JUGGLING PREGNANCY AND WORK WITH SASSY IN THE CITY
Lauren Silvester from blog Sassy in The City and Little in The City discovered she was pregnant in Costa Rica. With baby due in September, she’s here to reveal the gender and tell us what it’s like juggling life and pregnancy.
HAVE YOU ENJOYED YOUR PREGNANCY?
I’ve felt sick almost every day but it’ll be worth it. I’ve had no time to sit back and relax what with planning our wedding (Lauren got married on the 14th of May), learning to drive and all the extra appointments to ensure my baby doesn’t have Zika virus (thank you, Costa Rica). In addition, we’ve just started renovations on our home which has been quite daunting. My nesting urges have been more than satisfied choosing new flooring, kitchens and bathrooms though. When I left GQ I never factored in the difficulty it would be to get another mortgage while self-employed and forgoing company maternity pay so that’s been a bit of a pain.
TIPS FOR JUGGLING EVERYTHING?
We’re fortunate to have my husband’s parents living near us. Pregnancy can be stressful but having a good support network around has helped enormously. Taking time to look after yourself is vital. For me it’s regular massages, flicking through baby sites like Alex and Alexa and short walks without my phone. Taking things one by one and having a mental checklist is key to being organised. Just don’t let yourself get overwhelmed and if you do, go see a friend or speak to your partner. Let people in!
HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT?
Daniel and I weren’t so much ‘trying’ for a baby at the time but thought the time was right to ‘remove the goalkeeper’ so to speak. As one does in this situation, immediately I started taking tests (all negative). We kept one to take away to Costa Rica over Christmas and New Year. I remember we had a giant toad in our loo there and I was so scared to pee let alone do a pregnancy test!
Needless to say, I dropped it down the toilet (damn toad) and had to wait until the next day to buy an unreliable looking Spanish stick. Our suspicions were right – the test took 8 hours to give any kind of result. We got another and the same thing happened again. The next day we drove an hour to a Costa Rican pharmacy and after ten minutes of Google translate, we left with a test. At the villa I vividly remember our groundskeeper eating a raw turtle egg; it made me want to vomit and I felt so upset (hormones)! It was so emotional seeing that extra line come up after 3 minutes. Those three days of testing were the most agonising as we didn’t know if the ‘positives’ were right. I had to continue the rest of the holiday alcohol-free without the in-laws noticing!
WHEN DID YOU DISCOVER THE GENDER OF THE BABY?
We’d booked a private scan to see the baby at 18 weeks. We were told baby would be referred to as a boy for ease when discussing measurements. So when the Sonographer said “she’s doing a headstand”, I knew it was going to be a girl! Lucky for us we had already said we were 80% sure we’d like to find out so I could connect with her. I cried and couldn’t stop staring at her. Of course, I framed the scan pictures as soon as I got home. We have a few names shortlisted but I think until we actually see her we can’t decide!
HAVE YOU PREPARED FOR BABY’S WARDROBE?
Miss Silvester has a better wardrobe than me! I love greys, whites, creams and soft pink so everything is pretty much in keeping with that theme. My husband is a huge sneaker head too so she already has a couple of sought after Yeezys. I’ve started collecting lots of cashmere and luxe pieces from Stella McCartney and I’m obsessed with baby Moncler for the winter. I love the innocence of Ralph Lauren – especially this white broderie anglaise bubble romper, Moschino for their fun, loud bits and the Ralph Lauren separates are just beyond adorable. The gorgeous pink triangle body from Petit by Sophie Schnoor is by far one of the prettiest pieces that she has. I must say that Alex and Alexa was already on my radar before I discovered we were having a girl! I just love everything that’s in stock. I know she is going to be costing us a small fortune online.
With thanks to Lauren X
Moschino Babygrow Set | Petit by Sophie Schnoor Triangle Body | Ralph Lauren Embroidered Romper
