Bump update - 36 weeks

Bump

At my last midwife appointment (36 + 6) Squishy was measuring at 38 weeks so slightly ahead so bump is definitely still growing away! Haha

I actually said to G the other day it's quite a nice feeling now knowing it can't get much bigger. I mean I know she's still going to grow a little more and no doubt stretch me out some more but really how much more can happen in 3 weeks?

Everyone still comments on how big I've got when they see me now which is a little bit depressing when I think about it too much! All of G's family were happily prodding & poking away the other evening and no-one can seem to believe just how rock hard my belly is. All the healthcare professionals are amazing how compact Squishy is in there and keep saying how uncomfortable I must be because there is NO room for anything now!

What have we been up to?

Nothing hugely exciting has been happening this week. My friend Lucy came to see me with my gorgeous little goddaughter Betsy which is always a treat. Betsy is 6 & a half months old now so we're hoping the girls will grow up to be close and it's always interesting seeing Marley interact with small babies. He loves toddlers who can chase him around & play with him but he never seems quite sure of babies. If anything he's scared of them! Which is crazy ironic when everyone lectures us about not leaving the dog with the baby - he's such a softy though we know we don't have anything to worry about. Betsy was trying to bite his nose at one point & he just sits & takes it all giving out kisses left right & centre bless him.

Today is G's sister Carla's 30th birthday so we'll be going round to see her later on after my midwife appointment. Fingers crossed for birthday cake!

Weight/Cravings

Lots of ice cream this week.

Symptoms/Movement

Heartburn has just been horrendous this week. It only strikes at night when I lie down but one night we had run out of Rennie's & I had to sleep full on sitting up for the night! TOTAL disaster!

Squishy's movements have really picked up again which I'm pleased about because I'm not worrying so much.

Mood

I've been in a much better mood this week and have definitely cheered up. The hormones are definitely hitting me more at the moment though and I find myself crying at silly things - mostly happy tears though!

Gender

GIRL

Appointments

We're about to go for my 36 week midwife checkup. I say we because G is off and coming with me for a change which will be nice. He hasn't met my midwife since I changed to a different one at about 20 weeks so it'll be nice for him to put a face to the name & he always likes hearing Squishy's little heartbeat.

I ended up back at the Maternity Day Unit again because my blood pressure was the highest yet! To cut a long story short everything is fine and they still won't put me on any medication to control the BP because it isn't consistently high. And because I don't have any other symptoms at all they aren't worried about pre eclampsia at the moment but are keeping an eye on everything just to be safe.

What really upset and worried me is that I nearly ended up being admitted for the night for monitoring because they got my notes muddled up with somebody else!!! I mean seriously? That happens? How is that even possible? During pregnancy you carry round a great big folder of personal pregnancy notes which get passed to every medical professional you deal with. Can that happen in labour? Will they get me muddled with someone then and insist I need a C-section or worse when I don't? 

To say I've lost all faith in my local maternity unit is an understatement! I'm honestly quite worried and G was furious that they worried me all essentially for nothing and don't explain what's going on.

Shopping

Again nothing much now. I really think we are all done and ready. I need to rebuy all our hospital bag snacks & drinks because inevitably they got eaten with me buying them too early. I think I'm gonna get a couple more packs of nappies and cartons of milk in our food shopping this week as well just to be extra prepared.

Labour signs?

With the 19th July coming and going again pretty quickly we officially have less than a month until Squishy is due so I thought it was about time I start looking out for labour signs! Eeeeek!

I've been having period type pains and back pains for a couple of weeks now which has to be a good sign. Also possibly TMI for the Internet but I've been getting a lot of discharge which they say is the body clearing the way for the baby!

Are you around the 36 week pregnant mark? I'd love to hear from other August mummy-to-be's.

If you're enjoying our pregnancy updates I'd love you to follow our story either here or on Bloglovin'

XOXO

The big purchases

If you're anything like me then worrying about the cost of everything when you find out you are expecting a baby is a big deal! I'm not going to lie, I panicked...a lot! For something so small it turns out Squishy needs a whole lot of stuff. Don't get me wrong a lot of it is "like to have" rather than "must have" but I think it's natural to want the best for your baby before they even arrive and to never want them to have to go without.

I thought I'd put a little post together showing the main expensive things that we have had to fork out for during my pregnancy - the big purchases as such!

We've been very very lucky and have had family members offer to purchase some of these for us which we will be eternally greatful for. I also love to bargain hunt and have found a lot of things cheaper second hand on eBay or Facebook selling sites which has helped us a lot.

So here goes...

