I think I’ve been wearing glasses for the last ten years or so now. My eyes aren’t too bad and I need mine for distance however I usually need to use them if I’m working on the computer for a long time or watching television. I usually make sure my I order prescription sunglasses too but as I don’t drive I don’t really have a need for prescription sunglasses so it’s a bit unnecessarily. However, I do want to make sure my sunglasses are comfortable, stylish and protect my eyes from the harsh glare of the sun.
I am so happy to have recently received my brand new sunglasses from Perfectglasses.co.uk a site that makes getting prescription sunglasses and reading glasses simple. I’ve been looking for some new sunglasses for a while as the frames on mine have become quite loose which makes them really uncomfortable and slide off my face. Thankfully this has not happened with my new sunglasses which are actually a perfect fit. Looking for glasses online is pretty new for me as I usually get my sunglasses from my optician in town however there are times when you just want a quick fix. Perfect Glasses offer a huge amount of styles for prescription glasses and sunglasses with so many lovely frames to choose from. It was actually really challenging to find a pair that I wanted because there were so many I liked.
Ordering from perfect glasses was really simple. You can of course choose your desired frame and then add in your prescription for each lens. Usually when placing an order with glasses requiring a prescription the delivery can take a little longer than a regular pair of frames. I was told mine would take around 25 days to deliver however they did come a little before the deadline so I was thrilled. The sunglasses came with a lovely protective box and a good quality cleaning cloth to help keep the lenses clear.
I loved that there were a huge choice of designer glasses available to choose from too as I do usually go for a designer frame however when I found this gorgeous floral frame I was thrilled as they are exactly the sort of thing I would pick up in store. The frames are nice and thick and fit snugly around my face and tuck nicely behind my ears. The lenses are a lovely colour and do make it easier to see when outside in the sunshine. I find these have been particularly helpful on the few sunny afternoons we’ve had when walking up to get Evie from school. I have to walk up and down a few hills on the journey and I often find the sun in my eyes which is really annoying.
Overall I would recommend perfect glasses as an alternative as the process is really simple and the choice of frames available is really extensive.
Disclaimer: I received a pair of glasses and payment in exchange for this feature. All opinions remain my own.
Now I’ve finally announced our exciting news and that we are pregnant I wanted to give you a little run down on those first twelve weeks. I am 13 weeks pregnant today and that marks the end of the first trimester and whilst it’s been exciting it’s also been full of anxiety right up until I walked into the ultrasound room. Until I saw my baby and heard the sonographer say there was a heartbeat I was just really worried. It’s been a very long time since I was last pregnant and I really sort of forgot what that first trimester is really like! We actually found out on 17th January which is apparently the day that a lot of women find out they’re expecting. I’m sure you can guess why…and calculating from my last period I was around five weeks pregnant. I took a standard home pregnancy test and then called Adam in the middle of his Psychology class because I couldn’t wait until he got home at 1.30pm. We both were really excited and in turn told our mums.
How Have Things Been Going?
The first trimester is never the easiest. You can’t really feel any movement so other than a test and no period it’s not really been very obvious. I’m overweight too so there will be no bump to speak of because I already have a lot of fat around my stomach. Perhaps when we get to July or August I might actually look pregnant but I don’t think I really did when I had Evie and whilst I was a bit smaller than I am now, I still had a lot of tummy fat. Being pregnant with another child is harder but I’m really glad Evie is just that little bit older. Adam has also helped a lot with some of the school runs where I’ve just felt really exhausted. Having half term and the snow days helped a little too because it was a few more days I didn’t have to leave the house. We are all really excited and the family are too which is really nice. Adam only has his mum, nan and sister close by but they were so happy for us when we told them the news. I’m really glad to have my family much closer to me this time around too as I was 100 miles away from them when Evie was born.
Any Symptoms?
