The Mother Also Matters

Since publishing my last post about my Pregnancy Story I have had so many people come and talk to me about how they are feeling health wise and emotionally. Firstly thank you to everyone getting in touch and I hope I've been able to help a few of you.

The chats I've had with some of you however has inspired a bit of a controversial post. So ladies, please keep an open mind and just hear me out before you decide to voice your opinions and disagree with me. 

"Although she be but little, she is fierce" Name Announcement

My Birth Story - Honest and Raw

It's been 3 weeks today since my world changed forever and it was quite the day to say the least. This is a pretty long post but for those who want to read about my birth story please do, and I honestly hope it will help some people in recognising preeclampsia or HELLP syndrome as both can be hugely devastating if left unnoticed. (Also this is a very honest and contains a lot of stuff that might make you uncomfortable but it's my story and I believe it's important in blogging to tell it how it is and not sugar coat things)

Comfy in Strips with Dorothy Perkins

BabyMel Changing Bag Review

The world of baby business is seriously just that...a whole new world. Trying to prepare for a baby when you have literally no idea seems way too impossible sometimes. Now nearly at 29 weeks I'm getting the first time mum paranoia about getting hospital bags and baby bags packed just incase she decides to show up early. Easier said than done though I might add.

The never ending world of changing bags was definitely drowning, especially if you want a classic style. So many changing bags are over the top with patterns and lean towards women more than men, but I didn't want to force a pink patterned bag on my other half when he takes her for a walk (however hilarious it might have been). 

Coming across BabyMel changing bags was an absolute relief. Stylish, simple and chic bags that are perfectly unisex, loads of storage space and suit our grey iCandy pram perfectly, they ticked all the boxes. I know I am going to overpack everything until I know exactly what I need so a large changing bag with loads of pockets was a must and the gorgeous Ally bag in tan was the obvious choice. 

Features:

It's a brand new arrival to BabyMel for their A/W16 collection. The water resistant and easy clean bag comes with a padded changing mat, perfect for on the go changes or when you're out visiting family and friends. There is also a built in insulated bottle compartment on the side which keeps baby's bottle upright and warm or cool for up to 4 hours, I have a feeling this will be a god send in itself! A built in long shoulder strap that transforms to stroller straps so you don't have the fuss of wrapping them around the push chair handle and getting in a tangle. With all the pockets for easy organising this will be super handy when on the go and your little one is screaming for that toy that will be neatly tucked inside instead of having to stop and rummage through a, what seems to be, bottomless bag of never ending mess.

As a first time mummy I know this bag is already going to suit our needs perfectly and hopefully will help me to be more organised along the way and without being over priced the Ally changing bag comes in at a very reasonable £60.00! It's a must have from me for your everyday bag for baby.

Shop all BabyMel's new arrivals here!

Ridiculous Things I've Learnt In My First Half Of Pregnancy

As a first time mum to be, I had no clue what to expect from pregnancy. There has been so many things I've come across that I never even knew existed and finding other people who were going through the same shock as me was pretty reassuring to know I'm not the only one. So I thought I'd share a few things just incase one of you is sat there thinking the same thing.

Morning Sickness

Let's start with the obvious. "Morning sickness typically happens to you in your first trimester." NOT EVERY TIME! I basically breezed my first trimester without knowing I was pregnant. It was only because I was late I just checked because I got myself worked up...if i hadn't of checked I could have gone the whole 12 weeks without feeling any different. Then BOOM! Like a big fat slap in the face it hit me. I thought it was flu...wrong. Morning sickness came to bite my ass with vengeance and here I am at 22 weeks writing this with a bottle of water after being sick 3 times today. Also morning sickness isn't just being sick. If I stand up for too long I get dizzy and have to sit down. No matter where I am I must sit...yes this means in public places. At gatherings I have been in a full blown conversation and had to slowly squat to the floor and tell them to just carry on, I just need to be low to the ground. This makes you feel like a total freak. Yes it's also happened in H&M whilst trying to pay, mortifying to say the least.

Pains

This hadn't even entered my brain. You see people all the time getting more and more pregnant and you don't even think about it hurting; well it does. There's this ridiculous thing called Round Ligament Pain, which in my case felt like if I sneezed my belly was going to rip open at any second. Usually this happens when you move suddenly or bend down etc because your body and joints and more relaxed to accommodate baby. But with me I only got it when I sneezed. One sneeze and I'd be rolling around on the bed like I'd been shot. The crazy thing is this amount of pain is totally normal. Then the stretching pains and aches begin. Recently I've felt like my belly is so heavy to what I'm used to I will just fall forward like a backward beetle stuck on it's back. Yes I'm well aware I'm only half way through and by the end I may well exist just face down with my bump in the air because I'm not allowed to lie on my front! 

