The Fourth Trimester: 0–3 Months with Margot

The Fourth Trimester

Three months.
84 days.
2,016 hours.
120,960 minutes.
7,257,600 seconds.

Gone in a blink.

It’s hard to believe it’s been three months since we welcomed Margot into our lives. These early weeks have been filled with love, change, and a fair share of challenges. Here’s a look back at how the journey’s unfolded so far.

Month One: A Rollercoaster Start

The first few days after my C-section felt surprisingly easy—just like my first experience. I was mobile, in minimal pain, and Margot was a dream sleeper, happy to nap anywhere.

But by day five, things took an unexpected turn. I ended up back in hospital with dangerously high blood pressure (180/110) and a pounding headache. After three nights, I was sent home with two medications to manage it. What followed was a busy blur of medical appointments and family catch-ups.

Our biggest priority was making sure our son adjusted to his new role as a big brother. He’s done it with so much love and tenderness—constantly cuddling and kissing Margot. We’re so proud of him.

Month Two: Finding Our Rhythm 

As much as I didn’t want time to rush by, I was counting down to the six-week mark so I could drive again. Not being able to get out easily was hard—it meant relying on others and finding ways to keep Albie entertained at home.

This month brought more smiles—Margot’s little personality started shining through. She lit up especially for her daddy and big brother, though eventually I got my fair share too! She’s completely fascinated by Albie, tracking his every move with wide eyes and big grins. Their bond is already so special.

Month Three: The Toughest Days Yet

This month has tested us more than I imagined. Margot has been dealing with colic and digestive discomfort, often crying in pain for long stretches. Watching your baby suffer, knowing there’s little you can do to help, is absolutely heartbreaking.

There have been tears—hers and mine—as we try different remedies recommended by our GP, hoping for relief. It’s hard not to feel like I’m failing her, even though I know we’re doing all we can. We just want to see our happy girl again.

These three months have flown by in a haze of newborn snuggles, sibling moments, postpartum healing, and emotional highs and lows. It’s been a journey—messy, beautiful, and deeply humbling.

We’re learning every day, holding onto the bright moments, and growing stronger as a family of four. Here’s to what comes next…

You can read Emilys other blogs here  

Coming home from hospital as a family with our new little bundle of joy was the most incredible and surreal feeling. Being able to take that ‘typical Daddy photo’ walking out of hospital with the most precious cargo in the car seat was something I had longed for, for such a long time.

Recovering from a c section was actually ok. But, I had done a lot of prep beforehand of batch meal cooking, having everything to hand (thanks nappy caddy) and stocking up on pain relief. I had reminders set to take my pain relief even if I didn’t feel like I needed it at that time to keep me topped up.

We were incredibly lucky to have Daddy at home for longer due to Christmas so having paternity and then Christmas leave on top was lovely, but still went by far too quickly! Christmas Day was spent in a newborn bubble & me being able to have the steak for Christmas dinner that I had been craving for nearly 9months! With a Christmas dinner for Boxing Day with my parents.

Kobe got to meet his great grandparents (my grandparents at a week old) which is another thing I’ve always wanted my grandparents to see me become a Mummy and get to meet my baby. I have some beautiful photos of them with Kobe and of Kobe holding his great grandads finger. Heartbreakingly for me, this was the only time Kobe met him as at 5weeks old my Grandad passed away, so trying to manage grief with a newborn was extremely challenging and difficult.

The night time feeds can seem so lonely, but I find them to be the most special, with breastfeeding it’s just me & little man awake while everything else is so quiet and still. The feeling drained at the time doesn’t last & I know that these special moments between us are what I will end up missing.

The ‘newborn’ phase goes by so quickly. I cried when Kobe outgrew his first clothes & I miss so much of the teeny baby phase, like the newborn scrunch, the crazy rooting to try & find the boob, the startle reflex, the little faces and pouts he would make, the milk drunk expression.

But equally getting those smiles & giggles are the most heartwarming feeling and make any hard days so worth it.”

