What’s in my Hospital Bag …

Hello All ,

So it’s been awhile guys since my last post … I really was hoping to have wrote a few more on this pregnancy but time has gone so fast …

So finished up work at 37 weeks as I was just not able for anymore due to pressure and fluid building up in ankles and hands … so I was advised by my doctor to rest up …

Durning this pregnancy my iron has been low but thankfully it’s up again thanks to Galfer tablets, also I’ve had weeks of low blood pressure but that now is gone to high this week but it’s been monitored by my GP !!

So I am now 38+ 3 days and ready to have this baby !! I have to admit it’s harder 2nd time round when you have a child already , even tough Finn is a good age and a good child but he still needs attention …

Hospital Bag….. What’s in it or what should be in it ??

So on my first (Finn) I had my bag packed at 32 weeks this time round I only put it together at 37 weeks and that’s only because I had a bleed and spent a night in hospital for observation but thankfully all was fine ! Once I got home I packed it properly & did the babies bag too …

So when I went in on Finn I had away to much .. I had 3 bags !! I’d bring less to Lanzarote 🙈

This time I was wiser on the packing …

So I have a bag for myself which contains the following :

• 2 Nightdress ( Dark Colour – which I picked up in Penny’s Maternity Section )
• 1 Night Gown ( Penny’s Maternity Section – Dark Colour)
• 1 Dark Pj Bottoms ( Penny’s Maternity)
• Black Tank Top as maternity hospitals are very warm
• 5 black knickers
• Dark Bra
• 2 packs of Boots Maternity Pads
• 1 box of Tesco Breast Pads
• A bottle of Spritz for Bits (this is a product for the “down below area” after baby it’s made by My Expert Midwife– it has got very good reviews so I’m going to try it this time round ! I used witch hazel last time on my pads which I found good but I was lucky I had no stitches on Finn !!
• Mini – shower gel , toothpaste, tooth brush , dry shampoo , face creams , hairbrush, hair bobbins , clips , deodorant…
• Black Towels & Face Cloth
• Slippers
• Flip Flops

Babies Bag :

• 6 vests
• 6 baby grows
• A pack of nappies ( size 1)
• 2 packs of wipes ( water wipes)
• Sudocream
• Cotton wool
• Soothers/ dummies
• Hats / Mitts
• Muslim clothes
• All in one suit to take baby home in

Labour Bag :

• Vest
• Babygrow
• Nappy
• Hat / Mitts
• Phone charger
• Magazines
• Water
• Mints or sucky sweets
• iPhone or camera / iPad

This is roughly what I have packed , that’s all going on a natural birth and home after 2 days , obviously if I ended up having a section I might need more clothes for baby to be brought in !!

One thing I found great on Finn was an empty water bottle ( I know your thinking empty water bottle ) but the first urine or two you do after birth can be uncomfortable and sting so what I did was fill the bottle with luke warm water and squeeze it down that area when going to the toilet to kill the sting and keep that area clean & it just dilutes the urine .. ( it worked great for me so I’ll be doing same this time round )

This guide came in the pack I got first day which is a good hospital list …

Hope this post helps first time moms !

Till next time ,

Love

Karen x

New Year & New Beginning s

Hi Lovelies,

First of all Happy New Year to all ..

Its been awhile since I’ve wrote a blog post due to work , helping with getting a family business up and running (The Sausage Experience) & I suppose the main thing been “growing” a baby !!

For those of you that might not know I am 25 + weeks pregnant on my 2nd child … we are absolutely thrilled & so is Finn (1st Born )

But this pregnancy has taken a lot out of me since the day I did the test , I suppose I was so lucky on Finn I had no pregnancy side effects but on this one I’ve had everything I think that you could have with pregnancy!!

Where do I start – 24hr nausea yes ladies 24hr , I thought it was called “morning sickness” for a reason but I had it day & night for the first 12 weeks , I don’t know was I lucky or unlucky not to get sick but feeling sick 24hrs a day …

The tiredness in the first trimester was just unbelievable omg I never witnessed anything like it , I was tired on first born but nothing like this tiredness this time round . I know on the 2nd pregnancy you can’t rest as much as you have a little child that needs your attention.

Skin Break Out – yes I got that too , which I didn’t get on 1st Born my skin was glowing ! ( they say break out is sign of a girl that she is taking your beauty .. we will have to wait till early May to see if this is true )

And to top it off my blood type is Rhesus negative – so for those of you that haven’t heard of Rhesus negative it’s the symbol after your blood type , so I am A – if you are R negative it’s one to watch when pregnant , if you have a bleed or your bump gets a knock e.g you fall , someone runs into your bump you have to have an injection within so many hours of the bump or bleed happening so blood won’t mix with babies blood as the baby could be a different blood type and also if you want to have more children that your body won’t reject them … sure enough Finn bumped straight into the bump at 14 weeks so I was off to the emergency rooms of CUMH for the injection but all was fine ….

That’s my first 6 months of pregnancy for you in a nut shell !!!