1. Pram/Pushchair/Travel System

Obviously an essential and probably the most expensive thing expectant parents have to buy. It's hard because there is such a variety out there and you really need to do your research to decide which sort of pram would suit your family's needs best. Poor G was so fed up of visiting Mothercare and playing with prams over and over again, long before we came to a final decision.

We always knew we wanted to go for a complete travel system rather than just a pram. This meant we would get a carrycot for use the first couple of months, a pram type seat which can be both parent and world facing and a car seat - all which can be easily interchanged.

We ended up going for the Babystyle Oyster 2 travel system which is kind of medium/low in the price range of travel systems.

My parent very kindly offered to buy our pram for us which was an amazing relief. Each part needed purchasing separately which is a bit of a pain but good in the sense that you could spread out the cost if you wanted to.

Main Oyster 2 pram chassis in black - £299

Coral colour pack (hood, seat pad & head hugger) - £70

Slate grey foot muff - £40

Oyster carrycot - RRP £115, currently £34 in the sale - I managed to pick this up second hand for £10 

Maxi Cosi Pebble car seat - RRP £165 - I managed to pick this up second hand for £25

All Mothercare

2. Cot/Cotbed

This wasn't really an essential purchase before Squishy arrives because we expect she'll be sleeping in with us for the first 6 months or so, rather than in her own room, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared.

We picked this lovely Obaby Winnie the Pooh cotbed in white with a pine trim. I love the Winnie the Pooh theme and have definitely been trying to incorporate some Disney into the nursery. The mattress has three different height settings and the sides can be removed to turn it into a cotbed that will be suitable up until the age of 5. 

I'm not saying we definitely won't change Squishy's bed before she is 5 cos that seems a long way off but it's nice to know that we've got the option and don't have the expenses of toddler beds/single beds later down the line. It also came with a free mattress which I thought made it extra great value.

Again we were lucky enough to have this bought for us by my nan and grandad.

Winnie the Pooh Deluxe Cot Bed - White with Pine Trim - £174.99 Argos

3. Steriliser starter set

I think subconsciously I always knew I didn't want to breastfeed so had already looked into and sussed out what we would need to bottle feed.

We ended up opting for the Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Essentials Starter Kit - £119.99 Asda - but I did wait to pick this up in the Baby & Toddler event as I knew they went down to half price £55.

This is a fab kit and contains absolutely everything we need to get started bottle feeding:

- electric steam steriliser

- electric bottle warmer

- 4x 260ml bottles

- 4x 150ml bottles

- 2x medium flow teats

- 6x powder dispensers

- 2x insulated bottle bags

- bottle/teat brush

- teat tongs

- soother 0-3 months 

4. Baby swing

Again I totally understand this isn't a must have but I always liked the idea of having a swing for Squishy rather than a bouncy chair - I'm not sure why!

I had my eye on this super reasonable Baby by Chad Valley deluxe swing - £43.99 Argos. I love the little elephants and that it's unisex. Amazingly I came across somebody local to us who was selling the exact same one second hand for £15 in great condition so I was over the moon with that.

5. Playmat/BabyGym

I absolutely fell in love with this ocean themed playmat in Mothercare - £40. We kept putting off buying it thinking nearer the time etc.. and then disaster struck - the discontinued it!! Luckily I managed to hunt down a fabulous condition one on eBay and I think we ended up paying £16 including postage which I was over the moon with.

I think playmats were definitely something I underestimated the price of before we were expecting a baby!

6. Crib/Moses Basket

Now I never ever even considered getting a crib for Squishy. I thought they were unnecessary and seriously overpriced and a Moses basket was just always what we were going to purchase.

The one I had my eye on was so cute, all pink (obviously), elephant themed and £34.99 from Asda which I didn't think was too bad. Then again the same thing happened, we left it too long to purchase and they stopped selling it and I couldn't find another one that I loved as much.

I did however see a lady on our local selling site selling this lovely crib RRP £99.99 for £20 so I couldn't turn it down.

Looking at it practically I think it would have been worth spending a little more to get a crib because it's so much bigger than a Moses basket and will hopefully sleep Squishy happily for a lot longer.

7. Tommee Tippee Perfect Prep machine

Again this is by no means an essential item to have and I definitely wouldn't have purchased it full price - £119.97 Asda (again these do go down pretty much half price in the Baby event) - but it has come so so highly recommended to us by friends as an absolutely essential life changer of a purchase that we thought we'd give it a go.

Again I managed to get this on one of our selling sites for £35 which I thought was much more reasonable.

For anybody that doesn't know the Tommee Tippee Perfect Prep machine basically makes up perfect room temperature bottles for you in less than two minutes so there is no waiting around for boiling water to cool while your baby screams their head off. Obviously yet to use so we'll have to let you know how we get on.

