Gifts for Her - Christmas gift guide.

With Christmas fast approaching I have been thinking about what gifts I would like. Here are a few of my favourite gifts for her (take note Lee – hint hint).

‘Mummy’s having a baby’ bag for Bug.

Being pregnant with our second child means we already have a child to care for and think about. Unlike when we were pregnant with Bug when we did not have any existing responsibilities, this time round during Jelly Bean’s time in my bump we also have Bug to care for.

Not only does having a child whilst pregnant mean I am kept very busy regardless of my pregnancy symptoms and have to juggle maternity appointments around Bug and his busy life but we also have to arrange childcare for Bug when I go into labour with Jelly Bean.

As always my mum has stepped up and is kindly on stand-by to have Bug day or night when I go into labour.

Just as I have had to pack a hospital bag for myself and Jelly Bean filled with essentials for labour and afterwards for when I have to make the trip to the hospital to have Jelly Bean when labour is established, I also have to make sure Bug has a bag of his own ready for when he goes to mums.

As we obviously do not know when labour will happen we want to make sure everything is organised for my mum so that when she takes over looking after Bug it will be as hassle-free as possible. Just in case I go into labour when Bug is in school when it makes more sense for my mum to collect him straight from there rather than him being taken out early to make the hour long journey to the hospital with Lee and I, we have made sure my mum has a spare key to our house and that she has our spare car seat with her at all times.

Hospital bag packing.

Now that I am in my third trimester it has become the inevitable time to think about packing my hospital bag with essentials for labour and with things needed for both myself and Jelly Bean after the birth.

When I had Bug I found that I ended up with what seemed a bazillion bags which weighed poor Lee down like a donkey on its last legs so this time round I wanted to limit myself to 2 bags - a labour bag and a bag for after the birth – at the most.

Thankfully Caboodle bags have come to my rescue with their Fun and Funky Mink Stars BabyChanging Bag which thanks to its impressive size is perfect as a hospital bag. As the bag holds so much it is perfect for holding all essentials needed in my hospital bag along with a few extras just in case our stay at the hospital is longer than hoped.

Maternity leave survival plan.

Whilst my maternity leave pre-baby is sure to fly by in a flash and I'll be in the full throes of nesting , I hope to make sure I get some ‘ME’ time and rest (in between daily family life that is) before the baby arrives.

As I hope to get some rest and relaxation before the hecticness of having a new addition to the family happens, I have created a maternity leave survival plan with a few key ideas of how to slow down and take some time out.

Reading

I have always had a love of the written word and love nothing more than getting lost in a good book. But since having Bug and getting lost in the busyness of family life the time I dedicate to sitting down to read a book has become non-existent. Top of my plans for my pre-baby maternity leave rest time is to read a few books, devour the words and get lost in a tale or two.

I also hope to use my rest time whilst on maternity leave to catch up with a few blogs as I have found that I have missed reading a number of my favourite blogs of late due to a lack of time and energy.

Dressing the bump – House of Fraser dress review.

As my bump has grown as my pregnancy has progressed, the challenge to find clothes in my wardrobe that both fit and are comfortable has become increasingly more difficult.  Whilst I thankfully have a few staple maternity clothes from when I was pregnant with Bug, my maternity wardrobe could do with a refresh. The fact that I am also now pregnant with the summer months to come, whilst when heavily pregnant with Bug it was the cold winter months that I braved, I am dire need of some summery clothes that are stylish, comfortable and can accommodate my bump.

As I am desperate for a few new items of clothing that will be perfect for my growing bump over the coming months, I was delighted when House of Fraser sent me a new dress from the House of Fraser range of Plus Size Dresses.

Asda Baby and Toddler Event - bargains galore!

Perfect for savvy saving parents and parent-to-be the Asda Baby and Toddler Event is back with bigger and better savings with lots of discounts and offers on a range of baby and toddler products.

Even though the Asda Baby and Toddler Event started online on Friday 23rd August and in-store on Monday 25th August, there is still plenty of time left to snap up a few bargains as the event does not finish until Sunday 14th September 2014.

The event offers reductions and promotions on a wide range of products including top baby and toddler brands and Asda’s exclusive brands Little Angels and George. If you are pregnant, a new parent or a parent with a busy toddler then this event is great for helping you save money on maternity products, every day baby essentials and top toddler products.

Maternity leave and being pregnant in the workplace… do you know your rights?

When I was pregnant with Bug my job came to an end and with a number of months to go until my maternity leave started I hoped to find a new job for the meantime.  During that time I applied for a host of jobs and with it nearing Christmas I thought it would be perfect if I could find a seasonal vacancy as the job would naturally come to an end just before my maternity leave started and I would not feel like I was letting an employer down by starting a job to only have to go on maternity leave a matter of months later.

A dilemma I had when attending interviews was whether I should mention the fact that I was pregnant or not, especially as I was concerned that my growing baby bump would highlight the fact that I was pregnant whether I mentioned it or not.  In the end I decided that honesty was the best policy and informed potential employers of my pregnancy during interviews as I knew it would have to discussed in a matter of weeks when I approached my 25th week of pregnancy if I got a job.  I was pleasantly surprised by the response I got during interviewers and did not feel that I was being discriminated against and not considered for the job because of my pregnancy.

Even though I had a positive experience with potential employers when I informed them of my pregnancy during interviews I was very worried about raising the matter and thought that it would negatively affect my chances of getting a job.