinburgh, Recently settled back in Edinburgh after living in New Zealand.

“I think you feel more special with the first one”

Strangers get really excited about my bump, like at the supermarket. Not so much with friends and family, it’s the second time around I don’t think it’s quite the same as the first. Also in myself, I’m a bit more chilled, a bit more relaxed about it. I think you feel more special with the first one.

“Labour... It’s an interesting experience… it’s just as well your body releases the chemical to wipe a bit of that memory out”

Nothing scared me with regards to the pregnancy. By the second one, you’ve got a bit of an insight obviously about the labour… well the thought of that is starting to kick in! I won’t go into too much detail, because it’s like a secret club! It is an interesting experience and it’s just as well your body releases a chemical afterwards to wipe a bit of that memory out. That is until you’re in your 36th week and its like ‘Aaah’! It’s coming again!

“It is pretty bloody painful”

There’s lots of things people don’t tell you about. I think everybody has a different pain threshold too, so everybody’s experience is different. Like with my first wee girl, she was born with her arm up by the side of her head, so that was quite hard to push out. But everybody’s experience is different. It is pretty bloody painful.

But being pregnant is a lovely feeling, something inside you moving. The labour is a tiny part of it. When you’re holding your baby it’s the most amazing thing, and all that pain goes completely out your head.

“I sent my husband out for a victoria sponge one night because I was jealous that other people were getting cravings”

I’ve had no morning sickness, no cravings. I wanted to have a craving, I sent my husband out for a Victoria sponge one night because I was jealous that other people were getting cravings!

“I don’t think I’ll have another baby”

My husband is turning 44 this year and I’m turning 39, so I think probably two is it. I don’t think I’ll have another baby. I would have loved four kids if I could have, when we were younger, but we couldn’t. We were busy off travelling, having fun and building careers. Two is a nice number as well though.

“It’s really important to live your own life”

People are having kids when they are older, I don’t know if this will one day revert to how it used to be, because there are a lot of fertility issues with people being older. Naturally your body isn’t meant to have babies really late in life.

I think as long as you’re not too old or too tired to do things with your kids in later life, it’s really important to live your own life first. When the kids come along, it’s all about them. And the dog.

“I think we would have had at least more child if things had happened a bit quicker”

Advice I’ve given to people before, when they’ve talked about having kids or are considering it, and they are in a relationship where that is the case, I’ve said don’t hang around. Do it, as soon as you can, because of the fertility issues of waiting. There wasn’t a problem for us, but we were trying for quite a long time. I think we would have had at least more child if things had happened a bit quicker. You’ve got no control over it. And I’d also suggest if people are a bit older, not to hang around. Seek fertility advice as well, because the whole process can take a lot of time as well.

“My waters broke when I was in the middle of shopping”

I do have a funny story, for my first pregnancy my waters broke when I was in the middle of shopping at Comet. I just waddled off to the coffee shop to find my husband. It wasn’t entirely noticeable other than my leggings were wet. I was trying to buy a washing machine as mine had just died, and I just thought, I can’t have a new baby without a washing machine!

“It feels really weird to be doing something for myself…”

It’s funny because I’m doing this [bump casting] for myself, because I want to have a lasting memory of being pregnant. And it feels really weird to be doing something for myself! I’m used to taking the kids to soft play, play groups, parties and entertaining them in the house, then walking the dog, and feeding the husband. So I’m constantly thinking about everyone else. When you have kids, you can’t really think about yourself, and you can’t take a lot of time for yourself. I have to put my family first.

We are no longer taking bookings for Bump Castings. If your family is expanding do take a look at our range of Home Casting Kits here.