Liz Earle - the skin saviour

As you know, I haven't suffered from terrible pregnancy skin so I have been able to continue using my favourite facial care system. The 3 step cleanse, tone and moisturise by Liz Earle. This is the BEST facial care I have ever used. I used to hate using facial washes where you have to splash your face with water as I would always get soaked and flood the bathroom at the same time!  

The Essentials 'try me kit'
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The first step of the 3 stages is the Cleanse and Polish, I usually order the pump rather than the tube as you get just the right amount per squirt for each use. Once you have rubbed this in (eyes and all) you then use a damp muslin cloth to remove it. 

Second is the Toning stage,using the Instant Boost Skin Tonic, you really don't need a lot of this, I just put a small amount onto a cotton wool pad and remove any left over eye make-up (not a lot there after cleansing) and wipe it over the rest of my face. 

Lastly, I moisturise with the Skin Repair Moisturiser for Normal/Combination skin, this always seems to go first out of my three, not because you need a lot (you really only need a pea size amount) but because Mr.C has kindly taken to dipping his big man fingers in there and using it himself!!! 

This three stage system is lovely, it feels like a mini facial everyday! It smells so fresh and natural. I am not surprised it has won so many beauty awards. 

I have also purchased the Gentle Face Exfoliator, I usually use this twice a week and it leaves my skin as smooth as a babies bum. 

I bought a tester of the Brightening Facial Mask, this product actually made my skin feel a little angry when I applied it, however once rinsed off there was no problem, I probably won't purchase the full size one of these simply because I feel the other products do more than what I need. 

You will also get a nice little surprise with your order, I always receive a complimentary tester product, so I have managed to collect mini's of the cleanser and tonic, I just need the moisturiser and my hospital bag is set. If you do purchase the three step system you will also get a full size product with it. When I ordered mine I received the Eye Bright Soothing Eye Lotion (not one of my must haves but it is lovely to place on some cotton wool and relax tired eyes.) If you order now you will receive a Complimentary Sheer Skin Tint SPF 15 worth £21!! 

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I really recommend Liz Earle Products, they are reasonably priced and long lasting. I haven't had a break out since using it myself (over a year) and have recommended the products to a number of friends who feel the same!! 

Check out all the products here

*This is not a paid review or sponsor, I have purchased all of these items myself. 

32 week update

I usually only do updates every two weeks but now we are into the final countdown and things are changing and moving so quickly I am going to start doing an update every week. So here we are, 32 weeks, 8 to go, knowing my luck I'll have to be induced (sounds like great fun, doesn't it??) I had a lovely week off work and got a little glimpse of what life on maternity leave will be like, minus the baby, sick stained top and sleepless nights. 

Weight Gain: I didn't bother with stepping on the scales this week. Mr C mentioned how well I'm doing and haven't gained any weight around my face, I said no just my butt and thighs but I'm bottom heavy so it's to be expected, he then followed up with yeah and your calves and ankles too!!- cheeky, he must have been feeling brave. 

The bump had decided to sprout a little more, only half an inch in three weeks though, I am expecting it to have a growth spurt in the next couple of weeks again. 

Check those buttons out- just about to pop open

Symptoms: Being away from work massively helped my Pelvic Pain so I am just hoping it doesn't come back with vengeance this week. (Update- wishful thinking, sitting down at my desk yesterday hasn't helped)  I'm not really suffering from tiredness yet, which is a godsend as we still have so much to do. I am terribly hormonal, I stupidly thought I could get through Marley and Me (for those that don't know we had to put our first doggy down 2 years ago, it was the worst day of our lives)- Let me give you this piece of advice, even if you think you will be fine, even if you think you are totally over it, do NOT under any circumstance watch Marley and Me, Mr.C hid upstairs so he didn't get emotional (he's tough,right?) and came down at the end with the tissues. I watched the Kite Runner on Sunday ( the film adaptation of one of my favourite books) and ended up hugging Tilly the Pug for about half an hour after whilst sobbing my heart out!!

I got cramp in my calf four times last night, they are good practise for trying to  stay quiet through pain ! 

