My February wish list!

It is so true that when you don’t have the money to spend, you want everything in the shops! And when you go to the shops with specific plans to buy something you need you can never find it! With this in mind, and my statutory maternity pay finished my wish list is of course, huge!! Luckily for me Valentine’s day is just around the corner, so hopefully Mr J might just tick a couple of these off!

• I have been coveting the Mama Mio skin post pregnancy range over the last couple of months, as I have been a huge fan of their products throughout my pregnancy and beyond. There’s just so much I want to try! Next up I really want the “Get Waisted” and “Boob Tube” which always have rave reviews throughout the blogging community. I have finally started feeling like I’ve got my pre-preg body back, but could definitely do with the skin on my tummy feeling tighter. Have a look here for their amazing products; http://www.mioskincare.co.uk/mama-mio.html

• With such dreary weather outside, I am yearning for the bright and fresh spring sorbet prints. Not quite warm enough for skirts and feeling a little more confident about my shape, I’ve been looking at some big print trousers to brighten up my look.

• I am a huge SATC fan; Carrie’s adventures just never get old! Team that with my shoe obsession you can imagine how upsetting I found it when I saw how uninspiring SJP’s very own shoe range is! With lots of events on at the moment I want to add to my shoe collection and have found some absolute bargains at Matalan of all places! A friend Instagrammed these shoes and I just love them! I also had to buy these Topshop beauties in the sale last month as a parting gift to my shopping addiction.

• I have the Clinique Chubby Stick in Plushest Plunch, but it’s just a bit too bright for me for every day wear so I really want to get a more natural shade of this super moisturising lip balm, something like Mighty Mimosa. It’s £17 and perfect for just whipping out of my bag and applying quickly and keeps my lips really soft in this horrible cold weather.

• Speaking of keeping my skin soft in this weather, I find my hands get so dry and cracked, especially when pushing the pram around all the time. So my final item for Feb’s wish list is the ultra moisturising, rich, Shea Butter Hand Cream.

Although not strictly for me, I absolutely love these Cath Kidston children’s food trays so wanted to include them on this post. I most definitely want to get one for little Henry for all his different finger foods – although currently I know it would immediately be thrown overboard with his flapping little arms, so perhaps he can enjoy it from afar for the moment!

What items are you longing for this month?

Woohoo! January is done for another year!

I for one am so glad that January is over and done with. It’s like month full of Mondays and it just keeps going and going and going…For me it was a dreary, post-Christmas slump of a month and I couldn’t wait for it to be over and to move on to Feb, a month closer to spring!

It was my first month without my measly statutory maternity pay (It’s not much, but you miss it when it’s gone!) I think it rained & stormed pretty much the whole month, I had to start thinking about work and nurseries and dreaded Aunt Flo came to visit me for the first time in 18 months!!! (TMI?!)

But we all made it through, and I celebrated at the end of it with one of my oldest, bestest friends 30th Birthday. (and reminded myself just why I do not do shots any more – ouch!!)

February is already off to a great start with our little boy finally finding his way to put one hand in front of the other and crawling!! It is true what they say…now the fun really starts!! Trying to get ready with a very inquisitive little boy who finds mummy’s make up and hair styling wires far more interesting than the smorgasbord of bright coloured toys I lay out in front of him is proving to be very tricky indeed! He seems to have developed so much over the past week or so, making lots of conversation with new sounds and syllables, pulling himself up in his cot, spinning around happily in circles on his bottom and of course, crawling.

This month I want to take Henry to a lot more group activities as he is now mobile and less likely to be squished by bigger babies. My NCT friends and I went out to the under 18 month session at Active Tots in Stratfield Saye last week  (http://www.activetots.org) and loved how clean it was and Henry got so much more enjoyment out of it than I thought he would. He loved freely sliding down the soft slides and playing with the babies in the ball pit. This week I want to take him to Bouncing Tots which is in Basepoint, off of Wade Road (http://www.bouncingtots.co.uk) . We’re also going to be independently taking him swimming again more, after having had to cancel his swimming lessons due to them falling bang in the middle of his morning nap time. As hard as it is with this weather it’s so nice to get him out every day to one thing or another.

