The big reveal!

 I know, I know I'm at serious risk of sounding like those reality make over programmes with this blog post title!

The first thing I did after I fell pregnant was tell my folks. That was in our case my Mama (the crazy one), JB's Mum (the 1st time grandmother) and Dad (the happy one). We chose to tell them the next day over a spot of dinner. As it was my birthday the following day they did not suspect anything untoward when I rang and  told them they must come over the very next day and no excuses. 

 When they arrived we made them a cuppa and stood in our kitchen. Then we just blurted it out. We could not contain our excitement at telling them a moment longer. Understandably they were thrilled! We spent the next couple of hours eating and discussing how amazing it was going to be. We cooked marinated pork and mash. Just in case you were wondering!

 We broke the good news to my Sister, bro-in-law, brother and sis-in-law a couple of days later at my family dinner. It was lovely to see there faces as it had been seven years since my wonderful niece was born and i'm sure that our little family was ready for another addition. 

 Close friends were told that day also. Often over the phone as we were unable to meet up face to face. All knew we were trying so over the moon for us. I must admit a couple of our closest friends were well aware of our struggles. As good friends always lend a sympathetic ear in situations like ours. 

 Lastly, work. I have a physically demanding job and one that I cannot do properly during pregnancy. I needed to tell them straight away for my babies safety. I was secretly pleased that I could not keep it a secret. I was forced into telling people and I decided it would be extra stress i didn't need trying to keep it quiet. So I told everyone, as soon as I saw them.

 Problem solved and stress reduced! I am also glad because this saw the beginning of two months of physical hell.......

More of that later!

 xx

About me : An introduction

 Hello!

 My name is Katie and as of today I am 32 weeks and 6 days pregnant with my first baby.  I am a make up artist from Essex and I plan on telling the world (or the select few who take the time to stop by!) all about my pregnancy experience to date and what happens in the next 7 weeks leading up to Robert's due date. 

 Robert is my unborn son and he is due on 31st January 2012. He is likely to be given the shortened version of his name 'Bobby' hence the name of my blog 'Meeting Bobby'.

 I hope you enjoy and feel free to let me know your thoughts, questions and comments.

 I love to hear from other Mums to be.

 Big hugs,

 Katie (+ Bump) 

 xx

How I got pregnant : My life BB (Before Bobby)

Having been married for two and half years we decided that it was about time to extend our little family. 

 My husband JB and I tried for just shy of 12 months to conceive our amazing little one. It was a tough time expecting a positive result every month. It was heartbreaking to see just one line after the recommended three minute wait. I felt like getting pregnant should be something I could do whenever I chose to and the fact I couldn't was tough to handle. 

 I started to take folic acid from pretty much day one of trying. I really wanted the benefits of folic acid such as the reduced risk of spina bifida and wanted to give Baby B (As he was known then!) the best possible start in life.

 I am the most impatient person you will ever meet (you will see this as I post more about my experiences!) and I was using ovulation kits. Theses are mega expensive and I ended up getting them in bulk from t'internet. These work by measuring the hormone your body releases 24hrs prior to you releasing an egg from your ovaries. I was so pleased I tested myself as I didn't ovulate for 6 months! I was previously on the pill, and had been since I was 15. I guess this was just a sign of my body cycle getting back to normal. I did wonder however if there was something wrong and thought about seeing the doc lots of times. I had heard that the doctor would not test us until we had been trying for a year so we just kept on doing the deed!

 I used the 'Pink pad' iPhone app to track my periods and the dates the tests told me I was ovulating. This allowed me to see when I was most fertile and when I would most likely to fall. I also inputted the dates of my 'intimate' moments. They show as little hearts (How romantic!) on the calendar.  In fact it was the best £1.19 I ever spent but I did become a little obsessed entering everything! 

 Another sign of my impatience was my use of early pregnancy test kits. These allow you to check 6 days prior to your period due date. There are pro's and cons to this; The main pro is you know quickly (positive results only!!) and the con is that you know quickly (negative results only!!). It is very much conception dependant! Again I got them cheap from a website. I would still use these tests if i decided to have another however the first 12 weeks of my pregnancy were the longest of my life as I knew pretty much straight away at 3 weeks and 3 days. 

After ten months of zero success I happened to watch a BBC documentary called 'Inside the human body'. It was a fascinating journey depicting the miracle of life from the first to last breath of a human and I loved it. It was amazing and in HD. I learn't that conception is hard! The female body does everything in it's power to kill off sperm that are not up to the tough job of reproduction. Us ladies can be super harsh! I also learn't the womb and fallopian tubes are particularly hostile to sperm however the 'Super fit' sperm can stick around for five days just waiting for the egg. 

A lightbulb went off in my mind and I decided that JB and I were gonna do it 3 days before I was due to ovulate. This mean't in theory the sperm should have made the long, hostile journey and be ready and waiting for an egg. I'm not too sure if it was this theory or a total co-incidence but bingo! A two line test 7 days later.  I found out I was pregnant on May 25th 2011. 

 JB was on his way back from a major exam and I told him on the phone! I never wanted to do that but I wanted to share it with him, the man I love, as soon as possible!

xxx