Momentum Multiply Baby Bag & Freebies

Who doesn't love a bag full of freebies?! Especially when the world of baby & pregnancy related products can end up costing you a pretty penny, it's always wonderful getting goodies for nada.

When choosing which medical aid to join last year, we eventually settled on Momentum Health basically due to their wonderful Maternity Program. Another bonus of the programme is of course the baby bag hamper they send out to you around week 28 of your pregnancy.

Here is a little more about the programme:

Members who register on the maternity programme when they are between 8 and 12 weeks pregnant, qualify for up to 12 antenatal visits at either a GP, gynaecologist or a registered midwife, as well as 2 pregnancy or growth scans - one before the 24th week and one after.

The Scheme's Health Platform benefit even covers 2 paediatrician visits in the child's first year on all but the Ingwe and Access Options.

It is worthwhile to note that one needs to be a member of the Scheme prior to falling pregnant, in order to enjoy the full value and benefits of the maternity programme, and actual benefits will differ depending on a member's choice of option.

Here is an in-depth look at the Momentous Baby Hamper for qualifying Momentum Health mommies-to-be.

What you get

*As advertised on their website...I'm sure the bags differ from time to time*

• Caboodle backpack (I also found a changing mat & clear plastic pouch inside)
• Toiletries & other goodies from Pigeon (I got a digital thermometer, wipes, breast pads & dummy)
• a 'Baby on Board' decal sticker from BabyCity (not pictured)
• a Tiny Love development toy
• a one-year subscription to Living and Loving magazine
• discount vouchers from Baby City (I didn't find any vouchers in my goodie bag but I did get a copy of the 'One + One = Three' baby book by Melodie de Jager)
• I also got a sample pack of BabyJoy pants (we are planning on doing cloth nappies so not sure if we will get to trying these out)

How to get your bag

• To qualify for this benefit, you must be a member of Multiply Premium at your 24th week of pregnancy. 
• To get your bag, you need to register with the Momentum contact centre after your twelfth week of pregnancy.
• They will contact you to confirm the delivery address for your hamper around the 24th week of your pregnancy. Your hamper will be sent to you via registered mail.
• Expecting multiples? Ask about Multiply's special arrangements for multiple births when you register for the programme.

Some important info

• This benefit is only available to members on Premier Multiply who register their pregnancy between 12 & 18 weeks
• This benefit is only available for the main member and partner.
• You can claim this benefit for one pregnancy each year.

Click here to read more details on the Momentum website.

---

Do you know of any other places to offer freebies for baby & mommy-to-be's?

Apart from Dischem and their baby bag, Momentum is the only other one I've come across so far. If you know if any other places that offer freebies/samples for expecting moms, please do leave me a comment below and let me know!

Pregnancy Update - Week 28 Hello to the third and final Trimester

HOW FAR ALONG:

28 weeks a.k.a 7 months (eeek the countdown has begun!)

SIZE/FOOD COMPARISON:

My little girl is the size of a cauliflower apparently (41cm) , and according to the WhatToExpect pregnancy app, she weighs 1.1kg.

But here's the thing.

Three weeks ago I went to the Gynae and he said she weighed about 2kg's at that point and definitely commented on how big she was and even gave me a new expected delivery date of nearly 10 days earlier than previously thought based on her weight and size. Considering she has about 3 more months of growing to do, she could be one rather big baby!

Will have to wait and see what Doc says at my next appointment (which is at the end of this week). I'll keep you updated :)

WEIGHT GAIN:

I am rather chuffed to report that I am about the same weight as my last post 3 weeks ago. I have put on about 12kg's so far, but it seems to be holding steady (for the time being at least!)

BABY BUMP:

I don't really feel any bigger than my last update. I am still carrying very neatly (I have been told girls are much kinder on the bod that boys) and haven't seemed to put on any weight in any other areas apart from my expanding belly. I am definitely not as fit or toned as I was pre-pregnancy (I'm going to also blame this on it being Winter) but for the most part my bump is where I am carrying all the extra weight.

