Bestselling Author Caroline Foran on her Pregnancy Style & Journey to date.

My pregnancy journey?

I'm not going to sugar coat it, so far it has been tough. I was hit with morning sickness before I was even 6 weeks pregnant and it was what I feared most. It was pretty unbearable but thankfully my consultant prescribed me medication that made it an awful lot better. I'm 30 weeks now and unfortunately I still get caught out with the odd post breakfast or lunch purge, but I am definitely overcoming my fear of being sick so that's a plus. I am having a lot of discomfort now with pelvic girdle pain - I've even had to get crutches! - round ligament pain and a sore lower back but I am doing what I can to manage it. Wearing comfortable clothes has made a massive difference on this front, thanks to The Pod Collection! Overall the journey so far has taught me that I'm stronger than I think, my ability to cope is far greater than my fear that I won't cope and my body can do this. It's lovely now to see the end nearing and to start to feel excitement about meeting our little man.
 
Caroline Foran blog the pod collection

What are your top hacks during pregnancy?

I'm not sure these are anything beyond what's already widely known but I would always always have snacks to hand, even if I'm going out for a walk I am never without something to nibble on; getting hungry is not a good thing if you're prone to feeling or getting sick. 

Take as many naps as you can and tell the voice in your head that makes you feel guilty about it to just go and do one; you're growing a human and even if you do nothing else in a day, you're still doing that. You won't have the same luxury to rest when you have a newborn so lap it up and enjoy the quiet times if you can. Prioritise comfortable clothes - the bigger you get the less you want to be contorting yourself in and out of jeans so I'm all about loose floaty items, stretchy leggings and feeling as next to naked as possible. With The Pod Collection, you get to satisfy your need for ultimate comfort while at the same time loving your look in the mirror. Lots of navy, breton stripes and simple styles and you wouldn't want for anything more.

Pregnancy and anxiety - any advice?

My advice for pregnancy anxiety is the same as my advice for any anxiety: stop trying not to feel it. Stop berating yourself for feeling a little bit scared or overwhelmed; it's an incredibly normal response to a situation that's full of unknowns. Try to work with it, soothing yourself and doing what you can to make yourself feel better, than working against it or giving yourself a hard time. Take time to look at the reasons why you might be feeling anxious and remind yourself that that's okay; you don't need to be anxiety free to get through this, or to be a good parent. Your body is trying to protect you and that's where anxiety comes from. Keep talking through any worries you have so as to normalise them and take them out of your head which prevents them from growing arms and legs. 

Caroline Foran blog the pod collection 1
Caroline Foran blog the pod collection 2

Birth plan?

I don't have one. I know for some anxious mothers to be it helps to go in with a detailed plan but in my experience, the more you try to control something the more chances are that you won't be able to retain that control, especially when mother nature takes over. For me it's far more anxiety-reducing to go into it with the simple goal of delivering the baby as swiftly and safely as possible. I have no problem taking pain killers to make my experience a bit easier and I will just absolutely follow the advice of the experts because I am not one of those when it comes to childbirth; I've never done it before! I will try to remember my breathing exercises and remind myself that I'm quite good in situations once I'm in them; it's more the anticipation that gets me. 

What are you most looking forward to?

Obviously I'm excited to meet the baby and go on that journey as a new family - that goes without saying. But I'm also excited about having my body back to being mine, I'm looking forward to not having to deal with these symptoms every day. Most of all I am excited to cuddle my baby, nibble on his little chubby arms and legs and feel the love that I've been hearing so so much about. 

 

 

Caroline wears The Bateau Knit and The Tivoli Skirt both available @thepodcollection.com

For Caroline's top maternity purchases and styling tips - check out  Mind & Beauty for great advice. 

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