SOCIAL MEDIA

Thursday 6 December 2018

PARENTING: Advice from new mums to mums to be

So your pregnant with your little bundle of joy, you have no idea what actually awaits once baby arrives. Some brand new mummy’s have some wonderful words of wisdom for you, they have learnt this through their own experiences and want to share their wisdom. 



 Alys : Frozen meals frozen meals frozen meals!!!!!
But also you are in charge of who visits, and how soon they visit, after labour. x

Heather :Trust your instincts. Mother always knows best.

Libby : Put a condom on!

I jest...

Batch cook meals, don’t compare your baby with others, no question is a stupid question, don’t be scared to ask for help and don’t feel bad for resenting your baby sometimes-your whole life has flipped 180 - it’s okay not to enjoy that all the time.

Charlotte : Just because someone else’s baby the same age is sleeping through the night doesn’t mean your doing anything wrong! Every baby is different!

Swapping baby to formula doesn’t mean they’ll sleep through the night again every baby is different!

Hayley : Yeah don’t have visitors come stay with you until at least 2 weeks after! You are still trying to bond with your baby and recovering. You need space to adjust. I thought I would be fine but I ended up hiding in my room coz I was anxious and I didn’t like people holding him other then me or my husband. 

Heather : Never compare your baby to anyone else's or your other children each child is different and will do things when they're ready - breath it's ok to not know everything. 

Tessa : Never put the nappy in the nappy bin until you are ready to leave the baby change!

Kati : If you think you have enough bibs and muslins you are wrong.

Lucy : Enjoy all cuddles while they’re tiny and screw the housework. They grow up so much faster than you think.

Gemma : Your body won’t look the same & will take some time to adjust to that.

Victoria: Ignore anyone who tries to make you feel anything but awesome! You will know what's best and know what works for you and your baby. Don't let anybody tell you different!

Be prepared for your best intentions and plans to go out of the window - This includes your birth plans. If breastfeeding is something you want to do but can't, then that's absolutely ok. Don't beat yourself up over it if you can't. So long as baby is fed that's all that matters x

Marlie:Don't try and do everything yourself. You'll get overwhelmed and quickly burn out. Your partner helped create that little life and SHOULD help you as much as he can regardless of work. Accept any other help offered too 😊xx

Katie : It really is a phase. It too shall pass. They aren’t lying. 

Samantha : Look after yourself and your other half x

Chloe: Everything is temporary! Nothing lasts forever☺️

Sammy : Take each day as it comes and don't put any pressure on yourself 🙂 and enjoy it 🙂

Chloe : Nothing prepares you. Literally NOTHING!!!!! Not in a bad sense.

Lauren:  Piles are c**** 🙄😂 same as everyone else really, no 2 baby’s are the same. Just because Harry rolled over at 19 days, doesn’t mean William is behind because he did it at 4 months 💙 xxx

Kim : you are going to fuck up and that’s ok, everyone fucks up, perfect parents don’t exist. 

Some some pearls of wisdom from some gorgeous shiny new mums, I will add it’s ok to say no, put you and baby first and set up camp in bed or in the sofa for the first two weeks as those hormonal changes are a bitch, it’s ok to cry! 

What did you wish you knew before having a baby?


Tuesday 25 September 2018

PARENTING: Hospital Bag list

At nearly 36 weeks I need to think seriously about my hospital bag. So here is my list. 

Do let me know if you think I need to have anything else you deem as a must have for labour. 



Hospital bag check list 

For Mum
Comfortable clothes
Nightwear
Slippers
Dressing gown
Comfortable underwear (disposable pants)
Maternity sanity towels
Nursing bra
Breast pads
Toiletries 
Hair brush 
Lip balm
Towel 
Facecloth
Support pillow
Music player (speaker) 
TENS machine
Phone 
Phone charger
Snacks and drinks 
Hand held fan


For baby

Nappies
Vests
Baby grows
Hats
Scratch mits
Muslin squares
Baby wipes (cotton wool)

Going home

Babies going home outfit 
Comfortable clothes for Mum
Baby blanket
Hat and mittens 

Car seat 

Monday 17 September 2018

FASHION: Autumn Maternity Fashion From Boohoo


With the morning getting cooler Iv been looking online for some lovely pieces to add to your wardrobe if your expecting a baby. 

Boohoo have a fantastic selection of clothing and here are a few of my favourites. 

