Bloom Beautiful Mother and Baby Cosmetics Review

Bloom Beautiful are makers of gorgeous natural balms, salves and butters for pampering goodness and the Bloom Beautiful Mother and Baby range is EXACTLY my cup of tea - 100% natural products made in Devon from local ingredients designed to help soothe and protect your skin and that of your baby.

Holly and I have been trying out some of the Bloom Beautiful Mother and Baby skincare products and we LOVE them!

First up, we tried Bloom Beautiful's Mummy and Baby Massage Oil which is a gorgeous blend of sunflower, grapeseed, coconut and apricot kernal oil and chamomile for soothing and protective properties along with sweet orange oil and rose otto oil for a gentle uplifting fragrance.  The scent is simply heavenly and the orange oil really does make me feel bright and sunny when I'm using it on Holly - these days Holly still enjoys a massage but tends to wiggle a lot and I would say this massage oil was more energising than relaxing for bedtime.  The massage oil is beautifully presented with small rose petals suspended in the oil.  The Mummy and Baby Massage Oil costs £9.95.

I have used the Baby Bee Butter from Bloom Beautiful on Lara's dry skin on her arms.  The Bee Butter is a mix of shea butter, coconut oil and beeswax so it is quite a firm butter but with added vitamin E it makes a brilliant natural moisturiser.  Lara likes it because it doesn't leave a moist residue on her arms.  I would be more than happy to use this balm on a newborn suffering from dry skin and to help protect skin from losing its natural oils.  The Baby Bee Butter costs £6.50.

The Bloom Beautiful Baby Bottom Balm is a really firm waxy balm for soothing nappy rash and helping to calm reddened skin.  I found I had to really work the balm in the little presentation tin to soften it enough that I could easily use it in a hurry at the next nappy change.  The blend of olive oil, coconut oil and beeswax does mean however that once you can get some of the balm onto your fingers it is nice and oily so very easy to apply over the skin and rub in to provide a barrier against the nappy. The Bottom Butter costs  £7.75.

Bloom Beautiful's Mummy Bee Butter is a very similar texture to the Baby Bee Butter but with some more grown-up scents of lavender, tangerine, rosehip and rosewood.  The scent is still very subtle.  I've used this butter on my face, my legs, my arms and my tummy... I reckon you could use it anywhere where your skin needs a little bit of TLC but it would be ideal on skin shrinking after pregnancy.  It costs £7.75.

Bloom Beautiful products can be bought online from the Bloom Beautiful website and Not on the high street.

MaterniCare Pre & Post Natal Nourishing Cream Review

In the weeks following Holly's birth I used a new skincare product on my bump (and its remnants!) called MaterniCare Pre & Post Natal Nourishing Cream. It is a really nice thick and luxurious cream that feels very pampering. Unlike many of the oils and butters that I used throughout the bulk of my pregnancy (all of which were scrumptious), it doesn't leave a greasy residue - in fact my bump seemed too suck MaterniCare right up in seconds!

MaterniCare is made by the same people who make Colief. For me, MaterniCare is a nice mix of natural plant-based ingredients with a little dab of science to help it along the way. The cream is packed full of plant oils and essential vitamins to nourish and care for your skin as your bump grows and then to support your body as it recovers. It is hypoallergenic and containspro-vitamin B51 – a powerful natural skin healer and protector – as well as almond, avocado and grape seed oils, vitamin E and soothing calendula. All of these lead to MaterniCare cream having a very gentle, appealing scent (you know these things matter to me!)

During pregnancy, MaterniCare is designed to help prevent stretch marks (although I can't vouch for this as I only started using it in my final weeks) and to hydrate itchy dry, stretching skin. After pregnancy it is designed to help your skin recover from that stretching.