Stretch marks: No different from last week, just the couple of little marks on my side. I am using up the last of my Bio Oil, I'm, not sure whether to risk switching to something else, but I am getting fed up being a bit greasy at bed time!

Movement: Still kicking and moving away, I'm starting to feel a foot or a little hand hitting me. I love when his little bum sticks out too! Yesterday for the first time I knew his exact position, he was facing head down but diagonal across my belly, I knew this because I could feel little punches down low (in my bladder) I could see his little toushi mid way up on the right and feel kicks under my ribs!! He stayed like this a while, little bugger! 
  

Belly button: Pretty much out, but still soft so it doesn't show through my tops.

Cravings: None- being away from our free vending machine at work last week helped me stay off the sugary sweets and drinks!

Wedding ring: On!

Labour Symptoms: I have added this now. I haven't had any however I have been having braxton hicks, they aren't painful in the slightest my tummy just gets very hard for about 30 seconds and the relaxes.

Best moments: Having lots of my girlfriends over for a girlie night on Friday, watching them getting drunk on mojitos - not so great !!! Waahhhh, not long till I can join in the antics.

Spending time with my Nieces, each one is very different and they are all very very funny!

Wedding dress shopping with one of my close friends, I'm going to be one of her bridesmaids next July  (how exciting) so I have something to aim towards to help me lose the baby weight!!

Worst moment: Missing Mr. C :-( He went away for four days on his last lads holiday, I missed him loads and loads and was very happy to have him back at home late Sunday night- tan marks and all! 

Looking forward to: The carpet being fitted in the nursery this week, our buggy and furniture being delivered in the next two weeks!!! I had a big palava in Mothercare changing the delivery dates but finally got it sorted after 45 minutes of standing at the till!

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My Make-up Must Haves

I have been quite lucky with my skin throughout this pregnancy, I went through a short stage of a funny type of pigmentation but this cleared up after a couple of weeks.

I don't have an extensive make-up collection, I don't really wear eyeshadows or even eyeliner day to day so I like to stick to one of everything in my make-up bag.

My staple foundation is YSL Touche Eclat, I know their concealer is a number one bestseller however I don't really have any need for concealer (this might change when I miss out on vital beauty sleep) I love this foundation, it's not too heavy so perfect for everyday use as well as evenings out (I have forgotten what those are like) I know it's not the cheapest foundation but it lasts me about 6 months and it's totally worth it. I get mine from debenhams for £29.99. I also use a debenhams beauty card to collect points.

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My all time favourite mascara is They're real by Benefit. Benefit are really great for a couple of things however it can be pretty hit and miss, I recently bought Dallas Bronzer and Coralista blusher, I find you need to use quite a lot of each unlike other brands within a similar price range. The Mascara however is amazing, I have quite short eyelashes (hoping Baby C gets his Dads) and this really helps make them look fuller and longer, for everyday use there is no need for me to use an eyelash curler. Not surprisingly it is also a beauty club awards winner for 2013. Priced at £19.50 from Debenhams this really is a product I will continue to buy.

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Another Benefit product I couldn't live without is their Brow-zings for eyebrow definition. It comes in a cute little compact with a mirror, mini tweezers, a hard angle brush, a soft brush, a pigmented wax to define and shape brows and a setting power to keep them looking groomed, I use the powder as an eyeshadow too! I don't have really thick eyebrows but I love adding definition and more shape to them and this is a great product for doing this. Again I purchase this from my benefit counter at Debenhams for £23.50.

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These are my top three beauty must-haves, like I said I wasn't too impressed with the Benefit bronzer and blusher, so I will be looking for some new ones pretty soon, I am thinking of trying a couple of high street brands as I am sure I will be thinking of ways to cut costs soon, even when that is the case these three items will always remain in my makeup bag, (until they discontinue them at least) 

Can you recommend any high street branded blusher or bronzers? 

Help for SPD

If you read my post a week or so ago you will know I have started to suffer from SPD/PGP, I feel so angry with my body for letting me down, I know it can't be helped but I like to get on and do things for myself, I haven't really stopped doing anything (despite telling off's from people!) 

