It can be really hard to find comfort in pregnancy, and sometimes finding both comfort and style can be downright challenging. With my first pregnancy I was lucky, in a sense as I was heavily pregnant through the height of summer, and what to wear wasn’t such a huge issue – I could be comfortable in an A-line dress and flip flops.  During this pregnancy, however, most of my ‘large’ stage has been in the very dead of winter. And I have found it very hard to stay warm, and comfortable, and still look half decent on top of it!

Finding a decent pair of tights to go with the ever expanding middle has been a challenge too. If they fit in the leg, they’re too small in the waist, and I’ve torn more than a pair of tights trying to hike them up over the bump, so I was really pleased to find Emma Jane’s Maternity Tights.

They are available in a range of sizes and thicknesses – deniers, as that’s called in stocking world – and I tried a pair of 60 Denier tights as I was going for added warmth.

There are a few things worth mentioning about these. Firstly, they’re pretty hardy and I despite my awkward dressing routine, sitting, then standing, and sometimes needing hubby to help put things over my feet if I couldn’t reach due to one or other pregnancy ailment, these never laddered or ripped. My toe nails have been a bit longer than was probably acceptable, and the toes haven’t developed holes. The gusset expands with your belly, and they’re a fantastic length: I haven’t had to hike these up every so often to get the crotch back to crotch height…. Yes, you tall lady at the back there, you know what I mean, don’t you!

The final thing that impressed about these tights is how long they’ve lasted. Perhaps it’s because they are a thicker variety than normal tights, but they’ve not snagged in the wash, they’ve not torn under increased growth, and they’ve been perfect for wearing under trousers or skirts and have even helped keep me warm.

Well worth the money, I recommend these to any pregnant mums out there!

I was really lucky in this pregnancy to be able to try out some fantastic brands and clothes and try a wide variety of things that in my first pregnancy I never tried, because, quite frankly, I didn't know they existed. My maternity clothes were off the shelves from leading baby and maternity shops and that was all I wore or knew.  This time round, however, the World Wide Web has been my friend, and not only have I found things that have been comfortable, and practical, but also feminine and simply lovely.

One of my favourite items of clothing this pregnancy has been Black Maternity Camisole and the Roll Top Trousers from Melba London.

The camisole is beautifully soft and stretchy and has a lace trim at the neckline and shoulders. This trim is wide enough to cover your bra straps, so you don't lose the valuable support in that area, and the ruching around the belly area is incredibly flattering as it allows the top to be form fitting and grow with your bump, which with a beautiful bump can be very sensual and certainly made me feel very feminine.

Of course, in this weather I wear it under something else all the time, and have loved that it is so form fitting that it almost hides the other lumps and bumps and adds in creating the blooming beauty mirage, whether 100% true or not!

The trousers are just as lovely. They're soft and flowy and again, incredibly feminine. I think that's probably to do with the slight bell-bottom flair, which is great as it removes emphasis ever so slightly from the abundant hips. It also has a roll-top, so it can easily be worn under or over your bump, as you prefer and feel most comfortable.

Both wash very well and dry very quickly and are very good value for money.

P.S. Melba London have offered PlayPennies readers an exclusive 20% off until the end of July.

Pregnancy. It’s like a trial run for motherhood, but without the little person. In this case it’s all the additional things you really don’t need, but that having just make your life that fraction easier. And when you suffer sciatica, PSD and general ‘can’t-get-up-ness’, one of those fractions is something that makes sitting more comfortable and getting up easier: a maternity pillow.

Theraline’s Plushy Moon is my sofa pillow. It is a crescent-moon shaped pillow with fluffy material on one side and filled with micro-beads which are meant to conform to your body to make you more comfortable.

I haven’t been using it as a breastfeeding pillow yet, but it’s small enough that you can place a newborn on it without having masses of bulky pillow around you, which I think would make it a perfect nursing pillow. It tapers to the end, meaning you have the bulk in the centre, but don’t have your elbow up at shoulder height while you’re trying to hold on to your infant, which I remember being a problem with my previous nursing pillow.

The Plushy Moon comes in a zipped plastic bag which is easy to get the pillow into and out of, and makes it ideal if you’ll be travelling, or if you’re storing it away between babies.

The main negative for the Plushy Moon maternity and breastfeeding pillow is the fact that it doesn’t have a removable cover. You can pop the whole thing into the washing machine, but that means that while it’s washing and drying, you’re without a pillow, so if your baby sicks or messes on your pillow, or your toddler uses it to ski around the patio (for example!) you’re pillow-less for a while.

