Postpartum Hair Loss - What To Expect

I wasn't sure whether to write and publish this or not, it's not the usual type of post from me but I do feel it's important to me and it could help others who are expectant or new mums.

After having a baby, your body goes through so many changes. After being pregnant for 9 months and your body getting adjusted to all the new hormones, you give birth and suddenly everything starts changing again, just after you've finally gotten used to it!

I knew there were quite a lot of changes I was going to experience; I'd experienced them whilst being pregnant so I knew they had to go back at some point - my skin changed from it's normal/combination status to extremely dry in the early months and then glowing and healthy in the later months. Obviously your figure alters drastically and you get cravings and in the later months (if you didn't already) a huge appetite.

Although I didn't really notice it at the time, whilst pregnant my hair was falling out a lot less than normal and it was growing faster and becoming thicker too. After birth, I didn't immediately experience any hair loss, it only started for me at about 3.5 months and wow, did it come out thick and fast. I didn't really think too much of it until one day I pulled my hair back to do my makeup and spotted two bald patches at my temples. I was obviously upset and although I knew it was going to be hormone/postpartum changes I never expected it to be so drastic.

The reason it happens is that your hair normally goes through two phases; growing and resting. Most of your hair is in a growing phase whilst 10-15% is in a resting phase. When it ends the resting phase, that's when your hair falls out. The difference is when you're pregnant the hormone changes trigger many more of your hair follicles to enter the growing phase resulting in having lovely, thick and healthy locks.

After giving birth, the hormones return to normal and your hair now has a lot of catching up to do and a lot of the hair that was in the growing phase now enters the resting phase and begins to shed leading you to finding a lot more hair coming out when styling or washing.

I'm not kidding when I say that my hair now comes out in thick strands when I'm shampooing it, then when I'm towel drying it, brushing it and styling it. My hairbrush is full of hair within a couple of days rather than about a month (is it gross I only empty my brush when it's completely full?) of brushing it and I'm finding hairs shedding all over my clothes. It doesn't help having a curious 5 month old who loves to tug on mummy's hair either! He ends up with handfuls of it and more of it ends up floating around the house.

I'm not entirely sure why the loss is so noticeable at the temples; perhaps because the hair there can be quite fine and wispy anyway because I haven't been able to notice any other bald patches on my head.

Unfortunately, there's very little that can be done to avoid the hair loss, it will happen whether or not you breastfeed and as it's hormonal you pretty much have to go through it. I have really thick hair anyway and so I'm not sure if you lose more/less hair depending on how thick it is or if it makes it more noticeable depending on your hair type.

You can help manage it in a couple of ways though and fortunately, it won't last forever. By the time your baby is celebrating their first birthday you should be back to normal. If you have hair that can be styled easily, you could always try going for a fringe to hide the bald spots at the temples and then you can wear your hair back without worrying people will notice. This isn't an option for me due to having curly hair so I find that as long as I wear it down, you can't tell. I also got a couple of inches lopped off to help make my hair a bit lighter and it seems to have reduced the strain on my hair too.

I hope that this is helpful to anyone going through the same thing as me, you are not alone! And also if you're an expectant mum or haven't yet reached the 3/4 month mark then to give you an idea of what to expect and not feel too shocked or worried - it's completely normal and it will stop and is just one more thing for your body to adapt to and let's face it, that cute little face looking at you is totally worth it.

The main picture doesn't really show off my temples, so here is a side shot. It might not look that drastic to you (or maybe it does?!) but it's noticeable to me.

4 Months In... | Baby Update

I thought I'd post a quick update on Oscar, as he's such a massive part of my life but I rarely mention him on here. Today, it is 4 months since he was born. I can't believe how quickly the time has gone and how much he has changed!

He changes literally every day, he has got such a little personality now, he's adorable. He has gone from your typical newborn who sleeps all day and lies placidly and quietly in your arms or in his Moses basket to an active little boy who can now reach and grab for toys on his play mat or on his bouncer. He loves being read to and most importantly being the centre of attention!

He enjoys bath times and now kicks his legs excitedly when you put him in although he's not too pleased when you take him out, haha.

He's definitely found his voice and squeals happily when you talk to him or when he sees something he likes. He enjoys watching cbeebies or Baby Einstein in the morning after having his milk and is now pretty much in a solid routine. From the very beginning we have always put him down to go to sleep on his own, so now he will easily fall asleep by himself, which is really great.

