Kegel8 Ultra Pelvic Toner and Biofeedback Trainer review

If there is one thing that unites most Mothers across the country it’s this: Pelvic floor problems.

That’s not to say that everyone who has carried a baby and / or given birth will struggle, but for the majority of post-partum females there will be a change in the pelvic floor muscle compared to pre-pregnancy which can sometimes have life-long implications. This can range from minor inconveniences such as a difference in strength/tone which can cause back ache, to more life changing issues such as prolapse, incontinence or an inability to use internal menstrual products effectively.

There is no doubt that pregnancy changes the female body forever, but the lack of routine aftercare for new mothers in the UK is in stark contrast to other countries who put women’s health more at the forefront.
 

Kegel8 aims to change this, by providing women with access to technology such as their Kegel8 Ultra 20 V2 Electronic Pelvic Toner and Kegel8 Biofeedback Pelvic Trainer. I have been testing these two devices for the last few months in order to provide an honest review on their efficacy and usability. Read on to find out my thoughts.

Is Glutamine Good For Muscle Growth?

Glutamine is an amino acid that has gained significant popularity in the world of sports nutrition and supplements. Despite its many roles in the body, there are some claims that glutamine can improve muscle growth and athletic performance.

This article will explore the ways in which glutamine works in the body as well as its potential role in muscle growth.

Pregnancy after PND

Post natal depression, and/or post natal anxiety are no small matter. When you’re in it you can’t see through the fog to trust there is ever going to be an end. When you’re out of it, you never want to go back there. It’s easy to decide in those moments that any future pregnancies are off the cards, simply because the risk of spiralling back feels too great…

  

...but what if that tiny little flicker somewhere inside that clings onto the possibility of another baby never goes out? What if that small flame turns into a roaring fire of determination to do it all again and all of the risks feel worth it for the sake of a new life… because here you are, and you made it through. Should you reside yourself to the fact that PND is your destiny? Are you certain to suffer again? Will you definitely get PND again after your pregnancy??

New Baby Essentials gift guide

Are you having a new baby soon, or know of someone who is? It can be hard to work out just what to buy as a gift for a new mum or a newborn baby - making sure your gift is useful or meaningful is key, as you don't want to be adding to the amount of 'stuff' that new parents seem to acquire once a baby comes along! Some parents may be starting out with nothing, and so helping out by purchasing the 'essentials' rather than something more luxurious may be your preference. You may wish to treat the parent to a useful gift, rather than the baby...after all, they have likely spent 9 months growing a baby (and all that goes along with that!), to then be faced with labour, birth and sleepless nights. Whatever your prefer, this new baby essentials gift guide has a range of ideas for every budget and preference...

 

Disclosure: Paid partnership - some of these items are affiliate links or gifted items for the purpose of an honest review. 

From purchasing the newborn essentials, to making sure you have new mother and baby well-being covered, this blog post gives some suggestions and honest feedback on a range of products for both parent and baby...

Home office essentials for dealing with back pain

 Back pain is no laughing matter, and unfortunately if you have a sedentary job which requires you to sit at a desk or be in an office for a large number of hours during the day, you may find that this low level of activity combined with poor posture can have a big impact on your back health. Whether you already suffer from debilitating back problems, which your current job exacerbates, or whether your current set up is leading to back issues - there are a number of things you can do to help deal with back pain at work...

 

Disclosure: Paid Partnership. Contains affiliate links

A few years ago, my husband ended up with a herniated disc in his lower back, we had a 2 year old toddler at the time (I'm sure picking him up and lifting prams and pushchairs etc probably didn't help!) and he found the pain debilitating. Regular physio and visits to see an osteopath were not successful in treating the problem. A dalliance with strong painkillers to help with the pain lead to severe withdrawal symptoms (I'm talking about you Tramadol!) and the injection at the hospital to try and numb the pain in the nerve next to the spine was unsuccessful...even with our best efforts to heal bruising with arnica cream. Eventually, the only option was surgery to 'shave away' the offending protrusion pushing into his nerve, and remove part of the bone. Thankfully, the operation was a success BUT there are measures that needed to be put in place to help manage his condition and recovery moving forward, and to make sure that he did not end up with more back problems. Here are a list of things to help with back pain at work...

