Sunday Pampering

Today I have treated my weary body to some much needed TLC. Last nights Halloween festivities really took it out of me and when my mum called to say Sunday lunch was off I'll admit I was a touch relieved. I stayed in bed an extra hour and took a long bubble bath. I used my Liz Earl Cleanse and Polish for the first time in months (such effort to cleanse in my opinion) which felt like a spa treatment in itself. I scrubbed my skin within an inch of its life with my new St Ives tub of grainy goodness, deep conditioned my hair and moisturised, moisturised, moisturised. I even had Ella slather my favourite Soap & Glory foot cream on for me (I sadly can no longer reach) and used my ultra rich face cream which just feels heavenly when you actually need it. I have been laying on the sofa dozing for the past hour and am seriously considering taking myself back to bed... why not? In a couple of weeks time that may not be an option. I am sore and achey and tired and I know that won't improve once he's here so I'm going to take this little time I have left for me and enjoy it while it's mine.

Miss BB

Keeping Fresh

As promised here's my follow up list of toiletries/makeup I intend to take with me in to hospital. Once I've actually packed a bag I will do a post and probably a video showing you what exactly I'm taking but in the meantime here's my checklist. I'm having an elective c-section so I know I will be in for a few days and I know from the last time I might not feel up to showering in hospital so soon after my operation so this is everything I think will keep me feeling fresh during my stay.

Lee will be with me a lot of the time and potentially even overnight... to see what he's packing in his bag click here for his post.

Toiletries

• Baby Wipes
• Deodorising Wipes
• Deodorant
• Face Wipes
• Dry Shampoo
• Toothpaste/Brush
• Mints/Gum
• Facial Moisturiser

Anything not to get a wash, right? I have no idea how I will feel this time, it might be completely different and I might be dying to jump in the shower but I was so nervous of my incision before it was the last thing I wanted to do. This time I intend to shave my legs and wash my hair the morning of the operation to give me the maximum possible time feeling totally clean. 

Makeup

• Tinted Moisturiser
• Concealer
• Powder 
• Bronzer 
• Blush
• Mascara
• Eyeliner
• Lip Balm
• Eyebrow Pencil/Powder

I'm pretty much taking a full makeup bag so I can pick and choose. I anticipate going very basic while I'm in hospital but the first photos of me with Ella I looked horrendous so I am adamant I will have at least some colour and definition this time. I swear I looked like a 12 year old in trouble!

If you can think of anything else I'm missing feel free to leave me a comment. It's not 100% locked down until I've packed the bag but that will probably be some time this week!

Miss BB

What To Pack?

Obviously I've done this before but that was 6 years ago.. There are things I recall but I needed help putting together a list of things to pack in my hospital bag. Now that I've been given the OK on my c-section I can be more specific and pack for my recovery as opposed to a long labour. I know that I will be in hospital for a few days and potentially Lee will stay with me for at least one night so I have him to consider too. I trawled the forums and read so many checklists on so many pregnancy websites but this is my whittled down list of things I think I'll actually need.

In no particular order...

• Mints/Gum
• Windeez (or equivalent - trapped wind is a common complaint following a c-section)
• Snacks
• Support Bra
• Breast Pads 
• Maxi Pads
• Tissues 
• Toiletries & Makeup Bag (expect a whole other post designated to this)
• Reading Material (magazines/books etc)
• Laptop & Charger
• Phone & Charger
• Headphones
• Camera, batteries and memory card
• Change for vending machines/TV Card top ups.
• Hair Brush/bands/clips etc
• Dressing Gown
• High Waisted Underwear
• Baggy Clothes/Pyjamas
• Warm Socks
• Red Bull

I feel sure I'm forgetting things and of course this doesn't include what I'm taking for the baby but if you guys can think of anything else you'd suggest I take or you'd want there if you were me please leave me a comment below. I have a couple of weeks before the big day but weeks are like days now.
If you're interested in what Lee is taking for himself you can see his post here

Miss BB

Bargain Buy

Really quick post to share what I picked up from POUNDLAND! These are so cool I can't believe they were only one pound. Crazy! I'm not sure they will all go with the colour scheme but even if I only use a few it will still be so worth the money.. right?