Food Aversions 

We mostly hear about hilarious cravings people have like dipping mars bars into mushroom soup or something similarly gross, we won't really hear too much about people going off food they once loved more than their unborn child. For me...no meat and pretty much all hot food until about 2/3 weeks ago. If it was cold great, if it was cooked, stay away from me or I'll vomit everywhere. Even words of said meats were enough to make me gag. My other half very much enjoyed reminding me of this greasy pork filled pita called a Gyros he was obsessed with in Greece back in June...even this one word would be enough to make me heave. This is still something that is very prominent. I don't like meat that much at all and have only just been able to stomach chicken in small pieces. I did however become obsessed with dairy products. Ice cream (I'm on tub 7), cheddar cheese, cheese strings, milkshakes, yoghurts (I was getting through a pack of 6 muller corners in 2 days, this was me fighting to not eat them all in one sitting...I then literally had to battle with myself to have 1 a day. Which leads me onto my next topic...

Random Emotional Overloads

Sticking to the topic of yoghurts and foods you MUST have or your world will end around you. I had just opened my last muller corner, the banana and chocolate cornflake one...saved it till last because it was my fave. I put it on the side to shut the fridge, turned back around and literally watched my hand forget how to hand and it just pushed it off the side onto the floor. WTF hand?! This ended me. I was in floods of tears and just sat on the floor next to my beloved yoghurt and wept for its passing. What made it worse was the ever so helpful labrador came in and hoovered it...I had to fight his banana smelling face so he wouldn't eat the chocolate pieces. I'd say this is my biggest breakdown so far, thankfully. And I have yet to experience one in public. A smaller burst of emotions was opening baby clothes I ordered online. When they arrived I was not prepared for just how teeny there are and this made me cry. Yes, I cried because baby clothes are tiny and too cute for my body to handle.

Baby Brain

Ok, so we knew this was a thing right? When our friends or family members have been preggers and they come out with hilariously stupid comments that make little to no sense at all. (MY sister once stated leprechauns lived in my mothers downstairs toilet). But I didn't realise just how much it happens. For example - I lost my own lunch in the house. Yes that is how special this topic is. I had made a nice cheese sandwich. I had put it down to make myself a drink. I then took my drink upstairs. An hour later I realised I had forgotten my lunch downstairs so I went hunting for said lunch...couldn't find it ANYWHERE! Got the hump with myself for being so bloody stupid and went back upstairs. Another 30 minutes later I went into the garage to grab a yoghurt...there on the side was my cheese sandwich. I had taken it and given it to the garage. Why? I have no idea! I don't even remember doing it! I'm sure baby brain is only going to get worse through this pregnant but seriously, it makes you feel so totally stupid.

You Pee A LOT

So me being my naive self this made total sense to wee more towards the end as baby is pushing on your bladder or occasionally using it as a play thing while inside you. But seriously from about 15 weeks if I laughed too hard, it was close I'll tell you that much. Even trying to sit up in bed the wee pang would hit. Not to mention when you have to go, you REALLY have to go. No saying "it's ok I can hold it"...no you can't!!! There have been multiple times I've have been in the car and hit a bump and felt like my water broke...thankfully they haven't. No I was not prepared for this, but at least I'm not some of the poor ladies who have spoken about literally wetting themselves in public at only 18 weeks gone. I am now doing daily pelvic floor exercises to prevent such horrific occurrences in public.

Lack of Excitement

This one is not so ridiculous, and after reading up a lot about it recently it made me feel whole lot better. If you read my Pregnancy Story you will know this was not a planned pregnancy and in the beginning it was seriously hard for me to accept. Once I had accepted it, I then felt really disappointed in myself that I couldn't feel excitement. I am very much a "it's happened now make the most of it" person so I found how I was feeling very confusing. I was being congratulated by those we chose to tell first, some of them were so happy it made me jealous that I wasn't as happy as them. I felt pretty detached from the pregnancy for a while. Even at our 12 week scan I was aware I was seeing a baby but in my head it wasn't mine. It wasn't my baby wriggling around and waving at us. It was amazing and I couldn't stop smiling but I just felt like it wasn't real. In order to make myself more excited and attached to my bump I fully immersed myself in baby things. I bought little bits I read up everything there was to know but this didn't help all that much. It was only really when we had our gender scan with no doctors, a happy atmosphere, totally relaxed, in a place I feel most at home did it really hit me. When we found out she was a little girl, that was when pregnancy hit me. You don't really hear much about people not being excited in pregnancy as there are so many parties, baby showers, smiling selfies, gushing status' that I felt really alone on this topic. But it's totally normal. Some people just aren't as excited during pregnancy, but it doesn't mean you'll love your little peanut any less when they arrive. So if you feel like this, give yourself a break and don't beat yourself up about it. Or if you're really worried chatting to your midwife can really help.

