Author: Lisa

Mothers Select Pre-natal Vitamin Review

Lisa 1 Comment

Mother’s Select Pre-natal Vitamin Review

Mother’s Select Pre-natal Vitamin Review – When you’re trying to conceive or have just found out that you’re pregnant there are a few things that are top of the list that you do, and one of them is making sure that you’re taking the necessary vitamins to ensure your baby has the best start.

Mothers Select Pre-natal Vitamins

It’s important to get enough of the following:

  • Folic Acid
  • Vitamin D
  • Iron
  • Vitamin C
  • Calcium

Whilst it’s important to try and gain these from a healthy balanced diet, there are lots of supplements that are available to ensure that you get the recommended doses which will help to put your mind at rest.

I was sent some Mother’s Select Prenatal Vitamins to try which is a brand that I hadn’t previously heard of. Mother’s Select make a range of Vitamin supplements to help support women right through from conception to breastfeeding, and also a range for babies and children. The whole Mother’s Select range is available via Amazon which I think is convenient for most of us. Mother’s Select range is made in the USA but shipped FREE to the UK. Yey!

What’s so great about these vitamins?

  • These vitamins can be taken before you are pregnant, during pregnancy and throughout your breastfeeding journey which is great.
  • You only have to take them once a day
  • They include all essential vitamins including Methyl Folate which is a natural version of folic acid, DHA and Omega 3 for Brain Support, Eye and Nerve Development, Mutivitamins, Antioxidants and Minerals for bones, immune support, and hair growth.
  • They come in capsules which are really easy to swallow and free from common allergens including wheat, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts and eggs.
  • Made with only the highest quality ingredients with no fillers or chemicals.
  • They also have an unconditional money back guarantee. No questions asked.
So as you can see they have everything  you need to take you right through to the end of your pregnancy and breastfeeding journey.
You get 60 capsules in the bottle and since they retail at £14.77 per bottle, taking two a day that works out at 49p per day which is nothing for the comfort of knowing that all the vitamins you need are covered.

My thoughts on Mother’s Select Prenatal Vitamins

I know it’s really important to stay as healthy and do everything possible to ensure my baby can be born as healthy as possible. during the first five months of my pregnancy my eating habit wasn’t the best. I wasn’t able to eat a huge variety of food and was sick a LOT so it’s a worry that you aren’t getting enough to keep the baby healthy. Taking vitamins makes me feel better in the knowledge that by taking them I’m at least providing the essential nutritional vitamins that both the baby and I need.
The tablets are really easy to swallow. You have to take them after you’ve eaten so I take mine after my evening meal and I’m getting really bad heartburn at the moment and I get a bit of a tablety taste afterwards, but that may just be because I’ve eaten rather than the vitamins exacerbating the heartburn and causing me to burp (the joys of pregnancy). The price of these is around the same as other leading brands, but the difference with the Mother’s Select brand is that you can take the same tablets all the way through.

Where can you buy them from?

You can buy theMother’s Select range from Amazon or directly from the Mother’s Select website where there is also a 5% off discount code.
Hope you’re having a healthy and happy pregnancy. You can follow my week by week progress via my Pregnancy Diary updates.
Lisa x

*We were sent a 60 capsule bottle of Mother’s Select Pre-natal Vitamins for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

#whatwedidthisweek 19.02.18

Lisa

#whatwedidthisweek 19.02.18

#whatwedidthisweek – Back to normality. I’m back at work and Isabelle is back at school. I was feeling positive in the morning until I got to work and remembered that all my email folders had been deleted by our IT department. It went from bad to worse as there’s no getting them back. BUT it’s okay because I can create new ones. They just won’t contain any of the work so not that okay really.

I’m really struggling with back ache this week and not being able to walk very far which you can read all about in my Pregnancy Diary Post. This was so apparent when we took the dog out for a walk and our usual twenty minute loop took more than an hour. Thankfully, although it was bitterly cold the sun was out so it wasn’t all too bad.

Isabelle decided to make herself some jazzed up socks that look more like something you would put over a cast, but she was really happy with her creations so who am I to argue.

