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Halal Mama

Nearly there! My due date is on Wednesday, and I'm hoping this one will stick to the schedule better than her brother. But, although my body has pretty much had enough now, this baby doesn't seem to be rushing!

Walking can be a real struggle now, and I can't even begin to tell you how exhausting my last trip to the midwife appointment was... But when you get home and have a parcel waiting for you, that pretty much always makes things better - am I right?


Here's what was waiting for me that day - this gorgeous bouquet. And would you believe it came from Home Bargains? I didn't even know they offered flower delivery until recently, when they kindly offered to send me some.








The bouquet I received is called Warm Wishes - it's a beautifully assembled bouquet of carnations, chrysanthemums, germini, hypericum and solidago. It's perfect for the current season, with the colours giving it this autumnal vibe.








 I was pleasantly surprised with this delivery - I was kind of expecting it to be one of these letterbox flowers services (ordered one of those once and it wasn't brilliant). Instead, Home Bargains flowers come as a fully assembled bouquet ready to be displayed in your favourite vase (and if you don't have one, you can add it to your order).

They're perfect for all occasions - birthdays, anniversaries, congratulations (you might, for example, show a new mum you're thinking of her *coughs*). The flowers come beautifully wrapped, ready for gifting. The box doesn't say they're from the Home Bargains, so you can send them directly to the recipient. Alternatively, if you need the flowers for a specific event, you can order them few days in advance and not stress about finding a bouquet on the day. The stem wrap keeps them moist, making sure they arrive as fresh as when they were cut. 





If you want to treat someone (or yourself) to a bouquet like this, it's super easy. Just visit Home Bargains Flowers and choose your favourites. Select your preferred bouquet size, add a little extra like a vase, occasion balloon or a cute teddy bear. You can then add a short message to the recipient, and all that's left to do is choosing your delivery date - order by 4pm for free First Class delivery, or get it next day for just £2.95.





And here are my Warm Wishes 10 days later, looking as fresh and fabulous as on the day they arrived! Need I say more?


*The  flowers were sent to me by Home Bargains for the purpose of the review. The above post is my personal and honest opinion on the product and service provided.
Monday, October 23, 2017 No comments
One. Week. To. Go.


If I'm honest, I'm actually a bit more nervous than first time round! I'm not sure why - I seem to have everything ready now, I've already been through labour and know what to expect... Maybe that's the problem lol! 

Anyway, while we're still waiting for little Miss, I thought I'd share a sneak peek into my hospital bags - just as last time, I ended up having two. It might've been easier to just find a larger bag and pack everything into one, but I actually think that having two separate ones makes it easier to find whatever stuff you need later on. Some people choose to have one bag filled with the essentials for the labour, and one for after - I chose to prepare one for me, and one for the baby. Oh, and keep your birth partner in mind too!


For the mama:
  • Your maternity notes and birth plan if you wrote one
  • T-shirt or nightie for the labour - preferably something you don't mind throwing away after
  • Dressing gown and slippers
  • Comfy PJs or a nightie - if all goes well you'll only be in the hospital for few hours after the birth, but you'll still want to change. Choose front-opening ones if you're planning to breastfeed.
  • Couple of pairs of dark-coloured knickers - best to grab some old ones. Or a pack of disposables.
  • Maternity pads. Hospital will likely provide some to start with, but you'll need loads of those. Make sure you have enough waiting for you at home!
  • If you're planning to breastfeed, nursing bra and breast pads
  • Hairband for the long hair, and a brush to sort it out later
  • Book, magazine, music - something to keep you occupied in the early stages
  • Lip balm - your lips will get really dry, especially if you use gas and air
  • Snacks and drinks to boost your energy - and keep your birthing partner in mind, you probably don't want them nipping out when they get hungry. We stocked up on muesli bars for now, and will probably throw in some fresh fruit just before we go. And it might be a good idea to grab a sandwich on the way.
  • Toiletries: shower gel, shampoo, toothpaste and toothbrush, deodorant. And don't forget the towel!
  • Comfortable clothes to go home in - don't go all fancy though ;) Your baby will be out, but that doesn't mean the bump will just disappear! Pack a pair of leggings or some loose trousers (your comfy maternity jeans will work great), and a loose fitting top.






