Pregnancy Update | The Second Trimester

The second trimester. I can't belieive we have arrived here already - it really does feel like only yesterday I was sitting down bleary eyed and in the throws of morning sickness to write my first trimester update - but here we are a whole 16 weeks later and already into the third trimester! For those of you unfamiliar the second trimester of pregnancy runs from the 13th week of pregnancy until the 28th week of pregnancy.

What can I really say about the second trimester? We've hit a tonne of new milestones, from finding out our baby's gender to seeing her in many and varying scans both NHS and private, kitting out her bedroom and wardrobe with some new furniture and amazing clothes (courtesy of the Next sale which has Changed. My. Life!), attending new pregnancy fitness classes (which I may write a separate post on entirely) and finally feeling her kick, move and roll for the first time, it has been a whirlwind, exciting few months I'll say that!

Symptom wise my morning sickness has totally subsided though a few food aversions have snuck up on me such as my favourite curry from our local takeaway, ASDA's own oven pizzas and toast (which I put down to the morning sickness from the first trimester!) Stretch marks have also began to make their unfortunate and unwelcome appearance but so too has the appearance of my long awaited bump, which is now filling out all of my lovely new maternity clothes quite nicely. I need to pee pretty much all of the time, and when I'm not peeing I'm eating, and when I'm not eating I'm downing a family sized carton of orange juice which I think may actually be a pregnancy craving and of course the cycle begins all over again. Top tip for fellow pregnant ladies out there, when you need to sneeze, learn to clench and sneeze - bladder control during pregnancy is no joke! So far I haven't had any aches, pains or hospital related emergencies (touch wood) and I can safely say the second trimester has been plain sailing thus far.

There have been a few positives these last few months which I'm secretly hoping aren't entirely down to pregnancy hormones but I suppose only time will tell. My hair, nails and skin have never been better - in fact I treated myself to a gel manicure a few weeks back and the extensions grew off within a week (that's how fast they grow!) and I've thankfully got my energy back so I have been able to walk around a lot more during my lunch breaks at work and do more around the house which has been a blessing. 

A few fun facts about baby this trimester, she now has a regular heartbeat as well as the ability to yawn and hiccup in there, she also has her own set of fingerprints, is growing her hair, lashes and eyebrows and can even now taste foods that I eat via her amniotic fluid (how cool is that - plenty of fine foods and ice cream for me I think!)

So far so good - now we've got another 12 or so weeks until my due date and hopefully not too long after (or soon before!) to meet this little person and get acquainted with the individual assaulting me from the inside out! This has and I think will continue to be my favourite trimester particularly as during these last 12 or so weeks the bump is due to get quite heavy, I'm expecting cankles, swelling and general exhaustion as well as boredom in anticipation of her arrival (it's gonna be a long 12 weeks!)

Thank you for taking the time to read my pregnancy update - I'm glad I decided to document my pregnancy in this way as I think it will be fun to look back on in the future, so really I'm being kind of selfish in that sense! As usual though I do love to hear from you so be sure to leave your (helpful) thoughts and comments below, come share them with me on Twitter, Instagram and if you'd like to see more of me, bump (and eventually baby) be sure to follow me on Bloglovin.

Until next time,

H.Elizabeth x

Pregnancy | Things that I have not enjoyed about being pregnant

While yes - this post may seem a little contradictory from my 'things I have enjoyed about pregnancy' where I preached about how pregnancy doesn't have to be 'that bad' it's not all doom and gloom and f course don't get me wrong I do still feel this way. That being said it ain't all sunshine and rainbows either - pregnancy can have it's tough moments - not necessarily in terms of symptoms and ailments but even psychologically, mentally an shockingly socially (you mean people DON'T love hanging out with the preggo who can't drink?! Shocking!)

Rude comments from everybody!
These unfortunately are not few and far between. In fact as soon as you mention the P word to pretty much anyone, suddenly EVERYONE has an opinion. Ranging from 'you should breastfeed' to 'are you sure there's a baby in there?' and my personal favourite 'you shouldn't be going back to work!' the world knows no bounds when it comes to weighing in on a pregnant persons choices. Feel free to have a read of my previous post 'S**t people say to pregnant women,' to continue the hilarity.

Feeling isolated from your friend group
It's difficult enough when your friends live in many and varying places in the UK but add pregnancy into the mix and it's a recipe for isolation. Being one of the first of my friend group to have a baby is very exciting and when we do get together for our chats it's lovely and supportive but it can feel like being stuck in limbo much of the time when you're the first and only pregnant friend - a bit like all of your friends going to the same school and you living outside of the catchment area and having to start a fresh.

