Prepping My Bits With My Expert Midwife

As D-Day looms ever closer, the affects that labour will have on my body is at the forefront of my mind. The pain part doesn't freak me out as such, as that's a given really. It's more the thought of the physical affects on my body afterwards. For instance tearing or being cut down there in my lady garden area - crosses legs and shudders! The thought of tearing down there is more on my mind than labour itself. I know there is going to be some kind of 'damage' if you want to call it that - I mean we are attempting to squeeze a grapefruit sized head out of an opening a tad smaller. It's not going to be easy.

My Mum suggested to me a few months ago about perineum massage to prep myself - yes we talk about all kinds of random things... lol!  This is a technic where you massage the skin between your vagina and bottom. Now you might think ewww about massaging down there, but I kind of like to think whatever helps right? I searched for different brands and went to Boots to have a look, but then while on instagram one day I came across My Expert Midwife. A company created by experienced midwives Claire and Lesley which I like, as they know what us ladies wants and needs are - especially down there!

I noticed they sold a oil for perineum massage called Peri Prep Your Bits, a natural based oil to help promote suppleness and elasticity of the perineum skin. You can do daily massage down there from 34 weeks. Now your probably thinking how would long would the 30ml bottle last if you're using it every day to every other day? Don't worry - there is a specially designed lid which controls the flow of the oil so you cannot waste it. A nice touch.

As well as the Peri Prep Your Bits they sell a small range of other products from nipple balm, stretch mark lotion and a spitz spray for your bits to help soothe them after birth. You can visit My Expert Midwife website HERE and browse their Pre and Anti-natal goodies. I also order the Spritz Your Bits after birth spray which I'm looking forward to trying out when the time comes.

Did you do anything to prep yourself down there for labour?

Angela x

Why We Didn't Announce Our Pregnancy On Facebook

My hubby and I are not the biggest social media enthusiasts. Yes we both have Facebook, but we don't post every waking moment of our lives on there. A few pictures here and there, but it just isn't our thing to post our personal lives on there.

These days it seems FB is the source of everything, no one does anything in person especially when it comes to pregnancy announcements. We told no one when we first got pregnant - our own personal little secret growing in my belly which no one knew about apart from the cat! It had taken us a while to see those two lines on a test and we just wanted to cherish it in secret before everyone else found out.

After 13 weeks we told family, with the strict instructions that NOTHING were to be put on FB. If we weren't posting on there then no one else should be. Sounds fair right? This seemed to be a difficult concept for people to appreciate - they almost seemed confused. Yes family members and friends get excited as they as basically apart of it all, but I think they fail to remember that they weren't actually there at the conception themselves.

Then one day it happened - we were outed :-(

We were outed on FB first by my Mum who checked herself into a baby show we were attending. She didn't tag myself or the hubby who were with her, so we didn't know until she verbally said 'I've checked us in!' Why... when you know our wishes? The secret was out to her FB friends then! The next time a work colleague put a picture up of me in an album which had a baby related name and this time I was tagged. We got her to rename the album but the damage was done.

Both times I was annoyed, but more so I was quite upset and disappointed. We'd expressed our wishes and they weren't being respected - just a simple request. It was our news and other people started spreading it about like it was theirs to share. This was our little baby, we made it and we still hadn't uploaded a grainy picture or said a word on social media ourselves.

We had our reasons for not posting like I said earlier. Firstly due to the fear. This baby of ours didn't just appear in my womb over night. It was a long journey of tears and frustration. Days staring at lines on ovulation sticks and countless nights of rumpy pumpy with the hubby - not like he ever complained. Making a baby for us just wasn't happening. Then we were pregnant after over two years of wanting (I'll go into details hows and whys in another post). Given all I just wrote, I suppose the reason is obvious - the fear of losing something we wanted so badly certainly out weighed the desire to announce all over the Internet.

Another reason for our silence is to be respectful to others. I can personally say myself that seeing other peoples pictures of their little miracles pulled on my heart strings very very hard. Why am I looking at someone else scan picture instead of our own? The journey to parenthood is not plain sailing and I personally know of others who have and are still going through countless rounds of IVF to achieve the goal of becoming parents. If you've never struggled, then you will never know the feelings that come with it. The last thing you want is some excited announcement showing casing what someone else has got instead of you. I know you cannot stop everyone else's lives from happening, but a little compassion wouldn't go a miss sometimes.

When bubba finally has the desire to venture into the world, we'll pop a small post and picture onto our pages. Until then we'll still remain silent, like we have done from the beginning. Social media isn't the be all and end all.

Angela x

Can You Eat Out And Stay Healthy?

The simple answer to this is yes. It is all about making better and wiser choices. Plus having the meal out with someone who understands your journey, there is nothing worse than peer pressure to eat a Banoffee Pie - true story!

If you're leading a healthy lifestyle there is nothing worse than temptations, especially if you're someone who can easily cave in to it. Here are a few helpful tips.

Plan
If you're going out for a meal, plan ahead. Agree a restaurant which has healthier options on the menu. You can even pick the meal before you step foot in the restaurant. This way you won't be looking at everything on the menu. Don't put temptation under your nose!!

Avoid The Bread Basket
I, like the next person loves a chunk of bread with balsamic and olive oil. However most restaurants give you the white bread option. Go for olives instead as they contain healthy fats. Plus you'll be saving yourself from the bread basket bloat.

Drinks
These days I'm all about the water. I rarely have soda/pop/fizzy (whatever you call them) drinks at all. However with a meal I may have the occasional glass of white wine - when not pregnant obviously! If you're going down this road have water too, as it's all about balance. Plus water fills you up.

Ask
So your dying for a steak, but the only options on the menu is they serve it with chips and covered in sauce. Ask your waiter if you can swap items over or have the sauce on the side. Restaurants are quite accommodating these days and are more than happy to chop and change chips or French fries for let's say a jacket or boiled potatoes. If you don't ask, you don't get!

Share
If you're dying for a side dish of chips then have them, but perhaps share them with who you are with. You won't feel like you have to eat them all if you're sharing with a friend.

Two Out Of Three
When you're at a restaurant there is normally the traditional of starters, mains, dessert. Well my friend just have two... either starters and no dessert or indulge in dessert but skip the starters. Less is more.

Hope this helps and inspires.

Angela