He has 8oz bottles and has a couple of short naps and one long nap during the day before going to bed at about 8.30pm and waking again around 7.30am, which we are very pleased about!

He is generally a very happy little baby who doesn't cry unless he wants feeding or wants his nappy changing. 

He has started teething which is kind of surprising considering neither me or his Daddy started teething early but he is constantly chewing on his hands and rather unfortunately sticking his fingers down his throat occasionally which of course makes him sick, which isn't pleasant to see but he doesn't understand what he's doing.

If you have a baby of your own, you'll know that with all the great things come some of the less so great things. Even though we were pretty lucky that Ozzy has slept at least 4 hours straight every night since we brought him home, I definitely don't miss the 3am feed and I'm glad that he can now sleep through until a reasonable time! 

Having their immunisations is horrible to witness too and I feel so sorry for him when he has them done. We had to take him on Monday and he was smiling and giggling until we got into the nurse's room and he seemed to know that something unpleasant was going to happen, poor little bean!

He can be a little grouchy now that he's teething and burst into tears when you're least expecting it but he is usually consoled by being given a cuddle or shown the dinosaurs decorating his nursery.

Becoming a mummy is definitely one of the most amazing experiences that you can have and although it took me some time to get adjusted to my new lifestyle, he's completely worth it and I'd give birth ten times over to have him here. I feel so lucky to have him as my son, he's such an incredible little person even though he's so tiny.

I can't wait to see all the new things he will learn to do and all the things that he has yet to experience and enjoy!

A New Mum's Guide to Still Feeling Glam

I've been on a quest recently to find a pair of jeans that actually FIT me. At first, I was happy just to be able to see my toes but then I decided I wanted a little more. I've been wearing dresses now for about 2 months and nothing else as my pre-pregnancy jeans have been shoved to the back of the wardrobe in horror, unable now to pull them past my thighs.

I finally found my saviour the other day, surprisingly in Sainsbury's. As I was leaving the house today and walking down the path, I realised I actually felt pretty good about myself despite having to go up two sizes as I'm now the proud owner of child bearing hips, so I thought I'd write a few quick tips down on what's helped me feel more 'me' these past few weeks.

I'm not going to lie, the first two weeks after having Oscar, I felt and looked like poop. I managed to step in the shower every day but that was pretty much where my efforts ceased. I lived in some comfy tracksuit bottoms and my maternity tops to hide my still inflated belly. No straighteners touched my hair nor a slick of makeup on my face. 

Then about 3 weeks in, I finally started to feel like putting a bit of effort back in. I got my boyfriend to be on baby watching duty whilst I took  hair dryer and some straighteners to my hair and applied some make up. I was only sitting about the house but I felt more like myself again. 

I'm fortunate enough to be a stay at home mum whilst my boyfriend goes out to work and even more fortunate enough to have my mum on hand whenever I need her. That's not the case for everyone though, so I'll try and make sure these tips can work for everyone whether you're surrounded by friends and family or doing it all on your own.

Tips

• Take advantage of the time when your baby is sleeping. You can fit in virtually anything you want to during their nap time, especially as newborns sleep most of the day.Whether or not that's getting some sleep, (I find that I can't sleep during the day no matter how tired I am, it's always early evening when I find myself wanting a rest and that usually isn't an option!) getting some cleaning and tidying done around the house, having a shower or keeping up your beauty regime. 

• Skater dresses have been the best thing for me. They skim straight over the top of your belly leaving you feeling slim and feeling feminine. Another bonus was that I managed to fit into quite a few of my pre-pregnancy skater dresses although a couple did become a little shorter due to my hips being wider.

• Floaty blouses have also been brilliant for everyday wear. I initially wore them over a pair of leggings but after wearing leggings for 7 months straight, I really wanted to find an alternative option.

• If you don't fancy floaty all the time, try a peplum top, they also skim nicely over your lower half. 

• Don't feel too bad if you can't fit into your pre pregnancy clothes as quick as you'd hoped. I had purchased a few items whilst pregnant that I thought would be nice to wear once I'd had Oscar but found that they didn't fit me quite as I'd imagined. I was disappointed at first, but then I decided to pick myself up as friends and family reminded me that it takes 9 month for your body to change and at least 9 months for it to go back (unless you're super lucky!)