I love sites such as http://northhantsmum.wordpress.com and www.mumsintheknow.co.uk/basingstoke for finding out all the fun things to do with little ones week by week. I also vow to go to more Sure Start stay and plays which are government funded as I hardly ever go to them and Henry loves to play with the other babies and get filthy at the messy plays! 

I’d love to know what things you’re going to be doing with your baby this month and what ideas you have to keep them entertained!

Baby Henry’s Room!

For months I have been meaning to blog about little Henry’s nursery! I wanted to show how we decorated it and what ideas included. It is definitely a work in progress as I am always finding new ideas and styles I like and want to incorporate, but anyhow…here it is!

Whilst I was pregnant I decided that I didn’t want a cream/beige nursery which seems to be the inevitable option when you don’t know the sex of your unborn child. So, after thinking about it I realised that because little one wasn’t actually going to be in their own room for a good few months anyway I could actually wait until we knew the sex and then decorate it…However, I actually think that it’s pretty unisex after all!! But I am still really pleased I waited.

I absolutely love green, it features in quite a few of our rooms at home, so I decided to instruct Mr J to paint the walls this colour as a base so we could mix it up with pink & peach florals for a little girl or boyish blues for a little boy. We went for white furniture and a dark laminate to contrast with the furniture. After shopping around for AGES I realised I wanted to get normal sized furniture rather than the children’s furniture as I found they came up really small. Because we have a built in wardrobe in the room all we actually needed for clothes storage was a chest of drawers which I bought from Homebase and matched the colour to the rest of the furniture. It had really old fashioned handles so I bought some crystal ones from Ebay and gave it a more modern feel.

We decided to go with a free-standing change table instead of an over the cot one, and I am really pleased we did as it provides heaps of storage, we got ours from Mamas & Papas. I found these green and white baskets in Tiger which allowed me to organise everything into easy to grab, mid nappy change, sections! It is a life saver for bad backs as you can stand up rather than having to bend over to change the many nappies Henry goes through! A friend of mine bought us the changing mat, also from Mamas & Papas.

I fell in love with this “Mia” sleigh cot bed from Mamas & Papas, but completely underestimated how huge it was! I think I could quite comfortably sleep in it! It meant we needed to change the layout from what we had planned but now I love it being tucked away in the corner of his room to leave plenty of room for him to play in the rest of the nursery.

Daddy mid-build.

I knew I wanted to use wall stickers to bring some animation and excitement to the walls for little Henry, and this means we can change them when he grows out of them without having to re do the whole room if we don’t feel it necessary. I really love the look these bring to his sleeping area, I figured who couldn’t fall asleep amongst the clouds?! – Turns out Henry! But that’s for another blog!

I remember the Owl and the Pussycat from my childhood and I wanted to include this traditional feature in Henry’s room. I managed to find this brilliant wall sticker from notonthehighstreet.com and it is by the Brighton based Koko Kids – which I looooove!!!! It’s a fabric sticker which was so easy to apply and Henry gets so excited when we look at the whales and talk about the rain falling and waves splashing. Take a look at all the other beautiful things they do! http://kokokids.com

After our 7 months of no sleep we decided on trying a black out blind to help Henry along with his naps during the day, and having already got a blind and curtains I found the Gro Company did a “Gro Anywhere” blind, which we suckered onto the window which is so effective at blocking out all of the daylight. It is absolutely huge and of course, mobile so perfect if you need to take it on holiday or away for the weekend.

