Megan Taylor

HOW TO FIND YOUR DREAM FAMILY HOME

I am so excited that todays blog post is in collaboration with Berkeley Group. As you know I am a huge fan of everything homes. I love renovating, decorating and obsessing over every aspect of homes. I’ve stopped buying Vogue and started buying Ideal Home, Homes & Gardens and even Homebuilding & Renovating magazine! When I got the call inviting me to visit Berkeley Group’s latest development down the road from me in Cranleigh, Surrey I squealed with delight. Did you know Cranleigh is Britain’s largest village? (I didn’t until a cute sign told me so when entering the village). It’s a forty minute drive from Gatwick Airport with easy access to London and the south coast. I know Cranleigh fairly well as my husbands family are from near there, my brother went to college in the next big town along, Guildford, and most importantly (in my opinion) it’s down the road from Bramley where my husband and I got married.

(This is us outside of the Leighwood Fields house that we visited)

The development we went to visit is called Leighwood Fields and is a beautiful location filled with 2, 3, 4 and 5 bedroom houses. Houses (prices) start from £675,000 for a four bedroom house. All of which you can walk to the village high street from. I went along with my mummy-head on to see how suitable the development and area are for a young family. We viewed the three story, four bedroom town house that boasted a lovely sunny garden and huge garage. Have a look at our little video on my Instagram page here. We showed Albie around it and as you can see in the video he loved it. The beaming grin on his face shows that it had his seal of approval. We had to prise away the cuddly toys from the kids bedroom before we left.

Below are my five top tips for things to look for when choosing your family home (well…any home really, but you may see a little family approach on some of the tips). Finding a home is tricky, especially lately. Prices are high but houses also get snapped up seriously quickly so you really need to know what you want and to be ready and raring to go with your offer. Let’s take a look at these top five criteria to help you choose your dream location.

1.LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION

Location is key! Location requirements for everyone is always going to be a little bit different. If you are looking to start a family or have toddlers you should ideally start researching schools and catchment areas. We didn’t do that before moving and now we are frustratingly just outside of our dream school catchment area. Cranleigh is a great area with school catchments in mind with Cranleigh Nursery School and Cranleigh C of E Primary School nearby. My friend that lives in Cranleigh often takes her kids to Cranleigh Leisure Centre which is soon to be redeveloped into a state of the art centre.
Being close to your work is also going to be a key search criteria for you. Can you get a bus or train to town? Can you drive or walk to childcare on your way to work? For me personally I have to be close to my parents. I heavily rely on them for childcare when last minute jobs crop up and I can’t be travelling an hour away to them before a job. Luckily for me my parents have just moved back to Surrey from their stint in Wales.

2. STORAGE SPACE

Our last home which was a maisonette in Thames Ditton didn’t have a single cupboard. Not one! We had nowhere to store anything. We were blessed with a garage which we utilised to the maximum but on cleaning day we had to go and get the hoover from the garage, which in reality meant hoovering was rarely done. I can’t imagine our life at our old home with our toddler in tow. Babies come with a lot of “things”. I naively thought, well, they’re small how will they take up much space? Moses basket, cot, changing table, rocker, pram, high chair etc etc etc. These things take up space. Then you get to the stage when they start outgrowing things but you want to keep hold of it just incase you have another child. We are absolutely filled to the brim in the eaves cupboards in the loft, bouncers, playpens, ball pits, outgrown clothing, you name it, it’s up in my loft. I had a strong case of jealousy whilst looking around this house in Leighwoods Field. There were two under stairs cupboards!!!

3. ZONES

I often aspire to open plan living. The spaciousness and that light and airy feeling. Since having a baby I have realised that’s just not a viable way of living anymore. If you have experienced sleeplessness and fear of waking the baby then you definitely don’t want your living room or kitchen near their bedroom and doors are a fabulous thing to have to help shut out noise. You may have noticed that in my Instagram reel we spend a lot of our time playing hide and seek in the many ample cupboards in the Leighwood Fields house.
Also, along the same lines as the above storage possibilities, I really really really would love to have a playroom in my house…one day…although maybe not realistically until Albie is old enough to not need one anymore. For the time being I personally use large and attractive storage bags from H&M Home which match my decor really well.

4. RUN AROUND SPOTS

Having a good sized garden can be premium and not everyone will be blessed with one yet my oh my gardens are a blessing, especially with my child. One of Albie’s first words was “dig”. All day everyday he wants to be outside digging in the mud. I can’t wait until the Summer when I also want to be outside all day. The house we went to visit in Cranleigh had huge doors out of the living room where you could see the garden. I wish I could have that. I have to be outside with Albie is I want to see him as our back door opens to the side. If you haven’t got a garden it’s great if you can be close to playgrounds, parks and fields. Do you remember the days of playing curbie? My grandparents used to live in a very quiet road where we would all play curbie for hours on end. The Leighwood Fields development will on completion feature a village green and already has multiple natural play areas.

5. THINGS TO SEE AND DO

Since becoming a mummy I have walked more than I have ever walked. Especially in those first nine or so months. I would walk Albie in the pram for hours on end everyday to meet friends for a tea or to escape the building works we were having done at the time and most regularly to try and get my child to nap. If you can walk straight from your house to somewhere lovely that is a fabulous thing to be able to do. My parents used to live in Wales and when we went to visit their divine house we couldn’t just walk off somewhere with the pram, we had to fold up the pram and get Albie in the carseat with such a battle. Then drive off somewhere and offload the other end. It seems like a small thing but it didn’t feel like it at the time.
To have cafes, bars, pubs and restaurants in walking distance is such a dreamy thing. That being said, having a really friendly neighbourhood is also paramount. In Surrey we are surrounded by Royal Parks, Historic Royal Palaces, RHS and National Trust. It seems like every Surrey family I know has memberships to at least one of the above. A little extra tip is if you have a NT membership and are off on a long car journey make sure you pinpoint ahead of time where there are NT spots along the way. You can see gorgeous new sights, have a run around, stretch your legs and eat better food than you would at a service station.

I hope you’ve liked my top five tips. What do you look for in a dream property? Have you ever been to Cranleigh before? I’d definitely recommend swinging buy to view some houses then have a little coffee/cocktail at Surrey’s Gin & Tea Bar.

FEELING SHORT OF TIME

Sooo…it’s 2022 and last year I promised I would be back more often. Well, that didn’t happen did it. I can’t believe there was a time that I used to blog 3-4 times a week and not just chatty pieces of content. I would do a whole creative photo shoot and make things. WOW!! Mummy-hood definitely hit me hard haha. I knew being a mummy would be a lot of work and life wouldn’t be quite the same but I must admit I didn’t comprehend how very little time I would have. I now have to choose between having a shower, eating or catching up on sleep. That being said I am very happy and I do think I can see a change coming…

NEW PRIORITIES

My priorities have definitely shifted since having a baby. I used to be work, work out, sleep, work, work out, sleep repeat. Now I am sleep (I wish!), feed my baby, put my baby to sleep (try not to sleep myself), tidy up, feed my baby, put my baby to sleep (and then suddenly have insomnia and not actually sleep haha).
Work has definitely had to take a back seat. The last year and a half has taught me that I bloody LOVE working though!! I LOVE my work and I LOVE achieving things. Whether it’s acting, modelling or creating content I just love it all and although I have been lucky enough to dip my toes back into it with a job or two about once a month it’s just not enough for me. I’m hungry for more. I want to succeed and I definitely want to earn more money because there are things I want to do and a whole lot of things I want to buy!!

NEXT STEP

I have so many dreams of big things I want to achieve. You know that feeling when you’ve been on holiday and relaxed for a few days and then that creative and inspirational feeling hits you and you’re practically giddy to get back to reality. Just me? It’s a fabulous feeling and I have that right now. It has been pent up inside me for nineteen months (more in reality if you include my pregnancy which was struck by a Covid lockdown and twenty plus weeks of morning sickness!).

WHERE TO START?

I am so overwhelmed with lists of things I want to achieve but to be honest I’m not sure where to start. I think I need to life coach myself back to reality or maybe read The Secret again, I always found that book quite inspiring.

Are you feeling inspired or is Blue Monday a thing for you today?

THE NAP DIARIES

Hi, long time no chat. I have missed blogging so much, but since becoming a mummy to a human baby sixteen months ago, not since becoming a mummy to my doggy Coco. I simply have not had time to think…or sleep or shower to be honest. I know not many people read blogs anymore but I personally love a little blog read when I have a moment. Quicker than reading a book (which I definitely don’t have time for at the moment) and a lot less stressful that reading the latest fake news on Twitter. Well, I am back! I know my audience may be smaller than before due to both my absence and general blog popularity but I love writing and want to share some things on this page for those that fancy reading.

SOMETHING NEW

Something I am going to start is a bit of “NAP DIARIES”. I love love love sharing mummy stories on my Instagram Stories but wanted something a little bit more permanent on my own space on the internet.
I am going to be sharing my mummy musings. I have shared my general Megan’s Musings over here. Yet, I am now going to be sharing my Mummy Musings in the form of Nap Diaries. Re-reading this kind of sounds like two brand names. Mummy Musings & Nap Diaries. Clearly I haven’t a clue what I’m doing haha.

WHAT AM I ON ABOUT?

