Category: pregnancy

LEARNING TO LOVE YOUR CHANGING BODY THROUGH PREGNANCY

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Pregnancy can be tough at times. Every experience is different, which is what makes your journey so unique. If it were all the same, our experiences wouldn’t be our own. As with many things, pregnancy comes with plenty of ups and downs, and well sometimes, they can get the better of us. Other times, we just have to keep our head held high and keep on cruising.

Pregnancy is not the time to be harsh on yourself with your change of appearance. Your newly found shape is something that speaks so much more than what any handful of words could ever amount to. Your new shape is the reality of what your body is capable of doing.

There’s a teeny – tiny bump there!

Sometimes, it’s not just your tummy that grows. Sometimes it’s everything else in between that you might find escalating in size too. I sure am experiencing this. Yes, there are the odd few women who are lucky enough to hardly gain much more than what they should, and this is okay, they are beautiful too, but for the majority of us, we can end up gaining a lot more than what we bargained for. Is there anything wrong with this? No. Should we be ashamed? No.

Pregnancy is a time when we are supposed to feel more beautiful than ever, and so we should! It’s a time during which we are meant to GLOW! We are meant to shine bright and radiate nothing but happiness and new life.

Don’t sacrifice your pregnancy experience by worrying about what you look like. Don’t wish your pregnancy away because you want to be back to your pre preggy weight. Weight is just a number. Embrace your new shape. Show it off. Make people wish that they could be as confident as you are, belly and all. You’re glowing for not one, but two humans. Let your stretch marks appear, and your butt get bigger. Enjoy your feet being swollen and your cheeks looking chubbier. It’s all part of the experience.

Loving the bump unconditionally!

Don’t upset yourself because your stretchy leggings no longer fit. It’s okay, we’ve all been there. Some of us are still going through it, some of us might only be starting it, but at the end of the day, our bodies are OUR bodies. They respond to how WE treat them. If you look after your body and treat her properly, in turn, she will look after you. She will grow and nurture your sprouting bean.

Fill your body up with appreciation and love. Respect your body. Don’t think of your body as ugly, or too fat. You are growing another human. That is a gift. Some people aren’t able to even experience what your body is capable of doing. It’s some peoples biggest wish and dream to be able to nurture and grow their own baby. Appreciate what your body can do.

As women, our bodies are capable of absolute magic. Your tummy grows to make space for your beautiful bundle. We feed, protect and are able to GROW an actual human being over 9 months – in our TUMMIES of all places. We then give birth and bring our little humans into the world, only for our bodies to heal all by themselves and to do it all over again, if you choose. Don’t let something as small as your weight define your comfort around people while you’re pregnant. Something so miniscule in comparison to what our bodies are doing is not worth the emotions of being upset about something like our physical appearance.

 

The smallest 15 week bump!

Having a positive body image while you’re pregnant is important. We are, after all, the creators of nurturing new life, and our bodies are possibly one of the most incredible creations to walk the planet. Not to mention the cute little baby you have growing bigger day by day.

Give yourself a break. Show yourself some love. And enjoy your own personal experience.

Until next time,

Mycaila – Jade & baby

xxx

HOSPITAL BAG ESSENTIALS

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I cannot believe how quickly the last 9 months have gone and that the time is finally here to start packing my hospital bag! HOW EXCITITNG!

I thought I’d put together a list to show you what’s in my hospital bag for baby, daddy and me. Hopefully if you’re packing yours too, then this list will help. Yay!

Before you pack your baby’s bag, check with your hospital where you have planned to give birth, if they give you a complimentary baby bag. Most hospitals do, which is fabulous and makes life for new parents to be super easy. The goodies inside will be things like nappies, wipes, baby powder (literally the best smelling thing on earth!), a hospital beanie, shower gel (for mum), breast pads (for mum) and maternity pads (for mum). If not, then you need to add these things into your hospital bag.

FOR BABY:

  • Number one on the list is your tiny tot’s car seat! You cannot drive your new bundle home from the hospital without it!
  • About 3 baby onesies/baby grows – front fastening ones are the best and easiest to slip on and off your tiny tot
  • About 8 – 10 nappies made for newborn’s (Huggies has great ones with a little cut out specially designed for the umbilical chord)
  • Socks, mittens and a hat
  • Baby wipes
  • A fluffy, soft toy for cuddles
  • A cuddly, soft blankie
  • Dummy
  • Baby wipes (life saver)
  • A towel for baby’s bath time – sometimes the hospital ones can be scratchy
  • Burping towel
  • 2 x facecloths

FOR DAD:

  • A change of clothes (yes, we still need to remind men of the basics’!)
  • Clean underwear
  • ID document
  • Phone charger
  • Toiletries – deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, facewash (labour could be overnight)
  • Sweeties and snacks

FOR MOM:

  • Comfy pyjamas – a loose nighty is best
  • A few pairs of clean underwear (granny panties work best for maternity pads)
  • Maternity pads (yes, fun times lie ahead after labour)
  • Toiletries – deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, hairbrush, shower gel, facewash
  • Hairdryer (if you plan to wash your hair after labour)
  • Hair elastics (things get serious when your hair gets tied up!)
  • Slippers or comfy socks
  • Towel (hospital ones can sometimes be scratchy)
  • Earphones (maybe you feel like rocking some Bob Marley while you’re in labour)
  • Nursing bra
  • ID document, hospital forms, medical aid card
  • Flip flops (for the shower)
  • A change of clothes for leaving the hospital
  • Make up bag (if you have the energy to freshen up before you leave the hospital)
  • Charger
  • Sweeties and snacks

We can’t wait to meet our little girl!