• Accessories are your friend. If you don't want to go out and buy a whole new wardrobe to accommodate any extra pounds, make the most of what you've got in the clothes department and buy a few floaty scarves and some nice statement jewellery to perk up your outfits and hide any mum-tum you might have. 

• Keep it simple with your makeup. If my boyfriend's at home or my mum's round, I can afford to spend a bit more time on my makeup whilst they keep an eye on him but if I'm on my own or need to be out somewhere and making sure I'm fitting in around Oscar's feeding schedule then I switch up the products I'm using...

• You can simplify your makeup by swapping powder eye shadows for something like Maybelline's Color Tattoo's or my current favourite - Collection's Work The Colour Eyeshadow Pencil's. A quick slick across your eyelids and your good to go. 

• Instead of applying a full face of foundation, apply concealer to any blemishes and under eye circles to keep your face looking fresh.

• So you don't have to spend ages making sure you've applied your lipstick perfectly, grab a tinted balm like Revlon's Lip Butters to apply on the go and mirror free whilst still keeping your pout pretty. 

• I found that I struggled to find a pair of jeans that fit me how I wanted to or flattered my new figure. They all seemed to fit low around my hips and just made my belly pop out over the top. Not a good look. I went for jeggings instead, so I didn't quite manage to fully escape the leggings I now at least look like I've got jeans on, no one else needs to know it's an elasticated waist, right?

• Primark have some good jeggings in at the moment for less than £10 but I got mine from Sainsbury's TU range for £12.50. They do a range of colours and fit exactly how I wanted them to, high on the waist keeping my belly under control and still skinny on the leg without any bunching around the ankle.

• Get a quick drying top coat for your nails so that if your baby needs you suddenly, you can have your nails dried in a fraction of the time. 

• If your hair could do with a wash but you don't have the time, spray in some dry shampoo and try braiding it or tying it up in a cute bun. 

I think that about sums up everything I've managed to do to still find some 'me' time to fit around the hectic life of being a new mum! Let me know if you find any of these tips helpful or if you have any extra ones!

EDIT: I've just noticed that I've reached 100 followers on Bloglovin' and 150 on GFC, thank you to everyone who reads, I never thought I'd get even 20 people interested in my blog so it's great to have people commenting on here!

Oscar's Birth Story

Just in case any one was interested, I thought I'd pop Oscar's birth story up on the blog. Things have been so busy, I keep on wanting to sit down and write a post but then I end up getting distracted by one of many baby related tasks, cleaning the house or just generally being too tired to think straight!  You might want to grab a brew and a biscuit to prepare yourself for this, it is one epically long post! I'll forgive you if you just skip to the end ;-)

My due date was 25th May and I was pretty certain that the little man would not be making his arrival on this date. I was right and things didn't begin until 9 days later on 2nd June when I started getting mild contractions. They were really more like dull period cramps and not bothersome at all. When I went to bed that night I woke at about 2.30 am and I was starting to have slightly stronger contractions although still not anything that bothered me to any extent. I whipped out my phone as I'd installed a contraction timer app on it and started to monitor how frequently they were coming and for how long. I stayed awake for about 2.5 hours and they were coming every 7/8 minutes and lasting roughly one minute each. I was getting pretty excited at this point thinking that it might be the start of something. Sadly, it wasn't and they faded away when I got up in the morning and wandered around. I'd still have the odd one here and there but they were definitely not what you would call regular!

The next day on the 4th I was due a visit by the midwife to see how things were getting along. She told me that I was 2cm dilated and that she would book me in for an induction on 6th June if things hadn't moved along. She told me she didn't think that it would be likely that I would need the induction and that I would probably go in to established labour later on that evening.

Not long after she had left, I started noticing the contractions again. They begin to build throughout the day and by about 5pm they had started to become more uncomfortable. I tried to get some sleep but I was quite excited and found it hard to relax. By 10pm things were really starting to get pretty painful. I called the triage at about 11 to ask them when they thought I should come in as by this point my contractions were lasting between 45 seconds to 1 minute and coming every 5 minutes. They weren't very helpful and just told me to take some paracetamol and try and stay at home for as long as possible. Great.