I will do a nursery tour in the next week once I've finished everything so any that I do use you will see then. 

What have you picked up recently at a total steal?

Recent Vlog Updates

Week 36

I'm as surprised as anyone that I haven't been filling your reading lists with pregnancy updates but it would seem the closer I get to the birth the less interested I am in talking about it... is that strange? He will be here with us in less than 3 weeks and I'm not chomping at the bit for him to arrive. Time is passing alarmingly quickly for my liking actually. Early on when it feels like an age 'til it's over it's all fun stuff picking the pram, decorating the nursery, buying clothes and bottles.. now it's starting to feel a bit of an inconvenience. I have to buy more bottles?... I could spend that money on something else if I had a bit more time lol. My whole pregnancy has been a bit odd like that "feelings"-wise, I'm genuinely curious to see how I'm going to feel when he's actually here.

It doesn't feel like 36 weeks have passed and I just don't quite feel ready yet, y'know?  I mean we have all the stuff (pretty much) and if he arrived tomorrow my world wouldn't collapse... I'm prepared but.. I'm not READY. I've waited so long and now I don't know if it's nerves because of the operation or I'm still dumbfounded that we actually conceived the little one but I just don't feel how I thought I would. Next week I will be going to buy all the bits and pieces I need to stock my hospital bag, I still need to get some extra stuff for when he gets here and maybe then I'll feel ready, when I'm totally 100% prepared. In the meantime I'm stuck in this strange kind of limbo, not quite excited, not quite scared, not quite... anything.

  Anyway on with the actual baby update. To quote my baby bump app this week the baby is still gaining weight and becoming rounder in appearance. By the end of the week he will be considered full term. So officially by the end of this week I could pop and he'll be totally fine (in theory).When I went to be booked in for my section they told me they used to schedule them in the 37th or 38th week but discovered that more babies delivered electively in those weeks needed to be sent to the special babies unit (always makes me think of Law and Order... just me? never mind) for help with their breathing so they don't like to do that anymore. It's a strange concept to have not carried to term and already be given an end date. Ella was 2 full weeks late and they were in no hurry to get her out. This one will be born 3 weeks earlier.. so I'm not going to have all that huffing and puffing, awfully uncomfortable time that I did the first time around. That being said walking is no picnic anymore.. standing's no better and even sitting and lying down have their bad days. Every pregnancy is totally different, I can vouch for that, I didn't get any of the aches and pains I have now before and the practice labour has started already. I have warned him he'd better not try and come early but my Mum has been encouraging him every chance she gets, she wants an 11/11/11 baby.He's 5.75lb this week and the size of a Crenshaw Melon. When I googled "crenshaw melon" I found almost as many pictures of pregnant belly's as I did the melons themselves which leads me to believe this is a special strain of melon bred especially to indicate the size of a 36 week old baby in utero. Nevertheless... for your viewing pleasure may I present to you... A Crenshaw Melon... 

So there you have it. I'm going to miss these fruit comparisons so where possible once baby is here I will endeavour to take him to the supermarket and size him up against various goods to give you an idea of how big he is. By Christmas he might be as big as a box of cornflakes... one can only hope.

 

It's On!

It's done, it's booked, we have a date! The official ETA of our baby is 15th November.

I have been fretting about this consultant appointment for approximately 9 months and it could not have gone smoother. We arrived at 10.10 this morning, waited an absolute age for the doctor to see us (all the while freaking out on the inside - what if they make me push??? I don't want to push!!!) The doctor arrived and said "so... have you decided on a mode of delivery?" I said "I'd like a C-Section please" and she said... "no problem".

