My labour story | Baby Series

So I've done two previous posts on my first and second trimesters and obviously the plan was to do another on my third trimester; however as we went into lockdown in my 29th week of pregnancy I spent all of my third trimester in my flat, with my husband not really doing anything at all so that post would be a very short one. So instead I'm just going to go straight into my labour story! It's only taken me 4 months to write! So Teddy was born on Sunday the 31st of May at 04:27am at 39 weeks and 6 days. I had a scan on the Tuesday before as he had measured big in his 32 weeks scan that I needed to check his kidneys were developing properly as they were slightly abnormal at the 20 weeks scan - I should have known my labour wouldn't be straight forward just from how many scans this baby needed! I was advised that an induction was the best course of action and a combination of lockdown boredom, back pain and a massive bump meant I took no convincing at all. I was ready to try the induction that day! But that wasn't possible so I was booked in for Thursday.

Second Trimester | Baby Series

Well as I'm due in 2 weeks time now seems like as good a time as any to write about my experience of the second trimester...not that I'm forgetful or anything and meant to write this weeks ago! The second trimester is the 13th week until the 28th and is generally considered the time when you enjoy pregnancy the most. Obviously that's subjective and I can't say that I felt any better throughout the second trimester than I did in the first. But for me that was largely down to still being sick almost every day and my mental health took a massive hit during this time too.

Pregnancy and COVID-19 | Baby Series

So I guess you've probably heard there's a pandemic going on?? And I'm sure like me you've lost count how many times you've heard the word coronavirus since January and are wondering if it's quite possibly the most spoken word to have ever existed. And also like me you might have had a rather rude awakening to the fact that inside isn't as much fun as I thought it would be! My teenage dream of staying indoors, not interacting with the world, watching crap TV and eating endless amounts of rubbish has been realised and I'm left with somewhat of a bitter taste in my mouth (although with the amount of chocolate I have consumed I'm surprised my tongue knows what bitter tastes like anymore). But it has to be done and I guess it gives me a chance to do all those odd jobs I never managed to find time for before...

Planning a wedding for 5k | Wedding Series

It's no secret that weddings aren't exactly cheap and with the national average last year being around the £31,974 mark it's fair to say that many couples who are engaged often feel deflated when they realise they simply don't have that kind of budget. I certainly did. In the current economic climate it's hard to see how you can afford to save for a traditional wedding without going bankrupt but I managed to have a dream day for under 5k and here's how.

1. Choosing the right dates and venue

You can find a venue that you absolutely love but get a quote for summer months and find it is completely out of your budget but change the dates to off-peak season months (usually October - March with Christmas and New Years being exceptions) and you usually find a massive discount in price. Choosing venues such as pubs, restaurants or smaller hotels can also massively influence price and they're usually perfect for smaller wedding parties.

What I've Been Watching | Jan - Mar 2020

I did the same post this time last year so I guess it's now tradition but knowing that I will be on maternity leave come May I decided that I finally need to watch the things I've added to my watch list over the years and so I made a start. Here are the things I've watched over the last 3 months and what I thought.

Don't Fuck With Cats 10/10

I had this recommended to me SO many times from loads of different people that I decided one boring day off of work that I might as well start it. And I finished it the same day. It's only three hours long but it's so gripping from start to finish that I couldn't help watching one episode after the other. When people explained the basic story to me saying it was about a man who killed cats and a man and filmed it I have to say I was dubious to watch it mostly because I wasn't sure I could watch the cats or man die on screen but luckily they don't show anything too graphic. I was honestly astounded by the people who started investigating into who might be behind the videos. They made literally anything a clue; it was seriously impressive. I won't give too much away but it's incredible.