Basically… I am going to share mummy hacks, mummy moments, things I’ve learnt, things I recommend and general shouts for help. It will be a rough guide to mummy-ing and a little hub for you to read when you too think you have no idea what’s going on. I don’t know about you but I personally feel like I’ve “hacked” this mummy life for three minutes and then boom…something happens and I realise it’s a complete rollercoaster of emotions.

…”BUT WAIT…WHAT ABOUT THE OLD STUFF?”

Don’t worry, this isn’t about to become a solely mummy blog. I am just going to add some mummy things for those moments when I need a little outlet.

How have you been?
I hope to see you along for the ride.

RASPBERRY AMARETTI RECIPE

These amaretti biscuits are absolutely divine. I have adapted them from this recipe by Nadiya Hussain where she uses fresh raspberries. My adaptation doesn’t use fresh raspberries and are half the size but still soft but super chewy with a slight crunch to the outside.

These are the freeze dried raspberries I keep reordering from Amazon which I’m loving. Apologies for my rather substandard photos but I seem to bake these at night time and have never had good light for a decent photoshoot.

INGREDIENTS

4 medium egg whites
340g caster sugar
340g ground almonds
18g tubes of freeze-dried raspberries
1 tsp almond extract
Icing sugar

RECIPE

•Preheat your oven to 160º and line two baking trays with baking paper.

•Whisk your egg whites until they are firm. I find that if you can touch the egg whites and they don’t come off on your fingers then they are ready.

•Gently fold in the sugar using a spatula.

• Then fold in the almonds and crushed up freeze dried raspberries.

• Then add your almond extract and mix until you have a paste.

•Use a weighing scale to measure your dough into 20g balls.

•Fill a bowl with icing sugar and then roll each ball in the sugar until they are looking like lovely little snowballs.

•Spread the balls out evenly across your baking trays. They do spread a little bit.

•Bake for approximately 14 minutes. I like to switch the trays from the top and bottom shelf half way through.

An adaptation that I have been loving is lemon amaretti. For these I use the zest of two lemons instead of the freeze dried raspberries.

Please do let me know if you make them and send me photos on Instagram @megantaylorlondon .
I am sure you will adore them as much as my family and I do. …they also taste incredible when warm with a scoop of posh vanilla ice cream on the side x

DOES HYPNOBIRTHING WORK?

Let’s start by saying I am a rather cynical person. I struggle to meditate and during a yoga class I am less mmmm and more hmmm with what’s for dinner that night! That being said I was definitely up for trying out hypnobirthing. Anything to make labour seem less daunting! I am also lucky enough to have two friends that are doulas and hypnobirthing teachers! Both of which teach a different course from one another. One being the KGH course and the other the The Wise Hippo course. After taking both classes I can say they are quite different from each other, although of course both teaching you the same thing but in different ways if you get what I mean 😉. My classes were both on Zoom because of it being at the height of lockdown. I actually preferred this because it meant my mum who lives in Wales was able to take part in some of the classes as well. I strongly recommend that whoever you intend on having at your birth should take part in these classes.

GET IN CONTACT
Louise Oliver – The Peaceful Doula
Laura Stocks – Birth Mother Me

WHAT IS HYPNOBIRTHING?

The word hypnobirthing signified to me that it was going to be some sort of hippy-trippy kind of class where you sit around in a circle humming. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Hypnobirthing is in actual fact an amazing opportunity to teach you everything you want to and most importantly NEED to know before your labour. The NHS are incredible and my midwifery experience (even during the covid era) was amazing. I always felt like they had plenty of time for me in my appointments and never felt rushed. They welcomed questions but the problem was that I didn’t really know what to ask. My hypnobirthing classes taught me so much and more. After your course you will feel like you could be a midwife with all your newly learnt knowledge. In reality of course you don’t know even a smidge of what they know of course hehe.
Another part of the hypnobirthing course is how to centre yourself and how to in essence chill out during a rather insane experience. The ways you can do this are through breathing exercises which I still use 4 months later to help me drift off to sleep after a long night feed. There are also mantras to learn and listen to. These didn’t work as well for me personally, yet one of my friends favoured the mantras over the breathing.

HYPNOBIRTHING FROM THE MANS POINT OF VIEW

I asked Liam (my hubby) how he found the whole hypnobirthing course experience and this was his response, “I found the whole hypnobirthing course incredibly empowering. It made me feel more involved and gave me a greater insight into the role I can play as the partner. It made me realise how important the birth partner is and how to be helpful when you could otherwise feel like you’re on the fringe. I learnt how to advocate for my wife so that she could feel calm during the birthing experience. It really helped me feel prepared for the whole experience and like I could call the shots a little bit with what Megan and I wanted. Unlike most other things you read on the internet you can learn more in depth about breastfeeding, meconium, colostrum harvesting and everything postpartum. It taught us a lot about beyond the birth which is when you really need help and could otherwise feel alone”.

DOES IT WORK?

In one word YES. In more words…continue reading. I was sceptical that there was any point in doing hypnobirthing classes. Yet, since taking the course I tell everyone I know to take part in a course! I would have been a nervous wreck if I hadn’t taken these classes. Everything about my birth was different from how I had hoped and planned.
I had planned for a home birth- cancelled.
I wanted my mum with me- cancelled.
I didn’t want to be induced- cancelled.
I didn’t want any pain meds- cancelled.
So much about my birth was more dramatic than I had wanted yet with a clear, calm and knowledgable mind that I had learnt through hypnobirthing classes I took it all in my stride. Hypnobirthing teaches you everything you need to know. Without hypnobirthing it would be like one of those nightmares where you walk into an exam without having done any revision or been to any classes. I knew when I could say no, I knew what pain relief options there were, I knew when to and when not to accept a vaginal examination, I knew when you were being pushed into an induction and when you should accept one. I knew the difference between the many stages of induction and what was really amazing was that in one of my hypnobirthing classes we were taught how to create a birth plan with absolutely everything you wanted for both a home birth and a hospital birth.

Feel free to message me in the comments below or privately on Instagram @megantaylorlondon if you want to ask me any more in depth questions. Wishing you a happy, stress free birth.

Would you consider a hypnobirthing course?

HOW TO STENCIL CONCRETE

When we moved into our house last year we had big plans for our garden. When I say big plans, I mean expensive plans and we simply did not realise quite how expensive. We wanted to replace all of the fences, extend our kitchen to have big opening doors onto a new patio, we wanted to remove about 10 huge trees to gain a whole lot of our garden and most expensive, we wanted to buy a gorgeous garden office/storage shed for the end of the garden. Fast forward 12 months and none of that has happened but I am still over the moon with our cheaper make do version.

The first step was to make over the awful eye sore that was a bit of dirty cracked concrete that we stored our bikes on “temporarily” under a bit of tarpaulin. We bought a 4×6 shed to put at the foot of our garden (which Liam has to learn to lay concrete for). I think on another post I will go into the rest of the garden, including our gorgeous new fence that we put up ourselves! Once the bikes were removed a nasty area of concrete was unearthed. Yet, a gorgeous sun trap was in my mind so I set out to make it over during lockdown with a couple of pots of paint and a stencil.

HOW MUCH I SPENT

£100!!

WHAT I USED

White paint £24
Black doorstep paint £10
Roller £8
Paint brush £8
Patio sealant £18
Kitchen roll £2
Stencil £30

STEP 1

First and foremost, check the weather forecast. Make sure you have a few dry days ahead of you. Brush all the dirt and grit away so that you don’t get lumps of things stuck in your brush.

I probably should have washed the concrete down first but I got over excited and couldn’t bare having to wait for it to then dry.

STEP 2

Use a paint brush to paint the edges of the area. Then use a roller to paint over the concrete. I ended up doing three coats of paint, thinly each time.

STEP 3

If you have a lot of holes and cracks in your concrete like I did you can use a paint brush filled with your base colour and dollop it into the holes and cracks. I did this in the minor cracks but left the large ones because I thought it gave a nice character to the rustic vibe I was going for. Then leave to completely dry. It will probably be the end of the day now, so wait until tomorrow so that everything is completely dry.

STEP 4

Get your stencil and analyse the space you have and work out which way you want your stencil to be orientated. I just went gung-ho into it and didn’t really consider where I wanted it to start and finish and was just lucky that it all worked out.

STEP 5

Decide on what you want to use to paint your stencil. I used a sponge to give a nice uneven look. You could use one of those dappled brushes or a roller to lay it on with more thickness and perfection.

STEP 6

My top tip is less is more when it comes to the painting of your stencil. Sadly when I bought mine you could only get one in a pack. They have now amazingly changed it to 2 in a pack which is super handy. You could either half the time it takes you by having someone else help you or save on stencil drying time. When I first started I used too much paint and didn’t clean my stencil so I just had bleeding paint everywhere.

The way I used it in the end is to dab a tiny bit of paint on my sponge (wear painting gloves to save on mess on your hands) and dab it over the stencil. Then after that I would lay it upside down on a big piece of card from the rubbish bin and use a piece of kitchen roll to rub off all the paint that had bled to the underneath of my stencil. This meant each stencilling looked a little cleaner.

STEP 7

After you have finished stencilling and admired your work you can decide on wether or not to add sealant. Mine is now 12 weeks old and not budged at all. My idea was for it to rub away a little for a used effect before sealing it but it seems that my paint was pretty awesome…oh, and also it hasn’t yet been winter. Before the end of the summer I am going to wash the patio and pour on my sealant to save me having to repaint it next year.

