Talking About My Ectopic Pregnancy

Back in April this year, I was rushed to hospital with a ruptured ectopic pregnancy which was developing in my fallopian tube.  I wrote all about my experience here just a few days after it happened.  Now a few months down the line I thought I would branch out and share my story on YouTube on my channel Lucie and the Bump.

I was really nervous filming this but I felt like it was something I should talk about being a parent blogger and vlogger, in the hope it can help someone else or at least raise awareness. 

I would love it if you shared this video with anyone you know who has been through or going through something similar.  Or just take the time to hear about the signs and symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy.

Hopefully my next video will be something a bit more upbeat :)

Lucie x 

Looking Good To Give Birth

A while back I read an article on the daily mail website about women who are going to extreme lengths to look good during labour - you can read the article here

Now whilst some of the measure's the women have gone to seem a little over the top, I think that us preggo ladies have every right to pamper ourselves in preparation for labour! 

I personally wouldn't go as far as having a spray tan and a salon blow dry but I would have fake tan on as its something I use daily, and yes I will be applying makeup and doing my hair if I feel like it and have the time beforehand!  I know it could be a total waste of time as I will end up a screaming sweating mess but why not let a girl try and make herself feel good on one of the most stressful/amazing days of her life!

The first thing I will be doing when I feel the first twinge is jumping in the bath and sorting our my *ahem* lady garden!

I did also consider buying a Gownie like the one Anna Saccone wore in her birth with Emelia.  Its cute, pink, polka dot and comfy and made her feel good - much nicer than having to wear a used hospital gown which has greyed out in the wash! I instead opted for a Primark nightie due to the price of a Gownie!!

I think women are criticised far too much during pregnancy.. we are slated when we look huge, slobbish and don't "dress our bumps" but its the same when we do try to make the effort to look flawless

So girls.. if you want to wear a tutu, tiara and glitter hairspray during your hospital stay then I say go for it and don't let anybody stand in your way!!

How do you feel about people who want to look good on labour?

My Baby Shower

This weekend one of my besties Jennie threw me an amazing baby shower!!

I had received my invitation a couple of months ago, so I knew it was going to be a "Little Man" theme with moustaches and everything! I'd been excited about it for weeks and it certainly did not disappoint!!

I arrived before everyone else so I could FaceTime Mr H and show him the amazing effort Jennie had put in! Her flat had practically been redecorated, it looked amazing!!

...This cake was homemade by Jennie - I think she is in the wrong proffession!! It looked absolutely perfect and tasted delicious!

...Jennie's other half created a slideshow of my bump update pictures!!

...So many lovely gifts!!!

...My big sis :-)

...We had a BYOB (bring your own baby) policy at the party! This is Harry's future friend April! 

...My niece Lily!

...Jennie adorned everything she could get her hands on with these chalkboard moustache stickers!

...Scott's sister and my mummy!

...I had a ridiculous amount of presents to open, we were so spoilt! This lovely gift box was put together by Sarah from Bump Baby C and Me and was full of cute things!

... I had a little helper to assist in present opening of course!

...Seriously this cake was absolutely incredible - yum!

...Thank you so much Jennie for arranging such a special day for Harry and I!! We love you!!

Wishlist

Stripe Velour All in One £8 from Next - I have a huge thing for baby boys in stripes and this beautiful little velour all in one is one of the nicest items I have seen! I love the little collar!  Its also really good value like most of the baby range in Next

Cotton Rich Hooded Towel £7 from M&S - We actually don't have a baby towel for our little Haribo yet!  I love this one from M&S as it has a little hood with ears - I am a sucker for the animal ears! Its also 100% cotton so will feel good against his delicate skin

Cath Kidston Cowboy Sleepsuit  £14 from Cath Kidston - I absolutely ADORE the Cowboy print range at Cath Kidston and this little sleepsuit would look soooooo sweet on our little boy!  Saying that, I actually love anything from Cath Kidston!

Star Print Baby Blanket £16 from John Lewis - I have actually seen this blanket in store and it looked and felt like SUCH nice quality for a blanket under £20!  Its a lovely colour and pattern

Elephant Sweater £26 from The Little White Company - This jumper is amazing.  I want one for myself!!!  Being from The Little White Company it is stupidly expensive for an item of baby clothing but it oozes quality and is so damn cute!