The stretch marks

With my weight fluctuating throughout the years I'm no stranger to some stretch marks here and there, mainly confined to my thighs - but for me pregnancy has meant these unsightly purple looking tears are everywhere! I'm not one of the ladies who will be calling their stretch marks 'tiger stripes' because if it were a choice to have them there I certainly wouldn't. Of course I'm kitted out with all of the lotions, oils and bump butters you could imagine - do they work? I'm skeptical but only time I suppose will tell.

The wardrobe clear out

This certainly was a dark day in my house indeed, only worsened by the fact I found a pair of my favourite Topshop jeans, never before worn with the tags still on in a size 12. Regardless of pregnancy I was due a wardrobe clear out and tidy - but when you're packing away pairs of your favourite jeans, skirts that you'll miss and dresses you hadn't even had an opportunity to wear - I'm not going to lie it stings a bit. 

Feeling super unfit
Don't get me wrong before this pregnancy I was by no means at the peak of my physical fitness - but I'm not saying I miss high intensity spin classes by any means - what I really miss though is being able to go for a lunchtime walk and not have a stitch in my side, or being able to walk along the beach on a hot day and not have cankles weighing me down. I'm looking forward to getting back into doing a bit more exercise once the baby is born and get my body back to feeling more 'myself' again.

Sorry if this post seemed like a rant, but I'm generally quite a ranty person so what else did you really expect from me with a post of this title? Hopefully you have enjoyed having a bit more of an insight into my pregnancy in general - as I said previously I am aware many people have gone through far worse during their pregnancy and being pregnant in itself is a blessing this is just my experience because really who elses experience would I be writing about?!

Until next time,

H.Elizabeth x

Pregnancy | Things I have enjoyed about being pregnant

Pregnancy is not all doom and gloom - to be quite honest I feel as though I may have got off pretty lightly when it comes to symptoms. There have so far been no major aches, pains, trips to the hospital and no odd cravings at 2am which has really been a blessing, though my affinity for ice cream recently could be put down to pregnancy, or the nicer weather, who knows?

Today in light of my relatively good fortune I wanted to share some of the little things I have  really enjoyed about being pregnant because some of these things I don't feel are spoken about enough. When we were trying for a baby I read a tonne of pregnancy blogs and watched hundreds of You Tube videos revolving around the pregnancy experience, signs and symptoms and essentially what I could be in for and I'll be honest, most of those posts were damn scary! But it doesn't have to be, at least it doesn't have to be all of the time, so here are my top 5 things I have so far enjoyed about being pregnant.

That glow though 

I never in a million years expected that the 'pregnancy glow' would be real. I had images of nine months of having, dull, dry skin and feeling quite miserable with my appearance simply because of morning sickness (which I had convinced myself I'd have forever - I didn't by the way!) After my first trimester I had a surge in hormones that helped clear up my skin and give me a nice, healthy glow which I have never had before. My skin has quite literally never been better, it feels more plump, hydrated and glowy - long may it continue!

Hair envy
Not only has my skin taken a turn for the better but my hair has too. Gone are the days of rubbing oils, lotions and potions on to my scalp to encourage hair growth, I can't seem to get it to stop! While Nick now says living with me is much akin to living with a werewolf I'm just so happy that it's growing that I don't mind a bit of shedding...or, more accurately plunging the shower drain on a weekly basis - grim, but worth it.

Comfy clothes all day everydayMaternity clothes really aren't that bad. With stores like Topshop, New Look, ASOS and Boohoo killing it with their range of flattering maternity clothes I haven't found getting clothes I like to be a struggle and seriously though - where have maternity jeans been all of my life?! I don't think I'll ever give up my comfy stretchy paneled clothes now - pregnancy or no pregnancy it's comfy clothes all the way.

Kicks and fluttersThough I didn't start feeling my baby until much later than others due to my anterior placenta cushioning her every move, when I did it was pretty special. It's an odd and surreal feeling of course considering the only movement I'd been used to in there previously would be a dodgy burger, but it's nice to know she's in there communicating thorough her movements to let me know she's doing just fine.

Closer as a couple
Most women say they feel quite isolated from their partners during pregnancy, I understand why, it is of course the woman who goes through the carrying of the baby, the lifestyle changes and of course the physical changes and it can be tough. But I feel as though since being pregnant Nick and I are closer than ever, from spending time talking about important future decisions to the more fun aspects like baby clothes and nursery shopping I feel as though we're more in sync than ever as a result.