Covid symptoms before vaccines vs after when pregnant

Back in March 2020, at the start of the first lockdown I contracted Corona Virus, or, Covid19 as it is more commonly known. This was before vaccines were available, and even before routine testing - although my symptoms were all in line with covid and became severe enough to warrant a visit from the emergency services. 10 months later I was also diagnosed with 'long covid' as my symptoms and the after affects took such a long time to improve. 

 

At the time, I quarantined in my bedroom away from my family for 7 days as per the rules at the time. I have since had both vaccines and a booster jab at 12 weeks pregnant making me 'fully vaccinated'. I am currently 25/26 weeks pregnant with my third child and have (along with the rest of my family) contracted covid again.

During my first bout of covid I started a video diary of my symptoms. I never did publish this video to my YouTube channel as my recovery took such a long time it seemed pointless by the time I felt better! However, looking back at this video has enabled me to create a comparison of day by day symptoms which I have listed in the post below....

How many of us have been left with stretch marks after the birth of our children, and despite knowing that they are there to show the journey our body has been on, we still wish them away?

This short poem aims to put the meaning back into each little mark, and highlights the importance of each one, and the job it may have done. By thinking about what you would have to 'trade in' for each mark, it may help you to see their true value...

A poem about stretch-marks 

What if every mark is just a symbol for the parts of you that grew...

Semi-Permanent Eyebrow Healing Journey | Emergency Removal

At the end of last year I went for my first 'powder brow' session at a Yorkshire based beauty salon. Unfortunately I was unable to have the treatment as planned as I was informed once there that I needed to have stopped breastfeeding for AT LEAST 2 weeks before I had the semi-permanent eyebrow tattoo. I ended up going back in April this year for my first session, which I was happy with, and this blog post and video shows the healing process. A few weeks ago I went back for my top up session and I'm afraid to say that this wasn't a positive result and I ended up having emergency tattoo pigment removal using 'Botched Ink' 24 hours later...

I had saved up for semi-permanent Ombre / Powder Brows for a while, but had always put off booking a session because I was so worried that I would come away with brows that I hated, were uneven, the wrong shape or the wrong colour. Read on to find out what happened and why I ended up needing emergency removal....

CMPA | Milk Allergy | What Can I Eat?

My youngest child, Charlotte, was diagnosed with CMPA – cows milk protein allergy – at 4 months old. In hindsight, I believe that my eldest child also suffered with the same allergy but back then I had NO idea it even existed! Even after countless trips to the GP for severe colic and reflux, and numerous calls to the health visitor – it was never even mentioned as a possible allergy. Only after searching through facebook groups and reading advice online did I come to realise, and eventually diagnose, Charlotte with a milk and soya allergy.

AD: This post contains Paid Partnership links

I was breastfeeding at the time, so this meant I also had to cut out the allergens from my diet as they can be passed on through breastmilk. At first it was a very steep learning curve working out what I could and couldn’t eat! In this blog post I’m going to talk you through the process of testing for allergies, and how to adapt your diet to make sure you are eating safe foods which are allergen free.

Natural Lip Plumper that works | CODE LIP | Review

Are you looking for a natural lip plumper to make your lips look fuller without botox, fillers or a lip plumping tool?  In this blog post I give the CODE LIP 'Lip Intense Plumper' a try along with the CODE SSL Soft Smooth Lip Liner, along with a giveaway to win your own! Includes before and after photos. 

Disclosure: AD: Gifted.  I was sent the Lip Intense Plumper and the lip liner in return for an honest review and to host a giveaway.

Honest review, as always...

The sleepless family - an experiment in better quality sleep

Disclosure: We were sent the Dream Pillow, JuveRest pillow and Sleep Master mask in return for an honest trial and review. 