We have really deep sofas, and I have found the Theraline Plushy Moon particularly helpful as a back support while I suffer pregnancy niggles. It forms a perfect mould between me and the sofa, and is the right width that I can get off the sofa without having to push myself up, if that makes sense, which means it’s relatively painless.

Theraline Plushy Moon pillows retail at around £23.95, and can be used for sleep, to protect or support your bump and back during pregnancy and to support your baby while you breastfeed, so as far as pregnancy and newborn items go, they have a pretty good lifespan.

Like most of us, I really enjoy pampering as much as possible. I specifically love that where ten years ago organic, natural products were expensive, exclusive and elite, today it’s easy to find decent products at completely acceptable prices – sometimes even cheaper than mainstream alternatives.

Kadria is a new product  - to me at least – and I’ve loved being lucky enough to test it.

The set consists of five products – Belly Balm, Balancing Face Oil, Baby Body Oil, Labour Oil and Baby Balm. I was sent four of the products – we didn’t get to try the labour oil – and have been using them religiously.

Pregnancy is great news and exciting times and all, but especially in the first trimester, it’s not always fun and games.  Not everyone has that pregnant glow for good reasons – for some of us it’s all the feeling grotty that gives us a sweaty complexion!  If you suffer from nausea, dry mouth, indigestion, and heart burn during pregnancy (or even during something like chemotherapy, apparently) then let me introduce Lillipops, which have been shown to be effective in 95% of cases.

Lillipops are naturally flavoured ice pops, free from artificial colours and flavourings, they ease the nausea of the first trimester, and help keep you hydrated.   Lillipops come in five flavours: Lemon & Mint, Grapefruit & Tangerine, Ginger, Lime & Vanilla and Camomile & Orange.

I have a condition called Hyperemesis Gravidarum which means that for much of my pregnancy, I can’t keep anything down. Founder of Lillipops, Denise Soden, also struggled with sickness, and like me was hospitalised for dehydration, until she discovered ice and how it helped her stay hydrated.

Of course, you absolutely could make something similar yourself, but I must admit that after three weeks of not eating anything, I don’t really want to be standing in the kitchen crushing mint or squeezing lemons. Having these in the freezer, ready to go, is really useful.

The sachets are a great size - you can always have a second one, but don't want to throw left overs if they're too big.  If I have to go out they're also really convenient to take along, and if I have to pop one in a friend's freezer again, it's no big deal if it helps with the nausea!

The flavours are lovely, and especially early on, I can definitely agree that sucking on a Lillipops icey while cooking dinner, for example, helped curbsome of the sickness. Unfortunately when the real sickness kicked in for me, even the smell or taste of water made me sick, so I had to stop using them, but I look forward to the end of the pregnancy and turning to Lillipops to counteract the heartburn too.

There’s a great Lillipops video review where a mum with ‘normal’ morning sickness shares her experience too.

Ah! I'm sure we've all been there: fresh out the shower with nothing but a hand towel on the rail, sprinting through the house with a squeel in case anyone sees you? Well, we received the Robe Around for review, and sent it off to PlayPennies mum Denise, who is currently 31 weeks pregnant and feels that nothing short of a tent fits her.

Denise has two overnight Spa weekends planned before her due date – one with her hubby and one for her Hen Weekend – and says, “Stripping to my swimsuit in a room full of slim girls I barely know is daunting enough as it is, let alone now I am the size of a whale. I know that the hotels we are staying at will provide robes and towels but I a realistic in my expectations as to how much they will actually cover.

Even when I am not pregnant it is a battle to get these towels to meet in the middle, cover my bum and more importantly, stay wrapped around me. You always seem to end up with a triangular gap where the towel meets, the slightest breath of air and it all comes undone into a heap around your ankles leaving you a lovely shade of embarrassed.”

I know what she means. I hate the towels at spas. The Robe-Around. Designed specifically with pregnant women in mind, the towelling wrap-around robe has a clever pleat which expands with the growing baby bump, ensuring complete privacy for the wearer.

“When I was offered the chance to review the robe around I almost tore their hand off. Anything that would afford me a bit more coverage on my spa day was a bonus in my eyes.”

The black towelling Robe-Around boasts a strong Velcro fastening to ensure comfortable fitting for women of all shapes and sizes. Unlike a regular towel secured over the bust, which always leaves a triangular area of the pregnant body exposed due to gaping, the Robe-Around’s ingenious pleat ensures the mum-to-be’s dignity remains intact at all times.

