My Surprise Baby Shower

 On Tuesday me and Sam went shopping in Southampton to get bubba some bits and were then planning on going to the cinema. Or so I thought ha ha. When we came back from shopping my friends were all hiding in my conservatory to throw me a surprise baby shower! It was amazing!

I literally had NO idea it was going to happen and can't believe that Sam, my Mum, Dad and brother were all in on it too ha ha. It was such a nice surprise and I'm so happy I got to have a baby shower, as I was worried I wouldn't as I was only home for a short time.

The girls planned it sooo well and got me such lovely presents.

They were so generous and there was a lot to open, including lots of lovely baby clothes, some cute baby booties, a very handy bag of goodies (mainly nipple pads and cream ha ha - sexy) to take to the hospital with me, an amazing little bracelet for baby to wear, a clay mould to imprint baby's handprints and footprints which is so cool, a book of messages to baby from all the girls, a babygrow that the girls all signed with messages which is so lovely, and a cake made out of nappies and scratch mittens which is so impressive!

Everyone put so much thought and effort into the gifts and I can't thank them enough :-) love my babes!

They also got me a lovely necklace and some socks that say "Bestest Mummy Ever" ha ha, love it! So I didn't feel left out he he.

We played the BEST party games - pass the parcel, guess the baby (where everyone brought a baby photo and we had to guess who was who), a celebrity baby name quiz and my favourite - pin the sperm on the egg! Ha ha. And I'm pleased to say I lost them all - standard! I'm no wiser in almost motherhood ha ha.

It was SUCH a good evening and I feel so lucky to have such lovely friends :-) and I'll make sure bubba knows what amazing aunties she has when she pops out!

See you soon!!

xx

Bump Update: Week 26

As promised here is my second post of the day! Please forgive me for my rubbish-ness the last few days now? :-) ha ha.

It's a few days late but here is my Bump Update! My Mum said this morning she thinks my bump has grown the last week, what do you reckon? I haven't noticed as much as some weeks, but I have had some growing pains so maybe it has :-)

How far along? 26 weeks and 3 days! 

Total weight gain: Well according to my Mum bump has gained weight this week, but I don't think it's been as noticeable as some weeks. And I was so chuffed the other day because me and Sam went shopping and I fitted into an XS coat! Ha ha oooh yeah. It doesn't matter that it was quite a baggy coat ;-)

Maternity clothes? I've been loving my maternity clothes this week. I did a post on my Must Have Maternity Trousers  the other day and I've basically been living in them, along with a few maternity tops and jumpers (I'll do a post on them soon) and some non-maternity, but very baggy, tops and jumpers. Maternity clothes are sooo comfy! Love them.

    Sleep: I'm back in my childhood/teenagehood bed for the week while I'm back in Bournemouth on holiday, so usually this would mean some great nights sleeps... but sadly it's not meant to be ha ha. For some reason my bedroom has been attracting wildlife and I feel like I'm sleeping in a jungle - me and Sam have been fighting so many flies and moths at 1am! I've also been a bit poorly the last few days so I've had a couple of broken nights sleeps, but I'm off work at the moment (praise the Lord) so I'm making up for it with massive lie-ins :-)

Best moment this week: Oohhh this is an easy one! My bestest friends in the world threw me a surprise baby shower Tuesday evening and it was amazing! It was SUCH a fun night and I didn't expect it at all. I'll definitely do a post on it soon to show you all my goodies and the hilarious games we played :-)

Food cravings: Oh my God I've got a crazy one for you. I've gone from gagging at the smell of coffee to actually REALLY wanting to drink it now! What the hell is that about?! I have to have it one third milk ha ha and with three sugars, but still. Mmmm loving it! Apart from that it's still the same old zero cravings and hating chicken.

Anything making you queasy or sick? Chicken! Although I did eat a KFC the other day which was amaaaaazing. But it's more chicken breast without breadcrumbs (in other words real chicken) that makes me sick. Bleugh.

Gender: Little girly!

Labour signs: No.

