Pregnancy and childbirth are depicted in a series of detailed but honest illustrations

A beautiful thing is love. It’s fantastic to discover someone who is always there for you, who encourages you to grow and improve, and who accepts you for who you are, regardless Many others, on the other hand, believe that true love can only be felt after you have When you comprehend how much love is possible, it will be a revelation to you; as a result, Amanda Oleander’s storey is so fascinating to read. When she found out she was pregnant in 2020, she and her husband couldn’t have. It was Amanda’s idea to portray her life’s adventures, and she continues to do so even after the You can read Amanda’s other essays on Bored Panda here, here, and here.

Announcing a Pregnancy

“I’m expecting!” So many things to say; I’m at a loss for words. As a couple, Joey and I are delighted to have a new addition to

We already love you so much.

Another human is growing inside me, and it still seems strange. …then there’s another heartbeat, and a small human is sucking its thumb, and When I eat a huge meal, my stomach looks the same as it always does. I don’t feel anything going on in there either. The thought of feeling the baby move inside of me and watching my body expand with the baby excites me greatly. Everything seems to be happening so quickly, yet I’m taking it all in. ‘Joey checking in on the baby and talking to it’ inspired this illustration.

Shower nausea

“This was inspired by a recent episode of vomiting in the shower. Everything I ate, including the popcorn, was vomited up. After a shower, and especially after cleaning my teeth, I would feel queasy. Even though it’s commonly referred to as “morning sickness,” for me, Now that I’m in my second trimester, I’m feeling SO much better, just as everyone predicted (I still throw up sometimes but not as bad). I found that eating saltines as soon as I got up in bed and nibbling every couple of hours helped me. A lemon slice smelled and tasted good when I was feeling queasy.”

For This Life, We are thankful to God

These are the people who woke up with. I thought it was fantastic. It’s a blessing to have this existence, to have this love, and

It’s called Pregnancy poop

When it came time to give birth and deal with the pain that comes with it, I wasn’t worried about pregnancy constipation, perhaps because I’d never experienced it before. But wow, no one talks about this part of pregnancy.” The good news is that I was at home. As a result of my phone conversation, my mother handed me a cup of water. Then Joey kept an eye on me and brought me more water whenever I needed it.”

Good Maternity sleep

In fact, after reaching the 20-week mark, I’m no longer supposed to sleep on my back. For the sake of the baby, I always sleep on my left side with this huge pregnant cushion and another one behind my back. We used to sleep together, and I usually say I miss you before going to bed to Joey because I feel so far away from him now. Last night, we went to sleep in the same way. A hard kick was felt by Joey, who had his hand on my belly. It was the strongest kick he had. As a result of our hilarity and excitement, we both.

Expecting a baby together

While we were brushing our teeth together, Joey pushed his tummy out to resemble mine.

Do you feel it?

When Joey and I were holding hands the other night, we said what we say at least once a day: “Do you feel it?” When I say, “Does it feel like I love

In the past few weeks, I’ve been pondering a lot about the cycle of life, souls, and the after-life/pre- As a result, I wanted to share a thought @amandakloots shared with you because it truly stuck with me While in the mother’s womb, the baby’s perception of reality is limited to what they can see and feel. They can’t touch or feel the people who love them because a couple of inches separates them. But to the newborn, those few inches may be a vast expanse of space. Would it surprise us to find out that the people we’ve lost have been close to us all along, but we couldn’t see it because we were in the womb? We won’t know how close they were to us until our death. It means that you love and care for us.”

First kick

“When @joeyrudman feels a movement, it’s always amazing. I got the idea for this from our nightly practice of feeling his movements and talking to him. This lovely second trimester will end in just three weeks, and then I’ll begin my third I can’t believe it’s already.

Lower Back Pain Relief

Recently, I’ve been suffering from back pains. Showering with my back against the water provided some brief respite. About a week after the pain began, I began walking/hiking every day to ease the discomfort. After a few years of including daily walks into my life, something usually comes up that puts me off track. Nobody gets a day off. After just two weeks of using it consistently, I noticed that my backache was gone. I had a weak back that wasn’t able to support the weight of this news. Since being pregnant, I’ve felt better than ever and had more energy. Rather than fitting my daily hikes/walks into my schedule, my schedule now revolves around them, and it has made a world of difference for me. Most of the time, I’m on the phone with my little brother. We go on walks ‘ Either that, or I catch up on the audiobook I’m now listening After trying several lotions, back stretches, and massages, I decided to share my experience. Taking a long walk/hike every day, on the other hand, was the most “I aim to walk 10,000 steps a day, which is roughly 3.5

Love Bump

As she says, “I truly love this routine, and it’s so lovely.J

Belly Cuddle

When Joey fell asleep nestled up to me and my tummy while reading before bed, I was inspired to create this painting.

There is nothing like a Pregnancy bliss

‘Second trimester versus the first trimester.

There is no doubt that every experience is unique, but for me, it was like comparing night and day; first of all, I’d like to thank you This week is almost over, and I can’t believe it! This is my third attempt at it, and I’ll be. When this journey comes to a halt, it’s intended to Let’s wait and see! Just that “I am looking forward to lovely times”.

