It’s been quite a while since I last published anything on my blog and well, what a year or so it’s been!

After returning from our summer holiday last August, I was overjoyed to discover that I was pregnant with our second child. It had been a big decision to extend our little family and due to my disability, we wanted to wait until our first son, Jack, was more independent before facing the demands of a new born baby again! Now settled in school, the time felt right.

By the end of the first trimester, I had developed a niggling pain in my groin. Nothing too traumatic but annoying all the same. I decided to mention it to my midwife, although the response I received wasn’t exactly helpful or reassuring. “It’s just the baby growing – everything is stretching.” Err, I’d been pregnant before and it didn’t hurt like this so I was left unsatisfied. I soon came up with my own diagnosis which was eventually confirmed – I had developed Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction (SPD). In simple terms, the body releases too many hormones which cause all the muscles to relax ready to give birth and the pubic bone starts moving. As the baby continued to grow, the pain got worse and the limited mobility I did have began ebbing away. Any kind of movement from walking to turning in bed was absolute agony. Although I managed, caring for Jack became more difficult and I felt awful when I couldn’t do things with him because of the pain I was in.

I’m blessed with a wonderful family and a fantastic hubby who were able to support me through it. Towards the end of my pregnancy, tears were a daily occurrence and the only thing that kept me going was the thought of meeting our baby. I also had to have daily injections to prevent blood clots as my mobility was so reduced. I knew there was no way I could wait for nature to take its course – Jack had been overdue leading to me being induced and mentally, I just couldn’t take anymore. The hospital agreed to induce me a week early on Easter Sunday. I was warned it could take up to 48 hours for anything to happen and by the Monday morning, I was utterly fed up. But then things started happening and in the end, it happened within a couple of hours. At 5.46pm, with no time for pain relief(!!), our second little man, Niall James, arrived! He was the absolute image of his big brother so he was/is absolutely gorgeous!

I’m absolutely thrilled with our family which is now complete – a third pregnancy would most likely result in SPD again and I can’t go through that again. Jack is a brilliant big brother to Niall and I certainly have my hands full for the moment! For the time being, I don’t have much time for writing and I’ve had to cut back on my charity work for the time being. Being mummy is my top priority! I hope to start blogging more often – particularly to continue my “Challenges of a Disabled Mum” series. Other writing projects will follow eventually as time allows. In the meantime, please feel free to follow me on Twitter @ACBlackborough – as long as you don’t mind my #Brexit rantings!