What do you all think? I’m personally so happy with it. It has completely renovated the serious dire looking spot of concrete and all for under £100. Initially we were thinking of putting decking out over the area which would have cost a lot of money in materials and labour so this has been such a wonderful, fairly cheap, lockdown project. If you do it too make sure you tag me in any photos so I can see your works of art @megantaylorlondon

WHAT HAPPENS DURING YOUR THIRD TRIMESTER

Welcome back for the third instalment of my “What Happens During…” series. My first trimester instalment is over here and my second here. The wait for your baby is nearly (sort of) over. Everything is getting serious, real, draining and seriously exciting too and if you are reading this right now (August 2020) in your third trimester you are probably quite hot and uncomfortable. I am here to share some of the things I went through in my third trimester which may be of some help to you.

GROWTH SCANS

I was booked in for growth scans which meant that I was given two extra scans. At first I was worried as I was given this because of a minor issue I had but actually it was a blessing. I loved being able to see my baby on the screen for an extra couple of times. It felt reassuring and exciting too.

HYPNOBIRTHING

I am just mid writing a blog post on what hypnobirthing is and if it worked for me after doing a lot of classes of practice. In brief though I would say you should 110% do some hypnobirthing classes with your birth partner. You learn so much about the birth process itself which you don’t learn from your midwife appointments.

BIRTH PLAN

During my hypnobirthing classes I was taught about birth plans, how to write them and what to include. Liam and I had initially planned a homebirth so wrote our birth plan accordingly. I would suggest if you’re doing the same to add in your hospital plans as well such as what drugs you’re interested in, if you’re happy with a student nurse etc. Maybe I should write up a blog post on how to write one?

KICKS OR THUMPS

Oh goodness, the kicking and thumping gets quite aggressive at times. One night he was kicking so much that I actually felt suffocated for my baby and thought he needed to get out so googled info on excessive kicking! Turns out I needn’t have worried. There was one day where I didn’t feel any movement and that is when you should ask for help. I did ring triage when this happened and was called in for monitoring. It turns out that my bay had moved to behind my placenta which in turn dulled any baby movements I was getting. It is always best to ring in if you have any worries, they’re always lovely and helpful on the phone.

Week 36, when my baby was the size of a watermelon

EXERCISE OR LACK OF

You might be slowing down on your amount of exercise soon but it’s really important to keep moving. I was going for a walk every night with my hubby and dog for about an hour. I believe 20 minutes a day is recommended. I also went for long bike rides up until my 37th week. A lot of people told me I was being too risky but as it was the beginning of lockdown and there were so few people on the road I actually felt incredibly safe. If it weren’t lockdown I think I would have tried to go swimming a lot. I am so pleased I worked out a lot before birth because I am now seven weeks postpartum and not yet signed off to start exercising again but only just starting to feel sluggish and like I need to get back out there.

SLEEP AND WEEING

So many people say, “get your sleep in now before your baby arrives”, well, let me tell you now…sleep in your third trimester isn’t too fabulous! You will have your baby jumping around on your bladder so you will likely be waking up for a wee a fair few times during the nights sleep. Also, however much sleep you “clock up during your third trimester”, you aren’t necessarily going to feel super rested from when your baby arrives and you’re only getting 1 hours sleep a night! Just do your best and enjoy the fact your adorable baby will be in your arms soon.

TRICKY JOBS

Don’t be too freaked out by this but perineal massaging and colostrum harvesting are something you may want to read up on. Colostrum harvesting is basically getting some special golden pre-milk out of your boobs by hand expressing. It is known as liquid gold as the nutritional value of it is fantastic for your baby. Watch some videos online and ask your midwife for some advice on it and ask for them to give you some pipettes. You shouldn’t start trying to harvest until I believe 37 weeks as it can sometimes initiate your labour! I personally didn’t have any luck with harvesting pre labour but on the day of the birth of my son I managed to harvest right away before I managed to get him to latch on to breast feed. Perineal massage…well, this is something you may want to google for yourself ;).

To sign off I’d like to say, good luck for your delivery and thank you so much for reading. I’ve heard a lot about the illusive “fourth trimester”, so, who knows, I may be back sooner than you think with my thoughts on that time.

WHAT TO DO AT HOME THIS SUMMER IN LOCKDOWN

The lockdown restrictions are loosening here in the UK yet we are still mostly locked down in an environment we aren’t used to during the summer holidays. It’s also not easy to go on holiday at the moment and we aren’t likely to be jetting off to Santorini for a week. Last year I couldn’t afford to go on holiday because we bought a house. This meant we had to create our own “holiday vibes” to give the illusion we were holiday-ing. These are my five ways that I make myself feel like I’m in Greece and not Surrey…however lovely Surrey may be.

1. DRESS FOR THE OCCASION

I find that when I’m on holiday I make so much more effort in to what I wear. I put on a cute dress, jewellery and shoes that aren’t pumps! Why not make this effort at home, at least in the evening? After a long day of work or hanging out in the garden, have a shower, do your hair, pop on your prettiest gold jewellery and Summer dress and feel fab-u-lous. How divine is my new from DAISY LONDON (AD-PR gift). I got it about 2 months ago and haven’t stopped wearing it. It glistens in the sunshine and looks incredible on sun kissed skin. One day I will wear it at the beach bar but for now it will have to be worn with an Aperol in hand on my patio.

2. TAKE SOME TIME OFF

If you haven’t been made to take all of your holiday over this strange ol’ period of time then why don’t you book a week off work even though you’re at home? Get your partner or closest friend of parent or sibling to take the same week off and spend it doing anything but work. Book a cleaner for a couple of hours in the middle of the week to pretend that room service has been. Plan some day trips if you would on a normal holiday or just hang out in the garden or at the park and get a small kids paddling pool to pretend your sunning yourself by the pool.

3. PLANNED DATE NIGHTS

If you can’t take a week off work then book in some date nights over the summer period. This way you will have some exciting moments to look forward to. You can get dressed up as I mentioned in point one and go somewhere that is a treat. If you can’t get into a restaurant or aren’t ready to visit one yet, pack up a picnic or get a take away and eat it in the park or by the river.

WHAT TO DO AT HOME THIS SUMMER IN LOCKDOWN | Megan Taylor

(These pictures are taken outside of Number 97 in Maple Road, Surbiton).

4. TAKE A TRIP

You may not feel comfortable jetting off on a plane right now, I definitely don’t but why not book a staycation trip? Getting away from your home environment can really help you shut off your brain from things you “have to do” such as the cleaning or having visitors pop over or having your work laptop pinging away 24/7. There are so many stunning places in the UK with beaches, mountains, cities and cute shops…don’t forget your mask! We plan on going to my parents house in Wales at some point and not taking any work with us so we can be more “party present” and shut off to the stresses that you can have when at home.

5. GO FOR AN EVENING WALK

Every evening of the year I do go for a dog walk but I tend to wear my UGG boots and trackies. There’s something so magical about going for a Golden Hour evening walk in your cute summer outfit, hair all fresh with nowhere but the beach bar and restaurant to go to. Recreate that at home and walk into town for a pre dinner drink. I can’t wait.

Have you got any more holiday inspired ideas to share with us all to get us in the holiday vibe?

(The below picture was me a few days before giving birth in June. It was insanely hot and Liam and I wanted to go for a bike ride. We booked a take away from a local restaurant and cycled to Home Park by the River Thames, sat under the trees in the breeze and had a delicious date night meal. Then by the time we got home it was an early evening of watching a movie and not having any washing up to do…dreamy).

WHAT’S IN MY HOSPITAL BAG

I have been asked by quite a few people now what was in my hospital bag. I originally intended on a home birth but had to go into hospital in the end. Whether you’re having a home birth or a hospital birth you still should have a hospital bag packed for emergencies. I found out I was going to hospital on the Saturday morning and was given 3 hours to go home and pack a bag. I ended up staying in for a week!! I was seriously under packed and hubby had to go back home for more things and my mum and dad regularly dropped off food parcels. I literally couldn’t have done it without them. I have written down everything that I took and separated it into things for mum and things for baby. I had one mini carry on style wheelie suitcase (mine is from American Tourista), one nursing bag rucksack from Jem and Bea and one carry bag from Antler for the baby. All these bags worked perfectly. Oh and don’t forget to pop in a couple of canvas shopping bags to act as a laundry bag and extra bag to shove some things in if you’re tight for time moving from ward, to room to ward again etc. Think of yourself as going into hospital for five days and as if you’re going to a naff Travel Lodge or Holiday Inn where there are no amenities or mod cons and then bring everything!! Think of home comforts and what items will make you happy and feel like you’re at home.

