I’M PREGNANT!!!

I simply cannot believe I'm typing this, but yes we are having a baby!
Let me just get this out of my system for a second… EEE EEE EEE EEE EEE EEE EEE EEE EEE!!!!

I’m actually over half way now at 21 weeks pregnant and we’re both beyond excited for this beautiful journey that we are about to embark on.
It's been such a crazy 5 months and I'm really excited to be in a place where I’m ready to talk about it with you all, it's actually quite a daunting thing to share something so special and so precious with such a huge number of people but I have to say the biggest of thank you’s for all your well wishes. I’ve never felt so much love in my life, your comments and messages, well wishes, your lovely questions and your stories have been so incredible to read and I’m so excited to be sharing this magical part of our life with you. AND I’m so so thrilled to hear how many of you are expecting too, this is SO exciting and it’s really so gorgeous to be on this journey with you together.

So George and I are expecting a little girl and we could not be happier, it's something we've always, always wanted and we're so excited to be starting our very own little family.

So far, this pregnancy can only be described as dreamy! I haven't had any sickness at all and aside from being super tired, particularly during the first trimester and having had a couple of pesky migraines, it’s been rather symptom free so far which I know makes me extremely lucky. Sending so much love to all the mamas to be out there.

I did a little Q&A over on my Instagram stories yesterday but thought I’d discuss in a little more here on my blog too 🙂

First up, feelings & symptoms;
So as you can probably tell I am SO very happy.
I’m in such a great place feeling excited and positive and planning for the future. Since finding out about our little baby I feel like I’ve been happier than ever.
We found out really early on and it was such a strange time as we were still in lockdown, there was a lot of negativity online and I was being trolled quite badly. So I took a month off from the online world in order to look after myself and my very, very, very tiny baby. A lot of you noticed this absence and I’m glad to finally be able to tell you why and where I went.

I had to escape the negativity of the online world because I was SO stressed and SO depressed from what I was seeing and reading. There were lies and just really cruel things being said about myself and my loved ones and of course lots of general terrible world news that was causing stress that is not good for me or for my baby. But after that month or so I began to feel more like myself and now, 5 months later I am in the best most positive place ever, sharing this beautiful news and journey for me and for those who have followed me with such love and support, a big thank you to YOU!

How I’ve hidden bump and kept it a secret;
I only really started showing properly in the last 4 weeks. My small bump sort of came overnight at 16 weeks but became really noticeable around 18 weeks.
It’s only been in the last couple of weeks where I’ve struggled to dress myself in a way that didn’t scream “she’s pregnant” clever styling such as layering, oversized knitwear and of course strategic posing has helped me to keep things quiet until the 20 week scan which was my aim as I hoped to learn as much as there was to learn about our baby before sharing with everyone.

What I’ve been craving and how my taste has changed;
The first trimester brought a lot of junk food cravings, which is absolutely typical when you’re supposed to be nourishing your body, so admittedly I ate a lot of Walkers salt & vinegar crisps which was my absolute vice throughout the early months.
I also craved McDonalds a lot and I have the most gorgeous of memories of George and I having our “covid safe” dates in the carpark of McDonalds once a week during those early months.

Since then I’ve had some nicer cravings such as crunchy vine tomatoes, they have to be super cold and super crunchy though, I’ve been known to eat an entire pack in one sitting… Crunchy and cold apples and salads in general have been my go-to lunches of late which is SO unlike me, as a certified carb queen!

In between the salads and the McDonald’s, I’ve been having a homemade juice/smoothie every day which has been really great for me knowing that I’m getting my fruit and veg fix in one hit. As soon as I found out I was pregnant I bought a Nutri Bullet and it’s been such an essential and well used piece of kitchen equipment throughout.

As far as my tastebuds changing I cannot stand the sight, taste or thought of pizza. Something I LOVED pre pregnancy.

How it's been styling myself whilst pregnant;
It’s been easy so far to dress myself as I’ve only just started showing. Oversized jumpers, waistcoats, layering and jeans have been my go-to but now I only have one pair of jeans that still fit… A very sad state of affairs indeed so I’m on the look out for all the elasticated waistlines…

I’ve been saving lots of photos on Instagram of some of my favourite pregnant content creators and also those who have since had their little ones so I’ll be sharing those snaps with you very soon.
I don’t imagine I’ll be wearing much “maternity wear” as sadly there’s not a lot out there that is quite right for me, however I’ll be sharing how to dress and shop from your own wardrobe and from the mainline collections of our favourite stores throughout the pregnancy.

How I’m feeling about being pregnant during a pandemic;
It’s been a strange one in parts but also quite nice in others.
The nicer part was during my first trimester I was able to have afternoon naps because work was relatively quiet for me, and the rest was certainly needed! It’s also made it easier to keep it quieter for longer since Ive had no real need to leave the house.
It’s been strange in parts as I’ve not been able to have my mum round half as much as I’d have liked to and it’s been trickier to see family and friends to tell them the news face-to-face.

The worst part of this was the fact that George wasn’t able to come into the scans with me. It was scary for me at the time but mainly I’m just sad for him and how he wasn’t able to experience this the way others have. We’re booked in for a private scan next month though which we’re SO insanely excited for.

I’ve had some anxiety about the actual birth and wondering what the guidelines will be in February next year but having shared this worry with you yesterday on Instagram I’ve received some incredible messages with beautiful birth stories from the super mums who gave birth during the nationwide lockdown. Thank you all so much for sharing these gorgeous stories with me and for putting my mind at ease, you’ll never know how appreciated that is.

Was this something we had planned? How did you find out? And what about our wedding?
I find the first question a little bit invasive I must admit but surprisingly it was a question that came up a lot… Oh the internet.
Our little one was planned, we always knew we wanted to start a family in 2021 and since we couldn’t get married when we wanted to we thought why the heck not. Covid wasn’t about to go ruining any more of our plans!
We found out really early on in the pregnancy as my period hadn’t arrived and those super clever pregnancy tests that tell you how many weeks told us we were at 2-3 weeks. We were together when we found out and told our immediate families a week later. Our best pals and the rest of our family found out shortly after and I can’t tell you how magic it was to tell my Nanna!
And as for our wedding, it will be similar to what we had originally planned just with an additional babe there with us.

What have I bought so far and have we decorated the nursery yet?
We’ve bought some super cute outfits and both grandparents have been going wild on cuddly toys and clothes which is so beautiful to see. Bigger purchases such as furniture and prams etc we’re going to hold off on for a while but the research has begun! Similarly with decorating her bedroom, I've been pinning away on Pinterest and moodboarding with samples and references but we won’t actually crack on until just before our due date, which is annoying as I’m in major nesting mode right now!

So I think that’s everything for now 🙂 Thanks for all the love and support and I’m SO excited for this next chapter.

Lots of love

x M