Little Taggies Comforter  £9.95 from John Lewis - I got one of these Taggies Comforters for Sarah from Bump Baby C and Me at her baby shower but in the Cath Kidston Cowboy print and now I quite fancy one for Harry!  I have another friend who's little girl has one of these and she absolutely loves playing with the tags on the sides and feeling the different textures

Nautical Sleeping Bag £24 from John Lewis - We have decided that Harry will be sleeping in these little sleeping bags/pods that you see everywhere these days.  They seem to be the safest and warmest thing to put your little one to sleep in and come in a variety of togs for different times of year.  This one is super cute with the little boats on the front!

Truck Print Sleepsuits £14 from M&S - These little sleepsuits are really good value and I love the truck print!!!! 

Whats on your wishlist right now??

Product Review: Mama Mio Boob Tube*

Defy gravity and treasure your chest..

I love the tag line on Mama Mio's Boob Tube Bust and Neck Firmer*  as one thing I worry about in pregnancy is how my breasts are going to look at the end of it!  Maybe a small thing to worry about and its possibly a little vain but every woman wants to look half normal during and after pregnancy right?

Mama Mio Boob Tube

This little wonder product is that good it has a celebrity following, including the likes of Victoria Beckham and Jessica Alba, so I had a feeling I was really going to like the product too!

I wasn't wrong.  This little wonder cream is amazing!  I have been using a blob of the stuff every day now for 3 weeks and my boobs and décolletage has never looked so good (if ido say so myself)
The antioxidant cream works like a face lift.. it smooths and firms the skin dramtically changing the texture.  After 2 weeks of using this I had a totally different chest!!  My skin is smooth, moisturised and the skin feels somewhat plumper than before. I can only imagine the wonders it does for the skin post-partum and I cannot wait to use Boob Tube then

This bust and neck firmer boasts a heap of luxury ingredients, including CoQ10, Evening Primrose Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Dandelion Root and Shea Butter - which helps gives it its divine sweet but fresh scent.  The product isn't too thick or too thin, its consistency literally melts immediately into the skin 
OH and it is also perfectly safe to use whilst breastfeeding for all you mummy's out there and I have also heard that this can be used on your face to give you similar results there!

I also love how the product comes with a little Breast Aware leaflet and a guide for how to check your breasts as this is something every woman should be aware of and know how to examine themselves

You can buy Mama Mio's Boob Tube here for £29.50 as well as a whole bunch of other yummy products - I literally want to buy the entire range now!!

Have you tried any boob lifting and firming treatments??

*PR Sample

My Bumps 1st Festival

This weekend Mr H and I took our bump to his first festival!!  Yes, some may say we are crazy but it was fine and we had a blast at Wireless!!
I, in fact, felt better than the rest of our crowd as I drank so much water and ate so much food that I was nice and cool and full of energy!  The others were a bit worse for wear halfway through the day due to copious amounts of cider and too much head banging!

Sporting the Baby on Board badge!

I absolutely loved Tinie Tempah's and Jay Z's performances, not to mention a cheeky little special appearance from Justin Timberlake to round of the night!  Our inner hip hopper's came out and we danced the night away!  Harry was kicking along to the music so I think he was pretty happy in there listening to it all!

Me and Andrea

People were so considerate over me as well.. By now it is pretty obvious I am carrying a baby and I also wore my "Baby on Board" badge all day, and I found people did move out of my way when they noticed and I didn't once feel in danger of being crushed or pushed over

Wireless 2013

The only downside to this years Wireless Festival was the venue.  The Olympic Park was basically a building site!  The place was covered in gravel and dust and the only saving grace was the huge piece of astro turf covering the main stage area.  Not only was it a bit of a dump but the walk from the station to the site was a good few miles which is ridiculous for hundreds of thousands of people to do in the heat we have been having!  The festival was also far too spread out, with the main stage being another 2 mile walk from the rest of the smaller tents so we actually had to miss a couple of acts due to the distance between the two.  Not fun.

Mr H, his nephew and I

Due to this walk, getting home was a bit of a nightmare!  I literally couldn't get on the tube there was far to many people, i would have put my little bumps life in danger as there was no chance of anyone noticing my "Baby on Board" badge.  We ended up having to wait a good hour until the crowd had died down which resulted in us getting the last train home and me waddling in at 3am!  Wild pregnant bird!

Mr H and I!

Despite the tiredness I felt yesterday and today, it was all well worth it and I am really glad I went and didn't miss out on a great day out!!  I hope if anyone reading this is pregnant and in doubt about going along to an event, that they feel a bit better about going after reading this.  Just remember to keep well hydrated, eat plenty, take rests when you need it and let people around you know all about your bump and you will be fine!

