They say almost every mother is bound to get some form of the baby blues during her post-partum period... and in some cases it could even lead on to a more serious case of post-natal depression .   The first time round, I found myself breaking down in tears in front of a near-stranger in my house. I thought it was probably because I was a new mother, everything was new to me and I didn't know what to expect. So naturally I would have lost my grip on things a little.   But this time round, I would know better. I would not allow myself to fall into any pitfalls of depression and the blues. After all, I am a strong, experienced, capable, well-rounded woman. There is no need to get all mood-swingy and hormonal over a few petty issues, right? I shall not become one of those women who make the baby blues a fallback excuse for letting myself get all weak and lazy. It's really just a case of mind over matter.   So now, here I am again .   Things are indeed somewhat...

Apart from asking me how things have been going with baby Grace , friends and family have also kindly been asking how Nathan has been doing since the birth of his new little sister. This issue has been one I have been struggling with throughout my pregnancy: How would Nathan react and cope with the changes to our family with the addition of a new sibling? Right up to the last moment as I was about to leave for the hospital, I was still feeling wistful and apprehensive about the whole thing. As I knelt down to say good-bye to Nathan and explain to him where I was going, I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes. He is such a good boy and I love him so much I could burst... but what will things be like when I come back holding a new baby in my arms? The day after my delivery, hubby and mum stopped by the hospital with Nathan bounding happily beside them. He was clutching a little package of pressies we had prepared for him to give to his little sister, including a little car...

So it's now close to two weeks since the arrival of little Grace . Only two weeks but it feels like a lifetime ago. Once again we have stepped into another new era. People have been asking me whether labour this time round has been better than last time. I'm rather stumped as how to answer this. How does one define the word 'better'? All I can say is that it was definitely very different   from the first time round ... It was waaaaay more painful (no epidural or gas like last time) It was much shorter (by half, 9-10 hours this time vs. 22 hours previously) Despite the pain, I would say it was kind of an empowering experience. I pretty much went through it completely bare-faced and unarmed and felt full force of the pain of labour piercing through every fibre of my being. Read on for a full recap of what happened... ~~~ Baby Grace was overdue by five days and as discussed earlier with our obstretician, we had agreed that if I had not poppe...

She's finally here!   Hello world, meet Baby Grace.     My first thoughts for her can be summed up with this:   Welcome little Grace,   "Here is the world.   Beautiful and terrible.   Things will happen.   DON'T be afraid."   - Frederick Buechner   Looking forward to sharing more in the coming weeks once this initial crazy period has settled down a bit. They tell me it eventually will. And I'm going on that by faith. Speak soon!   P.S. Grace’s birth story and Nathan becomes a big brother

So here's the answer to the biggest FAQ from loving folks all around.  Yup. No sign of baby yet.   I'm now hanging around in what Dr Seuss calls The Waiting Place …For people just waiting. Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come, Or a plane to go or the mail to come, Or the rain to go or the phone to ring, Or the snow to snow, Or waiting around for a Yes or a No, Or waiting for their hair to grow. Everyone is just waiting.   I'm taking some comfort in this beautiful piece on the last days of pregnancy "To give birth, whether at home in a birth tub with candles and family or in a surgical suite with machines and a neonatal team, a woman must go to the place between this world and the next, to that thin membrane between here and there. To the place where life comes from, to the mystery, in order to reach over to bring forth the child that is hers. The heroic tales of Odysseus are with us, each ordinary day. This round woman is not going into battle,...