Symptoms: My energy has disappeared the last few days but I think that's down to having a cold, and the other day I had really bad sickness. I thought I was going to faint and had to go sit down outside with a sick bucket (grose - sorry ha ha). It was so cute though because my dog got all worried about me and came and sat with me, whining and shaking! Bless her. She's so cute.

Belly button in or out? The belly button saga continues this week, and it's now gone from a levelly to a half-outty-half-levelly! Ha ha. The top half is now a definite outty, but the bottom half is still level. Did anyone else have this freakishness?! It's so strange! Ha ha.

Happy or moody most of the time: Apart from being moody when I'm tired I've been very happy this week! Mainly because I'm LOVING being home and having time off work with Sam :-) I'm going to be so sad to leave Bournemouth tomorrow though :( :( :(

Looking forward to: As much as I don't want to leave Bournemouth I am looking forward to going back to London to stay with Sam's Mum for a few days tomorrow, but I'm sooooo dreading going back to work on Monday. I'm trying not to think about it too much though. But it's going to be horrendous. Wahhhhh. Hopefully time goes slowly for me the next few days :-)

Sorry again for the Bump Update not being on a Tuesday like it normally is, I'll get my act together now! And at least it's only a few days to go until the next update now ha ha. I love writing these so that makes me happy!

See you soon!!

xx

My Must-Have Maternity Trousers

(This is me, Sam and my dog, Bonnie at a dog show ha ha - it's the only photo I have of me in these trousers!)

When I found out I was pregnant my aim was to buy as little maternity clothing as possible so that I wasn't wasting money on clothes I would only use for a few months. Buying tops, dresses and jumpers in a bigger size than normal has worked really well for me so far, and as I'm a fan of the baggy-look I know I'll still be able to get use out of most of them after I've birthed my bubba ha ha. The jumper I'm wearing in the photo above is from Asos and isn't maternity, just a size L ha ha, and it fits me and bump fine.

However buying maternity trousers and leggings seems unavoidable, so it's key to invest in some good 'uns!

I have two pairs of maternity jeans that I've mentioned in previous posts, both from Asos, which I would highly recommend, and owning maternity trousers that are versatile and can be worn with a variety of tops and jackets is very useful. However I'm a fan of mixing things up a bit, so my 'must have' maternity trousers are neither of those ha ha.

The ones in the photo above are amazing! They're not your average trousers, and if you've read my blog before you'll know how much of a fan I am of tartan and check. So it's no wonder these are up there for me.

They're from Topshop and cost £28, so not the cheapest. But they're so comfortable and a really nice material!

I plan on wearing these with a variety of knitted jumpers and baggy t-shirts, and they'll look great with boots, t-bar shoes, sandals or loafers. I paired them with these shoes from Asos when I wore them the other day, and I love how they look together. So they're easier to work with than you might think. And I just think they make me feel less frumpy and written off as a baby-carrying machine, and more young, fashionable and still worthy of good clothes ha ha!

My other favourite maternity trousers are these Wet Look leggings from New Look, although you can't tell they're Wet Look in this picture - sorry about that!

Again I've worn a non-maternity jumper, this time from Primarni. Otherwise known as Primark :-) and I'm really loving it. I bought it in a size 12 (I'm an 8-10 pre-pregnancy) and it fits like a dream - it covers my bump nicely and the sleeves aren't too long. Can you tell I like check? Ha ha.

But back to the leggings ;-)

These are great because being black, they go with almost everything. But the Wet Look spruces them up a bit and again makes me feel like I'm still worthy of nice clothes :-)

On New Look's website they describe these as Leather Look but personally I would say they're Wet Look. They're not as thick or matte as some pre-pregnancy Leather Look trousers I own, so don't expect something leathery if that's what you're hoping for with these, but I still love them.

