why we didn't want to find out the gender - for the second time

                                  

Hey everyone!

Welcome to my latest blog; second trimester gender scan.

I can't quite believe I am now 19 weeks +1 and how quickly it seems to be flying by! I almost haven't had chance to give this pregnancy a second thought because the reality is all my time is taken up with being a wife, a working mum, and not forgetting my girlfriends! 

So first thing this morning, and all weekend we have been SO excited to see baby brown number 2 again since the first scan; all is looking healthy and happy, and so so clear! You forget how amazing technology is.

I wanted to do a blog for first time mummies who may be feeling pressured or unsure on finding out their baby gender. People now days seem so obsessed with the gender of a baby! Some go on about how they want a boy first and a girl second or they have dreamt of having all girls or all boys or one each blah blah it is endless...

Then there comes the thought process of wanting to do the nursery, wanting to purchase clothes, teddies, blankets etc all to the boy or girl colour theme.

and lets not even begin on the random people stopping you in the street ''Ohh do you know what your having?''

Then there's the family, friends, all saying ''Ohh go on just find out''

Hearing all of the above with hormones flying about in pregnancy is enough to cause doubts on some and their decision, but fact is it shouldn't. 

It comes no surprise how others assumed we would want to find out the baby gender this time as we didn't find out with our son Harry but those closest to us knew we would want the surprise all over again and here's why;

OK.... So first lets put some of these comments people make to bed;

''Ohhh don't you want to prepare? I would need to get everything ready''

Prepare for what - Their wardrobe? In today's modern next day delivery world at a click of a button you can log on to many many retailers website, one in particular Next for example (yep a favourite shop of mine for babies and kids!) and have ready an order of 1x basket full of blue stuff and 1x basket full of Pink! Home delivery - SORTED.

As for the washing side of clothes, who doesn't love a newborn in white for the first couple of days? With their new born poos and sickness you'll be changing their clothes like no tomorrow anyways so I promise you, you wont really care what colour their in!

''Ohhh I would want to get the nursery ready''

OK so I am never one to assume or judge but I would pretty much imagine majority of babies are either co sleeping with their mum or in their Moses basket and if anything like my little boy, he was in our room in his Moses basket for the first 11 weeks of his life.

It takes 2 days max to paint the nursery - the colour of the walls really isn't a big deal. 

OR if wanting to prepare in advance (as we did)  

Aren't the yellows/whites/beige/greys all just super cute for a newborns room?

''I just want the baby here now but they wasn't even in their 3rd trimester yet!''

I found through out my pregnancy the curiousness of not knowing kept me going which almost in a strange way allowed me to enjoy my pregnancy that little bit more, every now and again I would find I would have these moments of excitement to myself; this fire in my belly seeing one set of parents with a gorgeous baby boy or another announcing they've had a beautiful baby girl and wondering which set we would be - It was actually quite fun.

The weight gain, the tiredness, the headaches all wasn't I am afraid!!

THE REALITY IS;

Every parent hopes & dreams they are blessed with a healthy baby regardless of boy or girl. I totally respect and appreciate their are some parents out there that do have their heart set on having one more than the other, but there are also some parents who generally hand on heart don't mind either way - yes they really do exist. We are all so different in life, and thank god because it would be so boring if we were all the same. 

Its okay to admit one is just impatient and wants to find out, just as it is OK one wanting to find out as a first time mum or if its their 5th baby! But I wont lie I get so excited when people tell me they're having a surprise as I know the moments ahead for them that may be similar to our first few seconds of welcoming your unknown gender new born baby into the world.

