The best yoga channels for pregnancy

I love yoga and have been doing it for about 5 years now, mostly via YouTube, although I did enjoy the odd class in the >~!before times~$! I am in no way some sort of expert, or even particularly "good" at it (still can't touch my heels to the floor in downward dog!) but it really helps to calm and centre me, especially during pregnancy. 

I initially found it difficult to find good quality pregnancy specific yoga videos/people on YouTube, but now I am 8 months pregnant I have curated quite the playlist, which you can find here if you wish. Here are some of my faves:

Sarah Beth Yoga 

I loved Sarah Beth's videos before I was pregnant (she does mainly non-pregnancy videos) and her style very much suits me. She doesn't waffle but just talks through the sequence calmly and provides helpful modifications if applicable. Her videos are easy to follow even if you are a beginner, and she does a lot of short sessions which I appreciate. 

Lucy Flow

Lucy is a fairly new discovery, she is a British yoga teacher who does 'Serene in 15' yoga flows. There are only a few on YouTube as I believe most are on her paid-for subscription service, but the small selection available are very calming, soothing and really lovely to do. They concentrate on sorting out niggling issues like back pain and actually work. 

Harlow's Earth 

Cassie from Harlow's Earth has created a prenatal yoga series with a yoga video for each week of pregnancy (Week 1 - Week 40) which is such an amazing free resource! Most sequences are at least 25 minutes and are a mix of active and relaxing moves. I feel like I've had more of an actual workout after doing her sessions as she loves a chair pose and a squat! There is a lovely savasana at the end of each video which is wonderful to finish on. 

Bettina Rae 

Bettina's channel is a gem because she has tailored videos for coping with miscarriage, trying to conceive, being pregnant after loss and anxiety in early pregnancy. She also focuses on pregnancy specific ailments such as aching back, sore legs and insomnia which are so helpful when you feel like crap! 

Being pregnant after misscarriage and some tips that helped me

I wrote this when I was 28 weeks pregnant...I'm now 34 weeks but it all still applies! 

I still follow the miscarriage Facebook group that I joined in the midst of one of my losses. I don't know why. I'm 28 weeks pregnant now and *touch every bit of wood in the world* things are going well. 

Being pregnant for 6 months, being actually physically pregnant where I can feel the baby kicking and moving, where people can see my big old stomach and ask me what my due date is is just something that I dreamed of for what feels like so long. If I think about it too much I just want to cry my eyes out (spoiler alert, sometimes I do).

But despite all of the reassurance scans, all of the photos, all of the slap bang in the middle of the centile growth measurements, it's still utterly terrifying. It still doesn't feel 100% real. I think that's why I still read the notifications that pop up to say someone has posted in the miscarriage group, I can't let myself leave because deep down I feel like of course I'm still going to need it again one day. Yet at the same time, I feel like I read the stories almost as another person; a past me who struggled to get pregnant who is separate from the me who can feel my baby kicking in my stomach as I write this post (just writing that made me feel teary). 

I feel the pain of the women writing the heart wrenching posts acutely, but I also don't feel it at all. It's such a strange feeling, I can't really get my head around it. I feel like it almost annoys me that I don't feel as bad anymore - I feel kind of guilty for getting what I wanted for so long. 

And the anxiety comes out in weird ways, even if I think I've squashed it. We had another scan last week and although I thought that I felt fine about it, I was an emotional wreck the weekend before. I had two arguments with my mum and picked a fight with my sister. I burst into tears watching Come Dine With Me (couples edition!). The mind truly does work in mysterious ways. 

Being in lockdown, or just having so many 'normal' pregnancy practices taken away or changed doesn't help I don't think. There has been so much more time to dwell. 

If you find yourself in a similar position to me, here are a few things I have found helpful in not losing my mind:

1. Find a mantra

I was listening to a fertility podcast (I cannot for the life of me find which one it was now) and the guest had had a really harrowing fertility journey with multiple miscarriages and other health issues. When she got pregnant afterwards, in the really scary, early stages where you have no idea what is going on, she would say to herself 'this hour, I am pregnant'. This really, really helped me because after miscarriage every time you go to the toilet it's stressful, expecting to see you've started bleeding, every tiny back twinge you think it's a miscarriage symptom and it's all over. Breaking it down into small, manageable chunks is so helpful and soothing. 

2. Pregnancy yoga/meditation

I am going to do a separate post on my pregnancy yoga recommendations on YouTube, but I have found doing yoga every day grounding and calming, and felt reassured that I was doing something good. Even if it's just for 5 minutes. 

3. Call for help if you need it 

Very early on in my pregnancy, I lost one of my pregnancy symptoms and went into panic mode, convincing myself it was all over. My husband encouraged me to call the consultant who was looking after me but I didn't, because I thought I was being silly and didn't want to bother people unnecessarily. My husband rang her himself in the end because he could see I was distressed about it, and she was reassuring and kind, telling him that symptoms come and go which is totally normal. If you are worried, call someone - your consultant if you're lucky enough to have one, the GP, the midwives, a friend who has been pregnant. Even apps or Facebook groups can help reassure you. Don't suffer in silence! 

4. Do things at your own pace

I knew I wanted to do an Instagram post to talk about my pregnancy and miscarriage, and it seems that a general 'rule' is that once you have the 12 week scan done and all is well it is then fine to announce to the world. However, this just felt too soon for me. I told my wider family and friends after the 12 week scan, but didn't feel ready until 18 weeks to say anything on social media. I also knew I would have to start buying clothes etc. for the baby, but again took my time. At first we just went to Marks and Spencer and I allowed myself just to look and coo over the tiny babygros. This felt like a big deal! People can tell you you should be doing x by x date, but you do what feels right for you. 