It was my birthday on Wednesday. I worked and kept it quiet from my colleagues as I don’t feel particularly in the mood for celebrating the fact that I’m getting older and knackered. I did however, come home to a lovely Pina Colada birthday cake made by my Mother-in-law. I was also given lots of lovely presents including some nice relaxing bath things which I’m sure will help with my back ache. I was also given some ‘fat clothes’ aka maternity clothes which I wasn’t so keen on. Why do they have to be so mumsy and stripey!

The Weekend

The weekend’s I’m finding harder than the weekdays as Isabelle really is a super ball of energy. She doesn’t really do sitting and playing so that I can rest. She needs constant entertaining which is exhausting. I’ve managed to get her to watch some you tube videos but only at the same time as she’s doing her gymnastics routines or playing ‘don’t touch the floor’!

Even though she’s seven, she can’t quite understand why I need to sit down or just have a little bit more quiet that normal.

Sunday we went into town to take back some of the ‘fat clothes’. We had a look at the prams in Mothercare where Chris nearly had a heart attack looking at the price tags. There are a few that I really like with the Egg Stroller being at the top of the list and a Silvercross one as well. Isabelle really enjoyed picking out clothes that she would like to buy both for a girl and a boy. We went in Mothercare, Primark Debenhams and H&M and that was as much as my back could manage.

I did, however pick up some new bits and bobs including some comfy PJ’s. Isabelle bought the brightest pink fluffy jumper from H&M which she absolutely loves. She does look rather gorge in it though.

We went out for dinner in the afternoon to the Mill on the Exe but I had to get Chris to drive me so that I didn’t put any more pressure on my back. They do a rather large carvery so I opted for a child’s portion. Good job really so I had some room for the chocolate brownie afterwards.

The rest of Sunday as I knew it would resulted in me sitting on the sofa in a coma like state with the odd trip to the kitchen to take a swig of Gaviscon.

What did you get up to this week?

Lisa x

Pregnancy Diary 25 Weeks

Lisa 1 Comment

Pregnancy Diary 25 Weeks

Pregnancy Diary 25 Weeks – I think last week will be written off as it was a bit of a miserable disaster. Thankfully Isabelle is better and so far nobody else has got her germs.

Pregnancy Diary Week 25

Back Ache

As I’ve had really bad backache I had been thinking we need to replace our mattress which we haven’t had very long so we could do without the expense. As an alternative we’ve bought a mattress topper that was on offer at Lidl’s to see if that makes any difference. Fingers crossed.

I’m glad to report that I don’t feel and sound like a creaky sofa when I get up each morning, but there is definitely more to this back ache. As this is my third pregnancy, I feel that I know a little bit about what feels right and what doesn’t. Walking around has become a little bit of a chore. The pressure that I’m feeling on my lower back is making it really difficult to walk very far without having to stop and I’m getting out of breath as well. This is definitely something that I  only experienced at the very end of both of my previous pregnancies so I might have to give my midwife a call on Monday.

Back to work and I’ve spent the most part of the week sorting out major IT issues. However, it was nice to be out and about and not caged at home.

Thinking about giving birth

As I’m so big now, everybody asks about the impending birth. I’m really trying not to think about how the baby is actually going to come out. Of course I have, but I really don’t know what to expect.

My first labour was ridiculously quick with no contractions, resulting in being force fed toast for fear of going into shock.

My second labour was an induction. Not because I was overdue but because I had gestational diabetes and they insist on you being induced for fear of an enormous baby and associated complications. This was long and extremely painful.

If I had to choose, I would opt for my first labour, but the worry of going into labour so quickly and not getting Isabelle sorted or not making it to the hospital in time fills me with dread.

I have my second glucose tolerance test on Monday which fingers crossed will be negative, BUT I’m trying not to think about it too much.

I watched an episode of Call the Midwife last week where this poor woman was terrified of giving birth so much so that she was in denial and hadn’t been to any of her appointments etc. This is known as tocophobia which is a genuine fear of giving birth. This was brought on by her first labour being a forceps delivery where she described the baby as being pulled out of her. Just what I needed to watch.

Anyhoo, I think I’m just going to stay in my own bubble of denial until my waters break!

Development

At 25 weeks my baby is the size of a grapefruit although I would argue watermelon! It weighs around 1.4lbs and measures about 34.6cm.

Apparently it will have developed it’s own little routine and will react to certain sounds and noises. There’s always a lot of movement around 5.30 – 6am when it’s at it’s wriggliest.