MOVEMENT:

I feel her all bumbling around all day, and find that she is particularly active at night, just before going to sleep. Is this an indication of things to come? I hope not!

Her little butterfly kicks are also not just little taps, and I can feel her moving around, turning and generally kicking up a bit of a fuss. It's so sweet!

EXERCISE:

I have been back to Pilates for the last 3 weeks and I feel great! I really missed it while we were away and I can feel how much happier my body is from all the stretching 

SLEEP:

Sleep for me has been a bit up and down over the last 2 weeks. I have been more tired lately. It's like my body instantly changed from second to third trimester, and I now really need my afternoon naps again.

Also, I've been getting really bad sciatica (or hip pain) which may even be round-ligament pain...all of the pains associated with the pulling and stretching that is going on in my body. Because of this, I now HAVE to sleep with a pillow between my knees or else I wake up with terrible aches in my hip bones. Pilates has definitely been helping, and the pillow seems to do the trick too. 

I had fleeting moments of this same pain while in Italy, but I assumed it was because the beds were all so hard.  I think it had nothing to do with the beds and all to do with my ligaments stretching. I'm not sure if you've ever slept on the floor (i.e on the floor with no mattress) while camping etc? And you wake up and need to almost pound the life back into your hips? We often slept on the floor in South Korea (in case your new around these parts...Farmboy and I taught English and lived in South Korea for 4 years before settling on the family farm last year). And so I assumed the pain was due to my spoiled body being used to soft and cushy mattresses...it seems it's just a pregnancy thing.

CLOTHING:

I've been living in baggy tracksuit pants and long sleeve shirts layered with vests and tank tops underneath. I haven't needed to put on anything nice as I haven't been to town in a while (thank goodness I live on a farm and no one minds me looking like I just crawled out of bed).

What I have been loving is my pretty pink poncho from PicknPay clothing! It's so cosy (and not to mention...pretty!) and it's great to layer over long sleeve tops.

HOW I’M FEELING:

I'm definitely not feeling as fantastic as I did in my second trimester. The hip pain, coupled with a few moments of back pain and tiredness have left me feeling a bit down. But, I can't really complain, I've had it so easy to far so a few weeks of discomfort I can put up with.

It's my birthday next week...I'm hoping Farmboy has taken all my hinting and booked me a spa day! Although, it's not easy finding a place that caters for preggy ladies (I can't lie on my stomach and I can't really get a back massage if I'm lying on my back, can I). 

I have been REALLY getting into my crocheting too! Having so much fun making squares and my goal is a big baby blankie. I even managed to finish my first ever crochet project...a teeny tiny little beanie/turban thingy for my little girl.  It was easy to make and the best part is it only took a few hours...Click here for the full tutorial.

CRAVINGS/AVERSIONS:

Haven't had any funny cravings or aversions really. I've been drinking a little more caffeine lately (nothing nicer than a warm cup of coffee while sitting in the sun on the verandah) but I've been limiting myself to 1/2 cup a day.

I have been drinking A LOT of hot lemon tea (boiling water poured over a few slices of lemon and ginger mixed with honey) which has become my staple drink. It really leaves me feeling refreshed and acts as a bit of a detox from all the carbs of Italy.

WHAT I MISS:

• Lying on my tummy. I am never going to stop missing this!
• Being able to bend over and paint my toe nails. I did this last week and my gosh it took me an age! I had to contort myself in all sorts of directions so I could remove the polish, file, cut and re-paint. I'm so glad no one was around to see me ;)

NURSERY:

Farmboy has put up our cot (we bought the Cozi Stijl cot from CoziCot in Joburg while it was on special a few months ago) and it has sat in it's box for a good while. It's finally up and I just love it!

PURCHASES:

I picked up my feeding chair a few weeks ago, and got a bit of a shock at it's size. I'm not sure whether I am just really small, or whether the chair is abnormally big!

Here's a picture so you can see just how roomy it is.

I'm definitely not complaining as it's incredible comfortable, and the cushion is real down feathers, so I'm sure I'm going to have plenty of naps in there while feeding. I bought it second hand from a lady in Hillcrest and have needed to get it recovered. I will be picking it up on Friday. I'm hoping the fabric I chose for it won't be too dark for the room (I went with a gorgeous dark grey almost velvet fabric) which will suit our home in the future too, after the chair does it's nursery duties.

