Selia's pregnancy diary

The baby hunger had been growing over the last few years - and it was with pangs of jealousy that I saw my friends and perfect strangers waddle by with their pregnant tummies. We started trying and within a month or two, we had our result. I never imagined it would happen so fast.

I remember walking down the street with a huge smile on my face. No one knew about our little secret and I found it hard to concentrate at work - especially since I've had to give up my morning coffee!

My first trip to the GP was rather uneventful. No blood test to confirm things, no scans, no probing. Just a few lame words of congratulations and a leaflet about prenatal care. If I decided to have my baby with the NHS, I was limited in my hospital choice and would see a different midwife or doctor at each stage. As this was my first baby, and being an admitted hypochondriac, I decided to opt for private care.

Getting to grips with pregnancy
Since I wouldn't see the Obstetrician for until the eighth week, I decided to start doing my research. I bought the obligatory What to Expect When You're Expecting and Week by Week Pregnancy guide books. I've found that the Internet is the best source for all my questions - iVillage.co.uk and Babycenter.com are my new favourites. I calculated my due date and signed up for the pregnancy email updates.

I started to have the classic body-changing signs. I had this unbelievable feeling of tiredness and fatigue; all I wanted to do was sleep. I was going to the loo constantly during the day and about five times during the night. The other sure sign was that my breasts were aching and tender - and I immediately started to fill out my bra. I loved my curvy new shape!

Weeks 6 to 8
Just like the books say, at exactly six weeks, the morning sickness began. Why do they call it 'morning' sickness when it is all morning, day and night? My mouth had a horrible metallic taste and my sense of smell became bionic; I could can smell my colleague's lunch from across the office. I avoided the canteen at work with its horrible scent of overboiled veggies and deep-fried fish. I was far too nauseous to attempt to eat, but I was keeping liquids down. My nausea seemed to get even worse at night.

I've never been keen on exercise, but I had to do something to try to feel better and stay healthy. All the books say that now is not the time to start any new or intense exercise regimes so I decided on yoga. I forced myself to go to a class, but was so wobbly that it was impossible to stay balanced. After a couple of weeks, the nausea and weakness made me give up.

Ginger with everything
I tried ginger ale, ginger tea, ginger biscuits and then ginger pills. Nothing helped. The books suggest 'sea bands', which you wear on your wrists to apply acupressure. I didn't notice the difference, but at least it didn't get any worse. My husband found a special pregnancy wristband that sends a pulsing wave to the wrist - it was expensive (£60), but at that point, I would have tried anything. Still no relief.

I had my first appointment with the consultant at eight weeks. He told us his specialty is 'high risk' pregnancies and his Caesarean rate is low, so I felt in safe (albeit very expensive) hands. The only exam he gave me was an ultrasound. I focused on a tiny, bean-shaped thing in my uterus. 'There it is, congratulations guys!' he says. He pointed out a flickering dark spot in the middle of the 'bean' as the heart beat. It was fluttering so fast. What a thrill.

He said my morning sickness was actually a good sign - it meant I was producing the hormones that the baby needed to develop.

Telling the family
We left the office elated. It was time to share the good news, because I was bursting to tell someone. Since we kept it a secret, I went onto the iVillage expecting mums message boards for advice. One woman gave me some really good advice - she only told those close enough that she would also want to share the news of a miscarriage if it happened this early. So we decided to tell only our families at this early stage.

My parents live in America so I had to phone. I told them I had good news and bad news. The bad news was that I wouldn't be able to make it to America for Christmas this year. The good news was that their first grandchild was on the way. My mom shrieked on the phone with shock and I could hear my dad's voice breaking up with emotion.