Regardless whether you find out or not, the moment you give birth is a moment you won't ever forget, but one part in particular that will always stand out for me was the moment between my husband and I, a moment I will keep forever; as soon as Harry came out of the water Chris instantly saw he was boy, it was moment he gasped out to me ''its a boy!'' full of emotion, happiness, relief and the special surprise that NO ONE else knew before us two. It was a intimate moment, a closeness between us as husband and wife that no one else was a part of. It was like knowing you was going to be getting this gift, that you had always wanted, you had waited for 9 whole months, wondering pink or blue but then having it both at the same time; the baby and the moment of finding out if it was boy or girl and it is exactly that moment we want to relive all over again.

You don't get many surprises in life so go with your heart, and not what you may feel others or society push you into!

Pregnancy is a beautiful journey so enjoy it how you want to remember it

Love the happy balance mum x

BEAUTY QUEENS - MY LIFE SAVER - HERO PRODUCT!!!

Hey!

Welcome to my blog - This weeks is one where I am going to share one of my absolute every day make up hero products. It is perfect for mummies on the go, make up artists (Coverage is FLAWLESS!), the busy working woman and basically any one who is looking for a great make up purchase that actually delivers; because lets face it I think we have all had a time in our life where we have wasted money on products that simply just didn't meet our expectations.

SOOOO on that note.... it is the pure pressed powder from the jane iredale skin care make up range and it is amaaaaazing for coverage.

It is like no ordinary powder like on the high street; and here's why

• It's a skincare make up - a skin care make up you wonder? Yep a make up range that actually exists to give you ultimate coverage but to treat & protect your skin whilst you wear it. 

• So clean and pure a therapist can apply straight after beauty treatments as it actually enhances the results from your facial treatment or if having treatments such as waxing, the powder has great anti inflammatory benefits as it is full of 100% natural ingredients.

• My skin can function and breathe as it would with out make up; BUT I get the luxury of looking younger, brighter and achieve a beautiful even finish to the skin. Hey GIRL we all want to look like that right?

• It is also a 4 in 1 product, a concealer, foundation, powder and SPF in just one simple but effective product so ideal for people like me (a busy mummy on the go!) who don't have much time but always trying to look presentable, its quick and soooo easy to apply!

To buy Jane Iredale Mineral Make Up go online to - https://www.janeiredale.co.uk

The Coverage - Moderate to Full

The Finish - Semi Matte

Here I am wearing with my beautiful little firecracker of a toddler.

Follow me on Instagram - @thehappybalancemum to see me wearing this product in all of my photos! 

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TEETHING PROBLEMS SOLVED!

Hey everyone!!

Thank you for taking the time to view my latest blog which is ''Teething problems solved'' - As some of you know who follow me regularly I am now in my second trimester with baby number 2 and although I am excited at looking at nursery interior and decorations the reality is until I have finished for work I simply don't have the time to decorate yet! 

Anyway, but what I have had time to think about is what I will definitely be using with my second baby! (another blog more to follow on this one) Me and Hubby were talking the other night about items we used, didn't use so much and what was a definite YES of stuff tha we had great successes from with Harry which leads me onto what was a god send for us for our teething solutions.

For anyone that hasn't tried these 2 life savers yet and struggling to keep their littles ones content, I would definitely encourage you to give them ago, I was so open minded as a first time mum and would be open to lots of advice and still am now, I love all you fellow mummy bloggers/followers.

AMBER TEETHING BRACELET

I know there is so many myths around this product, and does it really work, how does it work, the science it behind, etc the questions and comments are literally endless but do you know what for the sake of £12 just give it a go - Do let not peoples negativity put you off!

I purchased Harrys amber bracelet from the below website;

https://www.amberpumpkin.com/childrens-amber-health-bracelets.html

and I think back then (he is now 2 for those of you who don't know) they had an offer of Buy 2 for £12.00. 

So what you need to do:

• Measure your little ones ankle, I never put the bracelet on Harrys neck or wrist it was always worn on his ankle.

• Once you have this measurement, enough room to not be uncomfortable but not too loose to ensure its safe. Ensure this is for your first bracelet, if the offer is still valid then for your next bracelet I actually ordered the next measurement up as I really wasn't sure how quick he'd grow.