Sporty Bump’s spokesperson, Lesley Singleton, comments, “Women are always conscious of their body shape, even more so during pregnancy when such significant changes take place. Thanks to the expandable pleated section of the Robe-Around, pregnant women can feel relaxed in public places, such as the swimming baths, gym or health club. It’s also the perfect holiday cover-up, ideal when relaxing by the pool or on the beach.

“My hopes for the Robe Around was that it would do as it says,” Denise tells us, “cover my ever growing bump and stay in place. I was also hoping that it would not look too different from a normal towel so that I felt the same as everyone else in the Spa.”

Denise was a little dubious when she first realised the Robe Around was a 'one-size-fits-all' towel. “I was fairly big pre pregnancy let alone now that I am 31 weeks. I must admit that I was not expecting the towel to meet in the middle when I first tried it on but there is more than enough room and plenty of growing room too. I also really like the length. Far too often towels barely skim past bum level. It was nice to have a towel that actually covered up the bits you didn’t want exposing.”

The Velcro on the Robe Around is very strong won't easily slip off, and even withstands the tugging little fingers of Denise's 4-year-old son.

The negatives are few, but dedfinitely worth a mention: The towel seems very rough. I have washed it a couple of times but it still feels rougher than usual towels and is still leaving me covered in black fluff each time I use it.”

“That aside”, says Denise, “I still think it is a great product. I will be packing it in my hospital bag for a hopeful water birth and I am sure I will use it post birth as we all know that post birth tummies are not what we hope they will be.”

And Finally...

The Robe around is available from Sporty Bump at a cost of £20.00 plus £5.00 postage. It is 100% cotton and machine washable.

And finally, from Denise, “I would certainly recommend this for any mums-to-be whether it will be used in public changing rooms or just at home it makes a nice change to find a product to maintain your modesty during pregnancy.”

As soon as I found out I was pregnant, I went to Boots for a bottle of Folic Acid.

I need really not have worried, as I was given some at my first midwives visit, and at almost every visit thereafter. I was in hospital for a few days roundabout five months, and was fed them then, and was sent away with another bottle.

I kind of got the message that they were important. And now I know why.

Researchers have found that children whose mothers had sufficient folic acid (found naturally in green leaves) and iron supplements before and during pregnancy showed greater cognitive and motor skills when compared to children whose mothers did not receive the prenatal supplements.

According to AOL Health, the study followed 676 children in a double-blind, randomized controlled trial of micronutrient supplementation given between 1999 and 2001. Researchers followed up with the children at ages 7 to 9. The children whose mothers had received prenatal supplements of folic acid and iron showed stronger cognitive ability, higher reasoning skills, better motor skills and enhanced inhibitory control when compared to their study group peers whose mothers had not taken supplements.

The research was carried out in Nepal, but is certainly relevant to us – especially those who may not include much by way of green, leafy veg in the daily diet. And even if you do eat a bag of folic acid and iron rich spinach every day, the nutritional value is often debatable by the time it hits your plate. So really, when it comes to building a new human brain, supplements are probably the way to go.

Of course we all know how important diet and lifestyle are for a healthy pregnancy, but it's nice to see a study come up with a positive result for a change, one which confirms that we've been doing the right thing, not so?

A friend of mine went into hospital this week in intense pain all over her body. The doctor she saw immediately – she has private health care - asked her whether she takes oral pain killers, and when she said yes, he told her that he loved patients that do, because they're making him rich.

While I don't know exactly what he was insinuating – it could be that they keep masking the problems till they're bigger, or it could be that he knows something about the effects of constant drug use on the liver, kidneys, stomach lining and so on that we do not – a Reuters article struck me while I had his comment in the back of my mind.

The article titled Study links painkillers to reproductive disorders, in brief, states that use of mild painkillers such as paracetamol, aspirin and ibuprofen during pregnancy, especially the second trimester, may partly account for a sharp increase in male reproductive disorders.

The research found that women who took more than one type of painkiller during pregnancy had an increased risk of giving birth to sons with undescended testicles, a condition called cryptorchidism. This condition causes poor semen quality and poses a greater risk of testicular cancer later in life.

While the researchers from Finland, Denmark and France said that further studies were urgently needed and advice being given to pregnant women on the safety of painkillers should be reconsidered, Neal Patel of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society felt that the research should be "interpreted with caution".

"This study adds to the body of evidence about the effect of medicines on foetal development. However, due to study limitations, further research is needed to draw firm conclusions about the effect of painkillers on male fertility”.

I remember attending a first aid course for babies before my daughter was born, and being told that children can have a paracetamol and ibuprofen together. I guess the moral of the story is be careful what you put into your body, especially if you're pregnant, and only take what you really need to take.