So you see ladies and gents? It's not all doom and gloom. Of course I'm not by any means saying pregnancy is a breeze and it can definitely be difficult at times (when you have to say goodbye to your fave outfit for example!) but it doesn't have to be scary.

Thank you so much for having a read of yet another pregnancy post I'll be back with my second trimester update pretty soon and I may share some of the things I haven't enjoyed quite so much about pregnancy if you're interested in reading that too. Until then though you can catch me on the usual channels, Twitter, Instagram and Bloglovin.

Until next time,

H.Elizabeth x

First time parents | Things we are not looking forward to about parenthood

A few days ago you may have seen I shared a post written by myself and my husband, Nick, on becoming parents for the first time and the things we are most looking forward to as we embark on the adventure of a lifetime. Today we've decided to share a few things we are not looking forward to quite as much about becoming parents, because let's face it much of parenthood looks terrifying (again all I really need to do is watch Supernanny and I can feel my uterus tensing up!)

Poo explosions and sleepless nights;

Sick, snot, pee, poo explosions, it seems the parenthood package comes alongside all manner of bodily fluids that you really don't think you're going to have to clean up on another person - but as soon as those little lines appear on a pregnancy test it seems these sort of future encounters are just waiting in the shadows ready for you. Of course sleepless nights are already pretty much a reality of being pregnant, particularly when baby decides that nighttime for you is morning for them and decides to have what feels like a rave in your uterus!

The teenage years;

As a once great band said, 'teenagers scare the living..' well you guys know the rest. Now I'm older (and of course wiser) I can personally admit that I was not the easiest teenager and I can't for the life of me work out just why I was so stressed and angry.... because I face WAY more stress on a daily basis today than I ever did during my teen years. Of course the teen years are a long, long way off but I already feel sad at the thought of our little girl distancing herself from us because of such a silly thing like teen angst!

Dealing with bullies;

Bullies, of course there isn't very much you can do now we live in the wonderful world that is of course dominated by social media where you can't say boo without someone accusing you of something scandalous - and I feel often for girls in particular bullying can psychologically be much worse than what boys generally face. To us of course, she is already perfect and we can't imagine anyone wishing to cause her any physical or emotional pain and if this does come whether that be at nursery, at school, secondary, college, university or even later in the workplace I just don't know how I'll cope short of going all Kill Bill on their asses!

Parenting, it ain't no picnic, not all of the time anyway. If you want to read my previous post on what we're looking forward to about becoming parents you can find that here. We'd be interested to know from parents, parents to be or even grandparents and siblings even, what are the pitfalls of parenting in your opinions? Be sure to leave your comments, thoughts and musings below, come share them with me on Twitter, Instagram and you can keep up with the blog on Bloglovin.

Until next time,

H.Adams & N.Adams x

First time parents | Things we are looking forward to about parenthood

Parenting, while yes it may be one of the toughest jobs in the world and I won't deny, it certainly looks it, (I've seen more than enough episodes of Supernanny in my time that really I'm shocked I haven't burst a blood vessel, broke a few TVs or at the very least taken a vow of abstinence!) there are a few things myself and Nick are really looking forward to when it comes to becoming parents, and today I thought I would share just some of those things;

Seeing her face for the first time;

Despite only being just over halfway through this pregnancy it already feels like a lifetime when thinking about the end goal. And of course while it of course doesn't matter we're interested to see just whose features she has inherited, eyes, nose, mouth etc - we already know from early scans she has her dad's feet, but everything else is such a mystery and we just can't wait to see this new little person!

Watching her personality develop;

Will she love movies as much as we do? Will she inherit her dad's enjoyment of gaming? Will she be a writer? We simply don't know! But that's all part of the excitement we're feeling for this new personality that already has changed our lives so much and will continue shape our world for years to come. All we can hope is that she'll inherit her dads sense of humour and maybe miss out some of mums sass!

Teaching her the basics;

Walking, talking, learning how to ride a bike, swimming, helping with homework (as long as it ain't maths or science for me!) and coaching her through life - parenthood sure sounds like an adventure and it's an adventure we can't wait to begin!

Of course we understand parenthood will undoubtedly come with it's downsides and don't you think I've forgotten about that (I mean poo explosions come on my house is all white and grey I don't want to have to poo proof!) So coming soon will be another post on the things we're not looking forward to quite as much - but for now let's just bask in the sunshine that is the bright side of parenthood. 