A little gross fact is that most of the amniotic fluid will be sterile urine – poor baby!

The rest of the stuff that I read on the Bounty website were stuff about Restless Leg Syndrome (yup I got that) and Symphysis pubis dysfunction (this could be what I’m suffering from reading the symptoms).

Oh the joys of pregnancy!

Lisa x

I’m linking up with the Bumps & Babies Linky over on Lets Talk Mommy Blog which you should check out if you are pregnant or have a baby.

 

Review: Songmics Large Folding Storage Ottoman Bench Box + Competition

Lisa 105 Comments

Review: Songmics Large Folding Storage Ottoman Bench Box + Competition

Songmics Large Folding Storage Ottoman Bench Box – With Christmas not that long ago we always find ourselves having to do a reshuffle and reorganisation of the toys and books both old and new. Finding the right home storage is key to keeping it all under control.

Songmics Large Folding Storage Ottoman Bench Box

When Songmics, leading sellers on Amazon got in touch and asked us to review the Storage Ottoman Bench I bit their hands off (virtually of course). Songmics sell a range of household and storage solutions at great prices.

I like box style storage or multi-purpose storage in muted tones which is why I was drawn to this Grey Ottoman Bench box.

As you can see it doesn’t look like a toy box from the outside so fits in perfectly in the dining area.

It was really easy to put together with no fixtures or screws. It came in four pieces:

  • The Lid
  • The base
  • The bottom
  • A divider

All we had to do was unfold the base, add the bottom which was a thick plastic part that keeps the base box shaped, and then add the divider.

The lid is padded which means that it can also be used as a bench style seat, or a reading place as Isabelle has already claimed it to be.

Songmics Large Folding Storage Ottoman Bench Box

What’s inside?

As it’s quite large I thought it was perfect to store some of our ever growing collection of board games. We’ve put it in the dining area which means that if we were to have additional guests for dinner we could use it for extra seating at the table so it definitely has a multi-function purpose. You could of course use this for anything from a blanket box to shoe storage.

Songmics Large Folding Storage Ottoman Bench Box

What we think?

It gets a big thumbs up from me simply because it is multipurpose and doesn’t look like a toy box so fits in with the surrounding furniture. It also gets an additional thumbs up from Isabelle who has been lounging on it reading her books or playing on her tablet as she’s been full of a cold for the last couple of days. Our games have a great new home now which is easily accessible whilst looking stylish.

Songmics Large Folding Storage Ottoman Bench Box

Competition

Like what you see then enter our Competition to WIN one for yourself – Just fill in the rafflecopter form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

Lisa x

*We were sent a Songmics Large Folding Storage Ottoman Bench Box for the purpose of review. All our thoughts and opinions are our own.

Parenting in the Year 2018

Lisa 12 Comments

Parenting in the Year 2018

Parenting in the Year 2018 – The only thing consistent about parenting throughout the ages is that it’s never been easy. So, here’s some advice you can apply to raising kids in 2018!

Parenting In The Year 2018

The world is changing at a rapid pace and, consequently, so is the way we chose to parent our children. Only thirty years ago, it was 1985 and societal norms and technological capabilities were vastly different. In 1985, a mobile phone was roughly the size of a house brick and was only owned by stockbrokers and the wealthy. Today, children in the UK generally have their own phone by the time they begin high school, if not before. Letting your children stay out until the street lights came on, using smacking as a form of discipline – these perfectly acceptable parenting standards for 1985 would be considered neglectful by many parents today. Social media platforms connect modern parents in ways that were unimaginable thirty years ago. Parents can now form supportive online communities and seek advice from others worldwide. Conversely, the advent of the internet has also resulted in the serious child protection concerns that parents typically harbour today. Each generation of children bring forth new challenges for their parents, that much is certain. Here, we discuss the ways that 2018 is trying to give parents a helping hand.

 

Young, Hip and ‘Appening

There really is an app for just about everything these days. While some apps are borderline ridiculous (no one needs Goat Simulator on their phone for £7.99, do they?), other apps are genuinely helpful for parents and their children.

