For most women, finding out they are pregnant is an incredibly exciting time and there are a lot of creative ways to share the news with friends and family that they are expecting. But what I’d never seen before is what I’m sharing here in this article.
Chronicling a growing baby bump is a great way for expecting mothers to document their progress, and many of them take weekly pictures that show how much bigger they are from the week before, for their nine months of pregnancy. Even celebrities love taking update photos of themselves to share.
This is something that I did myself, although I knew nothing of Harry Potter when I had my two girls or I would absolutely have added magical elements to my gestation. All I did was write a number on my belly that correlated to whatever week of pregnancy that I was in. This was, admittedly, not very creative.
The same cannot be said of a woman named Laura.
Laura is a fan of Harry Potter so when she found out that she was pregnant, she knew that she wanted to add magic to her her weekly photo updates. She did a search online to see what other women had done, but was surprised to find nothing Harry Potter related. Sure, as I said above, there are plenty of ideas inspired from our fandom for pregnancy announcements, and even for gender reveals, but nothing about documenting a growing belly.
Laura took not one, but two, pregnancy tests to confirm that she was, in fact, expecting. Some people might seem silly to take more than one, but I did exactly the same thing.
Since there was nothing, Laura came up with her own idea. She and her husband began taking pictures, starting at week six, that compare the size her baby to items within the Wizarding World. The result? Nothing short of brilliant.
Before I share her pictures with you, Laura said, “I am not an artist in any way, so some of the drawings are kinda silly looking.” Laura, you are selling yourself short. I absolutely LOVE your drawings and think that they are perfect.
Okay, now that I’ve said that, it’s time to share with you the wonderful pictures of Laura’s progress.
First, she created a template that she would use for every picture that her husband took. Initially, it only included what week it was, what magical item is closest to the baby’s size, and how Mama is feeling. It didn’t take long for Laura to add what she was craving, then later how many weeks were left to go before the birth. She doesn’t know it yet, but adding her cravings was a very smart thing to do because eventually she would (most likely) forget what her cravings were. I know that I forgot many years ago and wish I could remember what I wanted to eat. The only thing that I recall two decades later is cream of wheat cereal.
Below is an example of the template that Laura and her husband came up with.
This is the template that Laura used to document her pregnancy progress.
And now, on to the picture updates of Laura, starting at week 6 and ending at week 40. Enjoy!
Week 6
During week 6, the baby was approximately the size of a Bertie Botts Every Flavor Bean, and Laura felt nauseous and tired.
During week 6, the baby was approximately the size of a Bertie Botts Every Flavor Bean, and Laura felt nauseous and tired
Week 7
During week 7, the baby was approximately the size of a lemon drop, also called a Lemon Sherbet by Professor Dumbledore, and Laura felt forgetful and tired. Her cravings started this week and she craved black olives and cheese fries.
Week 8
During week 8, the baby was approximately the size of a Billywig, and Laura felt achy and tired. She was craving ice cream and veggies this week.
Week 9
During week 9, the baby was approximately the size of the Resurrection Stone, and Laura felt hormonal and tired. She was craving ice cream and veggies this week.
Week 10
During week 10, the baby was approximately the size of the Golden Snitch, and Laura felt tired and bloated. She was craving ice cream and veggies this week.
Week 11
During week 11, the baby was approximately the size of a Galleon, and Laura felt tired and excited. She was craving ice cream and veggies this week.
Week 12
During week 12, the baby was approximately the size of Salazar Slytherin’s Locket, and Laura felt tired and excited. She was still craving ice cream and veggies this week.
Week 13
During week 13, the baby was approximately the size of Remembrall, and Laura felt more energetic! She was craving all the apples this week, so it looks like her desire for ice cream and veggies had finally passed.
Week 14
During week 14, the baby was approximately the size of a vial of Felix Felicis, and Laura experienced heartburn and headaches. She was craving KFC mashed potatoes and gravy this week. She was also at the beginning of her second trimester.
Week 15
During week 15, the baby was approximately the size of a Winged Key, and Laura experienced heartburn and headaches. She was craving Snickers candy bars this week.
Week 16
During week 16, the baby was approximately the size of Harry Potter’s round glasses, and Laura experienced heartburn and headaches. She was craving Snickers candy bars and fruit this week.
Week 17
During week 17, the baby was approximately the size of Helga Hufflepuff’s Cup, and Laura experienced heartburn and headaches. She was craving Snickers candy bars and fruit this week.