MaterniCare is suitable for breasts, tummy, thighs, hips and bottom where it can contribute to the suppleness of your skin. For me, the most noticeable thing from using MaterniCare Pre & Post Natal Nourishing Cream is a level of strength that has returned to my skin - even before baby was born. The way my skin feels after use is very much how my thighs felt after using Alva Naturkosmetik Intensive Refining Cream - firm and taught and strong. MaterniCare cream costs £14.99 for 200ml.

I seem to have got away without any new stretch marks this time around so I can't certify its effectiveness at tackling them!

Holly's Birth Story

Holly Louise Button was born on Tuesday night at 11.41pm after about 5 hours of established labour. She was 7lb 13oz. Here's the story of how she came into the world (it's very different to Lara's birth story).

As you probably know, if you read Tuesday's blog post, I thought my waters had broken... turns out that they hadn't.  My contractions started at 5pm approximately 5 minutes apart but very erratic and mild.  By 7pm they began to get stronger - I consider this to be when labour was established.

At this point I was still pootling around the house.  Mr. B fitted the TENS machine (which definitely helped) and tried to insist that I went to bed but I kinda knew that things were starting to move more quickly and sleep wasn't on the cards.  I asked him to ring his parents who came around to look after Lara.  By the time they arrived, the contractions were strong enough to stop me in my tracks and I rang the hospital.  I'm sure they deliberately put the most miserable member of staff on the phone at the labour ward to try and put you off going in - she nearly managed to persuade me not to go.  During the half-hour drive to Frimley Park Hospital I only experienced 2 contractions (they had previously been coming as frequently as every 2 minutes) and I really began to panic that I'd made the same mistake as last time by coming to hospital too early and letting everything slow down.

We arrived in the delivery ward just after 9pm at the point when the midwife shift was about to change.  A stern-looking midwife asked me a load of questions and obviously thought I was fussing about nothing.  She didn't believe me when I said I'd had a urine infection earlier in the week, and she didn't believe my waters had broken.  I think she thought that when the next midwife examined me, I would be going straight home.  My contractions were gaining frequency again but still mild enough for me to almost continue my conversation.

The new midwife was a lot friendlier and by the time she examined me at about 10.15pm, the contractions had come back much more frequently and continually growing in strength.  I was VERY relieved to find that I had made it to 6/7cm dilated with just the TENS machine to get me through.  We asked her to fill the birthing pool with water (which takes about 20 minutes) but both myself and Mr. B were wary of getting into the pool too soon because we didn't want it to slow down labour too much. As we waited, I was in a lot of pain and the TENS machine was no longer helping me get through the contractions - a lot of concentration was needed to breathe through each of them.

I got into the pool just before 11pm and the relief was instant.  As suspected, things did slow down a little but it felt good to be in the warm water. The midwife left us alone for a little bit and told us to ring if I felt the urge to push - we both thought she was joking. At about 11.30 there was a lull in contractions and we stopped to joke with one another about whether we would have a May 1st or May 2nd baby and both of us felt pretty sure it would be the next day before we saw our baby.  I realise now that this lull was probably the point of transition into the second stage of labour.  From the very next contraction I felt the urge to push and tried to ignore it.

Thankfully the midwife arrived again before we needed to pull the emergency cord. She told me to ignore the urge as long as possible.  I ignored it for one more contraction and then my own body took over. It only took 3 contractions and 6 minutes for the second stage of labour.  Holly was born in one push and took both midwives by surprise because there was no pause between head and body.  She literally plopped into the water and they had to drop their tools to grab her.

Holly and I chilled out in the water together for about 10 minutes before getting out to lie down for the third stage - delivery of the placenta.  In that time, she naturally rooted for my breast by snuggling up my chest towards me.  I felt so relaxed it was unreal.

We had to wait for me to dry out before I could have my stitches (by far the most painful experience of the night and the only point at which I tried the Entonox gas).  We had a cuppa, some toast and a bit of a chill out while the painkillers for the stitches kicked in.  I grabbed a quick bath, got dressed and then we were discharged.  We arrived home with baby Holly at 5am and when Lara woke at 7 we had a lovely family reunion.