NO PROBLEM!!! I cannot tell you the relief I felt. After my first delivery I was nearly put off having more children altogether. I was 2 weeks overdue and they induced me..well... they attempted! They actually attempted 3 times between 8am and 8pm and at 10pm I was told visiting hours were over and so was left all alone in a 4 bed hospital room.. in the dark. 19, very pregnant and very scared. By 11 I was feeling contractions and I'd experienced some kind of waters breaking (a minor leak I was reliably informed) but I was not allowed anyone to come and be with me as I was not in "established labour" and as I knew.. visiting hours were over. During the course of the evening I was given various pain relief ranging from.. a hot bath (wtf? I was wailing in agony in said bath and did they care? no!) Gas and Air (fabulous by the way... if you ever get the opportunity you must try it!) and finally Pethidine. The final needle seemed to do the trick as I was found by my Mum at 8am the following morning sitting in a chair staring in to space... pretty much out of it. From there it's all a bit of a blur. They took me to a birthing suite where I was given an epidural, more fabulous gas and air, had several unsuccessful baths and a horrendous moment on a birthing ball. All of this led to an emergency C-Section at around 6pm as I was "not progressing" and the baby was "in distress". I'd like to mention at this stage that various medical professionals had "measured" me throughout the day and I'd been told I was at 7cm.. the head honcho that finally came in and took charge announced I'd never reached more than 3 and that I should never have been left as long as I had. Nice.

You can perhaps see why the mad dash through the don't-sue-us if-we-kill-you-on-the-operating-table paperwork and being wheeled down to theatre in my bed didn't leave a warm, fuzzy memory of birth for me. I suffered post natal depression, didn't bond with my baby for some months and regularly saw a counsellor who asked me "on a scale of one to ten, how many times have you thought of killing yourself this week?" (for the record I've never considered suicide but apparently that's a standard question).

For the duration of my pregnancy I've had everything crossed that a planned section would be allowed but there has been that doubt in the back of my mind. They didn't have to say yes... they could have thought I was just too posh to push and made an example of me. They could have flat our said no. At the end of the day there's no "good" reason why I can't try labour... but I really, REALLY don't want to. Don't get me wrong if I wake up tomorrow having full on contractions and get to the hospital to find I'm ready to push I'll give it my best shot but in my heart of hearts I don't think that's going to happen. I expect a repeat of the first birth and to be frank... if I don't have to go through it.. why would I? I didn't feel like I was robbed of a magical experience. Labour f***king hurts.. it's not rainbows and sparkles and then the baby appears out of a cloud of fairy dust. There are these mother earth types who will be so against my choice to elect an op but dya know what? Screw them! It's my body, my baby.. my decision.

So when I got the go ahead from the consultant today I felt like jumping for joy. She told me it was totally my call and they would support my decision, went through all of the formalities, told me what will happen on the day, when to arrive, when to stop eating, when to take my meds etc etc. It all seems so calm and straight forward. I can't wait! I'm not saying I'm not scared 'cause by jingo I am.. I'm not relishing the thought of being sliced open and having a serious operation to recover from at the same time as a newborn but I did it before and this time I'm prepared. The date we will go in is 15th November so I know that he will definitely be here by then.. I could go into labour before then and if I do I can call the hospital and they'll operate then and there (or I could give labour a whizz if I was feeling daring). Either way I feel 100% better knowing I have the backing of the doc and they really did want to make it as comfortable for me as possible. I don't know if it's my age or that policies have changed but I'm feeling really positive so far. The best thing is Lee will be able to stay with me for my entire stay.. he can sleep in the chair next to me if he feels like it and can visit whenever he wants which is awesome!

I'm so excited now... Baby Milo will be here 3 weeks on Tuesday!

Week 35

This week Baby Milo is 5.25lb and the size of a Honeydew Melon. I haven't developed any more symptoms but his kicks are getting harder and more uncomfortable and my nights are becoming sleepless.

Last week I made the unfortunate mistake of commenting on how well I've been during my pregnancy. I haven't had so much a cough since Christmas. This of course meant that since Sunday night I have been as good as bed ridden with a cold. Sneezing and spluttering makes sleep difficult enough without a very active baby bouncing on your bladder I can tell you! I have been very well looked after though and Lee has tried his very best to keep me wrapped up and resting despite my efforts to stay up and about. We did get the nursery finished at the weekend so it's nice to have that out of the way. I intend to film the "tour" this week.. All (me) being well. This is the week of the big consultant appt (Thursday) so that's exciting. I will be blogging immediately afterwards to let you know what's said.. Very nervous but if he agrees to the section and gives me a date.. Eek!! Even more nervous!!!!