8. Highchair

We haven't actually bought a highchair yet because we obviously won't be using one for a good 4 months or so yet but my Aunt and Uncle have said they would like to buy it for us when the time comes so I have started looking at what type we would like.

I'm currently torn between these two

Grey Chevron My Babiie highchair - £79.99 exclusively at Mothercare, Billie Faiers (from TOWIE)

Red Kite highchair £32.99 Mothercare

I know we'd like something unisex so we could potentially save it for any further babies (even though this is getting very ahead of ourselves!). I think it will probably be the My Babiie one to be honest, I adore the chevron pattern, it's so so cute and the seat does appear to give baby more support and cushioning that the Red Kite one but we'll see.

9. Baby monitor

Again this isn't something we have purchased yet because Squishy will pretty much be sleeping right next to us at all times when she is really small so there won't be any need for a monitor but we have decided which one we would like.

I know lots of people really recommend video monitors and monitors that come with sensor mats to detect any breathing problems but I've said all along this is definitely something I don't want. I am such a worrier anyway I really think either of those functions on a monitor would tip me over the edge and have me a quivering wreck checking her breathing and movements every 2 seconds. I've heard from a  lot of people that the sensor mats are very unreliable and can go off for no reason, causing absolute heart attacks I'm sure! Something we've decided we could do without. Simple sound monitors did the job fine when I was small so that's what we have decided to go with. This BT Pacifier Baby Monitor RRP £59.99 currently in the sale for £39.99 (which I did not know about so more than likely we will be picking it up sooner rather than later) is pretty top of the range for a simple sound monitor and has lots of functions that we like the look of. Two-way talk, a long range, temperature display, lullabies and a light show. You can even plug in your own MP3 player if you think baby might appreciate some tunes of an evening!

So I thought it'd be interesting to look at our total spend on the "big things" if we'd bought everything at full price and all at once....a whopping

£1,427.91 -  which definitely looks rather scary!

Then when you take into account the lovely things we have been gifted and the buying things second hand the amount we have actually spent on exactly the same products is.....

£235.99 - a crazy saving of over ONE THOUSAND POUNDS!!

I know we have been so so lucky to have some family members buy some of the more expensive necessities for us and we really do appreciate it so much but I honestly think if we'd spread out all these purchases over the 8 months since we found out we were expecting Squishy is really would have been manageable. This has definitely shown me that even though G may laugh at my money saving/scrimping ways it is without a doubt definitely worth shopping around for discounts on things or buying bits second hand - I'm quite proud of my savings now it's all laid out in front of me like this.

Have you bought any of these items for your little ones? I'd love to hear what you think of them! Have I left any expensive purchases off the list?

XOXO

Burt's Bees Mama Bee Belly Butter - Review

One of the products I've been trying out recently is Burt's Bees Mama Bee Belly Butter.

I didn't actually pick this up myself, it was a little gift from my mum but as I've recently developed a couple of late arriving stretchmarks on the under side of my bump - actually a little bit devastated - I was more than happy to give a new lotion a try.

I honestly never thought getting stretchmarks would bother me like it has. I think was always expecting them and was quite happy to accept that they just come along with being pregnant and I honestly wasn't that phased but I think as time has gone on and because I've managed to avoid any for this long I naively thought I may have escaped and was definitely disappointed to see them show up at 36 weeks! But hey-ho I know once a little girl is here stretchmarks will be the absolute last thing on my mind and one million percent worth it!

To be honest Burt's Bees aren't a company I am hugely familiar with. I have used and been impressed with their raved about lip balms but that's about it. I certainly never realised that they had any sort of pregnancy or baby friendly products.

I love that the belly butter is 99% natural and full of shea butter and vitamin E goodness. Being pregnant I am definitely more conscious of what I am putting on my skin, especially the precious bump!

For a belly butter I was expecting the lotion itself to be thicker and richer but it's actually quite a light consistency. This is definitely a good thing when it comes to quick absorbency, which is a god send when I apply the product before bed time but I think generally I do prefer any moisturising product to be thicker in order to get that deep moisturising feeling.

One thing I'm really not a fan of is the scent of this lotion. It is so so hard to describe but it's quite pharmaceutical and 'bees waxy' I guess and I'm really not a fan which surprised me because normally I love anything containing even a teensy trace of shea butter.

Mama Bee belly butter is definitely keeping my bump well moisturised and at no point have I struggled with dry or itchy skin thankfully but I'm not entirely sure it has effected my stretchmarks in any way, for the better or worse.

I'm still going to be slathering it on for the remainder of my pregnancy because it's honestly not going to hurt is it? But I do think I prefer the consistency and definitely the scent of my Palmers Stretchmark Lotion.