• We put this on Harry's ankle from around 6 months old, and he wore it till he was well over 1 years old - He didn't actually end up cutting his first tooth till his first birthday but we definitely had the red gums, the tears and also the dribble before putting this on his ankle so we knew he was suffering bless him.

TOP TIP - Put the bracelet on around age 6-7 months, even earlier if you can because by the time Harry got older, never once did he try and take this off and I think this was because he became used to it being on there. It was often covered either by socks or a baby grow so wasn't ever a risk of being unsafe.

TOP TIP 2 - Try and ensure you are buy-ing real amber. Cheaper alternatives, or middle man websites may not have the same effect. 

I cant tell you how this worked, or why but I can honestly say hand on heart it definitely had an effect, our son slept better, and would be completely different if we took it off. I did have a fair few comments from family members and a few *eye rolls* because they wasn't ''believers'' - Did we care? Did we heck! We WILL 100% be purchasing again ready for Baby number 2!

Here is harry wearing one in the photo...

ANBESOL LIQUID 

Second life saver was definitely this beauty we purchased through our local chemist, the bonjela's just don't touch the sides, they slip off the gum and just wasn't not effective for us. This was an instant relief, and you are able to tip on your finger and rub along all over the gums. It costs roughly between £4-£7 and it was an absolute life saver, I would NEVER leave home with out it!

TOP TIP - I actually recently was talking about this product to another fellow mummy and told her we would also rub along our little ones gum's before dinner time and found he could eat a lot better and easier too. 

If you don't know much about the product have a little look online, or ask your local chemist. But it is recommended for teething, ulcers etc so very very effective!

Other than that, of course you cant forget your Sophie the Giraffe for them to munch on for distraction but I cant say the frozen teethers had much effective for our little one, however every individual is completely different. 

Hopefully your little ones will have achieve the comfort from the above 2 products that my little one did.   

Love the happy balance mum xx

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The Game Changer For Hair

With beauty being my back ground for the last however many years it was only time aside from mummy stuff that I was of course as promised going to be featuring some of my top products and recommendations on my blog for you ladies, and that I have to admit I am feeling a new woman since having Olaplex recently re done yippeee. I am still amazed a year on from finding this product of the results that it delivers - I just had to share with you ladies the magic it has made to my hair...

My hairdresser first told me about OLAPLEX last year, back when it was fairly new to the UK. Vicky has been doing my hair for 5 years now so I genuinely trust all her recommendations and I have to admit with this one I did have a little hesitation as all these hair reviving products ''claim'' to make a difference, buuuut I went with her advice and wow was I amazed by the results!!!

Olaplex is an in salon treatment done with your stylist that offers real results using real science. It is a patent formula for professional use only and applied by either mixing with your colour tint (as I have) or having a treatment done alone. 

The bottles explained: No.1 mixed in with your colour, No.2 is then applied to your hair at the basin and I believe left for 10 minutes and No.3 is an optional at home treatment which I am yet to try as I am just so happy from the salon results alone! (and not forgetting that I just simply don't have time to use at home with my toddler staring into the shower - I have always promised to be honest!!!)

 Olaplex transforms by working within the cuticle to repair the damage rather than sitting on the cuticle which is usually the case with high street brands, leaving your hair feeling heavy, greasy and that awful waxy feeling - No woman wants that! 

How do you know you need it?

Frizzy hair line?

Dry hair?

Dull looking hair?

Damaged hair from over colouring?

Bonds need rebuilding?

It transforms all of the above

How long do you feel the results for?

I generally have mine re done every 3-6 months & begin to know I am due my next lot

Cost?

I presume every salon charges differently but I pay my salon £10 for the treatment when having with my colour, or its £25 alone.

My hair was definitely in need as I have naturally frizzy dry hair, and I have found even more so in both my pregnancies no matter what supplements I am taking my hair really suffers with looking dull, not a good look when I am feeling bloated, sick and all else that comes with hormones!

