Monday, April 30, 2012

24 Week Pregnant & Bump Pic

It occurred to me this morning that I'm over half way through my pregnancy. It feels like I have no time to actually feel pregnant. No time to think about kicks or baby planning. My world revolves my little madam at the moment, which I am entirely content with. That being said I feel a little guilty for the bump! So to honour the bump I thought I would blog.

Here are some things on my mind at 24 weeks: (bump pic below)

Exercise: I'm a very active person by nature. I find walking boring and so prefer to run. I once loved the gym but despise it now and am happier outdoors - Eve is most content outdoors too. Actually, my whole family are the outdoorsie-sort (and we all hate team sports - a trait that extends to past generations!) I love running though. It makes me feel most like me. I didn't realise I was pregnant for a while so I was jogging most days in early pregnancy. Then came morning sickness - I couldn't keep anything down for about 5 weeks. I stuck to walking during this time with intermittent spurts of jogging (no running). The doctors guidelines are that you can continue to do what you did before you were pregnant once you're comfortable but that you shouldn't take up a new exercise regimen. I'm loving it and feel great. Admittedly,  I have walked only for the past few days - the bump grew significantly and I feel a little tired. I'm sure I'll bounce back in a few days.


Eating: I'm finding it harder to make time for myself for obvious reasons this pregnancy. On my last one I could plan dietary requirements - have I had enough calcium today? I have come to learn that Eve really doesn't care if I've had enough calcium :) These days I need to set an alarm on my phone to remind me to eat something!


Cravings: I had no cravings at all with my first pregnancy. So far I have none on this one either. Any weird cravings?

Two babies!! I'm quite a laid back sort of a mother. I believe in instinct and intuition. Most of the time I know I can manage 2 babies just fine. It will be hard but I will get through it and try my best. I am quite sure of this. I haven't been frightened at all. Until yesterday. I had a brief "oh my God" moment. Then it passed and I went back to knowing it will all be fine. That being said, anyone with advice on raising two babies so close in age will be listened to intently :) I also read a comment from one of my readers who has a young baby and is expecting twins. She's not even the tiniest bit daunted about having three babies under three. Now that's just inspirational.

Maternity Clothes (see below) I'm still managing my usual clothes for the time being. The button on my skinny jeans wouldn't close the other day so I wore a bump-band over them - I highly recommend Bump Bands. H&M have something similar in lots of colours and they're €4.95. You won't find them in the maternity section as they're sold as jersey skirts but they are identical to the Bump Bands I own and much cheaper.

Heartburn EVIL!!!I eat small and often and avoid the main heartburn culprits. Yet the heart burn is getting worse. It's there when I'm hungry, full or eating. It's there regardless of how often I eat and regardless of portion. Rennie anyone? I won't touch Galviscon!

Baby clothes I'm dying to prepare clothes etc but it's way too early. I left this right til the end of my pregnancy last time round. I'm not superstitious in any way but I do know that many things can go wrong with pregnancy and birth. I'll just wait patiently and hope for the safe arrival of my baby.

And here is the growing bump at 24 weeks:


Definitely smaller than my last pregnancy at this stage. I bought my trousers from Red Herring Maternity in Debenhams (reduced from €45 to €12!!) They turned out to be a mistake today - I'm not ready for maternity clothes yet, I spent the entire day pulling them  up! Love the colour and the turn-up though. Back to my own jeans for a few more weeks I think. I probably shouldn't be moaning! 

Any issues on your mind?? G'wan, share with the group :)

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Shopping for a Double Buggy!

I can't believe I'm thinking about double buggies so soon after buying a single one. Life has a way of keeping us on our toes doesn't it! Well, I do love a bit of research. Particularly baby product related research.

I read what felt like a million reviews on every double buggy and pram on the market. I also stopped numerous Mums on the street who were wheeling the buggies in question to ask them would they recommend their pram. Most said no - that really is the best way to research. I spoke to a woman a few months ago who loved her Phil & Teds Double. She had two toddlers with her and she insisted on taking me through the pros and cons (with a demo)! She was so kind. This led to further exploration into Phil & Teds. Another friend of mine, who has a new baby and a toddler, said she couldn't live without hers. She also told me that some of the models were better than others - issues with brakes on one, no car seat adaptor on another etc.






I had no intention of buying anything until closer to my due date but I found myself in Tony Kealey's today (perusing the changing bag section, as usual). When I was leaving a Phil & Teds Explorer caught my eye as it was on special. I had a little walk around the shop with it and had a play to see how it worked. Damn it was heavy. But after wheeling around every other double buggy/pram in there I concluded that I loved it.