All these things however are just temporary and all part of the experience. I know that no matter how many times I'm sick, nearly wee myself, forget things, cry or throw a tantrum, in the end I get to hold my beautiful baby girl and know it was all totally worth it. Doesn't stop me wishing it would hurry up a bit though.

My Pregnancy Story

As you've probably noticed and some of you have even very thoughtfully directly contacted me to see how I am, I have been very absent from my blog for the last couple of months. Life has been beyond crazy and it's given me a surprise that totally stopped me in my tracks. 

Blessings come when you least expect them and this little bundle is exactly that...which is due in February 2017 by the way! That's right I'm currently making a little mini me and I'm 18 weeks so very nearly half way through already! Ahhh! 

What's made the whole thing crazier is that I had no idea. Obviously we flew out to Rhodes for my birthday...the whole time unknowingly carrying extra luggage. Even when we came back it took another 4 weeks till we found it, purely because I thought I had caught a bug in Rhodes and it was belated symptoms making me so ill. But no it was the little bambino deciding I needed to know about him/her and wanted to tell me by making me super ill for a good 2 months.

So when you hear about people not knowing they are pregnant...it can actually happen. I didn't know till I was about 11 weeks. Basically smashed the first trimester without knowing...now I'm making up for it with constant sickness, headaches and heartburn.

I can honestly tell you that this is completely the opposite direction of where I thought I'd be this year, but this is another level of exciting. I know some of you will be sat reading this and judging me ("OMG I can't believe she's pregnant WTH") but this journey has not been an easy one and you really can't judge unless you have been in this situation. In the beginning I was terrified, "how am I pregnant?" "This can't be happening to me!" "I wanted to have my own house and be married and settled when I have babies"...but sometimes life knows you better than you know yourself. Life gives you what you can handle...and I am a strong person so I know I can do this. If life believes I can do it, then so do I. Just have to have faith in these things.

Another crazy factor to this story is how I actually got pregnant....no no don't worry I'm doing going to into the details of "that" but I'm talking about how it was possible. I have been on the pill for years and it's been pretty reliable...until now. Until I made the mistake of wanting to drop a few pounds before holidays...yes this is all thanks to a very very well known Teatox. That's right ladies...if you don't want a surprise baba then don't buy them. Not saying I regret it as I've made this adorable little munchkin that's kicking away inside as I'm typing but it was not at all planned thats for sure. As the teatox flushes you out it flushes out your pill at the same time...it seems obvious now but at the same when you've been on it for years you just think you've taken it so you're safe. WRONG! Let's just leave that warning there shall we. 

But anyway onto the more exciting bits. On a very rare afternoon of feeling 20% ok and after applying a LOT of make up so I don't look like a zombie, I met up with my dear friend and photographer, Emma Griffin so she could take some photos for our baby announcement and just some nice ones we can keep forever. Literally a day before this I had no bump...then boom, the baby knew it was being photographed and wanted to be seen...like mother like baby ;)

Hopefully I'll keep feeling better and better and can start blogging properly again, now with a little bit of a mix between fashion and baby things but cheers to the next chapter of FiveFootFour...(+1) xxx

Off The Shoulder In Lindos

I have so many amazing adventures to share with you from the beautiful Island of Rhodes. Everyone seems to going to Greece this year and I totally understand why, blue skies, blue sea, incredible sunshine and some of the most beautiful little towns I've ever seen.

Lindos near the bottom of Rhodes Island, despite the 45 minute drive I loved it so much I went there 4 times. Just couldn't get enough of the white maze that was the town centre, the bellowing pink bushes that draped over balconies and the gorgeous beach. 

As walking up the towns steep alleys it gets so warm adventuring so I prepared with this super cute Adriana playsuit from Misspap. Being so warm all the time and in the sun wearing something heavy wasn't an option. This playsuit however is super light and floaty allowing the breeze in and the off the shoulder design is fantastic for keeping cool. Not to mention it's so comfy. Driving for nearly an hour in this made the holiday feel like a total movie moment. Windy in your hair, cute floaty outfit, sunglasses on and music up. The lace detailed around the sleeves and the top add a lovely boho feel to it which I love...hopefully the UK will get some sun soon so I can actually wear this again.