Burt's Bees Mama Bee range can be found in larger Boots stores or online and the belly butter retails at £13.99 which I do think is quite expensive compared to other similar products.

Have you tried any of the Mama Bee or Baby Bee range? I'd love to hear what you thought?

XOXO

Bump update - 35 weeks

Bump

Every week now I feel like I'm just growing and growing! I feel MASSIVE there's no other way to describe it and I can't imagine it's going to get better in the next couple of weeks.

I've finally definitely sprouted a couple of stretchmarks as well! They're nothing major & to be honest I'm not that bothered but it's a shame I got all this way without any & now they are appearing. They are under my bump so hopefully won't be too noticeable after I've had the baby anyway but we'll see. I'm upping my moisturising routine for sure!!

What have we been up to?

The highlight of this week has to be finally finishing work!! **whooooop**

Even though I am a bit sad and it hasn't really sunk in that I won't be going back until at least April now I was definitely ready to finish. My bump actually didn't fit under the desk on my last day & was getting in my way so I think you know it's time to head off when you reach that stage! Lol

We also finally got round to using a red letter day voucher that my parents gave us for Christmas and went up to London for the afternoon/evening for dinner and the theatre which was so so nice. I think it will definitely be our last date night for a while anyway! Eeeeek!

Weight/Cravings

So I finally got round to weighing myself after putting it off for the last few weeks and let's just say I'm not in a hurry to do it again any time soon. I didn't think I'd be as depressed about it as I am but I've now reached 212lbs which sounds like SO much! This means in total I've now put on 19lbs since falling pregnant so I'm probably not going to be able to stick within my goal of gaining no more than a stone & a half (I.e. 21lbs).

I know it's all for good reason and it's baby putting on the weight now but I'm definitely feeling rubbish about it :( and I'm definitely making a conscious effort to eat healthier for the remainder of my pregnancy.

Symptoms/Movement

Heartburn has been back again this week, mostly at bed time and luckily I've found sleeping on a couple of propped up pillows & a Rennies before bed seem to be sorting it out for now.

I've also had gallstone pains a couple of times during the night which have woken me up.

General aches & pains still continuing as well, along with period type pains that come & go.

Movement has definitely calmed down where bub is running out of room. She still moves a lot each day but her movements have definitely changed & are smaller sharper kicks again rather than somersaults.

Mood

Actually FOUL! I can't even remember the last time I was in a mood this bad. I seem to just have the raging hump with everyone and everything which isn't fun. I've been feeling really lonely & stressed & everything is getting on my nerves. Other people trying to give me advice is really winding me up coming across as super patronising & even though I know they mean well I could really do without it.

I'm blaming the hormones but I'm definitely extra sensitive to everything!

Gender

Little girl - still...we hope!

Appointments

I was meant to be seeing my midwife this week as the hospital advised an extra checkup after my little bp scare last week but helpfully she's not returning my calls or texts messages so it doesn't look like that will be happening.

...so scrap that! I did end up seeing a new midwife today, my usual one was poorly so a different midwife managed to squeeze me in. I didn't have a protein showing in my urine this week but my blood pressure is still too high so they sent me up to the hospital to be checked just to be on the safe side again. Funnily enough as soon as I get to the hospital and they take my BP it goes back down to normal so they let me go home after a little while - I think I'm getting stage fright when I midwife checks it or something?

Either way everything seems to be fine and I'm not showing any other signs of pre eclampsia which is a relief!

Shopping

We finally got round to reordering the colour pack for our pram. When we ordered it originally back in March/April time the slate grey colour we wanted was out of stock, which has actually turned out to be a good thing because we ended up changing our mind and going for something a little girlier....this coral colour which I love already!

Are you around the 35 week pregnant mark? I'd love to hear from other August mummy-to-be's.

If you're enjoying our pregnancy updates I'd love you to follow our story either here or on Bloglovin'

XOXO

My birthday

As I think I've already mentioned it was my birthday a couple of weeks ago, the big 2-7! I actually have no idea how that has sneaked up on me, I honestly still feel like I'm in my early 20's and 27 sounds so old! I'm the youngest out of all my friends so quite regularly I've got friends turning 30 now which scares the life out of me. I always said I wanted to be 26/27 when I had my first baby so I guess things are right about on track for that....

Unfortunately we didn't really have the money to celebrate my birthday in anyway but I did get some lovely presents as always and was happy to spend the day with G and Marley.

I got my first "godmother" card from my gorgeous little goddaughter Betsy which I thought was the cutest thing ever! I didn't even know those sorts of cards existed? She may only be 6 months old but she already knows how to spoil me, bless her.

G got me a bottle of Dot by Marc Jacobs which I had been lusting after for ages and loads of other little bits. My mum and dad mostly gave me money which is always appreciated but my mum can never resist getting me a load of smelly bits so I have something to unwrap on the day.

