I'm having baby number 3!

If you have been following us on socials for the last few months, you would have seen that I, Rachel the founder of Baby and Mumma Gifts, am expecting baby number 3 in a few months! Not only am I hugely excited to be going on this journey, but I also thought I’d share some insights into my experience of pregnancy, what I have loved, what I have not loved, and what it’s been like running and continuing to expand this business during pregnancy.

The struggles of pregnancy:

Unfortunately for me, I have been unlucky enough to experience some pretty intense morning sickness throughout each of my pregnancies during the first trimester. For me this meant a constant feeling of nausea that just didn’t go away for weeks on end, as well as difficulty with food. This time I also experienced something difficult that was new for me; a coffee aversion! I had read that this was quite a common symptom, but I hadn’t experienced it myself before. This time, only a few weeks into pregnancy, I couldn’t stand the smell or taste of coffee. This was awful, and I was really missing caffeine. Eventually through trial and error, I was able to stomach iced coffee filled with lots of ice and lots of sugar. It was like I was drowning out the taste of the coffee with ice and sugar, but it was worth it because I needed it to get through my days.

As well as nausea, the first trimester fatigue was a unique challenge. This time, I had two children to look after, a business to run, and work that had to be done. There wasn’t a lot I could do to help with this, except going to sleep at the same time as my children every night and sleeping as much as possible. For anyone else experiencing this extreme fatigue in pregnancy, it is real, and it is hard. It was a little unexpected for me too, as I don’t remember it being this severe with my previous two pregnancies.

The joys:

I’m now happily in my second trimester, about to enter my third. It’s proven true what everyone says, the second trimester has been by far the easiest. The fatigue and morning sickness have calmed right down. While I still get tired and still feel aversions to certain foods, it is nothing like the first trimester. Other joys in the second trimester include; finding out the gender of the baby – we’re having a girl! Also the joys of the first baby kicks, the growing bump, and sharing the news with family, friends, customers and readers. These moments really are special and I will always cherish them.

Working while also pregnant:

Running this business while also working in a casual teaching job and looking after two small children while pregnant has certainly been a challenge, but it’s one that I have also enjoyed. I have always enjoyed creating the orders that come through our website each day. The joy that I feel being a part of someone’s special journey to motherhood is so special to me. But the nausea and fatigue of pregnancy has meant that some business tasks have had to be pushed aside. I haven’t updated our blog very much, and have also stopped posting to Tiktok, even though I previously enjoyed doing this. Our wonderful Kira has held the fort for me on Instagram and Facebook. I have continued to do the behind the scenes of packing, shipping, ordering and logistics, but have had some wonderful help from my husband. Our local post office is also helping me out a lot when I appear at their post office with a large baby bump trying to carry 10 heavy parcels at once.

The future:

I’m looking forward to being a mum of three, and looking forward to having some time away from working and business, but don’t worry, I’m currently searching for the perfect person to take over from me, and I’m certain we will find someone amazing who will be able to continue with my original vision of creating beautiful gifts that are as much for mums as they are for babies.

Enjoying some samples of some products:

I am so lucky that I have an entire warehouse (also known as my spare bedroom) full of beautiful products made just for pregnancy and postpartum. I have tried a few samples of some of our beautiful products and have set some more aside for me to use later when I give birth. Some favourites so far include:

·         Belly Oil from Mama and Bird – this is a beautiful belly oil that feels amazing on my skin and I am so excited to be trying it out for myself!

·         Glow bath soak from the Physic Garden – it’s pretty rare that I get a bath all to myself, I usually have to share it with my two small children. So together, me and my kids are enjoying some blissful soaking with the Glow Bath soak

·         Angel Maternity pajamas – I have been a fan of Angel Maternity ever since I was pregnant with my first. So of course I have chosen myself some pyjamas. I chose the sage as this is what we had more of in stock when I first tried them out

So there is my little pregnancy update. I’ll be posting another blog next week all about what I’ll be using for myself in my hospital bag and for myself and my baby after this one is born. Stay tuned for some more updates over the coming months!