Personally I knew I didn’t want all matchy matchy in terms of the accessories and so I searched loads of different websites for unique things to include in the nursery. I came across this great company who make these prints and they were kind enough to make me one up to document Henry’s birth details. You can decide on your own colours and themes and they are sent on high quality paper and I bought a chunky white frame from Ikea for it. You can get your own – for any occasion from http://www.elliebeanprints.co.uk

My friend Lucy also had this lovely, 3D birth picture made for us which ties in with the bunting and owls we have in his room.

This is a horrendous photo but it kind of lets you see most of the room altogether!

Some homemade bits…

        

Bunting!!

        

The next thing I want to make are 3D hot air balloons similar to these stickers to hang at the end of the cot amongst the clouds!

 

Well, there we have it! I love his room and love adding to it when I find new things and there’s lots more I can’t wait to get. I am making the most of actually being able to choose what he has before he wants the whole thing football themed!!! What did you go for in your little one’s room?

Autumn in upon us; the search for the new season’s coat.

Like most of the nation, I was shocked last week when all of a sudden I woke up to single figure temperatures, it was only the beginning of the month that I was still in a maxi skirt down in Cornwall! So, swiftly I am in need of a new warm coat. There are so many great options out there and because a coat is something you can wear more than once a week it means it’s worth a splurge! I thought I would share 5 great options which I’ve found if you too are looking to make your coat purchase of the new season.

1. Animal print is the trend which thankfully will not leave the catwalk & shops year after year and this short length coat is a nice subtle option if you’re not confident in wearing a full on bold patterned leopard print.

Zara leopard printed double breasted coat, £79.99

2. The Parker is a staple a/w wardrobe feature, and this one is a smarter version which I really love.

ASOS Formal Parka With Fur Trim Hood, £90

3. The Trench is a lightweight, waterproof coat and looks great with both smart and more casual looks. This one is half price, so a great bargain!

La Redoute Mid-Length Belted Trench, £49.50

4. Unfortunately, for my personal preference, tartan is back on the runway and therefore in the shops. Dreaded memories of dodgy fashion choices from the first year of senior school come flooding back. How am I old enough to see a trend do a full circle?! So, if you’re looking to relish in the trend of the season this cape coat is a bold option which would look great with a pair of cropped trousers or coated jeans.

Zara Checked Studio Cape, £159

5. Last year was all about the faux fur coat, this year there’s still a lot of textured, luxurious materials in our shops, coupled with the cocooning boyfriend cut, this is a super on trend look which is also warm and comfy!!!

Topshop Slouchy Mohair Boyfriend Coat, £89

My quick fix beauty products.

Well, firstly apologies for my absence!! Henry and I have been busy busy!! Life has whizzed by over the past couple of months; he’s now 4 months old and I am loving spending such quality time watching him grow. So much so I’ve not had time to blog! This inspired me to write a post on my quick fix beauty products because I’ve had to really reduce my “me time” during the days as he’s always keeping me on my toes! For any new Mums out there I’m sure you know the feeling, so hopefully you might find some of these useful for your own morning routine when you’re pushed for time.

Bronzer;

It goes without saying we all feel better with a touch of colour to our skin and normally we can’t rely on the good old British weather; although I have to say we’ve been treated so well this year. That said I am more than aware that my ageing skin (Big 3-0 in November!!) needs all the favours it can get, so I always keep my face out of the sun nowadays to prevent ageing and sun damage. I’ve never been one for fake tan as I always end up looking like a patchy extra for Willy Wonker and the Chocolate Factory so I always make sure I wear a quality bronzer to ensure my skin looks glowing even on the tiredest of days! I’m a big fan of Estee Lauder products and I love their new Bronzed Goddess range – personally I think the name needs a bit of work, but the products are fab! I’m currently using the Bronzed Goddess Soft Shimmer Bronzer which comes with a wide brush for the perfect application. At £28 it’s at the higher end of the budget but it lasts ages and the finish is just beautiful.

