-
Talking Point: Smear Tests
In January last year, I received the letter. You know, the one all women dread landing on their doorstep when they hit the grand old age of 25? I’d given birth six weeks earlier, so the thought of anybody poking around made me feel incredibly anxious. I was still ridiculously sore from my caesarean, and if I’m being totally honest, I hadn’t paid myself much attention as far as personal grooming was concerned. So, it was a bit of a mess down there. It was an enormous relief to me when I called to book an appointment, and was told by my doctor that my smear was being delayed for…
-
Worth a Try: Olaplex – The Best Hair Product I Have Ever Used
I grew up with a younger sister and two cousins who all had the most beautiful, thick, long hair. Meanwhile, my own was wispy and fine, prone to breakage and never seemed to grow past a certain length – that length being my shoulders at a push. My hair has been on quite a journey. Throughout my teens, I used straighteners and curling wands excessively, regularly and without any form of heat protection. I used cheap, nasty hair extensions and backcombed my own hair within an inch of its life. I remember my mum, who is an incredibly talented professional hairdresser, begging me to bin them. But obviously at 16,…
-
Mum Guilt & Why You Should ALWAYS Trust That You’re Doing An Incredible Job
From the moment I found out I was pregnant with Theo, he was at the very heart of absolutely everything I did. On the same day that I got my first positive pregnancy test result (and I was so early on in my pregnancy that I’d had negatives up until the day before) I climbed into a bath full of bubbles and caressed my tummy, imagining my little poppyseed sized baby growing inside me. From that moment until my 12 week scan, it took EVERY bit of restraint I had to avoid making baby related purchases. I IMMEDIATELY ordered wallpaper samples for the nursery. And I couldn’t even finish a…
-
DIY: Mermaid/Galactic rice for messy play
I will always be a mum who likes to get stuck right into messy play with Theo, and I am always looking for new, creative ideas to keep him entertained. Juggling a full-time job and also finding time to be a cool, fun mum is not without its challenges, particularly when you’re living through a global pandemic. So, I was incredibly excited when a five-minute experiment whilst making a cuppa in between virtual client meetings turned out brilliantly. To begin with, I spooned uncooked basmati rice into a clean ice cube tray. Quantity doesn’t really matter – use as much or as little as you like! I bought this multipack…
-
The Loneliness of Being a New Mum
Motherhood is wonderful, beautiful, magical. Every time I look at Theo’s happy little face, I feel so overwhelmed with joy that I could cry. I am so blessed. Every day, I ask him: “How did I get so lucky to be your mummy, Theo?” But it’s irresponsible to say every second of motherhood is easy, or even enjoyable. Amongst many challenges new mums face, motherhood can be incredibly isolating – which is something nobody ever prepared me for. But in hindsight, I wish I’d embraced those early, intense, lonely days more. And if you’re a new or expectant mummy, I’m here to tell you that those overwhelmingly lonely early days…
-
How I lost Weight After Giving Birth
I feel it’s important that I start this post by making it clear that I never had the intention of losing weight quickly after having Theo. It just wasn’t on my agenda. I have spent so much of my adult life trying to slim down, and have tried everything from detox teas (which I strongly advise against), laxatives (so dangerous) and of course the traditional and ONLY safe and effective methods – healthy eating and regular exercise. But I’m human. I love chocolate and I certainly don’t want to spend every single second of my free time in the gym. So, like most women, my weight has fluctuated in a…
-
My Pregnancy: Labour and Baby Bear’s Arrival
Throughout my pregnancy, I attended hypnobirthing workshops and repeated positive affirmations as if by ritual in the hopes these would help me to have the most natural birthing experience I possibly could. But from the moment it was decided that I would be induced, I knew this textbook natural birth I’d hoped for might not (and probably wouldn’t) go to plan. And although I was, admittedly, a little bit disappointed, I was too excited to meet my little boy to worry too much about how he would get here, and vowed to stay positive regardless. I knew that being induced would mean I’d be hooked up to monitors and –…
-
My Pregnancy: Being Induced
When I discovered I was pregnant, I was absolutely overjoyed. I pictured gorgeous little shopping trips for baby essentials with my mum and sister, pushing my swaddled little cherub around the park in his pram, and snuggling up together for some precious skin-to-skin contact at nap time. But it wasn’t just the sweet, cookie-cutter parts of new motherhood that I daydreamed about. What if I pooped during the ‘pushing’ stage? What if I tore front-to-back and was left walking like John Wayne? What if, what if, what if. There are so many unknowns when it comes to pregnancy and labour, and so much of it is totally out of our…
