If you decide to breastfeed, the first couple weeks of breastfeeding are the hardest and there’s such a steep learning curve, but if you are able to push through it, it’s definitely worth it. I will say that if you end up deciding breastfeeding isn’t for you and some people give you a hard time about it, remember that being a good parent is making sure your baby is fed. It doesn’t matter if it’s breastmilk or formula. Fed is best. Period!
I found the 1st few weeks difficult. My baby is 9 weeks now and am finding things much easier. I think it takes a while for you both to learn what to do!
It feels like the time is going so fast, before I know it she'll be here. I love that you're sharing pregnancy updates with us, even though I'm 57 it brings back memories of my pregnancies. I had a mental breakdown after my husband drove an hour to get me a treat late at night, he brought back a pudding pop instead of a fudgescicle...I sat on the bed a cried haha
I'm exactly the same! My sister in law is pregnant and she's always like 'how on earth do you know so much stuff?' (i'm 20) Haha it's surprising how much you pick up!
I've just had my 5th baby, would love to see an anti haul or products you regret buying once you have this baby. It's surprising how many I wish I'd never bought! Your looking lovely x
my twin babies (a boy and a girl!) are three months old! :) I lived in maternity leggings the last month of my pregnancy. the thought of putting jeans on when i was that uncomfortable made me want to cry. so, for sure stock up on comfy, stretchy leggings! especially for when you are swollen towards the end. good luck!! best wishes!!
Number 1 essential when I had my baby girl: Fisher Price Rock n’ Play. She slept in it until she was 6 months old. It rocks and has a sound machine attached... folds up flat for travel. Super light and easy to move around from room to room. I think it was $75 US. So excited for you guys! My Ava is 19 months old and time is just flying so quickly. Being a mom is just the greatest gift 😊 Enjoy every second!
Essentials for when you get really big: shoes that you can get on without bending down - I wore wellies for a month 😂. I also had really bad heartburn the last month, so chewing tablets came in handy. Essentials for coming home from the hospital: granny panties, maxipads, a stocked frigde and freezer ( including snacks for visitors) we had homemade chili, butter chicken, pies and lasagna for the first two weeks. I was so pleased with my idea. Oh, and padsickles - google how to make them. And I really wish I had a Squirt bottle in handy. Sorry for the tmi lol Oh oh oh.. LANSINOH creme saved my life (nipples) and maybe a nipple shield just in case.
Remember if you plan to breastfeed that it's hard at first, but if you can push through the first few weeks it gets Much easier. You are so adorable pregnant! Best of luck and best of health to you guys!
So I started writing this out in notes thinking I just had one thing to say but turns out I have a few, hence the essay comment! I’m a FTM, my daughter is just over 6 weeks old and the only thing really I’d say is just do what works for you and Mike. You will find people will be eager to give advice (not to mention horror labour stories, why?!) and whilst it may be well intentioned, it may not work for you or go against what you plan on doing. Don’t let anyone pressure you into doing something you don’t want, that goes for labour and how you decide to feed. If you breastfeed, great, if you bottle feed, great. As long as your baby gets fed, is happy and puts on weight that’s all that matters. If you do bottle feed I cannot recommend the Tommee Tippee perfect prep machine highly enough, it sorts the water out for you so no waiting around for the kettle to boil and cool, which at 3am is a life saver. The Tommee Tippee electric steriliser is fab too. Apps wise: 1. The Wonder Weeks (£1.99), I never pay for apps but this one is amazing. It explains all about babies mental development that keeps you informed about the leaps/bounds and fussy phases. It charts it on a calendar for you which then links to your personal calendar if you want it to. 2. Sound sleeper: White noise (free), I found out about this from susiejverrill on Instagram and it’s a life saver. If baby is absolutely refusing to go to sleep, pick one of the noises and baby should soon be sound asleep. Mine is currently, finally, sleeping to the womb noise. Oh and another thing, try and remember you’re doing an amazing job, but it’s also ok to ask for help. It’s hard work and no one will judge you if you ask for help, that’s what dads, grandparents, uncles and aunties are for. But most of all, enjoy absolutely every single second, even those moments where you feel like you don’t know what you’re doing.