This SPD however has slowed me down a lot, however this week I have had a couple of treatments that have really helped so I wanted to share these with you incase you too are suffering from this dreaded ailment. 

On Monday Morning I visited Marie- she is pregnancy FitMama instructor, you can read all about my classes here: I'm a FitMama. Marie contacted me after reading my blog and suggested coming in for some muscle activation therapy, she too suffered from SPD so she knew just what I was going through. There was me thinking I was going to have a lovely firm massage, I was wrong, it was pretty painful (worse than Labour according to Marie, I think she was trying to make me feel better.)

 I stripped off down to my pants (luckily she specified just the bottom half, at my first smear I took every off, I mean everything without even thinking about it until afterwards when the dr told me she only needed my bottom half next time, that was a bit awkward) Marie started by applying some coconut oil and kneading my thigh muscles, down to my calves and ankles, my back and my glutes - butt muscles (contrary to my belief my muscles are very tight  which would usually be a good thing, however not the case when they are pulling my pelvis out of place) Basically Marie discovered that all my muscles are so tight they are putting pressure on my pelvis, which is turn in causing the pain. Once we were finished I stood up and instantly felt lighter, like every knot had been taken away. I didn't expect a miracle cure and it hasn't been however it had helped enormously, yesterday I could walk so much easier. Marie really knows her stuff so if you are suffering and in the north hants area I would recommend getting in touch. She would love to help you too. 

I also had reflexology on Tuesday - you can read about it here: Maternity reflexology. I let Sally (my reflexologist) know about my SPD and she said she would work on it today, trust me when she got the parts of my feet that were connected to my spd I knew about it!! It's great though, once Sally finds a sore spot she will always relax the area with a nice rub after. It's divine!!! 

Today I actually walked without pain around my pelvis, the bump is still heavy on my pubic bone but the main pain from my Pelvis has been nothing compared to what it was. I didn't even realise until this afternoon that I was waddling as much as I has been!! 

There are also a couple of things that I have done myself that I think have helped too

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• Sleeping with legs together keeping a pillow between them
• Trying to get in and out of the car with legs together 
• Not being at work; I have been off all week and this has helped immensely  I really hope it doesn't get worse when I go back on Monday.
• Exercises for Pelvic floors- going on all fours alternating between curved and flat spine
• Using something (usually a book) between my knees when laying flat on my back with knees up and squeezing, about 90% strength.

If you are suffering I really recommend any of the above, I don't expect them to have cured my SPD (I don't think anyone has enough magic for that) but it has really helped for now. 

Have you found anything that has helped?  

31 week update

I can not believe we are down to single digits .. 9 weeks to go!!! Maybe 7 maybe 11, hopefully not 11 as Baby C will be getting induced on my birthday, funnily enough Baby C has the same due date as my mum had with me (fingers crossed he is less lazy and comes on time)

It's been a tough couple of weeks but I am hoping it will be a smooth ride from now. I also plucked up the courage to get my whooping cough vaccination, I hate to admit it but I was bricking it, I don't know why, I wouldn't say I have a phobia of needles but I can honestly say I didn't even feel it, not even a pinch or a prick, however 10 minutes after my arm was so sore, like a dead arm, it lasted for a day or two, but all worth it!

Weight Gain: I plucked up the courage to take to the scales this week, total weight gain so far is ... drum roll.... 2 stone... OMFG! To be honest I don't care, if I keep it down to a 1lb a week now, then I should be just over 2.5 stone. I think this is quite average? Even though my bump is getting heavier, it's not actually growing and still measuring in at 42 inches (same as week 29)

Symptoms: SPD or PGP as they call it now, I have found a couple of tips that have helped me deal with this and I had some Muscle activation therapy today- I will do a separate post on this later as I think it could be really helpful for other sufferers. Oh and what I thought was dribble from sleeping with my mouth open isn't dribble, it's leaking breasts (Lovely) Only at night time at the moment!!!