My little brother always gets me the cutest presents, this year included Yankee Candles which are always going to be a winner, some ultra comfy memory phone slippers for my hospital bag (so thoughtful!) and this amazing recipe book for Mug Cakes! Don't they look incredible!!

G's mum bought me the loveliest Missoma bracelet which I absolutely adore. It's so pretty and delicate which is exactly the kind of jewellery I like and has the cutest little "daughter" charm so it's very special. I'm not huge on gold jewellery and tend to only wear silver or rose gold so it really is perfect. I've actually decided to not start wearing it until Squishy arrives so it will be extra sentimental.

That's about it for my birthday this year. As I said we didn't really have the money to do a lot and being heavily pregnant does limit the sort of thing I fancy doing anyway to be honest. We're hoping to save some pennies and squeeze a final date night/late birthday/late anniversary in before Squishy arrives so I'll be sure to keep you posted if we do manage it.

It feels really bizarre that this is my last birthday before I become a mummy. The last one of no responsibility! Eeeek! Birthdays will never really be the same again and it makes me a little bit sad....but crazy excited at the same time. I'm not sure I really made the most of this last birthday of freedom at all but never mind.

Have you celebrated your birthday recently? What do you usually do to celebrate?

XOXO

Bump update - 34 weeks

Bump

This week I've been feeling much more uncomfortable. Sitting at my desk at work on Thursday was a real struggle and I keep feeling feet in my ribs & feel like I need to stretch to try & get baby moving a little to a comfier position. 

I feel really really extra massive this week & very heavy. Moving into and out of any sitting position is harder & lots of effort now.

What have we been up to?

This week has been so so exciting and one I've been looking forward to for WEEKS! On Friday night we went to the Ed Sheeran concert at Wembley Stadium which was so so amazing. You can read all about it & see some cheeky pics here.

Today (Saturday) we off to a BBQ with all our friends and the weather is looking good so I'm excited, then tomorrow is my BABY SHOWER! My mum has been busy planning away for months & I'm so excited to catchup with all my girls and family.

Weight/Cravings

Again with the weather I've been loving my ice cream but I need to try & ease off before the weight gain gets out of control! My baby shower was a full afternoon tea and I think I ate my own body weight in scones, jam & cream which is never good, never mind all the leftovers my mum sent me home with!

Symptoms/Movements

Still lots of strong movements. Maybe slightly less than normal this week but Squishy still moves multiple times a day so I haven't been worried, it's just toned down slightly from feeling like all she did was move all day long!

Mood

Actually this week has all been a bit much for me. I think throughout my pregnancy I've been building up to this busy weekend and looking forward to it so much now it's actually been & gone I'm feeling crazy overwhelmed! It's like it's suddenly hit me that we're actually going to have a baby in a couple of weeks - and I'm not going to lie it's freaked me out a little bit. I'm feeling very anxious and unprepared even though I know we've done everything to be a prepared as it's possible to be!

Gender

GIRL

Appointments

I had my whooping cough vaccination and an antenatal checkup with Karen this morning & my BP was high again, accompanied with protein in my wee so off to the hospital I was sent. 

I was up at the maternity day unit for a couple of hours this afternoon hooked up to all the monitors to check everything is okay. Squishy's heartbeat was crazy fast to begin with but she must have just been excited because it soon calmed down and all the midwives and doctors were happy for us to come off the machines. I've had lots of bloods taken which I have to ring up for the results later tonight and a possible infection somewhere - which I suspect is coming from my tooth - so all in all today hasn't been a great day. My blood pressure did eventually come down a bit and there was only a trace of protein in my wee, whereas there was a lot this morning so everybody was happy to let me go home eventually & just be checked by the midwife again next week. Luckily I'm not showing any other symptoms of pre eclampsia at the moment like blurred vision, headaches & swelling and that's what they are most concerned to monitor. I'm home now but feeling absolutely exhausted!

Shopping

I'm still not buying anything new but this week Squishy received SO many amazing presents from all my friends and family at my baby shower. I'm honestly feeling so emotional and overwhelmed by everybody's generosity, it's crazy considering she's not even here yet!

We are so lucky to have such amazing people around us who already love our baby girl so much and we genuinely appreciate all the gifts and advice more than anyone will ever realise!

Are you around the 34 week pregnant mark? I'd love to hear from other August mummy-to-be's.

If you're enjoying our pregnancy updates I'd love you to follow our story either here or on Bloglovin'

XOXO

Ed Sheeran at Wembley Stadium!!!

Last night we were lucky enough to go to the Ed Sheeran concert at Wembley Stadium!!

