How does it feel to give birth at any age really? Could you describe birth to someone who hasn’t experienced it and really communicate what it’s like in a way that would make them feel it? Even if you could, would that birth experience be their birth experience? I’ve given birth twice and I’m not sure there were comparable, even though it was the same hospital, the same vagina. I was pregnant the first time around when I was just 16 years old and gave birth at 17 and now, aged 42, I often think about the women starting families for the first time. It feels a lifetime away to me. How on earth would I cope with the exhaustion and pain of pregnancy and childbirth now, let alone the sleepless nights and relentless parenting. If there is one perk to having a baby as a teenager it’s that you have a LOT more energy. When people find out that I had a baby when I was 17, their first reaction is often ‘that must have been hard’, but honestly, I’m not sure it was. You have an adaptability and resilience when you’re 17, a kind of carelessness almost, like the world is yours for the taking. At 17 I felt invincible, immortal. Nothing much worried me – I just lived. Things happened, I made things happen. Giving birth as a teenager, I felt like I knew it all. I didn’t really have a plan, I certainly didn’t have a birthing soundtrack or preferred blend of essential oils, but perhaps that worked in my favour? I know a lot of women have births that don’t go according to their ‘plan’ and they end up feeling like they’ve failed somehow. I was naïve at 17 for sure, unprepared even, but maybe…

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I may not have quite gotten around to learning to play the trombone or turning my vagina into a bespoke candle or whatever it is that Gwyneth Paltrow would have us do at times like these, but if there is one lockdown activity that I’ve well and truly bought into it’s banana bread. In fact I was on the banana bread wagon even BEFORE the pandemic, but then we’ve always known I’m a trend setter haven’t we? ‘Finger on the pulse’ is a phrase close family often use to describe my approach to fashion and current affairs. Just to keep ahead of the lockdown banana bread curve then, I decided to crank things up a notch last week and take my banana bread exploits to the next level. I did this in two ways. First, I added chocolate chips. I know, mind blown. You can literally add chocolate chips to ANYTHING and it’s better. I feel like you could add chocolate chips to a bath and it would be a win. Second, I went MINI. Everyone knowns that making normal sized things SMALL is a sure fire way to improve them. Think of all the things you know and love and imagine teeny tiny versions of them. It’s adorable isn’t it? It doesn’t work with wine, but that might be the exception. Bish bash bosh – mini chocolate banana loaves. We’re saved! November’s lockdown is going to be okay! (I mean it’s still shit, but at least you’ll have cake and something to do for half an hour.) To make mini banana loaves you will need: 140g soft margarine 140g caster sugar 140g self-raising flour 2 eggs 1 teaspoon baking powder Splosh of vanilla essence Big handful of chocolate chips 2-3 ripe bananas. Extra chocolate and banana chips for decoration…

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Advertisement feature Bacterial vaginosis is an ailment that afflicts at least 29% of women in America. If you detect anything unusual about your vagina such as a fishy smell or a discharge with an unusual appearance, chances are it may be bacterial vaginosis. This may be problematic as it is a disease that normally doesn’t have any symptoms. A lot of women also report not feeling anything after being diagnosed with this illness. It’s also worth checking in with an std clinic if you feel you might be at risk from having contracted any sexually transmitted diseases. Although BV may seem to be an innocuous disease, it has grave complications if left untreated. Some complications of BV include: Preterm birth – women who have bacterial vaginosis while pregnant have the risk of having babies with low birth weight as well as their water breaking too early, which causes preterm birth Loss of pregnancy or miscarriage – women with bacterial vaginosis are also at a greater risk of losing their fetus or miscarriage Pelvic Inflammatory disease – this includes inflammation of the entire reproductive system in women and may cause infertility Increases the risk of sexually transmitted disease- women diagnosed with bacterial vaginosis are at a greater risk of getting sexually transmitted diseases such as gonorrhea, chlamydia, and herpes. Infection risk after surgery- if a woman has bacterial vaginosis, she has a greater chance of getting an infection after getting surgery. These surgeries include hysterectomy, c-section, or abortion. What is Bacterial Vaginosis? Bacterial vaginosis is an infection in the vagina, and it often happens if there is an imbalance in bacteria within the vagina’s ecosystem. Gardnerella vaginalis, the bacteria that cause vaginosis, may not be exactly harmful but it is this imbalance that causes the harm and the infection to arise.…