For kids, there are a fantastic range of apps currently available that are educational, entertaining or both at the same time! Take Rooster Money for example, an app that’s digitising pocket money. It’s entirely virtual with no card attached, so it’s perfect for the younger age groups. It also allows the child to have a savings and a wallet account, so you can begin to teach them the difference between having accessible cash and saving for a goal. Then there are apps with cards attached like goHenry, which are ideal for teaching pre-teens important financial lessons.

For the adults in the family, there are apps that cater to a variety of needs. In the past, parents who were separated or divorced were often plagued by the communication problems that naturally occur when a child splits their time between two homes. Today, there are apps that have been formulated with co-parenting specifically in mind. These apps come with custody schedules, expense management features and photo-sharing abilities so you can still feel connected to your child when it’s their turn to stay elsewhere. Some of these apps even log communications which can then be used to provide an accurate record during divorce proceedings.

There are also tasking apps which, although not made solely for busy parents, make a huge difference to daily life. Airtasker will finally be making its UK debut this year, meaning more parents will be able to free up their schedules with ease. If you haven’t heard of tasking apps like Airtasker, it is worth doing your research. You simply post a task using the app, and taskers will bid to do the chore. For example, if you know Wednesdays are a nightmare because of music lessons and football training, you can arrange for a tasker to do the grocery shop for you! The days of feeling like a plate-spinner are over.

 

Gadgets – all the cool parents have them

Sure, there may be thousands of books and how-to-guides available for parents on Amazon, but that’s just the problem – it is so easy to feel overwhelmed by all the information. What are you supposed to do when your baby has trouble sleeping, or starts to roll over in their cot for the first time? If you try scouring baby manuals for answers, you’ll most likely end up with ten different opinions and no solution. Enter – gadgets. Just like James Bond has, only these have much more practical, everyday applications for new parents. When babies first begin to roll onto their stomachs, it can be worrying, especially when you put them down for a nap. Parents often get up multiple times in the night, anxious at the thought of their child struggling to breathe. But thankfully, you can now purchase baby movement monitors that simply clip onto your baby’s nappy. These monitors alert you if they detect no movement for 15 seconds, giving you peace of mind. Getting up in the night to sooth a crying baby can seem like a never-ending cycle, but now mobiles exist that can sense when your baby has woken up. These mobiles then play soothing sounds and lights to lull your baby back to sleep, leaving you to enjoy a few extra minutes of precious bed rest.

21st century education

Parenting methods are changing in the UK. What was once considered to be ‘hippy’ or ultra-alternative has now become almost mainstream. The Department of Education states that parents have a right to educate their children at home if the children in question are receiving a safe and suitable education. There has been a reported 65% increase in UK children who are recorded as being home schooled in the past six years. Home-schooling and unschooling, the practice of allowing children to learn from their life experiences and direct their own education, are becoming increasingly accepted as methods of education. By no means will these practices suit everyone, but it is comforting to know that there are many options available for you once your child reaches school age.

New parenting challenges, and new, innovative solutions to such challenges will continue to exist as long as there are children to care for. While it is easy to feel overwhelming in this age of information, it is worth researching what is currently on the market. Implementing two or three changes may be all that it takes to make things run that little bit smoother in your household.

*please note this is a sponsored post.

#whatwedidthisweek 12.02.18

Lisa 5 Comments

#whatwedidthisweek – 12.02.18

#whatwedidthisweek – I thought I would resurrect this weekly post. I had been thinking about vlogging but I just can’t put myself in front of a camera.

#Whatwedidthisweek

Poorly Girl

So as not to stray from school holiday tradition Isabelle was poorly. I’m trying desperately to dodge her coughs and sneezes but it’s almost a given that I’ll get it since her fave place is clamped to my side.

Before she got really poorly we went to Poundland at the weekend so that she could do a Poundshop Haul video. I’ve yet to edit it but will get it up as soon as I can.

We’ve done a few bits and bobs at home, such as make a cardboard car and a mermaid tail. She wanted to do some cooking but, well the permanent snot slug trailing down her face definitely says otherwise.

Orbies

I ordered some Orbies as Isabelle has watched loads of videos of kids sitting in baths full of them or putting their feet in wellies full of them. They arrived on Wednesday so we popped them in a bowl and waited for them to grow. It didn’t take as long as the instructions said and Isabelle couldn’t resist keep putting her hands in them.

