Braving the Christmas festivities with a baby on board!

This wonderfully festive time of the year usually brings with it a few late nights, Christmas parties, Christmas shopping, lots of good food, laughs and good times!!! This year however might be a little more complicated than previous years as even something as simple as what to / what not to eat can be tricky. Having had two Christmas pregnancies let me share some Christmas tips that I picked up along the way-they may steer you in the right direction for this festive season.

Online Shopping

Try to capitalise on this tech savvy world we live in and do as much of it, if not all of it online, and let the postman do the honours so that you don’t have to spend your weekends lugging around town heaving heavy shopping bags when you should be resting, minding yourself and spending time as a couple. Same with online food shopping… be organised as popular time slots tend to fill up quickly this week and next but with a bit of organisation your online delivery person will not only deliver your shopping to your door but also bring it right into your kitchen so that all you need to do is put it away.

What to wear

There will most definitely be a few days and evenings out given the time of year and in my experience if you feel comfy in your outfit you’ll usually have the stamina to keep going a little bit longer, maybe it’s all the lovely compliments people give, will give you a little pep in your step! Or maybe it’s that if your feet aren’t stinging and your jeans aren’t tight you will be enjoying yourself more and happy to stay out that extra hour or two. Go for flats or comfy shoes as a rule… your centre of gravity is temporarily out of kilter when you have a baby on board… which is a lot of pressure to put on a sparkly stiletto heal… there are so many gorgeous flat boots out at the moment which you will most definitely wear again when you are running around after your little one next Christmas.

Food and drink

No alcohol need not mean no fun! These days there is an alcohol free version of everything…. Alcohol free mulled wine, alcohol free gin and tonic, alcohol free wine and beer…. And if none of those options float your boat you can have your drink of choice in a nice wine glass. Food shouldn’t be tricky if you’re organised. On both my pregnancies I always offered to bring a cheese board to Christmas dinners, parties etc…. that way I knew exactly what I could and couldn’t eat…. Unbeknownst to everyone else we were all eating pasteurised chesses apart from the brie which I knew to avoid. Smoked salmon and pate are no no’s, so but there will be so many other options floating around you shouldn’t go hungry.

Sleep and exercise

Sleep is hugely important when you’re growing a little one… we aim for a minimum of 8 hours a night. Capitalise on this over the Christmas holidays…factor in the importance of a lye in the morning after a late night before. Also be mindful that people understand that you might feel tired, your body is doing a lot of behind the scenes work so this is a Christmas where you should feel under no pressure to be the last one standing!! Cinema nights, Theatre Shows and meals with pals are great ways be sure of a great evening while at the same time an early night!!

Hope these few little tips help, enjoy the Christmas festivities!!

And good wishes from our family to yours for 2020!