A (VERY) HONEST TAKE ON
LIVING, WORKING AND PARENTING IN DUBAI


October 12, 2016


Book vs real life: 20 weeks pregnant

    Halfway there! In some ways this is a ‘hurrah’ week, marking the mid-point of the pregnancy, but I think back to finding out I was pregnant, and it feels like years ago. Which means that the birth is a weird, abstract distance away, and it doesn’t feel real at all.   Happily, however, […]

October 9, 2016


10 to try: my maternity and mummy essentials

    I first met the lovely Loretta from Blush & Bloom when Phoebe was a few weeks old. I was (really) struggling with breastfeeding and went to Healthbay PolyClinic for a workshop where there were vendors selling everything from lactation cookies to baby carriers, and she was so kind and encouraging. She also had […]

October 7, 2016


Do other mums feel like a fake too?

  I think I have what’s known as Imposter Syndrome. On a rational level, I know I’m a mum (there’s a child sleeping in her cot to prove it, along with all sorts of plastic crap, a body changed forever and a very sickly bank balance), but sometimes – okay, frequently – I just don’t […]

October 4, 2016


TRIED AND TESTED: The carpet shopping home trial

      I’m not a fan of a mall trawl at the best of times, but add in a toddler who is determined to walk instead of going in her stroller (thus turning a ten-minute stroll into an hour-long ultra marathon) and frankly, I’d rather stay home. No matter how urgent the shopping trip. […]

September 29, 2016


A mama-to-be must-have

    Did you know that from 18 weeks, an unborn baby can hear sounds? Incredible. Not only is their mother’s voice a source of comfort, but other noises such as music can provide reassurance, which is why Ilado’s maternity jewellery is so special. As you move throughout the day the charm necklaces chime softly, […]

September 20, 2016


Why we need to start talking about prenatal anxiety

    I can write about this now, I can think about this now, because I’m feeling better. Not amazing, but better. A few weeks ago, despite being pregnant with a much-wanted baby, I couldn’t stop crying. We’d just been given the all clear from the NIPT test for chromosome disorders, but I just wasn’t happy, […]

September 15, 2016


Children and the dentist: your questions answered

    Now, call me weird, but I actually don’t mind going to the dentist. It does help that he plays jazz in the clinic and is (very) easy on the eye, but even after teenage trauma of a retainer, I don’t have The Fear, like so many others, and I want my daughter to feel […]

September 11, 2016


Book vs real life: 16 weeks pregnant

  This week, What To Expect When You’re Expecting tells me what should be happening at 16 weeks. Frankly, writing these posts every week is quite useful, as I keep forgetting how pregnant I am…   Confession: I’ve tried reading this book numerous times, but hate the tone. It’s just not for me. But it’s […]

September 7, 2016


Where to buy: maternity clothes in Dubai

    Ahhhh, pregnancy. As well as getting your head around the impending arrival, your body is doing all sorts of crazy things, namely getting bigger. This means that, while the LAST thing you feel like doing is a mall trawl, it’s time to buy some maternity clothes.   I’ll be honest here, Dubai is pretty […]

August 31, 2016


The toughest test of my life

  As I said when I announced my pregnancy, we’ve had a couple of setbacks, the most upsetting being more testing for Down’s Syndrome with a NIPT test. I wrote the below when I was in the middle of the uncertainty, waiting for the results. Thankfully, a day later I got the all-clear, but I […]


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