Littlemummy.Com

Wow, a fertility wristwatch…I wonder if it works?

Following on from last week; One other little tit bit on clothing. Go into eBay and type in ‘Bizzi Belt’…. an ingenious little solution for later on in your pregnancy.

Baby Name Selector

Alexandra (girl)

Aaron (boy)

Angus (boy)

Bede (boy)

Crisiant (girl)

I was really disappointed with the lack of decent maternity clothes (unless you spend a fortune) on the high street when I was pregnant.

So here’s my best of the worst run-down.

Dorothy Perkins – Good for jeans and casual tops, reasonably priced too.

Topshop – Small range, but they do have some ‘night-out’ outfits, but personally I thought they were a bit plain and everything was black.

Next – Has a good-sized range, similar in style to the rest of their ‘non-maternity’ clothes.

H & M – Wide variety of hit or miss pieces…….however I found one huge hit which proved to be invaluable……….denim dungarees £29.99, you may laugh now, but wait until your 8 and a half months pregnant and nothing fits (except your husbands clothes….if your lucky!).

New Look – Launched a range in April 2006. The range will have a variety of pieces priced from £5 - £28.

As far as I found the following shops had no range at all tut tut.

Gap, Bay Trading, River Island……..shame on you all!!

(However don’t overlook them completely as there were a lot of non-maternity styles that were versatile enough to wear….my favourites were gypsy skirts in just a size larger and stretchy tops)

Baby Name Selector

Caelia (girl)

Egan (boy)

Isaac (boy)

Reyna (girl)

Umar (girl)

You may be wondering about stretch marks? Accept that depending on your genes (and apparently whether your Mum had them or not) you may or may not get them regardless of how many creams you use (I used Palmer’s cocoa butter formula by the way). If anyone knows any differently please please let me know and we can help the rest of the female population with this horrible horrible disease!

Baby Name Selector

Akili (girl)

Diana (girl)

Grear (girl)

Kahil (boy)

Oliver (boy)

Fruit & Veg: Switch to organic fruit & veg, up your intake to 8 portions a day.

Swap White Bread for Wholemeal: 80% of Zinc is taken out of white bread to make it last longer.

Caffeine: Cut down. Caffeine is linked to low fertility.

B6: balances hormones, it can be found in bananas, lentils, and sunflower seeds.

Zinc: ensures good quality sperm, the following foods are great sources of zinc; cashew nuts, oysters, crabmeat and pumpkin seeds.

Vitamin C: increases sperm count. The best sources of vitamin C are kiwi, strawberries, oranges and tomatoes.

So you have your baby bible and know exactly what the script is….but what about your partner?

We all know that when it comes to this stuff most men don’t have a clue, most will try their best, but ultimately fail miserably to understand your cravings for coal or worse still those red bricks they build with (ask me about that story sometime!) your highs and lows or why you feel so tired even though you haven’t done anything.

Don’t Panic

I have the answer. I worked for me, it can work for you too!

It’s very simple.

You have your bible, he needs his.

My suggestion is not only very infornative but absolutely hysterical. I know because I read it – for research purposes only of course!

The Blokes Guide to Pregnancy by Jon Smith

Buy it now, you won’t regret it. Alex says “It was absolutely hysteical, it helped a lot. It’s like the author has been your mate for years”.

Baby Name Selector

Aditi (girl)

Indian name meaning ‘abundant creative power’

Andrew (boy)

Name of the patron saint of Scotland

Davina (girl)

From the Hebrew (beloved)

Garvey (boy)

Gaelic for ‘peace through victory’

Kiara (girl)

So you’ve bought the magazines but you really need something more official, something that will tell you all the technical bits. I bought only one baby ‘bible’ it was so good it was all I needed. I knew exactly what the doctors and midwives were talking about from the medical jargon, and even recognised the symptoms of pre-eclampsia. It was a constant source of information and reassurance just when I needed it.