Til then..

Nursery So Far...

We spent a long time in the nursery yesterday, Daddy built the crib and I organised, unorganised.... moved furniture... moved it again and reorganised. It's still a mess but it's taking shape and everything's where I want it so over the weekend it will be finished and you know what that means! Finally I'll get around to filming the nursery tour! Now his rooms almost ready it's hard to ignore his impending arrival. It's at the top of the stairs so every time we pass it it's like... eek!! There's going to be someone in there soon!!!!

Thought I'd leave you with some pictures of our progress so far...

Week 34

This week my baby boy is 4.75lb and the size of an average cantaloupe... interesting? not so much.

But we're all getting very excited here. I'm still in shock that it's come around so quickly. He could be just a month away!! I ordered his cot and car seat yesterday.. we're very close to totally prepared for his arrival. I keep meaning to do my pushchair post and show you all the stuff we've got but I never get around it it.. this week I will try, I promise!

On the negative I am growing more uncomfortable. I'm still managing to get a decent nights sleep but my hips/pelvis constantly ache and if I stand or walk for even a few minutes I get cramp right at the top, inside of my leg. I remember getting cramp in my lower legs that would wake me up at night when I was pregnant with Ella but this is totally different. Hopping around Asda trying to stretch it out makes me look a wee bit crazy to say the least. As a result I've become somewhat of a shut-in. There are a couple of events coming up where I will have to leave the house but I should be able to sit for the majority. Otherwise wherever I can avoid walking/standing I am. We have another Midwife appt on Friday, some of you have suggested they may offer anti-inflammatory pills or even physio. I'd take just about anything right now I think.

Baby Name

I have changed my mind a lot throughout the last 8 months about the name of our baby boy. It's been Dylan, it's been Zach.. there were lots in between we bounced around but now it's decided. I'v mentioned it briefly in other posts and videos but I'm still getting a lot of questions so I thought I would announced once and for all that our baby boy will be called MILO.

Some of you may think of The Tweenies.. some the dog from The Mask. I don't really care. I love the name and nobody has expressed any negative feelings towards it yet.. I don't see how they could. There's nothing comical about the name but it's still unusual. When I was having Ella one of the names I'd settled on for a boy was Miles. I really liked it but over time I decided it was a little too... how do I put this?...posh! Milo is almost an informal version. When I heard Alyssa Milano had named her son Milo it was love. I haven't wavered since. It's final, once and for all so there you have it. Where we got the name, why we like it... any other questions leave me a comment/tweet me @msbudgetbeauty.

Week 33

This week baby Milo is a Pineapple. That sounds painful! He's around 4.25lbs and should put on another half pound over the next 4 weeks after which the rapid weight gain should slow down. In 4 weeks he will be considered "Full Term" That's some scary sh*t! I've officially started my Maternity Leave now so I'm on the countdown to birth now.. It's daunting and I can't quite believe it's happening. You may remember it took me some time to really take it in when I found out I was pregnant because we'd been trying for so long.. well I feel a bit like that again now. I accepted that I was pregnant and was getting excited about the whole thing but I just can't imagine the baby being HERE.. like him actually COMING OUT! The more stuff we get the more real it feels and the more unbelieveable it is than in a few weeks we're going to have a BABY!

  33 Weeks People! 33 WEEKS!!! 

32 Week Bump

As always here's my monthly bump picture...

I keep meaning to do these more often now I'm nearing the end but even 4 weekly seems like a chore to fit in right now. Besides which I'm not sure I've own that much in the last 4 weeks (check my slide show on the right) so maybe monthly is enough. I am officially on leave as of today.. already feels so weird, like I'm pulling a sickie. I'm not quite freaking out yet but in total shock at how quickly the time has passed since I found out I was pregnant, he will be here in about 6 weeks and in just 2 weeks time we meet with our consultant to discuss the dates and plans... scary stuff. For those who don't follow her I had to give a shout out to Muhsine from Bubblegarm who gave birth to her beautiful baby girl, Esra on Friday. I'm not dying for it to be over for me just yet but if this weather doesn't cool down soon I'm going to melt.

32 Week Vlog Update