I am so happy that my second birth went entirely to plan.  It certainly has helped me get through the last couple of days with more energy and less pain.  The stitches are healing and we are both generally well.  I'll blog more about our first days together soon.

Pregnancy Blog :: Week 40

I'm still here!

Despite having had an achey back since Thursday evening and lots of twinges and cramps there is no further sign of impending labour. I have a busy weekend with two different third birthday parties to take Lara to and a visit from the inlaws.

My last day at work was pretty uneventful. It felt good, I'm ready to move on to the next part of my year now - a new beginning.

Baby has moved down into a more-or-less engaged position now so movement had become pretty tricky and combined with piles the size of golf balls and a suspected urine infection, I had been bl**dy uncomfortable all week at my desk. At one point there were tears down the phone to the GP begging for a prescription... it worked but its still pretty depressing to be relying on prescriptions even before baby has put in an appearance.

So, now I have to play the waiting game. I have an appointment for next Friday for a stretch and sweep but I'm still hopeful it won't get to that point because I am home alone all next week without a car and with only a visit from the burglar alarm engineer to look forward to!

I'll keep you all up to date - promise!

Comfortable Maternity Dresses for Expecting Mums

This is a guest post from my friends at Vertbaudet who, as I found out earlier this year, sell some fab maternity wear.

If you are expecting a baby, you might be feeling more and more uncomfortable, especially if you are still wearing your pre-pregnancy clothes. Some pregnancy mums hold off on buying maternity clothes because they do not want to give up looking trendy just to be comfortable. Fortunately, there are plenty of trendy and comfortable maternity dresses for expecting mums. Vertbaudet features an extensive line of fashion-forward maternity wear for women.

Image courtesy of Vertbaudet

The type of maternity dress you choose may depend on where you would like to wear your clothes. If you need to find clothing for work, you will probably want to stick with modest dresses that give you plenty of room for when your belly gets larger. A simple v-neck style dress with an empire waist can do a lot to slim your silhouette while still projecting a professional appearance. A black sheath style dress with room for a growing belly might also be a good choice for the office.

On the other hand, if you would like to wear your dresses while you are out on the town, you might choose a button-up dress with a dropped waist and short sleeves. You could easily dress the look up by adding boots or strappy sandals and a large bag. Another good choice is a maternity tunic, which you could pair with leggings or jeans for a casual look. A denim coloured maternity tunic dress with a low leather belt is another great option for a night out.

Another factor to consider when choosing a comfortable maternity dress is the time of year you will be wearing it. For the summer, a maternity maxi dress may be ideal since it is light and airy, which will help you stay cool in the heat. Maxi dresses are also a great way to streamline your figure, which may make you feel more comfortable with your changing shape. Strappy tunics are also a good choice for warm weather. Simply wear them with shorts and sandals or, if you are brave enough, wear them all by themselves as a dress.

If you are expecting during the cooler weather such as late fall or winter, it is fairly simple to adapt your maternity dresses for the weather. If you have a short-sleeved dress, layer it over a turtleneck and add a slouchy hat and a pair of boots. A long-sleeved cardigan over a short-sleeved dress might be enough to keep you warm before the weather turns too frigid. But if you prefer a long-sleeved dress, go with a simple crewneck collar dress with long sleeves. Add a pair of thick tights and a low belt to complete the look. You could also layer the collar with a long, chunky scarf to add a bit of flair and to keep your neck warm.

Image courtesy of Vertbaudet

Vertbaudet offers a range of baby clothes, children’s clothes, maternity wear and home collections for you and your little one’s and with their Mid Season Sale is now on, there’s various items reduced by up to 50% off. Visit Vertbaudet now at www.vertbaudet.co.uk

Disclosure: I received compensation for publishing this guest post.