Dry Shampoo;

Gone are the days where I can leisurely spend an hour getting ready for the day. Nowadays it’s more like 10 minutes on and off in between feeding, changing and dressing little man and running out the door before he’s sick or explodes the other end and then needs feeding all over again! Sometimes I’m lucky enough to wash my hair, but for the days where I don’t quite get the time I love the Baptiste range of dry shampoo. I have gone back to blonde now after a huge fail trying to go dark while I was pregnant (darn hormones!!) but I still use the dark tinted one which doesn’t come out quite so white on my hair. It also is great for giving texture and aiding up dos.

BB Cream;

I have always felt that I have terrible skin, and always feel really conscious about it! But when I am having a day at home with Henry I can use my BB Cream and feel much more confident about my skin – even just to answer the door to the postie! I didn’t think I would ever feel happy with only a tinted moisturiser but the Garnier BB cream has great coverage and evens out skin tone as well as covering up imperfections. It’s a really well priced multi-tasker at around £9 and it’s the best I’ve found for this low price range.

Mascara;

It’s the age old quick fix if you only have a couple of seconds for your appearance and it’s true a lick of mascara really makes the difference, especially to my near on albino lashes. I love Diorshow Black Out, which has an amazing application and great lasting power; although it might be a bit too dramatic for some. For a more natural daytime look I really like the Elizabeth Arden Double Density mascara which has a much thicker brush.

(Try and keep an emergency back up in the car for when you forget to apply before you dash out of the house!)

Bright nail polish;

I find a bright polish makes me feel glam on days when I don’t even have time to brush my hair – you know the sort! You just have to find 10 minutes of uninterrupted time to paint them for the week! I love the staying power of the O.P.I polishes and have been loving Big Red Apple over the hot summer days we’ve had. (This was applied rushed 4 days ago and is still going!)

Miracle 10 “It’s a 10!” leave in conditioner;

This stuff is amazing! Spray over towel dried hair and it combs through even the most knotted of hair. It is a 10 in 1 product including protection, gloss, frizz control and, colour enhance. It’s so good for all aspects of hair care. I give my hair a quick spritz and brush through before rough drying to keep my hair in really good condition regardless of how little time I have.

What beauty products do you use to make you feel “yourself” on days where you don’t have the time to fuss? I would love to hear about them!

I’ve been nominated for a Liebster Award!

I’ve been nominated for a Liebster Award!.

I’ve been nominated for a Liebster Award!

I am so happy to announce that I have been nominated for a Liebster Award!!! I have been blogging since March and really enjoy writing about all the adventures Henry and I are having, and my time during my pregnancy so as you can imagine I am over the moon to have been recognised for something which I love doing!!

The Liebster Award is an award given to up and coming bloggers with less than 200 followers (on Google/Blogger/BlogLovin etc), to help boost their popularity and reputation and I have been nominated by the lovely mummy blogger Liz of Everything Is Rosy.

There are a few rules to ensure it’s new blogs which are nominated, they are as follows:

• Link back to the blog which nominated you
• Answer 11 questions from the person who nominated you
• Divulge 11 random facts about yourself
• Nominate 5 – 11 other new blogs (with less than 200 followers) and come up with 11 questions for them to answer!

My questions from Everything Is Rosy

1. When did you start blogging? March 2013.
2. What made you decide to start blogging? I’ve always loved writing but never had an outlet, I was learning so much whilst pregnant I wanted to share what I was going through with other people; I discovered blogging was the perfect way to do both and it’s just grown from there (as did my waistline!) I was actually too nervous to start my blog at first and it took me 7 months to work up the courage to get it out there in case people thought I was rubbish!
3. If you could have one special power, what would it be? I think about this a lot! I think it would have to be the power to have every super power out there!

1. Would you rather have a giraffe’s neck or tiger paws (and why?) Hmm, I’d have to say giraffe’s neck; because I am always losing Stuart when we’re out and about so I’d be able to look over everyone to find him!
2. Who is (or has been) your embarrassing celeb crush? We’ve all had them, see my facts above for mine..!? Ronan Keating! I loved him when I was younger and really thought we would one day marry!!
3. What did you want to be when you grew up? A mermaid!
4. What is your most embarrassing habit? Falling asleep at parties…I once fell asleep on a speaker in a club!