Stretch marks: Booo.. The two tiny marks have turned into stretch marks however they aren't that bad and are almost on my back so it's not the end of the world (yet) Same on the other side too, again on my back rather than tummy so oh well.. I'll start looking for nice swimsuits for next year! 

Movement: Loads, today he hasn't stopped, maybe something to do with the therapy I had earlier today.  

Belly button: Pretty much out, but still soft so it doesn't show through my tops.

Cravings: None really.. disappointing  

Wedding ring: Still on, surprisingly

Labour Symptoms: I have added this now. I haven't had any however I have been having braxton hicks, they aren't painful in the slightest my tummy just gets very hard for about 30 seconds and the relaxes.

Best moments: The nursery is painted ! We are just waiting for the carpets then we can start all the good stuff.

Worst moment: I don't usually put this on here as all is usually well. I did make a huge error and bought a new armchair on impulse, well it gets delivered and it makes the rest of my living room look like it's from the Borrowers!! It's like an armchair for a giant, needless to say, Mr.C was not impressed and me blaming pregnancy hormones didn't help much, he has calmed down (slightly) Its still sat in the living room but it will be going soon!! Luckily we still have our old one (when I say old, I mean 6 months old, now you understand why he wasn't best pleased, "this is the third armchair in 3 years Sarah!!!!" Ooops)

Looking forward to: Refurbishing a gorgeous 1920's highchair that my lovely Father in Law bought for us, he knows my tastes too well! It matches my dining room perfectly and it gives Mr.C something to fix up! I'll post some before and after pics.

The Social Network Debate

With the imminent arrival of the birth of our third in line to the throne and the media frenzy surrounding St Mary's Hospital,  it got me thinking about the use of Social media sites such as facebook and twitter during pregnancy and labour. 

I chose not to 'announce' to the facebook world that we were expecting a baby, I didn't post our scan pic like many people chose to do and I asked my family not too either. I am not one of these people with 700 facebook friends, I have about 150 friends, all of which I would talk to if I bumped into them. I can't believe the cheek of people that send friend requests only to ignore you when they see you... ummmm delete! 

The day after our wedding I had 20 new friend requests, people I hadn't seen in years.. nosey parkers. 

I didn't feel there was any need to announce our pregnancy on facebook or twitter as the people that are important to us are the people we would tell personally. I am obviously not hiding my pregnancy on facebook and post my blog updates and talk about it all the time, I just didn't feel the need for a public announcement, but each to their own of course and I do love seeing a scan picture!  

I feel for Duchess Kate, the whole world has followed her pregnancy, judging her outfit choices and her bump size etc. Now she is in labour we are all eagerly awaiting for the news that the new royal baby has been born. It's the hottest day of the year, trust me that is hard enough for any pregnant women, I can not imagine being in labour during this, hopefully that private delivery room has good aircon! 

Back to Social networking- I have seen some really graphic status updates by people and their families during labour, from how many centimetres dilated they are, to letting everyone knowing the expectant mother is struggling and the forceps are coming out!!!! Funnily enough, I would rather people didn't have this image in their head whilst I am in hospital struggling through labour. 

My ideal labour would be to go in, pop him out and then let everyone know!! Don't panic close family and friends reading, we will let you know that I am in labour, even if it starts at 3am, however if you do post news of my labour on facebook or twitter you will not be invited to visit (exaggeration, but you get the idea) 

I also think it is down to the parents to make that first announcement that their baby has finally arrived, (not all of us will have a notice placed outside Buckingham Palace)  let's be fair they are likely to have just done the equivalent to 4 marathons!!! Eeekkk. 

I write a blog, so maybe I sound like a total hypocrite, but I think people who genuinely care about me/my pregnancy will take the time to read it, it's not forced upon anyone and I think in the long run will it save people from a million updates on every new thing my baby does. 

Do I sound like a kill joy? Where do you stand on the use of Facebook and other social networking sites?

What are little boys made of??



