Alyson Said What?

This post is going to be a jumble of thoughts and feelings. It's messy, but that's a true reflection of my state of being at the moment. Trigger/content warnings for discussion and images of childbirth and the immediate postpartum period. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It thrills and amazes me to be able to say that my daughter is four weeks old today. Phil and I are currently suspended in the throes of these precious early weeks, too euphoric with adoration to care about the total exhaustion that comes with it. All we really know or care about right now is that we are in love and that we love our children and if there's an outside world, we don't need it. What was a stressful and difficult pregnancy is now just a warm chapter of my life that I can look back on fondly, without missing it. Happily, I was rewarded with an easy (relatively speaking, of course) and joyous labour t

There's quite a bit of gory detail about pregnancy, labour, and birth in this post. So avert thine eyes if this kind of content is upsetting for you. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I'm so thrilled to have reached 37 weeks gestation! Baby is now considered to be early term, which means that if she were to make an appearance before her estimated due date at 40 weeks, she'd be a little early but fully cooked. I was born at 37 weeks exactly. With my first kiddo, I went into labour the day after his estimated due date, which is remarkable for a first-timer (they often arrive a little later.) Subsequent babies tend to come sooner, what with mama's body knowing the drill. I've been having Braxton Hicks contractions since about 25 weeks. They are harmless practice contractions, and have been increasing in frequency and strength since week 34. In the past week I've been getting some

California, here I come, right back where I started from...etc, etc. Well, I'm there already. A family crisis came to a head. Duty called. I followed the Bat Signal. And let me tell you, a ten hour flight is not fun when you're in your third trimester of pregnancy. Neither is the jet lag nor the stunning amount of stress that comes with navigating American bureaucracy (health insurance for me and the guys, Green Card for hubs, putting the little guy in school) during said family crisis. I have been stressed, folks. I don't think I've ever known stress like this. But I'm ok, baby is ok, the guys are ok, and I'm optimistic that things will continue to be ok. At least for the most part.  We will be spending my maternity leave here to support my family members in need as much as possible. After that, we'll be returning to the UK in the late spring next year. Although it's not nice to say it, the eventual return to Britain is a little beacon of en

Ooooh, you guys are in for a treat today! This is a review of the  Vampire Dress  from  ExoUmbra . ExoUmbra is a gothic clothing company run by the darling Moose. She has a real passion for making items that suit a broad range of body types, and it shows in her work. Something that I personally appreciate about ExoUmbra is how simple the pieces are. I love clean silhouettes.  Twirly preggo! Because the sizing is so generous (every piece is meant to be easy to move around in) the Vampire Dress was absolutely perfect for my growing baby bump. And with the brutal heat and humidity we have been experiencing in London this summer, I've pretty much been living in it since it arrived. The Vampire Dress is constructed from upcycled cotton unisex t-shirts, so it's breathable and effortless to wear. You can just throw it on and off you go. The standard version of this dress does not have a moon decal on the back, but I cheekily asked Moose to paint one on. So many of her pi

This post is mostly a rant/winge and a pep talk for myself. It's honestly pretty boring, so don't feel obligated to slog through it. Trigger warning for food-talk and depression. Two points to make clear before we begin: 1. I don't think there's any such thing as 'bad' food. Food has no moral standing. It is food. 2. This isn't about weight. Full stop. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I feel like rubbish. Why? Well, aside from the ongoing SPD/PGP saga throughout this pregnancy, I feel like rubbish because my eating habits have been rubbish. Simple carbohydrates were my saving grace throughout the rough seas of the first trimester when the mere suggestion of anything else made me gag. Knowing how utterly addictive simple carbs and refined sugar are for me, the necessary survival tactic has carried on into my second trimester long after morning sickness subsided.

I want to have a chat about a serious, ongoing feminist issue: reproductive rights and respecting choices. Let me make it ardently clear from the get-go that I believe that self-determination and bodily autonomy are inherent human rights, and that this is a far-reaching umbrella that covers other issues such as consent and the right to die. All of these concepts are deeply nuanced and rely heavily on a multitude of factors, like a person's capacity to make decisions and other contextual circumstances. However, this post will hash out my thoughts about how people treat one another in regards to whether or not they want to have children. A wee disclaimer: These are my personal opinions. You may or may not agree, as this is a highly sensitive topic, and that's ok. Please give this post a miss if you find pregnancy, abortion, and infertility to be triggering. If you disagree with anything that I have to say, I welcome questions and open discussion. The Choice to Remain Childles

Guys and ghouls. Ladies and ladles. Gentlemen and germs. Peoples and steeples. I'm more than halfway through this pregnancy with my second kiddo and it's time we had a frank chat about the reality of being a sacred vessel. Let me spill the beans to you about how this pregnancy has been different from the previous one, what's been easier, what's been harder, what's shocked me, and what's old news. Will I hold back delicious, lurid details? Absolutely not. You know me better than that. First of all, pregnancy is normal and pregnant folks should not be treated like untouchables leaking primordial ooze (whether or not we are...leaking primordial ooze...) Secondly, we still don't talk about this stuff as openly as we should because female bodies and sexuality are both still taboo, unfortunately. Lastly, I'll discuss why Phil and I are done having kids. Are our reasons what you think? You might be surprised. Truth (sort of): Every Pregnancy is Different 

Folks, I had such a rough winter. I'm pretty sure 2016 was a bastard-and-a-half for everyone, and it certainly was not going to go out without a fight for me. This included multiple A&E trips for multiple family members, an ambulance ride in the middle of the night for one, and finally me having to be signed off sick from work for two weeks over my birthday. The good news is that everything is fine now. More than fine, even. Why? Because everyone is alive and well, and I'm pregnant! Phil and I had our little guy pretty young by our generation's standards. We decided from the get-go that we wanted to have kid(s) young and be done young, to get the full benefit of having started relatively early. So, at the beginning of 2017 we decided that we would like to have one more kiddo, and went for it. The first trimester was rough (let me tell you: 12.5 hour shifts are Not Fun with morning sickness), just as it was with the little guy, but I'm feeling more like myself agai