FOR YOU

•Nursing pillow
•Plastic flip flops for the shower
•Slippers
•Nightie with straps
•Dressing gown
•Knickers (dark ones!)
•Eye sleep mask
•Ear plugs
•A few outfits that are possible to nurse in
•Thick sanitary pads
•Phone charger (long cable ones if you have them incase the plug sockets are far from the bed)
•Book/notepad/diary/pen/kindle (things to keep you occupied)
(I filled my iPad with downloaded episodes of Friends and movies from a Netflix before going but the hospital had amazing WiFi that you could easily stream tv on which we did).
•Headphones
•Snacks galore (sweet and savoury)
•Hairdryer (Liam brought mine in but I didn’t feel I could use it because of the noise so he brought in my Aquis hair towel and hair brush and hair clips for me to help semi-dry and tame my hair)
•Shampoo/conditioner/body wash/razor/toothbrush/toothpaste/contact lenses/glasses
Body towel/face towel
•Make up
(I did my make up twice whilst in hospital on a couple of days where I mentally needed to spruce myself up to feel “normal”
•Dry shampoo
•Lip balm (I use Balm Balm which is organic and used the fragrance free one as you can have this double up as a nipple balm which is safe for the baby and also needed if you use gas and air during your labour).
•Bottle with a straw (my hypnobirthing teacher told me to get this and oh boy she was right. When you’re in labour or feeding you don’t have the time or hands to use a glass or unscrew a bottle!)
•Clary sage oil
•Games (we took Bananagrams and Dobble)

FOR YOUR BABY

•Nappies
•Wipes/cotton wool pads
•Baby grows with buttons or poppers to make life so much easier
•Socks/gloves (they like you to use a sock over their hands if your baby has to have a cannula)
•Hats
•Wipes or cotton wool buds
•A few large muslins
•A travel changing mat
•Bottles and formula if you’re planning on using formula
•Colostrum harvesting if you’ve done any
•Car seat
•Baby blanket
• Ewan The Sheep
(I was sent this sheep and am so happy with it because Albie hates having his nappy changed but Ewan The Sheep seems to help distract him).

FOR YOUR PARTNER

•PJs
•Toothbrush and toothpaste
•Towel if they’re allowed to shower at the hospital
•Water bottle
•Bedding to sleep beside you (minimum sheet to cover plastic chair/longer & pillow and blanket)
•Books and nightlight (Liam has a light attached to his book)/iPad/tablet
•Eye mask
•Ear plugs
•Snacks galore
•Headphones
•Chargers

I hope I haven’t missed anything out. If you think there’s anything missing or something you took that everyone needs then please pop it down in the comments below. Have a wonderful labour.

WHAT'S IN MY HOSPITAL BAG | Megan Taylor

WHAT HAPPENS DURING YOUR SECOND TRIMESTER

Welcome back for the second instalment of my “What Happens During…” series. My first trimester instalment is over here. I feel my second trimester was much easier than my first for a few reasons, although my morning sickness didn’t disappear as many people had suggest and sometimes promised.

SHARE YOUR JOYOUS NEWS

Wahoo…you can finally tell your news to the world. Some people tell friends after the 12 weeks scan, some after their 20 week scan. Whatever works for you, enjoy every moment. It is such a lovely time. Everyone will be so excited. I spent many hours watching pregnancy reveal videos on YouTube with happy tears in my eyes haha. Just make sure you tell everyone close to you before putting in out on social media.

BUMP WATCH

My bump grew very slowly. The retorts I received were commonly, “there’s nothing in there”. While this may be their way of saying you look slim, it can definitely play on the mind of a pregnant woman so try your best not to judge her bump size. I have a long torso and was thought to have a tilted uterus so the way I started off growing my baby was rather discretely I guess. As I write this at 39 weeks and 6 days I can tell you I have definitely “popped” now. We all develop at different times.

WHAT HAPPENS DURING YOUR SECOND TRIMESTER | Megan Taylor — (Baby the size of a melon)

MORNING SICKNESS

Oh how I wish I could say morning sickness disappears after the first trimester…mine definitely didn’t and it was awful. I didn’t have the dreadful Hyperemesis gravidarum I did experience being sick about 4/5x a day. It was incredibly isolating, upsetting and debilitating. I spent many days researching ways to stop morning sickness with no real result. I did find a way to a survive though and wrote about it here. I hope it helps you if you too are suffering.

PREGNANCY TABLETS

I used these Pregnacare vitamins throughout my pregnancy. I was advised to take them by the nurses at the hospital when they found out how little food I could keep down as a result of my morning sickness. They are filled with all the fabulous nutrients you need to keep your baby growing healthily. The huge bonus to these tablets is that my nails and hair have never looked so incredible. They make my nails grow at an alarming rate. I even booked a big hand modelling job during my second trimester which I put down to these vitamins 🙂

MIDWIFE APPOINTMENTS

Your midwife appointments get far more interesting in your second trimester. You get to hear the baby’s heartbeat at every session which feels like a lovely window into your baby’s life. I didn’t understand the noise at first but the midwife let us record the sound and then I constantly played it at home with hubby explaining where the heartbeat noise was. It is so so so much faster than ours, it’s like horses galloping.

20 WEEK SCAN

Yay, it’s time for your 20 week scan. You will most likely have a good half an hour in the room with the sonographer. They check your baby to every little millimeter. As soon as the scanner spied my wriggling baby I felt chilled and excited to see more. Make sure you say if you want to know the sex or not as soon as you walk in the room. The pictures we got from our scan were our best yet. They were incredibly detailed and showed all the bones.

AN ETERNITY

Shock horror…the second trimester is not 12 weeks!! It is longer!! It felt sooo long…enjoy 😉

FLUTTERS AND KICKS

The NHS suggest that most women feel their baby start to move between 16 and 24 weeks. I felt a strange sort of bubble in my stomach around 20 weeks but didn’t feel full on kicks until a lot later. My placenta lays at the front of my stomach so all the kicks are dulled a little. If you are the same as me do not fret, the third trimester will be filled with violent kicks to make up for it :P.

How was your second trimester? Did your morning sickness continue?

TEN REASONS I HAVE LOVED LOCKDOWN

Lockdown is slowly phasing out, well, it is rapidly changing in England anyway. You can now feel such a difference on your evening walk, from the way people no longer move aside as much to the amount of cars that are now on the road. There have definitely been down moments for me, like missing my family and having been pregnant during this period of time to not being able to have Liam in my baby appointments with me. Although, there is so so so much more that I have really loved which I thought I would share with you. Before I get started, I think I must say I am not the most social character and love being at home so much, so it has probably been easier for me than most.

1.CYCLING

I’ve always loved being out on my bike for a cycle. I am definitely a fair weather cyclist though. I like to ride my pretty bicycle, with my long haired chihuahua in the basket for a ride along the riverside, preferably with an ice cream or cocktail half way along the journey.

During lockdown my baby belly has been getting increasingly bigger and I have had to stop running so cycling has become my activity of choice to do some sort of exercise. I have absolutely loved cycling with the huge decrease in cars on the road. Near me, Kingston bridge has even turned a full lane into a bike lane for the increase in cyclists. Being 38 weeks pregnant I have decided to stop cycling for a while but I have loved every second of lockdown on my bike that I did have.

2.HOME DEVELOPMENTS

We moved into our new home last August and since then we have had Christmas where we were away for a few weeks at my parents and I endured about 20+ weeks of debilitating morning sickness. With all of this time we weren’t able to do much in the way of home renovation. We definitely aren’t rolling in money so everything has been diy and on a budget. This extended time at home has given us so much time to stop and stare (ooo, have a read of my blog post about this poem) and work out what we can do to spruce up our home before the baby arrives. With the glorious weather we have been having in the UK we decided to work on the garden. I thought it would be a small-ish task. We began a little work back in February…it is now June and we still haven’t finished haha 😆, yet, oh boy does it look wildly different now and is definitely somewhere I am looking forward to spending my summer months. Check out my Instagram ‘garden’ highlight if you’d like to see the transformation.

3.GORGEOUS WEATHER

As I was saying in the above point, the weather in the UK has been absolutely glorious. We have had holiday style heat and I am like a lizard 🦎, I love to be hot. I swear, lockdown would have been so much harder for people to endure if the weather had been super crappy. Although, this time last year we were in our flat which was super warm on a normal day and I am not sure I would have been coping so well then.

4.DEVELOPING BUSINESS

My work has 99% dried up but hubby’s fitness business has thrived. From the get go of lockdown we sat down and discussed what we could do to help keep his business afloat and his clients happy. We spend a day learning how to use Zoom, HDMI cables into the TV, fitness schedules and what furniture needed to go where to make a good feature wall etc. Then we emailed out to his Bootcamp database (this is a prime example of where an email database is key for a successful business) a schedule and bank details if they want to donate for classes. His clients were over the moon that they could continue to workout with him. The donations are often generous and he has even managed to gain a ton of new clients not just from our small town which has been incredible. I love seeing how people have adapted their businesses and possibly changed their lives for the better post-lockdown.

5.NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH

The NHS Thursday night clap has been a wonderful way to keep in touch with neighbours and get to know neighbours that we hadn’t spoken to before. For a few weeks Liam and I went for our dog walk around the 8pm clap time so that we could see others in their streets as well and it was so lovely to see how people were celebrating. We witnessed saxophonists, people playing harmonicas and music through loud speaker and even one lady doing a full on operatic performance. We also had a weekly dinosaur that would parade around making everyone smile. The gorgeous weather has also helped everyone in our street get closer. The support for each other has been lovely as well with offers of shopping for each other, recommendations of where to buy toilet roll when you run out and eggs to do your lockdown baking.

6.WORK FOMO NO MORE

When I first became pregnant, well, when I first told people, my work dried up. I was in this awkward in between stage of being a bit puffy and bloated looking but not looking very pregnant. I therefore couldn’t go to auditions and only had a little bit of lecturing work. Seeing friends booking jobs I know I would normally be up for was hard for the jealous factor but also for the purse strings. As soon as lockdown happened everyone was in the same boat and the amount of work I am missing out on is so minimal. The only thing I am really sad about is that I am never going to have had the opportunity to book work with my bump. Liam and I did however do a little at-home photo shoot for the memories yesterday which I will share soon.