I’m in my 2nd trimester now and so far it’s going well , only that my iron levels are low so trying my best to get them up by eating loads of red meat & on iron tonic ( trying to avoid Iron injections) and time is flying by , I think been pregnant over 2 years breaks it and it goes faster …

More pregnancy posts to come on pregnancy fashion , my consultant, packing for hospital…

Till next Time ,

Karen x

An alternative wedding look

Hello Chicas , 

Hope your all well & enjoying the sunshine today … So it only took me a week to get around to writing this blog post ! I had so many comments & messages about this fabulous look I put together for my husbands cousins wedding last Thursday ….

Why trousers & top ??

 So firstly it was a family wedding of about 40 and the whole lot was on in Carrigaline Court Hotel  , I had in my head I wanted something different , I find when I buy a dress for a wedding I don’t get the wear out of it as they can cost a lot and it is just pushed to the back of the wardrobe …But I still wanted something dressy & classy  and that I would get wear out of again … So when I spotted the pink trousers in Vanilla Boutique a few weeks back I fell in love with them … And thought these will be perfect for the wedding  & I will get wear out of again themed with a different top for A/ W…They were classy looking …. Bright , wide leg , gold buttons … The top is also Vanilla Boutique , I was between a cream & baby pink but I’m glad I went with the baby pink ..

I wanted to add a little bit of an edge to the outfit as I wasn’t getting a head piece so I think these asymmetrical earrings from  Zara did right that !! 

 I absolutely loved the clutch bag which a friend gave me for the day .. She got it in a boutique in Lanzarote & the heels are from Primark…

Hair : Sandras Hair Studio , Mitchlestown (Karen )

Make Up :Helen K MUA

Tan : Bellamianta

The whole look was super comfortable and was just perfect for the day … I think this look is lovely as an alternative to a dress for a wedding or day at the races … 

Till the next time ,

Love

Karen xxx

My new reach to Tan …Rimmel Tanning Mouse

Hello Chicas ,

Hope all is well since my last blog post .. So I usually don’t blog about beauty products much unless I come across a good one !!

Recently I met a friend of my sister who is an air hostess and I noticed how fab her tan was … So I asked the following question” Is that natural ” and her reply was no that’s the  Rimmel tanning mouse and it’s on a week … Straight away I was like I need to get my hands on that 😉

I have such Irish skin … Pale and freckles, I never tan !! I think after a year in oz I had a golden look about me when I returned .. And that was after a year , but I don’t even try to get a tan on holidays now as all I get is more freckles & you know what I don’t mind !!

So for that reason I love a good tan that goes on easy & wears off naturally .. I got myself to my local chemist  Mc Grath’s Pharmacy Tallow as I knew they would have the Rimmel tan as they stock so many different tans !! Sure enough they had it …

So I went with the Medium shade , they had light & dark as well … I couldn’t wait to put it on that night , went on so smoothly and its tinted so you could see it going on , I applied it with my Bellinmanta tanning mitt… I only applied a light layer as I wasn’t sure for my first application .. Left it on over night and washed morning after , before I even washed it I knew it was going to be nice , so showered and applied moisturiser.. I was very impressed.

So the night after I applied another layer to my upper body & I applied a layer to my legs , my legs are always iffy when it comes to tan as they are so dry even though I moisturise them a lot .. The only tan I can usually use on my legs is the instant sun shimmer by Rimmel .. So when I washed off tan the morning after I was thrilled with how well my legs turned out … Really even  and just a nice glow without any dry patches and streaks … 

So the Rimmel Mouse Tan get 5 out of 5 for me , it retails at €9.99 so very affordable and so natural …it’s my go to tan this summer 

Picture is not great 😁 but that’s the tan on after two days … 

Till the next time ,

Karen 

Gym Life @Rejuvenate Health & Fitness

Hello All , 

Hope your enjoying the lovely weather … So this week I was back full belt to Rejuvenate Heath & Fitness , I had taken a full week off due to holidays and last week I only got one personal training in !!

So with two personal trainings a week I try to do legs one day and upper body the other … This week Peter trained me for both days ..

Last night I did legs , I won’t lie , I did find it though going , my legs were like jelly after it , it was full on for the 30mins , going from one station to the next … I used some machines and then did squat jumps & worked with weights but still incorporating the legs ….

Today I did upper body , as you know I suffer from shoulder problems due to me work , so I did find today I had to ask Peter to bring down the weights as my shoulder isint great at the moment … So I usually lift 5kg but today he tried 6kg with me but I wasn’t able and I don’t want to push it Incase I do more damage …

I got weighted in last night after 2.5 weeks , I was thinking the scales might not be good to me as I had holidays and I was a little off track since I got back … But I have been getting walks & runs in so I was thrilled when Barry said I was down 1.4lbs … It gave me a boost and I’m back on track now again to shed a few more pounds !!

I was also down in body fat & up in muscle so overall I was happy with that … So back on the water & fruit again this week 😉

Till the next time 

Karen 
*This is not a sponsored post *