Daddy wasn’t impressed as they kept popping out of the bowl, and these things ping in every direction and are quite tricky to pick. It’s quite therapeutic to put your hands in them, but as to what purpose they serve I have no idea.

The next day I said she could put them in a big bowl and put her feet in them which she really enjoyed. it was really cold and they squished under her feet. Any ideas for what to do with these would be greatly appreciated.

Days at Home

The rest of the week went by in a bit of a haze of playing board games, colouring, endless snacking and watching you tube video’s. Believe me there are only so many videos that you can watch before you start climbing the walls.

Isabelle did get a mystery Valentine’s gift through the post, the person responsible has yet to come forward. It cheered Isabelle up no end though.

Isabelle’s attention span is much the same as a goldfish so we start doing something and then she wants to go and lay on her bed. She’s not really eating very much, more like snacking. The poor dog is looking longingly at us to take him out, but as it’s constantly raining, Isabelle being full of a cold and me walking like an old lady due to back ache the poor thing has no chance.

The days have been long and really boring.

A bit of normal

Thursday we went out to McDonald’s for lunch. Isabelle still has a cold but the thought of going to McDonalds where they are also giving away The Amazing World of Gumball toys (if you haven’t watched it, don’t – it’s rubbish) was enough to get her out of the door. It was heaving and we were lucky to get a table but she enjoyed it enough before her face started to go red and blotchy and we knew it was time to make a move.

The McDonalds we went to is in the middle of a retail park so you can imagine what the car park was like. Not the best time for me to have to jump out of the car at the exit of the car park therefore forming a queue so that I could stamp out the pain going from my back and shooting down through my leg BUT I did it anyway. Flippin cramp and weird shooting pains.

Friday was Isabelle’s first full day of feeling normal (still snotty) so Daddy took her and a friend to ibounce to burn off some of the stored up energy and I got to do some work. I’ve started a course called Finance for Freedom which is really quite interesting. I’m totally British when it comes to talking about money, but it’s amazing how our finances affect our happiness etc so it’s a bit of an eye opener. I’m going to post about this separately as I’m sure you will find it an interesting read.

Saturday I finally went for the haircut that I’ve wanted to have for a couple of week’s. I thought pregnancy was supposed to give you lusciously thick glossy hair but mine has taken on the look of an abandoned birds nest. I’ve had all the dry ends cut off so it’s quite a bit shorter than I wanted but it feels so much nicer. I’m going to give coconut oil overnight conditioning a try to see if this helps to keep it from going so dry.

Today I went to see my dad who is currently undergoing chemotherapy. He’s had three cycles so far and has fared pretty well apart from not being able to sleep very well. He’s just started to lose his hair which given that he’s almost bald I don’t think he minds. His sense of humour took quite a beating but he seems to be getting this back a bit which is nice. He’s originally from Scotland so I thought I would buy him one of those ginger wigs with the tartan hat attached as a joke present.

Back to work tomorrow and due to our pretty miserable week, I’m really looking forward to going back. Not so much the thought of my alarm clock going off at 5.30am.

Have a great week.

Lisa x

Pregnancy Diary 24 Weeks

Lisa 2 Comments

Pregnancy Diary 24 Weeks

Pregnancy Diary 24 Weeks – I’ve been off work this week with Isabelle as it’s half-term. Of course like always, half-term has been ruined with Isabelle having the worse cough and cold. Add in the abysmal weather and it’s made for a rubbish week.

Pregnancy Diary 24 Weeks

As always I’ve taken the time off whilst Chris is at work so I’m left feeling like a single mum most of the time. I really need to get my driving sorted so that I have a bit more freedom.

Pain

I’m aching all over every second of the day. As I feared, my neck and shoulder pain has come back with a vengeance. I’m so sore so I feel miserable.

I can’t walk that far at the moment which I’m really peeved about. My pelvis starts to grate and my lower back gives me really horrible painful twinges. I had to jump out of the car at the exit of a car park the other day so that I could stretch out the pain going from my back down through my entire leg. We literally blocked the traffic but hey I needed to stamp my feet!

You’d think that with being home this week I’d have had the perfect opportunity to get some rest, but Isabelle doesn’t give me a moment peace. I know a lot of mums say this, but she literally doesn’t give me a break. She’s loud, can’t sit still and needs constant entertaining. It’s totally draining me and having no help at all is just making it worse.