7.TECHNOLOGY THANKFULNESS

I have never been as thankful for technology as I have been over lockdown…and a lot of my work is in social media! It has been TEN WEEKS since I have seen my parents and that has been the hardest thing. Even since they moved to Wales last year, we have never been apart for more than three weeks. Thank goodness for FaceTime though, because we are on that a minimum of two times a day catching up.

8.NATURE & PEACEFULNESS

Lockdown has been incredible for noise pollution around us. We live close to the A3 (a rather busy road in the UK) and although you can’t hear it in our house, you can normally hear it in our garden. Until lockdown eased we couldn’t hear it at all and it was dreamy. The birds were insanely loud though haha. As I mentioned earlier, I have really loved not having as many cars on the road for my cycling trips and I hope more and more people will choose their bikes over their cars for short trips.

9.FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD

I have never been as grateful for food as I have been over lockdown. As I am pregnant, I haven’t been to the shops but Liam has and it is a whole stressful day out of him trying to successfully socially distance and then the whole palaver once he’s home of us having to wash everything for a good hour! We have got creative with our meals, we have baked more and made use of every single scrap of food we own. We have also shopped locally a lot more. A few corporate food companies have allowed the average shopper to buy from them which I have adored. We have ordered fresh food boxes, bulk bought eggs for baking and bought big loaves of bread. I really hope these companies continue to do this so that we can keep shopping from them and just go to the big supermarkets for tinned goods and cleaning products.

10.LONG OVERDUE CATCH UPS

I have had the longest phone calls with friends that I have ever had. We have video called, Zoom’d, House Partied, phoned etc way more than we would normally see each other. I have reached out to friends that I possibly wouldn’t have even normally met up with in the last ten weeks and that has been amazing. I think there is a sense of non-commitment or need or even possibility for everyone to try to get a date in the diary to meet up so you just chat because that’s the best thing you can do and it’s so lovely to know everything everyone is up to and support each other in the best way you can.

How have you found lockdown? Have you enjoyed or hated it? What was your favourite part of it?

WHAT HAPPENS DURING YOUR FIRST TRIMESTER

So you’ve just found out you’re pregnant. You may have been trying for months, for years or may have been successful first time. Or, you may have accidentally conceived. However you got here, I’m just here to share my experience of what I went through during my first trimester as a first time expectant mummy. You may or may not experience these things and when I talk about the midwife and hospital appointments this is regarding UK care, I’m not sure how exactly it differs across the world.

FIRST SIGNS

My first signs of possibly being pregnant, other than a missed period, were a sense of nausea in the evenings. It was strange,I would be really tired and lying in bed ready to sleep and a wave of nausea would hit me like a strong wave and disappear as quickly as it came. Another sign I had was that I needed to pee a whole lot more than normal and I pee regularly anyway so I knew something was up. It is only after reading a few books that I’ve learnt this is super common and is actually your hormones stimulating your kidneys to expand and produce more urine.

THE BIGGEST AND MOST EXCITING SECRET

Once you find out you will probably want to shout it from the rooftops and you’re right to want to, the feeling of telling your friends and family that you’re pregnant is like no other. Everyone shows such joy and happiness for you, it’s lovely. It is recommended to not tell anyone until after your 12 week scan. Liam and I wanted to tell our family sooner so we went for a private 9 week scan at Window To The Womb. This made us feel a lot more comfortable that there was definitely a baby in there and news to tell. It also meant we could tell them with a photo and we even paid a little extra for a video of the scan and our baby wriggling about in there. I think a general rule to go by when deciding whether or not to tell people is, would you tell that person if the worst happened and you were no longer pregnant? If the answer to that is yes then there is no harm in telling them your exciting news (in my opinion).

WHO TO TELL AND WHEN

My biggest advise to telling people is to make a list of people to tell that need to know before any news hits social media or spreads through word of mouth. Liam and I wrote a list of family members and friends that we were going to tell and in which order and then ticked them off as we had spread the news. We told our parents before anyone else.

TIME TO RING MY DOCTOR

So your pregnancy test says you’re pregnant and now it’s probably time to book a doctors appointment, right? Well, I rung mine and the grumpy receptionist said that I don’t come to them, I need to go online, sign up as being pregnant and my local health centre would call me to book me in. As a first time expectant mum I had no idea but my happy buzz was definitely killed by this receptionist.

A week after registering online and 2 days before I was due to turn six weeks pregnant a midwife from the local health centre rung me asking me to come in the next day to essentially register myself as being pregnant and then booked me in for my 12 week hospital scan as well. Kaboom, it’s all getting a bit real now. I say to ,shelf, “it’s all getting a bit real now” on a regular basis. I actually don’t think it will be properly “real” until my baby is in my arms though.

FIRST MIDWIFE APPOINTMENT

My first midwife appointment was the longest doctors appointment I have ever had. Normally they kick you out after 2-3 minutes with a prescription for something or other but this was like a family history interview. Liam and I were both asked everything about our family health history, and our own. I was taken outside to be weighed and asked if I felt safe around Liam. I laughed and she sternly responded, but are you in safe hands? I answered, “of course”!

I then to my horror also had you blood pressure and bloods taken. I have a serious case of white coat syndrome and everything to do with doctors and hospitals terrifies me (at 37 weeks in I am slowly getting better).

SIX WEEKS IN

Six weeks of being pregnant doesn’t seem like a lot, especially when if you don’t count your period you may have on,y technically been pregnant for about 4 weeks but 6 weeks on the dot my morning sickness arrived and didn’t leave for a bloody long time!!

The hardest thing about feeling the worst you’ve ever felt before the 12 week scan is that it is the loneliest time you will experience whilst being pregnant. You can’t tell anyone or explain why you’re feeling so awful. I was bed ridden with sickness for a lot of my early pregnancy and just had to push through when I went out for work. It was an awful time that I’m pleased has gone. I remember spending hours watching YouTube videos and reading books and blog posts about how to stop feeling sick and then ringing my mum in floods of tears that I couldn’t stop feeling CRAP. Just know, that it will stop soon(ish).

BLOAT VS SHOWING

Am I showing signs of a baby belly or a food belly or is it just bloat? I didn’t show for a really long time (which actually didn’t make me happy-more on that in my second trimester blog post) but I felt uncomfortably bloated at times. If you do start showing or like me are a model that has a size that their clients think they are it can be an even tougher secret to hide. If it’s summer, wear floaty dresses, if it’s winter, wear a baby jumper and make sure you have a spare hair tie for the jeans hair tie trick (if you don’t know it, it’s in my Bump highlights on my Instagram page @megantaylorlondon

FIRST SCAN

Hooray, it’s finally the day you’ve been waiting for, your possibly first scan and chance to see your baby. I’m so pleased I had an early 9 week scan because it allowed me to just enjoy my 12 week scan knowing there was a baby in there. I hadn’t started showing at all at 12 weeks so it was sometimes hard to believe I was having a baby. At your 12 week scan they want to check measurements of your baby which will give you a clearer due date estimate. They also check a measurement in the back of the neck to work out the probability of chances of down syndrome and a few other potential syndromes as such. My baby was such a mover, wriggling all over the belly that they couldn’t measure the neck so sent me off to jiggle about, walk around for half an hour and eat something sugary. I came back and they still couldn’t tie the baby down so I was booked for a further scan a few days later. They have to do this test before I think 13/14 weeks so there was a time pressure on this. At the next scan they just about managed to pin the baby down for a measurement, then sent me on to have my bloods taken which is standard procedure. What I didn’t know at the time was that they had sent my bloods off for private testing to do a DNA test on my bloods to take strains of the baby’s bloods to work out if it had any problems. I am so pleased I wasn’t told until my results came back as good as they could be otherwise I would have spent weeks until my midwife appointment worrying about the results.

I feel like that was way more than I was expecting to write, but I hope it can help you in some way with a sense of reassurance and to know what’s to expect. How was your first trimester if you have already been through it? If you’re pregnant now, when are you due?

