Hi sweet friends! As I type, I’ve justtt tipped into my third trimester! This baby boy is due in 8 weeks’ time. It feels like a really sweet spot to be in!

I bumped into my neighbour this morning who has four children and many grandchildren. She told me that her favourite months with all of her pregnancies were 7 - 9! I was so happy to hear it 🥰 I’ve felt better entering my third trimester than I did in the latter part of my second. But I’ll get into all of that below!

Something I’ve noticed time and time again of late: mums, no matter what age they are now, recall their pregnancies and births with such colour and detail. It amazes me that even decades on, that common thread of motherhood is so strong.

Before embracing this final chapter of pregnancy #2, I wanted to share some reflections on my second trimester. As you’ll read below, despite it often being dubbed the ‘golden trimester’ it’s been a little wavy for me. Some gorgey weeks. Some more testing. The good news? I feel like things really ARE on the up from here!

Below I’m sharing:
- my second trimester timeline: when I felt good, when I felt less so
- how I’m approaching exercise, nutrition and supplements
- PTSD
- nesting
- wardrobe MVPs
- my birth choice this time around
- how I’m feeling about going from 1 - 2 boys!

It’s a big juicy piece, reflective of a big juicy stage in life!!! Top up your cup, let’s dive in 💗

My Second Trimester Timeline

Weeks 13 - 17

I just had to Google “when does the second trimester start” 😂!

I kind of remember dates, but with this being my second pregnancy, and with having a toddler at home already, I’m a little more sketchy on the details this time around.

For your benefit as well as mine LOL, week 13 or 14 are generally considered the start of the second trimester. With week 28 being the first of the third.

If you’re curious about my first trimester, I shared my experience in detail here:

The long and short of it, is that I felt pretty awful throughout. TYSM pregnancy nausea. But also hopeful and grateful at the prospect of growing this little family of ours.

Nausea-wise, thankfully, by the time I entered my second trimester—around 13 weeks to the day!—my nausea started to ease. By week 17 it had subsided entirely.

NB: my nausea lasted all the way ’til week 20 with Luca! A reminder that every pregnancy is different!

Weeks 17 - 22(ish)

Weeks 17 - 22ish were a joy! I started to feel really well and thanked my lucky stars for both energy and an appetite for foods I actually wanted to eat. Hiii greens! SO happy to be reunited!

Sometime around this point I listened to an episode of the Dream Bigger Podcast, with host Siffat Haider (who was secretly pregnant at the time! Also: SUCH a chic mama-to-be!) in conversation with Jessie Inchauspé—aka The Glucose Goddess. Jessie, as a new mum herself, had researched the impact diet in pregnancy has on a growing foetus, and the results were fascinating! That reminds me to pick up a copy of her book: 9 Months That Count Forever*. Do listen to the episode/read the book if you’re interested—but the biggest takeaways for me were:

1. you don’t ‘share’ your diet with your growing baby until your second trimester. Thank gawddd ‘cos I was a McDonald’s and beige-food-only fiend 😂

2. once that second trimester hits, your baby and you are sharing all your nutrients. According to Jessie, every food choice is also felt by your baby. Meaning: if you can get your nutrition on track, awesome!

3. there are some essential nutrients it’s helpful for all pregnant mamas to know about, namely: choline, omega 3 and protein.

Once I felt like I could eat more ‘normally’ again, I doubled down on the types of food I know I love, and which I feel confident this growing baby boy of mine will benefit from too.

Plenty of protein, greens, grains. Eggs (choline). Salmon a couple of times a week (omegas). A rainbow of fruit and vegetables.

I also added an extra choline supplement to my stack from Zita West, as I didn’t feel confident that I would be able to eat enough eggs every day to make up my choline intake!

Oh and coffee!!! I was able to start drinking coffee again which I was sooo happy about. I drink one caffeinated coffee a day now and I look forward to it from when I go to bed the night before haha!

Eating more in alignment with what I’m used to, and feeding my body GOOD food again, massively helped me to feel more like ‘me’. I felt so energised and able to move about my day to day happily, as well as exercise and interact with Luca well.

For much of my second trimester I felt great. The nausea lifted, my energy returned and I found a rhythm that felt sustainable again. I was back at Reformer Pilates, strength training, filming content and feeling much more like myself. And then . . .

Weeks 22 - 28

Oof! I was not ready for this.