After pacing around in considerable pain at this point, we decided (stupidly) to try and get some sleep at about 1am and head to the hospital for around 3am. This proved completely impossible as my contractions were really painful now and it was giving me the most horrendous back ache, my boyfriend had to massage the base of my spine every time I had one and they were causing me to cry out in pain, which is really not like me at all! I usually deal with things quietly so I knew that it was now time to head to the hospital.

Fortunately the hospital is literally 5 minutes away from our house and my hospital bag had been packed and ready to go for a good few weeks (after a scare I had a couple of weeks before where I was sent to hospital for a scan and thought I might need a C-Section because naughty baby was lying transverse which meant if my waters broke the cord could prolapse... Yikes.)

When we got there, we buzzed to be let in but no one was answering so we had to wander around to the other side of the hospital and buzz round there, not great when I'm huffing and puffing every few minutes!
We were shown to a room where I had my blood pressure taken and after about 25 minutes the midwife in charge that night came and examined me and told me I was 5cm dilated. This meant I could now get in the pool as I wanted a water birth and also use the gas and air.

The pool really helped relieve my contractions when I first got in, it was nice and relaxing and that coupled with the gas and air had me foolishly thinking "this isn't so bad now!" I managed to deal with about another hours worth of contractions until I decided to give up on the gas and air. I found it distracting trying to breath it in when I was contracting so I decided to go it alone. The next few hours are a blur of contractions and I don't remember all that much in huge detail due to being so tired at this point.

I remember looking at the clock at 5am and asking when I'd next be examined as I'd been having the urge to push for a while. The midwife who was in the room with me the whole time told me not until 6.30am which was so disappointing. My contractions were horribly painful at this point and she was urging me to try the gas and air again but I just found dealing with it on my own easier. I was making a massive racket every time I had a contraction which I was surprised at but that was pretty much my pain management!

At 5.30 my waters broke which was the weirdest feeling, I felt a pop but obviously didn't notice the water as I was in the pool. My belly noticeably deflated a little and although the midwife said my contractions would increase in intensity at this point, I actually found it a relief and a bit easier to deal with. At 6.30 I was examined and she told me I was fully dilated and ready to push. I tried pushing in the pool for about 45 minutes but kept on nearly falling asleep in between contractions due to the heat and I'd been told all the windows now had to be closed so it was warm enough for when baby made his entrance. This made the pool quite uncomfortable and it also seemed to slow down my contractions so I was told to get out of the pool to push.

After an hour and a half of pushing and getting nowhere, I was told to try the birthing stool and push on there. When the midwife did her routine 15 minute check on baba's heartbeat, after being 'perfect' throughout my entire labour, it was now really slow. She told the student midwife to pull the emergency cord immediately and within seconds, there were people rushing everywhere and telling me to get in a bed and they were going to wheel me down to the delivery suite to help get baby out. When I got down there, they checked on his heartbeat again and it had fortunately gone up but he'd pooped inside me meaning he was in distress.

The whole team were lovely and amazing and I felt really calm throughout because I knew that they would deliver him safely. They told me to push whenever I had the urge to and that they were going to use the ventouse to get him out. I was given a couple of injections of local anesthesia and unfortunately had to be cut so that they could get him out as quickly as possible. Within 2-3 pushes I first felt his head come out and with one final push little Oscar finally made his arrival at 8.26 am. He was checked over and then passed to me to give his first cuddle.

I have never been so tired in my whole life after finally giving birth, I'd been awake for 26 hours and I felt completely delirious at this point, I kept asking my boyfriend if everything was real, haha! I can't imagine what I would have been like had I had some drugs as I felt like I was in some weird dream world. After being abandoned in the delivery suite for about an hour whilst various people drifted in and out doing checks on me and Oscar, I was finally allowed to get up and have a shower and then I was wheeled back up to the ward to rest. My parents came and visited us and then I was asked if I'd like to go home later that evening. My answer was a definite yes please and after waiting around for a midwife to come and give Oscar his check ups, we were allowed to leave the hospital at 9pm.

Although the birth didn't go exactly as I had planned, I'm still really proud that I managed to do it (not that you really have much choice in the matter, they've got to come out at some point!) especially without any pain relief, although not that it makes it any less of an achievement if you had every drug going, it's whatever works best for you.