THE SAFE WAY TO HAVE A BATH WHILST PREGNANT

Bathing is meant to be super relaxing, right!? Well, sadly that can be wrong if you’re an anxious first time mum like me. I am now 34 weeks pregnant and whenever I have had an achy and tired body or feeling the woes of morning sickness people suggest I have a bath. Yet, the problem with that is that I’m scared I’m going to boil my baby! I have always loved a scorching hot bath. I love bubbles, I love oils, I love body scrubs, I love candles, the lot! Yet, which oils are appropriate and what temperature should the water be at for a pregnant woman and another thing…black smoke from candles, is that a thing and if it is, what on Earth is it? There’s so much to think about that I end up avoiding baths all together. I put out an Instagram story asking what temperature is appropriate and so many mums and mums to be were also in the dark to what was correct, so like me avoid(ed) a “relaxing bath” altogether. I have asked some industry professionals what the actual answers are so you don’t have to worry anymore. Happy bathing…

THE PROFESSIONALS

GLENDA TAYLOR

Glenda is first and foremost my gorgeous mum and according to Vogue UK, “an Aromatherapy Guru”. Mum knows everything there is to know about aromatherapy and beauty products. Having created and sold many beauty companies over the years she knows an inci listing inside and out. Make sure you ask her a question over on Instagram if you are at all worried about beauty, beauty products, ingredients or aromatherapy.
INSTA @angelicolife
WEB Angelico

LAURA STOCKS

Laura is a doula and a hypnobirthing instructor. I am currently taking her classes every Wednesday evening over Zoom with a couple of other expectant parents. I’m learning so much and whenever I have a pregnancy question Laura has the answer straight away. Give her a follow if you have any pregnancy questions, are looking for a hypnobirthing class or need a doula.
INSTA @birthmotherme
WEB Stripped Back Birth

THE TEMPERATURE

Laura says that the temperature you should have your bath at whilst pregnant is the same as it would be if you were in a birthing pool. It would also be the same if you were bathing your newborn child. The temperature you can have the bath at is 37°c. This is the same as your core body temperature. I advise that you buy a bath thermometer. I had so many people recommend this one from Tommee Tippee so I bought it right away for both myself and for when my baby arrives. It also lets you know the temperature of your room and has an ambient light that shows when the bath or room is too hot. My first bath with the bath thermometer was an interesting moment…I’ve 110% been having baths that were too hot for me whilst pregnant! 37° is not that hot at all for a steamy bather 🧖🏻‍♀️. The light flashed a lot whilst I was initially running my bath. This recommended temperature is also the temperature that you would have your birthing pool at so I would advise you to try a long bath at this temperature before you make it part of your birthing plan. I personally think I would get a little bit too chilly sitting in a pool of 37° for a few hours but you can always make your room warmer and mums I have spoken to have said you get quite warm during birth anyway so it doesn’t actually feel too cold.

THE OILS AND SCENTS YOU HAVE TO AVOID

Clary Sage is an essential oil that you must stay away from for most of your pregnancy. That being said, once you are 37 week plus you are considered full term and Clary Sage is then allowed and can be incredibly beneficial. Clary Sage is considered a very powerful essential oil that can help trigger labour. The reason it can trigger labour is because it can stimulate uterine contractions triggering the start of labour. It can also help boost your oxytocin and endorphins which after many hypnobirthing classes I have learnt is great to keep adrenalin at bay.
Even though Clary Sage is often recommended for labour, Glenda prefers recommending the use of Frankincense during labour. As an essential oil, Frankincense can promote deep meditative breathing which will keep you calm and in control. By simply placing a few drops on a cloth and inhaling it from time to time it can be really helpful.
Other oils that you must avoid during pregnancy (especially in your first trimester) would also include, juniper, black pepper, cinnamon and geranium.

ESSENTIAL OILS TO HELP YOU RELAX AND SLEEP
Lavender, Camomile and Benzoin

ESSENTIAL OILS TO HELP YOU BALANCE AND GET READY FOR THE DAY
Grapefruit, Mandarin and Lavender
(Lavender is balancing and can refresh or relax you according to which other oils you combine it with).

HOW TO USE YOUR OILS

You can use between 6-10 drops of essential oil in total. Put your oils in your bath after the water has finished running. Make sure you drop the oils in at the other end from where you’re sitting so you don’t sit on the oils if they haven’t fully mixed in to your water. It’s not dangerous to sit on them but you could aggravate your skin like a stinging nettle. The ratio of the oils is up to you, but use the above oils I mentioned and have fun mixing them together to create your own blend. Babies baths are a whole other story, so maybe I will write another blog post on that, for example you wouldn’t use any more than 3 drops of essential oil and it must be diluted.

BLACK SMOKE CANDLES

Black smoke in candles are caused by the wick being too long, so make sure you always trim your candles. This will also stock too much flickering of light from your candles which is never relaxing. Trimming you candles will stop the black smoke but also prevent too much fragrance dispersed at any one time. If too much fragrance is released it could be far too “heady” and overwhelming for you. The safest option is for you to purchase fragrance free candles. Use this lovely trick that Glenda has taught me…When your burning candle has produced a little puddle of wax, you can drop in one or two drops of one of the essential oils we have discussed above. You can do this each time you light it. This way you will avoid any artificially fragranced candles and create the loveliest most naturally bespoke scented candles.
You must not use candles which are made from paraffin wax as they are carcinogenic. Soy wax candles are great but avoid candles which are artificially fragranced and look for natural oil blends only.

SHOPPING LIST:

An essential oil starter kit for both your pregnancy and for your baby (make sure you get full guidance before using oils on your baby before the age of 2).

• Lavender
• Mandarin
• Camomile
• Grapefruit
• Benzoin
(Comes from the word Benzoic which means calming.
It is a resin which is sold alongside essential oils)
• Clary sage or Frankincense
(37 weeks plus only)
• Bath thermometer
• Fragrance free candles

THE SAFE WAY TO HAVE A BATH WHILST PREGNANT | Megan Taylor

I hope this can help you have a safe and relaxing bath now. Feel free to leave any questions in the comments and I will get them answered for you.

WHAT TO DO ON EASTER DAY DURING LOCKDOWN

Well…this is going to be an Easter like no other we have ever had before. In my 30+ years of being alive I have never spent an Easter without my parents. Crazy! Well, this year it is just going to be me, Liam, Coco (our dog) and bump. It will be quiet and incredibly different but that is why I have felt the need to make it extra special and make some new memories. I thought I would share our plans for the day incase you would like to take some of the ideas for your own. If you are alone please do contact Samaritans if you are feeling lonely. If you have the possibility to offer help and comfort to others you can sign up to help with the NHS, Samaritans and Age UK.

BREAKFAST

I am planning to have a lovely relaxed morning. For a start I will not be putting on an alarm, although I’m such a child and always wake up early on Easter and Christmas Day haha. Then I plan on sitting in bed with Liam and Coco with a hot cross bun…the smell is incredible! I think I will put the movie Hop on in the background…if Liam doesn’t mind haha. Then we will take Coco for a walk and once we get back home pop on a yummy brunch which must include hash browns and poached eggs.

MIDDAY

After brunch I am going to prep for a roast dinner. Growing up one of my favourite things about Easter and Christmas is my parents prepping the roast dinner from early on and filling the house with gorgeous scents. Since being in our new house with our new oven I have actually not made a roast dinner, so this could be a disaster, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it’s wonderful. When the dinner is in the oven and slowly cooking my family are all meeting on Zoom. We have planned an Easter quiz and an Easter egg hunt. We are all writing 5 questions for the quiz per household. Then for the hunt we have all decorated 5 paper eggs each which we are going to hide in our houses and let people find them through the Zoom screen haha. Who knows what it’s going to be like?!

FOOD COMA

Once dinner is ready I think Liam and I are going to eat it in front of the TV! I have never seen Peter Rabbit and it’s currently free to watch on Netflix so this will be our Easter viewing. It all sounds quite lovely doesn’t it 🙂 I am actually quite excited.

What have you got planned? How are you coping with lockdown? Are you kind of enjoying it?

HOW TO SURVIVE MORNING SICKNESS

Morning sickness is VILE and I should know, I had it incredibly badly for 14 weeks (week 6-19) and at week 22 I am sadly still experiencing it, but finally only a little bit. I felt debilitated for 14 weeks and cried A LOT! I just couldn’t believe that “the miracle of life” was causing me quite so much Hell. I learnt a lot in that time and worked out some survival tips that I want to share with you. You will of course have bad days but you will have some good days too. Just make sure you make the most of those good days. Even though you want to have an amazing good day, do not over do it. On my first non-sick day I jumped for joy and went for a run, did house work, met up with friends…the next day I was sicker than ever, all because of sheer exhaustion.

On my bad days I was throwing up anywhere between 2-7 times. Some days I couldn’t even have a sip of water without being sick. I think if you are being sick 7 or more times a day regularly you should probably phone your midwife just in case you have hyperemesis gravidarum (that is the morning sickness that Kate Middleton experienced and made a bit more widely known about). I am fairly sure I didn’t have this because the severity of my sickness went back and forth between unbearable and bearable. That being said I did speak to a nurse about my worries when I went for my 12 week scan and she said my hydration was ok but I should make sure I was taking a pregnancy vitamin in case I wasn’t getting enough vitamins with my newly limited diet (I had gone off pretty much all foods and only stomached potato rostis!). I started taking and am still taking these vitamins which have made my nails grow sooo long! (Bonus!) and as soon as I stopped being sick so much I made sure I upped my healthy food choices and consciously ate loads of dark greens to up my iron levels.
Just know that, one day this shall pass and you will have a bundle of joy in your arms…that’s what I keep telling myself anyway. Here are my top tips on how best to survive morning sickness.

FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD

Eat Eat Eat. Just keep eating, seriously! (of course, only if you can- some days I definitely couldn’t put food in my mouth and keep it there- I’m making up for that now though). I was in total disbelief when I read that regular eating was a good thing. When I have been sick in the past because of some illness, I wouldn’t want to go near food and you are often suggested to starve for 24 hours. Yet, when you have morning sickness it seems to be completely different. If you eat food, your body is preoccupied with digestion and it somehow helps nausea and sickness pass by or at least wane for a little bit. Find the perfect snacks that work for you. If I had even a penny for every time I was told to eat ginger biscuits I would be hundreds of pounds richer right now! Ginger really isn’t as good as people say when you are throwing up all the time, it burns coming back up!!! Maybe if you are solely suffering with nausea then ginger could work for you but for me when being sick, it was dreadful.

