WHAT KIND OF PARENTS ARE WILLIAM AND KATE?
As we saw at sister Pippa Middleton's wedding when she pulled a high-spirited Prince George into line, the Duchess of Cambridge stands no nonsense from her children! With two kids under five, she's certainly going to have her work cut out with a newborn added into the mix. But as they've shown time and again, both Kate and Prince William have proven themselves devoted and seemingly tireless parents to Prince George, 4, and Princess Charlotte, 2.
Proud William has previously said he's "lucky" to have Kate, describing her as "an amazing mother and a fantastic wife." And while William had to take George to school solo in September owing to Kate's severe morning sickness, the hands-on duchess is planning to do the school run in future.
Calling herself a "mother, first and foremost," Kate has also acknowledged the challenges of parenthood with refreshing honesty, describing parenting as tough. "Becoming a mother has been such a rewarding and wonderful experience," she said in a speech at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in March. "It is full of complex emotions of joy, exhaustion, love and worry, all mixed together."
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WAS IT INEVITABLE THAT KATE WOULD SUFFER SICKNESS AGAIN?
The Duchess suffered from hyperemesis gravidarum during her first two pregnancies so she would have known she was likely to suffer a third time around.
"I think it is inevitable," says GP Ellie Cannon, family health expert and author of Keep Calm: The New Mum's Manual. "People's pregnancies tend to be the same and if she's had it before there's no reason to think she wouldn't have it again. Most women I know who have had hyperemesis gravidarum have had it recurrently."
Kate has already been laid up by the illness, which affects only one in 100 pregnant women and causes severe nausea and dehydration. "It can last throughout pregnancy until delivery, but with Kate it’s lasted for about 16 weeks with both her previous pregnancies," says Dr. Cannon. "[The symptoms] can be pretty much consistent and last the whole day."
As for advice from her medical team, Dr. Cannon says: "Kate would have been put on to medication, such as a high-strength anti-vomiting medication. She may also be using intravenous fluid. And told to rest and eat when she can."
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WHO WILL HELP THEM WITH THREE CHILDREN?
The go-to helper for Kate with her last two pregnancies was her mother, Carole Middleton, and there's every reason to believe that Grandma will be on hand the third time around, too!
Kate, William and newborn George moved in with the Middletons in Berkshire for a few weeks after his 2013 birth and Carole stayed with the family at their Norfolk residence, Anmer Hall, after Princess Charlotte's arrival. Carole has already been at her daughter’s side in the early stages of this pregnancy.
Meanwhile, the Cambridges' nanny, Maria Turrion Borallo, will have her hands full looking after the two young ones while Kate nurses their baby sibling.
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WILL PREGNANCY AFFECT THE DUCHESS’S WORK?
The announcement that Kate was expecting her third child was made after she had to pull out of two official engagements due to hyperemesis gravidarum – severe pregnancy sickness. Kate was to have hosted a discussion about perinatal mental health at Hornsey Road Children's Centre in North London and to have visited the Support4Grenfell community hub, which William and Harry attended without her. She also missed a recent church outing with William and the Queen. If her illness continues, it will certainly curtail plans for a busy fall schedule – though as Kate picked up the pace later in her previous pregnancies, there's no reason to expect she won’t do the same this time around.
Duchess delights crowds in Poland this summer. She is now having to scale back her engagements as she battles severe pregnancy sickness. Kate cradles newborn Prince George and Princess Charlotte the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital.
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WHERE WILL THE NEW BABY GROW UP?
When Princess Charlotte was born, the couple made Anmer Hall on the Queen's Sandringham estate their main residence. But with Prince George starting school and both parents stepping up their royal duties, they have since moved to London. The Cambridges are now firmly rooted in the capital, and the new baby will largely be raised in their London residence, Apartment 1A in Kensington Palace. With four floors and 20 rooms, the Kensington home will offer plenty of space for the clutter that comes with having three children.
On his first day of school, Prince George was accompanied by Prince William. Kate was unable to attend due to her morning sickness.
WHERE WILL THEIR THIRD CHILD BE BORN?
As Kate's due date draws near, St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, West London, will prepare once again for the world’s press setting up camp outside its doors.
Princes William and Harry, as well as Prince George and Princess Charlotte, were all born in the hospital's private Lindo Wing, the first choice of the Royal Family for decades. There’s every reason to assume Kate will again give birth there, under the care of the Queen' surgeon-gynecologist Alan Farthing and obstetrician Guy Thorpe-Beeston.
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WILL THEY STOP AT THREE?
With Kate suffering as she does during her pregnancies, it would be understandable if she didn’t want to add to her brood. However, her uncle, Gary Goldsmith, said recently: "She's a natural mother. Will she stop at three? I doubt it. They are having such fun."
The duchess hinted as much on the Cambridges' tour to Poland in July. Presented with a cuddly toy for newborns, she turned to William and said with a twinkle in her eye: "We'll just have to have more babies."
Kate, who has two siblings, Pippa and James, may well want to replicate the happy childhood she had as one of three. She may also want to follow the Queen's lead as a mother of four. But then, of course, Queen Victoria had nine ... !
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WHAT ARE THE MOST LIKELY NAMES FOR THE ROYAL BABY?
British bookmakers are already taking bets on the names for the Duke and Duchess's third child, with Ladbrokes making Alice and Arthur favourites, followed by Victoria and Albert. Alex Apati of Ladbrokes says: "The early money tells us punters want to see a baby Alice welcomed into the Royal Family, but it's no surprise to see a whole host of regal names top the betting." With the recent 20th anniversary of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, it's natural that Diana makes the list as third favourite female name; it's also Princess Charlotte's third given name.
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WHO ARE THE GODPARENTS LIKELY TO BE?
For both Prince George and Princess Charlotte, William and Kate chose mostly friends as godparents, as well as a few relatives. This time they may ask closer family members to fill the roles. Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie are contenders; so, too, are the couple's siblings. Kate may want her sister Pippa or brother James to play a more official role in her third child’s life. Prince Harry, who has said he'd "love to have kids," is close to his nephew and niece – and, as a neighbour at Kensington Palace, would also be on hand to babysit.
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