Ten days on, Oscar is absolutely amazing and he's been so good so far, he's a joy to have around. He's already developing his own little personality and I can't wait to see the little person that he's going to become.

Excuse the rather revealing shot of me, I just love that it's all of us together.

Little Oscar

Just a quick post to say that my little man finally made his arrival on the 5th June at 8.26 am and weighed 6lb 12 ounces and he's just perfect! After being undecided throughout my whole pregnancy what name we were going to pick, this one came totally out of the blue but we thought it really suited him, so Oscar he shall be!

 I'm currently recovering from the birth and we are getting used to our new little person and being a family instead of a couple. He's been a brilliant baby so far and everyone just adores him!

I'll be back posting on my blog normally within the next 2 weeks, I just thought I'd let you know where I've been and why  I've not replied to some comments and why I'll be around a bit less than usual!

H&M MAMA Maternity Range

Hey everyone, 

I hope you're enjoying your weekends so far! It's a shame it's been so rainy, where is Spring? 

As of today, I'm now 30 weeks into my pregnancy and that means only 10 weeks until baby's arrival, I can't believe how quick time is flying by!

It also means that not many none of my pre-pregnancy clothes are really an option anymore. I had to say goodbye to most of them fairly early on as they included lots of skirts/playsuits which would sadly not accommodate a growing belly.

I worried at first that I wouldn't be able to find anything nice to wear and I'd be stuck wearing the same clothes over and over again. Most shops on the High Street don't stock maternity wear in-store making it difficult to know what size you'll need to purchase to fit your expanding bump and also having to rely on pictures online to see what items are available to you.

Then, I stumbled upon H&M's MAMA Maternity range. It was hidden among the children's clothes; a part of the store I'd never normally pay any attention to but a kind sales assistant pointed me in the right direction.

They sell a varied selection of styles ranging from the everyday essentials such as tights and underwear through to party dresses and jackets.

I've found them to be an absolute saviour so far throughout my pregnancy, they are affordable but most importantly I actually feel like myself when wearing them. None of the clothes feel frumpy or unfashionable so I can go out feeling good about myself when I'm missing my old wardrobe.

I've so far purchased quite a few tops to dress up my leggings in size 'S' (which was my usual size beforehand) and the maternity range is true to size and have fit me well from the earlier weeks through to now and I feel there's more room for expansion too. I've also purchased the coat pictured above which is lovely and goes well with all of my outfits fitting me flatteringly without being baggy or shapeless. Plus, the tights are absolutely amazing and are so comfy, enabling me to finally wear a skirt again!

I haven't actually tried any of their jeans/leggings as they seem to be quite popular in store and don't usually have my size plus my mum had already grabbed me a few from other places.

My only complaint with H&M is that they are sometimes inconsistent with what you can purchase online and what you can in the store - sometimes even different stores have different items meaning I have to go on a mini hunt to find the item I want. I grabbed a lovely top in the sale the other day for £5 but I'd never seen it on the site prior to picking it up, which I definitely would have!

Most items vary from around £6 for the basic tops, £12-£15 for the dresses or more fancy tops and £25 to £30 for the pants/coat.

I just thought I'd pop up a quick review as I found it hard to find any decent reviews or recommendations online for good maternity wear and I thought it might be helpful for any expectant or future mums.

What do you think of H&M? Do you enjoy their normal range or have you tried anything from MAMA?

27 Week Update

Hello!

This week has flown by yet again! This is now the last week of my 2nd trimester and I have 90 days until my due date. I have to say I'm definitely looking forward to May, firstly so that I can meet the little one and also so that hopefully it'll be warmer and sunnier and I can whip out my summer clothes which I'm naively hoping I'll be able to fit into...

The nursery furniture arrived on Wednesday this week, I got a call the week before telling me I'd be sent a text with the delivery slot on - it turned out to be between 7 am and 10.30 am so no lie-in for me on my day off! The delivery man called me at 9 and told me that he'd be there in "5 to ten minutes" but not before he'd managed to tell his mate how much he "desperately needed a sh*t" ?! He called me and then seemed surprised that I'd answered the phone haha! He didn't turn up until about 9.45 either, wonder why...
I then went to Mamas and Papas with my mum, I think she's going to move in there soon. She had been sent some vouchers so we got a few little bits for baba which are adorable.