SLEEP IS GOOD

Of course wake up when you have to, but go to bed at a decent time. If you are sleepy and have the opportunity to go to bed, then do it because you are likely to be up a lot in the night for a wee or because of discomfort if you are at the beginning or end of your pregnancy. I found that I suffered with sickness mostly when I was tired. My best time to go to sleep was by 10pm and then to wake up 7/8am.

GET SOME AIR

I hated the smell of parts of my house. My bathroom upstairs, the kitchen and the downstairs toilet which is located through the toilet were all my nemesis. I couldn’t smell them without throwing up. This meant I couldn’t be in the kitchen at all for a really long time. I am insanely lucky that my hubby took over everything kitchen based. If he worked late I ordered a Deliveroo or Uber Eats as a treat to him so he didn’t have to cook or clean up. I began to feel insanely lazy but as soon as I tried to help and go in the kitchen, my head was down the toilet! I found that getting outside and away from the smells of my house often helped. I love going for a run but at my worst moments the jiggling up and down of running made me sick so I named my “runs” a jaunt instead, which was basically a run/walk and whatever I could manage really. My mental state was far better if I got a tiny bit of exercise.

FOOD & PRODUCTS THAT WORK

Here are a list of products and foods that worked for me when I was at my worst. My biggest recommendation that I can give you is to buy fragrance free beauty products such as body wash, hand wash and deo. I stayed away from perfume until last week! I also switched to an electric tooth brush so that I didn’t have such a big toothbrush in my mouth and didn’t have to brush back and forth so vigorously.
Here are the body wash and hand soap that I changed to in my house
• Fragrance Free body wash
• Fragrance Free hand soap
These are some of the foods that I managed to stomach:
Salt and Vinegar crisps, chewy sweets such a Haribo strawberries, M&S Percy Pigs and Skittles, potato rostis, peanut butter on toast, grapefruit, refrigerated red grapes, FROZEN grapes (yep, pop your grapes in the freezer and then when you eat them they are like little balls of grape sorbet).
Yet, anything that you throw seems to get scratched off the list very quickly!

Have you experienced morning sickness or are you currently going through it? If you are currently going through it, I really hope it gets better soon x

VALENTINE’S DAY GIFT GUIDE 2020

Wahoo, Spring is on the horizon and to me that signifies Valentine’s Day, Pancake Day, Easter, romance and lighter evenings. I have compiled a lovely edited selection of Valentine’s Day gift options for him and her. If you are stuck for date night ideas and maybe a bit low on funds make sure you check out my 5 Cheap Date Ideas over here. Also, a quick note to say, if you think of Valentine’s Day as a commercial holiday that should be ignored then why are you here…? I love any excuse to celebrate romance and shower my other half with gifts x Check out my old Valentine’s gift guides as well for further inspo.

SELF CARE

Valentine’s Day is the perfect day to treat yourself and/or your special someone. Here are some lovely goodies you are going to adore. SANCTUARY SPA are always a great gifting option. This stunning chocolate box inspired gift called Lost In The Moment is the perfect gift for the girlies in your life. Hosting a Galentine’s Day party? Definitely get the girlies a box of this each. No need to wrap it when it looks like this. If you are tight on budget or just want some cute little token presents for the girls (or yourself…) then ONLY CURLS Scrunchies and Hair Clips are the ones for you. After spending an hour curling or straightening your hair the last thing you want is a kink in your hair from having to tie your hair up. The ‘Only Curls’ silk scrunchies are fabulous because they don’t leave you with any marks at all. Valentine’s Day is all about romance and treating yourself right?

VALENTINE'S DAY GIFT GUIDE 2020 | MEGAN TAYLOR

Well, HOLISTIC SILK is your one stop shop for items to treat you and your partner. I was first introduced to Holistic Silk about 2 years ago in a press event goodie bag where I was given a pretty green lavender eye pillow and I have used it ever since! Why not get a his and hers Velvet Scented Eye Mask. This stunning pink velvet tie back eye mask is what I have been looking for for years. Liam and I are huge advocates of wearing an eye mask to bed. Shut out any light, shut out the day and effectively force your eyes to close. This eye mask has the added bonus of being filled with lavender which helps aids relaxation and sleep. Another of my favourite gems from Holistic Silk is this cute pink Gemstone Face Roller which is cooling and rejuvenating for your face. Get your partner to give you a gorgeous face massage using the roller. You can use a face oil or moisturiser but you can also just use it bare. RABOT 1745 is a new product line to me and I am super excited about it. The owners of Hotel Chocolat (yep, if you follow me on Instagram you will know how addicted I am to HC…literally can’t get enough of their goodies) have a beauty brand. The reason for the name Rabot 1745 is from the name of their cocoa plantation in St Lucia (take me there now please). Check out their full range here where they have 15% off all products in their Valentine’s edit. Make sure you take a closer look at their ‘Spread The Love‘ gift set here for some guilt free chocolate. The gift set comes with a pecan and salted caramel spread and a liquid chocolate body mask. A treat for your body and your tastebuds. Another reason to use a chocolate based beauty product is that the properties of cacao are incredibly beneficial to us. Cacao can help protect the skin from harmful UV rays, it is also an incredible at being anti-inflammatory.

NEW MAKE UP

I am a sucker for new make up, especially when it is packaged beautifully, originally or the actual feel of the product is lovely. Here are three items that I had never used until 2020 but now adore. CULT CANDY are completely vegan and that is the first thing that drew me into finding out more about them. Then I saw a photograph and the packaging sung to my heart. Playful, bright and across between a pop princess and a gothic emo. My favourite pick for you is the Play House palette filled with the cutest colours. Baby and Plushie are my favourites in this palette. I have been using DIEGO DALLA PALMA for about five years ago now as a staple. Their super fine eyebrow pencil is the best out there! This Go Crazy Palette is absolutely divine. Filled with colours that you can use everyday for the perfect earthy smokey eye, with a few metallic options to jazz up your look for the evening. DEAR DAHLIA is new to me and I am already in love. The packaging and the weighty feel of the product makes you realise you are holding a luxe item. This Ruby lipstick is creamy, non-drying and the perfect elegant red for Valentine’s Day.

FOR HIM

Ok, so, not all of these products are JUST for him but there are more items than I would normally add. There are even some lovely his & hers ideas I think you’ll love and will last you a life time. Liam and I have owned a CORKCICLE bottle for about two years now. We have a large white bottle which we immediately fell in love with one Summer because the neck of the bottle is wide enough to pop some ice cubes in and the sheer quantity of water you can add makes it the perfect bottle to take with you for a picnic. I hadn’t realised the amount of colour-ways Corkcicle had until I was finding links for this blog post. Why not treat you and him to His & hers canteens… The classic black bottle I have featured can be found here and the seriously cute pink floral number can be found here. With this amazing era of being more sustainable and carrying a water bottle with us wherever we go I thought I would share another water bottle idea with you. Stand out from the crowd with this stunner from BEWATER. You can buy these bottles in glass or a durable Tritan plastic (this means BPA free plastic which is great!). Each bottle has a crystal insert in different colours which all signify something different. I chose the rose quartz mainly for the beautiful rosy colour but it happens to also be associated with a strong heart and circulation. Also worth mentioning that this bottle is dishwasher friendly which makes life so much easier 🙂 .
A more specific men option that I adore is this ESPA Mens gift set. I love that it comes presented in this gorgeous reusable tin and has a lovely gift tag inside for you to write your personalised message in. This gift set has a grooming oil, face wash, face hydrator and shower gel. It’s basically a one-stop gift set filled with everything a man would need but filled with amazing active ingredients rather than him using the 10-in-1 soap at the gym.

What’s your favourite gift option from above? Is there something you may want to buy yourself? 😉

SPECIAL GIFT IDEAS

I have put together some lovely gifts that you may not have thought of before. There will be a gift in this list for anyone and everyone you know without a doubt! From food hampers (even vegan options!), crafty presents, a hair turban with a difference and some luxurious ballet pumps that you will want to buy for yourself first and foremost 😉 .

THOUGHTFUL PRESENTS

Just picture this scenario…
You start the afternoon with a lovely bath and wash your hair with a divine mask. Your hair feels all kinds of lush so you must treat it with care. You pop on your Aquis hair towel towelling side against your hair to help dry it carefully and quickly. When you have finished beautifying you pop your hair towel on the radiator before getting dressed. You slip on your new super comfy and gorgeous 1001 Stories ballet pumps.
After a long night out with friends you rush home, light your Sun•day candle and slip on your new super soft Chelsea Peers PJs and plush Sheepskin slippers before catching up with tonights missed Strictly episode. After dosing off on the sofa you decide to go to bed, but not before putting your Aquis hair towel back on silky side on your hair so you can savour that amazing blow dry from earlier for another day tomorrow.

Aquis hair turban
I am a huge fan of Aquis hair towels. You may have spied me talking about them and wearing them on my Instagram on numerous occasions. The fabric they use has a special wicking technique to it that helps wick away the water in your hair. Yet this special red turban is actually double sided. One side is their normal wicking fabric for your wet hair but the other side is a silk fabric which you can wear on your hair to keep your hair looking fabulous, un-tangled and mess free over night as you sleep. This is a must have for any hair fanatics out there…also you will look like the most glamorous Mrs Clause in this particular colour way.

