Thursday 30 January 2014
Week 25 Pregnancy Update
How far along?
26 weeks and 1 day
Total weight gain?
I am guessing over a stone! I feel absolutely enormous and there are still 14 weeks left, yikes!
Maternity clothes?
Nothing new I am just living in my Topshop maternity jeans which are so comfortable, the bump band is super soft. I am still managing to fit into my jumpers and tops so fingers crossed I can get away with this for a bit longer.
Stretch marks?
Nothing, thank goodness I keep slathering on the creams and oils!
Sleep?
Sleep hasn't been great this week with horrible pelvic pain and back ache (feels like my bones are being crushed) rolling on either side is seriously hard work! My dreamgenii pregnancy pillow is a lifesaver though. I have also had some ridiculously vivid dreams this week and nasty acid reflux - boo!
Best moment this week?
Hearing baby's heartbeat at my 25 week check up, it never fails to amaze me. Also having some really strong movements this week and be able to see actual areas of my tummy being pushed out! Crazy but beautiful
Worst moment this week?
Really painful pelvic girdle pain
Food cravings?
Still just craving copious amounts of chocolate, which is weird for me as I never was mad on chocolate before being pregnant. This week I have also noticed my appetite this week has increased, if that is at all possible!
Miss anything?
I miss being able to have proper cuddles with the husband and I really miss runny eggs!
Movement?
Lots of movement this week which is definitely getting a lot stronger, which can take my breath away but I love it so much, by far the best part of pregnancy!
Gender?
We are trying to keep it a surprise!
Symptoms?
The main one this week has to be the pelvic pain and back ache. Warm baths seem to help, I am just hoping it doesn't get any worse! I have also got acid reflux, which is so horrible as it feels like I might throw up - again!
General mood?
I feel really content this week and really happy! Hormones have definitely calmed down a lot recently, so less crying at everything and anything!
Looking forward to anything?
I have finally booked a well overdue hair appointment just before my birthday in a few weeks!
Monday 27 January 2014
Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray
Oribe undoubtably know what they are doing when it comes to hair care. They seem to get it spot on with absolutely all of their incredible products, but this one really is the creme de la creme when it comes to delivering extreme volume. It is backcomb in a bottle with just the right amount of volume, hold and delivering dryness that makes even the most limp hair stand to attention, without feeling like you have any product in your hair at all. It gives hair that second or third day grit in newly washed hair, just a few sprays and you magically have salon-worthy hair and it smells seriously, seriously heavenly, so doubles up as a hair perfume too. So unquestionably worth (the only negative to this wondrous product) the eye-watering price tag - a staggering £38! *cries a little*
But if you are a girl who loves big, sexy hair this really is your dream hair product and in my opinion, completely and justifiably worth breaking the bank for. Warning it is hugely addictive, I hate to think just how many bottles I have spritzed my way through!
After desperately searching for a bank account friendlier dupe, there is a cheaper alternative in the Charles Worthington Texturising Spray and it gives just as good va va voom to the hair and incredibly good hold and texture, but where it does fall short of Oribe is that it gives you that horrible dry shampoo feeling to the hair - far from ideal, but at £6.99 your purse will definitely be a lot happier!
Emi xx
Buy it here
Tuesday 21 January 2014
My 3 Favourite Stretch Mark Products
Sadly another pregnancy gripe is stretch marks, they are seriously common in pregnant women, hardly surprising with all the rapid growth taking place. If you are anything like me you will do anything and try anything to avoid them! It has been proven that babies in the womb sense and feel everything, your voice carries energy as well as your thoughts. During my evening routine, I always take time to stop and connect with my growing baby, talking to baby and sending them loving feelings. For me it is such a lovely thing to do and anything to make you feel more pampered in pregnancy is definitely a good thing! From the moment I found out I was pregnant I applied Bio-Oil religiously but the smell really isn't that pleasant and I felt like an oil slick afterwards as it took forever to sink into the skin, so I looked around for alternatives.
To be honest, I think the pregnancy beauty market is seriously in need of more choice, but here are my three must have products which I have tested and so far, zero stretch marks - yay!
Cussons Mum & Me Stretch Mark Cream is wonderfully light but also feels extremely moisturising, it sinks into the skin marvellously and the scent is floral and delicate which I found very comforting in the first 3 months when my nausea was so extreme any strong smell would have horrible consequences! There is also a body lotion in a big pump bottle cream which is lovely for applying to the rest of your body as your hips, bum, boobs and thighs can also be a target. The only niggle is the price and how long the product actually lasts. It is around the £10 mark and if you are applying it everyday or twice a day I found it only gave me around a weeks use, but overall a brilliant product. Buy it here
Mama Mio Tummy Rub Stretch Mark Oil is a higher end product and is developed specifically to soothe, strengthen, nourish and protect the skin during pregnancy and beyond. It is brimming with omegas 3, 6 and 9 (which are naturally depleted during pregnancy), and the best thing of all is that there are zero nasties in any of their products, so completely safe for you and bubba. Unlike Bio-Oil and other oils it is absorbed into the skin very easily and smells seriously divine! This product is a definite must-have for all mothers-to-be. Buy it here
Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Tummy Butter is by far my absolute favourite at the moment, I have fallen head over heels in love with it and I can not rave about it enough! First of all the smell, it is seriously nice, much lighter than other Palmer's Cocoa Butter products as it has added lavender. There isn't any sticky residue that you can get with some other body butters and your skin still feels completely moisturised 24 hours later. I have no idea how it does it but it literally melts into the skin and leaves you with the most glowing and radiant skin I have ever experienced from any body cream, ever. It is the cheats way of getting the 'pregnancy glow'. I loved this product so much I went back and bought the rest of the shelf! At £3.99 a tub it also doesn't break the bank, I will definitely continue to use this product as it does things to my skin that other creams just don't - absolute genius. Buy it here
I'd love to know if you have any other recommendations on pregnancy related skin care!