The first trimester is usually full of uncomfortable symtoms. Now this is what hasn’t really helped my anxiety very much because I’m one of those annoying women that don’t seem to get morning sickness. It hasn’t helped my anxiety because so many people say things like “Well at least with morning sickness I know the baby is there.” which has really been playing on my mind. However, not getting sick is completely fine with me as I suffer with emetophobia which is a really horrid anxiety around vomit. I am incredibly glad I don’t get morning sickness because just the feeling of feeling nauseous has been enough to set off my anxiety. I truly can not deal with sick at all. It causes horrible panic attacks for me. I know it seems really strange because no one likes being sick but it is so much worse when you have an actual fear of it. The nausea, thankfully, went around week seven and has stayed away since although there has still been some dry retching thanks to nasal congestion and how sensitive my sense of smell has become.
I’ve also had a few of migraines and a lot of headaches which is not uncommon for me. I did think at first it might be caffeine withdrawal as I was drinking a lot of diet coke alongside tea and coffee. It’s really horrible when you’re so restricted to just paracetamol and I’m really trying not to take it for every headache but it can be quite tough. Other than that I have again been really tired. I’ve had a few afternoon naps and have been often drifting off to sleep around 8pm most nights. This is starting to fade a little because I am waking up at really silly times in the morning and that isn’t helping the problem so I’m trying to keep busier in the evenings now I have a bit more energy back. Thankfully there has been no constipation this time around but I have felt really bloated and had some indigestion. This has been in the last few weeks more than throughout the entire first trimester but it’s very uncomfortable. I’ve been trying to drink 3 litres of water a day and have added in some herbal peppermint tea which has actually helped me quite a bit.
Being Overweight and Pregnant isn’t ideal…but I’m dealing with it and want to have as healthy a pregnancy as I can.
Any Cravings?
Sour fruit. Or just really juicy fruits which to be honest isn’t that bad a thing to crave. At least I’m getting in some extra vitamins although I’m trying not to have too much. I haven’t eaten as healthily as I would like but I am working on changing that and making our meals fresher and full of colour instead of opting for quick and easy options. I’ve got lots of slimming world recipes to use although I’m not going to be actively trying to loose weight but I am going to try and swim and walk more. I think this will really help a lot. My plan is to avoid putting on too much weight and hopefully lose a bit of body fat in the meantime. I’ve been completely put off sausages and bacon again which is something I had with Evie. Anything that smells really fatty when it’s being cooked makes me feel awful and I just can’t eat it. I was exactly the same with Evie, is this a sign I’m having another girl? Who knows. One thing I have noticed is I’ve gone from feeling nausea to super hungry in moments to the point I’ve had hunger pains. I’ve given in to a lot of junk food which has annoyed me and it’s something I want to avoid from now on so we aren’t buying it. I’ve written up my Pregnancy Wishlist.
Telling Evie
She was obviously the most important person to tell besides Adam. We had to tell her that sadly we wouldn’t be able to go on holiday to Greece with my mum now which we had planned to do at the start of September and she was really gutted about it. However, when we told her why she completely switched and was super excited. She has been so good at keeping the news a secret from her friends at school too and now she has finally been able to tell them and share her excitement with her teachers. I believe she actually said “Finally, I’m going to be a big sister!” before giving me a big hug. She’s going to make an awesome big sister.
Booking In Appointment
After finding our your pregnant the standard procedure is to book yourself in to the GP for your booking appointment. This is usually around 8-10 weeks and I was 9+6 when I had my appointment. Going through so many weeks of the first trimester without speaking to anyone was really hard though. Before the appointment I went and collected my Bounty pack which contained my notes so I could fill some of the details in before my appointment. My midwife is really nice. She was really reassuring and wasn’t negative or horrible about my weight which I was worried about. We talked briefly through my first pregnancy and labour with Evie and that I’d had an emergency c-section before. I’ll be under consultant care again because of my c-section and a high BMI of 45. I was expecting my BMI to actually be nearer 50 to be honest so I was glad it wasn’t that high. There is so much paperwork to fill in and then the blood tests. All of which have come back absolutely fine which I’m glad about.
I encourage new mums to be as informed as possible so I’ve written a post on books I think you should read when pregnant.