1. Which do you fancy right now, sweet or savoury? Sweet, at all times of the day.
2. What is your favourite ever thing to do? “Live Laugh Love ” (cringe)
3. What is your biggest fear? Losing loved ones. And SWEETCORN of course…
4. Who or what inspires you? It’s got to be my beautiful Mummy.

The 11 random facts about me;

I once spent New Years Eve on Richard Branson’s yacht.

I wish I could speak Spanish fluently.

I have been travelling around the world twice – and would love to do it all again!

I once said out loud at work, “do we sell wireless cables?!” (Still haunts me now!)

I always seem to see famous people when I am out.

I have a fear of sweetcorn!

I’m slightly obsessed with Sex And The City. (Much to Stuart’s annoyance!)

I have the most insane intense dreams all the time. (NB, never tell people about your dreams, it’s incredibly boring for them! haha)

Espresso Martini’s are my drink of choice on a girlie night out.

I only watched Dirty Dancing for the first time a couple of years ago! – It’s amazing!!

I want to live in America.

And now for my nominations!! This was hard as there are just so many great blogs out there but here we go;

http://lullabiesandlouboutins.blogspot.co.uk

http://scarlettandme.wordpress.com

http://lucieandthebump.blogspot.co.uk

http://littlemisssdc.wordpress.com

http://mrshelicopter.blogspot.co.uk

http://northhantsmum.wordpress.com

http://whatelsawears.com

http://crowtherclan.com

http://modernmummy.co.uk

And here are my questions to my yummy mummy bloggers;

1. Where in the world is your favourite holiday destination?

2. What was your favourite subject at school?

3. What would be the first thing you did if you won the Lottery?

4. Who would you want to be marooned on a desert island with?

5. What would be your ideal date night?

6. Full English or Continental?

7. What talent do you wish you had?

8. Which are your favourite pair of shoes?

9. What’s your best memory?

10. Summer or Winter?

11. Who do you think is the most famous person in the world?

Thank you again Liz, can’t wait to hear back from my lovely bloggers.

Lots of love,

Lara xx

The Push Present.

If you asked my husband he would probably tell you that a push present was just another idea that I have made up; like when I told him 2 days before our wedding that we obviously gave each other a wedding present…Something he had never heard of (?!) However, the idea of getting your loved one a present for that 9 (and a half) months of carrying and nourishing your darling child, caring for it from the outside, to the days (week) of pain getting the poor cherub out of you at the end of it, not only seems justifiably present worthy but it has actually long been a tradition to mark the occasion of the first-born child with an eternity ring. The push present being the modern-day version, and who am I to turn my back on years of tradition?!

Here’s a few Push Present ideas for you, or for any adoring fathers-to-be out there who are wanting to mark this celebration for their partner with a gift;

Posh purse;

Now, you’ll need to come to terms with the fact that you will not be using your favourite handbag for a while…You will have so much baby paraphernalia to contend with that an extra bag for all of your stuff will pretty much be out of the question! All that comes with me now is my purse and phone, the rest is all Lord Henry’s. So a purse could make a very good push present as it’ll be your main piece of your old identity you get to take everywhere; Mulberry do a stunning range from around £125 for a small zip purse to the more iconic option at £275 and above. They also have a fab sale on at the moment for some great bargains!!

Eternity necklace;

There are some lovely options out there if you like jewellery, and a necklace can make a different choice to the traditional ring. This one from Links is £150 and I think symbolises the eternal love for your family with its never-ending circle. Or this beautiful infinity style in yellow gold from Etsy; a steal at just £20!