-
Talking Point: 10 Things Nobody Tells You About Breastfeeding
When I was roughly 28 weeks pregnant, my midwife told me that whilst I should make a birth plan, it wasn’t often that what a woman hopes for comes to fruition. In my case, I wanted as natural a birth as possible and my biggest fear was a csection. I will be writing about Teddy’s birth in more depth soon, but for now I will say that my labour and his birth were nothing like I’d hoped. I desperately wanted a natural birth, specifically a water birth, if a pool had been available. Yet after almost 20 hours in labour and finally making it to the pushing stage, I ended…
-
My Pregnancy: What I Packed In Our Hospital Bags
When it comes to organisation, I’m a bit of a psychopath. Everything has to be perfectly placed otherwise I lose. the. plot. So, when it came to packing a hospital bag for me and Baby Lamb, I gave myself a good 15 weeks to make sure everything was perfectly in order. You’d think that would be more than enough time. And, if we were talking about any other expectant mummy, you’d probably be absolutely right. But in actual fact, the very same morning that I was due to go into hospital to be induced, I’d unpacked and re-packed ALL OF THE BAGS twice. And then I checked them again for…
-
My Pregnancy: The Third Trimester and ‘The Big Baby’ Trial
The first and second trimesters of my pregnancy passed by beautifully. The knowledge that my little baby was safely tucked up in my tummy warmed my heart and it was so lovely to know that wherever I went, my little cherub went too. I felt like I was a member of the most special group – the mummy squad. From the moment I finally got my positive pregnancy test result, I was on an absolute high. When I was 26 weeks pregnant, Michael and I travelled to Greece for our annual fortnight in paradise – cue me dancing around thinking I’m part of the cast of Mamma Mia. I was…
-
I’m Back and I’m a Mummy!
As I write this post, my beautiful son Theo (aka Teddy) is fast asleep beside me with his little clasped fist resting on my leg. It feels so surreal to type those words – my son. It feels even more surreal to say them out loud. I. Am. A. Mummy. Surreal, but the most magical feeling in the entire world. Nothing and nobody will ever convince me otherwise. I started blogging when I was 19 and although I loved writing (and it’s just as well, since my writing pays my share of the bills) I never really knew what to write about. Nine-to-five, seven days a week, I had it…
-
A Peek Inside Teddy’s Nursery
I couldn’t wait to decorate our little boy’s nursery and couldn’t have been more delighted with the way it turned out. I can’t wait to share updates from Theo’s nursery as he grows! Lou x
-
A Little Announcement
When I first launched my blog (what seems like a lifetime ago) I did so with the intention of becoming a thoroughly dedicated blogger with a meticulous and uncompromising schedule. Around the same time, I graduated as a journalist and bought my first house, and naively thought I could navigate my career, the process of building a home (we literally had to gut the place and start over) and a demanding hobby without breaking a sweat. As I’m sure you’ve guessed by now, that didn’t exactly go to plan. It wasn’t long before the pressure of my new job and running an actual home took its toll and sadly, my…
-
Worth A Try: LouLouBelle London Skincare
Since way back into my early teens (thank you Timehop for reminding me daily what an enormous dork I was back then) I have suffered with spots. And, despite my relatives/teachers/doctors promising me they’d disappear when I left my teenage years behind, I have since discovered this was absolute bullshit and to this very day, I still struggle with problematic skin. Sure, I have a stressful job. And the chances of me getting the recommended eight hours of sleep each night are about the same as me winning the lottery. But I do my best to eat a clean and healthy diet, drink plenty of water and use products that…
-
Talking Point: Friendship Red-flags and How to Spot a Fake Friend
I’m incredibly lucky to have a handful of friends I consider family. We share each other’s heartache and joy, and those feelings are genuine. We laugh together, we cry together and we share everything in-between. But despite having a selection of friends I couldn’t bear to live without, I’ve also had a handful of fake friends – and they are the worst. We’ve all had one, and they’re so easy to spot. But, on the off-chance you’ve got a fake friend of your own and you’re yet to discover it, here are three red flags to look out for, and three dignified ways to cope through a friendship breakup. They’re Jealous…