Pregnancy Blog :: Week 39

Image taken by http://www.markwhitehousephotography.co.uk for Lexis Agency

Behold, the only official photograph of me with a bump during this pregnancy (OK, the only one I'm brave enough to admit to). This photo was taken for Lexis Agency as part of the preparation for the new Sterimar Baby facebook page which officially launches next week (stay tuned to Mellow Mummy to find out how I'm getting involved).

Obviously my bump is quite a bit bigger now; it was a couple of months ago when this was taken but it is a great picture never-the-less. In it, I'm sporting a gorgeous Vanessa Knox crossover maternity top that I won from A Mummy Too.

So, what has been going on this week? On Monday morning I started getting strong Braxton-Hicks at work which lasted pretty much 24 hours. If it wasn't for the fact that there was no consistency in strength or frequency, I would have started to think that it was labour but something inside me just knew it wasn't. Despite this, I did make sure I had the phone number of the hospital at the ready and insisted that Mr. B. pack all of the bags into the back of the car.

Ever since then, the movements of the baby have been very strong and distinctive; pretty uncomfortable at all times, especially when there is a fist being bashed repeatedly into my pelvis.

I have pretty much wound up everything at work now so I am cruising for this final week. Phew. I have also come to an agreement with work over my childcare vouchers which I will, at one point blog about once I've clarified all of my legal facts. It has been a struggle and hasn't come to the conclusion I wanted but I have lots of lessons and info to share with other working second-time mums. In the meantime, if you want to ask me about childcare vouchers then drop me a mail (to the address on my contact page) - I've become somewhat of an expert on the financials of childcare vouchers and the detail of the employment law that governs them!

Pregnancy Blog :: Week 38

This week I have fought off a tummy bug that Mr. B. and Lara seemed to get a lot worse than I did. I think perhaps my body just kicked into protect me and my baby at this late stage. It was a wonderful excuse for a couple of days in bed too!

I'm also beginning to dread childbirth. Not so much for the pain of birth itself but more because of the annoying after effects such as hemorrhoids and constipation which have already started bringing me discomfort even before childbirth this time. It is pretty miserable and I really hope I don't have another 4-7 months of this to look forward to.

I had my 38 week check with the midwife. Everything was in order. Baby had unengaged itself but I don't think that's a problem. I've just got to sit back and wait now.

The British Coffee Association settled my mind this week about having been drinking coffee during pregnancy. As you may know, just before I fell pregnant last summer I had started a Slimpod program which had the interesting side-effect of having reduced my caffeine intake. I have continued, at that reduced level of about 1 cup of coffee and 2 cans of Diet Coke throughout my pregnancy and this has got me some very strange looks from people - especially at work.

If you‟re pregnant then it is recommended that you limit your intake of caffeine to no more than 200mg per day from all sources which includes tea, coffee, cola and chocolate – equating to 2-3 cups of coffee a day (see NHS Choices) but for some reason, every time I have mentioned to any of my colleagues about how wiggly this baby seems to be compared to Lara, they nod knowingly towards my coffee cup and tell me that it'll be the caffeine causing it.

Ah well, I guess I will still be moderating my coffee intake a little once I am breastfeeding but hopefully I can look forward to some super-duper homemade Mr. B. stylee coffee once baby arrives to help me through some of those sleepless nights.

Pregnancy Blog :: Week 37

37 weeks is officially term and baby, should it arrive now, would no longer be considered premature. It feels like an important milestone and perhaps now I should be rooting out things like Raspberry leaf, pineapple and hot hot curries (not that any curry I make isn't mind-blowingly hot on the normal scale of things).

Baby has slowed down a lot. I think it has more or less run out of room so any wiggling I do feel is really pronounced and can usually be seen by everyone in the room!

This weekend we are really concentrating on spending quality, fun, family time with Lara. I've taken a REALLY long weekend off work and we have already done crafting and gardening together and over the weekend we have plans for an easter egg hunt and lots of cooking together.