Sleep. It's hard to come by as a parent of small ones isn't it?

When we have enough of it, we can do pretty much anything. When we don't have enough of it, the opposite is true. Lack of sleep affects our diet, our mental health, our physical health and the ability to be the best version of ourselves. Its the reason I've sat in front of this laptop many a time, unable to type a single word. Its almost certainly to blame for the extra lines on my face and probably a few bad choices I've made along the way.

If you are a parent you will understand the helplessness and lack of control you feel when you really want to sleep, but you can't because your child is awake. When they are small, things like Colic or Reflux can play a big part. As they grow, separation anxiety sets in and you may find yourself asking the question like I did here: Should I give in and try controlled crying?  Bigger still and nightmares can impact on the quality of their sleep.

Add in lighter evenings, lighter mornings, snoring partners and aches and pains - its a wonder we manage any sleep at all to be honest!

In order to help combat some of these sleep issues, we have been trying out some sleeping aids ( which will work wonderfully along side these three sleep solutions I have written about previously) for us and for the children. You may also be interested in learning this pillow manifestation technique.

The Dream pillow for children,  the JuveRest Sleep Wrinkle Pillow and the Sleep Master Sleep Mask.

Products for Men that Women Swear by...

Disclosure: This post includes some gifted items (marked with *) including those sent for the giveaway. 

Clearly, it’s no surprise to most of us that women can and should be able to use products which are aimed specifically towards men. There aren’t many things in the world that aren’t truly unisex when it comes down to the bare bones of it...unless, of course, you are talking about something like - I don’t know - the male condom....although studies have shown that more women actually buy them compared to men.

  

We try to avoid gender stereotypes as much as possible in our household, so it will come as no surprise to you that there are a few products I now buy and use for myself which were originally for my husband. I also asked some of my fellow bloggers if there are any male marketed products which they swear by (and vice versa in some cases) .... Plus, I have a nice little giveaway for you which you can enter at the end of this post...

Struggling with heavy periods? You need to read this... #WearWhiteAgain

I was going to start this blog post by stating that if you are my Father-in-law, ‘look away now!’....and then I realised - THIS is exactly the problem we are trying to solve here. The taboo around discussing women’s health issues openly. The feeling that there are only certain people within our inner circle we can openly talk to (and even then in hushed tones) so, I did the complete opposite. Never one to shy away from the gory details, I went and spoke to him first, in person, and told him all about this campaign for Wear White Again – because I am a part of the more than 1 in 5 women who suffer from heavy periods… 

 

There are lots of things in this post that can help you, but first, let me tell you a bit about my story...it’s been a long old road, and I implore you to please read on - ESPECIALLY if you are feeling uncomfortable...

Birthday Gift List of a 30 something year old

Birthday gift lists change massively as we make our way through life. Our youthful demands of 'get me something I want' as we circle ALL the toys in the back of the Argos catalogue make way for our maturing ideals and moments of 'get me something I need'.  Suddenly, the idea that your other half might actually get you a new vacuum for your birthday seems quite exciting, and lets face it, your kids could give you a snot covered hankie as a 'present' and you'd love it anyway.

This gift guide includes products that some women and mothers (or men!) may initially believe to be luxury rather than necessity products (Cultural pendants, gold earrings, I'm looking at you!). I would like to highlight why, in fact, they may be an investment in terms of longer term well-being and self care - and lets face it...THAT is a birthday gift we ALL need...

When Breastfed Babies Bite - 5 solutions

I know some of you winced in pain just reading that title. Me too. I've been there before. I'm there again. I've been blessed with children who are completely affected by the eruption of teeth in a way that only biting down on the nearest thing can relieve....and multiple times a day this includes the source of milk. I have silently screamed. I have bled. I have DEFINITELY asked Google about plasters for nipples. I have persevered...
 

