Ever had (or about to have) a 'pregnant' Christmas?

Hi there

We're just putting together a feature about food and beauty Dos and Don'ts at Christmas time. 

Would love to hear from anyone who's experienced Christmas with a bump - how did you get through it? Did you actually enjoy it MORE than usual? (An excuse to pamper yourself and get out of the washing up mountain for example?)....

All anecdotes will be much appreciated!

Thanks

 Sarah x

Hi Sarah

Lovely pic of you and JD by the way! That's a great quote. Can I use it? I think we've featured you in the magazine quite recently, but can you remember if you're due to be in there in the December issue?

Sx

I missed not having a drink but eating all that food without feeling guilty was heaven.

I got out of cooking and shopping too. I just sat and wrapped everything. My bump earned me a seat at my sons school Christmas play too. 

I was nearly seven months pregnant last Christmas and it certainly meant it was very different from how Christmas usually is.

We like to go away for Christmas every other year to make a change and it was due to be our Chistmas away but I couldn't fly so we stayed at home.  No alcohol was a bit weird so I drank enormous amounts of tonic water to make a change from water and juice.   I had to be a little more careful with the food, no rare beef to accompany the goose, no pate starters, no liver in the stuffing.  I ended up doing ALL the clearing up as everyone else fell asleep on the sofa in front of the Bond film, but as I was sober I was awake and had to do it.

It was fun being pregnant over Christmas, better excuse to wear a party dress, have to get the wear out of it and limited wardrobe as well, and it made it all more special, had more sympathy with Mary sitting on a donkey whilst the size of a house, it was uncomfortable enough sitting on a dining chair!

One major drawback to being pregnant, or indeed in any vulnerable state is the worry about getting medical care.  Knowing that specialist care was not as easy to access as other times of the year was not comforting especially as I had been sent to the hospital a few days before Christmas with potential problems with the pregnancy.

Hi sazza, yes you can use quote! last thing i sent was about swaddling but it wasn't used, don't think i have anything for the dec issue?

Hi,

I was 37 weeks pregnant last Chrimbo. I moped around the place like a proper beached whale; my poor husband had a miserable time; I got up had breakfast, went back to bed, got up, opened some pressies, went back to bed, got up ate my dinner and then fell asleep. Laugh a minute eh?

I just remember feeling very tired and was convinced something was going to happen on Christmas Day so was too worried to do anything. On the plus side though it did mean I could eat my own body weight in chocolates and mince-pies even if booze was off the menu!

 Claire

i wasnt pregnant over christmas but i was ment to be, as i wasnt ment  to have my babies until march 2006, but my babies decided that they wanted xmas pressies and i went into prem labour on the 23/12 /2005 and and was rushed to a hospital 40 miles away as our local can not take prems under 30weeks, the staff were unable to stop my labour and the babies came with santa at 2.30am christmas morning at just 28weeks 

i was very worried that there wouldnt be enough Neo Natal staff to help my babies but all the care me and the babies received was exellent the children got stockings full of gifts and i got a little gift aswell the staff did their best to make it a special time and lunch was exellent

it was hard being so far away but we made the best of it and the babies were in the best place to get the care they needed the funniest thing was that my parents were away on a cruise and the last thing my mum had said was dont have the babies while we are away as she wanted to be there and i had told her there was no chance as i had far to long to go before they were coming, how wrong i was

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Me too - both times!! The first was xmas 2005 i was 8 months pregnant with glowing skin, shiny hair - back ache, spd and no clothes to fit me, i remember the pics well, my hair and skin looked great but i still laugh at the 'long' skirt i had stretched round my bump with a wrap cardy over the top it was so uncomfortable but the day before levering myself into the car i had ripped the bottom out of my last pair of maternity jeans that still fit on the door mechanism - i was mortified and all the shops were closed by then!!- i shuffled everywhere because walking was painful and it was 'the in joke' for xmas and boxing day 'shh shhh the shufflers coming'   It did help though as i got the recliner in the lounge instead of the floor and i got my xmas dinner first - with extra dessert!!

Second christmas was the one just gone, i was better prepared this time with clothes - lol, and only 5 months gone, i did feel it hindered my ability to enjoy my eldest sons second christmas as i was so tired and had spd again, so i couldn't sit round the tree with him and play with him on the floor but i had a wonderful sober time with my husband and son and it actually encouraged my friends to stay off the booze at  our xmas meal and they enjoyed it a whole lot more, with no hangovers on christmas morning! My mum did the cooking too - so i could relax on christmas day love her!!!

hi,

last christmas i was around 6/7 weeks pregnant, and my aunt was 14 weeks pregnant, and everyone knew about my aunt and uncle having a baby, but only my dad, step mum and grandparents and sisters knew about me, [as it was so early on]

and my great grandma didnt know [shes very old fashioned and im not married.. and i was only 21 at the time so we had to keep it quiet] and so i spent the whole day drinking 'vodka and lemonade' [always drink 'vodka' when hiding pregnancy - its clear and has no smell so its easier to hide the fact that youre not drinking!]

and sucking my stomach in [although i wasnt showing, obviously, i was just bloated] but by grandad insisted on it!

although the worst thing to hide were my boobs - i went from 32C to 34F while i was pregnant, and by christmas they were already a 32DD - my great grandma asked if id had plastic surgery ! i said no course not, must be your eyes mama...

for me christmas with a 7mth bump was just as busy and one sided as it has always been!My partner didnt develop this amazing ability to buy his own parents presents,he didnt become over protective of me and bump in an over crowded tescos on christmas eve and yes i still ended up down A and E with him boxing day thinking he was having a heart attack (it was just indigestion after over eating) men dont develop the woman gene to help you do all the things that take you a million times longer than usual no matter how big the bump!

Unfortunatley i had severe heartburn and could eat very little and with even my 14 yrs old sister tippled and burping under the table on one glass of wine over her dinner it was all i could do to keep myself jumping into bed with my book and saying to the world his yr xmas is cancelled I'm way too tired and moody!

Least to say I had the excuse of my dear little bumpus to leave boring parties early and to not feed peoples flowers when their dinner was shocking!And furthermore it was lovely curling up(as much as i could)on the sofa while watching eastenders and corro thinking aaahhh itsalmost over!

 I'm not ususally a Bah humbug...honest!

x