It still doesn't feel completely real when I talk or type about anything pregnancy related. Since my last (and first!) update, the days have been absolutely flying in and in a few weeks time I'll already be halfway through. If you follow me on instagram or twitter, you might have seen that we went for an early private scan to find out our little bubs gender, and it turns out we are having a boy! I had a midwife appointment this morning before work, and we got to hear his heartbeat again (always a nice and obvious reminder that hey, he's definitely still in there!) This whole experience is completely new and unchartered territory for me, so I thought I would give you a super honest rundown of how I've been finding things so far.
Bronson loves cuddling up to my bump, which is getting bigger by the day! I have no doubt that him and the cats are gonna be great big brothers to their human sibling. If anyone has any experience with newborns and cats/dogs, I'd be really interested to hear how they got on.
With the change of the season my whole body has been absolutely aching. I've always had a sore lower back and it's not been any worse during pregnancy but I'm definitely feeling a bit stiff as the colder months move in. La Belle Forme have a day spa located within Parklands Hotel & Country Club (in Newton Mearns, just a 10 min drive away from me in the opposite direction from the city) which has ample parking and is so handy to get to if you want to stay from town when it's busy. I went one rainy afternoon a couple of weeks ago for a pregnancy massage (£45 for 30 minutes) which uses massage techniques and products which are safe for you during pregnancy, you just need to be past the first trimester. The massage therapist Bree was really lovely, she made sure I was comfortable and you are provided with a pillow and can pop yourself into a side lying position which suits you best, and they work with that position to still deliver a lovely neck, back and shoulder massage. I never realised that a lot of treatments aren't suitable when you're pregnant (goodbye Lush Spa voucher... looks like I'll be using you post baby instead!) so I'll definitely go back and have this massage again a bit further down the line.
So I finally had to bite the bullet and get my hair extensions removed. I was gutted and relieved at the same time. They still had a good few months life left in them quality wise, but I have been so knackered in the morning I just genuinely didn't have the time or energy to properly wash, dry and style them anymore. It only took Steph around half an hour to take them out, then I went along to Blow for a wee trim and blow dry and to buy some more Fabuloso Pro conditioner. They custom mix it for you to help extend your colour between appointments, and mines is a mix of lavender with rose gold which helps keep my locks nice and cool toned between root appointments. Sort of like an at home toner! I've been using this with the Kenra moisturising shampoo and conditioner I recently got in my Styling Society box, and overall my hair just feels really soft and healthy at the moment. The shorter length is much more manageable so I think I'll keep it like this throughout my pregnancy.
Uuuugh, hormonal skin. If I'm glowing, it's cause I'm a greasy hot mess and definitely not having fun with my skin at the moment! I've tried to really strip things right back to basics, using the Herbalism cleanser from Lush along with Vanishing Cream moisturiser. Both seem to vanish quite quickly mind you, as Pete is a massive fan of them too! I've been saving up my black tubs and managed to bag a Cupcake fresh face mask for free a few weeks ago, so I've been using that on my skin 1 - 2 times a week as well while soaking in the tub. Some days my skin are ok, then others I have an army of angry spots which no concealer wants to cover. I've been going to work makeup free most days too, and I'm hoping upping my water intake from now on will start to help too.
Oh the power of H2O! I have been having horrendous headaches since I entered the second trimester. The sort of headaches which last for days on end and paracetamol only reduce to a dull ache. I can't believe it's taken me this long to realise that I don't drink enough water. Pretty much the first rule of fight club! (or pregnancy club, or life in general club, whatever...) Pete got us a new cannister for the Soda Stream so since that baby has been back in action I have been absolutely TANKING the water (2-3 litres per day) and guess what? No headaches! Hunners of peeing, but no headaches. I have also limited myself to a couple of cups of coffee at the weekend (difficult when your other half owns a damn tootin' good coffee shop) and a couple of cups of tea each day during the week. I went to a wee breakfast party at T2 in Glasgow to celebrate the launch of their new Scots breakfast tea (absolutely down right delicious btw) and was recommended the Melbourne breakfast tea for its lower caffeine content. It's already quite sweet and vanilla tasting, so I don't even need to add milk or sugar to this which is a big thing for a committed builders tea drinker like me. The only nausea I've experienced during pregnancy is when I am hungry, and I have been sick a handful of times because of that which really isn't too bad. Non pregnant Ayden never ate breakfast, but now pregnant Ayden NEEDS to otherwise I will legit faint/vom/cry before 10am.
Since we found out 'it' is a 'he', I've started buying some cute little baby bits in sizes for the first few months. Mostly from John Lewis, M&S, Next and Baby Gap so far. I've got my eye on a nice Ikea unit which will be babys wardrobe, and at the moment have a chest of drawers for him filled with nappies, wipes, and all his bath and breast feeding stuff. I feel like I've bought enough for now, so will just keep an eye on baby events at supermarkets etc for sundries when there's deals on, and I'm hoping to take advantage of the January sales to get more clothes and bits for him, as I'm not due until 8th of March! So plenty of time, but it's nice picking up wee things as and when I see them. I've been using an app called Ovia to track my pregnancy (it gives you daily articles to read and tells you what size they are each week - RIGHT NOW HE'S A CHIPMUNK lol) and got the above book with Hannah Gale's recommendation. It is really good, and light hearted, and positive! Which are totally the vibes I need right now. I also follow Clemmie on instagram and she is just serious cool Mum goals (I'm not a regular Mom, I'm a cool Mom, right Regina?) and I can't tell you all how much I'm loving your wee messages of encouragement and love and support and general well wishes too. It would be so easy for me to let my anxiety get the better of me at a time like this, but I've actually been able to half my medication (boom) and who knows, I could soon be on the road to coming off them completely. All we can do is take life a day at a time, and that's exactly what I have been doing so far with the ups and downs of pregnancy, too.
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