I can already tell I'm going to get loads of use out of them, and although they're not AS comfy as the check trousers they're still really comfortable as well as being tight and flattering :-)

So if you're after some maternity trousers that are less run-of-the-mill than your average ones but still comfortable and wearable, I would highly recommend these two! And I'm going to try and resist the urge to buy any more and just wear these, along with my maternity jeans, until bubba arrives. But I'll let you know how that works out for me ha ha. I seem to have a bit of a spending addiction!

See you soon!!

xx

Bump Update: Week 25

I'm sorry for my disgusting face ha ha, it's 10pm at night and I can't be pooped to do my make up properly, so here is my hideousness on the internet for everyone to see ha ha!

I'm also sorry for the mess surrounding me ha ha! Me and Sam are living out of suitcases while we're back in England :-) we flew to London from Gibraltar last night and I'm sooo happy to be back! This is in Sam's sister's room where we're crashing for the next couple of nights, before we go to Bournemouth - my hometown! Wahoooo.

How far along? 25 weeks and 1 day! 

Total weight gain: I'm pretty sure my bump's grown since last week!! I'm starting to feel like a beach whale, and huffing and puffing when I bend down ha ha! And I feel like it's about to grow more as well - it feels all tight like it's about to pop!

Maternity clothes? I'm wearing maternity jeans here! I've worn them all of today and they're soooo amazing! They look like normal jeans and they're mega comfy :-) I think I'll wear them even when I'm not pregnant ha ha. I got them from Asos a few months ago and I can't find them on their website anymore, but I also got these ones (if you're interested) which are now in the sale! God dammit ha ha.

    Sleep: OH MY GOD I SLEPT SO GOOD LAST NIGHT! I can't explain how amazing it was not to wake up to an alarm. It was the first time in over a month! As we're back in England now (WAHOOOO) I got to sleep with a proper duvet which I love more than anything! It's so cosy and lovely :-) I can't wait to go back to bed again tonight ha ha.

Best moment this week: Touching down in London town! I've missed England sooo much and I'm so, so, so happy to be back! Even if it is only for two weeks :-)

Food cravings: Still zero! Apart from loving ice-cream (even here, so I can't use the heat as an excuse ha ha). But it's not like I NEED to have it, I just wouldn't turn it down ha ha. And I could easily eat 10 in a row... :-D

Anything making you queasy or sick? Same old really! Tea and coffee is still a big no. And chicken, as per! They're the main ones that I can't stand the thought of!

Gender: Girllyyyyy. It better be anyway after the amount of pink me and Sam bought in Primark today ha ha! I think we left the baby girl section empty!

Labour signs: No.

Symptoms: My sickness has come back this week :-( which sucks! Yesterday it was one of the worst it's been the whole pregnancy, and I was sick on the plane which was horrible! 

Belly button in or out? I'm pretty sure it's about to pop to become an outy any day now! But for now it's still a weird levelly, and I think you can see it a bit in the pictures ha ha. Freaaaaaky!

Happy or moody most of the time: HAPPY CHAPPY :-) I'm just so glad to be back home and having two weeks off work with Sam! What's there to be moody about? :-)

Looking forward to: SO MUCH! Me and Sam are going to London shopping tomorrow which is my favourite thing ever! And we're also having lunch with my cousin and his wife and I can't wait to see them :-) and then Thursday seeing my family and friends back in Bournemouth - eeeeee it's gonna be a great few days!

Sorry this bump update's going up a bit late in the day, but it's been a hectic one! I'll be more punctual next week ha ha I promise :-)

See you soon!!

xx

Surviving A Full Time Job Whilst Pregnant

There are no two ways about it, being pregnant is hard work. Combine that will a full-time job and it’s exhausting! But I have found a few things that help me make it to 5 o'clock alive (sometimes half 8 in the evening, boo-hoo. Just having a moment of self pity).

An easy hairstyle

This might sound weird ha ha, but it’s the first thing I thought of, as an easy hairstyle means longer in bed in the mornings! And I will do literally ANYTHING to avoid waking up in the morning ha ha. I've even mastered a leg lock to trap Sam in bed so he doesn't wake me up by getting up ha ha ha. My make-up takes me ages and there’s no getting around that because I'm obsessed with it being just right. But there are quick hair-dos that still look smart for work.

