Sarah is 17 weeks pregnant with her first baby. Her mothering journey has begun. Here is her story.

The Manly indoctrination has begun!

Introduce yourself  Hello, my name is Sarah Wilkinson and I am 26 years old. I live in a little sea side village called Forster with my husband Craig and our doggy, Taffy. Both of which have red hair!

You're pregnant! How are far along are you? I'm 17 weeks pregnant. Not long until the half way point!

Did you plan this pregnancy? Yes. My husband and I talked about babies for years and we thought that 2012 sounded like a good time to give it a try. It took us three months to fall pregnant.

What made you decide now was a good time to have a baby? I wanted to finish my university degree before having a baby and I finished in June this year. We thought it might take a while to fall pregnant so we started trying at the start of the year. Unfortunately, we were really bad at maths and didn't realise that conceiving a baby in April would mean it would be due around Christmas. Our timing was so accurate that Squirt (that's what we call our baby) is due on Boxing Day! My cousin suggested if it was born on Christmas day, I have to call it Jesus. As long as the baby is healthy - I couldn't care less when it is born.

How is your body feeling so far? I'm past the sick stage, which is good. Although even then I wasn't too ill. Just a little bit of nausea. I actually lost a bit of weight because I didn't feel like eating, which for anyone who knows me, knows this is totally out of character! My boobs have probably been the biggest thing (pardon the pun!). Being a 14 DD prior to getting pregnant I was a bit worried, so far they have increased about a cup size. The tenderness has been painful, so I'm glad they have settled for the time being. Other funny things that have happened, I have had some crazy arse dreams and my feet have gone up a shoe size! I have a little bump now which is cool. It's a nice reminder that I have a little person growing inside me.

What are you most excited about? I'm excited to meet the Squirt, to find out what the baby looks like and how it will take on our looks and personalities. I'm an extrovert and messy and Craig is an introvert and a perfectionist. I'm a bit worried as to how the little Squirt will turn out! But really, I'm most excited about seeing our little buddy grow, from now until the day I die. I can't wait to introduce this little baby to the world and teach it everything I know.

Do you have any fears, apprehensions or anxieties? I suppose like any new parent I'm scared about weather I will be a good parent. I only grew up with a Dad, so I do feel like I'm going in a bit blind. But Craig and I are both pretty level headed and have good morals, so I think as long as we can be ourselves, we can't go too far wrong. I'm also a bit worried about losing myself, which might sound a bit weird. I understand that becoming a parent changes you and your life, but I don't want to be just a parent. I still want to be me as well as a mum.

How have your family and friends reacted to your news? Everyone has been so excited. For both our parents, it is the first grandchild. We were a bit mean, making them keep their lips sealed until we were 12 weeks along, but they held out which was surprising, especially for my Dad! Craig's sister cried when we told her, as she has been busting to become an Aunty for ages. A lot of our friends already have kids and Craig and I wanted to wait a while, so most of our friends said things like 'finally'. But to be honest I would not have done it sooner. We have enjoyed our life together so far and we know each other back the front and inside out, so we know we are ready for this next stage.

Sarah - Queen of list making

When friends and family throw you an awesome baby shower - what's on your wish list?! Ha ha, well I'm a little bit apprehensive about baby showers, so I think I'm going to do things a little differently and jut have a BBQ with Craig and our family and friends to celebrate. However, my sister-in-law still wants to do a little something, so we may have a mini baby shower within that. I actually made a spreadsheet (yes I am a little bit OCD) the other day with the list of things I need to get for Squirt. I have headings for prices, where I will get it, whether it's a need or a want and weather I will need to get it pre or post baby. So I am sure there are a couple of things on there people could get us!

Is there anything else you would like to add? Thanks for letting me be a part of your blog. I'm sure there will be a few more stories I can tell along the way!


Thank you Sarah!