Denim Shirt
Available in sizes 8-16 for £20.00




Mid Blue wash dungarees 
Available in sizes 8-18 for £28.00




Beauty and the Bump nightie 
Available in sizes 8-20 for £10.00



Striped long sleeve midi dress
Available in sizes 8-16 for £12.00



2 in 1 raw edge top
Available in sizes 8-16 for £14.00



Pocket duster jacket 
Available in sizes 8-16 for £20.00




Tie side jumper
Available in sizes S/M & M/L for £18.00





Stripe two layer nursing dress
Available in sizes 8-16 for £15.00



Tie waist tapered tailored trouser 

Available in sizes 8-16 for £16.00



Maternity fashion can be a battle ground, often high prices and limited styles. I hope you like some of my picks. 
Friday 31 August 2018

PARENTING - Second Babies Are Naughty Babies

Second babies are naughty babies

I have come to the conclusion at 32 weeks pregnant that second babies are naughty babies. 

Why? Well you see my first pregnancy was pretty much in eventful in every way possible including the labour. 


This pregnancy however has had a multitude of twists and turns that I’m happy to be doing it for the last time. 

From severe morning sickness which lasted nearly 20 weeks, resulting in weight loss (not that I’m unhappy about that side effect) followed by my cervix being incompetent. The incompetent cervix resulted in it shortening and an emergency cervical cerlage being placed at 21 weeks. This was very uncomfortable and required a hospital stay and general anaesthetic, no baby Bradley your not making an appearance just yet. 

Admittedly at this point I had a good few weeks where I had some energy, motivation and I wasn’t being sick. 

Just as I was getting comfortable feeling semi human again I had to have my GTT at 28 weeks, my celebration ended at this point when I hit the third trimester and found it I had Gestational Diabetes. 

Ah the joys! No more sugar, limited carbs I feel like I entered hell. No longer could I stuff my face with cake when the hormones hit, this teamed with excessive heartburn, constant peeing and not having to check my blood sugar 6 times a day was truly crap. 

And let me tell you GD is no joke, diet is completely changed to keep baby safe and sugar levels regulated. Sadly my fasting levels are not stabilising so I’m now on insulin 4 times a day. 


Fingers crossed the last 8 weeks are a breeze. 
Sunday 22 July 2018

PARENTING REVIEW: Summer days out with Kids Embrace

 

This summer we’re all about making lots of memories, it’s Autumns first proper summer break (she has just finished Year R) so we’re ensuring we make as many memories as possible. 

We started off our Summer with a trip to Staunton Farm in Hampshire, there are lots of fun things to do from donkey rides, feeding the animals, soft play and lots more. 
 
kids embrace car seat paw patrol chase
 
 
It’s a lovely, affordable day out. We chose to travel by car which is very convenient for us, Autumn was super excited as she got to ride in her Kids Embrace Paw Patrol car seat. It is part of the Friendship series and is a combination booster seat, it’s a stage 1-2-3 seat with integral 5 point harness to ensure children are safely secured on any journey from approximately 9 months (9kg) to 4 years (18kg) and can be used with a standard 3 point seat belt as a high back booster up to around 12 years. 
 
kids embrace car seat paw patrol chase
kids embrace car seat paw patrol chase
 
 
Autumn is 5 now and just hit the 18kg mark so she went straight into stage two, which is secured via the 3 point seatbelt. 
 
Autumn loves this car seat and so do I. It gives her good support for in the car, especially for when she nods off after a long day of exploring, she especially loves her very own cup holders. 

Autumn makes sure she says hello and good bye to Chase (our chosen design) which I think is very very cute and helpfully encouraged her into the car quickly before our journey.

They have a number of designs in the Friendship series including 

Cinderella in Pink and Blue 

It retails at £89.99 and in my honest opinion is worth every penny as it will last your child for a long time, making is extremely great value for money.

Presuming you used it for 11 years ( 9 month old to 12 year old) this car seat would cost £8.18 a year, or 68p a month, bargain!

 


You can find out more about Kids Embrace Here, and they can be purchased online at Amazon.


Aimee
Tuesday 12 June 2018

PARENTING: Gender Disappointment

Growing up I always thought I would be a Mum of girls, I grew up mainly amongst women and girls is all Iv ever know. 

I can say hand on heart when we were choosing to add a second addition to our family did I ever think I would have a boy, it just never crossed my mind. 



So I hit 16 weeks excited and so glad to be going to baby bond and ultrasound direct in Cosham (read all about our early gender scan here). This was a great experience for us but whilst I was lying on the Doctors bed with gel on my tummy seeing our little baby on the big TV and up comes the “potty shot”, there it was in full TV glory a massive scrotum...... there was no mistaking that at all. 

My daughters face dropped as the sonographer said “congratulations it’s a boy” tears started to fall down her cheeks, she so desperately wanted a little sister and in that moment my feelings were pushed to the side. I had to be strong for my little girl, she was devastated. 

One she was settled and pictures printed and I got home and had 5 minutes to process the thought of having a son, my heart sank. I felt guilty for how I felt, tears filled my eyes and I disappointed myself with how I felt. How could I feel this way? Shouldn’t I be happy I’m having another baby, a much wanted baby. 