She does like to cosy up on the sofa but I can’t get comfortable with her half covering my body and the thought of getting her germs isn’t a great thought either. I really can’t wait to go back to work next week just so that I can get out of the house and the conversation is more varied than:

‘Blow your nose’

‘Put your hand over your mouth’

‘Stop jumping on the sofa’

‘ Stop shouting’

Friday saw the first day of no rain or hail. We actually had a blue sky. Daddy I think has finally picked up on my low mood and arranged to take Isabelle and her friend to ibounce to burn off some energy. It was nice to have some Isabelle free time!

We then went to the library in the afternoon. Libraries are supposed to be quiet, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. It was ridiculously loud with kids running around karate chopping each other. Some other kids were fighting over the huge rocking horse and the mums sat there pretending that nothing was happening. End of the week syndrome I think! Mums frazzled but the kids are still hyper!

Eating

My appetite had definitely picked up, but now I don’t have any room to eat. My tummy feels so tight that eating a big meal is just not manageable.

Haircut

I’ve finally got round to having my hair cut. Aren’t we all supposed to get really lovely glossy hair and glowy skin when we’re pregnant? My hair is probably a reflection of my mood = FRAZZLED. I’ve had to have quite a bit cut off just to get rid of the straw like ends so it’s a bit shorter than I was expecting. I do, however, like it and it already feels a lot lighter. I read somewhere about putting coconut oil on it overnight as a conditioning treatment which I think I might give a try.

I’ve also got a flare-up of my eczema which I get when I’m feeling stressed.

Development

At 24 weeks the baby is now the size of a papaya measuring around 30cm and weighing about 1.3lbs.

The baby’s lungs are now maturing so that they can breathe air rather than fluid and the organs in their ears are starting to develop so that they can work out sounds – poor thing probably knows that I’ve been telling Isabelle off quite a lot this week.

Their face will now be fully formed with eyelashes, eyebrows and hair. This will still be white due to lack of pigment, but will start to change colour soon.

Apparently it’s quite common to experience lower back pain at this stage of pregnancy – Yey!

All in all Week 24 has been CRAP!

#thatisall #miserablecow

Lisa x

P.s – if you have any tips for pain during pregnancy i would love to hear them xx

To read my week by week Pregnancy Diary pop to the top of the page of click Here. I’m also linking up to Let’s Talk Mommy Bumps and Babies Linky which if you are a fellow pregnant blogger you should link up to or if you are pregnant yourself pop over to read other’s Pregnancy journeys.

Pregnancy Diary Week 23

Lisa 31 Comments

Pregnancy Diary 23 Weeks

Pregnancy Diary Week 23 – A desperate plea to get my Mat B1 at my whooping cough injection appointment.

Pregnancy Diary Week 23

Whooping Cough Injection

Monday I went for my whooping cough injection. The nurse did warn me prior to the injection that I would have a sore arm the next day but jeez! It hurt to lift my arm above elbow height and sleeping on it woke me up during the night. So feeble.

Mat B1 Form Update

I got the Golden Ticket!!!!

I asked if she could fill in the Mat B1 form for me which she couldn’t, but after speaking to the Receptionist she was able to get the doctor to fill this in for me.

It’s official people! My last day at work is Thursday 17th May with a return date of Monday 20th May 2019!

Food

My appetite has finally returned a bit. Chicken is still off the menu but this week I’ve had feta cheese, cous cous, pasta and sauce (unblended sauce) and a hot pot type dish.

There has  been no sickness this week but have had a couple of near misses. I think that’s down to the awful heartburn that I’ve been getting so Gaviscon is now on the menu most evenings.

I think I’ve got more of a sweet tooth this time or it could be that I’m making up for all the food I could’nt eat at the beginning.

Is it a boy or is it a girl? Isabelle’s Fool Proof Gender prediction

Isabelle is quite annoyed that this baby is a boy. We of course don’t know this BUT when she puts her head on my belly and shouts ‘kick if you’re a boy’ the baby kicks. I have tried to explain that it doesn’t know if it’s a girl or boy and that it’s probably just reacting to her shouting. She thinks she’s got it so Sussed.