The complete transformation it achieves for a healthier glossier finish really is the game changer. My hair feels so lightweight and bouncy! I highly recommend ladies, go and have the treatment done so you mummies can feel a little more like you again!

You won't be disappointed. 

Mentions to

Salon -  Savi Hairdressing

Peterborough

Product - Olaplex 

https://olaplex.com

Holidays with little ones? THE TRUTH!

So sadly as we come to close our summer holidays for this year I thought I would put together my thoughts and tips for travelling with young ones. This year we traveled to Port Des Torrent in Ibiza and Paphos in Cyprus. Before Chris and I had Harry we often got guide to new parent comments "Get your sleep in'', "Have all your holidays before baby arrives. they aren't the same once you have children" blah blah the list goes on and to be honest we actually found it fairly doom and gloom, and as much as they felt they were giving us the heads up, and some statements were true, the reality was they were all bloody negative!!! We were about to become parents for the first time, this was such an exciting time for us. As we loved our holidays before we started our family we thought to ourselves is it really that bad to travel with a young child?

The bits that put you off;

You carry a lot of stuff, and I mean a lot! If your anything like me, I carried everything from a sterilising kit to a month's supply of nappies, and what felt like a shop full of Harry's favourite snacks!

BUT DID YOU  KNOW? 

If your booking with Thompson / First choice they give you the option now to include a baby pack as a part of your holiday! It includes everything from a UV tent, bottle warmers to a buggy!! You can feel relaxed and at ease it'll all be waiting at your destination - For more details I have attached a link for you mummies to go and view

http://www.firstchoice.co.uk/holiday/info/baby-packs

and for snacks you can do your order online with Boots, and collect in store at the airport as long as its done 10 days before your due to fly, you can include calpol, milk powders and all the foods currently in stock! 

Plane journies are definitely more uncomfortable, say goodbye to tuning into your favorite album on iTunes or the best selling book in WHSmith. Instead you may have a baby (Harry at 7 months to tenerife!) who will no doubt want to to be walked up and down the flight having a nosey and in return have everyone coo, coo-ing, of how cute and giggly they are, well make the most of them nice people because they are your small babies entertainment! So to give your arm a rest, take it in turns with your partner/husband and remember short haul flights where possible! Our most recent flight our son was a bit older (22 months) and it was much easier entertainment wise and my top 3 tips to flying with a toddler are;

No.1: Take a trip to Poundland! Yep keep costs down, and fill that bag till it's bursting at the seams of NEW, SHINY FUN toys that your little one has never seen. We got a hammer and screw driver set, a yoyo, a truck, and a paw patrol maganoodle. It was like Christmas for our son when we got the bag out on the plane and I can honestly say he played till his little heart was content and when he was finished playing he then showed all those around us (luckily, they all had children too!) happy days 2 hours down, just another half hour to go!

No.2: Give in and take the iPad, we took our iPad for the first ever time on holiday and to be honest my son is not into the iPad at home at all but what he IS into and massively obsessed with is Disney channels Mickey Mouse Club house! He loves it, and at only 20 minutes an episode they were fairly quick to download too.

What you need to do is; Download the Disney Live app. It's free to do so, and you have access to e v e r y channel going  as well as Disney movies! It's FREE for the first 7 days as a trial, and from there onwards it's £4.99 per month. SO if your child like mine isn't iPad savy, but you know he or she likes a good old cartoon, download and bring with! You have nothing to loose as you can cancel once you get home!

No.3: Buy extra leg room, it is honestly worth the money. You are going to have bags of spare clothes, toys, food, your own stuff and your toddlers fave teddy bears! Be aware if booking in peak season these are bound to be sold out if your booking last minute, however if your going out of season airports will often sell at Buy One Extra Leg Room seat, and Get One Free! This happened to us for our holiday last year and we were travelling in march, we were miffed to say the least.. More money for duty free perfume I was thinking!