This week baby is now the size of a cauliflower which is unfortunate as I absolutely despise cauliflower haha! He has been very active this week and spends most of his days wriggling around all though some days are quieter than others and I wonder where he's gone. He usually makes up for it in the evening though. He is now sleeping and waking at regular intervals and can even suck on his fingers. His brain is also very active and he can apparently dream now! I wonder what of? It can't be too interesting in there.

I've slept quite well this week although I do have to turn over quite frequently as my hips tend to ache if I lie on one side for too long. He also seemed to get into a really uncomfortable position on Friday night and I felt as if someone had pushed all my insides up against my ribs (I suppose they have...) and I felt and looked huge! He moved after about 30 mins though, much to my relief.

Nath has finished off painting the nursery this week so it's all ready for the furniture to be assembled in, yay! It's also going to be Nathan's birthday this week so I think we're going to go out for a meal to celebrate and I'm going to bake him some treat of some sort, it's too close to payday to do anything too much so it's only going to be a simple day.

What are your plans for this week?

26 Week Update

Whoops, I'm a bit late with this one, it should really be named 26.5 week update but never mind. I just woke up on Saturday feeling really tired and uncomfortable and felt that way for the rest of the day, so didn't really feel like slapping on makeup and photo suitable clothes for a bump snap.
Plus, Nathan was decorating the nursery all weekend and so he was kind of tied up with that...
Last week was pretty busy, we had Valentine's Day,my midwife appointment AND decorating plus the usual work during the week.

On Valentine's Day we had the midwife appointment in the afternoon which was super quick and we got to hear baby's heartbeat for the first time since the 16 week appointment. I can't believe how fast it is! So cute. The only other thing she did was take my blood pressure! I thought there'd be regular blood taking and weighing, but apparently not. I'm booked in for 3 weeks time and that's when I'll be having the whooping cough jab, lucky me.
In the evening, we had a quiet evening of a meal and I got to pick the film to watch (I felt honoured, as any sort of "girly" film is usually a no-go) so we watched the Lake House, which I've seen before and thought was pretty good. I didn't want to pick anything too girly after all.

Then as I said, the nursery was decorated over the weekend. I started off trying to paint the door but the gloss fumes are disgusting and it was taking me ages to paint even one bit of it, so I gave up on that. Then I tried painting the nursery walls but my back started hurting and I had to sit down and sort of never got up again... Yes, I'm lazy but I think being pregnant is a good excuse too ;-) We've gone for a colour named "Willow Sage" which is a lovely pale green colour, we wanted something neutral but bright and that's exactly what we've got. There's still a couple of bits need painting in there but they'll be finished off this weekend!

Apparently, this week baby's eyes are formed and he has even got blue irises which will remain that colour until a few months after birth. He can also detect light now, so if I were to shine a light on my belly, he could react to it. He's now the size of a"English hothouse cucumber"?! I've never heard of anything other than a regular cucumber, intriguing. He's also grown accustomed to the sounds of my heartbeat, digestion and "other bodily functions" how delightful for him.

That's pretty much it for this week, I'll probably pop up a bump picture at some point on this post but sadly I don't have any photographer at the moment, so a cucumber will have to do for now.

Just found this image after a quick Google search, credit to Cookin' Cowgirl

25 Week Update

Hello!

I decided to reformat my update post a bit as it felt a bit boring and not very personal so I'm just gonna go with the flow and write whatever I fancy really.

So this week we were introduced to the new phenomenon dubbed "Thundersnow" as we had some epic mixture of thunder, lightning, hail, rain AND snow all in one crazy storm. It was only for about 15 minutes but it was pretty impressive!

This week has gone pretty quickly fortunately and I should be finishing work in 7 weeks, whoopee. I only work 4 days a week anyway but I'm definitely looking forward to finishing! It's not a fulfilling job and was only meant to be a filler before I could get something better but then I got pregnant and my options got frittered away. I'm hoping to be a stay at home mum for the first 2-3 years if money permits.

I've had a little bit of heartburn in the evenings this week but nothing major. I've also had a LOT more kicking from the little guy, which I find quite amusing. It's much more frequent throughout the day and he loves doing it at night when I've just got into bed. I got a little worried on Tuesday evening when I had a bit of pain lower down but it sorted itself out. It made me realise just how much I'm looking forward to meeting him and being his mum and I feel lucky just to feel his little kicks even when they are aimed right at my bladder!

