Carpal tunnel.

I suffered from carpal tunnel during my pregnancy (pains and numbness in my hands). Unfortunately there's not much you can do about it. I found massage, physiotherapy and wearing a wrist and hand splint eased my hand pain but never got rid of it altogether and by the end of the day my hands were much sorer and more tingly. Towards the end of pregnancy it was a lot worse and during the last month my hands were pretty much unusable because of the shooting, stabbing pains and pins and needles.

At the same (weird) time (because I just have to do things differently to everyone) I experienced the same pains and pins and needles in my knees and feet. It got to a point where I couldn't kneel down or bend my knees much at all. Walking hurt too.

I was actually told that my hands, feet and knees weren't carpal tunnel by my obstetrician but she couldn't offer me any other explanation, except to say 'that's very weird'.

Yes my pregnancy was filled with weird aches and pains. Then I had a c-section which made my feet swell to twice their size (seriously) and it made the pain and numbness in my feet even worse.

To this day, one year after the birth of Em, I am still suffering from pins and needles in my thumbs, knees and my feet, but thankfully the pain has gone. The only explanation I have been given is that it is probably nerve dampening caused by all the swelling in my pregnancy and c-section and nerves take a very, very long time to heal.

I do feel very unusual in these symptoms and am yet to find another women who has experienced this in their hands, knees and feet.

As I said I do like to be different.

Why breastfeed?

There are so many reasons why every woman should breastfeed her baby. (Of course there are some women who can't because of medical reasons and my intention is not to make you feel guilty if you fall into that category.)

So here are some of the reasons for breastfeeding.

• There is absolutely NO substitute for breastfeeding. Breast milk contains all the nutrients and anti-bodies designed and required by human babies. It contains immunities to diseases and aids in the development of the baby's immune system. Formula does not and is NOT a substitute. Breast milk is the PERFECT food for human babies.
• Breastfeeding decreases a baby's chance of ear infections, diarrhoeal infections, respiratory infection, allergies & asthma + lots more. Breastfed babies are generally healthier than formula fed babies.
  
• Breastfeeding helps bonding between baby and mother, which helps with the emotional growth of the baby.
• Breast milk is FREE.
• Breast milk changes in taste depending on what the mother eats so baby is exposed to many different tastes. Formula tastes the same every time.
  
• Breast milk is easier to digest than formula.
  
• Breast milk is always ready and at the perfect temperature. No bottles to wash and sterilise. No need to pack bottles when going out.
  
• Breastfeeding produces no waste.
  
• Breastfeeding aids the mother's recovery after birth by shrinking the uterus quickly to it's pre-pregnancy size and helps to prevent post-partum haemorrhaging.
• Breastfeeding helps the mother lose weight after birth.
  
• Breastfeeding decreases a mother's chance of breast cancer.
• It is natural and it is what the breasts were designed for.
  

Preparing for breast feeding.

To prepare for breast feeding I recommend reading books or chapters on breast feeding. In particular I recommend the books Birth: Conceiving, Nurturing and Giving Birth to your Baby by Catherine Price and Sandra Robinson and Baby Love by Robin Barker for their comprehensive information. There are also courses on breast feeding, which will be run by your hospital and you can get great information from the ABA (Australian Breastfeeding Association).

To be honest at the time when I was reading and learning about breast feeding I found it frustrating because I often didn't really understand what they meant. It seemed pointless to be learning about something that you cannot practice. However, once my baby arrived I realised how useful it was to know everything I knew about breast feeding. Sure, I still didn't know how to actually do it but I knew:

• It would be difficult;
• It would be painful to begin with;
• To begin with I would be feeding 8 to 12 times a day;
• A feed would take an hour to begin with;
  
• The sorts of problems that could arise and how to deal with them;
• About the existence of lactation consultants who could help with any problems that arose;
  
• There would be temporary periods of time when the baby would feed longer and more often and they were periods of growth;
• The more milk a baby takes the more you make; and
  
• There is plenty of help out there for mothers - lactation consultants, health centre nurses, ABA, drop in clinics, etc and having a supportive partner and family is also important.
  

Armed with this information I think is part of the key to success. If you enter breast feeding expecting it to be a lot of hard work but definitely achievable and knowing that there is actually plenty of help out there then you are much more likely to succeed. A lot of women incorrectly believe they don't have a big enough supply when their baby starts feeding more often, when in fact it is a temporary period of time to increase your supply.

Of course sometimes breast feeding doesn't work out even after you have put your best effort in but I also think a lot of women give up perhaps because they didn't expect it to be such hard work.

Comments.

Being pregnant gives everyone the right to comment on your body apparently. It's OK to tell someone that they are fat or skinny, showing or not showing or that their face is fat and blotchy.

Sometimes I would receive these comments all in one day and I'm not sure how it is possible to be big and small, showing and not showing all at the same time..

Stretch marks.

