HAVING a baby is far from glamorous - as most mothers would admit. But when it's Gwyneth Paltrow or Kate Moss expecting a baby it becomes the most fashionable thing to do.
Bo Wilson speaks to an ordinary mother-to-be to find out what pregnancy means to Mulberry Fake Handbags women in the real world.
SWOLLEN ankles, cheeky comments and dowdy clothes - that's what pregnancy means to one city woman.
Unlike the claims of celebrity mothers-to-be that being pregnant is as easy as carrying their Gucci handbag, Alison Page knows there's a tough hill to climb before you get your bundle of joy.
Alison (23) fell pregnant just months after her nine-month old daughter, Lauren, was born.
She is currently four months pregnant. With Lauren, she did not have a terrible time with her pregnancy - but it was no walk in the park either.
This time there have been no problems so far, but Alison, from Bakers Lane, Woodston, knows the first half of pregnancy is usually the easiest part.
"I've been lucky that I haven't had morning sickness," she said. "Women usually get it in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, but I've not had it either time. In fact, I don't really notice any different sensations in my body at all at the moment."
She hasn't had any cravings this time - her husband, Shaun (24), has been spared rushing out in the middle of the night to buy pickles and chocolate cake - but last time she craved curry and had to have it all the time.
"I ate it two or three times a week for the first six or seven months," she said. "But then, one night, it was too hot, and it made me feel ill, so I really went off it. I couldn't have it again."
It wasn't until Alison was in the later stages of pregnancy last time that she started to experience the bad side of things.
She suddenly became very big, which made her uncomfortable and self-conscious.
Getting about was hard, and she got Tiffany Necklace back-ache, made worse by sitting at her desk - because Lauren was early, Alison was at work at Romeike Media Intelligence, in Broadway, Peterborough, right up until the birth.
She was tired all the time, but when she went to bed the pains started in her swollen legs and ankles.
In the end, she was relieved her daughter was born three weeks early.
However, this, too, had its down side, because it meant she couldn't have the birth she wanted.
"Lauren hadn't turned round properly, so I had to have her by Caesarean," she said. "The operation was good, but afterwards it takes longer to get back to normal. For example, I wasn't allowed to drive for a while, which was frustrating.
"But mainly, I was just disappointed I wasn't able to give birth naturally. I felt I missed out and I don't know what it's going to be like this time. When I give birth this time, it's going to be the natural way. I am going to try to have the baby without drugs . . . but if I can't cope I'll have some."
Her husband will be present for the birth, as he was last time, and is very much looking forward to it.
"Shaun would love to have a big family," she said. "He dotes on
Lauren, she's his sidekick. But I'm thinking in practical terms, and two is enough for the moment."
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