Newborn essential - this is a bit of a strange one but the Phillips' 'Hue' light bulbs and hub have saved me with my nighttime feeds. You can control your lights with an app on your phone including a dimmer option so you don't need to get up and turn on bright lights at 3am, if you have a bedside cot, you won't even need to get out of bed! I am a wheelchair user so this has literally been the best thing ever!
Without plugging....I have filmed loads of videos on pregnancy and breastfeeding. It can be really tough and quite lonely. I found RU-vid so helpful for any questions I had xxx
i have a 20 month old and found the postpartum apps for tracking feeding etc. to be WONDERFUL! the one i used was called baby tracker, but there are so many out there. you aren't getting much sleep once they've arrived but my doctor kept asking constantly about the details of feeding, pooing etc at checkups and i found it extremely helpful to refer to the app since i couldn't remember anything from day to day. you can track/graph their sleep, growth, everything.
I loved the ovia app when I was pregnant, it was definitely my go to app. You can change it as well so it'll show you how big the baby is in games, fruit/vegetables, animals and bakery! You can change the colour of the hand and foot print too so if you're having a boy you can make it blue :)
Also with the ovia app, you get 4 choices of the baby size comparison! If you go to the settings, you can chose from fruits/veggies, silly animals, toys, and persian bakery items!
You are ten weeks ahead of me lol I'm 16 weeks and I'm having a boy. My essentials so far have been similar to yours. Comfy bras and jeans. Plenty of fruits and veggies since that is all I can keep down. And I have the what to expect app and the baby center app which I've been loving!
I’ve just noticed your audience is (also) growing at past the 1/2 million mark! Congrats on keeping great content coming, including your wonderful pregnancy vlogs 💖
For goodness sake do your pelvic floor exercises!! In fact self-care in general is massively important when you have a baby (mine's 8 months now). It's very easy to let it fall by the wayside! Two apps I would recommend for finishing off your pregnancy are Kegal Kat and Contraction Timer. The timer will let you track your stage 1 labour, which I found useful to help me decide when to go to the hospital. Also for the hospital I took a prepared playlist with me - it gives your brain something to focus on when the pain gets bad. Remember to take water and snacks for you and Mike! You'll both (mainly you) need your energy!
I also had the pregnancy plus app. I would say the best spent money on baby thing was fee of private lactation consultant that came to our house day after we got home. She spent quite a lot of time with us, looked at my feeding as well as where I planned to feed - nursery, master bedroom and living room. Gave me lots of tips for breastfeeding as well as baby care. The other thing I found helpful was refilling bottles of water every night at each feeding station in the house and making sure I would have everything handy. Water, burp muslin, box of tissues and snacks. You feel huge thirst when baby latches and you could be out of reach for ages.... And buy one pack of PJs in 3-6 and 6-9m just to keep handy. I always find we need the next size up with no warning. My baby is almost 4 months but he is already in 6-9m clothing... My older son now 20months did not go through sizes as fast but we had the same "I have grown out of all of my clothes between dinner time and bath time" 😀
I’ve been loving watching your pregnancy vlogs and loving them despite the fact we were going to have to start IVF so it was hard - we were due to start our treatment last weekend, but the day we were due to start we found out we were pregnant! So happy to be rewatching them ☺️ xx
Where is that moon and star necklace from!? So beautiful! For me i found bio oil actually was more effective for stretch marks based on my two pregnancies. Second pregnancy i combined the body butter with bio oil and saw a significant difference.
I really loved the H&M maternity jeggings with the full panel that goes all the way up, way more comfortable in my opinion! Also during towards the end of my pregnancy I could not wear any sort of jeans/leggings I lived in maxi dresses!
I'm currently 8 months pregnant and I just wanted to say first that I love your updates! Also that if you want to geek it a little more the book "the first 6 months" is a fantastic book for newborn Info, it's written by a midwife and it's an Australian book if you want to check it out. Xx
Such a lovely video Fleur! Really useful, maybe it would be nice if you do other videos about your essentials, before and after the baby is born. By the way your hair in this video are so beautiful!!
You should try reading a parenting book called Bringing up Bebe, it's about French parenting techniques, and an American parent. It's really eye opening!