Until next time,

Mycaila – Jade & baby

xxx

 

MEETING YOUR BABY AT YOUR FIRST SCAN

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This moment has to be one of the best and most exciting moments during the beginning stages of pregnancy! Finding out that there’s a little human growing inside your tummy and knowing that your body will be nurturing a tiny bean that will grow more and more every day really is an indescribable feeling. Whether your baby is a total surprise or planned, they are a complete and utter blessing!

After finding out you are pregnant, the best is to give your midwife/gynae/GP a call. From here, they will give you a date to come in for your first scan (dating scan). How EXCITING and so UNREAL! Your dating scan will generally take place at around 12 weeks. I remember when we booked the date for our first scan, I was around 8 weeks pregnant, and waiting for those extra 4 weeks to reach the date of our first scan seemed like a lifetime! All I wanted was to see our little baby in my tummy!

When the day for your first scan finally arrives and you know that you’ll be “meeting” your baby for the first time, an overwhelming amount of excitement and nerves kick in, well for me it did! Excitement because you’re about to actually see your baby for the first time and nerves because at this scan, they do all sorts of measurements and checks to make sure that your baby is growing properly, meeting the required measurements and is healthy. And let’s face it, we all want to know that we have a happy and healthy little bundle growing inside our tummies!

Your scan will normally be done by your midwife or gynaecologist. You’ll be asked to lie down on a bed with your tummy showing, while she squeezes ultrasound gel onto your belly. A small transducer (probe) will be placed and run along your tummy, which will project an image of your baby onto a screen in front of you. HOW EXCITING! This has to be one of the BEST feelings to finally see your little bundle right in front of you! There are so many overwhelming emotions that go along with seeing your baby right then and there.

This is a moment, with indescribable feelings of reality, bursts of excitement (when you finally see your baby moving around), a few seconds of fear, knowing that there is now a sense of responsibility, but also relief, when you get to see that everything is okay. Over all, you feel love, you feel appreciation and you totally feel the excitement, knowing that your body is beginning to do something so incredible and has managed to nurture, protect and grow something so small and pure up until this stage. Expect a few tears of happiness, and don’t be embarrassed or feel like you have to hide this from the sonographer – after all, this is your experience with your partner or whoever you decide to share this moment with.

The sonographer will be able to tell you in the moment if everything looks good and she will explain the different parts of your baby that she is examining. The best part? You get to take a print out of what your little bean looks like to stick up on your fridge or frame for an album.

Be prepared for even more excitement as your pregnancy progresses and your ultrasounds reveal a little more detail each time you go.

P.S seeing your baby suck his/her thumb in your tummy has got to be one of the cutest moments! I look forward to it every time!

Until next time,

Mycaila – Jade and baby

xxx

BOOTY AND BEAUTY IS HAVING A BABY!

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For most young couples, being the 23 and 24 year old type, and the lovebirds that happen to relocate themselves halfway across the world to meet up with travelling plans, a baby would seem to be the last thing on their minds, surely?

Parents to be!

Well my friends, in life, surprises happen, and this one seems to have been the best one yet! The thought of an itsy-bitsy dumpling, blossoming in my tummy was something that made me feel a little “OMG – IS THIS REAL?” and a little “OMG – WE ARE GOING TO BE PARENTS!!” and of course “OMG, IM GOING TO DOUBLE IN SIZE AND BE A HIPPO FOR 9 MONTHS!!”.

To cut a VERY long and complicated story short, my boyfriend is Scottish and I am South African. We both decided to go over to Scotland together from South Africa (where my boyfriend was on holiday for just under 2 years) to travel over the next 2 years. After one month of arriving in Scotland, we found out about our baby news – which happened to be RIGHT BEFORE Christmas (2016)!! It’s safe to say that Santa clearly had something else planned for us! None the less, after everything had settled, the excitement totally began to kick in – the flying kick type – the one with the extra oomph!

The bump date!

Apart from being in a foreign country, one of my first thoughts about trying to figure everything out was “OMG, WHAT DO WE DO NOW?” “WHO DO WE CALL?” “DO I GO TO THE HOSPITAL?” “DO I GO TO THE DOCTOR?”, “HOW DO I REGISTER AT A DOCTOR?”. There were endless amounts of questions that we had about what the next step should be. Basically, I was a tourist, fresh off of the plane, that had extra cargo in my tummy that I had absolutely no idea about!