If you're a new mum or dad do feel free to share your favourite bits of parenting in the comments below, or if you're a preggosaurus, like me, what are you most looking forward to about having your baby? I'd love to hear from you all regardless, catch me here, on Twitter, Instagram and Bloglovin.

Until next time,

H.Adams & N.Adams

Pregnany Update | The First Trimester

I'm going to write this while the hell that is the first trimester is still very fresh in my mind. As you can tell this has so far been my least favourite trimester - and I'll be honest in comparison to some of the stories mine doesn't even seem that bad but hey, this is my experience of those first few blessed weeks of pregnancy.

For those of you who don't know the first trimester generally begins from week 1 of pregnancy and lasts until week 12 so approximately the first 3 months of your pregnancy and is generally considered to be your pregnancy 'danger zone' and funnily enough is also considered to be the most difficult of your entire pregnancy (other than the obvious pushing the baby out!) which, even though as I write this I'm only 19 weeks along myself, I wholeheartedly agree with thus far.

My first trimester symptoms

Following the initial first 5 weeks or so pretty much symptom free it was around week 6 and 7 where things really started to ramp up for me - marked first by me eating an amazing Aberdeen roll, slathered with butter and my fave jam I proceeded to projectile vomit in my kitchen  (sorry guys but pregnancy ain't pretty!) The thing about 'morning sickness' is that it'll pretty much just suddenly hit you without warning or very much of that 'sickly feeling' you normally get (usually accompanied by a hangover or otherwise food poisoning) I must say I didn't have morning sickness all through the first trimester I was only really quite sick about 5 or 6 times and this wasn't even my worst symptom.

My worst symptom came in the form of something SUPER unexpected and something I personally had never heard of as being a symptom of specifically pregnancy before experiencing them myself and those are headaches. Headaches so bad I found it really difficult to function and at times I thought I was maybe being sick as a result of just how painful they were getting as opposed to morning sickness. Working solely with screens at work of course didn't help and most days I just felt as if I wanted to crawl into a pit. I'd come home, grab something quick to eat and go to bed - water and lying in a dark room seemed to be the only things that helped me. Since my midwife had warned me off of having any pills or pain relief I unfortunately just had to suck it up - and the fact I was cutting down on the amount of caffeine I have on a daily basis the effects were not pretty.

Overall, headaches aside I guess compared to some I have been pretty lucky during the first trimester, other than one other tiny scare during my 5th/6th week (which I may do another dedicated post for since the midwives I dealt with during that time were so great at their jobs and just so lovely)  I've escaped with pretty minor symptoms REALLY, though at the time in the throws of sickness, headaches and fatigue it certainly didn't feel like it. 

Hopefully this has given some of you who are still in the throws of morning sickness, fatigue and all of those lovely symptoms that come alongside the 'joys' of pregnancy a little bit of hope -my specific first trimester symptoms went away around the 13th week, so I promise it does get better and far more bearable!

As always I'd love to hear from you all, pregnant, not pregnant, mums, dads, brothers, sisters anyone at all be sure to leave your comments re pregnancy, coping and first trimester woes in the comments below I'd love to hear all of your experiences (and I'm sure my husband would too since he had to cope with my whinging!) Otherwise you can catch me on Twitter, Instagram and more from the blog on Bloglovin.

Until next time folks,

H.Elizabeth

We've got some news... | Granite City Baby

Speculations of my untimely demise have undoubtedly crossed the minds of a few, rumors circulating I'd run off and joined the circus had perhaps even done the rounds. Or maybe some of you guessed right and I've just been taking some time off to celebrate and plan for some very big changes coming to the Adams house this year...

Guys...this time...it isn't just a food baby!

Yes, I'm pregnant, I've quite recently crossed over into my second trimester, which means our baby will be due to arrive on (well around) the 25th of July 2017 (fashionably late like their Mum I'm sure or you know...just busy sleeping like their Dad)

We are of course elated, feeling so full of love and understandably also pretty terrified but mostly just very excited to be extending our family.

If you guys are at all interested in reading pregnancy updates, hearing about my first trimester symptoms (sickness and headaches if you need the jist), baby hauls (because the clothes - oh my god I'm excited) or just about my general experiences as I enter this new phase of life be sure to leave a comment below, come chat to me on Twitter and of course you can see regular updates on Instagram and Bloglovin.

Until next time folks, 

H.Elizabeth (and the bump)