The Halfway Mark: To Do List

Source

Half bloody way, how on earth did we get here!?

I am continuously moaning about how slowly this pregnancy has been going but thinking about it now I have no idea how we have already made it past the 20 week mark!  Nuts.

So hitting halfway through my pregnancy actually makes me panic slightly, it feels like there is SO much we need to buy and do.  As with everything in my life the only way I can get things done is with a good solid British list, so here is my to do list for the next 20 weeks!

Decide on and buy nursery furniture - I think we found the set for us this weekend in Mamas and Papas, its a 3 piece set called Sienna and we really like it in white. 
The units will grow with Harry as they aren't very babyish and the cot turns into a cot bed very easily saving us a bit of cash there.  The top of the changing unit is also removable which turns it into a normal chest of drawers which I love and the wardrobe is really spacious for all of his lovely clothes!
We also need to find a good comfy armchair to use as a nursing chair, we need something cosy and that I can basically fall asleep in!

Source

Decorate Harry's nursery - We have already decided on a colour scheme which will be light blue, light grey and white, and we are going to have a slight elephant theme!  We have already found loads of cute accessories and I can't wait to start putting it all together!  I also need to find some good blackout curtains to prevent the little one waking up when the sun rises!!

Buy Harry's first outfit - We're going to go shopping and pick a first outfit for Harry.  I am thinking something pure white with a matching hat!

Buy Ewan the Dream Sheep - This was included in my latest wish list here

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Start collecting books for the nursery - I keep banging on about it but I really want loads of books for Harry's nursery so I can read to him as soon as possible.  He will have all the classic books that I loved as a child, The Very Hungry Caterpillar  We're Going on a Bear Hunt, The Tiger That Came For Tea and The Enchanted Wood

Decide when I am going to leave work - I really need to get organised and fill in my paperwork for when I will be taking my maternity leave.. I haven't even requested my MATB1.  Its really difficult to decide when to leave as obviously I want as much time at home after Harry is born as possible but I also want a nice relaxing few weeks at home to prepare for his arrival.  I have saved up a few weeks holiday so maybe I will leave 4 - 6 weeks before he is due but we'll see

Write a birth plan - Birth. Eeek.  I basically know pretty much how I want my birth to go.  I really want an epidural, I am so bad with pain and I don't want to put myself through it unnecessarily when the option is available to ease it!  I will have Scott and my sister as my birthing partners and my sister is cutting the cord!  I guess I may need to elaborate on my plan a bit but for now that is all I have!  I wasn't really sure how you even write a birth plan and I am sure most other first time mummys are the same but I found lots of information here and also a blank plan you can print and fill out

Source

Have you made a list of things you need to do before baby arrives??



20 Week Scan

Our 20 week scan was this week and not only was it a very very exciting time but it was also a very nerve wracking time, as your baby's organs are pretty much developed and this scan is to check that everything is OK with their teeny tiny bodies!

After our scare last week I think the nerves were probably at their highest but I can very happily say that everything looked fine with little Harry and he's cooking just nicely in there!

I basically had to be tipped almost vertical halfway through my scan so that he would move, as he was snuggled right into my pelvis and the doctor wanted to see his face which is why our scan picture is at a funny angle!

I can't believe how big he looks in the photos, it hardly seems possible that he is curled up inside my belly!

I'm a little sad that this is probably the last time we will see Baby H before he is born but this makes me more excited for his arrival!

Were you nervous before your 20 week scan??

Wishlist

1.  Angelcare Movement and Sound Monitor £74.46 from John Lewis - I have heard really good things about this monitor, it has a motion sensor pad that doens't go off every 5 seconds, alarming you, your other half and your baby.  We were going to go for a video monitor but decided against it as we could possibly get a little too obsessed with watching our little one, plus our parents never had those when we were babies and we turned out just fine!

2.  Millie and Boris Baby Record Book £18.50 from Mamas and Papas - This is one of the nicest baby record books I have seen, it is jam packed full of pages to record the life of your little one as well as little pockets and envelopes for you to put little souvenirs from your journey together in

3.  Elephant Print Baby Blanket £20 from John Lewis - Since we are going with a slight elephant theme for Harry's nursery this baby blanket is a must have for us! Its so so cute, just right colour blue and is amazing quality

4.  Easidream Ewan the Sheep £27.50 from Precious Little One - We have recently been reccommended this little cutie by friends with a baby and they have advised that this is one thing we MUST buy! Ewan the sheep emits soothing sounds at a low base frequency  that can be played to your baby even before birth into your belly.  The sounds of heartbeats and womb sounds can be heard which really helps to calm your baby and send them off to sleep.  It also glows pink as this is really comforting to babies and has several calming noises to choose from

5. Leather Moccasin £25.99 from Zara - Baby moccasins are just TOO cute aren't they!!?  I have seen at least 5 or 6 pairs in Zara alone that I feel baby Harry must have in his life!  I know he won't be wearing shoes anytime soon but it doesn't hurt for him to have a few in his closet does it..  These red leather ones from Zara are my absolute favourite!