I just need to get some big pillows for it, and a ottoman/pouffe thingy for my legs (and to help me launch myself into it haha). 

HUBBY:

I'm not sure what else needs to be said that hasn't been captured in this photo:

CAN’T WAIT FOR:

Like I said last time, I'm actually really trying to savour the next few days/weeks/months. I'm trying to really enjoy the quiet days of being in the house, sorting/cleaning/organising things on my own schedule, and I just know thats ALL going to change soon.

I've been trying to be intentional with a few late morning lie ins, and having the time to crochet for hours on end in front of the fire. I'm excited for our next gynae visit this week though, and to hear from him whether little one is still growing at such a rapid rate as she was at our last visit.

Until the next update!

Lots of love

x

For moms, by moms - a list of newborn, baby & nursery essentials

A few months ago I reached out to my friends on Facebook and asked them the following question:

"Mommy friends, I'm wanting to write a blog post on newborn/baby/nursery items you couldn't live without. Please pop me a comment below with those things you loved/found so useful/couldn't live without <3

Please include the brand names you liked!"

Here is a list of items/tips/recommendations & advice that my wonderful (and experienced!) mommy friends shared with me. I hope you find their thoughts as helpful as I did, and if there is anything else you'd like to add please feel free to leave a comment below: 

I am so thankful to all my friends who took the time to leave their thoughts. If there is anything you feel is missing, or you have some more items you think are MUST HAVE's to add to the above, then please feel free to leave me a comment! As a first time mommy-to-be, I'd love to hear from you.

We're having a baby!

We have such happy news to share with you today! We will be welcoming a little bundle into the world in September this year, and we couldn't be more excited.

I have to be very honest and say I wasn't sure I was ever going to feel 'ready' for kids, but that feeling of readiness really does come to you when the time is right. Of course, it doesn't alway happen as quickly as it did for us (the moment we both decided the time was right, I was basically instantly pregnant) and I know a lot of people for whom the process can take a while.

Everyone's body is completely unique, and you really just have no idea how long things will take or what your pregnancy will be like. It's great hearing other ladies share their stories as it helps to open your mind as to what might happen for you. But definitely be prepared for the chance that it might take a whole lot longer (or a whole lot shorter) than your friends.

On that note, I read the most amazing book that covers everything and anything you've ever wanted to know about getting pregnant, but were too nervous to ask. I learned SO much from this book and can't help but tell everyone I know about it. Even if you're not thinking about having kids now, this book will help you prepare mentally & physically for what's to come. It helped me understand why I kept getting negative results on my pregnancy tests, even though I just knew that I was pregnant (turns out there is a waiting period after actual conception and you won't be able to test for pregnancy until your next period is due...around 2 weeks later).

The book I keep mentioning is The Impatient Woman's Guide to Getting Pregnant and I just loved every page. It's written by Jean M. Twenge who is as informative as she is funny, and each chapter is filled with everything you need to know about getting pregnant, including when you can test for pregnancy, how to prepare your body both physically and mentally and it also has a whole chapter dedicated to natural ways of enhancing your fertility.

I actually only bought the book for the chapter on how soon you can test whether you're pregnant, but found every single page to be full of useful information.

It's not just for first time mom either, Jean also talks about trying to conceive baby number 2 and 3 and also goes into great depths dispelling myths around older women not being as likely to fall pregnant as younger women. It's a must read for anyone even thinking about possibly having a baby at some point in their lives.

I am now in the last week of my first trimester (I'm 12 weeks pregnant) and that means I'm a third of the way there...eeeek! Nine months has always felt like a long time, but it's just flying by. 

And now for something a little different.

I've decided to create short weekly/monthly (I haven't decided how often I'm going to make them) videos to document my pregnancy, and I've just wrapped up the first one.

I hope you enjoy this little look into my pregnancy so far, and if you have any questions/comments/queries please feel free to leave me a comment below!