One of my most popular posts on Pinterest is this outfit post where I am wearing an M&S leopard print skirt. It’s a timeless style, that if worn right can see you through any decade. I’ve decided to put together a post documenting 20 Leopard Print Skirts under £20 if you’re looking to stick to a budget. Affiliate links included.
This post is sponsored by Zita West. Our journey to get little Miss C here wasn’t the easiest. Today I’m sharing our Pregnancy & Fertility Journey, sponsored by Zita West,a brand that offers fertility supplements to help with your pregnancy journeys (please do seek medical advice.)
It was many months with negative tests staring back at us, the heartache with each pregnancy announcement became harder and harder to bear. Agonising weeks spent waiting for a delayed period, thinking you might get the elusive BIG FAT POSITIVE were getting further and further away. After 2 and half years it was time for me to go get checked and see what exactly was going on down there. Both of us started to set the wheels in motion!I’d been run for tests first of all. Lots of internals at the hospital and consultant appointments which confirmed that I had ovarian cysts AND stage 2 endometriosis on my left ovaries.It definitely made sense because I had always had excruciatingly painful periods most of my life. Most of which were felt on my left side. Especially if I was ovulating from that side! So if this sounds like you, please do push for answers with your doctors – whether you’re trying to conceive or not.In the back of my mind though I always had this innate gut feeling that getting pregnant would be hard for us based on all my aches and pains growing up (we’re talking throwing up from the pain, blurred vision and the brain fog and the excruciating cramps!)I guess you could call it a woman’s intuition. I wasn’t wrong though, was I?Then the next part was to get my tubes tested to see if there were any blockages stopping me from getting pregnant. This would involve a die being inserted to see if it made its way through.And, next up James was to then go for his tests at the fertility clinic. Dates all booked and set.I will say, we’ve been so very lucky that we got through the system the way we did. Perhaps age was a factor and the length of time it was taking fast tracked us, but the patient treatment with our doctors and hospital was always brilliant too.In August 2021 after we started all our tests I decided that in September that I would go down to 4 days at work. After Covid and all the stresses of our fertility issues, I think my body was under a lot of pressure and my anxiety had hit an all time high over the previous 6 months.Whilst it didn’t seem much of a change, that extra day just allowed me to switch off a little bit more. To enjoy doing things I didn’t always have time for (I think a lot of people did the same.)It allowed me to start working on my fitness and health again too. My BMI, although an outdated measurement, was a factor I had to take in to account as to why things weren’t happening as easy for us as we’d expected.I started to take extra supplements that helped with building cells up to help fall pregnant. Straight away my body started to play a little more “ball” – my periods started to go back to normal over the course of the next few months.That was until January 2022.Having had extended period cycles I was used to being 7, 10 or even at most 14 days late. I was preparing myself for a negative test, that I just kept putting it off and putting it off. I kept telling myself it was just my body acting up again. It was the easiest way to deal with the constant heartache we had previously endured.It was only until I overstepping the 2 week mark James convinced me it was time to take a test. Just to be sure.Always expecting the worst, bleary eyed at 6.30am to get that first morning wee, when the screen came up telling me I was 2 – 3 weeks pregnant I just burst in to tears. The screen we’d wanted to see for what had felt like an eternity was staring right back at us.It was perhaps the most surreal, out of body experience of my life.I guess the culmination of reducing my hours, extra supplements and exercise had all helped. (And of course the timing, a little bit of festive cheer – ha!)We are now just three weeks away from our due time and we’re excitedly waiting for her arrival.The pregnancy has come with its own stresses and merits. Not to mention my gestational diabetes diagnosis, and my low lying placenta (which eventually moved!)But, being pregnant has been one of the most wonderful, humbling and precious experiences I will ever get to know and I thank my lucky stars that we were blessed to become parents.
We just can’t wait to meet her in September!
https://www.zitawest.com/collections/all/products/fertility-conception
Vitafem Premium Women’s Fertility Supplement
Femceive – Friendly Bacteria Supplement for Women During Preconception
**If you are struggling to conceive, please do contact your local GP to discuss options as soon as you can. Please do seek any medical advice regarding taking supplements before doing so. Queenbeady is not responsible for any medical advice, and has only shared their personal experiences.
Our post includes a press trip review of Luxury Yorkshire Coast Hotel – Raithwaite Sandsend. All thoughts & experiences are our own.
I have long wanted to stay at Raithwaite Sandsend since it entered my radar a couple of years ago. I’d never really ventured to Sandsend in my time, except for passing through on our way from Staithes to Whitby or another of the gorgeous little seaside towns and villages we are so lucky to have here on our Yorkshire Coastline. So, when I was invited to come along and review Raithwaite Sandsend I was of course ready & willing (and extremely excited to do so!)
This post is in collaboration with Twill, but all thoughts and experiences are my own. Cast your minds back to 2020. Lock-down was the time to explore new opportunities for ourselves. And that is exactly what I did when thrust in to the throes of isolation. I’d always dreamt of owning my own small business that could help people switch off and relax, so it was a great to time to start this when people were looking or new hobbies now they also had extra time on their hands. It was great fun as I discovered this new revenue stream! However, owning a small business doesn’t come with a manual, there isn’t a formula to overnight success. When I started building the Quietly Wild Store (a dried flower wreath making business) from the ground up, there were a lot of things I had to learn along the way. Here are 5 things I wish I had known when starting my small business.
Don’t miss out on StoryTrails from UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK– A Free event in Bradford during the School Holidays. Launching between the 22nd &23rd July, why not start the summer holidays with your kids with a bang (and one that is easy on the purse strings!)
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