I would hate anything wide. I even find the Quinny gets stuck in doorways (it fits fine but back wheels are chunky). I know many of the doubles are only a tiny bit wider but that just isn't for me. I'm also used to a three-wheeler now. I hated the Gracco one - where one seat is on front of the other - it felt like pushing a bus. It occurred to me that choosing a buggy really is a personal thing.

What finally made me settle on the Explorer was the fact that the care seat can attach to it. For as long as Eve has been in her first size car seat (she still is) I just bring the Quinny base and pop the seat out of the car and into it when I'm in the shops. If I was going for a walk or something I would bring the proper top. Then the sales woman showed me the carry-cot that goes behind the toddler seat. Love this idea. The third thing that made it a done deal was that the seats can be switched around depending on the age of your babies.

According to the website...

Highlights
  • Proven off-road dependability in an all new package
  • One hand fast fold
  • Globally safety certified
  • Seat Performance System™
  • Takes a double kit (2nd seat) and a car seat all at once!
  • Removable seat liner: easy to wash & supreme comfort!
  • Foot break (instead of the handle-bar break so many of you warned me about)


I decided to put my Quinny Buzz 3 up for sale on Adverts and put the money towards the double. How sensible am I!

Delighted with myself.

Any experience with double buggies?

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Pregnancy Cardio & Pilates for Free

If you're like me and you like keeping fit but have neither the time or the inclination to join an class then I highly recommend YouTube. I mentioned before that I walk every day with a little jogging (I have been reducing the intervals gradually as I'm getting bigger) but on days like this where it's lashing rain, there isn't a chance in hell I'm going out there.

Here are two videos I found this morning. I did both whilst Eve played on the floor with her books (I did get the odd questionable glance from her and at one stage she stood up and danced along!) The cardio is gentle but gets your heart rate up - not too much though as you want to take it easy. The pilates was also fun. I have always preferred a fast paced pilates routine (no yoga for me!). The pilates isn't relaxing, it's a work out. I had no hand weights (they're on the balcony soaking wet) so I used two small water bottles.

Pregnancy Pilates:


Cardio Suitable for Pregnancy:


The weather is supposed to stay crappy for a few days so I might try these videos again tomorrow and then search for some more.

On  my last pregnancy I bought a few pre-natal exercise dvd's. I found then both boring after 3 days so gave them to a friend. I prefer the idea of YouTub-ing different videos each day. It probably challenges your body more as you're not repeating the same routines.

Any thoughts?



Monday, April 23, 2012

Addiction! Pregnancy & Baby Mags

Thanks for all your lovely wishes for Eve's first birthday. It went so well! I will post more about it later on! Still trying to decide if I should show a picture of her or not.

I have been addicted to glossy magazines for as long as I can remember. When I'm pregnant I find that my usual favs don't do it for me. For example, picking up In Style is no good when your choice of clothing is limited to maternity wear. Cosmo feels like it's aimed at nine-to-fivers rather than a stay at home mammy with a bump. Reading the usuals makes me feel left out.

Hence my new addiction, pregnancy and baby mags. It's the one place I feel right at home. A place where your woes of puffy ankles, worries about giving birth to a ten pounder and how to chase your toddler down the supermarket isles are all common place.

Here are three of my favourites:
  • Maternity & Infant - I LOVE this magazine. All of the info applies to Ireland and everything can be bought here. People from outside of Ireland might find it odd that this is such a luxury for us but for the longest time British mags were the only bump/baby type on the market here. I still read magazines from the UK but it's nice to have everything in euro. A lot of the advice in it comes from midwives, nurses, doctors and childcare professionals who all work in the Irish system. I can detect a slight difference in attitude towards common issues. They reflect Irish ideals.
  • Mother & Baby - Love he fashion pieces. I actually kept the Mother & Baby's I bought on my first pregnancy for reference and I still dip into them as issues arise. I find it more helpful than parenting books. Many of my mags have post-its on the front cover or have pages marked.
  • Prima Baby & Pregnancy -Always has good freebies and enjoyable articles.

I'm off to put my feet up for a half hour with a hot cuppa and have a read. Any magazine recommendations?

Have a lovely Tuesday everyone!

Amy x

PS. I just finished a new post on VOYA Cast Away Facial Wash on Make Up & Beauty if you're bored! It's organic and made with hand-harvested Irish seaweed - thought it might be something those of you with pregnancy skin might be interested in!


Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Early Morning Wake Up Call & Sleeping Through the Night...

If you're a Mammy than you are probably familiar with the following scenario: Mama finally closes her eyes after a long day. Baby has napped well, she has eaten all her food, met her milk quota, ironing is completed, bath is emptied and baby toys have been returned to the toy box. You feel smug at how your text-book baby is so predictable.

Smugness is the devil :)

Anyway, you are rudely awoken by the shouts of your dear one who has decided that she's hungry. No amount of tucking in, bobbing or rocking is going to send her back to the land of nod. I had such a lovely wake-up call this morning. Eve started walking a few days ago so she's probably burning more calories. The only time she ever wakes during the night/early morning is when she is sick, teething or in the earlier months - going through a growth spurt.

I'm definitely not complaining. It got me thinking about Mums who have to this on a regular basis. How do you cope?

Sleeping through the night 

A few of you asked me how I got Eve to sleep through the night. I know it's on every mammy's mind in the early days. The answer is that I didn't really do anything, Eve did. Sure, I made sure she was in a position to sleep though when she was ready but I never felt pressure. It's one of the first questions everyone asks you when you have a young baby - does she sleep through the night yet? I think it's important not to fixate on it. All baby's are different, all mothers. It's definitely no the be all and end all.

With that being said I do think we can do things to facilitate the transition into sleeping right through. I am no expert (most days I just roll with it and hope for the best) but here's a little bit of info about how it worked for my baby.

Eve was quite young when she started sleeping from the 10.30pm feed to 7am - I can't remember exactly when (roughly 10-12 weeks). I was breastfeeding full time and found her very content. I started handing an expressed feed to daddy at this stage for the 10.30pm feed and it was then that she started sleeping longer.

Dream Feeding

By 4 months I decided not to wake her to feed her and instead to give her a 'dream feed'. Basically, we popped a bottle of expressed milk in her mouth and didn't lift her. In the months that I continued the 10.30 dream feed she never woke.

During this time I put her down between 7pm and 8pm after a bath, massage and with a full tummy. Now I should admit that to get her asleep she needed to be bobbed (more on that later - it was completely my own doing and I don't recommend!) I put her in her moses basket and went back downstairs, at 10.30 one of us would give her a dream feed and that was end of it until 7am the following morning.

At 5 month we decided to give Eve formula for her dream feed. All of her other feeds were breast milk. The reasoning behind this decision was that she seemed a little unsettled during the day and was fighting her naps. The addition of one formula feed at this age seemed to do the trick. I should point out that most mother's wouldn't need to do this but I had gone back to eating my pre-pregnancy food and I didn't feel Eve was as satisfied by my milk (I learned from this and won't cut back on my snacks next time!).

I dropped the dream feed and about 7 months, reducing it gradually. No problems.

To stop pre-7am waking I took a midwifes advice and never fed her before this time if she woke (after she was sleeping through). With the exception of growth-spurts in the early few months that never happened. Now she sleeps til 8am. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't let a baby go hungry. I just made sure she had the calories she needed from 7am to 7pm.

I know I was lucky. But I hope to have the same relaxed attitude when my next baby arrives. If he/she is fed, winded, warm and ready for sleep it might work. If it doesn't then the baby might not be ready. So I will patiently (I hope) wait for the cue.

Over-stimulation / Over-tiredness

I should point out is that Eve was always prone to over-stimulation. Now I know all babies can get over-stimulated but Eve took the biscuit. To this day if she is over-tired or over-stimulated there isn't a hope is hell of her sleeping through. She is one of those babes that needs down time before naps. At about 7 months old she started waking an hour after we put her down for the night - like she was waking from a nap. I couldn't put my finger on what it was for days. Then I lengthened her wind-down time before bed and she went back to normal. She was just over-stimulated.

Another thing that effects her sleep is napping. If her daytime naps are too short, too late or too few it affects her bedtime and how well she sleeps. 


Teething 

We have had a few wakeful nights over the past few months thanks to Eve's lovely 6 teeth - the seventh is on its way up. On those nights I don't fight her. There's no point. I facilitate the good sleep but if it's not happening it's not happening. I  have learned how to choose my battles. In the beginning I was taking advice from baby books telling me not not do this and that but in the end my own logic prevailed and that works for both Eve and I.

I also firmly believe that the vibes you exude affect your baby. For example on nights where I'm very tired, I find myself wishing Eve to sleep. I don't have a calmness about me on those nights and this definitely affects my baby. If I'm relaxed and in no hurry, neither is she and she nods right off. 