My favourite has got to be having my hair down and wavy, as it literally takes five minutes. I wash my hair every other day, but since I've been pregnant I've changed it to every other night – it’s all about the longer sleep ha ha. Once it’s washed and lovely and clean I put it into two plaits (still wet) and sleep on it overnight.

I'm blessed with a natural frizz to my hair – thanks Dad – so when I first wake up I do look a mess ha ha. But after a quick rub of Frizz Ease hair oil and a blast of salt spray my waves are tamed and shiny! DONE. I also have to quickly straighten my weird, grown-out fringe if it’s playing up as well, but that’s only another 20 seconds. I can handle that.

Some more of my favourites are a fishtail plait, low ponytail and half-up-half-down (very technical name) if I'm having a bad hair day!

Post-it notes

I can’t explain to you the number of post-it notes I get through a day ha ha. My memory was pretty horrendous before I got pregnant, but since I've started growing a baby inside my belly my brain has disappeared! So if anyone tells me ANYTHING, it goes on a post-it note and is plastered to my computer screen.

Until the air con comes on and blows them all down. Ha ha.

I also write it down in my notebook (loser) and sometimes on my hand as well for good measure.

P.s if you have bad morning sickness don’t do what I did and get scented ones ha ha. What a mistake to make.

Snacks, snacks and even more snacks

If there’s one thing I love more than sleep, it’s snacking! Especially now I'm suffering from energy loss. During my first trimester I was soooo tired all the time that I needed regular food just for energy purposes even if I wasn't hungry, and if I hadn't eaten for two hours I suddenly transformed into an ogre with anger issues. I once ripped open a Nutri-Grain bar with my teeth rather than my hands like a normal person would, because I couldn't get it open quick enough. While grunting and grrr-ing like a crazed lunatic. SEXY!

So it’s safer for everyone in the office if I keep a stash of snacks nearby at all times ha ha.

My favourite ones to keep handy are Oat So Simple porridge sachets, because they’re so easy to carry around and so easy to make! You just empty the sachet into a bowl, fill up the sachet with milk and pour that into the bowl, and then put the mixture into the microwave for two minutes. (And then add sugar if you have a sweet tooth like me ha ha).

If you don’t have access to bowls, microwaves or milk, another of my favourites are Kellog's Nutri-Grain bars, if you hadn’t already guessed! They’re really filling compared to a chocolate bar or crisps and much healthier, so I feel less guilty eating 20 a day :-)

Nap time

There’s a bit of a theme forming here – I love sleep and food ha ha. But naps are AMAZING. I don’t always have time for an after-work nap but when I do I feel a THOUSAND times better.

If you’re one of those who claim they can’t physically nap, even just lying down with my eyes shut listening to music or lying on the sofa reading a book after work does wanders. It helps my mind relax and I feel so much better afterwards, and then I can get on with my evening and not spend it feeling tired and miserable after a stressful day in the office!

Take beauty products to work

This might be another one that sounds random, but when I feel like I look tired (does that make sense?) I feel even worse! I might be tired on the inside but I don’t want everyone commentating on how tired I look on the outside as well!

I always make sure I have the following on me at work, which I slip up my sleeve or into my pocket and take to the toilets with me when I’m feeling like I need a beauty boost:

I just feel more awake once I’ve touched up my lips and eyes, and I feel like I can carry on kicking work in the butt.

Travel toothbrush and toothpaste

Morning sickness is the absolute worst, but when you’re suffering from it at work it’s beyond horrendous! I really feel for you if you’re suffering with this at the moment. I had super bad sickness which lasted up until around 18 weeks (don’t believe the lies people tell you that it ends at 12 weeks) and I still occasionally suffer now. And I was always so paranoid that I stunk of sick after I came out the loos! Delicious.

But if you keep a travel toothbrush and toothpaste on you, you can slip that up your sleeve and make a dash for the toilets, and come out smelling fresher than ever!