Carly xx

check out Carlys first blog here

A C-Section Birth: Our Journey with Margot

After having a cesarean section with my son in 2021, I knew I’d be having another C-section with Margot. While a natural birth was never an option for me, I always felt a little sadness about missing out on that experience—no water breaking, no contractions, no rushing to the hospital in the middle of the night. Over time, I’ve come to accept this and focus on the positives of a C-section.

I’m an over-the-top planner, and a planned C-section made it easier for me. With Margot, we knew her birthday three weeks in advance—25-02-2025. It felt like the perfect date. Knowing this early, gave us time to arrange childcare for Albie and get everything ready at home.

The night before, my parents arrived to look after Albie. We had a relaxing evening, everything packed and ready, and enjoyed a quiet dinner. I set my alarm for 6 a.m., but woke up at 5 a.m., nervous and excited. I went downstairs to watch TV while I waited. When it was time, we got dressed, said our goodbyes, and calmly made our way to the hospital.

At the hospital, I was shown to my bed, had my vitals checked, and waited for the call to head to the operating room. Around 10 a.m., it was time. The anaesthetist gave me the spinal injection, and I felt the warm sensation spreading down my legs. I was wheeled into the operating room, ready for the procedure to begin. From the first incision to Margot’s birth, it took about 10 minutes.

When the moment came, the surgical curtain was lowered, and I saw Margot being brought into the world. It pains me to admit, I still didn’t have that immediate bond at that moment (if you had a chance to read my previous blog you’ll know the reason why), but I was anxiously waiting for her to cry. After what felt like a lifetime she gave a huge cry and I instantly relaxed.

Before they handed her to me for skin-to-skin, I asked the midwife to check her over. I had been so anxious during the pregnancy I needed to know she was ok and my NICU nurse brain was still in work mode. Then, my husband brought her to me, and I felt a sense of awe. Was she really mine? I held her close, and finally I felt more at ease knowing she was safe in my arms.

After the surgery, we were taken to the postnatal ward. Our breastfeeding journey started off easily, which was reassuring. The sensation in my legs returned after a few hours, and by then, I was up and walking around. After a C-section, I recommend getting up and moving as soon as possible (when safe to do so)—both of my recoveries went smoothly, and even better than some friends who had natural births.

That first night, it was just Margot and me. We had a quiet night, getting to know each other, with no distractions. It was such a special time.

Albie was beyond excited to meet his baby sister, and he’s taken on his big brother role with so much love.

Our journey to becoming a family of four has been incredible, and I’ll cherish this time forever.

Margot Olivia Shevtsov 

25-02-2025

11:00am

3.44kg 

my new motherhood blogger – pregnancy after loss

“Is this your first baby?”

It’s a question every pregnant woman hears, often with excitement. For most, it’s an easy question to answer. But for me, it’s more complicated. This is my fourth baby. At home, I already have a 3.5-year-old son, Albie, and two babies I hold close to my heart.

This pregnancy has been a rollercoaster. Earlier in 2024, we experienced our second pregnancy loss, the first before Albie’s birth. Hearing, “I’m sorry, there is no heartbeat,” for the second time is heart-wrenching. You ask yourself, “Why me?” or “Did I do something wrong?”

Afterward, we took time to grieve. Then, we decided to try again, without rushing or putting pressure on ourselves. In June 2024, something felt different. I didn’t want to get too hopeful, but after a long shift at work, I took a test. A faint pink line appeared. I didn’t believe it, so I kept it to myself—not even telling my husband.

Five days later, I took another test. The line was darker, but I still didn’t feel excitement—only fear. I left the test out for my husband to see. His response was calm: “Okay, let’s see what happens.” He could tell I was nervous, so he stayed positive to balance my doubts.

The early weeks were filled with uncertainty. I took tests daily, watching the line get darker. Then, I started feeling abdominal pain, and all I could think was, “It’s happening again.” I called my doctor, and they referred me for an early scan. Walking into the same room with the same sonographer, I braced myself. But this time, I heard, “Congratulations, everything looks good for 6 weeks.” I was stunned.