I also had Ovia app when I was pregnant and liked it a lot :) I had my first baby at the end of August. Newborn essential I really like and I don't know if you have it yet is baby-vac...So funny, but it's a tube that you attach to your vacuum and you can clean a baby's nose with it so easily...Babies have stuffed noses so often, even if they don't have a cold and it's hard for them to eat with stuffed nose...Also treat yourself with massages, pedicures, etc. before the baby comes...:D
my LO is 8 weeks old, something i wish id have been more prepared for is what to do when breastfeeding fails haha- i hadnt even considered that we might not make it past 6 weeks and had to do as mad dash around for the bottle steriliser, bottles, cleaning solution, cleaning brush. good luck with everything- your best adventure is yet to come. Oh also, dont know if youve tried the asos maternity ridley jeans yet but theyre pretty fab- they almost look like reg jeans for postpartum too xxx
Fleur, you may want to check out Marks and Spencer as their baby range (especially for baby girls) has improved. They have really cute design for little baby outfits and things including a Peter rabbit collection which is too cute for words! Xxx
Later on in my pregnancy I needed a belly band to support my belly and back from the extra weight my body wasn't used to. I'd recommend picking one up! I picked one out on Amazon. Mine wasn't noticeable under my clothes.
Hi! I’m about a week ahead of you with a boy so it has been so fun watching your updates!! I have been loving super comfy pajama shorts since I get so hot at night and long tank tops with cardigans as it gets into Fall in the US. My skin has been super dry so I have been going through sheet masks like crazy! XOXO
You might not be this far ahead yet for preparing but I highly recommend socks for labor and a lovely lip balm. I had long labors and forgot socks the first time and the air con is freezing and if you have gas and air your lips get so dry x
You should download the Wonder Weeks app for when your bubba is born! It's sooooo helpful for knowing when your babe is entering a leap and gives you heaps of info of what to expect! X
My son is now 18 weeks old and my essentials were my fit ball to bounce on as I got close to due date, soft sports bras for bed and night shirts a pose to pj's. when you pack your hospital bag make sure you take some pre made milk bottles I.e cow and gate etc inc saw it takes a while for baby to latch I had been awake for days and my son had tongue tie so our only way to feed him was formula to start.? I have commented before but aquanatal classes are the best thing I ever did for exercise and to meet other mums. My no.1 tip is to meet other people at antenatal classes that are due a similar time, no matter what you read nothing beats k owing other people are going through the exact same and it is the best form of support as a new mum, I never ever read a pregnancy book as it is such a personal experience you just learn and develop every day when baby arrives. enjoy every second of being pregnant, before you know it you will have the most perfect little person by your side but my gosh you will miss your bump after a while. It's honestly the best feeling in the world xxxx
For once baby is here the wonder weeks app is amazing. Lets you know what stages they're going through at that time. (There is alot) like teething not sleeping etc. It really helped me when my little was growing up. He's 3 now the time really goes so quickly! Enjoy being pregnant it was the best time for me! Xx
Where is your moon/star necklace from Fleur? It is beautiful! Thank you so much for doing this video! Love hearing all the essentials and tips you've figured out along your pregnancy. I'm so excited for you! Btw your glowing!
Two kids down, working on a third. Definitely buy (if avail in UK): Nose Frida, Kinsa Smart Thermometer (probe kind), coconut oil for breastfeeding, and a touch lamp.
Omg this was me last year- I can't believe how fast this year has gone. My little boy was born 27th December. Savour everything because you'll blink and miss it!!
My little boy is six months and the most used things for me are muslins... Millions of them!!he spits up and protects us from having to change a million times a day. A basic light weight bouncer, I have two a tiny love rocker and napper(which is also brilliant as it lies flat)and a mothercare basic one as I can lift it one handed so if I need to go to different rooms or the bathroom its portable, I probably used it most for getting ready in my dressing room as he could see me and I wasn't running in and out of rooms to check him. A lie flat high chair, hauck do one and other brands(think stokke have new born inserts for theirs,they are very lush looking).bit more pricier but great for sitting at table or in kitchen and eating and good way to get bubs used to seeing food getting made,eaten,sitting as a family. Not new born but my boy is now weaning and I live the Annabel karmel silicone freezer trays supper easy to batch cook and the weaning app on app store for ideas. Have loafs more but will leave it here...good luck xkx
Hi fleur omg 6 months where's the time gone not long now.so excited for you guys.ive heard so much about "hypno" birthing have you thought about that yet.you look amazing.xx😀
Hi Fleur, I’m 25 weeks pregnant now. I tried the Topshop jeans but as you said it kept slipping down with every other step I take. Recently I tried a NewLook maternity jegging and it was very comfortable and well fitting compared to the Topshop one. And even I love the Ovia app and it’s so exciting to wake up in the morning and read their daily update 😍 Great video btw and happy pregnancy ☺️😘
Just a tip for breast feeding. It was really difficult to get my Ellie to breast feed. We had just about had her "trained" when I had to go away on a business trip. Ruined everything. It's a lot of work to get a child to breast feed, so keep your schedule clear from flying/ travel that would take you away from her until your little one is completely on board with breast feeding (if that's what you choose to do).