Weeks 22 - 28 were a LOT. I don’t recall seeing anyone else share about this, so I’m putting it down in writing in case any other mamas relate!

I noticed such a shift from week 22! It was like someone unplugged me!

My energy was flat, my bump grew SO much, and everything started to feel slow, heavy and effortful.

More specifically, I felt ‘bruised’ across my bump. The only comparison I had was right after my caesarean with Luca—when my organs had literally been moved around—I felt a similar discomfort and ‘bruised’ sensation.

The aching pain was spread across my whole abdomen, but on long days it was particularly sore down my RH side. As it turns out—this is pretty common.

Just to say: I did get all of this checked over by my care team. Be in touch with your midwife/Dr if you’re ever worried!

My consultant shared a graph with me which showed the growth trajectory of a ‘standard’ pregnancy (my first was not standard due to Luca’s Achondroplasia).

The growth curve literally went from a gentle incline to a sharp spike from around 22 weeks!

No wonder I felt such a strong ‘growing’ sensation!!!

Also fun fact: there’s a reason mamas can feel more pressure on their RH side as the bump grows. It’s called ‘round ligament pain’. This article shares a lot more info on it.

Wellness in My Second Trimester

Another fun symptom of my second trimester: slower digestion.

Yeppp. Pregnancy is glam right?!

As I’ve experienced first hand sooo many times, gut health is the foundation of so many other health systems. Including mood, energy and immunity.

If my digestion is off, you can bet I’m going to feel funky.

For me, slower digestion added to my feelings of lethargy and heaviness. It also contributed to a lower mood.

Fortunately I can share a solve here (HOORAY!): the ARTAH Advanced Synbiotic blend!

I have longgg loved ARTAH’s supplements. I even had the brand’s founder Rhian Stephenson on my podcast (you can listen to the episode here). Side note: I’m missing podcasting!!! It’s something I really want to explore again in 2027.

Taking the ARTAH Synbiotic Blend, coupled with doubling down on my hydration and fibre-rich nutrition helped to get things moving again.

Also, for total transparency (and BC we’re all friends here right 😂!!!) I got a prescription for Movicol which is a gentle laxative from my GP. I had a good experience with it following my caesarean birth with Luca, and wanted a helping hand with re-regulating. I took it for a few days, and once I felt like I was in a good rhythm again, I stopped. Looking back, I wish I’d gone to the GP sooner!

I switched up my supplements

On the supplement note! In the latter part of my second trimester, I decided to switch up my supplements. I’d been following the same Functional Medicine protocol I’d been on since pre-pregnancy, and while I loved that routine and it served me so well prenatal-y and in the early stages of pregnancy, I was ready to simplify things and get specific.

Here’s what I’m taking now:

Zita West Vital Essence 3 (essentially a multivitamin ‘catch all’ for the third trimester)
Zita West Vital DHA to cover my Omega 3 needs
ARTAH’s Enhanced Synbiotic for my digestion and gut health
ARTAH’s Essential Iron Complex to boost my iron and Ferritin levels
BetterYou’s Magnesium Sleep Body Lotion* to combat leg cramps and aid sleep and nervous system function

^^^ I am SO on board with all of the above!!! Genuinely cannot recommend them enough.

Exercise in my second trimester

Exercise is such an important part of my overall ‘wellbeing map’. Especially since becoming a mum. I’ve said it many times before, but for me it’s the ‘brain shower’ I crave. Plus, I love the feeling of moving my body and benefitting from the flexibility and strength I’ve built.

You can probably see a pattern by now in my second trimester: first half = energised, second half = SLUMP!

The same went for my exercise regime. In the early weeks I managed a light weights session 2 - 3 x a week, and a walk most days. Plus my sacred 1:1 Reformer Pilates sessions with Sophie (who’s just opened her OWN STUDIO btw: Studio Schryver!!! Top tip for all my local Winchester/Alresford pals.)

In the second half, I found it much harder to motivate myself to exercise due to the intense lethargy and abdominal pain. As is so often the case, moving less made me feel worse. I was in a low-feeling-loop.

I was encouraged to get my iron (and specifically Ferritin, which is your iron store) checked, as well as my thyroid as I have a history of Hashimoto’s. I’m SO glad I did as my Ferritin levels came back very low.