I think what I have been trying to say in my own waffley way is that you need to trust your instinct. If something stopped working for me I observed for a few days before reacting - sometimes it would correct itself, other times my intervention was necessary. Definitely don't panic or feel pressured by how well other babies sleep. The answer for me was to be a facilitator - give my baby every possible reason to go asleep. Also making sure she had most of her calories between 7am and 7pm did the rest (obviously not in the early days when they're on a 3/4 hour feed routine). Relax, go with the flow and let your intuition guide you - it took me many months to figure that one out.

Any thoughts? I would love to hear what worked for you. Any advice for exhausted Mums?

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Baby brain

The term 'baby brain' covers a multitude of sins - all of which apply to me. I'm sure many of you can relate - at least I hope you do or I'm just going batty!

 I am blaming baby brain on the following:

  1. That I re-read the same page of my book each night yet it's like it's brand new information every time.
  2. That I can't remember ANYTHING!
  3. That I start sentences and then just trail off into a mumble because I've lost my train of thought (and nowadays, it doesn't come back to me later).
  4. That I point to everyday inanimate objects and can't think of the word for it. For example 'The bulb is gone from the, the, the, the, thing-ma-bob' *she says as she frantically points at the microwave*
  5. That I never get any jokes anymore. I'm now that eejit who laughs at the wrong part or takes 10 minutes to catch on... and on occasion it will have to be explained. Oh the humanity. 
  6. That I now change vowels for no apparent reason. For example, "I'll meet you at Soaperquinn" and "Put that in the boat" - the first being Superquinn, the second being boot, unfortunately I don't own a boat. Both of these comments made me a source of ridicule amongst my family, ahem, sister!
  7. That sometimes I'm driving somewhere and have a momentary lapse where I can't remember where I'm going. On one occasion at the beginning of my pregnancy I had to pull over.
  8. That I occasionally stop half way on the stairs, forget where I'm going or have a "Am I going up the stairs or am I going down the stairs" moment.
  9. That I once could well under pressure and now I just crumble and cry.
  10. That I can't hold a conversation where... I just got distracted mid sentence when asked a question and now I can't remember. How appropriate. Will update when I remember, if I remember.

The two things baby brain is good for is 1. list making and 2.  making me be a better mama because there is literally nothing else on my mind.The list thing is weird - I struggle to string a sentence together and get sit there making lists like a mad woman. Maybe I am a mad woman. Who knows.

I have heard that women's IQ drops when they are expecting. Now, I don't know how true that is but it sure would explain a lot.

I remember thinking that my brain would go back to normal after I gave birth. Not a chance Amy. A friend of mine told me it took her a year for her to get back to her articulate self. I unfortunately didn't even give myself a year before getting pregnant again. I feel extra stupid this time round.

To come to think of it, this might be why I blog... because I can't articulate myself in person anymore! Ha. 

Tell me it's not just me?!

Free Pregnancy & Baby Fair tickets...


I managed to secure myself a free ticket for the Pregnancy & Baby Fair this month. I thought I would share in case some of you hadn't heard where to get them for free. 

All I did was sign up to smanutrition.ie. They emailed me a code which I then used on Ticketmasters wesbite to redeem my free ticket or you can pick it up on the day at the box office.

The fair is on in the RDS on the 14th and 15th of April. I hear it's a great event and apparently there are lots of testers and freebies :) The tickets are only €10 but if you go with your partner, Mammy or friend that's €20 you could spend on tea and cake! (Yes, that's how I think. Tea and cake and tea and cake.)

Here's a link to the Pregnancy & Baby page if you would like more info on the event. Link!

I best leave my credit card at home!

Have any of you been before?

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Custom Baby on Board Signs- I couldn't resist!

I couldn't resist! Much like my beauty blog you will be hearing those words a lot here. Be warned.

I had one of those generic bright yellow 'Baby on Board' signs when Eve was first born. I found that it made little or no difference to the closeness people drove to my bumper. I also wondered about the colour. Sure, it's the colour of a danger sign and therefore attracts attention but does anyone else find it aggressive?  I'm probably just over-sensitive but I do think that colour affects how I think somtimes.  I recently read about a famous interior designer who designed his range of products for a department store using turquoise and orange - colours he chose to have an anti-depressent effect. Many fast food chains use yellow and red interiors so you eat fast and don't linger. There's obviously some research there, I just don't know a thing about it.