After googling left, right, and center, we found a number for a hospital close by and gave them a call. At this stage I was about 6 weeks pregnant and had to wait until 12 weeks in order for them to see me and for us to have our VERY FIRST SCAN! Well, you guessed it, what a long 6 week wait that was!

Our baby is already so loved by her Dad!

I had 6 weeks of unanswered questions to get through before being able to see a midwife. “Can I drink coffee?”, “Can I dye my hair?”, “Can I eat sushi?”, “Can I have a hot bath?”, “Should I be taking extra vitamins?” –  SO. MANY. QUESTIONS. And no – Google wasn’t my friend. She seemed to just confuse matters more.

One thing that I will say is that morning sickness is a real thing, and feeling like a sick Sarah around Christmas and New Years’ time was something that I totally had to work with and take one day at a time – but none the less, I was growing a freaking human!! How CRAZY is that?

Mom to be!

If you want to find out the answers to all of my unanswered questions that I had 6 weeks to ponder about, make sure to keep your eyes out for my next post all about that!

P.S I cannot tell you how excited we are to meet our little girl.

Until next time,

Mycaila – Jade & baby

xxx

BEAUTY THERAPY INSTITUTE PREGNANCY SPOILS

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Last week, I was invited to the Beauty Therapy Institute in Woodstock for some pregnancy spoils and to celebrate the academy’s 21st birthday! You can only imagine the excitement of such adventures when an inflated beach ball seems to be your standard daily look for the last  8 months! A time to relax and be pampered could not have sounded better at the time! My pamper package included a back, neck and shoulder pregnancy massage, and a deluxe paraffin dip for both manicure and pedicure treatments.

BTI (Beauty Therapy Institute) is an actual college situated in the up and coming area of Woodstock, Cape Town. This college is in the Upper East Side building (fancy shmancy) and collaborates with Sorbet – one of the biggest beauty and wellness salons in South Africa. The BTI college actually trades under the name of Sorbet Cape Town – FYI! My favourite part is that the college has a beautiful mountain view from the practical training room where all of their delectable treatments take place – and everyone is SO FRIENDLY!

The first treatment that we started off with was the Back, Neck and Shoulder Massage – I mean, could this have been any more of a magical moment? Obviously when you are pregnant, lying on your not so deflateable tummy is totally off limits, so off to the side we rolled, lying on my left part of my body, and being covered by a blanket (because towels just don’t quite cover the proximity of a pregnant person’s circumference!).

BTI’S own massage cream! It smells like heaven!

Nicole, who gave me the most amazing massage was a total pampering goddess! I absolutely love deep tissue massages, but because there happened to be a growing human in my tummy, we had to lay off a bit of the pressure. Medium pressing was perfect and the relaxation mode was set. I totally had to remind myself that I had a student massaging me, even though it felt otherwise. My massage lasted just over an hour, and I completely almost fell asleep! I guess that is what happens when you’re pregnant and very relaxed! I loved hearing all of Nicole’s stories about her kids, and it was great to have something in common to chat about, which made me feel so comfortable – winning!

Once my massage came to an end, I had a Deluxe manicure with a paraffin dip and pedicure at the same time! Talk about multitasking! Paige gave me a super divine pedicure. She completely transformed my swollen piggy feet and made my hooves look way more presentable!

BTI’s very own foot scrub. It’s the perfect grainy exfoliant!

She used the BTI foot scrub, to remove dead skin cells and polish my trotters. The foot scrub smelt amazing – like fresh bubbles! I could also choose from an array of Sorbet nail colours for both my hands and feet. I went for a neutral selection of “Blush” for my feet and “Melting Moment” for my hands.

On the left we have Blush and on the right we have Melting Moment by Sorbet

While Paige looked worked her magic on my feet, Chelsea gave me a manicure and paraffin dip treatment which I had never had before. Basically, your paws get dipped into hot paraffin wax which creates a waxy coating. Your hands are then put into their own individual plastic coverings and then put into little mittens for a few minutes. Paraffin dips have so many benefits that I actually had no idea about. They increase blood flow, relaxes muscles and helps with joint stiffness AND can also be used to help treat arthritis!

After a few minutes, the dip was peeled off and Chelsea gave me a little hand massage using the BTI Massage Cream, which smells AMAZING – like candy! Once that was finished, she painted my nails with my chosen colour.

Blush by Sorbet

All in all, I had such a lovely time, spending the morning with these ladies. I absolutely love how friendly the students are and I have no doubt that they will make wonderful beauty and wellness therapists.

If you would like to find out more about the Beauty Therapy Institute, click here or view their Facebook page for more info. They have the highest standard of education in the health, beauty and skincare industry and are currently running a fantastic deal of 10% off all massage and holistic courses.

Until next time,

Mycaila – Jade

XXX