My phone app informs me that baby is now 660g which equates to about 1.5lbs! If I could see into my uterus I could potentially see what colour hair he has and he has also formed fingerprints which makes him seem all the more like a little person. I can definitely tell my belly has grown this week (as you'd expect) and I'm still keeping an eye out for any squiggly little blighters making their debut appearance but I'm in the clear at the moment...

Why do I always look like a confused hunchback in full length pictures? Sigh.

I went round to my parents with Nathan on Thursday evening as I'd stupidly left my laptop charger there the day before. However, that meant he finally had the chance to see all the purchases for the baby. We'd been storing them at my parents as they have more space round there and also because I'd bought most of the stuff whilst on my day off. Nathan had helped pick it all but he hadn't seen any of it in person. I think he was quite surprised to see how much we've actually acquired, we've got most of it sorted now! The furniture has been ordered and due for delivery at the end of this month, we bought the paint together and now all we need are a few finishing touches.

This weekend has been pretty quiet, it was my Dad's birthday today so we went out for a couple of hours to celebrate.
I'm also liking how the evenings are getting steadily brighter, it reminds me that Spring is on it's way and I can hopefully put the bargain maternity dress I snaffled off eBay earlier this week into action as it's a bit too summery for the weather we have at the moment!
We're not doing anything fancy for Valentines Day this year, not that we have done in previous years but just a home-cooked meal and a film I think. Plus we have the 25 week midwife appointment on the same day, so that'll be quite nice. It's funny, we had the 12 week scan on our anniversary as well!

PS. I just had to retype this whole bloody post as I decided to change the picture and accidentally deleted the whole thing!! GRR. Fortunately, I had the preview on another tab so it wasn't too hard to rewrite but still extremely annoying...

PPS. I just found the draft saved that I thought I had deleted... great. Oh well, at least I got to give it a good proof-read and change a few things!

24 Week Update

How far along?  24 Weeks - 6 months!

Total weight gain/measurements: About 14lbs now, it's hard to tell though because I don't own a pair of scales & have to use the ones at my parents when I remember, but I think I'm on track anyway.

Maternity clothes: Yep, I basically live in my maternity leggings because they are so comfy, I have them in grey & black, I just wish they did more colours! I did get a pair of maternity jeans too but I don't really like the fit of them all that much.

Stretch marks: After last week saying I did, it turns out it was actually just some mark on my skin & I'm currently stretch mark free, we'll see how long that lasts for!

Sleep: Not the best this week, I woke up on Tues night/Wed morning with horrible heartburn & was awake for nearly three hours. Thank god for the Kindle app on my phone, so I could download some cheap entertainment. Been waking up most nights from vivid dreams but have fortunately managed to get back to sleep relatively quickly.

Best moment this week: Visiting my parents & getting to see all of the stuff we've ordered in person.

Miss anything? Nope,not really.

Movement: Same as last week really, his movements are getting stronger & more frequent but I've yet to see any foot marks through my belly! Haha.

Food cravings: None this week really, it's not something that's really affected me all that much so far, although I hear the last month is the worst for it! 

Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope, well, I'm trying to avoid extra fatty foods/fizzy drinks especially late at night as that's what happened the night I got my heartburn & I want to try and avoid it at all costs. I was exceptionally lucky to not get any morning sickness and was hugely grateful as I absolutely cannot stand feeling or being sick, it's my biggest phobia.

Gender:  Boy!

Labour signs: Nope!

Symptoms: Heartburn, that's the main one for this week really. All others remain the same.

Happy or moody most of the time: Happy! I'm happy now I'm at 6 months so now if anything were to happen, he has a chance at survival.

Looking forward to: My 25 week midwife appointment, on Valentines Day no less! I want to hear his little heartbeat.

Bumpdate

Hello!

I've managed to snaffle a spare camera that my Dad had lying around when I went to my parents today & used my sister's skills to take the first picture of the bump!

I'll aim to post one weekly but I'm not sure I'll be doing any full on belly reveals anytime soon... but this'll do for now :)

I know I look slightly dazed here but I'm not one for having my picture taken frequently, hopefully I'll become more photogenic as time goes on!