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Eekk only 10 weeks and we should have another new addition to our ever growing families. The family on my side is full of girls, we actually haven't had a boy born in 20 years, I am the eldest of four girls, I have three nieces on my side (aged 4, and 2) and on Mr.C's side we have a niece (aged 11) and the newest addition of a nephew (aged 11 months,) As you can see until very recently I have never been around baby boys!! It does seem that 2013 is the year of the Boy.  Two of my closest friends have just had baby boys (they totally helped me see how lovely and scrummy baby boys are) and Lucie @lucieandthebump is also due to have a baby boy not too long after me!! We do another close friend due later this year and she has turned the tables by having a little girl!

So out of 7 preggo ladies 6 have had or are having boys! Crazy... (It must have been a cold & boring winter for so many friends to be having babies!)

I always thought I would want a little girl so I was suprised how happy I was when we were told we are having a boy!! I am totally in love with him already and can just imagine how gorgeous and cheeky he is going to be (if he takes after Mr.C) !!!

So what have us mummies to little boys got to look forward to...

1. Being Peed on: seems inevitable, I have already had this pleasure as my friends little boy decided to spring a leak all over me this weekend

2. Boy clothes shopping: Not as much variety as girls but just as cute!!

3.Sports- eurgh. Mr C and I are not sports fans in the slightest, he doesn't play football or watch in, in fact he hates it (yeyy for me not having to watch sky sports) He recently bought some golf clubs that haven't left the garage. I really think kids should play sports so once Baby C is old enough we shall see what he wants to do, Maybe we will have the next Andy Murray on our hands!

4. Boys toys- I have no idea what little boys like. I could name 100 things my nieces love but I have no idea what little boys like to play with, I am guessing I will have a lot of toys with four wheels!

5. If the saying is correct then us mummies have a little boy to always look after us, I think Mr.C has it in his head that Baby C will be on his team against me and Tilly the Pug, I'm not quite sure he has heard the phrase 'Mummys boy'

What differences have you noticed between boys and girls? What do you think is the easier sex to raise?



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Pregnancy Pains- Pelvic Girdle Pain

I am now 30 weeks pregnant and boy, don’t I know it!! I haven’t really had much to complain about during my whole pregnancy, I didn't suffer from terrible morning sickness, tiredness, difficulty sleeping or the need to get up and pee 5 times a night (not yet anyway.) This past week has really taken its toll on me and I am definitely feeling pregnant now. Don’t get me wrong, I haven’t exactly swan through the first 30 weeks, I have suffered from acid reflux, rib pain, leg cramps and oedema, however these haven’t really bothered me too much and I have been able to deal with them without speaking to any health professionals. 

Well I seem to be making up for this now.. the last week or two I have really been suffering from bad pelvic pains, especially when I am in the office and go from sitting to standing, where the joints are still for so long. I went to the doctors yesterday and she was great, she has suggested I have slight Pelvic Girdle Pain (PGP) where I sit down all day at work my posture is not helping my back which in turn will affect my pelvis. She asked me to describe where the pain was, the only way I can describe it is to say it is right on my bikini line (right in the V- if that makes sense?) 

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I have looked up on-line what I can do to help the pain, I am one of those people who feel like I need to feel pain for something to feel better, for example when I have had terrible cramps and my calves are sore the next day, I get Mr. C to push a rolling pin up and down them, it hurts so bad, but I feel like it is what is needed to relax the muscles. In the case of my pelvic pain, I feel like I need someone to push on my knees whilst I am laying down with my legs open, or go and swim 20 lengths of backstroke, however looking at on-line advice, this is the worst thing I can do, if I feel pain the advice is not to push through it! Last night I tried getting on all fours and lifting each of my legs back, this hurt so bad so I stopped, I physically couldn't do it! So for now, every evening I will be sat on the birthing ball or all on fours doing pelvic tilts. I came across this website, there are some really useful exercises that should help http://mutusystem.com/exercise-for-symphysis-pubis-dysfunction-spd-or-pelvic-girdle-pain-pgp-i-pregnancy-how-exercise-can-help.html  

I hate feeling so useless, I hate having to ‘rest and take it easy’ I have always been independent, if I want something done I would rather just do it myself, it is so frustrating not being able to do things easily, even turning over in bed is painful! 