                                                                        

Tiffany bracelet;

I always always get complimented on my Return To Tiffany tag bracelet which Stuart bought for me one Birthday, and they do several different styles in it depending on your preference; Mine is the small bead plain heart tag, there’s larger bead options, rose gold heart tag, circle tags, I love you tags, there is a pretty one with the pink heart tag and thicker beads, or the Tiffany Blue heart tag perhaps if you have a boy. All start from around £125 from tiffany.co.uk

Ring;

After deliberating over what gift I wanted to celebrate the birth of my Son I eventually decided on this beautiful 3 band diamond ring from Goldsmiths. I like the symbolism of the 3 bands representing the 3 of us and loved how the delicate ring sparkled. Our wedding bands were also from Goldsmiths so I also liked that connection. Lots more options are available on their website.

http://www.goldsmiths.co.uk/Brilliant-cut-0.34-total-carat-weight-diamond-cross-over-ring-set-in-9-carat-white-gold/p/06070584/

Welcome to Motherhood – newborn essentials!

Henry is now 5 weeks old and as everyone says, we can’t believe where the time has gone! We’ve had a fantastic month getting to know our beautiful Son who has grown and changed so much already! He has been a hungry boy and the weeks have been dominated by feeding and little sleep!

Myself & Henry, aged 2 weeks.

If you are approaching parenthood, then I am sure you have lists and ideas coming out of your ears of what you will need to get for your baby’s arrival, so I thought I would share with you a few of the things which have got us through the blur of the last 5 weeks and the items we use all the time.

A compact changing bag;

We don’t leave the house without it!! I wanted something which was unisex for both Stuart and I to take out separately and to suit the sex of our yet unknown baby. After lots of deliberations we eventually settled with this Cath Kidston polka dot bag.

It is not too big and yet holds everything I need, including the endless amount of muslins I collect along the way! It has 3 internal pockets for spare clothes & bibs an additional bag for the changing essentials and an easy to grab change mat on the outside.

Lansinoh Nipple cream;

Breast feeding was a learning curve for both myself and Henry and he didn’t latch on for the first couple of days making it very painful and sore while we were trying. As time went on he suddenly turned into an expert and was constantly feeding – also sore for me! I was delighted he was feeding ok and was happy to latch him on every hour to begin with and he soon regained the pound that he lost early on. I was so pleased to have been given Lansinoh Lanolin cream by a friend at my baby shower, it was a complete lifesaver and it got me through the pain! I still use it now as Henry has a habit of yanking my nipple around in all directions sometimes and it’s always good to have in the cupboard for his growth spurts and those hourly feeds!

Baby wipes;

I discovered Derma H2O wipes through a sample and I haven’t turned back! They are almost 100% water so they are so gentle for Henry’s newborn skin, which is 5 times thinner than my own. Henry has very active bowels (probably due to his insatiable appetite!) and we’ve found he has had nappy rash a few times and the wipes really help clean him during changes without putting any chemicals on his sensitive botty! If you, like me, want to use something as gentle as cotton wool and water but want the convenience of a wipe, then have a look at their website for info on their great products www.waterwipes.com

Gro Bags;

Recommended by so many friends these little sleeping bags help us through night times, available in many different togs they are perfect all year round. The site has a useful chart to help you decide how many other layers to put your little one in. We also love the Gro Egg room thermometer to get us through the paranoid early days of whether the room was too hot, too cold etc! It’s simple but cleverly designed nightlight changes colour to let you know how the temperature is as well as a digital display.

It’s worth a mention that there are some great swaddle blanket brands out there which can really help settle babies as it keeps them nicely wrapped up and feeling secure.

Selection of vests, baby grows and muslins;

I will write more on clothing as we go along as I have discovered some fab brands already, but for now I will say we have a big selection of soft cotton clothing, sometimes 3-4 outfits a day depending on how many explosions (either end!) we have!! Don’t stock up too much because your little one will be out of it before you know it – cliche but true! Next, Mothercare and many others all have built in scratch mittens with their baby grows which are really handy for those nails which do so much damage with the uncontrolled arms flapping all over the place! Muslins have found their way into every corner of most rooms in the house – and for good reason!! They are perfect for any sicky spills, or dribbles, laying down on the changing mat to stop the cold shock of being laid down on it. How ever many you think you need, double it! (We had around 30 on the last count!)