I'm currently 16 weeks pregnant and I have also been using two apps. I use Ovia and The Bump. The Bump shows you a 3D image of the baby that you can rotate and view from all angles, it's quite cute. As for lotions and potions I've been using the Palmer's Stretch Mark butter in the tube and I'm currently using Bio-Oil. I've looked at the tummy butter from Palmer's but wasn't sure if I should get it as I want to apply it to other areas as well (do you?). Love your videos (on both channels)!
Hi Fleur I also read The day to day pregnancy book. It was so interesting and gave me such an in site into what was happening to my body. It came recommended by my sister. She would always tell me to read it and I’m glad I did. Xx
If your planning on breastfeeding. You must read 'The food of love' by Kate Evans. An excellent read with plenty of funny illustrations that are so relevant but it's not at all preachy and a great one for packing in the hospital bag!
Hi Fleur, I think we are going to have babies around the same time! Xmas babies :) My essentials have been loose fitting dresses, baby apps The Bump and Ovia, Palmers cocao butter, and teas! First mint tea helped me with my gas in the evening but it ended up giving me more heartburn (was probably overdoing it) so I switched to Chamomile tea and drink it max once a day. Another thing I have been loving is watching pregnancy updates, newborn essentials and a day in the life with newborn videos on RU-vid haha! Saludos
No shame in your book game. As a fellow pregnancy nerd at 19 weeks, I've also read about 7! I'd rather read more and weed out the advice I think is less helpful than just take one person's point of view. I've been looking for a first month style book, so I'll be checking this one out too. 🤓📚
I'm 36 weeks. I use the Ovia App!! I find it the most entertaining. This week she is the size of a Cabbage patch doll. I am starting to get very uncomfortable. I have to go to the bathroom every hour some nights which is not very cool. But I guess it is training for the interrupted sleeps that I will have in the not so distant future.
We almost the same in amount of weeks. Pregnant with my third baby boy and the last one I will have. Advice is too follow your gut instinct with your baby and yourself always.
Super helpful video! I'm looking forward to getting some comfy maternity wear in the next month (it's early days for me). But I'll be checking out those vitamins today as I do want to take omega 3 as well 🙂
I would definitely recommend reading up on the science side of breastfeeding and normal newborn behavior (if you haven't already) the Last Leche League have a really good one called the Womanly Art of Breastfeeding which is good to dip in and out of. It has a useful bit at the back with lots of advice about what to do if you have a problem whilst breastfeeding ect. Another book I enjoyed that really solidified my stubborness to breastfeed is the Politics of Breastfeeding which goes into the science but also historical, environmental, economics ect that go along with breastfeeding or not...sorry that is a very bad summary! At times it may make your blood boil as it describes the underhand tactics formula companies use to undermine breastfeeding and to maximise their profits with no regard to the health of mothers and babies. It's a book everyone should read especially if they don't understand why some people are so opposed to formula companies.
The22726 so true! It's good to know about pregnancy and labour but that's only a small portion of entering the world of being a mother. What comes afterwards is so much more challenging you need to prepare yourself as much as you can. Also finding a breast feeding support group nearby can be super helpful too.
Great video! I'm just behind you at 25 weeks, and I've been loving the Palmer's oil for my belly. I need to try the tummy butter! And I've been reading Bringing up Bébé. Love the book so far. Great advice from an American ex-pat living in France. Hope you're enjoying your pregnancy! You look beautiful! xx
Have you tried any of the H&M maternity wear or George at Asda? They look ok for workwear (shirts, trousers etc). Can find lots of jeans but not many proper trousers.
