The Start Of A Whole New Life- June and July 2024 Overview

The last six weeks or so have been a complete blur which is why this overview is combined for June and July 2024.

I started my maternity leave at the end of May expecting around four weeks of relaxing and reading, but baby had other ideas. She was predicted to be a ‘big baby’ which in fact she was, and then I developed pre-eclampsia. So they wanted to get baby out at 38 weeks and my options were induction or elective c-section. I really didn’t want an induction as I’d only heard negative stories, and anyone I knew who had had one ended up in an emergency c-section. And I just didn’t think my body would be really two weeks early. So I opted for an elective C-section. So on Friday 13th June our beautiful 9 pound 3 oz baby girl entered the world.

Enjoying life pre-baby

I did have a few weeks of maternity leave to enjoy and I tried to catch up with as many friends as possible. I wasn’t really driving much in the final weeks as it was just too uncomfortable, but lots of my friends came to me which was nice.

We did a lot of batch cooking and freezing meals to get prepared for when baby girl arrived. We even managed a nice pre-baby meal out together at Hickory’s Smokehouse in Milton Keynes. And Luke and his dad managed to fit our electric fireplace a mere few days before my surgery date. There’s still bits to do, but the messy stuff is all done.

Hospital stays and the first few weeks

I went into hospital early on Friday 13th and we came home lunchtime on Sunday 15th June. It was a tough few days as it was so warm and I struggled to sleep, but baby girl was fine which was the main thing. The joy of being able to come home was amazing, and considering the surgery I had the recovery was so much better than I had expected.

Over the first week we had lots of visits from family to meet our new arrival. And then over the rest of June and July 2024 we had friends who popped round to meet our new addition, and it’s been so nice to see everyone. I’m back driving again which has given me so much more freedom moving around.

Trying to feel a bit more like me

One thing me and Luke said before becoming parents was that we still wanted to keep our own hobbies and not just be parents. So in mid July I made my first solo London trip just to have some me time and leave Luke with the baby. I mainly stopped at foodie spots that had been on my to visit list like Arome, Crunch and BreadStall and I found some time to read in a coffee shop. The day was lovely although I was knackered by the time I got home.

What I read and watched in June and July 2024

We managed a quick cinema trip before baby arrival and we saw How to train your dragon which I really enjoyed. They did a great job turning it into a live-action movie and I loved Hiccups little group of friends. Then near the end of July we had our first post-baby cinema trip leaving Scarlett with my parents. We saw the new Fantastic Four movie which me and Luke both enjoyed.

I managed to read quite a bit more than expected. I’m trying to cram in reading while baby girl is asleep or feeding and here are some of my favs:

• Phantasma by Kaylie Smith. This was my first experience reading more of a dark romance and I loved it. It was creepy and fantastical and it had the right level of smut for me. I can’t wait to read the second book in the series.
• Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid. TJR is one of my favourite authors and I had high hopes for her newest release. And I absolutely loved it. The space/ NASA setting was really cool and the relationships between the characters was just beautiful. I even shed a little tear at the end.

What did you get up to in June and July 2024?