I digress. I took the yellow sign down in the end but since I traded my beloved Fiat 500 in for a VW Passat I have noticed that people drive much closer to me than before. I hate that. I started ebaying...


Custom made Baby on Board signs. There are thousands of designs on ebay and hundreds of sellers to choose from. I didn't like the idea of putting Eve's name on it, I'm not sure why. I thought it fitting to choose the word 'babies' since I will have two sprogs in four months time (holy moly, still scares me when I think it).

I bought it from this ebay seller - Link but as I said there are so many sellers and designs out there.

I popped it in my back window a week ago and I have noticed that I haven't had one car drive too close. Of course this could be coincidence. Then again in Dublin, aggressive tailgater's are part of everyday life.

It's soft and pink and pretty and probably completely unnecessary. Do you use one of these? Any other ' I couldn't resist' moments?

Amy x

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Fun with Baby Sign Language

Eve is one determined 11 month old. She knows what she wants and goes for it. The problem with this is of course language. It must be so frustrating when your mama keeps thrusting a beaker of water at you when you really want juice.

I had started to notice this frustration in her five or six weeks ago. She knows her routine and seems to understand a lot of instructions we give her, both in English and Irish. In the morning I ask her where the bibs are before she has her milk, she points up to the top shelf and then reaches to get one. Last week she answered 'ansin' (means 'there' in Irish for those of you outside Ireland). Like every other Mammy on the planet I oozed with pride. For these reasons I thought Eve would benefit from knowing a few baby signs to avoid the frustration of a mother who doesn't speak baby.


(Image from http://spilledmilkformoms.org)

I found this great Baby Sign-language website and taught myself a few. I stuck to the basics and tried to think of the words Eve might use if she could speak - thank you, please (I hope),  milk, hungry, play, cuddle and water. She studies my face when I use the sign as  I speak and low and behold today she made the sign for milk ten minutes before she was due a feed. She was obviously ready for it while I was using the clock as a guide.

There is the odd challenge of course. Eve loves blowing kisses. She blows them at people she likes and to show she likes objects (like flowers, cuddly toys etc.). As a result the sign for 'thank you' is confusing to her. But she attempts the sign and articulates the 't' sound anyway.

I'm making every effort to encourage her speech and language development but until the day comes that she can articulate her needs baby signs are a help. It's also common for bilingual babies to speak a little later than their monolingual counterparts as they've two language processes to deal with. I'm hoping that knowing a few signs will help her communication frustration over the coming months.

I found this useful printout on brixtonemakesthree.com...



Has anyone tried baby signing?

Friday, April 6, 2012

Travel Buggy Dilemas

I have a buggy dilemma... story of my life.

Here's my buggy background:

Before my first baby was born I settled on a Quinny Buzz 3 Travel System after much research. I'll follow up shortly with a proper review but let me say for now that it's cosy but it's heavy as a heifer. At the time I had a Fiat 500 - what do you mean there is no chance of fitting a Quinny in a Fiat 500? I can hear you snigger. Yes, I was a silly, naive woman who did lots of research into pushchairs but forgot the small issue of whether said pram would fit in my dear car. Not a chance. Even with the wheels off!

Quinny Buzz 3

I arrived at my mums one morning after managing to wedge the base of the Quinny into the back seat right beside Eve's Maxi-cosi, it was indeed cosy in there. When I tried to remove baby and pram base I sat on the curb and burst into tears. My Mammy ushered me to her significantly larger car and drove me to Eurobaby where I bought a Chicco Lite Way Stroller, reduced to €110. I was delighted with myself. I continued to use my Quinny but kept the Chicco in the backseat (even that wouldn't fit in the boot of the Fiat!).

Chicco Lite Way


Back to the travel issue. 

We brought it on holiday to Lanzarote last Summer. It was light, easy to get around tight spaces but Eve wasn't comfortable in it. Even with the straps tightened she slid around. The recline is quite good but not flat enough for my liking. One week in to the holiday the front wheels started to stick and lift off the ground on shopping centre and restaurant floors. I was not a happy bunny (there were more issues with this buggy so I'll follow up in detail later). The Chicco now lives in Nana's house.

This year I want to spend my money wisely on a stroller that will do me until I'm done rearing my children. I plan to continue using a pram/pushchair but need a stroller for travel and naps etc. Here are my sticking points:

  • No flimsy wheels - I don't want the baby to feel every crack in the path. 
  • Manoeuvrability - I want a buggy that glides around confined spaces without me having to resort to a three point turn. 
  • Comfort - Properly lined and supportive. Comfy for napping. 
  • Full recline and leg extension. 
  • Decent sized hood to product from sun wind etc. 
Apparently this is quite a lot to expect from a buggy. But I have been researching like a mad woman.  I came across two that fit the bill. 