It was so so amazing!! We'd bought the tickets last year before we knew Squishy was on the way and I was a little worried that I would be too heavily pregnant to properly enjoy it and was worrying about having to get the train & the tube in the hot weather but I needn't have been - everything turned out just fine!

We went with our friends Lloyd & Gemma who very kindly offered to drive us there and back which made the whole journey SO much better!

Ed was absolutely amazing!!! It's pretty surreal thinking one little man with a guitar can sell out 91,000 people at Wembley Stadium - I'm pretty sure he's the first solo artist to do that! I just love that Ed seems like the nicest, most genuine, humble person ever and it totally melts my heart that he has done so well for himself. I think he fully deserves all the success he is having!

He played 2 hours solid with no break or anything. No band, no backing tracks, just Ed Sheeran and a guitar - amazing! Most of the songs were from his second album Multiply (which you absolutely need  to buy by the way, if you don't already own it. It's incredible!) and then he did all his big hits like The A Team as well.

Elton John even popped out as a special guest and they sang a couple of songs together which was a lovely surprise. I bet Ed has the celebs queuing up to appear with him. Let's face it, it doesn't get much bigger than Sir Elton coming out on stage with you!

We were sitting up on the 5th tier, which if you've ever been to Wembley Stadium you'll know is very high, but to be fair we were quite happy with our seats. I always think at a concert it doesn't really matter what view you have because you're there to listen aren't you? The stadium was absolutely packed, all three tiers and the entire pitch was full to the brim. I've actually been to a concert at the stadium before, Take That a couple of years ago and I definitely think there were more people in the venue last night.

I did start to get a little uncomfortable sitting in the same position for too long. Baby definitely seems to be right up under my ribs on the left. My midwife says I have a short torso so baby literally has nowhere to move to anymore. She's head down & fully engaged but because I'm short her body is literally taking over my whole insides & she's going to struggle to change position much more now.

Would I recommend going to a concert 8 & half months pregnant? Absolutely! As long as you make sure you take it easy, sit down & rest where you can, and in my case keep really really hydrated in the hot weather!

Are you an Ed Sheeran fan? Have you been to any concerts recently or while you were pregnant?

XOXO

Bump update - 33 weeks

Bump

Squishy is still measuring dead on 33 weeks which is good. At my checkup this morning my midwife commented that she's still laying really high which I hadn't really thought about but I guess she is. 

Even though her head is down where it should be my bump doesn't seem to have dropped at all yet and I definitely get feet in my ribs frequently throughout the day.

What have we been up to?

So far this week we've been for a lovely BBQ at my nan & grandad's house down on the coast. We hadn't seen them since our holiday so it was nice to catchup & we had a lovely day in the sun.

I've had some more dramas with the car and ended up getting towed home from work on Friday evening which is always fun. I need to sell her because I only have a 2-seater convertible which isn't going to be much use once Squishy is here, and ever since I mentioned selling her she's given us nothing but trouble! Last night we popped out for drinks for our friend Liam's birthday which was nice. Just a pretty chilled pub garden evening but it was nice to get out the house and have an excuse to put some makeup on for a change.

Weight/Cravings?

In this weather it's really just been ice lollies & lots of cold drinks this week! I've really got a taste for bitter lemon which reminds me of work as I always drink it on the plane! Again I'm too scared to weigh myself, I'm expecting the weight to pile on pretty steady now so I'll save that update for next week!

Movement/Symptoms?

I'm still getting lots and lots of regular movement which is always reassuring and you know what? It's not actually creeping me out as much as before, I think I'm getting used to it!

I'm definitely suffering more with aches and pains. Every time I move after sitting down for a while something hurts!

And this heat? WOW! I definitely am not coping well but I won't bore you to tears again, you can read all about my heatwave struggles here

Mood

I'm always in a good mood and generally happy but I'm definitely ready for Squishy to arrive now. I've had enough of being pregnant & it feels like time is going soooo slowly!

The last couple of days I've actually been feeling really emotional and over sensitive to everything. I feel like G is neglecting me a little bit and am feeling sorry for myself :( I'm not sure how much of it is in my head and just hormones or whether these things would actually be bothering me normally? We'll see.

Gender

GIRL!

Appointments

I've actually just had my checkup with Karen (my midwife) this morning and annoyingly a little protein has shown up in my urine which could mean the start of pre-eclampsia. My blood pressure had gone up as well but wasn't crazy high so she wasn't too worried at this stage but I'm popping back with another sample later in the week to keep an eye on it.

I went back to the midwife yesterday and thankfully everything is back to normal. My bp has dropped again and there was no protein in my wee anymore so earlier in the week must have just been a fluke strange day which is so good and I'm really happy about it. Karen says I have a short torso so baby literally has no room and is pretty engaged & head down now anyway - which explains all the kicking under my left ribs!

