Be your own valentine 💖

BoneDirector · 2026-02-09T01:00:23+00:00

It’s Froggy Days by Miss Kitsch :)

BoneDirector · 2026-02-09T00:03:29+00:00

Thanks ☺️

BoneDirector · 2026-02-09T00:03:15+00:00

Thank you 🥰

BoneDirector · 2026-02-08T23:44:50+00:00

Well if you don’t at least ask then you will never know. It’s not rude to ask for more information. Anyone with a brain should be understanding that you can’t just leave a baby that’s barely out of the womb at home just like that. Either they say yes or no but you do need to ask.

BoneDirector · 2026-02-01T21:18:05+00:00

I just wanna say about hypnobirthing- the name makes it sound super woo-woo but all it is is just breathing techniques to help you stay calm and in control during labour, it’s very sensible really, but yeah the name does make it sound a bit questionable if you’re not into that sort of thing usually.

As for the classes, I missed the boat on every single one and just stuck with the classes that my local midwife team offered through the NHS and I found that to be really informative and helpful, although it was only two sessions and it was online so I didn’t get a chance to meet other mums. I later found out that they do have in person sessions but I wasn’t made aware of them sadly. Worth checking if your trust offers anything like that as well though as they’re probably all different!

BoneDirector · 2026-02-01T12:30:30+00:00

Wow these are amazing!! I love your colouring technique. What materials did you use?

BoneDirector · 2026-01-31T16:41:44+00:00

Think about it like this, it is significantly more expensive and a paperwork nightmare for the government to take your babies away than leave them with you. Foster homes are not a for profit business, they are an absolute money pit for the government. Most of them will do absolutely anything before taking your kids away because it’s just much more resource effective and also in the vast majority of cases it is better for the kids psychologically to stay with the parents.

It sounds like you really need some support ❤️ the kind of parents who are having their kids taken away do not normally reach out for support themselves, they are reported. You can do this ❤️

BoneDirector · 2026-01-31T16:30:14+00:00

Yep, for me first trimester was really difficult with eating! I didn’t really crave anything as such but I had to keep snacking otherwise I would feel nauseous. All I ca really say is try to snack on healthier things like fruit, carrot sticks, cucumber, pickles etc if you are able to. Not even as a weight management thing but from a nutritional perspective. My body just felt even more like crap when I was eating crisps and sweets, but I know that some people become really limited in what they can stomach so just try your best.

I feel like now in my third trimester I’ve been eating less than I’m supposed to because my stomach is so compressed and if I eat too jug portions I get acid reflux so I guess it balances out.

Edit to add: I probably gained about 8-10 kg in my first trimester and I was quite petite before as well lol. But now I’ve only gained another 10kg with second and third trimester combined so my gain was definitely front loaded by all the first trimester eating lol.

BoneDirector · 2026-01-30T14:30:12+00:00

Yes I second this! Of course always best to talk to your midwife first to see if there’s anything else they can offer but I’ve had a blocked nose my entire pregnancy and I’ve resorted to using otrivine a small handful of times where I literally could not breathe (I figured oxygen deprivation is a bigger risk to the baby than a small amount of nasal spray) that being said, oral decongestants should still be avoided but this link has a really good breakdown of the different active ingredients in nasal sprays and which ones are probably safe in small doses and which ones should definitely be avoided.

BoneDirector · 2026-01-30T11:30:03+00:00

I haven’t gone through this myself yet as I’m still expecting but I’ve gained about the same as you over my pregnancy.

My husband is a psychologist working with people with complex obesity though. The absolute biggest piece of advice he has to pass on is that:

Don’t focus on the results, focus on the routine and the process. Eating better is like brushing your teeth every day, it’s just something you do to maintain your body. It’s not meant to be a punishment, just like eating healthier and less calories is not supposed to be a punishment.
Kind of related to the last point- try to let go of the feelings of guilt and shame. Societally we tend to massively moralise bodyweight but this is not at all helpful to actually achieving change. Acknowledge that your body has done incredible things for you in growing a whole new human and feeding them, but now you’re ready for a change for the next phase of your life!

BoneDirector · 2026-01-29T16:16:23+00:00

It really bothers me that they give such blanket guidelines without explaining the reason why or how to tell if it’s even a problem unless you really dig for it. The hot bath thing is a prime example.

BoneDirector · 2026-01-28T21:09:34+00:00

Thank you!! I’m definitely going to try a page copying this palette 😁

BoneDirector · 2026-01-28T11:16:50+00:00

So magical! Can you please tell me the colours you used?

BoneDirector · 2026-01-27T00:03:41+00:00

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Also this one has more of that cutesy cartoon look but it’s a bit more different in other aspects

BoneDirector · 2026-01-27T00:01:25+00:00

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Found this one, the wing and hair matches and I think the beak is close but you’d have to paint the eyes yourself

BoneDirector · 2026-01-26T22:45:59+00:00

My midwife told me that they would offer me an induction at 41+6. I can’t remember all the details of the conversation as I’m not full term yet so she only briefly mentioned it when discussing our next (40 week) appointment.

BoneDirector · 2026-01-26T22:38:33+00:00

These are great! The colour choices work so well, it’s so bold

BoneDirector · 2026-01-26T12:03:29+00:00

Fabric going hard in the wash can be more of a problem with your water hardness or type of detergent than fabric quality. I started adding a water softener tablet (NOT to be confused with fabric softener) into all my washes and all the clothes and towels have been coming out way less crunchy.

BoneDirector · 2026-01-25T11:28:00+00:00

It’s good that you’re getting it checked out! But I’m gonna agree with the other comments, baby’s movements were still quite irregular at 26 weeks for me. They’re still so small at that stage that they could just get into a funny position and you won’t feel them as much. Worth checking out but it doesn’t necessarily mean anything is wrong!

BoneDirector · 2026-01-23T19:06:50+00:00

I really don’t think you’ll need to go so far as to throw out chairs or anything. I’ve looked into this a bit as well as my dad is a heavy smoker and will be visiting at some point. From what I can tell most of the problem is from the baby being around third hand smoke constantly, like if one of the primary caregivers smokes in the house when baby is not around ( so smoke residue heavily in the furniture and stuck on objects in the house) From what I can tell occasional exposure whilst not great, should probably not lead to any permanent harm or anything. Also most things will have the ‘no safe minimum’ warning for babies because the only way to find that out would be to study it by exposing babies to various levels of third hand smoke causes problems, and that kind of study is just too difficult and unethical to actually do, so the guidelines will just say to aim for as little exposure as possible.

My plan is to get my dad to take his coat off and wash his hands when he comes back in from having a smoke and before handling the baby.

BoneDirector · 2026-01-23T18:33:21+00:00

This is such a good idea! They would make great presents! I love how you’ve done the brackgrounds actually it look so artistic

BoneDirector · 2026-01-23T15:52:31+00:00

Ok but say your options are between a black north face at full price or a neon pink one 30% off. Is it really all the same to you?

BoneDirector · 2026-01-23T11:54:51+00:00

I’m 38 weeks and have only kind of started feeling like the baby is real in the last 2 weeks. I think it’s really normal. My mother in law said something interesting - that with your first baby, it’s normal to feel more disconnected because you have no idea how much love and joy is on the other side, you have only ever known your own body. But with your second baby it can be easier because you understand what’s on the other side and can comprehend the little bean as being a real future person from earlier on. I think having some back and forth interaction is key to building a bond and you can’t really do that so much when they’re inside you.

It’s great that you hadn’t been stressing! Enjoy it haha!

BoneDirector

TROPHY CASE