First Scan
I had my first scan at 12+5 weeks at my local hospital although that won’t be the hospital I’ll be giving birth in because it only has a birth centre and I need to be on a site with a theatre. Where I live I had two hospitals to choose from and I’m happy with my choice. My appointment was early in the morning which I was glad about. Being so overweight for the scan I had to hold my tummy up to give them access and the sonographer was pushing down really hard. This actually lead to a little bit of a bleed from my c-section scar which is 7 years old. The bleeding stopped within a day and there’s no infection apparent, I’m not in any pain and I’ve cleaned and dried the area a few times since having the scan with salt water baths. I think it was me maybe holding too tightly, being anxious and the pressure that caused the scan to be quite painful which I wasn’t expecting. I did get a photo although it isn’t very clear because of the restricted view due to my BMI. Having a full bladder did help and the sonographer saw the baby move the head, measured from crown to rump and from what they could see there were no issues. However, I could not have the nuchal screening because the view was so restricted. I’m going back in two weeks for another scan so that the sonographer can get the head circumference and take some more measurements. I’ll be 14+4 weeks at that point so hopefully with a slightly bigger baby things will be easier to spot and it won’t be as uncomfortable.
So there you have it, my mammoth update for the first trimester. I’ll be writing a few updates around my pregnancy and how I’m getting on over the next six months which probably won’t be as huge as this one! I’m now looking forward to enjoying my pregnancy and meeting this new baby. You can now catch up with my 16 Week Check Up too.
For more pregnancy content please head to my hub post which contains links to all my relevant pregnancy based blog posts. My second High Bmi Pregnancy.
One day, when Evie was about three and a half she came home from nursery telling me all about her best friend and how she had got some Shopkins for Christmas. From that moment Evie was absolutely obsessed with getting her own Shopkins. I had no idea what they were at the time but finally got her some for her Birthday. Since then they have become a really big hit and she has never stopped putting them on her Christmas lists. She is now the proud owner of around a thousand tiny Shopkins, a few Lil’ Shoppies, A Shoe Shop and a massive Shopkins Jumbo Jet. Some of the items are more furniture based and have more animal features which I have recently learned are called Petkins. Petkins and Lil’ Shoppies play a huge part in a new App we’ve been playing together.
Evie takes a real interest in games from playing her tablet and watching us play video, computer and App games so I felt she would really enjoy playing the Happy Places App. It is the official game for the Lil’ Shoppie and Petkins collectibles, by Moose Enterprises and Kuato Studios. It is currently only available on the App store and can be downloaded, for free, here. The App is designed for those aged between 5 and 8 so really has Evie’s age in mind. I downloaded it, for free, on my phone and then Evie and I started setting up our new Happy Places home together. When you start the app you are in a moving van coming into your own Happy Places home which is then yours to furnish and decorate as you see fit with the super cute Petkins.
Evie has found the game really easy to play. You can create your perfect little home, furnishing it with a whole collection of Petkins. You get a good few selection to start with and playing regularly gives you daily log in rewards. Every few moments the Lil’ Shoppie pops up with an icon in a thought bubble which tells you what she wants to do. This prompted Evie to select the right Petkins for the home. Getting it right gives you a ticket which are collected in the top right corner. When you reach 25 tickets delivery van brings a special treat right to your door. This allows you to continue collecting all the Petkins. A way to get a few extra tickets and to have a style throughout your Happy Places home is my completing House Goals. These are collecting a few Petkins and putting them in your home which makes your Lil’ Shoppie feel right at home. Some items can be stacked or opened by clicking on them and it’s very easy to drag and drop furnishings around the home. Longer playing allows you to access more characters, Petkins and more Happy Places.
Evie is really enjoying playing Happy Places and loves the creative aspect of it. It’s really nice to see her little places and rooms that she’s created especially with a franchise she really loves. The TalesMaker is a pretty cool part of the App as it creates images or stories Happy Places during her play. It helps to create a bit of a character story throughout the game. There are in App purchases but this requires you to type in the adults year of birth and then your usual password to purchase through the App store. Each mystery box contains 5 items and is priced at £1.99.
There is also a parents area where you can set a timer for how long your child can play the game which is great if you want to restrict screen time. I really like the fact that the App has these parental controls. Take a look at The Sizzle video below to see the App in action!
Disclaimer: This App is free however, in exchange for this review I received payment and some free In App purchases. All opinions remain my own.