Shopping

I've been wanting this little Minnie Mouse teddy for Squishy ever since we found out she was a girl! You can only buy them from Disney theme parks so it took a bit of hunting down but it finally arrived and I LOVE it!

Are you around the 33 week pregnant mark? I'd love to hear from other August mummy-to-be's.

If you're enjoying our pregnancy updates I'd love you to follow our story either here or on Bloglovin'

XOXO

MUA Matte Perfect Shine Control Foundation - Review

Since finding out we were expecting a baby back in December G and I have definitely been looking for ways to cut back and make savings. Sadly that seems to have hit my wardrobe and beauty purchases the most!

On the plus side though it has encouraged me to try new cheaper products and brands that I wouldn't necessarily have looked twice at before.

MUA are a makeup brand that I have been really impressed with in the past. They are without a doubt the cheapest brand on the high street with plenty of items for just £1 each. I own so many of their products, nail polishes, lipsticks, blushers, eyeshadow, mascara and have always been really pleased with the quality - especially for the price! You can read my previous product reviews on my old blog Sparkle Bug here.

Funnily enough their foundation is probably one of the only products I haven't tried.

I'll admit, I am a bit of a foundation snob! I love my MAC Studio Fix fluid, especially as I can usually pick it up in America a lot cheaper but after I finished my last bottle, with saving pennies on my mind, I thought it was time to try a budget foundation.

I went for MUA Matte Perfect Foundation.  I generally like pretty high coverage foundation and definitely prefer a matte finish over the dewey/glow look so the description sounded pretty spot on for me.

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. Baring in mind that this foundation costs a 10th of the price of my usual MAC one it certainly wasn't the worst product I've ever used. I picked up the shade natural which is the lighter of the two shades available (the other is Almond). So obviously the selection of shades isn't very good and I do think it's important for a brand to offer a decent number of foundation shades to chose from. Women's skin tones definitely cannot be categorised into just two different colours!

That being said natural is actually a great colour match for me. I've found it easy to layer under bronzer on a pale day, or over fake tan on a darker skin day and it's super blendable. A little of this product really does go a long way, I'd say I've been using it regularly for at least 3-4 months now and it's only just beginning to run out.

The consistency of the foundation is better than I would expect for the price. It is quite thick and good coverage which can often be a problem with cheap foundation and I've often found products too runny for my liking. The only downside to Matte Perfect foundation I would say is the longevity. Throughout the day you do need to touch up your makeup so it's not ideal for nights out where you may be looking for a product that is more long lasting.

To be totally honest I haven't noticed any particular mattifying qualities about this foundation, and that is supposed to be the main selling point....but it definitely doesn't leave me looking greasy or shiny which is always a good thing.

For the absolute bargain price of £2....yes you did read that right!! This foundation is definitely worth a try and probably something I will be repurchasing while on maternity leave and watching the spending.

MUA products are available in Supersrug or online at www.muastore.co.uk

Have you tried any MUA products?

XOXO

Bump update - 32 weeks

Bump

I'm really starting to feel massive now :( everyone likes to comment on how much  bigger I've got since last time they saw me which definitely isn't necessary. An actual stranger asked me if it was twins the other day...I mean really?? Why would you say that to a pregnant lady? REALLY?

My belly button is still in but it's definitely getting more shallow and looking rather strange so we reckon it's gonna pop out any minute. Touch wood still no stretch marks, I'm hoping they might have started to show by now if they were coming at all but I know there's still time. I'm not overly worried about getting them to be honest but now I've gone all this time without it would be nice to make it to the end!

What have we been up to?

Since turning 32 weeks we've been pretty busy but not up to anything particularly exciting. We went for a lovely sunny pub lunch just the two of us, which is always a treat, caught up with some friends and their little girl Isla for dinner, have been chilling out in the garden & making the most of the sun. On Thursday we had a 32 week scan and consultant appointment which I'll explain more about below. Today (Saturday) we've blitzed all the housework and set up Squishy's Tommee Tippee steriliser. I know it's probably a little bit early but I'm just too eager to get everything setup now and wanted to have a play around.

Weight/Cravings?

I've been really craving ice cream already this week, I think the hot weather definitely makes that worse! Also I've been going from fine to absolutely starving in 2 seconds flat and HAVE to eat something very quickly! Frustratingly I'm getting physically full quicker now and don't have room for food but still feel starving so I'm never really feeling satisfied.

I've put on another quarter of a pound so I'm weighing 204.25lbs now. A total weight gain of 11.25lbs!

Symptoms/Movement?