Last but not least…

Make sure you know where the nearest available toilet is at all times! Ha ha.

Even if you’re not suffering from “morning” sickness, you’re bladder is only going to get weaker I'm afraid, and when you gotta go you gotta go. Enough said :-)

Sorry this was a HUGE post, but as you can see I feel very strongly about trying to survive work at the moment ha ha. Thank God for holiday days :-)

See you soon!!

xx

Bump Update: Week 24

I took these pictures this morning before I went to the water park for Sam's younger brother's birthday, so sorry for the bikini and barely any make-up look ha ha! But I was in a bit of a rush :-)

For some reason I feel like my bump looks smaller in this week's pictures than in last weeks's! But in real life (lol) I feel like it's grown! Ca-razy shenanigans! Ha ha.

How far along? 24 weeks and 1 day! 

Total weight gain: Even though I definitely feel like bump's grown and I'm getting more uncomfortable (anyone who's 40 weeks pregnant please don't kill me for saying that already ha ha) I don't think it's as drastic as the growth from week 22 to week 23! Although I read that baby's about to have a growth spurt, so I could be a whale in next week's update ha ha!

Maternity clothes? No new stuff! I'm waiting 'till I'm back in England in SIX DAYS - woop woop - before I purchase any other clothes :-)

    Sleep: Hmmm mixed reviews!! I've been sleeping much better than last week, but stomach acid, the heat, and my weak-ass bladder has kept me up a few nights! But much better overall :-)

Best moment this week: OH MY GOD HAVING A DAY OFF WORK. Praise the Lord! I finished my ten day stretch working (HORRID) on Friday, so having the weekend, Monday and today off has been amaaaaaazing. Dreading the 7am alarm tomorrow though ha ha.

Food cravings: None I don't think! I love ice lollies at the moment and I find it difficult to have one and stop ha ha! But I think that's just because it's so hot here. But my appetite is still gone at the moment so I'm not eating loads, not sure why.

Anything making you queasy or sick? It's more the thought of certain foods than smells that make me feel queasy now. Just thinking of having one sip of tea makes me want to throw up ha ha! And I used to love tea - booooo. Also the thought of chicken and alcohol makes me feel ill, as it has done for the last few weeks.

Gender: Bubba girl!

Labour signs: No ha.

Symptoms: Feeling too full to eat all the time, sore nose (who knows), a bit moody ha ha and stomach acid BIG TIME. Those are the main ones this week :-)

Belly button in or out? Still a weird levelly!! I think it's about to pop out any day now. I'm still fascinated by it and staring at it all the time ha ha, it's so freaky!

Happy or moody most of the time: Bit moody this week ha ha. I think the lack of sleep got to me and I've been a bit homesick! But yesterday I laughed more than I have in ages so still a happy chappy :-) and I love going into bubba's room and looking at all the little clothes when I feel a bit down! Can't wait for her to be here :-)

Looking forward to: Finishing work on Sunday and knowing I don't have to go back for two whole weeks! Can I get a woop woop?!

I love writing these updates so much, and I think they'll be so nice to look back at! I also love reading them, so link to yours in the comments if you do them too, and I'll definitely have a nose :-)

See you soon!!

xx

Bump Update: Week 23

I've been sooo looking forward to doing this week's Bump Update because I feel like loads more has happened this week than previous weeks, so I couldn't wait to blog about it all :-)

When I compare these pictures to last week's bump update I can see how much my bump has grown in just a week! It's mental-ness!

P.s sorry about the really nice bin next to me ha ha!

How far along? 23 weeks and 1 day! 

Total weight gain: Like you guys know I don't actually own scales ha ha, so I won't know this answer unless the midwife weighs/measures me, but you can see my bump has grown SO MUCH! It's crazy haha. Bubba's definitely had a growth spurt this last week and I'm loving it! I actually look pregnant now rather than the awkward stage when people can't really tell ha ha.