I’ve since started to incorporate a gentle iron supplement from ARTAH (as listed above) and will get my bloods done again in a month or so’s time.

As I’m typing, I’ve just entered my third trimester, and I’m actually looking forward to getting back into an exercise/movement regime again. The intense ‘growth phase’ feels like it’s passed, and my body is once again feeling more comfortable. I’m also reminding myself of how energy-giving exercise actually is! One of those high effort things where the trade-off is worth it! Thank you Danielle for the nudge 💗

Nutrition in my second trimester

It’s like my body KNEW I needed vitamins again post my first-trimester nausea haha! Though I do still love a double cheeseburger.

A regular “what I eat in a day” looks similar to my pre-pregnancy diet now:

Breakfast: Vanilla protein shake

My protein shake recipe:
- 1.5 scoops of vegan vanilla protein powder. Protein Works* is my go-to. I love the ‘Vegan Protein 360 Platinum’ in ‘Vanilla Creme’. Use code MONICA for a discount.
- Unsweetened almond milk - Plenish is my fave
- 1 banana
- Chia seeds (also good for regularity!)
- Sprinkle of cinnamon
- Teaspoon of nut butter - usually Pip & Nut’s almond butter

If I’m hungry, I may add sourdough toast with avocado, eggs and bacon here

Lunch: some kind of salad, grain + protein bowl OR eggs, avo, bacon + sourdough if I haven’t already had that for breakfast

Dinner: again, salad, carbs + protein. I really like Emily English’s recipes for easy-to-follow delicious meals!

Making healthy choices easier

I am NOT in my high-effort era when it comes to food LOL. But I do want to keep eating well and nourish my body with as much goodness as possible. Both for my pregnancy, and postpartum.

Things which have helped me to stay on track:

• keeping the fridge well-stocked (I NEED to start online food shopping! Though supermarket trips with Luca have become a bit of an ‘outing’ in themselves?! He loves ‘scanning’ me 😂)
  

• cooking once for multiple meals. Inc. roasting vegetables and proteins. And making big chopped salads.
  

• COOK frozen meals. A great roster of meals during those low-energy weeks. Just add veggies.
  

• Planthood: a DELICIOUS meal kit delivery! I can’t shout its praises enough. Black bean tacos were a highlight, as well as overnight chia pots. If you’d like to try Planthood for yourself, use the discount code: MONICA25 for 25% off your first 4 boxes.

PTSD at 28 Weeks

I recently shared a Reel on Instagram, touching on PTSD in pregnancy.

If you’re not familiar with my family’s story, I share more about it here.

My son Luca has Achondroplasia, which is the most common form of dwarfism. As two parents of average stature, with no history of dwarfism in the family, the chance of welcoming a child with Achondroplasia is extremely rare. We received Luca’s diagnosis late-on in my pregnancy, with a limb-difference first being flagged at 28 weeks. The diagnosis process was deeply traumatic.

Despite the fact that I go to therapy, and have done a LOT of work on my emotional health pre and during this pregnancy, around the time of Luca’s diagnosis I had a very emotionally testing week. My body remembered somatically what my mind has worked so hard to process.

Though that particular week was heavy, I have felt a lightness following it which really feels like a line in the sand. It’s as if that was a date I needed to move past, in order to fully ‘believe’ that this is a different pregnancy.

A huge thank you to Oli, my angel midwife and incredible care team, for recognising the weight of these weeks and supporting me with such strength and endless kindness.

If you’re also navigating pregnancy, carrying a difficult experience, my heart goes out to you. I hope that some of the tips I share in the video may be able to help 💗

Nesting

I never got to the nesting stage with Luca, as his diagnosis took over the latter part of my pregnancy. I had a lot of medical intervention in the lead up to Luca’s arrival. I didn’t begrudge that swap in focus at all—I was just SO grateful to be welcoming a healthy baby boy into the world!

Still, I remember coming home from hospital, with a new baby, and thinking: “I have nothing ready”! Of course we’ve pieced things together as we’ve gone, but it’s been SO nice in this pregnancy to have a little more time to focus on the softer elements of prepping.

Currently, our house is literally upside down! We had our upstairs carpets replaced because they were infested with moths (ughhh!), and so we had to move everything from upstairs, downstairs.

It’s been a strangely satisfying necessity, as it’s given me the opportunity to look through everything.

A lot’s gone to charity. Items which are beyond saving have gone in the bin.