I popped into my local store to have a test drive of both. In concluded that the Tour is light and pretty, plenty of space, great for travel. The downside is the wheels didn't feel overly strong and the seat didn't recline all the way. The Maclaren XT was nowhere near as pretty but was incredibly sturdy and robust, as a result it was heavier. It has full recline, leg extension and a decent hood. Both look cosy but all in all the Maclaren seems like a better option for my needs. The Tour is €127 whilst the XT was on sale in Mothercare for €209 (without foot muff). I am also considering a Maclaren XLR which I understand is bigger than the XT.

Any recommendations, thoughts? What buggy did you buy? Do you like it?

Thursday, April 5, 2012

20 Weeks Pregnant - Scan, Thoughts & Outfit of the Day

I'm 20 weeks pregnant this week. I can't believe it's half over already! On my first, every minute dragged because I was dying to meet her. This time round I'm lucky if I get a minute to remember that I'm growing a human.

I had my anomaly scan on Monday (what a beautiful name for it). For us it meant nervously awaiting the news that our baby is growing normally and has no genetic defects... for our families it meant one thing. Gender scan. Now, we decided that this one would be a surprise but some family members are finding this news difficult :)


Before I get into it, here's a bit of an Outfit of the Day:


  • Jeggings - Penneys / Primark (great elasticated waist)
  • Cardi - Forever21
  • Top - Dunnes (€12) - Empire line is so handy for pregnant ladies 
  • Necklace - RubyCotton.com
  • Boots - Roxy
  • Glasses - Accessorize 

Here are 10 issues floating through my head at 20 weeks:

1. Some meats and herbs still make me feel nauseous. Last time round this was gone by 10 weeks. Gagging is always such a pleasure.

2. Still fitting into my pre-pregnancy jeans. Ok so not big deal on your first but by our second you have separated tummy muscles to deal with. On my last pregnancy I was most definitely in maternity jeans by now - more to make room for all the food I ate in the 2nd trimester - I was starving all the time!

3. Belly button which is usually an inny is now completely flat.

4. Wishing I had massaged more bio oil into previous c-section scar or perhaps if I had left it longer than 7 months between pregnancies it wouldn't be an issue. 

5. Nesting instinct has already kicked in  - planting flowers, baking and cleaning things I never thought of before.

6. I'm enjoying having so much energy for my baba at home.

7. Loving that the kicks can be seen through my clothes now.

8. Dreading giant boobs! I feel like I just got rid of them after breastfeeding and they're back already. I just refuse to wear ugly, sensible underwear.

9. So far my emotions are stable. No melt downs over chocolate biscuit not having enough chocolate...yet.

10.  No pregnancy acne yet either. On my first I had horrible skin issues. Still time though.


Here's the 20 week scan photo - boy or girl? 

I went for a 4d scan the last time and it was great. Baba came out looking exactly like the video but that put me off this time. There was too much expectation and I love an aul surprise.

Think that's it for today. Any of you at a similar stage? Thoughts on 4d scans?

Amy x

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Finally...a home for all things bump & baby

Being a regular beauty blogger I'm well used to yapping about pretty things on Makeup & Beauty.ie. I have been considering a bump blog ever since my first pregnancy. I wanted somewhere to rant, rave, review but mostly, a place to chat. My only hesitation was the uncertainty of a healthy pregnancy - something I shared on my beauty blog in detail when I announced my second pregnancy. Luckily everything went swimmingly and I now have a beautiful 11 month old baby girl called Eve.

I found out I was expecting my second bub 2 weeks before Christmas - thank you Santa :) I was shocked to say the least, but thrilled.

Like many of you who are parents or are expecting, I know too well the ups and downs of trying to conceive, fertility issues, negative tests, PCOS, the highs and lows of the pregnant mama and the indescribable joy that accompanies the birth of your nugget. This time last year I was up to my eyes in pre-eclampsia, hospital stays, inductions and in the end a C-section.  I'm also all too familiar with the joys and woes of rearing said nugget from baba to toddler. Not to mention the hundreds of hours of research that went into choosing a buggy, pram, high chair.. you know how long that list gets!

My experience has been a rollercoaster, one I hope I never have to get off. I can't wait to share it all with you lot :)

I would love if you'd leave a comment below and introduce yourself!

Amy x