Here I am

When I shared the baby’s movements with Joey, it was so much delight to watch him experience them as well.

Eating Late at Night

Because I need snacks so often throughout the day, I sometimes feel like I’m growing into a teenager instead of a baby. When it gets to 10 p.m., my stomach starts. It has always been easy to reach for bananas and nuts in the middle of the night.”

Baby songs

“Every time @joeyrudman performs a song for him on the guitar, and the baby starts kicking. Every moment he hears live music, he moves.”

Magical Body

“One thing my pregnant journey has ingrained in me is how miraculous our bodies are. I am flooded with thankfulness for this body and what it can make and how it can fit two souls and humans simultaneously. How it extends and evolves. It has inspired me to take care of it more than I have ever before. I’ve remarked previously that I’ve felt that my mind, body, and soul were all working individually at times. During pregnancy, I sense them all highly aligned, working in tandem to give our kids the healthiest and happiest environment to grow in. This is something I intend to continue to be very aware of and strive for constantly.”

Nesting

“I’ve been doing nesting. This baby will be here SO soon! Tomorrow I’ll be #30weeks. We have been arranging our home and getting jobs done we’ve intended to do for a time. All I want to do is organise and tidy, and it feels so amazing. This pregnancy also inspired a baby book that I have been working on this past week. I aim to complete illustrating it as soon as possible.”

Growing

In recent weeks, he’s been running around like an As a result; it’s become my new way of waking up.

A person’s actions speak louder than words.

Not the daily fruit salads you make for me fresh every morning, but the manner you create them gets me. The joy you feel when you see me smiling and having a good To make them better, every bowl is made with a lot of love. When you cut each grape open to remove the seeds, it takes a certain amount of time. When I get up in the middle of the night to pee, you ask me if I’m okay in a sleepy, loving way. Every day, you show me how much you care by holding me, kissing me, and letting me know how much you love me, even though your actions speak louder than words; in other words, it’s the notion you sprinkle on random occasions and the sunshine you bring into every As a result, even the most routine of situations can be made Whether it’s the way your family means a lot to you or the way you value creativity, have fun with your inner child, or make up ridiculous songs. As a father, I’m eagerly anticipating what our child will learn from your presence.”

Babymoon

Joseph and I had this pregnancy in mind before the flu struck.” No baby shower or babymoon for us this time around because we’ve been extra cautious. A trip is on my mind now that our lives are about to alter dramatically due to our impending arrivals. As a result, we’ll be soaking up the sun and our remaining time together.”

Packing

“Joey and I have almost completed packed our hospital bags for the big day,” says What a relief to know that we’ll be ready when the time comes. Our @cordbloodregistry newborn stem cell collecting kit gives us the most peace of mind. The fact that we discovered CBR’s newborn stem cell preservation before our baby was born makes me extremely grateful In addition to treating various malignancies and immune system illnesses; Joey has a family history of BRCA gene mutation. I have a family history of Alzheimer’s. Even though we don’t know what the future holds for regenerative medicine, it’s comforting to know that we have this valuable resource if we ever need it. Preservation of cord blood and tissue is essentially the collection and storage of the baby’s newborn stem cells from the blood from the umbilical cord retrieved immediately after birth. Embryonic stem cells from cord blood can treat a variety of blood and immune system disorders. We are very grateful to live in a time where this is possible. In addition, I’m thrilled to be partnering with the Center for Biomedical Research (#CBR) and to be able to promote the

Finally here

Thirty hours of hard work is rewarded with Benny was delivered healthy on Monday night after a few issues with the several epidurals and finding out he was too big for me to give birth to without surgery (9lb 8oz). However, I’m currently recovering at the hospital. I think we’ll be able to get back.

Nursing dessert

“It’s become a thing around here to get fed while being. After supper last night, I fed Benny and was about to eat dessert when I had the idea. He wanted to make sure I got to enjoy the strawberry oatmeal crumble as I nursed Benny.”

During the Postpartum

Why was it simpler for you to adjust to parenthood? Let us know what you learned in the comments. Following the birth of our first child, having both my mother and Joey’s mother in our home helped us adjust. As a group, we can express our emotions. Before our baby was born, Joey and I both took @tinyhood parenting classes online.

Sleeping baby

My to-do list is nicely organised, so I get up early to tackle it. Following his burp, he nestles on my chest and offers me a nice koala embrace before drifting off to sleep, all while nursing Benny. When the list vanishes, it doesn’t matter what’s going on around. When I glance down at my son’s tired face, I feel like I’m going to burst with happiness as I see his sweet little face. My mother mentioned it to me many times, but I didn’t fully grasp its magnitude until becoming a mother myself. We hug this little koala and fall asleep to his drowsy baby cries as I close my eyes.”

‘We’ve got a baby fever going on To think that I started this sketching challenge when Joey and I were starting to date is surreal, and Since falling in love, I’ve illustrated everything from our engagement to our marriage to our home, my pregnancy, and finally our son’s birth. “How am I going to get out of this now?