We haven't bought Lara an easter egg this year due to the phenomenal amounts of chocolate she has already consumed over the past week or so at nursery and as gifts. Instead, we went on the lookout for non-chocolate options. Our easter-egg hunt is going to be blueberry, raspberry and strawberry based and Lara's main pressie came from ASDA - it is a great big bag of brightly coloured ball-pool balls to turn her paddling pool into a ball pool. They are just one of the toys, homeware and DIY goodies that is on sale for less than £5 at ASDA this easter and given that I would have spent about a fiver on a nice chocolate egg for Lara, it seemed like an appropriate alternative gift.

Pregnancy Blog :: Week 36

So, 36 weeks. Wow.

This week I had the last of my NCT refresher courses. I think I'm prepped and ready to go.

I also stepped down from my primary role at work. It felt very weird at first not to be bossing people about and having to rush in and out of meetings but I can tell you this... it felt good. I've been able to relax a little bit and can feel the stress starting to melt away.

The sunshine has helped with the stress relief too which is handy because Mr. B. has been working in London which means I've been doing the nursery run to and from each day without him to help and having to cook (oh, ok... order takeaway) and clean which we normally share equally. It was especially hard on Tuesday when I could barely walk because of pelvic pain and general baby uncomfy-ness.

The pevlic discomfort I'm assuming comes from the fact that baby has dropped a lot over the week and, according to the GP, is now 1/5th engaged. I think I know the moment it dropped too! On Monday night I woke up at 1am in agonising pain near my pelvis - just as bad as I remember from labour. I could feel a light tightening in my uterus which happened twice within half an hour and I genuinely thought labour was starting. I practiced some of my breathing exercises to calm down, took some paracetemol and eventually managed to fall asleep again only to wake up when Mr. B. left at 6.30 feeling pretty normal again. On Tuesday I was really achey breaky all day. Thankfully nothing more sinister has happened since.

On Thursday I had my 36 week check with the GP and took Lara with me. Because I work full time, I usually just pop out of work for my appointments, which means Lara is normally at nursery but today's appointment just happened to fall on a morning when we would normally be at swimming - we are currently on an easter break from swimming so Lara kept me company. She was so well behaved and seemed REALLY intruiged when the doctor took my blood pressure and again when he listened to baby's heart rate. I'm so glad I managed to share one of these experiences with her.

Pregnancy Blog :: Week 35

This week I've started to waddle like a penguin! Bump is really beginning to grow now. Bending down is uncomfy and sitting anywhere for very long gives me backache.

I'm not convinced that baby is in the right position - sometimes I think I can feel it moving in a full 360 degree turn and there was one evening this week where I'm pretty certain it was sitting transverse with feet poking out above my left hip and head poking out above my right. I have an appointment with the GP this week and he will be the one who decides whether baby needs moving.

I've done a lot more exercise than normal this week - Mr B and I took a few days off work to start ticking off some of those things on my maternity to-do list! Mega-hot curry (check). Really nice meal out with just the two of us (check) and we also took Lara to Legoland which also counts as a (check).

This week I sat down with Mr. B and, with the help of a print-out from the NHS choices website, we wrote up a birth plan.  It was the first time that we had talked at length about Lara's birth and it was quite revealing to hear his thoughts about how the childbirth had gone.  Mr. B. seems to have some strong opinions about where I (hmm, we?) went wrong last time so perhaps he might be a bit more assertive this time.  Using my past experience, I've put in some decisions and some indicators for the midwife/midwives in charge at the time but in general I'm not going to approach things any differently this time around.  We are going to try, once again, for a drug-free, water birth but just see where it takes us.

Palmers Tummy Butter for Stretch Marks Review

I have been using Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Skin Therapy oil to prevent stretch marks since the start of my second trimester. When I reviewed it I mentioned that the scent was a little strong for me so instead I've been trying out the Palmers Tummy Butter for Stretch Marks which has a new formula.

