• I think the top benefit would have to be my Mother coming to clean my house every month as I aren’t able to bend anymore – I’m sure she’s happy to come and do it as it proves that I still need my mummy even at my age!
• The gift of becoming a parent – this is something I have thought about all my life and now that it is finally happening I couldn’t be happier.
• My health has become priority – I seem to count everything now from how much water I drink, to the amount of meals I can manage without getting heartburn. Gavin carefully reads all the ingredient labels and suddenly he seems to care about what I am putting into my body.
• I remember when I was eleven waiting for my first period and getting worried when it didn’t come, now I can’t wait for them to finish. One of the benefits of being pregnant is definitely not having periods or period pains for 9 months!
• People can’t help smiling when they see your belly – I was warned that people would want to touch my bump however I haven’t experienced this but people are generally friendly towards me and I find it is easier to talk to strangers  gives us a subject to discuss.
• I can get away with eating a whole tub of ice cream (claiming its a craving) and not feel guilty.
• My favourite thing to do in the world is to cat nap and now I have the perfect excuse as I can have as many naps as I want and can get away with it.
• I love pay day each month, as this means another shopping day is coming up so we can purchase the next items on the list; the tiny clothes and the adorable room decorations do start to make everything very real.
• In the early weeks of pregnancy , Gavin and I got to share a special secret ad we would text each other with cryptic messages that no one else understood but us.
• I have signed up to a few different pregnancy classes and have developed new friendships with other people who are in the same “boat” as me, this has given me the benefit of learning and getting other people’s opinions on items that we may need to buy.
• I love to feel “little alien” squirming inside, as this has the ability to make any bad day turn into a good one. I also like meeting with the midwife every three weeks just to be able to hear the “swish swish” of the heartbeat on the Doppler, it’s very reassuring.
• For once in my life, I am able to watch my belly  expand (well my whole body) and that has to be a positive experience.

Much love
Rebecca