I know it will all be worth it in ten weeks time, and it’s still very little compared to what some mums to be go through. I have a week off work next week so I am really looking forward to moving about a bit more and being away from a desk! 

What did you suffer from during pregnancy? Do you have any tips for me? 

Expectations of a first time parent



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Whilst I am sat at my desk in this glorious sunshine, I am coping by counting down the days until my Maternity leave begins in 6.5 weeks time (or 23 days to be exact, I have a week off next week and when I come back I go down to 4 day weeks- happy me) I day dream of long lunches at Cafe Rouge with a glass of red, sophisticated coffee mornings at Starbucks and peaceful play dates with friends on holiday –Maternity leave. This is of course all a day dream, when I come crashing back down to the reality of having new baby I am slightly more realistic about what is in store. I decided to write this blog post so when I am sat at home covered in baby sick and wearing joggers all day I can compare it to what I thought it would be like.

Here is what I imagine life to be post baby...

1. Goodbye sleep- My friends babies have all been amazing sleepers, waking usually once during the night and sleeping through by 12 weeks. This, I think I could cope with, however I am fully prepared for it not being this easy. I know a lot of babies will wake every couple of hours (or more often eek.) I have never been one for daytime napping, whether this will change I don’t know, it usually takes me a while to fall asleep so I think as soon as I ‘sleep when baby sleeps’ I’ll be up again before I have even closed my eyes. 

2. My post-baby body will depress me! I don’t think I am going to be one of the lucky few whose bodies ping back into shape by the time their baby is 2 months old. I haven’t really gained much weight apart from my bump (so far)  Hopefully it won’t be too difficult to tone up. Although I have never been overweight, I can’t get away with eating what I want and have always been naturally curvy, I am quite looking forward to exercising though, I have forgotten what it is like to be comfortable and not pregnant. I wasn’t totally happy with my pre-pregnancy body but if I could look like that again, I would be happy and a lot more grateful for it !!

3. Telling Baby C that he will be an only child (at least until the trauma of child birth is well and truly forgotten)

4. Reminding Mr C more than once a day what I went through in Labour, even to just get a cuppa out of him.

5. Getting Peed on – a lot, watching the dog get peed on a lot.

6. Constantly watching the baby sleep- checking he is ok, even if we do have one of the movement sensor monitors

7. Mr C banning me from entering into any shop that sells baby clothes or items.

8. Using the washing machine a hell of a lot more – I usually leave all the washing until the weekend (bad me) I know this will soon change and I’ll be lucky to get away with one wash a day!

9. Arguing with Mr C over who Baby C looks like- to be fair Mr C was a much cuter baby than me so I would be happy to let him have this one.

10. Knowing that we would do anything for our new baby- we will be totally in love with him and won’t mind when he wakes us up screaming at ridiculous hours (at least for the first 2 weeks)

How did you feel once your baby was here, did it compare with what you thought it would be like?

My Favourite Blogs

Bump, Baby C and Me, is my first ever blog (maybe you can tell?) but I am really enjoying it and hope to continue when Baby C is here and expand on my topics. I have found inspiration from a number of other lifestyle/pregnancy/baby blogs out there and always look forward to reading their latest posts.

Here are my favourites.. ..

Lucie and the Bump 

Lucie is a very lovely friend of mine, with a gorgeous baby bump (jel much??)  she is an ex beauty blogger so knows how to write some great content. She is 22 weeks pregnant so only 7-8 weeks behind me, it's great being able to share what I am going through with her. I love reading her updates, she covers everything from wishlists, pregnancy updates and beauty product reviews.. I can not wait for those maternity leave coffee morning, catching up on baby and blog gossip with our little boys !! Have a little read here: http://lucieandthebump.blogspot.co.uk/ 

                                         

Sparkles and Stretchmarks 

This was one of the first baby blogs I discovered, Hayley at sparkles and stretchmarks is a really active blogger, she has a gorgeous 16 week old little boy and regularly updates her readers on his progress. She tackles. Its refreshing to read something that is totally honest about the up's and downs of pregnancy and post-pregnancy! http://www.sparklesandstretchmarks.com/ 