6.  Elephant Nursery Prints £39.33 from Etsy - I fell in love with these prints a while ago when I came across them on Etsy!  They inspired our nursery theme and colour scheme and i can't wait to buy them and put them up on the wall!!

Whats on your pregnancy wishlist??

18 & 19 Week Update

How far along? 19 weeks

Total weight gain:  Making it my mission to weigh myself.. promise! I feel like my hips and legs have got a little bigger so maybe I am gaining a bit but I don't think too much :) My bump seems smaller this week which is weird too

Maternity clothes? I have some new maternity skinny jeans from asos which I really really like.. They are a little are through though which is annoying but they fit really nicely for now! 

Stretch marks?  None.  I have been using a mixture of Mama Mio and Bio Oil now.  Mama Mio for the mornings/daytime and Bio Oil at night as I like to spend a lot longer in the evening massaging the oil in

Sleep:  I'm constantly exhausted and was hoping that would have subsided by now..  At the weekends I am asleep by 11pm which is so embarrassing at the age of 25!!  This week has been really stressful though which doesnt help, but I now have some time off to rest and hopefully recharge my batteries

Best moment this week:  Feeling lots of movement from our little boy and we sat and watched my belly moving everytime he kicked one night this week!

Worst moment this week:  Ending up at the hospital after a terrifying bleed :( (read about that in my previous post if you wish!)

Miss anything?  Dippy eggs. I watched a Hairy Bikers cookery program yesterday in which they made the most amazing looking eggs benedict and the sight off the oozing egg actually made me salivate.

Movement: I have been feeling lots of strong kicks this week!! He tends to move around at the same times every day now, usually after I've eaten or last thing at night before I go to sleep.. Aww

Food cravings:  Back on the Terry's Chocolate Orange.. So bad but SO good

Anything making you queasy or sick:  All food is making me feel sick this week, I seem to have had a bit of a churning tummy so I am well off everything

Gender: Boy!!

Labor signs: None

Symptoms:  After feeling pretty fabulous a couple of weeks ago, I have been feeling the lowest of lows this week!!  After my horrible scare I am so over emotional, stessed and feeling pretty sorry for myself indeed. I have also been suffering from horrific heartburn ouchie!

Belly button in or out?  In

Happy or moody most of the time?  I have been VERY moody this week!

Looking forward to:  Seeing our boy bean next week at our 20 week scan.. it will be good to see him all healthy and ok

Bump:

The Scare

Anyone reading this who is expecting knows how much you worry throughout your whole pregnancy about things going right and for no harm to come to your little bean
So you can imagine my terror when I started bleeding

The whole experience was so so sooooo scary but thankfully baby boy and I are going to be fine!  After calling every single number under the sun given to me for emergencies on my medical notes - with NO answers - we decided to head down to our local A & E to see what the bleeding was all about and to make sure all was ok.  I didn't feel the baby move the whole time we were there which made the wait agonisingly long but we were finally hooked up to a monitor and there was my baby boy's heartbeat, beating away quite merrily

The hospital couldn't really tell me anything about the bleeding as it had stopped and wasn't accopmanied by pain, which was quite frsutrating as I was then worried about it happening again or if it was something I had done to cause it

After a rest and getting over the shock of the scare I headed to my GP who examined me and told me exactly what the bleed was (he even drew me pictures to explain!)  Basically my placenta is just a little low and close to my cervix which can cause it to bleed.  This usualy will happen if you are under stress as hormones cause it to bleed so I have been asked to take the next week off work and to have a little "me" time at home where there is less pressure and less stress so hopefully it won't happen again 

I did have some advice that bleeding was "normal" in pregnancy and nothing to worry about, now let me just tell you it isn't normal at all and you have every right to be concerned about it.  My GP said that what this person really should have said to me was that bleeding is common in pregnancy and isn't always serious, but you should always get checked out by a proffessional if you get any bleeding or pain that doesn't feel right to you

I hope you don't mind me sharing this experience with you, I think it is important that everyone hears the lows as well as the highs of pregnancy and I hope this will help you get through it if you too have had the same or a similar scare!  

