I love my cluttered little life. Everything has a place and amongst my organised chaos, I feel safe. Then it hit me. In six weeks, I'm going to be bringing someone else into this chaos and I wasn't sure I was ready for a commitment like that. No one should have to live like this. So I grabbed a notebook and made a list.
First things first, declutter. I love a good keepsake and have shoeboxes full of theatre tickets, receipts from castle excursions and every single Christmas card my Mum has ever given to me. So this wasn't going to be an easy task.
I didn't know where to begin, but as I started to look around I realised it wasn't just paper work and bits I needed to bin. For the first time I wanted to clean and decorate. I began to despise the plum colour painted on the alcoves of my living room - a detail of my house I'd never even noticed before. I wanted to fill my freezer with easy meals for after his birth. I began labelling everything down to my milk jug.
The one thing I knew I had to prepare was my hospital bag. And although I'd been picking up miniatures of all my toiletries at the supermarket for weeks, I felt that once I was packed, that would be it, this wonderful experience would be over and I didn't want to be without my bump.
So now I have a lovely, decluttered organised home but I'm yet to put together the essentials I will actually need.
Need
When I saw that MiPac had a new Liberty print collection I knew that this would be the bag for me. I have one of their backpacks and use it all the time. They are sturdy and well made and really easy to wear and carry, plus this one is so pretty.
Wear
As for what to wear during labour I'm sure I won't actually care what I have on, but I'm adamant on one thing and that's I want instant skin to skin contact. I want my son as close to me as possible, I don't want him all bundled up straight away. So a button down night dress is essential. It's been near enough impossible to find a nightdress that is suitable, one that's comfortable, lightweight and a decent length. This one by Babes with Babies is perfect. Definitely on my list.
One of my biggest fears for my unborn child and my labour is having to have some sort of intervention. Just the word forceps makes me wince, have you seen the size of those things? I'm not sure I'm prepared for the world and his dog to come rushing in to retrieve my child with a pair of giant salad servers. I'm worried that my poor son will arrive on this earth with an odd shaped head, we've all seen those poor babies with the cone shaped heads, so a hat is not only essential for keeping his newborn noggin warm, it will act as the perfect disguise if said situation were to happen.
Read
Not that I will have much time to read but I just thought I would include this as I recently saw it on Estée's blog, Essiebutton and it'll be a great coffee table book.
Want
Throughout my pregnancy I have been positive about my birth. I have let it pass me by without worry or stress but then suddenly, out of no where it hit me and I started to panic. A deep down anxiety and the thought of my waters breaking terrified me. Words like ripping and tearing now filled me with such fear. I don't want to do this anymore. I wanted to give someone else a go, let them do it for me. My whole life I've been a worrier but this was something else.
I am more concerned about my pain threshold and how my body will cope with the stress of the whole experience. I have seen the consultant a few times throughout my pregnancy and he/she has assured me that it is possible for women with Fibromyalgia to have a perfectly natural labour without any complications. But I'm concerned the stress will bring on a flare up - not exactly ideal for a single Mum with a newborn.
Before my pregnancy I used to take regular magnesium baths as it has been suggested that people with Fibromyalgia could have a magnesium deficiency. I was advised against adding extra magnesium to my body just in case. But then I found this magnesium spray by BetterYou. And it works to relax painful, achey muscles - perfect for a long labour. It's worth a go!
This will probably be my last want, need, wear, read before Baby Belle arrives, unless I have enough time to put together a special one for him. I honestly can't quite believe how quickly this whole experience has been. I wish I had savoured more of each day. I cannot wait to hold him in my arms and to start a new adventure in my life, with my little one in tow.
Wish me luck, I'm going to need it!
Laurie Rose