5. Give yourself a break 

It's a bloody scary time. Sometimes you feel terrified, and it's totally fine to feel like that. No matter if people have it worse, no matter if it's not nice to feel terrified, no matter if you feel like a moany cow. Sometimes it just bes like that. Give yourself a break! 

I hope this was in any way helpful to someone, if you are pregnant after loss I have all of my fingers and toes crossed for you! 

Christmas mocktails

I'm not a big drinker, but I do enjoy a cocktail or 5. Being preggers, and with Christmas coming up, I wanted to make some easy, tasty drinks I could whip up to get into the festive spirit and join in with the drinking fun. Here are 3 super simple ones that I made and enjoyed.

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Non-Alcoholic mulled wine 

This was so easy to make! It definitely tasted like mulled wine, and made the kitchen smell real festive. It did lack that certain depth, which some might say was the tasty tasty alcohol, but nonetheless it was a great substitute and perfect accompaniment to a mince pie. I kept mine on the hob and just heated it up in batches throughout the week, but it would also be good to share with family and friends (when Covid allows!)

Ingredients (serves 4-5)

• Bottle of non-alcoholic red wine (I used this one from Tesco)
• 2 or 3 cinnamon sticks
• 1 teaspoon mulled wine spice or regular allspice
• Orange slices from 1/2 orange
• A thumb sized piece of ginger, grated or chopped

Method

1. Pour wine into a medium saucepan
2. Add rest of ingredients 
3. Simmer until hot but just before boiling
4. Drink! 

Hot chocolate with Irish cream (aka non alcoholic Bailey's)

Non- alcoholic Baileys is, again, ridiculously easy to make and combined with hot chocolate is a deliciously creamy, indulgent beverage perfect to treat yourself to of a December evening. Why not combine with decorating the tree or a Christmas film. Just not The Holiday, please. 

Ingredients (serves 1)

For the Irish cream

• 50ml Double cream 
• 15ml (three tablespoons) Evaporated milk 
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup (or other liquid sweetener)
• Pinch of cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the hot choc

• One tablespoon of powdered hot choc/hot choc flakes (I used Mrs Potts which I got from my advent calendar, and tastes divine)
• 1 or 2 squares of dark choc 
• 1/2 mug Milk (I used oat as I'm not a huge fan of cow's milk)

Method 

1. First make the Irish cream by combining all ingredients in a jam jar and shaking. Measure half of a mug's worth and then tip into a small saucepan
2. Measure another half mug's worth of milk and add to Irish cream to heat the two gently together (try not to boil)
3. Place powdered hot choc in same mug and add square/s of choc. 
4. Once milk mixture is hot, pour into the mug over the chocolate. Stir until chocolate melts. 

NB: You could deffo make this with just the non-alcoholic baileys, hot choc flakes and chocolate squares. It would be very rich, but also very delicious. 

Pear, ginger and rosemary spritz (serves 1)

This is adapted from this Guardian recipe. I will be making these for me and my mum (a fellow non-drinker) on Christmas day. 

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon honey (optional - depends how sweet you like things)
• 1 shot glass of rosemary syrup (it is so easy to make. If you can't be arsed, just use the rosemary but I think the syrup makes it more cocktail-y)
• 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
• 200ml pear juice (I used this one and it is lush)
• Ginger ale to top

Method

1. Chuck it all in jam jar, or cocktail shaker if you have one. 
2. Stir with a spoon until the honey dissolves, if using. 
3. Shake it all up real hard. 
4. Pour into your best glass over some ice, if you like (I don't like my drinks too cold personally).
5. Top with as much ginger ale as you like. Garnish with a spring of rosemary, feel fancy. 

 

Places to Potter: Ilfracombe

I visited Ilfracombe in August with my darling mother. It's not the first time I've been, my mum grew up there and I used to visit all the time as a child, but I haven't been in about 10 years. 

I drove down there, which took about 3 hours and was quite a big deal for me! Although I passed my driving test 3 years ago, I am not a confident driver at all, I hate parking, other drivers and basically all elements of being in a car. But I did it, so yay me! 

The harbour and front are lovely with lots of cute shops, restaurants and beaches. The high street is now a bit run down, which is a shame as it used to have loads of lovely independent places.

Some recommendations if you visit Ilfracombe:

• Go to The Tunnels beach (this wasn't open when I went but hopefully it will be soon cos it's the cutest place with a lush tidal pool)
• Get an ice cream from the Hockings ice cream van
• Visit the Verity sculpture by Damien Hirst  

           

• Eat the following, which is law when you got to any seaside town: A pasty (I had a vegan cornish pasty and it was G R E A T), Roly's fudge, Fish and chips 
• Walk to the top of Capstone and admire the sea views
• Have some retro fun in the arcades
• Visit nearby Lee, which has some lovely beaches which aren't overcrowded
• Take a boat trip to Lundy Island, which has wildlife galore, including a absolute shit ton of puffins 
• Visit Ilfracombe museum, where you can do a brass rubbing and see a shrunken cat's head in a jar, something I was weirdly obsessed with as a child 
• Have a peek inside the RNLI shop and support a great charity 

This was taken mere moments before I slid on some rocks and fell on to my back like an upturned beetle