I'd say consult your doctor if you're not sure, but based on the above, I'm not altogether sure they know for certain themselves.

Today's feature comes to you from the pen of Harriet, blogger at Is There A Plan B, who we recently featured on PlayPennies Loves.

I’m new to Playpennies, and you may think my title misses the point rather.  But I’m very good at not spending money.  It’s one of my talents. I always wanted to be the sort of mother who would randomly buy her children beautiful things, but I don’t, because I can’t ever justify it.  So I end up in Primark (or, post move, M&Co).

Instead, I’m writing about the opposite.  What are the things that I bought cheaply and now wish I had spent money on? The false economies. The parenting equivalents of value washing up liquid.  Obviously we are all constrained by our personal budgets, but, whatever yours may be, these five things you can justify...

Pushchair

A really good pushchair.  I’m not recommending a brand, because pushchairs are more personal than haircuts. You can admire someone else’s but that doesn’t mean it will work for you.  You need to sit down and think about what your pushchair needs to do, and then you need to spend as much money as it takes to get it.

If you get one that doesn’t do something you want it to, whether that be go off-road, or take a car seat, or let your baby lie totally flat, or go through the front door, it will irritate you beyond words, and you’ll probably end up buying the one you should have got in the first place anyway.

Waterproof

A proper (and I mean proper) waterproof.  It won’t be pretty, it won’t be glamorous, but boy will you thank me when the baby’s screaming,  it’s pouring with rain, you have to get out of the house, and you watch someone else in the same position try and manhandle a brolly and a pram. It doesn’t work. Get a cagoule.

Nappy bag

A really lovely nappy bag.  I went “Pah! That’s silly and frivolous.  I don’t need a nappy bag I like, it just has to be functional”.  Three years of using it EVERY DAY, and I’m really, really wishing I’d bought this kind of thing.

When you’ve just had a baby and you’re wearing a cagoule, you won’t feel glamorous and lovely, but a glamorous and lovely nappy bag will help.  Get someone to buy it for you as a present.

Bouncer

A stupidly expensive bouncy chair.  Ideally this babysitter balance bouncer from Johnlewis.  Yes, I know. It’s £100 for a bouncy chair.  Bear with me.  We bought this spot bouncer.  It’s £14.  Both our first born and our twins hated it and I thought they just didn’t like bouncing.

Then we borrowed the other and both the twins loved it. I don’t know what Baby Bjorn have done, but whatever it is it works and it was a godsend. I had somewhere I could put one of them down, and know they would be happy for twenty minutes.  That’s worth it.

Microwave

A microwave. You can wean a baby (and/or make up formula milk) without a microwave (I should know, I’ve done it three times) but life’s apparently a lot easier if you’ve got one.

Those are my five essentials, but I’d also not feel ashamed of buying breast-feeding tops and underwired nursing bras to preserve your dignity, give your (ahem) spirits a lift, and make you feel vaguely human...

So that’s it. You have permission to spend money. What are you waiting for?

[Photo credits: Mzelle Biscotte]

Today's guest post comes to you from the pen of Becky Goddard-Hill, author of the babybudgeting blog and the book How to Afford Time off with your Baby.

When you are pregnant you might want and need lots of new things, but it is definitely not the time to be spending lots of extra money. Here are some tips for a fabulous but thrifty pregnancy.

1. Books

Don’t spend a fortune on baby names books, week by week pregnancy books, everything you need to know about childbirth and how to get pregnant books. Undoubtedly when the time comes, friends will have a stack of these to lend as will your local library (who for a small fee can request them in if they don’t have them). Have a browse on Amazon to see what you fancy, then check out ebay to see if you can get it cheaper. Books are no more useful if they are new than borrowed, loaned out from the library or second hand.

2. Clothes

It’s not worth spending a fortune on baby clothes – you will be bought lots as gifts and you won’t have a clue what these will be. Hold on for the clothes you will be given and just get a small pack of 3 from a supermarket as a starter set. Plus the fact you may get a shock like me and have a 3lb baby, or like my sister and get an 11lb baby! If you do, newborn sleep-suits will be entirely wrong but at least you will have only wasted a fiver!

3. Wish lists

I think it is a good idea to write a really clear wish list so when you are asked what you would like you can point people in the right direction and get nightlights, sunshades, nappy bags and changing mats that you want and need (and which co-ordinate!) If you don’t speak up it is virtually guaranteed almost everyone will buy you clothes.