We had scans every two weeks after that. At 17 weeks, we scheduled an early gender scan. We had found out Albie’s gender, but never had the chance with our other babies. Even then, doubt lingered. I hadn’t felt the baby move yet, and I couldn’t shake the worry. But then the moment came: “It’s a girl!” A small rush of excitement washed over me—one of each! But just as quickly, I reminded myself not to get ahead of myself.

Throughout this pregnancy, the fear never left. At one point, we were told we might need to deliver her early because of poor weight gain. The anxiety stayed constant. I couldn’t bond with her the way I had with Albie, and the guilt was overwhelming. The “what ifs” hung over me every day.

To create some positive memories, I booked a maternity photoshoot. Talking to Jess and seeing her enthusiasm helped me open up. I’d kept my pregnancy mostly to myself at work, but talking about it, sharing my feelings, helped me start bonding with my baby girl.

What I’ve learned is that feeling disconnected or anxious after pregnancy loss is completely normal. If you’re struggling, know that you’re not alone. Talking openly with others and seeking support can make all the difference. It’s okay to lean on those around you during this journey.

Emily x

You can read my other guest blogs with a whole mix of experiences, perspectives and sharing here.

New motherhood blogger: fertility journey & the birth

I love having guest bloggers, why, you may ask?!

Because I believe it’s important to find places to read real-life people discuss and share their journeys. I have had such a variety of pregnancy and motherhood bloggers over the years.  Each one has gone through different highs and lows.

Whilst every mama’s journey is unique, there are often others going through or having been through similar situations.  I hope these blogs provide people with some comfort and find them helpful too.

Please be aware Carly will be discussing their fertility journey & IVF, the birth etc as she ‘reflects on how special & amazing this journey is.’

Pregnancy/birth blog

On Friday the 13th December (unlucky for some, but definitely not for us!) at 08.45am we welcomed our beautiful baby boy Kobe Albie Davies in to the world weighing 8lb 5oz – our little miracle!

Mine and my Husband Kyle’s journey to parenthood and pregnancy was not a straightforward forward easy one; in fact we ended up thinking this day may never come. We started trying for a baby in 2017, the year before we got married. I had found out the previous year that I have endometriosis, and we ended up being referred for fertility treatment in 2018 after a year of trying for a pregnancy with no success. This ended up with 4 unsuccessful IVF attempts over the space of 3 years, which physically and mentally took a toll on us both. We took a much-needed break and restarted our final round of IVF in December 2021, which finally gave us a glimmer of hope as I was pregnant! This heartbreakingly ended with a missed miscarriage, which left us both devastated.

We both thought we were destined to not be parents and tried to throw ourselves in to healing ourselves and making the most out of life together. I started my nursing university 2 year course which finished in Feb 2024 and then in March 2024 we had the biggest blessing of me naturally falling pregnant! Something we never thought would happen.

I found out I was pregnant in the April, 2 days before my 32nd birthday. I was alone as Kyle was working away at the time and had the same symptoms I did when I was pregnant before so I took a test, I must have looked at that test soooooooo many times. The line was so faint so I wasn’t sure if my eyes were playing tricks on me.

I didn’t want to tell Kyle over the phone and he was coming home the following night to spend my birthday with me so I tried to avoid speaking to him (I’m rubbish at keeping secrets!) and headed to Tesco first thing in the morning before work to get a digital test which said the beautiful words “pregnant”.

I’ve always loved the idea of people surprising their partners with the news they are pregnant, which I thought I would never be able to do as obviously Kyle always knew we were having IVF and you are told what day you have to take a pregnancy test, so to be able to surprise him was so exciting, but I knew I couldn’t wait to arrange anything big (due to my rubbish secret keeping).

So I arranged 3 envelopes for him to open, two with written clues and the last with the two pregnancy tests in. After the first two clues his guess was “are we getting a cat”. We told my parents the following day on my actual birthday.