And if your wondering will other families be in extra leg room? YES, lots of them. We actually had a couple sat in front of us on our recent flight moaning and grunting "Great I didn't realise there would be so many families in this section" how presumptuous of him eh? I bet he was first at the all inclusive bar when he arrived; I did chuckle to myself.

Hanging around causes more aggro; 

You have survived the plane you were dreading horay! Book a private cab and beat the check in ques, we booked our private transfers before leaving with a trusted transfer company, please message me if travelling to Cyprus or Spain and I can send details of who we used. Great prices and they also provided a infant car seat so we are at peace our baby would be safe.

THE GOOD!

You have arrived, your checked in to your hotel, you've reached your room, un packed (well kind of) and ready for the week ahead.

Maids tidying up all week? EH HELLO! 

Escaping the house work for a full week - Achieved!

Unlimited & variety of food available! (if going all inc)

Fussy Eaters - Who cares if it goes on the floor?

Your not cooking it!!!

The weather 

Everything is so much better in the sun!

Mummies feeling un sexy, pale, & dark bags under our eyes - HELLO SUN TAN!

Family entertainment 

Sick of the constant kids channel on the TV at home?

If choosing a holiday village, the entertainment team will be your little ones BEST FRIENDS for the next 7 days!!

& Finally those

price less moments

The airport was crazy busy, you stressed, you almost cried, the plane journey was tiring (deep breathes) but I promise you it will be all worth it once arrived. Us mummies all know how quickly time flies, our little ones are NOT going to be this small forever, so if your feeling unsure whether to book but you want to capture those moments of splashing in the pool, them dancing to the 'holiday song', meeting their own little holiday friends do not let others or your anxiety put you off! I have loved the holidays we have had with Harry, of course our holidays are now different, we are sharing them with our little mini me, they aren't full of cocktails and late nights, instead their full of day time giggles, strolls along the beach, sweaty sticky toddler cuddles but I look at other families whilst on holiday who have older children and my heart stops for a moment to think oh my god, one day that will be our little boy. As a mum who travel's my advise would be carry on cherishing those moments as a family at every opportunity whether that be on holidays abroad, UK holidays, long weekends away,  quite frankly who cares where because time as a family is of course all that matters.

Love the happy balance mum x

TOP 10 TIPS FOR POTTY TRAINING

Welcome mummies... and daddies to my latest blog!

Harry has been dry in the day time for almost 6 weeks! yay. He turned 2 last month and i was really preparing myself for the weeks/months ahead potty training a boy as I had a read they could be harder than girls.

Well, 6 weeks on and 3 weeks no accidents here are my top 10 tips to potty training.

NO.1 - DONT EXPECT IT TO HAPPEN OVER NIGHT

Chris and I had left Harry's potty around since he was 18 months old, literally left it in the living room for him to engage and look to see what is was and what to do with it. We of course would refer to it as a wee wee and poo poo and name is ''Harry's Potty''

NO. 2 - KEEP THE NAPPY OFF

At home the whole process of Harry's early day's of potty training we kept his nappy off, yes he would have accidents, and yes we were prepared with lots of kitchen roll and carpet cleaner but the biggest goal we are trying to achieve in potty training is Harry understanding when it is on the way out, yep, wee and poo poo! Sooo by keeping them nappy free, he soon started to learn it HAS to go somewhere!

No. 3 - ACCCIDENTS ARE OK!

Keep it fun, and as stress free for all parties involved, you daddy and toddler! If they have an accident, its a ohhhh dear, oopps a daisy, this was meant to be for the potty, we would always still say oohhh quickly harry on the potty even if he was mid way through! 

NO. 4 - PRAISE AND LOTS OF IT!