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Honesty has always been incredibly important to me. That sounds kind of obvious, but when you start to pay attention it’s amazing how many little lies we let slip through just in the course of a day – excuses for not wanting to go out in the evening, white lies to children – it all adds up. The older I get, the more I try to avoid these little lies, even if they feel like they might not do any harm. It might feel easier to tell a friend you can’t come out because you have a headache, but is it really any harder to just say ‘you know what, I really do want to see you, but today has just been exhausting and I know if we go out tonight I’m going to be rubbish company and neither of us will have a good time’? I also try to be honest because I want other people to be honest with me. I’d much prefer to ask someone how they are and hear that actually, things aren’t great, if that’s the reality of their situation. I find it hard to be all ‘oh yeah, fine, great!’ with people when that’s not how I’m feeling and it’s through our vulnerability, sharing the bad stuff as well as the good, that we form real connections with people. When it comes to blogging and social media it’s the same – I want to present a real version of myself so that you feel that the relationship we have as writer and reader is a genuine one. I’m not afraid to tell you when I’m sad, or when I get my vagina rejuvenated, and I like that. It’s like we’re chums. What I’m finding more and more difficult though is feeling like I’m telling…

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2017 was a bit of a slack year for me on the old book front. I could make up excuses about moving house and relationship changes and what not, but let’s be honest, it’s really just laziness. When you’re tired, watching the remake of Dynasty on Netflix feels EASIER than actually having to move your eyes from one side of a page to the next, over and over again. It’s stupid really, because I love reading, and a good book is way more absorbing than the antics of modern day Fallon Carrington, so this year I decided to make an effort to read more books. And by ‘read’ I mean ‘finish’, not just read a few chapters, stack them up on my bedside table and move on to the next thing. To give myself some focus I thought that every month I’d share with you what I’ve been reading. Pretty straightforward – no vagina gags – just a few thoughts that might give you some inspiration for your next book choice. I’m not going to bother with links or anything, you know how to work the old Google. It doesn’t really count as reading, but I’ve also listened this month to the audiobook version of The Humans by Matt Haig. I’ve read (with my eyes) a few of his books already and love them. Matt writes with this straightforward honesty and clarity that often makes me stop and think ‘YES. That’s exactly it.’ He has a way of capturing the essence of things in a very beautiful, simple yet powerful way. So, the books.

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I woke up on Friday morning to an email from Oliver Bonas. ‘Thank you for your order!’ it said. Wait what? I looked at the time of the email – Thursday at 11.19pm. Ah. Apparently I had been feeling particularly decadent at 11.19pm because this is what I bought: Well. That all looks lovely doesn’t it?

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Looking for Innovo reviews? Want easy ways to strengthen your pelvic floor? You’ve come to the right place! I have a gadget to show you today! You know how lots of blogs show off fancy things like iPads and remote control helicopters? Well, it’s sort of like that. Only not. Today I want to introduce you to Innovo. You might remember Innovo from when I talked about it here a couple of months ago? Innovo is a totally non-invasive way to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles and treat cause of urinary leaks, rather than just covering them up. Stress incontinence is something that a lot of people are too embarrassed to talk about, but it’s definitely not something you should just have to accept. This post is the first in a series where I’m going to be properly putting Innovo through its paces, checking in at intervals to tell you about my progress and the changes I’m noticing. I don’t want to just give you the theory – I want to give you thorough, honest Innovo reviews, so that if you do want to do something about your pelvic floor, you have all the information you need about Innovo to invest with confidence. (That sounded very serious didn’t it? I promise to make wee gags too. You have to laugh at stuff remember? You just want to be able to laugh without wetting yourself.) In this Innovo review post then, I just want to show you exactly what’s involved, what you can expect if you choose to try Innovotherapy for yourself, and to give you a bit of background into the technology. Let’s get the science out of the way before I get my thighs out shall we?