The Tummy Butter comes in a small, low tub and is a thick, buttery texture. You apply the butter to your bump (or, after the birth, where your bump used to be) to tackle stretch marks and there's nothing to stop you using it elsewhere on your body where stretch marks could appear.

The Cocoa Butter Formula is the secret to tackling dry and stretched skin but in addition, this ultra-concentrated balm also includes Vitamin E, Collagen and Elastin to help maintain and restore firmness to the skin where you apply it. The best thing about the Tummy Butter for me is the scent. The butter is supplemented with soothing lavender oil which not only means it is nice and restful when I apply it in the evenings, but also means that the scent is a little lighter than other Palmers Cocoa Butter Formula products I've tried in the past - less cocoa-ey.

Other products in the Palmers range for stretch marks include a massage lotion and more concentrated massage cream designed specifically to target the dryness of pregnant, stretched skin and to restore the skin's elasticity. I enjoy the massage lotion as it is a light texture on my skin and I can see myself using this post birth to help increase the firmness of my skin and target the stretch marks (assuming I have some!)

  

Pregnancy Blog :: Week 34

This week I had another trip to the hospital for my second shot of Anti-D. Hopefully, the next time I go to hospital will be when baby arrives.

The appointment took place with a midwife - this time a student midwife who was very inexperienced. It took two people to find the baby (!) but they finally established that the position is cephalic right now (head down, bottom up). I also had to have more bloods taken because the 28 week blood results had gone missing!!! the student midwife was freaked out by the fact that I have no visible blood supply and I am notoriously difficult to extract blood from. I was quite grateful that she wimped out and asked the phlebotomist to do it - me and needles don't get on at the best of times!

This week my NCT class covered topics such as sibling rivalry, foetal positioning and relaxation techniques. In terms of foetal positioning, I know I've got some work to do to make sure baby is sitting on the ideal side when it comes to the big day and the fact that my job involves me sitting at a desk all day doesn't bode well for optimal foetal positioning. We have a rocking posture chair at work that I used a lot during my last pregnancy and yesterday I decided it was time to start using it again. I hope it works!

Pregnancy Blog :: Week 33

This week I went to my first NCT lesson of this pregnancy. I had been in two minds about whether to fork out the money for the NCT refresher course but I decided to do it for two reasons.

• Last time I made three new friends for life and their company in the first few months was invaluable - I now live in a different town and could really do with the female company


• My first childbirth experience ended in a drug-induced haze so the whole experience is a bit blurry so I think I could do with a refresher.

Our first lesson was a bit more like a therapy session than a lesson. We all shared our birth stories and it was pretty emotional. Not a single woman in the room had experienced an uncomplicated birth (I don't think NCT prepared me last time for quite how likely it was that I 'would' experience an intervention birth). It was good to get some of my worries off my chest and I also managed to get hold of a hypnobirthing CD so I shall give that a try.

In other news, I went into London on a day off work and had some pictures taken for a new venture of mine. I think they may well be the only photos of a pregnant me this time around so I am looking forward to seeing them. I'm glad I don't have to do a commute in and out of Central London these days - wouldn't be much fun with a bump.

Pregnancy Blog :: Week 32

This week the baby has become incredibly active. When I am sitting in meetings at work, other people can see my belly wiggling and jiggling! Before Lara was born she always used to have an active time of night at about 10pm and a small kick just before or after my lunch. This baby is different... it is active ALL day. No really, I never ever get a moment when I'm not aware of it doing its thing. Not even if I wake up at 3am to go to the toilet. This is an ominous sign for when baby arrives.

Someone asked me this week whether I had been experiencing 'baby brain' and I'm delighted to say "No". For a couple of weeks between my first and second trimester I struggled to remember anything (even spelling simple words) for more than 20 seconds but since then I haven't felt it at all during this pregnancy. Phew.