We actually never got to the point of sticker charts, or treats but we did do a whole of Whoops, YAYs, Cuddles in the air (mainly daddy!) and Claps! Harry absolutely thrived from it and it was soon a hobbie to be on and off the potty! Horay no more carpet accidents!

NO. 5 - ENGAGE WITH TEDDY BEARS

Early on we would often say birthday bear (Harrys fave bear) is off for the toilet and would pop him on the potty, we often now catch him putting him back on there and wiping his bottom - very cute indeed!

No.6 - DO NOT BUY PANTS UNTIL FREQUENTLY USING POTTY

Pants to a toddler who's learning are still a cover up! I.e. They won't know in the beginning the difference between a nappy or pants and you will end up with lots of wet clothes. Hand on heart Harry has had I would say 5 accidents in total since being in pants, and I truly believe it was because we didn't rush into pants so early on. 

No.7 - THEME YOUR PANTS!

Once confident you feel your little one is on and off the potty, go for it with pants! Its such an exciting time, and lots of oh wow your in your big boy pants now. Harry's was Paw Patrol and at every given time he couldnt wait to show me what pup was on the front! 

No.8 - ONCE THE PANTS ARE ON, NO NAPPIES!

DO NOT be tempted to put the nappy on after an accident, you are basically un doing all that you have been working for these past few days/week! It can become a frustrating time, but hang in there. Don't be out for too long away from a home/toilet, start out with an hour or so from the house, and build up. Explain if there has been an accident, ohh silly billy bladder, and pop a clean fresh pair of pants on! 

No. 9 - ACCEPT IF ACCIDENTS KEEP HAPPENING, THEY ARE NOT READY

I honestly hand on heart said to my husband, do you know i think we should just bite the bullet and go for it, Harry has been so frequent on the potty, lets go get some pants and see what happens, If he isnt ready, we will soon know! So don't feel you have to battle if you keep having frequent accidents, leave it and start back a month or so later. 

Come on mummies, we have enough washing to do as it is right?!

No.10 - GIVE YOURSELF A PAT ON THE BACK

Yep thats right, you have just completed one of the challenges parenthood throws at you, go and buy yourself your favorite bottle of wine!

Another journey I'm a part of

Hey!

Welcome to my first ever blog post; I recently joined instagram after much deliberation over the years; do I have time for yet another social media site, will it be another what feels like a social media addiction (let’s not lie!) anyways nevertheless I finally set my page up and here I am putting together my very own blog… and there was me questioning whether I had time for this sort of thing right?! But what really caught my attention was something so different to other social media sites and it was of course; seeing all these lovely mummy pages, blogs and YouTube videos of women doing what we do best; chat, moan, question, seeking support about being the best mum! Through the bad days and the good…. We really are ALL good Mums!

Work and actually life in general to be honest before my 2 year old son Harry was born has always been and is still very much woman orientated for me & my line of work, the last 5 years in particular has been very much about changing people’s live’s through amazing results for their skin. I cannot begin to explain the transformation in ones confidence that I have witnessed and been a part of, it is just amazing and extremely fulfilling. I have always had such a great feeling towards positivity, encouragement and empowering other woman, I find it truly inspiring – So I couldn't wait to be a part of the blogging world with all those who are also on one of life’s most challenging but equally amazing journies that is.. motherhood. 💛

I have a great passion for my career, and I won't lie since going back to work I now feel I spend most of my time ensuring I get the "happy balance" in being work Laura, wife Laura and mummy Laura. Working hard for my career was always something I knew I wasn't going to give up easily, it is all I have known for the past 10 years equally I was so ready to become a mum, and why can't we have the best of both worlds? I won't deny the worry of first leaving your baby, or the guilt you may feel in the beginning, or even questioning are we doing the right thing? I have been through all those emotion's, and still facing new ones everyday now, but I am so so excited to be a part of the mummy world of blogging and sharing with you my every day tips and advice and of course for me to continue to read the blogs of many others!

Love finding the happy balance mum x