4. Wages

You could practice living on one wage now so the shock of reduced income is less when your baby comes, and you will have some money set by. This doesn’t mean you have to be miserable…. lots of lovely times can be had on a budget. You don’t need a last trip to Paris pre-baby or a pregnancy spa, instead try:

• Putting a little love note in your partners pack up
• Having a lazy bath with your best tunes, candles, a big choc bar and a brilliant library book
• Going for a gentle stroll in the country with good friends and a picnic
• Renting a movie you first watched together and cuddles up under a blanket with some hot chocolate
• Setting the table with cloth napkins, flowers form the garden and practically eating out whilst staying in - even if it is pasta it will taste much better this way!

5. Mindset

Do start to become a borrower/second-hand/charity shopper now (maternity clothes, paperbacks, items you may need for when baby comes). Change your mindset now and it will be come a good habit. (Top tip: Visit charity shops in posh areas for some quality bargains!)

Have a wonderful pregnancy! x

For more ideas about being thrifty while pregnant, check out Tamsin's New Mummy Money Guide.

[Image credits: Mukumbura, rosscrawford1, alancleaver_2000.]

Former glamour model and Celebrity Big Brother contestant Daniel Lloyd  is expecting a baby with her footballer fiance Jamie O'Hara. Danielle is due in around 4 moths' time.

According to the Daily Mail, Danielle recently confessed to having a huge appetite in pregnancy, along with cravings for corned beef hash.

In an interview with OK! magazine she said: 'I’ll wake up in the morning and be like: "I really need corned beef hash." It’s a good excuse to eat chocolate too. And last night I said: "Jamie, I need an ice cream now!"'

Meanwhile,  bad boy of Rock 'n' Rolll Noel Gallagher and his girlfriend Sara MacDonald are also expecting a baby.

The Sun reports that Noel, 42, and 39-year-old Sara are 'thrilled to bits' after a three-month scan this week confirmed the pregnancy.

According to the Daily Mail, the pair have been together for ten years and already have a two-year-old son, Donovan, while Noel is also the father of a daughter, Anais, 10, from his marriage to Meg Mathews.

The paper reports that a friend said; 'Noel and Sara are over the moon... They're so happy that little Donovan will have a little partner in crime to play with. Their family is complete.' All together now... Aaaahhhhhh...

So...you're beautiful, well-known, you're good at your job, you know what you're talking about and the nation loves you - you're HIRED!  OH, hang on...you're pregnant too - you're FIRED!

It's been reported that Denise Van Outen has been axed by the BBC from the new Andrew Lloyd-Webber search-for-a-musical-star show 'Over the Rainbow' - this time he's on the hunt for a new Dorothy...heaven help us all!

Apparently with only a few days to go before filming got underway Denise, who had hoped to be invited back to be a judge on the show, was told by a senior producer that this wouldn't be the case because, and this is the quote that's being widely reported, "You’re pregnant, so of course there’s no way you can do the show’.

Under employment law a heavily pregnant woman can be refused employment if it's considered that the work will be too dangerous for her to do; but Denise, 35,  isn't expecting her little girl to arrive until May, she feels fit and healthy and sitting in a chair passing comment on fame-seeking wannabees hardly falls into the danger category does it!

The Beeb have said that none of the previous judges are being brought back for this show and their decision not to hire Denise has nothing to do with her being preggars...but come on, they're hardly going to breakdown, confess that, yes, she's not being brought back because she's expecting and beg for forgiveness.

A not-pregnant-and-12-years-younger-than-Van-Outen Charlotte Church is being tipped as her 'replacement' - heaven help us all again....I think I might be washing my hair on Saturday nights!

Whatever the truth is behind this story it does raise the ugly question, again, as to how MANY women are being denied jobs or discriminated against in the workplace simply because they're pregnant?

... or so she says.

Mrs Beckham, interviewed and photographed in the US issue of Glamour magazine, reckons she's just a normal mum to sons Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz.

Posing with a puppy and making like a 50's housewife for the photo-shoot, Posh says her life revolves around the kids when she's at home. Her life as a Mum includes popping into the boys' school to read to the class or help serve lunch. Sounds pretty normal and down-to-earth to me, although I'd wager that she doesn't mop her own floors or clean the loos though, eh? And if she does, I wonder if she keeps those heels firmly in place.

Meanwhile normal Mum and Radio 1 DJ Sara Cox has been chatting to Closer magazine about her pregnancy and its impact on her body.

Despite craving Wispa Golds and egg mayo sarnies, her mind is already on losing the extra baby pounds. Refreshingly, she claims not to be in any great rush though, and says was still in maternity jeans for months after the births of her other two children.

Now that's what I call a real Mum.