Buying for Baby

I bought some baby clothes. Just some little vests and a couple of hats but it’s a start. I also got some of the Dove baby range which smells lovely but not too strong.

We must get all of Isabelle’s bits and pieces out to see what we have that might be suitable.

I also got a delivery of an outfit that I won via the Let’s Talk Mommy blog from The Essential One. I was able to choose the size so opted for newborn. Ryan weighed 6lb 4oz and Isabelle was 6lb 12oz so we had to make a special trip to buy tiny baby clothes so I’d like to be a bit more prepared for a small baby so that they don’t have to be drowned in the first clothes that they wear. Anyway the prize arrived this weeks and it’s just so cute.

Urgh my coat is a bit of a squeeze to do up now which is a bit pants as it’s still quite cold and of course raining nearly every day. It’s my every day coat that is warm and waterproof (my mum coat). I don’t really want to buy a new one so I’m hoping the weather improves so I can wear one of my lighter jackets.

Development

My baby is now the size of a Mango (feels a lot bigger) weighing about 1.1lbs and measuring around 28.9cm and has all the features of a newborn.

It can still do somersaults which I think it’s doing plenty of at the moment.

The lungs are still developing and getting ready to breath following the birth and they still have translucent skin.

Apparently now is the time to start playing soothing music to the baby as noises are more familiar.

So far so good!

To read my week by week Pregnancy Diary pop to the top of the page of click Here. I’m also linking up to Let’s Talk Mommy Bumps and Babies Linky which if you are a fellow pregnant blogger you should link up to or if you are pregnant yourself pop over to read other’s Pregnancy journeys.

Lisa x

 

*This post may contain affiliate links which means that I receive a small payment should you click the link and make a purchase at no extra cost to yourself.

Pregnancy Diary Week 22

Lisa 15 Comments

Pregnancy Diary Week 22

Pregnancy Diary Week 22 – this week hasn’t got off to a particularly good start as lower back ache kicked in over the weekend and has stuck with me. It has also progressed to neck and shoulder pain which is a pain!

Pregnancy Diary Week 22

I’ve been doing a bit of research and think I might give pregnancy yoga a go, but will also see if I can get some physio through my midwife.

I’m quite anxious about this as I used to suffer with chronic neck pain and had to load up on painkillers for the best part of 10 years. Weirdly being pregnant with Isabelle seemed to ease this and following that it only became an intermittent problem that was manageable.

Other than that the pregnancy is plodding along nicely. Actually not plodding along, it’s going really fast so let’s say whooshing along.

My bump is out and I look like a bona fida pregnant lady now. The comments have already started on my bump size:

It’s big!

It’s little!

It’s neat!

You’re carrying high!

You sure there’s just one in there!

ITS MINE! My bump size is based on MY body size. I’m carrying exactly the same as I have with both my previous pregnancies. The baby is healthy as am I.

MOVE ALONG FOLKS!

It’s definitely a kicker like the other two. I was crouched down with Isabelle the other day and I thought she’d knee’d me in the tummy but it was a really strong kick. You can see some movement now when the baby kicks.

Maternity Leave

I still haven’t got my Mat B1 form for work. I’ve only got just under three weeks left to do this. My midwife is currently off sick and having spoken to the temporary midwife it seems that she can’t sign it because she hasn’t met me to confirm my pregnancy. It’s on my notes as well as the records at the doctors, but apparently she has to have eyeballed me before she can sign the form.

That’s fine I’ll make an appointment OH but there aren’t any!

Drama! I’ve hit a brick wall with this so have left it with the surgery to see what they can do for me.

I’m booked in for my whooping cough injection on Monday and hopefully they might have come up with a solution. I plan to be off for a year but I’m not sure this is possible at the moment. I’ve written a recent post on Maternity Financial Planning if you’re also on the pregnancy journey.

Buying for Baby

I bought my first item of clothing this week. Not sure why I’m so hesitant but I found this cute little jumper in H&M and couldn’t resist. I would pair this with some of the little cute leggings for babies but not sure what colour. Navy or mint. Maybe the same colour as the jumper. Isabelle is convinced that I know it’s a boy as it’s a boys jumper so was a bit miffed.

Pregnancy Diary Week 22

I do have a list of things that we’ll need to get but I don’t see any reason to buy it just yet since we have no space until we have a bit of a declutter.