Laura and her husband found out the gender of their baby so shared the news with family and friends. She told me that she did this by putting vinegar and food coloring in a cauldron, then added a mixture of warm water, a few drops of dish soap, and baking soda. The cauldron was on a baking sheet, which was smart because the combination resulted in an eruption of blue. It’s a boy!
Week 18
During week 18, the baby was approximately the size of Rowena Ravenclaw’s Diadem, and Laura felt some back pains and kicks from the baby! She was craving Snickers candy bars and fruit this week.
Week 19
During week 19, the baby was approximately the size of a Pygmy Puff. Merry Christmas!
Week 20
During week 20 (she’s half way there!), the baby was approximately the size of a Bowtruckle, and Laura felt cramps and was always hungry. She was craving chocolate this week.
Week 21
During week 21, the baby was approximately the size of a Bludger, and Laura felt cramps and was always hungry. She was craving chocolate this week.
Week 22
During week 22, the baby was approximately the size of the Hogwarts a History textbook, and Laura felt cramps and kicks. She was craving spicy food this week.
Week 23
During week 23, the baby was approximately the size of a Quaffle, and Laura felt sleepless. She was craving grilled cheese this week.
Week 24
During week 24, the baby was approximately the size of a witch’s or wizard’s wand, and Laura felt tired and forgetful. She was craving cheesecake and ice cream this week.
Week 25
During week 25, the baby was approximately the size of the TriWizard Tournament Golden Egg, and Laura felt tired and big. She was craving mashed potatoes this week.
Week 26
During week 26, the baby was approximately the size of the Monster Book of Monsters, and Laura felt tired and sore. She was craving spicy food this week.
Week 27
During week 27, the baby was approximately the size of a Norwegian Ridgeback Dragon Egg, and Laura felt tired and hungry. She was craving potatoes this week.
Week 28
During week 28, the baby was approximately the size of the Elder Wand, and Laura felt huge and frustrated. She was craving macaroni and cheese this week, and entered her third trimester.
Week 29
During week 29, the baby was approximately the size of the Marauders Map, and Laura felt moody and tired. She was craving sweets this week.
Week 30
During week 30, the baby was approximately the size of a Niffler, and Laura felt exhausted. She was craving potatoes this week.
Week 31
During week 31, the baby was approximately the size of Crystal Ball, and Laura felt uncomfortable. She was craving pizza this week.
Week 32
During week 32, the baby was approximately the size of an Acromantula Egg, and Laura felt exhausted. She was craving ice cream this week.
Week 33
During week 33, the baby was approximately the size of Crookshanks, and Laura felt exhausted. She was craving pancakes this week.
Week 34
During week 34, the baby was approximately the size of Luna Lovegood’s Lion Hat, and Laura felt exhausted. She was craving Yasso Bars this week.
Week 35
During week 35, the baby was approximately the size of a Beater’s Bat, and Laura felt excited. She was craving pizza this week.
Week 36
During week 36, the baby was approximately the size of The Quibbler, and Laura felt anxious. She was craving pizza this week.
Week 37
During week 37, the baby was approximately the size of a Hogwarts Express Ticket, and Laura felt anxious. She was craving macaroni and cheese this week.
Week 38
During week 38, the baby was approximately the size of the Sorting Hat, and Laura felt ready. She was craving sweet tea this week.
Week 39
During week 39, the baby was approximately the size of a Kneazle, and Laura experienced heartburn and nausea. She was craving Coffee Yasso Bars this week.
Week 40
During week 40, the baby was approximately the size of Hedwig, and Laura felt Impatient. She was craving Ruffles Chips this week. The baby should arrive any day now!
Unlike me with both of my babies who made early arrivals, Laura made it to a full 40 weeks, and she looked amazing!
Her baby arrived right as scheduled, and was named Teddy. This, of course, made me think of Teddy Lupin, son of Remus and Tonks Lupin, and I asked Laura if that was the inspiration for the name. She said yes, although her husband might not be aware of that fact. (Better not show him this article…) Welcome to the world, little Teddy!
That was a wonderfully magical journey through Laura’s pregnancy, and it was worth all the effort and thought that went into it. Now, however, she has something new to chronicle: the weekly and monthly updates of her son as he grows. Here is the first of many new pictures for her. Congratulations, Laura, on your newest addition to your family!
The whitebaord messages are so cute. Welcome to the world Teddy!