With my first child, Arthur, the biting started at about 7 months old. At the start of every breastfeed he would clamp down. The first time caught me by such a surprise I yelped, which he found hilarious of course and proceeded to do it every.single.time.

I began to dread feeding him and became desperate for a solution. If I tell you that I came to breastfeed Arthur until he was over the age of 2 yrs then you can safely assume we found a way.

What's in my Makeup Bag?

Strictly speaking, this blog post should probably be entitled 'What's in my Makeup bag number 22...today'. I'm not even sure if I could fit all of my makeup into 22 makeup bags, but it seemed like a good guess as I stood in front of my makeup cabinet this morning and tried to estimate. I can almost hear the chuckle of my husband right now, sat at his desk 14 miles away, shaking his head at my lack of spatial awareness. He would probably describe the scenario as 'at capacity'. I would say, 'still room for more'....

Anyway, it would indeed take me days, possibly months to tell you about  everything in my makeup bag so I have basically just picked out the products I am wearing today. You'll probably have realised by now that I have a bit of an obsession with bareMInerals makeup and I love a natural look. Thanks to Nicola from Mummy to Dex for tagging me. Here is what's in my makeup bag today...

SENSSE Silicone Facial Cleansing Brush and SENSSE Hot and Cool Toning Bar - review

I am a huge fan of natural skincare - but if I can use this alongside a bit of non-invasive, non-surgical technology then even better! I have posted previously about my experiences with non-surgical facelifts in salon, but I am always on the lookout for products which can be used at home as part of a regular skincare regime.
 

I was recently given the opportunity to try out the SENSSE™ Silicone Facial Cleansing Brush  and also the SENSSE™ Hot and Cool Toning Bar.

Testing for Group B strep in Pregnancy with Strepelle

It's July, which means not only is this Group B Strep awareness month, I am also over 35 weeks pregnant - the perfect time to test for GBS (Group B Streptococcus). Group B Strep is the most common cause of life-threatening infections in newborn babies, causing meningitis, sepsis and pneumonia. Most of these infections could be prevented, but the U.K. Is one of the only developed countries in the world which does not routinely test for Group B Strep and many pregnant women haven't even heard of it! Have you?

One in four women carry it and one baby a week dies of the infection. Being a carrier doesn't automatically mean that your baby will be poorly - however, there is a risk that GBS can pass to your baby during childbirth, which can create serious and life threatening complications. Knowing your level of risk means that you can be prescribed medication in time for labour in order to keep your baby safe.

Midwife in a Box from The Natural Birthing Company

Pregnancy - it's supposed to be one of the most natural things in the world, but it doesn't always feel that way does it?? The stress and strain of growing a new life can take its toll on your body and it doesn't necessarily stop once your bundle of joy arrives. From engorgement and soreness to low milk supply....stitches and tears to scar tissue and stretch-marks ...and hot flushes to swelling... the natural birthing company has developed a solution to help make the whole process feel a little more 'natural' and manageable.
 

I have been lucky enough to try out their 'midwife in a box' which includes their perineal massage oil called 'down below', postnatal compress solution called 'pure bliss', 3 breastfeeding oils called 'bosom buddies' and their cooling body spritz called 'cool it mama' - all wrapped up in a gorgeous box along with 2 cotton organic flannels and some directions and advice on perineal massage.

A Perfect View with Perfect Glasses

Both my Husband and I are short sighted and require correctional lenses in order to see. My prescription is quite bad and so I usually wear contact lenses - but a few years ago I suffered from a serious infection in my cornea called Acanthamoeba Keratitis which left me unable to see in one eye and requiring hospital visits, hourly drops to my eye and a corneal scrape (yes it was as painful as it sounds!) Luckily I made a full recovery, but I was unable to wear contact lenses for quite a while and I often try to give my eyes a break by switching to glasses whenever possible. 

My Husband on the other hand hates wearing contact lenses and wears glasses every day. Between us we probably spend a small fortune on glasses, frames and lenses and so are always on the look out for reasonably priced glasses online or in store...