What's in my hospital bag?

Oh my days, how is it February already? My first post of 2018 definitely comes a little later than planned. I'll be honest I have absolutely no idea where January disappeared to. It was a month of navigating work while trying to negotiate with a body which no longer feels like my own. Heavy, tired, sore - I ended up finishing my last job a week earlier than planned due to tearing a muscle in my back. Turns out that turning your body and coughing at the same time can do such a thing! Anyways, moaning aside, it's now only 3 weeks until we get to meet our little fella, and I actually can't believe it. I gave myself a hard time having to admit defeat and leave work early, but I think it was maybe a blessing in disguise. Now the REAL nesting and final baby prep can begin. So, here's a little post sharing where I'm at so far.

Glasses - Balmain @ Specsavers // Necklace - Tatty Devine // Tshirt Dress - H&M (OLD)

Ayden, y u always go on about your flippin' hair?! Well guys, my hair is my comfort blanket and sad hair makes for a sad Ayden (and I was a little bit worried about that blonde upkeep once baby arrives) My babes at Blow suggested a dark root was the answer, so I went down to London with a dark root and silver ends which I ended up finding quite difficult to keep at the shade I wanted. So once I got back from my trip we went back to the drawing board and ended up going for a really straightforward (but really satisfying) dark root into blonde. Easy peasy! I now have the best of both worlds, with my favourite blonde ends, but also a root that is completely non offensive as it grows. It may not be the most 'fun' colour I've ever had, but it gives me one less thing to worry about upkeep wise. As well as being shit hot at fantasy colour, Blow absolutely nail your normal blondes and browns etc, and the custom blend Jemima made for me really suits my skin tone and natural, warmer root which is starting to come through now too. I think the darker shades go pretty well with my new glasses from the Balmain X Specsavers range, dontcha think?

Next week I've got myself some final pampering appointments, and I have booked in at NAF for an eyebrow wax and tint, an LVL lash lift and one of their famous mani's. I'm really looking forward to this little bit of me time, and the girls at NAF always manage to make you feel like a million dollars so that will be MUCH appreciated at this moment in time. I also have my baby shower on Sunday so have booked in with Alana McTrusty at Onyx to do my makeup and see if she can contour some sort of shape out of my lil potato face.

House wise, we are pretty set on the organisation front but that doesn't stop me from cleaning like a mad woman and rearranging drawers like there's no tomorrow. We have our car seat, our pram should be in store this weekend, and our Chicco next to me crib is coming on tuesday. Despite all this, has the reality set in that we're gonna have a tiny human in our arms soon? No, not really! Haha. This week I have finally been able to pack a hospital bag for me and baby D, and I've went on recommendations from friends and various lists from the internet. Here's what I have packed for us both so far, and I'll be able to let you know what was useful/useless by this time next month!

For Mum:

Dressing gown (Not pictured, got one from F&F at Tesco yesterday)
Slippers (As above!)
Pants x 5 (Just black maternity pants from the Mothercare sale)
Socks x 2 (Cosy ones from M&S)
Nursing Bras x 2 (Got these reduced to £9 in the Mothercare sale)
Nightgowns x 2 (Super loose and comfy, from M&S)
Shampoo (Paul Mitchell Tee Tree mini)
Conditioner (Same as above)
Dry Shampoo (Another Paul Mitchell mini)
Shower Gel (Tropic, from their mini body wash collection)
Toothbrush & toothpaste (Pretty standard!)
Body lotion (Eco Cosmetics, have been using this for months now and LOVE it)
Facial wipes (Makeup Melting Cleansing Cloths from Pixi)
Pillow spray ('So Sleepy' by Tropic, really helps me relax)
Cooling spray (No 1 recommended item by every Mum I spoke to!)
Hydrating Mist (A holy grail product from Pixi IMO)
Deodorant (Mini tub from the last Honey Pop Club box)
Nipple balm (God save my nipples plz)
Maternity pads (Bought on Amazon)
Breast pads (A makeup bag full of them, cause y'know, leaky boobs)
Going home outfit (oversized jumper & leggings)

All of baby's stuff fit into the bag on the left (well, apart from blanket!) and my bag is on the right, which is actually his future changing bag and something I picked up on Amazon after MUCH changing bag deliberation (this is it here) As I live in Scotland we were entitled to a free Baby Box from the Scottish Government, which is packed full of essential items to give them the best possible start in life. You can read more about the contents here, and we will be definitely putting them to good use.

I'm also working with the amazing Jen Muir from Badass Birth, who is doing placenta encapsulation for me immediately after the birth, so in addition to the two bags above I also have a cool bag and ice packs to take with me to the hospital, so she can come and pick up my placenta straight after! This is something I've been reading into for a while, and after meeting Jen in person to discuss the benefits I'm really excited that she is going to be doing this for me. That will be a whole other separate blog post to follow in a few months time, and I'll be writing about the whole experience and whether I found it to be effective or not.

So that's pretty much where I'm at in terms of nesting and preparing for baby to arrive. I also have birthing classes every tuesday evening with my friend Maria who runs Luna Beam Holistics. Next week I have one final scan at the hospital as Baby D is currently breech and doesn't seem intent on moving. I know he still has plenty of time to turn, and I don't fancy them trying to do it 'manually' (from the outside) in the form of an ECV, so keep your fingers and toes crossed for us pleased. Well done if you read this far! I think I've earned myself a nap...