Knocked up....now what? Maternity Clothes in Bangkok

I'm 23 weeks pregnant and trying to squeeze into my non maternity dresses is making me look like

Ursula from the Little Mermaid

cue panic attack as I stare into my wardrobe.

The nutritional value of a fish finger sandwich

It's 5.45am and I've been up since 2.30am (yawn!)

I'm 24 weeks pregnant (yey, for being viable!) and this seems to happen to me twice a week...for reasons that seem to be a mixture of constipation, cravings and a busy mind.

Whilst I can entertain myself a little by chatting with friends online in the UK and catching up on other yummy mums blogs, I am also sweating my bump off because I'm scared that the aircon will make my hubby, so I'm sitting with two cats sprawled over me, a laptop that is burning up and a baby radiator inside me. I decided to console myself with a fish finger sandwich, although I'm certain it is not helping the constipation situation. But then I felt guilty about the nutritional value of my late night cravings. So in an effort to ease my guilt, and maybe send myself to sleep, I decided to get googling.

Hmmmm, the first thing I came across was this website www.eatdrinklivewell.com/can-fish-fingers-be-healthy it wasn't looking promising...

I am a avid user of excel spreadsheets and cue another reason to design one - a quick(ish) tool to calculate the nutritional value of my late night binges...geek heaven! (and was sure to send me to sleep eventually). See my spreadsheet below but in summary:

• A fish finger sandwich will give you some important vitamins like vitamin K, Thiamin, Folate, vitamin B12 and vitamin A
• It will also give you a large helping of your daily Manganese mineral requirements
• It will also give you a decent helping of your Selenium
• However it has also account for a third of my sodium intake (so no salt & vinegar crisps for me later!)

Knocked up....now what? What your Thai Ob/Gyn probably won't tell you

I read this article on HealthyGrades.com today and it made me chuckle...don't get me wrong, it was very useful but it struck me how little information my Thai Ob/Gyn had passed on to me (and made me think "thank god" for google and my insatiable urge to research)

Price Comparison - Feeding Bottles

I’m an excel spreadsheet freak, and since giving up my corporate job I 'excel' everything possible in my life to make me feel like I’m organized. Of course, this does not come close to making me an organised person but it lulls me into a false sense of calm.

Last week’s obsession, and excuse for an excel spreadsheet, was comparing the cost of feeding equipment (Thailand versus any cost savings I could find in the UK - we have a trip home planned and I need to know how much space to leave in my luggage for baby purchases!).

Roasted Pumpkin, Chickpea and Sausage Stew

Hubby has thrown a double whammy at me. After being inspired by the Hairy Bikers Diet programme he wants to go on a low carb, low calorie diet and lose 18kg's. This means bringing his calories down to about 2,000 a day, which for a 6' 3" broad shouldered, broad chested man will mean I have to think quite laterally about how to stop him from being hungry, plus he has to get his arse down the gym more!

Miscarriage Support - A Guide to Getting Help in Thailand

Quick reference summary for Miscarriage and Loss Support (all links are live and will take you to a new webpage):

For a more personal explanation of our miscarriage experience please read Miscarriages - How to cope in Thailand

Thatch Pie Recipe

This is a recipe I devised based on a shepherds or cottage pie theory. I call it Thatch Pie because it is made with pork and I thought about the Three Little Piggies and their straw house. It was a way to use up the left over porchetta joint from NYE but you could use any left over meat, or simply just mince meat for this and it would taste equally good.

Baby Bitters

I've been there, I really have, I understand it is hard to see posts on Facebook about people having babies and cutesy families sitting around the Christmas tree looking like idiots in Christmas jumpers. But please can we stop with the new mum bashing!

Two hungry men and a pregnant lady - NYE 2017

Bangkok is a bit of a weird place to celebrate New Year at the moment. After the passing of the King and the uncertainty of how the police and military would react to large parties and celebrations, the importance of starting the New Year without King Bhumibol was no more apparent than when reading the report in the Bangkok Post from the new King, appealing for maintained unity within the country.

Many Thai’s celebrated by holding candlelit vigils and seeing the New Year in with a more somber celebration at Central World, with a free show by Thailand’s Philharmonic Orchestra. We decided to have a quiet one at home, cooking for a good friend, who quite frankly lives off Heineken and burgers, so a good meal will do him good and set him up for the New Year.

Here is my NYE menu and recipe guide for a pregnant lady and two hungry men in Bangkok. I’ve focused on things the boys will enjoy, but also on things that are preggers friendly.