Bye Bye Pregnancy, Hello Baby

Part One

It has taken me long enough to get this post finished but I finally made it. Considering I started writing this at thirty-nine weeks when I had all the time in the world and I’m only finishing it now with a baby strapped to me you can get a sense of what the past few weeks have been like. By now you know that Lucille has arrived and I’ve entered a world of not being able to finish a single task, cold cups of coffee, eating one-handed and semi-functioning on only a few hours sleep. Throw in the cuddles, staring at the wonder that is this mysterious human and kissing her cheeks so much it’s not worth me wearing lipstick!

The past few months have been a complete rollercoaster, both physically and emotionally and now that my pregnancy is over, it is hard not to be nostalgic. A few things have really stood out and they have generally been at either end of the spectrum. I’m going to try to highlight some of those highs and lows as well as tips and tricks I learnt along the way. I’m going to divide my pregnancy wrap-up in two just because I have rather a lot to say. Part one will focus on some stand out products and part two will be more of the emotional stuff. Hopefully you read both. This is a semi-brief wrap-up as each time I sat down to write, more and more would come to mind but if I included it all Lucille would be eighteen by the time I publish this piece!

If you haven’t read my post on maternity fashion you should as this was one area that consumed a lot of my pregnancy. It was an ever-changing situation and I am delighted I did not spend a huge amount of money on maternity fashion as by nearly forty-two weeks, nothing fit anyway! I said it in my previous post but if you are heading into pregnancy, invest in some basics, take people up on their offers of hand-me-downs and if you must, shop in your local charity shop. Of course I didn’t go the entire pregnancy without spending a penny. The two items below are great examples of extremes. Click on the photographs to see why I parted with my cash on these items. If any of you want more detailed information on brands that I liked and didn’t like get in touch and I can spill the beans.

Another saviour throughout pregnancy especially towards the end were scarves. I’m sure each season brings its pros and cons during pregnancy but I was glad to be pregnant in the cooler weather where I could layer up and not look out-of-place. I found that because I was wearing the same things over and over again scarves were a great way to feel like I was adding something different. They also came in handy when I wanted to create a diversion from the fact that I could no longer wear my regular bras and comfort overtook style. Wearing a scarf allowed me to be comfortable in soft crop-top style bras without being paranoid about the shape, or lack of for that matter.

You’ve already seen some beauty products I tried throughout my pregnancy and I’m glad to say they are staying. Dr Bonner’s Unscented Soap has been a huge hit at lovetomtomHQ as a general household/beauty item. REN’s Evercalm Global Protection Day Cream was also another product I tried and loved. I wrote about this last year and if I could manage the scent while pregnant when EVERYTHING made me nauseous, you can imagine it’s a walk in the park now.

I wasn’t hugely concerned with stretch marks and even less so now as let’s be honest after what your body goes through giving birth, stretch marks are the least of your worries, mine anyway. I did put time aside most nights for a belly rub, more as a treat to myself and bubs. I asked all my mamma friends for recommendations on what creams and lotions they use and there were loads to pick from. I ended up using Jason Vitamin E Oil and loved it. It smells like almonds which of course bothered me to begin with but I love it now as the scent reminds me of cake. A little goes a long way with this oil and I would rub it all over my belly, breasts and thighs. A great addition to my beauty bag as my skin became extremely dry towards the end of my pregnancy. No surprise when at forty-one weeks Lucille had no intention of going anywhere and my skin was being stretched beyond recognition. I have continued to use it now as my skin hasn’t quite recovered and I love it just as much as I did during pregnancy.

Many people told me throughout pregnancy to ‘do nice things for yourself as you won’t get a chance once bubs is born’. I feel I treat myself all the time so didn’t feel the need to make an extra effort, until that is, I got a gift voucher at Christmas for Nautilus Beauty and Holistic Therapies Centre. I decided to indulge in weekly sessions of reflexology and initially I was skeptical mostly because of my limited knowledge of reflexology but also because it involves feet. I soon got over that! My sessions with Jenny became the highlight of my week. She made me feel at ease and listened to all my chat in-between me snoring. I always felt great after the session and was guaranteed a good night’s sleep which was like heaven at that stage in my pregnancy. It was so beneficial to have that attention paid to my body considering it was working so hard in growing Lucille. I couldn’t recommend it highly enough. Even more beneficial was the session I had with Jenny after Lucille was born. Again her kindness and expertise felt somewhat like a life saver given the state I was in.

This is turning into rather a long post so I will leave it there and get going on part two. I have some other beauty products that I started using while pregnant but will leave them for my beauty bag updates. Stay tuned for part two.