Nappies;

By far the best brand we have come across – and this is echoed by so many of my friends, are Asda Little Angels. It’s very rare we get leaks with these ones unlike some other very well known brands, due to their design, shape and material, and they are a third of the cost! Definitely stock up on these, I am sure you won’t be disappointed!

Olive Oil;

Multi purpose for newborn skin. Try and stay away from lotions and potions in the first few weeks (we still haven’t used them) because no matter how “gentle” they are, they will still contain ingredients which are harsh on your newborn’s skin. Olive oil can be applied to the dry scaly skin your newborn may have (after being in that water balloon for 9 months coming out is a bit of a shock for his skin), massaged on after bath time, and applied to his scalp to help with cradle cap – the sebum glands begin to work from around week 2 and they can get blocked, so adding oil to them really helps clear them.

Moses basket;

We have a lovely rocking one from Mothercare which shockingly he already looks like he is getting too big for!

Bare in mind this list is for a newborn, it won’t take long before other things will over take and dominate our must have lists so keep an eye out for the next instalment!

Bath time for our little boy, 2 weeks old.

Maternity photography.

As the time went on, I realised more & more that I wanted to capture my pregnancy on film before the baby arrived. Despite feeling pretty fat and unattractive I knew if I didn’t then I would regret it. A close friend of mine has a fab hair and make up business and also offers wedding and maternity photography and I knew she was the only person I wanted to (quite literally) bare all to! She made me feel at ease with the camera and knew exactly what shots to take to show off my bump and not my insecurities, giving me prints which I could look back on and cherish.

       

I decided to have my shoot at 8 months, so my bump was big enough, but I wasn’t feeling too ginormous and suffering from water retention – even if I felt like I had a few too many chins!! So make sure you choose the right time to suit you. Confidence is key for a happy shoot, so you don’t want to be worried about stretch marks or water retention; your photographer should make you feel at ease and work around your insecurities rather than highlighting them.

Lighting in photography really makes the image, and it’s especially true for pregnancy photography. A good photographer will use the light to reflect the emotion and theme of the shot you require. A soft natural light will create a flattering image and if you want to show off your bump in underwear for example, using a sheer, voile type material to cover you will create a soft cover for any insecurities whilst showing your bump off.

            

Before your shoot have a think about any props you might like to give your photographer to incorporate – do you know the name/sex of your baby? Can you create a sign to include this? Or post IT notes with all your name choices? Maybe a balloon with the sex or name written on it, or a chalk board with the due date? Have you already bought your baby’s first toy which you could incorporate? Or some tiny baby shoes? Would your partner like to be involved? Do you have other children who you could include? Maternity shots with siblings make for wonderful pics.

                 

Have you got a favourite outfit – if any of your clothes still fit! Depending on what you have pre-organised take a selection of options with you to change into on the day. There are so many options, so if you want to have creative input then have a think about them before hand and share with your photographer at your consultation.

                                 

It’s really important to mention that even if you categorically think a maternity shoot isn’t for you, in 10 years time when you look back you may really wish you had put your insecurities aside and have captured your blossoming self – even if you don’t show any one I bet you will pleased you did it and your photographer will bring out the best in you, even if you feel tired, fat, nauseous or terrible so you are sure to be pleasantly surprised at how good you look! When your children are all grown up they will love to see you carrying them all those years ago too!

                            

If you want to capture your pregnancy similarly to this then contact Emma either on her website, http://www.emmatrotman.co.uk or on her Facebook – Emma Trotman Photography. She is based in Hampshire and will discuss your options and give you a consultation to make sure you are given a package to suit you, to make sure you get the best images for what you are looking for while making you feel at ease and happy on the day. Let her know that you found her details via my blog.