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I was staying overnight in a hotel recently, as I do now and again, for work, or sometimes just for fun because I like hotel toiletries. I was sat (in a lying down sort of way) on the bed, watching a bit of TV before going for dinner. I sneezed. I sneezed again, and a little bit of wee came out. (Stops typing briefly to hide under my desk.) It wasn’t a gush by any means – I didn’t need to pretend I’d spilt a glass of water and call down to reception for fresh sheets – but it was enough to make me feel about 63 years old. If I had had a Sunday supplement with me I’d have ordered some stretchy waisted trousers as a sort of reflex reaction.

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This is going to be a post about two of my favourite things – travel and Disney. In particular, the DisneyLife app. (A new branch of the ‘favourite things’ tree.) If you’ve read even a handful of my blog posts before, you’ll know that Belle and I are pretty much permanently on mini-breaks, holed up in some caravan somewhere, and in case you were in any doubt at all about the Disney element, here’s what hangs, pride of place, on the wall at home. I’m not sure whether Bee was more excited in Disneyland Paris, meeting Stitch, or at Camp Bestival, where she met Seth Lakeman. It’s a tough call. The DisneyLife app We are all very excited though about being part of the team of bloggers working with Disney to help people discover the DisneyLife app. And honestly, when I say I am excited, I really mean it. Not like when I say ‘I’m excited to be working with this new brand of high fibre cracker!’ (Although you know, it’s always nice to have work). This is proper ‘I might get to work with Disney! I can’t wait to hear from Disney!’ type excitement. Ask my fiancé, he’ll tell you how annoying I’ve been in the run up to this project going live.

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Do you remember a while ago when I played those computer games with my vagina? Well, Elvie – the pelvic floor gadget that I played said games with – is celebrating this week. Elvie is about to launch with John Lewis, which is very exciting indeed – both for Elvie and for mums. It’s about time that our pelvic floors got some attention, and it’s fantastic to see a store like John lewis recognising that new parenthood is about so much more than pretty blankets and organic teethers. To celebrate this new partnership, Elvie have very kindly given me one of their very personal trainers to give away. They retail at £149, so it’s a fantastic prize, plus, what price can you really put on not weeing yourself uncontrollably in public? Priceless, that is. To enter couldn’t be easier – it’s simpler than finding a toilet in a hurry in a busy shopping arcade, that’s for sure, and I should know. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post, telling me why you’d like to win, and then register your comment in the Rafflecopter widget below. Once you do that, a few bonus entries will unlock – enter as many as you can to increase your chances of winning. The competition will close on midnight on June 26th. The winner will be notified via email within 7 days and has 30 days to claim their prize. UK and over 18s only. Good luck! a Rafflecopter giveaway Competitions at ThePrizeFinder

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When was the last time you had a proper overhaul of your utilities? I mean a really good look at it, not just turning your heating down a degree or switching suppliers through a comparison site, just for the free Meerkat. The average combined family bill in the UK for electricity, gas, water and sewage services, is now over £1,800, which is a hefty chunk of your expenditure every single month. With bills this high though, the good news is that this means there is plenty of scope for savings. When it comes to utilities, it’s often a combination of lots of little things that work best, rather than one big change, so why not see how many of these you can tick off? Understand your bills One of the biggest reasons that we overspend on bills and services is that we simply don’t properly understand what we’re paying for. This video from Home Energy Scotland helps you get to grips with exactly what your bills mean, so you can feel in control of where your money is going.

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I’m a mummy, as you know, so I thought I’d ask my daughter Bee what Mother’s Day means to her.  Mother’s Day. It’s a very important day for celebrating women who have pushed something out of their vagina, or even had it pulled out the tummy way. I would like to say I’m always well prepared for Mother’s day, but that’s a lie. It always falls in between my parents’ birthdays which means I am both A) skint and B) all out of ideas. Being 20 I can’t really get away with painting half an egg carton and proudly presenting it to my mother in the morning, along with a piece of burnt toast and a precarious glass of orange juice. I think she would probably think that I was scraping the bottom of the Mother’s Day barrel a bit.

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