Second Pregnancy Second Trimester Experience

I am now over a week into the second trimester, currently 29 weeks pregnant, so I thought it'd be a good chance to update you all on how I'm doing and how the second trimester of my second pregnancy compares to that of my first pregnancy. The second trimester lasts until the end of ypur 27th week, with the third trimester starting on the first day of your 28th week. For me, it always feels like the longest, with so many weeks where it feels like time is dragging by at a super slow rate, but a lot happened for me since I shared my update on my 'second pregnancy first trimester experience', so we have quite lot to catch up on.

We Love Bambinista

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When I was pregnant with Willow and first had to navigate the world of baby clothes, I was surprised by just how much gender stereotyping played a part in what was on offer from high street brands. The lack of variety on the high street had me turning to the Internet to find unique, stand out and non-gender specific clothing and over the years I've found some absolute gems when it comes to outfits full of attitude for Willow.

I've recently been introduced to Bambinista, an online retailer which ticks all of my boxes when it comes to clothes for little ones. Unique picks, bold patterns, stand-out designs, fashion which lets little ones express themselves through the clothes they wear. Stocked full of some pretty awesome, and extremely high-quality brands, Bambinista should be on everyone's wishlist when it comes to updating your little one's wardrobe. 

Tackling Toddler Bedtime with Groclock

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It's no secret that Willow has always been a good sleeper, something I discussed in a feature last year, 'I'm not sorry our daughter sleeps well'. Whilst Willow is still a great sleeper, once she's down she sleeps through till morning unless unwell, now that she is a fully fledged toddler we do find both bedtime itself and waking up in the morning a little bit trickier. That's where the Groclock comes into play, a wonderfully simple yet effective sleep trainer for young children that has helped us get Willow into a really good nighttime and morning routine and it's so easy to use!

Willow Loves Mister Maker Club

Willow is a big fan of Mister Maker, which goes down well in this house as well love crafting and making things together. At the beginning of 2018 I came across a monthly subscription service which was absolutely perfect for Willow, the Mister Maker Club box, and just had to sign Willow up.

It's a fortnightly subscription box which you can also opt to have monthly, which is how often we receive ours, each with a fun craft to make with your little ones. We always enjoy having our monthly Mister Maker Club box pop through the letterbox and Willow has had loads of fun crafting and making them each month.

Kat Von D Shade + Light Contour Palette

Ever since Kat Von D launched in the UK, I've had my eye on the Shade + Light Contour Palette and it's been my most reached for face palette over the past few months, so I thought it was about time I shared my thoughts on this hugely popular contour palette.

Urban Decay All Nighter Waterproof Longwear Liquid Foundation

I've shared my thoughts on the Urban Decay All Nighter Waterproof Longwear Liquid Foundation before, in my feature on high-end foundations worth splurging on, but having recently repurchased, I wanted to dedicate a full review to this incredible base, which really does tick all of my boxes when it comes to the perfect foundation.

Brand Spotlight: Antipodes

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It's no secret I'm a skincare adorer and Antipodes has been one of my go-to brands for effective skincare for many years now. I'm a huge fan of their face masks, with the Aura Manuka Honey Mask being one of my most repurchased skincare items, with the newest face mask addition, the Halo Skin-Brightening Mud Mask, being a firm favourite too. The Divine Face Oil is another product holy grail skincare product I always make sure to have in my skincare stash and the Apostle Skin-Brightening & Tone-Correcting Serum has played a huge part in improving my confidence.

Over the past 6 weeks, I've been testing some new Antipodes products to join my daily skincare routine, covering cleansers, toners, eye creams, a daily SPF and a lip conditioner. Have they impressed me as much as my long-time Antipodes favourites?

The Unmumsy Mum Book Review

Although with a toddler in tow it takes me a lot longer to get through books, long gone the days where I could read a book cover to cover in one night, reading is still a huge part of my daily routine and something I simply cannot give up. I've been a self-confessed bookworm my entire life, something I've thankfully passed on to my daughter (did you see my post on Willow's growing library?) and my day wouldn't be complete without reading at least a few pages of one of the many books adorning my bedside table.

Summer Days at Bradgate Park

Living in the East Midlands means we're surrounded by beautiful British countryside and one place we're lucky to live quite close to, is Bradgate Park. I've always been a country bumpkin at heart, even when I lived in London for University, I missed living in the countryside and I'm glad we're bringing our little girl up surrounded by such natural beauty.

Wymeswold Fruit Farm Review

Something I always remember from my own childhood is spending hot summer days picking fresh just-ripened strawberries. I have fond memories of those carefree days plucking strawberries and popping them proudly into my fruit box and so it was something I really wanted to do with Willow, one of those 'I'm sharing one of my favourite childhood memories with you' moments, and so I took her to the very same fruit picking farm we used to go to all those years ago, Wymeswold Fruit Farm.

Big Sister Announcement Sign Review

When I found out I was pregnant I knew I wanted a special way to 'announce' the news that our family was growing and so I spent weeks and weeks looking for the perfect way to share our happy news. I browsed Pinterest for hours, thought up elaborate ideas of things we could do, themed photoshoots we could try and even big extravagant balloons and matching t-shirts. Then I came across a simple yet beautiful wooden sign and it was love at first sight, the perfect way to share our news.

Michael Kors Twilight Shimmer Review

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Over the past couple of years, Michael Kors has become one of my most beloved brands when it comes to fragrances, with beautifully unique scents housed in bottles that bold and like the scents, ooze confidence. The latest limited edition scent is the perfect summer evening scent, straying away from the usual sickly-sweet fruity scents which overpower summer, with a really special fragrance that'll have everyone asking what you're wearing this summer!

Plus Size, Pregnant & High Risk

This pregnancy is very similar to my pregnancy with Willow when it comes to symptoms, but how I'm coping with it is very, very different. My baby bump isn't as obvious, due to being several stones heavier in weight than I was when I was pregnant with Willow. I'm 3 dress sizes bigger than I was when pregnant with Willow and that is largely down to a much bigger stomach; I piled on 6.5stone when pregnant with Willow and didn't lose any of that weight for 2 years.

At the new year, I told myself enough was enough and decided to crack on with the weight loss, but I had only lost 1 stone before finding out we were expecting this little baby, so I was still extremely overweight and much larger than I would like to have been when we conceived. I knew even before I made it to my booking appointment at 8 weeks that I would be classed as 'high risk' for this pregnancy, not just because of my weight, but because I had an emergency caesarean with Willow. Since then it's been quite the emotional rollercoaster and being high risk and under consultant led care has been daunting and at times, difficult for me to process.