“What’s it called?” I hear you shout

What to Expect When You’re Expecting
by Heidi E. Murkoff, Arlene Eisenburg & Sandee E. Hathaway

I bought mine from WHSmith for £12.99 but you can buy second-hand copies on eBay for about £5, alternatively try amazon. Either way it’s worth every penny and you can re-sell it afterwards.

Baby Name Selector

Briallen (girl)
A Welsh name meaning ‘Primrose’.

Hadrian (boy)

Jesse (boy)
From the Hebrew, ‘gift’.

Monica (girl)

Shannah (girl)

To tell or not to tell? The big dilemna.

Do you tell people the happy news straight away or not?

Well, some say yes, some say no. I told those who loved me straight away and those who didn’t after the landmark twelve week point. Reason being, I figured that if they loved me (family and close friends) then they would only feel as upset and disappointed as I would have if anything went wrong, also I would have my support network ready to help.

People to tell after 12 weeks; work colleagues and boss (probably the other way around!), friends (not close), extended family (Aunty Ann in Australia!), women from your yoga group, postman, bank manager, the guy you sit next to on the train to work, your dad’s golf mates, your grannie’s bingo ladies etc etc etc you get the idea….

Baby Name Selector

Laila (girl)
From the Persion for ‘night’ or dark-haired.

Also… Laili, Laleh

Noah (boy)
From the Hebrew for ‘rest’.

Samuel (boy)
From the Hebrew ‘heard by God’.

Zoe (girl)
From the Greek, ‘Life’.

Acacia (girl)
Greek origin. Symbol of immortality.

Also…Cacia, Casey

A question that you will get seriously sick of being asked when you are pregnant is ‘would you prefer a girl or boy?”

Well, if you do have a preference then here are some of the more humorous tips out there for influencing the gender of your baby.

For Boy

Get your partner to drink coffee before sex

Have sex at a quarter moon (eh?)

Have sex at night (that would be a good start)

For a Girl

Eat lots of chocolate (now your talking…no surprise that I had a girl then..)

Have sex in the afternoon

Have sex on a full moon

Have sex on even days of the month (?)

*Don’t forget that 105 boys are born to every 100 girls so you will need to work extra hard for a girl*

(one of the 1kg bars of galaxy should do it)

An interview with Melissa Moonie. She is 41 weeks pregnant….yes 41 weeks. Here’s what I asked her….

What did you do for the sickness you had in the beginning?

I ate small and often, stuff like nutrigrain bars and rich teas. I also drank cooled boiled water because iced water just made it worse.

What are your top pregnancy tips?

Assume you will go late and then you won’t be disappointed!

Spread buying stuff and getting organised for the baby over the whole 9 months and then you will have stuff to do at the end and you won’t get bored.

When you start getting tired at work, go for a walk, or go outside and get some fresh air.

What have been your most valued things during your pregnancy?

Black loose trousers that I bought from the Next Directory for £16, in fact I bought two pairs.

Palmers cocoa butter, I have used it since 4 months and don’t have any stretch marks (lucky you)

What was your favourite shop for maternity clothes?

New Look, I bought normal stuff just in a bigger size, and a few things from the maternity range, which is really reasonably priced.

What about for baby stuff?

I bought loads of sleepsuits and vests from Tesco because it was quite cheap but still good value. I bought my moses basket and sterilizer from Argos. I wouldn’t have thought of going there but it was really good.

What has been your lowest moment?

Having sickness in the beginning and going overdue.

What has been the highest point?

When I was between 6 and 8 months, I had lots of energy and felt really healthy.

What advice would you give to others about surving 40+ weeks?

Keep a sense of humour! Plan something for everyday even if it is trivial stuff like housework or taking the dog for a walk, it gives you a reason to get out of bed.

And finally what advice would you give to the partner, family and friends of someone who is overdue?

Be prepared for mood swings and irritability. Talk about something other than the baby, like yourself and what you have been up to.

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Related Link: Weeks Pregnant Get support and advice in your third trimester.