What To Expect When You’re Expecting: Frankie Hilton
About to become a mother for the first time? Here’s an honest month-by-month experience from a pregnant mum in Dubai
Frankie Hilton, Co-founder of thenewly launched @expatmamas.me (the journey of two expat mums-to-be, in the UAE & KSA)
FEBRUARY
My husband and I got married in November, and both knew we wanted to start our family as quickly as possible but had no idea how long it would take. It was a sudden realisation it may not be easy; I didn’t realise how much I wanted a baby until months passed with no blue line. Luckily, just three months later, we were blessed with the blue line, andpregnant with our first born!
MARCH
I found out on Mother’s Day I was havinga baby. What a gorgeous day to find out you are going to be a mum. My husband works in Saudi Arabia and I didn’t want to tell him over the phone, so I avoided his calls, and sentselective messaging for a couple of days knowing he would be home for the weekend and I would be able to tell him face to face. The weekend arrived, and I presented him with a ‘Hero Dad’ mug, but he completely missed the relevancy. With a nudge of a look, he got it, which sent him into a second of shock, and then pure excitement and joy. We were going to be parents.
APRIL
This month was all about downloading apps and plenty of research on Google. I knew that my baby was the size of a plum, and I may or may not be faced with bleeding gums, increased cellulite,and acid reflux. I learnt new words – hello, Linea nigra (the dark vertical pregnancy line that appears on the abdomen). I have the most amazing Doctor in Dubai; Dr Amber at Healthbay who keeps me very calm and has pulled me away from my incessive research. I’m told, the priority is my baby, not my ‘bacne’ (back acne), or 10kgs weight gain in two minutes. Fair point. April saw our safe 12 weeks, which was such a huge relief and gave us the opportunity to shout our pregnancy from the rooftops. We had a holiday booked in Bali, so took this opportunity to announce our pregnancy via social media to all our family and friends.
MAY
This month we had our first 3D scan atGenesis and found out we’re having a little boy. Cue the Gender Reveal Happy Bubble Balloon! As quite the girlie girl, I had really wanted a mini-me baby girl, but I have now come to terms with having a little boy, and Dad of coursewas thrilled to find out his first born is aboy. I now have a questionable bump. I’m desperately wishing for my bump (fast forward to the third trimester and looking a little bit like a baked potato, and I’m retracting my desperation for a bump at this early stage).
JUNE
This month I may have been a little over ambitious with my Dubai summer escapes and booked two trips to Italy in one month. This took a little bit of a toll as I entered the second trimester with exhaustion. I also ate Italy out of pasta and pizza; which is quite impressive. I was so lucky not to have any morning sickness in trimester 1, but the second trimester saw a new level of hungry,and tiredness (which was fixed withfood). Hello bump, I have been asking about you (or food baby, hard to tell). It’s also time to shop. My husband and I visit Mamas & Papas at Dubai Mall for a Personal Shopping experience which was a fantastic educational piece. We left with a full pram set, car seat, andevery single outfit with animal ears.
JULY
Imagine being 100% hotter than the average human, and then imagine being in Dubai. One word for pregnancy in July: melting.
AUGUST
As an expat mama, you may be as lucky (and spoilt) as me to enjoy two baby showers. One in your home country, and one in our expat home, Dubai. Friends,family, flower walls, cakes so pretty you probably shouldn’t eat them, silly games, props – the more photo opportunities, the better. We are so lucky to enjoy monthly Doctor check-in’s, in Dubai, as in the UK you can have as little as two scans the whole pregnancy. I love seeing my little boy and hearing his heartbeat every month. I just can’t wait to meet him now. See you soon little man.
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