I also popped out with my mum to buy a maternity support band as I've been getting back & pelvic pain when I'm stood up for a while but sadly they didn't have the one I wanted in stock so I had to make do with these adorable purchases for the little one instead:

 I'm obsessed with dinosaurs and I think that his nursery is going to end up with quite a few dinosaur themed items in it...

And how cute are these?! They were in the sale and although he won't be able to wear them until he's a bit older, I couldn't help but snap them up.

23 Week Update

Hellooo,

So, I thought I'd start doing weekly updates so I can look back on them. I've taken inspiration from here for my posts as I always enjoyed reading them & you can see how each one changed every week :) I'd post a picture of myself but I don't have great lighting in my house at the moment & also no decent camera! I'll try and get one sorted.

A few things we've picked up so far!

How far along?  23 Weeks

Total weight gain/measurements: About 11lbs since I found out I was pregnant.

Maternity clothes: Went out to Mamas & Papas with my mum on my day off and she treated me to this cute little wrap around top which is also suitable for nursing.

Stretch marks: Yes! Sadly, one has just appeared this past week, it’s only a small one on the left side of my belly but I’m still not happy! I did suffer really badly with stretch marks though when I gained 3 stone a few years ago and when I hit puberty, so I shouldn't be too surprised I guess!

Sleep: Not too bad this week actually, although since I found out I was pregnant I think I've only had like 2/3 uninterrupted nights sleep :( I've been having horribly vivid dreams that wake me up and I can’t get back to sleep for ages afterwards and have had to read to get back to sleep. 

Best moment this week: Getting our pram at an even bigger discount than it was on offer for!It was meant to be in a bundle with a car seat, adapters, footmuff & changing bag for £399 but when we went back to get it the next day, they'd all sold out so gave us the display pram that had only been out one week for £120 less! Bargain :)

Miss anything? Not really, I sometimes miss some of my pre-pregnancy clothes but that’s about it. 

Movement: Yeah, he’s gotten quite active this week and I can feel him frequently throughout the day. Nathan can feel him moving now as well, so that’s nice :)

Food cravings: I really wanted prawns the other day &I don’t even like them! It passed though & now I just want Malteaser bunnies, but I don’t think that’s got anything to do with being pregnant ;)

Anything making you queasy or sick? I don’t like fried eggs anymore, but they don’t really make me feel queasy.

Gender:  Boy!

Labour signs: Nope!

Symptoms: More movement, a growing belly, stretch mark(s). I'm going to have to buy Bio Oil as I used it a few years ago and it was a miracle worker! My skin’s really dry so I have to use a pretty heavy duty moisturiser. I've also had some “toilet issues” to phrase it nicely, but let’s not go into any more detail than is needed with that one!

Happy or moody most of the time: Happy this week, I've enjoyed spending lots of time searching for things for him :)

Looking forward to: Seeing the Moses basket that we ordered & the new changing bag from Next (that matches the pram) We did get one free with the pram offer but I couldn't resist this one because it's more girly. They're waiting at my parents for me, yay! Hopefully we can order the furniture this week too.

We're having...

A BOY! 

I had been meaning to start posting on this blog for a while, especially following my pregnancy, but even though all was well at the 12 week scan I didn't feel comfortable writing about anything until I knew he'd been checked out for more serious issues.

I had been counting down to this scan for so long and could not wait to find out. After being convinced earlier on in pregnancy that I was having a boy, I changed my mind a few weeks ago and became dead set that baba in there was a girl. I even had dreams convincing me and started referring to him as a "she" in my head, despite literally everyone else I know telling me that I was definitely having a boy.

So, today after anxiously waiting until the end of the scan I was told I had a little boy inside me and I was definitely surprised but not disappointed.

After coming from a family that consisted of my parents, me and my little sister and even the cat being a female, I was a little dubious about how I'd find a little boy who likes, well you know, boy stuff. But I've already spotted cute little dinosaur themed items and Nathan is looking forward to having a little son he can hopefully share his football love with.

So now I'm counting down until his due date of May 25th. I'm pretty sure I'm going to go overdue and keep imagining his actual date will be the 7th June, but I failed miserably on predicting his gender so who knows when he'll turn up!

This scan picture is actually of him at the 12 week dating scan, it's much better than the one that we got today that was really only of his face and he kind of looks more like a melon than a baby...