3D & 4D 16 Week Scan

I am super impatient and waiting for our 20 week scan to come around so we could find out if we were having a chico or chica seemed to be taking flipping forever!  I was chatting to a work friend the other day and she mentioned that you could have 3D and 4D gender scans from as early as 16 weeks!!  Upon hearing this I immediately started my research and found a lovely place called I Can See You! in Yateley, Hampshire

The appointment is 15 minutes long and you get to see your little one in 2D, 3D and 4D form on a big screen in front of you.  They advised me that they can usually 100% tell straight away the gender, but if baby is being particularly awkward and they cannot see then they will ask you to come back another day free of charge

I am SO excited about our trip to I Can See You! as it is TONIGHT eeeek!!!  Don't worry, once I find out what we are expecting I am sure you guys will be the first to know about it!

If you want to book yourself a private scan, whether its a gender thing or just a little bonding session so you can see your little one you will find all the information on their website here 

Have you ever had a 3D or 4D scan and are you as impatient as me??!

The First Flutters

Last night I felt the first movements from Baby H!!!!!!  It was the weirdest feeling ever and I wasn't sure if I liked it at first!  For those of you who haven't experienced it yet it literally feels like a butterfly is flying around in there and bumping into your tummy now and again!  

I just had a bite to eat as well which may have woken baby up and am feeling the flutters again! Eeeeek!  I am so excited now to feel it properly move around and kick and I am hoping that won't be too far away!

At what stage did you feel your baby move/kick??

16 Week Update

How far along? 16 Weeks

Total weight gain:  I had my midwife appointment this week and thought she would weigh me.. but she didn't haha!  So it remains a mystery! Maybe I will buy some scales.. 

Maternity clothes?  I haven't bought any other items as my Topshop maternity jeans have been fabulous!!!!!  I also spent last weekend in a couple of non-maternity maxi dresses which were sooooo comfy and I will def be popping into Primark for more!

Stretch marks?  None yet.. *touches wood frantically* 

Sleep:  I'm still feeling pretty tired but I think its because we have so much going on!!  Once we have settled in a new house we will be so much more relaxed and I think I will be feeling more energised!

Best moment this week:  Totally not baby related but I went to see The Great Gatsby and I thought it was totally brilliant!!  (So in love with Leo!!)  BUT by far the best moment of the week was hearing Baby H's heartbeat for the first time!  It was so amazing!  The midwife found it really really quickly and it was so clear and loud she was well impressed! I'm definately borrowing my sisters doppler so I can have a listen now and again

Worst moment this week:  House buying stress!! Probably one of the worst weeks I have ever had!!!!

Miss anything?  Not much this week actually!  

Movement: None that I can feel, although I hear I will start to feel little things very soon.. eek!

Food cravings:  Terry's Chocolate Orange mmm!! Really craved coke this week or anything fizzy which is really unlike me as well

Anything making you queasy or sick:  The smell of coffee as usual!

Gender: Not known..yet

Labor signs: None

Symptoms:  The headaches have been pretty bad this week, but I think that could stress related!  The tailbone pain has stayed away *woop*  Generally feeling better every week!

Belly button in or out?  In

Happy or moody most of the time?  Happy

Looking forward to:  Literally so excited to find out the sex of our little bubbaroni!!!  I want to buy a million things and I feel like I can't just yet!! 

Bump:

Orgnanising My New Life

Since the day we found out we were having the little bean life suddenly became SUPER hectic as there was just so much to do.  We have double the stress as we have to buy a house quicker than we expected and before bump turns into baby!  There are scan dates to remember, midwife appointments, moving dates, bill dates not mention birthdays and outings.  So with all these new things going on and dates to remember I decided to get a brand new diary to organise my new life

I chose a Pony Brown diary which is a cute little kawaii style organiser, which is undated so you can start it whenever - perfect for me as its already half way through the year!

The diary is from Hong Kong and I purchased it on Ebay here but it came within 5 days!  It arrived with a little pack of stickers as well which I LOVE and have used most of already!

It also has a notes section for random scribblings - handy for me as I have a memory like a sieve and if its not written down it doesn't get done!

I am so pleased with my new diary, its not chunky or heavy and it fits in my bag so easily! It also has a waterproof cover which is fab for my messy handbag!!

Did you feel like your life seemed ULTRA busy when you were pregnant??