I paired this playsuit with a wonderfully fitting clutch from Meyno. A gorgeous brand with a goal of creating fashion inspired by the African Soul. They have so many bright colours, and patterns they were totally unique with their designs. I chose the eye popping Magatte Clutch which fitted perfectly into her Greek surrounding with her pattern and colours. I used this clutch so much in Rhodes for nights out, meals and just walking around towns. A pop of colour is exactly what this outfit needed. 

Accompanied by my Primark Gladiator sandals which were so comfy...this genuinely surprised me. I thought they'd rub or hurt after hours of wondering around but they were comfortable and looked amazing. Seriously love these shoes and they will be out all summer long no matter what. And for only £14 who can argue with that! Bargain! 

Be Present

Lately I've been realising just how easy it is to lose yourself amongst the hustle and bustle of life. How easy it is to let your mind drift off the calm and collected path you've taken so long to build. I feel a bit like i've drifted off this path lately with everything that's been going on in my life.

Moving across the country to Hertfordshire, getting a new job, leaving the place I will always call home, my sanctuary by the sea as it were. I know it's important to embrace change no matter how scary, but I don't think I've let myself process it in fear I'll get too scared by it all. 

It made me think about what I used to get so much out of...writing to help others. I'm well aware that sometimes we need a helping hand to get us through or someone to talk to but not all of us have that trusted person in our life we can go to, to help us out. We worry about being judged, about giving too much away, about our closest friends looking at us differently if we fully unload our darkest thoughts and problems onto them. So we often bottle it up, hold it inside and think we can deal with it on or own. It's not always the best way of dealing with our problems. So I'm writing this post for you. For those of you that need that friendly ear, a friend to unload onto, for those who need a new outlook on life or something to inspire them to remember the good things in everyday. 

Life can get overwhelming a lot of the time. But when you feel like you're sinking and getting swallowed up by life and you can't keep afloat, try and remind yourself to be present; this helps me on a daily basis. 

Remember where you are, hear what's around you, be grateful for who you have in your life right now, smile about what's going right...there is ALWAYS something you can smile about. 

If yesterday's worries start to seep back into your mind, take a breath, imagine you're breathing out your worries and breathing in positive thoughts. Think of something that makes you happy, think of what you can do today that will be good for you, something that will make you smile. Think of something that will contribute towards today being a good day. It could be as simple as getting your lunch from your favourite place. Remember YOU are in charge of your happiness, you make your attitude towards your day. 

Yes some days will be harder than others, but the process is the same. Breath, let it go and let the positive thoughts flow. 

{Outfit details:}

Skirt - TopShop

Top - Asos

Sandals - Primark

Hat: Missguided

FatFace - Summer Must Haves

Here are my summer must haves from the new FatFace Summer Shop that are now available. These pieces have been massive Go-To items for my travels in Greece and I'm sure you will be able to see why. 

The ultimate holiday cover up has now been made and found. I love lace and crochet details and this Harlyn Crochet Cover Up is perfect with it's detailed sleeves and middle panel. Still letting that warm breeze cool you down but thin enough to over heat you. I found this so great for evenings on the beach and once I thought my shoulders were burnt enough for the day ;) The detail in this cover is just beautiful, the side panels have different texture to the middle and the thin cotton sleeves keep it comfy and able to flutter in the breeze. 

Of course this cover up has to be paired with the perfect bikini...introducing the Rib Strip Sport Top and Pants...these were my comfort swimwear all holiday. Super comfy and with the 3D ribbing on the bikini it was a bit different to standard prints. These complemented the cover up so well and they were ridiculously supportive when swimming underwater and snorkelling all day long.

Greece is full of the famous white buildings, blue skies and blue waters which makes this place just heavenly. The new Kirsty Strip Dress reflects Greece perfectly for me and was so gorgeous next to the flowing the pink flowers down the building sides. A classic summer dress that will be worn when I'm home on loads of summer occasions. Such a sweet length too and perfect for exploring the little streets in Lindos. 

No summer holiday is complete without comfy bright flip flops. In summer I personally hate wearing shoes and I live in flip flops so for me finding ones that don't rub in between the toes and don't make the bottoms of your feet ache is super hard. But from day one these Pease Printed Flip Flops were complete comfort. No rubbing, seriously spongy so no achy feet and I love the boho pattern. These are a big must have from me for your summer wardrobe and your travels.

Look out for more blog posts from my travels with my FatFace must haves coming soon on how I styled them and where they went with me!