My Water Baby

On the 17th September 2017 at 01:26am, I gave birth to my 7.4lb little boy, Ripley Kit, after a beautiful and intense 24 hour natural labour.

NLDS Wedding - 1 Year Anniversary

Today is my 1st wedding anniversary.

It has flown by.

Dan and I had been boyfriend and girlfriend for about 15 years before we tied the knot so I didn't think getting hitched would feel any different at all - we were basically married before we 'officially' got married. But actually, something is different...I feel more in love.

Our wedding at Trinity Buoy Wharf has already been documented on Rock My Wedding and Smashing The Glass so I'm not gonna go into too much detail but I thought I would post a selection of images from the day.

Project Nursery

The nursery was painted last weekend - something I've been looking forward to for a while.

At this stage, we haven't decided what we're doing with the floor, shelves and curtains and the radiator still needs to be installed...but we have moved all the furniture in.  With baby currently 6 days overdue, I was eager to have it set up in time for nappy changes, feeding, etc

I actually really like the floor in its current state but our house gets very drafty come winter time.  If the temperature starts leaning towards the arctic side, we'll lay down a big rug or carpet.

So baby, I just wanted to say thanks for holding out.  We're ready whenever you are now...
 

S-T-R-E-T-C-H-M-A-R-K-S?

I'm currently 1 day over my due date and have so far steered clear of developing any stretch marks.

It's probably because I have literally drowned my body in oils and lotions every single day since discovering I was pregnant.

I'd been using Lucy Bee's Coconut Oil pre-pregnancy and increased the amount when my skin started getting a little itchy (due to boobs/bump slowly growing, etc).
It does take a while to absorb and Dan said I felt like a slippery fish whenever I got into bed.  I put so much on that it turned the bed sheets an odd colour so you do need to allow it to sink in (but I'm too impatient for that).
 

If it's good enough for Princess Charlotte....Whisbear

Following this weeks announcement that The Duke & Duchess of Cambridge are expecting their third baby, I thought it would be an appropriate time to talk about Princess Charlotte's favourite toy.

It's a modern looking, octopus-teddy hybrid called Whisbear (short for Whispering Bear) which emits a consistent hairdryer sound for 40 minutes to help baby settle. Yep, this white noise apparently soothes babies - and now I have a valid excuse to get my hair done every week.
It also offers a standby CRYsensor mode that automatically turns the bear back on for a further 20 minutes if baby starts to stir.

My pregnancy journey summed up in 2 mins

What was the first thing you did when you found out you were pregnant?  I googled what cheese I could eat.

I only decided to start the blog when I was 34 weeks pregnant so there hasn't really been a 'journey' to follow on here.  But at 39 weeks, I wanted to summarise my personal experience and surprisingly, I've LOVED it.

The bump at 27 weeks

The Eco Nappy Disposal System

A lot of friends have advised me that a nappy disposal bin is an indispensable and practical solution for eliminating nasty odours that come with the wonderfully artistic duty of nappy changing.

I am totally up for the house not smelling like a sh*t show so was obviously interested.

My issue was finding a system that comes with the option of using biodegradable refill cartridges (aka bags) to accommodate eco-friendly nappies.
After all, there's no point disposing something degradable if you're gonna pack it up in plastic.
I did a fair bit of hunting around and found a product that provides this service...

Moving to the Master Bedroom

So, we have finally moved into the master bedroom which means we can, at long last, start prepping the nursery for baby.  Well, not straight away...it's being plastered next week (three days before baby is due) but I'm totally fine with it, no point stressing.

The master bedroom has been painted in Pale Powder and Wimbourne White by Farrow and Ball and it feels really tranquil and relaxed.

On a more un-relaxed note, we still need to sort wardrobes, flooring, light fixture, curtain (we are currently using a temporary black-out blind), radiator, new bed.....so it's far from finished but, it's livable and I already love it.

My compact pregnancy wardrobe

Apart from feeling the baby move and eating whatever I want, do you know what's been truly enjoyable about pregnancy?

Having a really compact wardrobe.

I didn't realise how small it was until last weekend when I packed my 'pregnancy wardrobe' into a 35 x 20cm box so the builders could have complete access to the bedroom.

I have worn approx 16 items of clothing throughout and it has made the 'getting ready' part of my life SO much more straightforward and one less thing to think about.

Packing the Hospital Bag (ahem, case)

At 37 weeks pregnant, I'm currently in the process of packing my hospital bag which is a fun and slightly daunting process.

My snacks alone could fill up a suitcase but I've managed to rearrange things a little so that everything just about fits.

Before I continue, this is not a post explaining how to pack like Martha Stewart - I am the worst folder in the world.
But I thought it might be useful for any mums-to-be to see what I've included.  I've done a lot of research and these are the items that are repeatedly listed as the 'essentials'. Anything that's linked is the exact product I've got packed.

FYI Dan asked if I would like to pack my Kindle. He seems to think we're going on a spa break...

The Push Pack by Mama Mio includes a refreshing facial spritz and massage oil

Daisy London x Ellie Goulding WWF Bracelet Launch

 

This morning I had the pleasure of attending a beautiful botanical breakfast at Bourne & Hollingsworth to celebrate the launch of Daisy London’s collaboration with my lovely friend Ellie Goulding.

They’ve teamed up to create a limited-edition chakra bracelet to raise money and awareness for WWF’s work on climate change.