Maternity clothes? I'm going back to Bournemouth (in the South of England) where my mamma, dad and brother all live in around 2 weeks - MASSIVE YAY. Literally can't wait! So I ordered a few bits online to my Mum and Dad's house ready for when I arrive :-) I mostly got tops in a bigger size than normal, and one pair of maternity leather-look leggings I think - literally can't WAIT for those! But I'll do a haul when I'm back and show you all :-)

    Sleep: Urgh don't even talk to me about sleep ha ha. It's sooo hot here at the moment so I'm stupidly uncomfortable at night. Plus needing to wee a million times a night, having a growing bump, and the fact I'm in the middle of working 10 days straight (currently on day 7 and dying), I'm sooo desperate to have a lie-in. But only 3 more days to go until I get one... please hurry up... ha ha.

Best moment this week: Hmmmm my best moment this week was probably when Sam drew me this really cute picture of me, him and our future bubba and put it under the toilet door when I was in there hahaha. It was so cute and funny!

Food cravings: None at all, and I've pretty much gone off food!! I don't know if it's because baby is squashing my stomach but I just haven't been that hungry this week. Normally I want to stuff my face all day long ha ha!

Anything making you queasy or sick? Still chicken, unless it has breadcrumbs on! Ha ha. The smell of coffee is disgusting and the thought of drinking red wine makes me feel soooo ill, but I have no idea why!

Gender: Girlyyyy :-D woop woop!

Labour signs: No thank you :-)

Symptoms: Massive belly! And I've been having the most vivid but freakishly weird dreams ever! Last night I dreampt that I had a really bad nose bleed at work but I wasn't allowed to go home hahaha but it was really morbid and grose! Freaked me out ha ha. I've actually been having small nosebleeds all the way through pregnancy (and a constant cold) which might explain the dream!! And bleeding gums which is horrible. Ermmm... many, many wees ha ha. Loads of really attractive things HA. Poor Sam!! 

Belly button in or out? Oh my God it's sooo wierd! I don't have an inny or an outy - it's sort of levelled out to blend in with the rest of my skin hahaha. I've got a levelly! It's one of those things I really don't wanna look at but I can't help it - I'm constantly staring at it!

Happy or moody most of the time: I've been stressed at work! But overall super happy! I even had a FUN Morrisons shop today which never happens, it's my worst thing to do ha ha.

Looking forward to: Having the weekend off in 3 days time!! I hardly ever get a whole weekend off work, but I booked this one off because Sam's younger brother and sister are staying with us :-) so if anyone has any ideas of how to entertain a 14 year old and almost 13 year old then please let me know!! Ha ha.

I hope you enjoyed reading this because I'm really loving writing them! :-) let me know if you did or not!

See you soon!!

xx

Overcoming Pregnancy Problems: Weight Gain Worries

From Flat to Fat ;-)

Before I got pregnant I was never bigger than a size 8 or 10 (UK size), partly down to my Mamma's genes and partly down to not letting myself get any bigger than that. So going from caring a lot about having a flat stomach to the idea of having a massive stomach was pretty scary to me.

I know it's for a good reason and definitely all worth it, but I think going through such huge changes to your body is a pretty normal thing to worry about. However I didn't find that much helpful information out there. (Although I'm pretty bad at using Google ha ha, if that's even something you can be bad at!)

I went through a "too much McDonalds stage" (as I called it) to begin with, where I didn't look pregnant, just like I'd eaten three McDonalds on the trot ha ha, and that was pretty annoying.

But once I started to get a proper bump it did get easier :-)

I still find it hard sometimes and get so jealous looking at skinny clothes, like crop tops and high-waisted shorts!! I miss them!! But getting my little baby at the end of the nine long months will soooo be worth it. And I think girls are tough. We just put up with the extreme exhaustion, horrendous morning sickness, stomach pains, cramps, and hormones invading our brains, and just get on with it. But sometimes it's nice to have some advice or to know you're not suffering alone :-)

So here's some tips that helped me to rid my gaining weight worries (almost, anyway)!