From early on in my pregnancy I knew that I wanted to have an elective caesarean due to our history. (Fun fact – on my nursing course I have been in theatres and witnessed caesareans so I already knew the process and the thought just made me feel completely at ease). The date for my c section got closer, but my movements reduced so we ended up in the hospital every day for monitoring scans, which eventually ended up in us being admitted tothe  hospital for 5 nights before he was born.

His movements kept reducing so I changed my mind on the planned C-section and tried an induction just to try get him here quicker and for us both to be safe, but was also on a low emergency C-section list if they had availability and there were no higher emergencies. Three days of being induced, numerous walks around the hospital grounds and up and down stairs with little sleep for Kyle the induction had failed and I had not progressed.

After 2 days of being prepped for a theatre and then being stood down we went home for the last time just us two, to sleep in our own bed and go back in the morning for our original planned c section.

We arrived at 7am and were expecting a long wait, to be told we were first on the list and very quickly taken down to the theatre.

The whole experience was beautiful and such a calm environment. The theatre and recovery team were all amazing and looked after the three of us with such care. Not long after being wheeled into the theatre, the anaesthetist told me our baby was now being delivered and the drape was lowered at my request for me to be able to have the most special, immediate skin to skin with our little miracle.

We were discharged the following afternoon, home to soak in our new baby bubble and to say I am wholeheartedly the happiest I have ever been. I truly feel like I was always supposed to be a Mummy ,and I am absolutely adoring being Kobe’s Mummy.

Carly

Aubrey’s first year

Here we are already, my final blog.

The cliche thing, but time really does fly. I have found this one hard to start, I suspect this may be due to the mix of emotions I am feeling as I reflect on Aubrey’s first year. A norm for parents, I am sure.

It’s amazed me the amount of development that happens in the last few months of a babies first year. Aubrey started taking her first steps at the end of February, and it’s safe to say the last month has unlocked a new level of chaos, as walking is allowing her to explore independence. She is in every cupboard, looking under all the sofas, shutting any door she can behind someone and ensuring the entire emptying of her toy box throughout the house happens daily. Aubrey has a a few words at this point too, and our favourite one being ‘dirty’. Aubrey is a lover of being outside finding the dirt and we have started early on the helping out, as she enjoys placing her dirty nappies in the bin. When out and about Aubrey waves at every passing person, car and dog. Often following with her own version of ‘woof woof’ or clapping as she is so pleased with herself if someone waves back.

Thank you all for reading! And to the wonderful Jess for having me as this last year’s motherhood blogger. A great experience!

Lucy 

Check out all of Lucys previous blogs here 

Motherhood blog baby Aubrey 6-9 months update

That brings me back to weaning, as I mentioned in my last update. I found this very challenging and anxiety inducing. The fear of her choking made me choose a mixed approach of purées and the now popular baby led weaning. The combined approach made me feel more comfortable and luckily Aubrey took to self feeding finger foods fairly easily once I started to progress these. This is a topic that is mind blowing. If I had any advice, do what you think is best. I had to shut out the noise and try to stop following the endless advice from social media accounts, it was overwhelming. We are now enjoying three meals a day and she is a good little eater, thankfully, but it took a few tears (from me and her), patience and perseverance.

3-6 months comes with so many wonderful moments, but I would also say some very tough days and nights. Aubrey has continued to fill our lives with smiles and laughter, and watching her develop her amazing little personality has been worth every second. However, like many others, Aubrey learning new skills and getting her first tooth at approximately 5 months has led to very disturbed nights and fussy days. Sleep deprivation after 6 months of it, hits differently to the first few weeks of the newborn phase. Time with family and friends, and the support they have given us, has got me through the tough days (as well as the gallon of coffee).