Adam and I have been together for quite some time now. Five and a half years ago we met whilst I was living in a hostel with my then two year old daughter. A single mum, learning how to cope with depression and anxiety. Trying to deal with my new situation of shared residency, homelessness and being on benefits. Adam made that time so much easier and it really wasn’t long before we talked about living together. Since we moved in together Adam has been there for me, the extra help and reassurance, the love and compassion for not only me but for my daughter as well. We talked about extending our little family but it never really seemed the right time. More money, more space, better jobs…the list goes on. The truth is though, I don’t think you’re ever really quite ready for when kids come into your life. I don’t think I was at 21 when I had Evie, and had no idea of all the changes I would make to make sure this little person would have as good a life as possible…right from the moment I found out she was on her way.
Evie…1 Day Old
So today I am truly thrilled to finally be able to share with you all that Adam and I are expecting a baby. Evie is going to be a big sister (finally..she said when I told her) and Adam is going to make a wonderful dad. I already know because I’ve already seen how he is with Evie, how he too had to become an unexpected parent at 21 despite having no biological connection to her. This baby is making our family bigger and we are all so excited. I’ve just had my 12 week scan which was a little tricky due to my high BMI. I obviously haven’t been able to lose as much weight as I would have liked which has made this a bit risky and made the scan harder to see everything but the good news is that we saw our baby (just the one!) and that they are measuring as expected. Our due date is currently 20th September 2018 meaning Evie will turn 8 just before they’re born. I have to have another scan in a couple of weeks time to get a few more measurements which should be easier with a slightly bigger baby.
The last twelve weeks have mostly been filled with anxiety, feeling sick, bloated and tired but I’m glad that’s fading a bit now. I am under consultant care due to my previous c-section and BMI but I won’t actually be meeting a consultant until June. We have a picture below which isn’t very clear at all – again, the fat – but the sonographer saw the baby move, heartbeat and was able to measure the baby at 12 weeks 5 days. The blurry picture below is from our very first scan (Adam has lovingly referred to his child as an alien – not as bad as me, I thought the head was where the bum is)
I started my period when I was eleven but I’ve known girls to start much younger than I was. I’ve also known girls not to start until they’re a bit older but it’s something I feel like I really need to prepare myself for because it’s one of those things you simply don’t know when it will all begin. My daughter will be eight in September, which is quite a way off yet and I also hope that her first period is still years away. In the meantime though, I want to do all I can to normalise and prepare her for starting her period. At her age she hasn’t done any form of body or sex education but that doesn’t mean she shouldn’t know how her own body works. I also want her to have self respect and put taking care of herself as a priority.
I think this is why I think Betty Box are really great. A period subscription box that’s aimed at preteens to help them learn about their bodies, take care of themselves and the importance of feminine hygiene products. Evie hasn’t really seen a lot of pads and tampons around the home because when I was on the implant I didn’t have any periods. I didn’t even have a need for an emergency stash because for five years of Evie’s life I didn’t have them. This isn’t a problem as such but having the products in the home where they are easy to see and recognise hopefully teaches girls that it’s just a normal part of being a woman. It’s normal to have periods, it’s nothing to be ashamed off and there are ways to keep yourself clean, fresh and feeling a bit better about the whole thing. You can sign up to Betty Box here.
Let’s be honest, it doesn’t matter how much you normalise them or talk about them, periods really suck. They’re painful, uncomfortable, come with constant hormone changes, emotional changes…there’s nothing nice about them. No one likes them but we have to deal with them. Having a treat like Betty Box each month might just make things a little bit easier. I love that with Betty Box you have a right now supply in a colourful bag that you can pop into a backpack, handbag or school bag. You then have seperate night time and day time pads for the main part of your period. Again showing that pads come in all shapes and sizes because everyone’s periods are different. You can also have a mix of pads and tampons depending on your personal preference.
Then you get goodies. A little box of skincare, stationary and chocolate treats. This is absolutely something that would have made me feel better as a young girl every month. Betty Box is a great idea for young girls that will help them educate themselves, take care of themselves and show them that even though periods aren’t very nice, there are people out there that want to make them as comfortable as possible.
Disclaimer: I received a Betty Box in exchange for this feature. All opinions are my own.