Frame Of Mind

This is one of those easier-said-than-done things, especially when you have a loads of unwanted hormones making you cry just at the thought of not eating dippy eggs (it's a horrible thought OK, haha). But it really does help to remember why you're doing this, and focusing on the end result. It's only nine months of your life where you lose control of your stomach, and then you'll have a crazy little baby making you run around everywhere, which is bound to shift a few pounds!

And remember - curves are sexy! And your boobs get bigger :-)

Clothing

Back in the olden days (probably around 10 years ago, ha ha) the only maternity clothes around were big baggy tops and dresses, to try and hide your bump. However that only makes you look bigger, and figure-hugging clothing can be much more flattering, which are everywhere these days! Yay! There's so much more choice with maternity clothes now, and my favourites are Asos Maternity and Topshop Maternity :-) although just buying clothes in a bigger size is do-able for ages, and I've only bought about three maternity things so far.

Maxi dresses and bodycon midi-dresses are a personal favourite of mine, or a baggier dress with a middle belt above my tum, as they highlight your bump and don't make you look frumpy! By highlighting your bump it takes the focus away from other areas (my hips!!!) and shows that you still have skinny parts left ha ha. And it shows everyone what a sexy preggo you are :-)

Black and also striped clothes are good at giving the illusion that there's no extra fat there, which is amazing in the first stage of pregnancy when you don't have a nice bump to show off, just a bit of a gut ha ha.

Pamper Yourself

If you're feeling a bit down about your weight, then focus on other parts of yourself! Go to the hairdressers and get a new, flattering hairstyle, spend a bit of extra time on your make-up,  and go and get a manicure or pedicure.

Your state of mind is really important when you're pregnant so you shouldn't feel guilty spending extra time or money to make yourself feel better, and you'll be amazed at how much it can boost your self-esteem and make you feel better about your changing body!

A Healthy Diet

Not only is it important to eat healthy for the growing human in your stomach, it can also help control the amount of weight you gain. The old wives tale about eating for two is actually untrue, as you only need an extra 300 calories a day, and only in the last trimester. (But obviously check with your doctor, I'm not a qualified health professional ha ha).

So if you want to have some control over your weight gain, make sure you eat plenty of fruit and veg, lean protein (meat and fish), complex carbs (bread, pasta, brown rice, wholegrain cereal, broccoli, cauliflower etc), high-fibre foods (fruit, veg, grains, cereal, pasta etc) and drink plenty of water!

A healthy and balanced diet helps give your babba the best start in life, as well as making yourself feel better and healthier! Rather than feeling like an obese whale ha ha.

But don't feel guilty eating anything bad - I'm OBSESSED with mint chocolate icre-cream and orange chocolate ha ha.

I hope this was helpful to any fellow preggos out there, and didn't sound moany! I love my little bump but the idea of weight gain can be tough for girls, especially when all you see everywhere is flat tums and skinny pins! Ha ha.

See you soon!!

xx

From Bridget Jones Pants to EVEN SCARIER Bridget Jones Pants

Back in my pre-pregnancy days (it seems so long ago!) I was OBBSESSED with my £4 Primark suck-in pants / Bridget Jones pants / fat pants – or whatever you wanna call them. They may not be the sexiest looking underwear in the world but they held in my hips like no other, and I really hate my hips!

Now that I’m pregnant my hips have only expanded in size, and whilst I don’t want to suck in my little bump, I do still want to smooth out the hip zone. So I purchased this scary looking naked dress:

It was £28 from Asos  for what they call a “Seamfree Dress With Support”, which I thought was a bit expensive. But I really have no other experience in naked dresses so this might be a bargain? When it arrived I bravely tried it on, but unfortunately my bump is too small at the moment so there was a load of saggy material hanging around my tummy ha ha. But it definitely made my hips look not exactly smaller, but smoother! Less lumpy.

At the same time I also purchased this “Belly Band With Support” for £12 from Asos, which is supposed to make the “Perfect Bump”. Not to brag but I think my bumps actually quite nice looking ha ha, it’s pretty small and nicely rounded. But there’s always room for improvement! :-) and I thought this would also help out the hips.

