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They've Had A Baby

During her first pregnancy the Warrington Guardian's Jenni Carroll shared her experiences online, along with husband Simon Beaumont, in exclusive blogs.

The couple's regular updates got quite a following and readers even voted for their favourite baby names. All the readers will be happy to hear that Jenni and Simon had a healthy baby girl, Isabelle Louise Beaumont, on Sunday 7th May. Mum and new baby are pictured right.

Read the couple's blogs below...

She's Having A Baby...

Jenni Carroll

I'm on the final countdown now.
Just one more week left in work and then it's time to start nesting.

I've seen yet another midwife.
This brings the total up to seven now and I'm yet to find one that hasn't insulted me in some way.

I feel a complete fool, but I've managed to cause myself an injury that is just not healing and, if anything, it's getting worse.
It all stems from going shopping.

I had my glucose tolerance test this week.
Everything seems ok, although the yucky sweet drink the midwife made me drink on an empty stomach made me feel really ill.

I thought I'd give aquanatal a go, I've been told it's a good way of keeping fit and there's a physio and midwife on hand...just in case.
I'm not sure I'm consoled by those just-in-case reassurances, but the idea itself still seems sound.

I made a fool of myself on the train this week.
We are a one-car family and, depending on our individual work schedules, Simon and I take it in turns to use public transport or drive to work.

I feel as though I've been pregnant forever and I've still got a long way to go.
All I seem to talk about these days is being pregnant, or other people being pregnant and I'm beginning to bore myself.

So far I've seen four midwives.
I've got a named midwife who I think I've seen once, but to be honest I'm not sure.

Entire businesses exist to name new products.
Company executives spend hour after hour in board meetings to come up with a name for a working group, yet faced with the prospect of naming our first child, there is just my husband and me.

I've passed all the tests that have been thrown at me and I'm now being left alone to get on with incubating.
I had the third and, I hope, final scan last week. Simon couldn't make it with me so I took my mum along for moral support.

As I get increasingly larger, my movement is getting more restricted.
I've never been the most flexible of people, but no longer having a waist is proving somewhat of a hindrance.

Being pregnant doesn't really combine well with Christmas parties.
Tonight is our office Christmas party and after a full week at work I have to confess I'm not really looking forward to an evening of festivities.

We went for our second scan today and it was great to see Bertie on the screen again.
He's a lot bigger than he was last time we saw him, but he's still not quite big enough to make sure that everything is ok so I've got to go back in a couple of weeks.

At just four months, I have a definite bump, which I'm not sure whether I should worry about or not.
All the books suggest that with your first baby, you don't start showing until quite late, but there's no denying that I'm pregnant when you look at me.

The maternity machine has well and truly kicked in now and I've been bombarded with 'invitations' to attend numerous clinics, classes and lessons.
I have regular ante natal appointments and at my last one I heard Bertie's heartbeat, which made the whole thing more real for me again.

It's time to confess that I'm vegetarian.
Not a major crime on society in most instances but when I mentioned my vegetable loving tendencies to my midwife I might as well have said I intended to sacrifice my baby to the god of vegetables. Such was the look of horror on her face.

I'm sure it's just my imagination, but the whole world seems to be pregnant at the same time as me.
First it was Rachel Flintoff, which I am really pleased about, but we've been joined by a plethora of other mums to be.

Discovering I was pregnant with my first child was one of the most exciting pieces of news I have ever received.
Now 12 weeks pregnant, and the proud mother of a blurry picture of a baked bean, I have already experienced a whole range of emotions; elation, fear, embarrassment, jubilation and not to mention confusion.

He's Having A Baby...

Simon Beaumont

I am really looking forward to Bertie arriving.
As each day passes, I know the big day is getting closer and closer and it reminds a bit of waiting for Christmas when I was little.

There is no longer any room for me in bed.
Jenni has packed so many pillows, cushions and quilts around her I only have a small amount of bed space left for myself.

Jenni's ante-natal visits are getting more and more frequent now and she's beginning to meet other mums to be.
It also means she's learning - and telling me - things I don't want to know about, or think about, until I actually have to deal with it.

Bertie the Bump likes to kick and move around or so says Jenni.
"Quick put your hand on the bump and feel him" she says.

My friend became a dad for the first time last week.
He's a very proud dad and has even changed his little girl's nappies.

I've decided, I'm jacking my job in and setting up in business selling baby related products.
I'm certainly in the wrong profession. As far as I can work out, all you have to do is stick the word baby in front of something and you can put a cash mark up of somewhere between £10 and £30 on any product you want to sell.

As Jenni gets increasingly larger she is finding it more and more difficult to bend down.
To be fair, she has been moaning about everything being on the floor for some time now, but just lately she has been troubled by reflux (I believe that's the term she used - although to me it sounds like sick) and also Bertie is currently lying in such a way that Jenni is also having trouble with her coccyx.

This is going to be our last Christmas with just the two of us...and I can't wait for next year.
It's not that I don't enjoy spending Christmas with Jenni, but I'm genuinely looking forward to sharing the experience with our child.

GUEST BLOG FROM JENNI'S MUM
Going with Jenni to the hospital was a very strange experience.

I made a rookie error today, but it's not one I'll make again in a hurry.
My mistake stemmed from the fact that I decided to take the role of caring and supportive husband that step further, it serves me right really.

Norwich really aren't doing any better in the league.
I think it's time to start adding a new manager to my Christmas list to Santa.

It's been a tough week.
I barely know how I've managed to get through it.

The initial excitement has died down at work now and I've had less kisses this week, so it's almost business as usual.
Until I go home that is.

Telling people at work that I am to become a dad for the first time at the tender age of 30-something has been one of the most shocking moments of my life.
I'm not sure what it is, but baby news seems to do something funny with the brains of any woman over 45.

They've Had A Baby