There are two particular, actually three things that I think are at the top of my baby wish list. I want:

Pregnancy Diary Week 22

A nice pram – There are so many nice ones to choose from so haven’t narrowed it down as yet but am really loving the Silvercross range, especially the Silvercross Wave.

Pregnancy Diary Week 22

A beside the bed crib – I’ve resigned myself to the fact that it is likely this baby will end up in our bed. I try and be optimistic but it’s not so bad being snuggled up with your newborn so that you at least get some semblance of sleep so I love the idea of the beside the bed crib which will allow the baby to be with us but in it’s own safe space. I love this grey Knuma Huddle and also the Snuzpod.

Pregnancy Diary Week 22

Sleepyhead – As I’ve already said previously my daughter was an awful sleeper and I’ve heard so many good things about the  Sleepyhead Pods so I would really like one – THIS ONE!

Development

The baby is about the size of a sweet potato weighing around 430g and measuring about 27.8cm (not far off the size of a ruler).

The baby’s gums are already developing tooth buds ready for their little gnashers to come through (yey).

The eyes have formed but don’t yet have any colour. All of the other organs are developing and growing and will continue to do so.

They may have already started to develop their own little routine. Based on this, my belly is most active first thing in the morning, after eating and also when I get into bed. You can already see my belly moving around and it’s definitely having a party in there.

Roll on week 23!

Lisa x

I’m linking up with Lets Talk Mommy Bumps and Babies Linky where you can read lots of other pregnancy and baby journey’s.

Pregnancy Diary Week 21

Lisa 23 Comments

Pregnancy Diary Week 21

Pregnancy Diary Week 21 – I’m slowly getting a bit more adventurous with my eating. We had tacos last night with garlic and onion in it. I really enjoyed it even though I started to waver when the garlic and onion smell wafted through the house.

Pregnancy Diary Week 21

My Eating has improved…….

As well as the taco’s I’ve eaten a salad with feta cheese and salad dressing.

Raisin and cinnamon bagels are way up there on my current faves – toasted with loads of butter. Yum!

Food smells aren’t so stomach churning anymore, but I still don’t have a huge repetoire to choose from.

Chicken is probably my most hated food at the moment. Yuk.

Maternity Leave

I had my meeting at work this week to discuss maternity leave and how much time I intend to take off. At this stage I’ve gone for a year and fingers crossed that our finances allows this.

I had decided to make my last day the 24th May which would give me a week before my due date to chill a little bit. However, looking at the dates, it’s bank holiday Monday on the 28th May and Isabelle will be off school for the entire week leading up to my due date. Bit of a bummer!

I don’t mind so much that she will be off school but she’s going to want entertaining for the week AND I’ll be on my own with her if I go into labour that week. Yikes!

Anyway, as I didn’t have my Mat B1 form the official planning and acceptance of this has to wait until next week.

Maternity Wear

I’m sporting my one and only piece of maternity wear today which is a pair of over the bump leggings from H&M. I’ve been pretty disappointed with the choice of maternity wear that I’ve managed to root out on the High Street so I might have to have a look online.

Failing that I will just continue to wear tunic style dresses with leggings or tights with cardigans.

Just to report back on the leggings which were a total bargain at £8.99 a pair. These are so so comfy and are now going to be a staple feature in my wardrobe.

Back Ache

As well as leg and foot cramps at night I’ve started to get lower back ache which is making walking a bit of a problem.

We went to the beach today as a birthday treat for our dog, Charlie who turned four and it really took it out of me even though we didn’t walk particularly far.

Fingers crossed that I’ve just overdone it a bit and it will pass.

Development

The baby will be about the size of a pepper, measuring around 27cm long and weighing about 360g.

The eyelids and eyebrows are formed and it’s possible for them to blink. Amazingly the baby will have taste buds and can taste a variety of different flavours dependent on what I’m eating (hope it likes cheese).

The skin will have a coating of white, waxy substance known as Vernix Caseosa. This protects their body from the effects of bobbing around in the amniotic fluid for so long.

The baby will be urinating, which they will then drink. Pee, drink, pee, repeat. The baby’s first poo is currently in the making which they will poop out once the baby is born.

This pregnancy is flying by and my belly is growing now at an amazing pace.

Until next week.

Lisa x