This one does fit me already – hurray! And it definitely makes my hips look smoother, like the naked dress did. However I can’t quite figure out how to do it? I think you're supposed to wear it over your jeans when you can no longer do the zip up ha ha, to cover that area, but Asos only sold this in nude and black which are more underwear colours?

It might be because my bump’s still quite small but it goes all the way down over my bum, and I don’t think that’s normal? But the nice lady in the Asos picture is wearing it on top of all of her clothes (even her top) so I’m definitely not trusting her.

My plan is to wear one of these bad boys when I’m wearing a tight dress, because I’m loving midi dresses at the moment! So you’ll be pleased to know my love affair with Bridget Jones style pants can continue, wahoo!

See you soon!!

xx

Bump Update: Week 22

I thought I'd do a 'Mummy Tummy Tuesday' post every Tuesday (obviously ha ha) to first of all blog about all things bump! And then once my little munchkin's here it will change to mummy tummy issues and how I (hopefully) get back to my original weight.

One of my favourite pregnancy/mummy bloggers Anna Saccone did a weekly questionnaire when she was pregnant with her little girl Emilia and I thought it would be really fun to do the same thing! 

I really wanted to start doing this earlier on in my pregnancy, but I didn't want to start this blog until I had LOADS of ideas, so it's only just come about now! But better late than never :-)

How far along? 22 weeks and 1 day! 

Total weight gain: I never used to weight myself and I don't actually own any scales ha ha, they make me nervous!! But at my first midwife appointment when I was 12/13 weeks she weighed me and I was 9 or 9 and a half stone I think? So I'll let you know when they next weigh me ha ha. 

Maternity clothes?  I still fit into size 8/10 dresses (I was size 8 pre-pregnancy) and stretchy size 8 shorts haha! But I have invested in some maternity jeans and plan to get some maternity tops and bras soon!!

Stretch marks?  None so far... Hopefully I haven't just jinxed myself ha ha!

    Sleep: Until about 3 days ago my sleep pattern had gone back to normal and I was actually getting about 8 hours sleep a night which was AMAZING! But these last few days I think bubba has moved onto my bladder and I wake up about 3 times a night to wee ha ha.

Best moment this week: I've felt bubba kick for the last few weeks now, but these last couple of days she's done MASSIVE ones and I've actually seen my belly move from the power of them which is crazy! Love it ha ha.

Miss anything? My favourite food ever is dippy eggs, and you're not supposed to eat runny eggs when you're pregnant :-( so I miss them A LOT ha ha. But that's all really :-)

Food cravings: None!! I really want some though ha ha.

Anything making you queasy or sick? Yessss! I had the WORST morning sickness and I still get it now :-( is that unheard of?! Please let me know if you get it this far into pregnancy too ha ha! But the smell of coffee makes me feel really sick, and chicken used to make me sick but I can handle breaded chicken now ha ha. I can't think of anything else specific... The thought of vodka and red wine! Ha ha.

Gender: Girl!! :-D

Labour signs: Noooo!

Symptoms: Growing belly!! It's grown so much the last few weeks. And I've just started to get back ache which sucks 'cause I live at the top of a really big hill ha ha. And the standard pregnancy spots! Oh and weeing non-stop :-) I feel so sexy ha ha.

Belly button in or out?  In! Is it meant to pop out? Freakyyyy.

Happy or moody most of the time: Happy most of the time!! But yesterday my sickness came back after I hadn't had it for a few weeks so I thought it had gone from my life, so I was a bit moody yesterday ha ha.

Looking forward to: Meeting Sam's younger sister for the first time this week!! She lives in England and hasn't come over here for over a year so I haven't met her yet :-)

I'll be doing this every Tuesday from now on so check back then if you like reading it :-) I think it's really fun to do and I can actually keep track of my pregnancy now which is really nice! And take pics of bump :-)

See you soon!!

xx