1001 Stories
These are the most luxury ballet shoes that I have ever stepped foot in. They fit like a glove, completely true to size. The inner heal also has the softest padding and memory foam insole which is a dream compared to any other ballet shoe I have tried which normally feels like it is out to blister your feet the moment you step outside the house, there is no chance of that happening with these though. The thing that first sold me to these shoes is the story behind them. The two creators, Shahrzad and Tereza who met at LCF design these stunning shoes that are co-created by artisan shoe makers in Italy and female artists from different parts of the world. They then actively help support females out of poverty and into business by providing fair wages and a happy and safe working environment. I love heart warming ethos so please click on through to look at their stunning designs.

Abercrombie & Fitch Authentic perfume
This Abercrombie perfume smells amazing. It is super fresh and would be perfect for a “new year, new year me” kind of vibe. It’s a really go-getting scent which will wake you up in the morning. It would be suitable for anyone from a teen to at least 40+ in my opinion. I love it!

Chelsea Peers – Ginger Bread Man PJs
Oh how I love Chelsea Peers PJs. I first came across Chelsea Peers a few years ago on ASOS and bought a couple of pairs. They are seriously soft and have the cutest print designs you can possibly find out there. This particular PJ set I chose has the most gorgeous festive gold foil gingerbread men. I also love how this set comes in a shorts and short sleeved top set as even though it’s winter, it isn’t cold in your bed is it.

J•U•S•T Sheepskin
I’m such a slipper fan and these particular slippers are an incredible quality. I have had another pair for a year and with constant use they still look as good as new. They come in a whole range of colours. The pink ones with a star print are my particular faves. These would be the perfect present for anyone with cold feet…isn’t that everyone?

Sun•day Candle – ‘Midnight’
I know I am not alone in being a huge candle fan. I love to light candles at dusk until I go to sleep. The ambience it gives a room is next to none. The scent of this candle isn’t at all overpowering either. It is a scent that you could continue burning, normally I find I can only burn fragrance free candles continuously otherwise the scent gives me a headache, this candle is the perfect in between.

Baby Blooms
– Mummy and Me Bath Time Hamper
So many of my friends are having babies or recently had babies, I seem to be in that stage of my life where I am surrounded by it. It can be tricky to know what to buy, especially if you don’t have a child yourself. Well after some chats with the Baby Blooms team they advised me on some fabulous gift ideas for those that don’t even know the sex of their baby yet. Their gift come in the most stunning boxes decorated adorably. There are mother and baby bath products, unisex baby clothes, baby hampers and then there’s this super special gift set where in one box you get mummy and baby embroidered towels, bath time treats and a rubber ducky.

CRAFTS AND STATIONARY

Rebecca Yates – Personalised Notebook
Rebecca got in contact with me recently and I couldn’t have been happier to have discovered her work. Rebecca is a sustainably conscious artist and illustrator creating prints, cards, stationary and most exciting personalised notebooks with her gorgeous watercolour print on the cover. I went for the coral notebook with ‘Megan’s Big Idea’s’ across the front.

Dotty About Paper
If you didn’t already know…I’m a self confessed stationary addict. Seriously…addicted. I have been since I was very little and the only thing I found exciting about starting school each September was the opportunity to buy new stationary. I am in love with everything ‘Dotty About Paper’, notebooks, notepads, list pads, timetables, cards and what really excited me the most was personalised Christmas cards! Yep, seriously, they exist, look at these ones Liam and I had printed. Wow!

Brush Lettering Book
I am in LOVE with this book. I was sent it because the author/illustrator Rebecca and I chatted through Instagram and I am over the moon. I would have put it on my Christmas list anyway but I am so happy to have it before Christmas because I have now put together a big Christmas list of items I want after reading this book. I now want paper, notepads, more TomBow pens etc. Seriously though, this book would be a perfect present for anyone with an artistic love of any age and makes for a stunning present in it’s pink hard back form with metallic lettering.

FOOD & DRINK

Food is such a great gift idea for people that you know but also especially for people that you need to buy presents for but don’t really know much about them, your bestie’s new partner, your secret santa or a work colleague. Festively gifted food and drinks are also a fabulous host gift for when you pop by a neighbours house for Christmas drinks. Check out my favourite finds below.

Cartwright and Butler are my latest food gifting crush. Everything comes so beautifully packaged with tins and boxes which you can keep, cherish and use over and over again. The products are wonderful as well and definitely provide the wow factor. The cherry and almond fruit cake in the circular tin which I have picture I seriously thought would be around the £25/30 mark but I have found it on the Heal’s website for £15. Seriously impressed with the price points which make it the perfect gifting. I suggest buying a few of this brands foodie gifts to keep in the cupboard for the festive season to give to unexpected guests or last minute parties and then if you are lucky enough to not have had to give them all away then you can eat them yourself on Christmas and Boxing Day.
– Nougat Selection
– Decorated Fruit Cake In Tin
– Christmas Loaf Tin Cake
– Chocolate Selection

The Vegan Larder are a brand that got in touch with and I am so happy because it is a company that I definitely would have bought from if I had found them myself. Every vegan goodie you could think of will likely already be known to this company. They are both a subscription box and gift box company and each box is rammed full of edible vegan goods. There was only one brand that I had already tried in my box and I loved discovering new items, the vegan wagon wheel was the most exciting discovery for me and I can’t wait until I have taken my photos so I can finally eat it 😛 .

One Gin
If you follow my Instagram you will know that Liam, my family and I are all big cocktail fans and gin is far up there at the top of our list for favourite ingredients. You may notice one of the bottles isn’t quite full…that would be because Liam snuck it out to pop it in his Negroni last weekend. He said it tasted wonderful. Currently on sale for £20 it makes the perfect gift for the adults on your Christmas gift list.

Eaten Alive Sauces
Eaten Alive have created these amazing sauces which are definitely being placed in my dad and my husbands stockings this year. They also have big jars of kimchi which Liam and I have tried, tested and approve of.

TeaPigs
Advent calendar
Christmas specials
I love a herbal tea. I’m not your average British builders tea gal but a herbal tea…oh yes! I have one of those houses that when you say yes to tea you need to have a look through the whole cupboard to decide which flavour you want as I have most of them haha, and 75% is Tea Pigs! Not only is it a high quality tea brand but their whole packaging is plastic free and completely recyclable. I know it’s a little late for advent calendars but this advent calendar would be a fabulous present for any tea lover because it’s the perfect way to try out all of the Tea Pig teas. Oh, also I have a little discount code code for you if you type in ADVENT5 .

Which gifts would you like to keep for yourself?

STOCKING FILLERS & SECRET SANTA GIFTS

Merry Christmas everyone. Have you bought your Secret Santa presents yet? What’s your budget? I’m sure I have something for you in the list below, although I must say it’s pretty girly down there so make sure you check out my other gift guides going live this week because there are a few more masculine goodies there 🙂

Burt’s Bees Pomegranate Bauble
This bauble is adorable and such great value. Just £6.99 for a lip balm stick and cuticle cream in a tin. Both products smell wonderful (there are two other scents available). I also love the tin bauble it comes in with a hanging string. Perfect for your Secret Santa.

Beatitude Bauble
I have included Beatitude in my last two Christmas gift guides as well because I really love their products. Pure essential oils smelling absolutely delightful and packaged in this beautiful hanging tin bauble. It really makes a lovely gift.

Sleek Make up – Layer Up
At only £2.50 this Sleek gift would be perfect for the tweens out there. Do you need to buy presents for your daughters friends? These would be ideal. Oh and you may want to get one for yourself too, the gold powder has serious Christmas kapow vibes.

STOCKING FILLERS & SECRET SANTA GIFTS | Megan Taylor

Tropic – lash extension kit
This is such a clever kit that any girl in your life would love. There are two mascaras in this pack. The first being a fixing gel mascara and the second is a mascara that has extension fibres in them. Check out the link above to watch a video where you can see a dramatic difference. I know many women who get lash extensions that would love this. Sadly, I am a contact lens wearer and the brand don’t advise you use it :'(

Only Curls Silk Scrunchies
I tie my hair up every evening that I get home from work and put my PJs on. I like to get my hair out of my face and away from my cooking or taking my make up off. I also like to sleep with my hair tied up so that it doesn’t get tangled. These silk scrunchies are the perfect solution because you won’t create a ridge in your hair.

Morning Glamour Satin Pillowcase
I have wanted a satin pillowcase for years and years after many celebrities raved about them. Victoria Beckham recently said a satin pillowcase is one of her top beauty tips. Keep your hair knot free and your face free from pillow lines the next morning. Also, this particular one comes in the dreamiest powder pink.

Sensationail Nailtural
One of my favourite stocking gifts (I have given my parents stockings since I was a teenager now) is to pop in a nail varnish. It’s such a simple gift but always so adored and it last for so long. Sensationail have a lovely range of natural nude colours which everyone will love. Another bonus is that these nail varnishes are vegan.

Fides Baldesberger Tweezers
I know, I know, tweezers seem like such a peculiar Christmas gift but when do you really go and treat yourself to a decent pair of tweezers? Tweezers can come good and bad, they can last a lifetime or just a week. These are absolutely stunning, high class rose gold tweezers come packaged perfectly for Christmas.

Patchology Poshpeel Pedi Cure
Why not treat your friend to an at home pedicure. Get her a nail varnish as seen above and this Patchology posh peel for an easy at home treat. Patchology also sell some lovely sheet masks but my favourites are their under eye patches.

Will you be buying any of these for yourself?