Emi xx
Friday 17 January 2014
My Pregnancy Story So Far...
Hello everyone! I am back after a shamefully long time away from blogging. But my goodness a lot has happened in my life in the last 18 months! In a nutshell, I met and married the love of my life, we bought and completely renovated a house and now... I'm pregnant!
I am now 24 weeks pregnant and it was always my intention to blog my pregnancy from the very beginning but let's just say my body had other ideas!
I want to make it very clear that I don't want this post to come across as negative or depressing, as pregnancy is the most beautiful and phenomenal experience, I simply want to be honest about my experience of pregnancy so far. I don't think enough women feel able to talk about their experiences on how hard pregnancy can be.
To say the first half of my pregnancy has been gruelling would be an understatement. All I have ever wanted is be a mother and I am overjoyed that I am pregnant but nothing could have prepared me for what was in store. I was one of the unlucky women to suffer from the dreaded Hyperemisis Gravidarum (severe morning sickness in pregnancy).
From week 9 I was totally bed bound and vomiting constantly up to 6-7 times a day! As soon as my eyes opened in the morning I would vomit, rolling over in bed would make me throw up and brushing my teeth was asking for real trouble! Sadly the loo and I were to became great friends.
The nausea was so crippling, so all encompassing, so toxic it completely consumed me and sucked all the colour out of my life. It also came with huge doses of metallic taste in my mouth. It is hard to put into words how it feels, but I can say it felt like I had been poisoned.
I am not sure who named it 'morning sickness' as my goodness it was every waking second of the day and night, in fact it happened to be worse in the evenings. Thankfully I did have relief when I slept (I have heard women can be woken in the night with vomiting). I tried everything from copious amounts of ginger, peppermint tea, dry biscuits, boiled sweets you name it I tried it but sadly nothing worked in fact it made things worse. I have no idea what the obsession with ginger is? Everyone kept telling me drink ginger tea, eat pieces of ginger and nibble on ginger biscuits but really it did nothing!
It was like my body had shut down and while all I wanted to do was enjoy the experience and look after my growing baby I simply couldn't. My midwife and doctor said there was very little to be done and that the best place was to be in bed with little movement and to try and keep fluids down as the danger was I could have become severely dehydrated and needing hospital treatment. I was definitely one of the 'luckier' women as I have read some women can get HG so severely they vomit up to 30 times a day! When I lay still in bed I found I could hold down melon and so that is what I was to pretty much live on for the first 3 months; still water and bowls of melon.
I gradually introduced smaller things like toast, cereal and plain crisps and but still the nausea and vomiting persisted.
Despite having a wonderfully caring and hugely supportive husband and family, HG completely isolated me and I had constant anxiety. I googled every little thing and I felt like no one else in the world knew how horrendous I felt and I yearned desperately to hear from other pregnant women who had gone through it. Hence why I feel the need to write this blog post.
However, at 13 weeks I was able to see an incredible acupuncturist who really helped ease the nausea and after just 3 sessions there was finally light at the end of a very black tunnel! For the first time in months I managed actual meals, I can not describe to you the joy of this! Even though I still had odd bouts of vomiting it was hugely reduced, my energy levels came back and I was able to feel like myself again, even if that was at 5 months!
Now this is only one of the many side effects of my pregnancy. I have been plagued with extreme fatigue, frequent urination (especially at night), backache, headaches, heartburn, hot flashes, spots, nose bleeds, pelvic pain, migraines, sore breasts, receding gums, stuffy nose and probably the worst of them all, round ligament pain! Which (and still does) felt like I was being stabbed in the side of my tummy over and over again.
It must be said though that the first time I felt my baby kick was the most amazing, life-altering experience. Every scan we have, I am truly humbled by the privilege it is to carry and grow this little life. Their movements and kicks delight me and I am literally counting the days until they arrive in early May.
Now I am looking forward to really enjoying the last few months of my pregnancy and being able to document and blog as I go!
I wanted to be wholly honest that pregnancy is really, really hard, but also it is completely and utterly awe inspiring and it makes me feel insanely fortunate to be a woman and experience it.
Emi xx
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