If you're interested in having a maternity photo session in Swansea then get in touch - I'd love to hear from you!
Here's something to warm up a cold January day - photos from Becky and Phil's maternity session at the end of the gorgeous summer we had here in Swansea last year! To make the most of the sunshine we headed to one of my current favourite locations - Singleton park. It really was a beautiful day and Becky and Phil had a chance to sit, relax and enjoy it while baby Jones had a great time wriggling around! We then decided to make the most of the sunshine and had a nice stroll round the park and found some different locations to shoot in. This tree stump was a perfect place to stop for another little rest - not that Becky needed it, she made being heavily pregnant look like a breeze! Phil and Becky welcomed their baby boy into the world back in October and he is just gorgeous. He was a pretty big baby as well, which you never would have guessed by looking at how neat Becky looked while carrying him!
If you're interested in having a maternity photo session in Swansea then get in touch - I'd love to hear from you!
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When I was expecting Rhys we both had a strong feeling early on that he was a boy and really wanted to find out for certain at the 20 week scan. This time round I just didn't quite have that overwhelming gut feeling. I went back and forth most days between thinking it was a boy and then thinking it was a boy. Saying that, whenever I pictured myself with Rhys and a new baby, that baby was a girl. So we were really excited to get to our 20 week scan this time round and be told that my little mental image will be a reality in February! I'm so pleased we made the decision to find out what we're having and that she decided to cooperate and let us find out! But the question of 'will you find out or not' seems to be an issue that people feel quite strongly about! Both my Mum and my mother-in-law would have preferred it if we hadn't found out - although they are really happy now that they know there's a granddaughter on the way!
There were mixed views when I asked over on my Facebook page whether or not people would want to find out the sex of their baby. Several people told me that they didn't find out and that they loved the surprise factor in not knowing and that 'it made their births just more special'. One comment that I loved was that they wouldn't want to find out the sex the next time so it would be 'something to motivate me through the labour!!!' I know a lot of people like all the guessing that goes along with not finding out. You can have so much fun trying to predict it with games like letting your wedding ring swing over the bump and letting other people place their bets based on the size and shape of your bump! All of this can really add to the surprise too - when my Mum was expecting me all the old wives tales told her that I was going to be a boy and then - Surprise! - out I came! It also seemed that some people will find out with one pregnancy and then not find out with the next, or vice versa. My sister hasn't found out with any of her pregnancies, but has said she probably would next time! The people I spoke to who did find out mainly did so for the same reasons as me. I found that knowing I was expecting a boy before really helped me bond with him. We also found that, in practical terms, it made things a lot easier. We knew that we didn't need to borrow the big bundle of pink clothes that were being shared around my family! It also helped with the huge dilemma of choosing a name. It was great to be able to just look at one half of the baby name book! Saying that, I'm really enjoying getting to look at the other half of it now! It did make me laugh to hear what one friend had to say about finding out that her twins were boys "We found out it made it so much easier with two but to be fair the pair of them didn't give us much choice in the matter. They proudly displayed their wears during nearly all of the ultrasounds we had". It seems like sometimes the babies really want you to know! I suppose the thing to remember though is that, even if you do 'find out', it's never 100% guaranteed! A friend of mine who works on a labour ward told me that there have been times where the umbilical cord has been in the wrong place and mistaken for 'boy bits' and the parents have been very surprised at the birth! But for now I'm assuming that what the sonographer saw (or didn't see!) is right and enjoy looking at the 'girl' half of the baby name books and cooing over all the pink clothes in the shops! So what do you think? Would you want to know what you were expecting? Leave me a comment and let me know! Well I made it to 20 weeks but the change in the weather and the beginning of cold season caught me out a few weeks ago and I came down with my first pregnancy cold. And it sucked! I know it sounds a bit lame to be complaining about having a cold but seriously, when you can't really take any medicine to help you feel better it really does suck! So, if you can't just knock back some cold and flu tablets or a steaming cup of lemsip then what can you do to make yourself feel better when you have a cold during pregnancy? I scoured the internet and asked around on Facebook for suggestions and here are my top tips. Please bear in mind though, that I'm not a medical professional so, for your own peace of mind you might want to check with your midwife or doctor before going ahead and trying all of these.
Here's to hoping I can avoid getting another cold this autumn/winter. Ha, very wishful thinking! Please leave me a comment below if you have any tips of your own on dealing with a cold when you're pregnant, I'll be grateful for any advice you might have to offer!
Pregnant ladies - have you got your bags packed?! General advice seems to be to have your hospital bag packed by the time you're 36 weeks, even if you're planning on having a home birth, you never know if your plan will have to change and you'll have to rush off to hospital. So, from my own personal experience, here are the things I would strongly recommend you pack in your bag! 1. Straws! For when you’re desperate for a drink but have your hands full with holding the gas and air and holding yourself up!
2. Vaseline/lip balm – your lips can get dry in labour. 3. Water spray – you can get really hot in labour and the wards are generally kept pretty warm. A water spray is great for helping you keep cool. 4. Camera! You might not want pictures taken of you straight after the birth, but you'll definitely want photos of your baby when she's just minutes old! 5. Old knickers and maternity pads. 6. Arnica tablets. If you're open to homeopathic medicine this is definitely worth trying to help with any bruising after the birth. 7. Nappies, wipes and clothes for baby - a few vests and sleepsuits should do it. And a hat and cardi for them to wear on the journey home. 8. Wash bag with make up, deodorant and dry shampoo. Speaking of which, stock up on dry shampoo now, for those newborn days when a shower and proper hair wash is just too much effort! 9. Hairbands to get your hair out of the way. 10. Snacks and drinks for you and your birth partner. Take extra so you'll have something to eat while you're on the ward too, you might not fancy the meals the hospital provide. This isn't an exhaustive list by any means, there are plenty of other things you'll want to pack, like clothes and PJs for yourself, but it's a good jumping off point for building your own list! What's your number one hospital bag essential? Leave me a comment below and let me know! |
Lifestyle and Beloved portrait photography in Swansea, Wales.
Your life. Your love. Your story. About me!Hi! I'm Madeline Littlejohns. A portrait photographer, based in Swansea, South Wales, specialising in on-location maternity, baby and family Beloved and lifestyle photography. Be the first to hear about special promotions and session information by signing up for my newsletter.
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