For the baby:
  • Bodysuits and sleepsuits in newborn or 0-3 size. Take at least 5 of each, especially if you're a first-timer - things can get really messy.
  • Socks or booties for the colder weather
  • Nappies. I actually packed the whole pack, babies go through a lot!
  • Cotton pads for cleaning - not your make-up removing ones though, go for the slightly larger ones made for babies' bums. 
  • Hat and cardigan to keep warm
  • Muslin squares 
  • Blanket - hospital will probably be quite warm, but depending on the weather you might want to cover the baby up for the way home
  • Going home outfit - to be honest, there's no need for anything too fancy though. You might want to just pick the cutest sleepsuit and maybe a cardi on top, just to have a nice going home photo. Ultimately, you're just getting to the car, eh? There will be plenty of opportunities to dress the baby up when people will start visiting you at home ;)
  • Car seat - the hospital might actually want to know that the baby will be safely strapped in on the way home. Make sure you've practiced putting it in the car.





Other things (you might want your birthing partner to remember these):
  • Fully charged phone - it's a good idea to have a charger or power bank with you too, especially if you're going to use the phone to distract yourself in the early stages
  • Camera (unless you're just gonna use your phone for the photos) - make sure that battery is full as well!
  • Change for the car park


It's a good idea to also have some spare stuff on stand-by, just in case you need to stay in hospital longer. Make sure your partner knows where extra nappies and clothes are, as well as anything you might need for yourself. You can just keep the extras in a carrier bag, ready to be picked up from home if necessary.



Would you add anything to that list? Maybe there's something else you found absolutely essential during labour, or maybe there's something you could use but completely forgot?

Wednesday, October 18, 2017 1 comments
Getting ready for the new baby is exciting as it is, but clothes shopping is definitely the best part!

I was eager to start baby shopping ever since we had our 20-week scan and were told the gender, but as that was early June I did my best to resist all that cuteness knowing I won't be able to use any of that in late October.

I also knew my mum would be getting loads of stuff, she was hoping for the news of a girl ever since I told them I was pregnant! So it made sense for me to actually wait and see what she got first, before going off and buying more stuff that Miss will outgrow really soon and never gets to wear - yup, happened with few of Adam's first outfits.


Anyway, as my parents won't come until after the baby is born, my mum decided to send the stuff she's bought so far in post, so I could also go off and buy whatever else we needed. And after going through Adam's old clothes I found a few things that will suit a little girl.



This was the first ever thing I bought for my baby girl! All this is actually from Lidl - they had some baby stuff in stores and I just couldn't resist on one of my shopping trips. I've heard a lot of good stuff about their baby clothes, but also have lot of experience with Lidl's clothes myself - Adam's had plenty of them, either bought by us or my mum, and I'm always pleased with the quality. I've got some clothes from Lidl too, just recently got couple of fantastic maternity dresses.




An obvious baby essential - bodysuits. These are from George at Asda. We actually randomly visited Asda one evening, and since we landed in the baby aisle... I couldn't resist this pack, the blue ones remind me of the gorgeous Cath Kidston patterns! Even Hubby says they are his favourites ;)




Another baby staple - sleepsuits. What I love most about these Primark ones are the sleeves that turn into scratch mitts that the baby won't easily take off. 




Here's couple of things my mum bought in Poland. The bodysuits are from Polish kids' brand 5-10-15, and the little cardigan is by Pumpkin Patch - she's really great with snapping brand new clothes, with tags still attached, from this one shop in my hometown that specialises in imported children's clothing. Most of the stuff she sent is in bigger sizes though, so they'll make the next edit ;)




And, of course, every girl needs her accessories, right? The silver trainers are from Primark, and I actually picked them together with Adam - it was kinda the first time he showed some acceptance of the fact that the baby is a girl ;) The Pooh booties are from my mum, stripy hat is something Hubby found in M&S. And this beautiful hat on the right is handmade - there's a lovely sister who found me on Instagram and kindly sent me one - she's currently perfecting her design, but if she decides to go ahead and start selling them, you'll definitely hear about that from me! ❤





Last but not least, couple of items I found amongst Adam's old things. Unfortunately I didn't have much in newborn, or even 0-3 size. I don't think that we actually had any fancier outfits for that time, mostly bodysuits and babygrows - and none of them survived, if you know what I mean ;)



So these are some of my favourite newborn bits. I'm really trying to stay reasonable, and whenever I REALLY liked something I'm waiting for little Miss to be at least few months old so she can actually wear nicer bits for a while rather than outgrow them in couple of weeks! But don't you think baby clothes' shopping is the nicest part of getting ready for their arrival? ❤
Tuesday, October 10, 2017 No comments
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