Some googling later and I realised ok to feel this way, many mothers and mothers to be have felt this way. It’s called gender disappointment and man it sucks and not everyone will be ok with someone having these very real feelings. 

There are groups of like minded parents to be who are going through or have gone through the same feelings and it’s ok to cry! 


I cried and cried for 24 hours straight, my friend Kim kept me sane during this time and let me vent. 
Sunday 27 May 2018

PARENTING: Gender scan at Ultrasound Direct / Baby bond Portsmouth

Times really have changed since having Autumn nearly 6 years ago, when I was expecting her you only got your two NHS scans and hoped they got the gender (if you wanted to know it) right. 

Now with baby number two on the way there are so many options available for expecting mothers, you can now have a gender scan as early as 16 weeks. This to me is amazing, waiting that extra 4 weeks may not seam a big deal however when your growing a human it can feel like an age to wait. 

Everyone has their own reasons to find out or not when it comes to the babies gender, we decided to find out for a second time but why?

Well we have a very excited 5 yo girl called Autumn who had her heart set on a little sister and I felt that she needed as much time as possible to get used to it being a boy if that was the case. 



I think it’s wonderful how I had the chance to find this out so early in my pregnancy and I was super excited to work with Ultrasound direct and baby bond in Portsmouth. 

I was 16+3 at my gender scan, I went with Autumn and my husband Davin. On entering I was immediately impressed as they had ample space (and locks) for pushchairs (how handy), in the waiting room we were greeted with a friendly face and offerings of refreshments. For the little people there where ample toys to entertain whilst paperwork was filled in. 

It was a lovely relaxed environment when you entered the room, plenty of space for friends and family to sit and stand, clearly able to see the image from the ultrasound on a big screen TV. 

Images and video isn’t allowed to be taken inside the ultrasound room, but we were too excited to see baby number two. 

It was wonderful to see autumns face as she saw the baby on the Tv, it really was magical. 

We are pleased (Autumn took some getting used too) to announce we’re having a little boy. 



We treated Autumn to a heartbeat bear in blue which has her little brothers heartbeat for her to listen too. This out a big smile on her face and I’m sure she is coming round to the idea of having a little brother. 



It was a lovely experience and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to find out their babies gender. 

Please check out their website here

Love Aimee 


Thursday 10 May 2018

PARENTING: Our Big News

Hello lovelies, I had to take a little break as Iv been super sick as We are super excited to announce we’re expecting our second child. I get extremely sick in pregnancy so the first 8 or so weeks have been a challenge. 
Autumn is super excited to be a big sister and the new arrival is due this October. 

I cannot wait to share with you my journey into motherhood a second time. 

Here are some gorgeous pictures of Autumn and one announcement. 

Love Aimee 



Wednesday 18 April 2018

BEAUTY: Skin Chemists Rose Quartz Lip Plump Review

So skin chemists has to be one of my favourite brands the only down side is the price... it tends to be pretty pricey.  

It may be expensive but I have never been disappointed with their products and I have quite a few. I tend to buy them direct from skin chemists or if I’m lucky they have the odd one or two at TK Maxx at a seriously reduced price. 

Iv treated myself to a few new things from the collection recently and I’m so excited to share. 

Rose Quartz youth defence lip plump 



What skin chemists have to say about their product ...
The point of this plump is to hydrate lips whilst giving them a fuller pout with a glossy soft finish. It’s designed to look and have the benefits of a lip balm and gloss. 



It includes a key ingredient called volulip (never heard of it? Me either) which comes from the “kiss me quick” plant, aiming to stimulate the production of Hyaluronic Acid, producing an active plumping effect. Circulation of blood to the surface of the lip is further enhanced by Peppermint Oil producing a fuller pout.



Ok so we know what they say... but how does it measure up?

The packing is really simple and slightly clinical (like their entire product range), I really like this look for me it jeans they have put their money into the product rather than the packaging. The tube is clear showing a light pink lip gloss, on opening the tube you smell a Pleasant and fresh peppermint. 
It’s really lovely to apply, it’s a soft feeling gloss which isn’t sticky. The lips feel fresh after application, I love the way it feels in my lips as well as smells. 



I have a really think upper lip and honestly I hate it (would totally have fillers) I noticed a slight increase in its size, it was a natural increase so nothing to OTT. 

It costs £94.90 and you can get it here 

Honestly is it worth the price?

I’m on the fence as much as I love the brand I don’t feel this is worth nearly £100 I feel it should be more the £40 mark, as it does work. 

I’m glad Iv got it and I would use it as a daily plumper as it doesn’t tingle or hurt and it does make a difference to my lip size. 

Have you tried the brand before? 

Look out for reviews of these coming up soon 
Anti-Ageing Caviar Day Moisturiser
24-Hour Aqua Repair Facial Serum
Pro-5 Collagen Bee Venom Day Moisturiser


Love aimee