This week represents a major milestone, financially. Why? Because Mr. B. and I successfully managed to get our mortgage down to the next LTV (Loan to Value) rate which means that we save ourselves nearly £300 a month in mortgage costs. This was a big goal for us to complete before I go on maternity leave. That extra £300 each month will mean that I can afford to take a little longer as maternity leave and by making regular overpayments over the past 6 months we've reached out goal. In addition to this we have swapped our electricity and gas contracts (another noticeable monthly saving) and streamlined our grocery shopping. Every little helps!

My Beauty Bundle Review

What could be a better fit for Mellow mummy than the rather scrumptious combination of pregnancy and new mum products with natural and organic luxury skincare? Well, My beauty Bundle do just that - little monthly bundles of smellies designed specifically for your stage of pregnancy or motherhood.

You can buy a subscription to My Beauty Bundle from £15 a month for 1, 3, 6 or 12 months and each month you will receive a little pampering package of 4 to 5 products tailored to your stage. For me, I like the idea of trying out lots of products I wouldn't normally have heard about and the convenience of having these delivered to me, rather than having to go shopping for them myself.



In my bundle I received a Bourjois quick-drying nail varnish, Lavera foot balm, Green Baby one-size baby hat and sample sizes of two luxury products - Madara's ecoface organic deep moisturising fluid and Primavera's rose & pomegranate revitalising cream. I had never tried a Lavera product before and the footbalm is so cooling and rejuvenating that since receiving my bundle I have been out and bought more products from the Lavera range. You can also buy full-size versions of the individual products on the My Beauty Bundle shop if you try out something in your bundle that you turn out to love.

I will admit to feeling a little disappointed when I opened my bundle to find the size of the package and some of the samples inside. I know some of the products are seriously expensive but personally I'd prefer to receive a full-sized product of a lower value than a single-use sample of a pricey skincare product. Saying that, I'd probably be even more disappointed if I received a full-sized product that I didn't enjoy using, or wasn't suitable for me so I guess it works out better in the long run and leaves me with the decision about whether to buy more.

Despite this, I think the monthly pregnancy beauty bundle concept is perfect, particularly as a gift (so, if any of my male readers have got this far through the review then consider this a hint to buy your other halves a subscription when the time is right). My Beauty Bundle features some of my favourite natural skincare brands such as Madara and Weleda and the quality of all of the products is high.

Pregnancy Blog :: Week 31

Woo hoo, I am finally healthy again. It took a while but I finally managed to shake the cold that I first caught about 3-4 weeks ago. With my new-found healthiness appears to have come a renewed vigour for life and an inspiration to do my very best at work, and on the blog over the coming weeks. I've also found a drive to get the nursery ready for the baby and finish off lots of jobs that I have been meaning to do for a long while.

The other day when my cold was at it's worst, I started to really suffer with back pain. The pain was preventing me from sleeping and, as I mentioned before, I found that putting a memory-foam mattress topper on the bed seemed to ease the discomfort during the night. During the day I tried out a back-pain aid called PosturePlast.



PosturePlast is effectively a great big sticking plaster which you apply to your back in such a way that it keeps your back in a safe posture. I've found that the times when I most experience pregnancy back pain in the day are when I am sitting at dining tables. I found that I hardly noticed wearing the PosturePlast most of the day but when I was at the dining table, I was aware that it was pulling me into a position I was unused to - perhaps the position I should be in to prevent this bliming backache! It is designed to support the back and prevent you from injuring yourself by putting yourself into the wrong positions. I can't say that I found it to reduce my back pain, but I was aware of it correcting my posture and pulling against my back when I was walking. I also found the PosturePlast to be pretty tricky to put on - it was definitely a two-person job to apply it in the correct place on my back.

PosturePlast is suitable for combatting many different types of back pain and is also recommended for new mums who are unused to carrying babies and car seats etc.

Pregnancy Blog :: Week 30

So... I'm three quarters of the way through now! Woo hoo. Down to single figures, weeks wise!