Bump-to-Baby

Alex at Bump-to-Baby has a great blog. She also has a lovely little boy who is nearly 3 months old. I love that her blog not only covers product reviews and baby related items but she also covers topics that really make you think and want to debate, this weeks post covered belief in ghosts. Alex recently posted some tips on creating a great blog, which has been really helpful for me and will be fab for anyone thinking of starting a blog. http://www.bump-to-baby.com/ 

 

 

Amy Antoinette

 

I have only just discovered this blog and I am totally in love with it, Amy is 25 weeks pregnant. Her Blog is all about beauty products, lifestyle, DIY projects, shabby chihc decor (which I LOVE)  and now her pregnancy. Amy's blog really is beautiful, if you share our love of everything vintage and shabby chic then this is a blog you really must read !! http://www.amyantoinette.com/ 

 

 

 

What are your favourite blogs to read? Can you recommend me any others you think I might enjoy?

29 Weeks, The Final Trimester

Busy, busy, busy, we are now in the third and final trimester and time seems to be flying! I had my 28 week midwife appointment last week, somehow I managed to lose all my notes, what a nightmare!! My Midwife was lovely about it and luckily the doctors has messed up and booked me in for a booking appointment (how they didn't notice my bump when I was booking at 25 weeks I have no idea!!) It worked out well in, we had extra time to fill out the notes in. Needless to say I went and bought a big blue folder to keep my notes in and set the calendar on my phone to tell me where they are before my 31 week appointment- Baby Brain!! All is well with Baby C he has a good heartbeat and is measuring spot on.

Weight Gain- I did weigh myself last week, I can’t remember what I had gained (Baby brain again) but I worked out if I manage to keep it at a 1 lb a week, then in total I will gain 2.5 stone, which I hear is fairly normal. The bump has grown a lot slower than I thought it would, I measured at 41 inches at weeks 26 and 27, now I am at week 29 and measuring 42 inches, so half an inch a week.

Symptoms: Eurgh this hot weather is a killer, especially when the air-con in your office is broken! My feet have swelled up again and I'm literally melting. I am managing to sleep though, according to Mr.C I am fidgeting a lot! I'm still managing to get away with not having to get up to pee in the night! My back is starting to hurt now too but I am assured it’s all normal at this stage.

Stretch marks: :-( I have noticed two very small faint purple marks on my right hand side, almost on my back, I am pretty sure they are the start of stretch marks- Fabulous, I am still layering on the bio oil. I'm not as depressed about them as I thought I would be, I think if they travel on to my front that’s when I will start saving for laser surgery! (if you are interested it’s about £900 for 6 sessions on an area 10x10cm!)

Movement: Not as much as usual, I think he might be getting a bit tight on room. He doesn't like it when I lay too far over on my side and likes to give me a couple of kicks to tell me to move!!

Cravings- Not really. I've tried to eat healthy during the hot weather with salads etc. but I just don’t think there are enough calories in them to give me the energy I need so I end up snacking an hour later.

Wedding ring- weirdly still on, I have had loads of swelling in my feet but none in my hands, they are still coming off fairly easily which is surprising in this hot weather.

Best moment: Hitting the third trimester!

Looking forward to- ticking a few things of our list, Mr.C is off on his last lads holidays on the 25th July – the deal was the nursery would be finished so I can start dressing the room and putting all the baby clothes away whilst he is tanning/stuck in a hotel room hung over. I also need to start car shopping, the mini fits three shopping bags in the boot, so there is no way a buggy is getting in there, I am actually surprised I still fit!

It's Birthing Partners night at my FitMama class on Monday so I am looking forward to dragging hubs along to that. They have a midwife and a chiropractor joining us to give some labour tips, I am sure he will love it!!! http://www.thefitmamastudio.com/

I have a week off work starting the 22nd and it could not come soon enough, more importantly I come back and only have August to work, then I am off!!!

 

Mr.C's very own countdown