As we reach 6 months and transition into Autumn, I can’t wait for more firsts with Aubrey. There will be pumpkins, fireworks and then Christmas on its way. We have been lucky enough to just return from a sunny holiday with our friends to say bye to Summer and Aubrey had her first experience of airports and flying. She handled it like a superstar and hopefully this may spark us to book some more European visits in the near future. Travelling with a baby is daunting and I was so anxious about it, however it wasn’t so bad and Aubrey adapted more than I gave her initial credit for. I would encourage anyone thinking of going away to go for it. It’s different but worth it!

Huge thanks to Lucy for another installment of her blog.

Aubrey and her parents had another session in the studio, here are a few images as you can see she can sit by herself and is crawling too #magicalmilestones

Motherhood blog 0-3 months

It’s 1:30 am and as another night feed goes ahead I often find myself looking at Aubrey in the light of our nightlight reflecting on our time as a family so far. Most will know the sleep deprivation is hard but overall I think we have been very lucky, as Aubrey appeared to set herself a routine waking twice a night fairly consistently. It’s safe to say though this first 3 months have gone by in a flash.

The brutal reality of recovering from birth hit me hard. Following our assisted delivery in theatre with episiotomy and forceps, the pain persisted for several weeks. I think I felt comfortable by around 4-5 weeks, but the pelvic floor weakness still bothers me now. However, I pushed myself to get out and we enjoyed early sensory classes and more recently some baby massage. I have also been very lucky with the time I get to spend with friends and their babies.

Big thanks to Lucy for her second blog – we met recently as seen in the photos above.

Aubrey was full of character and chatter, she is a sweet age discovering the world.

You can read Lucy’s first blog here.

Jess x

New motherhood blogger – Lucy

I am so pleased to welcome my new blogger Lucy. I love working with new mums/parents and sharing their different experiences and stories.

Over to the lovely Lucy …

At 17:36 on the 27th March 2024 we welcomed our beautiful little girl Aubrey Talbot-Hart to the world. At 41 weeks, she was a healthy 8lbs 5oz (or as we thought, this was later corrected by the midwife to an even healthier 8lbs 9oz).

Being our first baby both myself and my partner were so excited to finally meet our little bundle of joy. We hadn’t found out if we were having a baby boy or girl at any scans so the anticipation was growing. However, the anticipation also grew with the imminent stages of labour and birth on the horizon.

I had made no dream plans for the birth, of course hoping for a text book, minimal pain relief, water birth. My partner is a planner and had found it hard to take my laid back approach towards this. Working in healthcare myself I knew the reality was, that it was out of my hands.

I worked till 38 weeks, and was keen to get in my self care before the big day came. Nails done, pedicure complete, and several brunches with family and friends, our due date came and went. We had been told throughout that our baby was likely to be big, although gestational diabetes was ruled out, I became increasingly anxious whether a big baby would make things complicated.

At 40+2, a Friday, I experienced my first sweep, hoping by the end of the weekend perhaps we would be a family of three. We walked a lot and on the Sunday spent the day in the cold and wind at Cly coast. Monday morning arrived and still no signs. At this point I needed to decide whether to elect for a C-section or induction at 41 weeks. Conversations with a consultant the previous week had left this in the air and I really wasn’t sure what I wanted. Monday morning was another sweep, another lunch with my Mum and a walk round the village.

That evening the signs began and I was so excited, but also terrified. My partner arrived home from work and he started packing bags in to the car, excited to think soon we may be at the hospital. Little did he expect to have to wait a further 48 hours.

My contractions came steadily overnight, about every 8-10 minutes apart. With some concerns about my waters, we were checked at the hospital Tuesday morning but sent home to continue, as both myself and baby were all ok and labour needed to progress further. Several hot baths later, my contractions were now 3-4 in 10 minutes.

We returned to the hospital and started to prepare for a normal labour and got in the water. I was now 24 hours gone and I was now in active labour. Unfortunately things were slow for us but the care we received was outstanding. The next 24 hours were tough, with decisions taken out of our hands but eventually with some help from the incredible medical team our little ones cries filled the room and my partner was able to tell me ‘it’s a girl!’.

Lucy