I was so lucky during my pregnancy because I didn't develop any stretch marks. I used anti stretch mark cream daily, rubbing it into my expanding belly, just in case that's what was keeping them at bay.

Towards the end of pregnancy I did see a few stretch marks around my belly button but that was all. I was happy with that.

Then just before I had my baby I exclaimed to my husband how lucky I was to get through pregnancy and only end up with a few small stretch marks around my belly button. To which he replied that I did in fact have plenty of stretch marks. What?!?!?! Where?!?!?! Under my belly - where I could not see.

The thing is I didn't use the anti stretch mark cream much under my belly. I couldn't see there and it was hard to reach there.

So maybe I could be a model for anti stretch mark creams (cocoa butter if you are interested) - look here where I used it no marks! Just don't look at my lower belly.

Prenancy Heartburn.

For pregnancy heartburn I found three things that helped:

1. Putting towels under the head of the mattress to raise my upper body whilst sleeping (you could use any other soft material - clothes, pillows, etc.);
   
2. Drinking milk after every meal. This seemed to work very well for me and eased that burning sensation.; and
   
3. Avoiding spicy, rich or citrus foods.
   

Pre-Prenancy Planning.

About six months before trying for a baby I went to a doctor for a pre-pregnancy check up. It made sense to me to check on my body's health so that any problems could be tackled before falling pregnant. It is also important to note that a check up should be done at least six months before falling pregnant but any time beforehand is better than not doing it.

The check up involved determining whether I was deficient in any vitamins or minerals and also analysing my current immunisation levels. I also received valuable information at the check up, such as taking Folate for at least one month before trying for a baby and that my husband should go get a vaccination booster to eliminate the risk of passing an illness to a newborn.

I am glad I had a check up as it did reveal I needed a vaccination booster. It was also good to know that my body was healthy and I had all the right balance of nutrients. I plan to have a check up before each pregnancy because I know that things can change.

I must say I am actually surprised that most women don't have a pre-pregnancy check up. It doesn't matter how young or old you are. How fit or healthy you feel. Getting your body ready prior to falling pregnant is better than trying to fix things once you are pregnant. A baby will sap all your nutrients from your body so it's important to make sure you are at your healthiest to begin with. Why put your pregnancy, health or your baby's heath in any unnecessary risk?

Leg cramps.

Until you have experienced a pregnancy caused leg cramp then you have not experienced a leg cramp I say. Pregnancy leg cramps are a whole new experience and boy do they hurt. It feels like your whole muscle is being ripped in half. Worst still it always felt like the cramp would never end. I always thought I would just have to learn to live with the agonising pain of a muscle being torn in two. There was nothing to do but cry and moan until thankfully it did eventually subside. The next morning I would wake and my muscle would be really sore, as though I'd done some heavy exercise the night before.

Happily I found that taking Magnesium supplements helped me. While I still got the leg cramps they occured less frequently and with less force.

For any subsequent pregnancies I plan on taking Magnesium from the start, in the hope that it may prevent the leg cramps altogether.

Recommended pregnancy books.

Before trying for a baby I decided to get a book about pregnancy to find out what I was actually getting myself in for.

I bought Birth: Conceiving, Nurturing and Giving Birth to your Baby by Catherine Price and Sandra Robinson and found it to be a gem. It is written by two Australian mid-wives, so it has relevant Australian information. It is packed full of knowledge on conception, pregnancy, birth and newborns. There are also pros and cons on topics, which aide in decision making. I constantly devoured this book during pregnancy.

Another book I recommend is Up the Duff by Kaz Cooke. It is also written by an Australian and has lots of useful, relevant information, but it is written in a humorous way (which is something very much needed on occasion).

How to create that pregnancy glow.

When I was pregnant I found that people thought it was OK to comment on my appearance, even telling me when they thought I looked awful.

Thanks.. really appreciated. Of course every pregnant woman likes to have a running commentary about her expanding body.

Anyway, my face went blotchy whilst I was pregnant. I guess thanks to those lovely pregnancy hormones.

And people kept pointing that out to me. "Your face is blotchy" they'd say. Yes I know. But thank you SO much for pointing that out to me because I wasn't self conscious enough about it.

Funny enough their comments did get to me and I began to feel like a bit of an ugly freak. Now I think it's time to mention that I don't wear make up. I think wearing make up maybe makes me look a little nicer but I just can't be bothered putting it on every morning. If it's a choice between catching a few extra z's and putting on make up to look a little nicer - I choose the sleep!

I do however moisturise every morning. So I decided to buy a tinted moisturiser. Yep.. it made me look a little nicer. But I couldn't have guessed what would happen as soon as I started using it. Suddenly, according to every one, I had that pregnancy glow!

By the way what is a pregnancy glow - I have never seen anyone glowing while they are pregnant! I also have no idea what people were seeing in me. All I could see was a blotchy face covered in tint.

So there's my secret to creating that pregnant glow - whatever the heck that means.