I still haven't experienced any Braxton Hicks which I thought I would have by now? Not too many symptoms really, heartburn has eased off a little now which is good. I'm starting to feel tired in the heat much quicker than before.

Movements are still crazy as ever. In fact since our scan on Thursday Squishy seems to be partying even harder in my tummy!

Mood

Mostly happy, nesting is kicking in and worrying about money as always!

Gender

For the third time a sonographer has said girl so I finally definitely believe it now!

Appointments

Because of my slightly high BMI we had an extra growth scan this week so got to see Squishy again. I really love going to scans and feel a little sad that we probably won't be having anymore now. Our little peewee is weighing in at 4lb 12oz already (eeeek!), which does scare me as that seems pretty large already but it's nice knowing she is growing well and would probably manage with minimal help if she arrived anytime from now. All her measurements are still bang on average apart from that podgy little belly which is still large!

Squishy is too big to be seen on the ultrasound screen in full now so we settled for a little bit of her at a time. Here is a pic of her cute face, stumpy little nose & teeny lips **heart melting already**

I am so in love already!

After seeing the consultant they were happy that both me & baby are healthy and doing fine. The gallstone issues have quietened down for now and my high blood pressure seems to have been a fluke because it's been fine ever since so they discharged me back to sole midwife care which is nice. I feel much happier not being classed as "high risk" because I feel fine in myself and didn't feel like I should have been high risk in the first place.

Shopping

I actually don't think we've bought anything new for the baby this week. I'm

not really expecting this to change now, we're done! Everything is ready for Squishy to arrive and the little madam has everything she could possibly need. 

I did stock up on snacks & drinks for mine & G's hospital bags - better to be prepared right?

Are you around the 32 week pregnant mark? I'd love to hear from other August mummy-to-be's.

If you're enjoying our pregnancy updates I'd love you to follow our story either here or on Bloglovin'

XOXO

Surviving summer heavily pregnant

Let's be honest, with the weather being as insanely hot as it has been this week there's no way I could not write this post.

Picture the scene if you will, it's attractive I promise! I'm sitting here on the evening of the hottest day of the year so far like a beached whale on the sofa/yoga ball in just my bikini top and the smallest shorts I could find, with my feet elevated & fan going full blast!

It reached 36 degrees down in Kent where we live and we actually spent the whole day outside having a BBQ with my nan & grandad which may not have been my wisest decision.

I honestly don't think I've ever felt so hot in all my life! Not in a 53 degree heatwave in Cyprus a few years ago, not in the tropical humidity in Thailand or Mexico, not on holiday one month ago - it's just crazy! We got in at 8pm and the temperature in the car - with the roof down - was still over 30. Just WOW!

So without further ado here are my top tips for surviving the heat whilst pregnant:

- Drink drink drink and drink some more

(Unfortunately not of the alcholic variety because a) that would be very bad for baby and b) probably wouldn't help with dehydration either)

I always try to drink a lot of fluids, especially water but in boiling weather like this it really is so important. It stops you from becoming dehydrated and helps keep your body temperature down.

- Wear loose, light, small clothing

Personally I've found wearing as little as possible (and appropriate!) is the most comfortable thing for me but lots of people swear by baggy, light fabrics rather than tight fitting clothes. Over the last week or so I've been living in maxi dresses but yesterday it just felt like too much material to be carrying around.

- Big hats & high SPF

Even if you're not cursed with ginger skin like me when pregnant your skin can react with more sensitivity to the sun than usual and you may find yourself sunburnt unexpectedly. The best thing to avoid this is wearing big floppy hats to protect your face and neck and ensuring you always wear a suncream with a high SPF - I'd recommend at least 30. Staying out of the sun during the hottest part of the day (12-3) is also an easy way to keep cooler.

- Use ice water to help you cool down

I always find running my wrists under the cold tap for 30seconds really helps to cool me down quickly.

Also if you're suffering with swollen feet & ankles it would be worth investing in a small paddling pool to paddle your feet in, or full on sit in if you're brave enough!

- Prepare for a hot restless nights sleep

As if sleeping when your heavily pregnant isn't hard enough? The last thing we need is added heat!

I was luckily sent a fan in one of my Which? Birthing Choice boxes last month which has been a LIFE SAVER! Not just for me but our poor hairy puppy as well who is really suffering in the heat (bless him!). We turn it on a few hours before we go to bed to cool the room down and leave it on throughout the night.

We keep all the windows wide open and try to keep curtains & blinds shut during the day to keep the sun out & stop the room heating up too much.

We also make sure to keep pint glasses of water by the bed, cool water facial spray and pretty much strip the bed of all bedding.

Are you pregnant & struggling in the heat? I'd love to hear if you have anymore tips for staying cool.

XOXO