I've really begun to notice the weight of the baby now. It is having an effect on the way I walk and move and makes going up the stairs at work feel like climbing a mountain. I've also noticed over the past couple of weeks that my pelvic floor muscles are shot - dammit, I really thought I'd got away with it after Lara's birth despite the traumatic experience and the damage it seemed to have caused my nether regions!

So I've made myself a promise that from now until baby arrives (and for some time after), I'm going to concentrate on strengthening those pelvic floor muscles so that I'm in control when it comes to the important things like pushing babies out and going to the toilet without little accidents. My first step was to download the new 'My PFF' app from Lights by Tena. I've reviewed it over on FamilyTech and I'm hoping that it will kick-start me into regularly perfoming pelvic floor exercises.

Cake Maternity & Nursing Lingerie - Plum Pudding

It has come to the time in my pregnancy when I need to start thinking about maternity lingerie and nursing lingerie because my early pregnancy lingerie simply doesn't fit any more. The very first place I thought of looking was lingerieplease because I knew they stocked one of my favourite brands - Cake Maternity.

I was looking for something incredibly sexy and yet comfy during these later stages of pregnancy so I went for the Plum Pudding nursing bra and matching briefs which are currently on offer so that if you buy the bra (also reduced in price in their sale) then you can get the briefs for half price.

Lingerieplease have a wide range of maternity bras from the totally functional to the really sexy. Most of their maternity bras are also in fact nursing bras so they are great after birth too (although you may need a different sized bra in the weeks just before and after birth).

The Cake Maternity Plum Pudding bra is a full-cup underwired nursing bra. The wire is a flexible one so suitable for use during pregnancy and when breastfeeding. the deep red colour is very feminine and the fabric is soft with a slightly silky touch. I found the feeding clip to be instinctive to use and easy to release.

The Plum Pudding brief is a low-rise square-cut shape designed to sit just below your bump. I found the thick waistband to sit a little high on me at present so it curled under the bump but the briefs were very soft and the lacy pattern extremely flattering. I think the set looks amazing together and is incredible value for money right now.

Pregnancy Blog :: Week 29

Well, the pregnancy has just ticked on this week but I've been feeling rubbish too. Managed to pick up ANOTHER cold which, combined with a general level of pregnancy-related discomfort at nights, contributed to one entirely-sleep-free night this week. Trust me, I do not work well without sleep.

Thankfully my parents came to the rescue and I took the day off work. They also brought with them a memory foam mattress topper which managed to make me comfortable enough that I could catch up on the missed sleep while Lara was out at nursery.

Hopefully I'll be able to shake the cold soon and get on with being pregnant!

Huddle & Bliss Labour & Birthing Shirt Review

Just before Christmas I was looking for a maternity nightie - something that would accommodate my growing bump. It just so happened that I was asked to review the Labour and Birthing Shirt from Huddle and Bliss which I think makes a perfect maternity nightdress too.

My h&b birthing shirt is just about the single most comfortable item of clothing I have ever worn. I could quite happily live in it! It is a cool sleevless shirt made from a premium soft cotton with a series of press-studs which allow (relatively) easy opening for breastfeeding.

I loved the fact that the shirt has a big scooped shape at the front. It felt weird when I first tried it on during my first trimester but now as my bump grows, it all makes sense. The scoop means that even with a great big bulge, the hem will sit at a decent height at the front.

The shirt comes in two sizes - petitie for sizes 8/10 and regular for sizes 12 to 20. I would say that as a tall woman, the shirt is only just long/decent enough for me to want to wear it walking around a hospital maternity ward. I also find the neck, when fully buttoned to be a little restrictive.

Despite this, I really love this birthing shirt and I am thinking of buying a matching one in black. Even if I don't use them during labour, I'll be very comfy at night during my pregnancy!

At present H&B have an offer on - a pack of two birthing shirts costs just £42 (normally £29 each).