If you’re a new mum or mum-to-be, you’ve probably signed up to Emma’s Diary and collected your free goody bags. You may also have heard of their Emma’s Diary photo sessions and Baby of the Month competition. When the opportunity arose to go to our nearest participating photographer and try it out, I couldn’t resist.
uk parent blogger
5 reasons you should have a 4D baby scan
When I was pregnant with Autumn, Dave and I were umming and ahing over whether or not to have a 4D scan. When my Mum said she’d found a voucher for Window to the Womb in Bexleyheath on Groupon and that she’d pay half of it, we decided to go for it. We booked it it when I was 32 weeks + 2 days pregnant and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
Here are five reasons why you should have one done:
The Baby Show, NEC Birmingham
If you’ve been following my social media, you’ll know that we spent a couple of days in Birmingham at the weekend. We went to This Morning Live at Birmingham NEC on Friday, with complimentary tickets we got from the press launch last month. However, we stayed another day as Aldi Mamia kindly invited us to attend The Baby Show. An event for expectant parents and new parents, there was an plethora of stands.
How to make a cast of your baby bump
When I was pregnant with Autumn, I saw lots of photos on the internet of women who had made plaster casts of their pregnant bellies. I thought it would be a lovely reminder of my bump and thought it would be amusing to wear in the future to see how big my bump was, (it was HUGE, I can barely believe it when I place it against myself now). Lots of women online also paint beautiful designs on theirs. Mine is still just plain at the moment, but I’d like to do something with it in the future.
Lots of places online sell kits for doing this and they often retail at around £15, but you can do it much more cheaply! All you need to do is buy some plaster of paris bandage rolls and some petroleum jelly. We managed to get these rolls from our local craft shop for a little over £1 each roll. I’m petite and two rolls just about made a cast of my bump, so for most women I’d probably recommend getting three rolls – you’ve still probably saved about £10!
Postpartum body – a husband’s perspective
After having a child, I think many women have body confidence issues. Even if you fit back into your pre-pregnancy jeans soon afterwards, it’s unlikely that you’re the same body shape. I’m not convinced anyone goes back to being just the way they were. That’s okay though, we’ve delivered our babies, which is a wonderful thing. However, when we look at extra pounds and stretchmarks in the mirror, it can still make you feel rather down! Often, though, the men in our lives don’t seem to mind too much. I asked my husband to write me a letter about my postpartum body and his thoughts about it. All being well, I can read this in the future if I’m ever looking at my reflection and tearing myself to shreds again!