It’s a process and one which I couldn’t have done without the help of my mum, who somehow has the stamina of a 20yo Olympian when it comes to sorting!

We’re planning to actually make the nursery into a nursery! Who knows which boy will end up sleeping in it haha (Luca still co-sleeps with Oli), but I do know that I want to decorate it and make it feel like a special space.

We have a beautiful Mamas & Papas cot and changing table set which I’m excited to put into place. And I just came across Nursery Stickers, which—as the name suggests!—make super cute sticker decorations you can apply to a kid’s room. I especially love the stars. It gives the effect of wallpaper without the commitment or expense.

What I loved wearing in my second trimester

It was HOTTT throughout much of my second trimester, and so I’ve been focusing on a few easy lightweight items to get me through. I’ve shared lots of Reels with styling inspo over on my Instagram.

These have been my MVPS:

- Lightweight cotton pyjamas, that are cute enough to style for daytime. These are a similar M&S pair* to the ones I own.

- This linen skirt from TU at Sainsbury’s* (seen above), so comfortable and chic.

- These dungarees from Abercrombie*. Inspired by Elizabeth! I wanted to get a vintage pair but couldn’t find a set which ticked my boxes (I’m super fussy when it comes to denim!). I really love these.

ALSO! I have to flag here For The Creators*, which is (among other things) a fashion rental platform for maternity clothing. I’ve just re-started my subscription, and I wish I’d done it sooner!

Highlights include: gorgeous dresses from brands like Nobody’s Child, RIXO and Summery Copenhagen. Also, so many good denim and trouser options which I feel are particularly tricky in pregnancy! You can follow this link* and use the code MONICA10 for 10% off of your entire order.

My birth choice second time around

I’ll share more about this soon, but after a lottt of information-gathering, talking it through with my care team and checking in with my own intuition, I’ve decided to opt for a planned caesarean birth again.

I wrote about my positive planned caesarean birth experience with Luca here:

Though I have some nerves around undergoing surgery again, I’m confident that this is the right choice for me and our family.

A final note on going from 1 - 2!!!

One of the subjects that makes my heart feel the warmest!!! As I’m typing I can hear Luca giggling in bed as he settles for a nap. That baby boy of ours has brought us immeasurable joy and I can’t quite believe that we’ll shortly be welcoming a second son!!!

Becoming a mum for the first time has been the most life-enriching thing I’ve ever gone through.

We’ve had more challenges health-wise than we ever anticipated, but the greatest gift of our struggles has been a hyper-focus on what really matters most.

As I wrote about here, “When I really thought about the decision to grow our family, I imagined myself at the end of my life, looking back. I realised that a lot of the concerns I had in the moment were ‘noise’, valid absolutely, but they didn’t speak to the core desire in my heart—and that was to grow our family. When I thought of myself reflecting on my life, I realised that the ‘concerns’ would take up flickers of space, whereas children would—hopefully—redirect my story altogether and become woven into the very fabric of it. Just as Luca has already.”

That has felt SO true as I’ve progressed through this pregnancy.

Being pregnant has put a spotlight on the preciousness of this time together as a 3 before we become a 4.

I am cuddling Luca a little tighter, being as present with him as possible, and soaking in this time altogether. There is a little heartache knowing that things are going to change again, but overwhelmingly the deepest love for our sons, plural!!!

My second trimester has really felt like a story of two halves 🦋

I’m SO thankful I have this space to write and reflect. Thank you for being here with me!

Pregnancy is such a unique FULL time in life, and I fear that if I didn’t get this down on paper (albeit typed!), I’d forget so many of the smaller in-between-y moments. I’m also hoping that in sharing my experience, other mums navigating a similar season may see familiarity and know they’re not alone.

I was voice-noting one of my girlfriends the other day who’s also pregnant (what a gift!!! Love that we’re doing this together!), she mentioned something that I’ve felt many times in both my first and now second pregnancies: it can be lonely.

Sharing our stories, experiences, and time with one another is the fastest route to quashing that isolation. If you take one thing from this article, I hope that it’s the knowledge that there’s a network of mamas close to you, and the world over, who’re sharing this chapter, feeling those ebbs and flows, and cheering you on.

Here’s to closing out my second trimester, and looking ahead to trimester #3!!!

All my love, Monica x

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Below I’m sharing alllll the details about my second pregnancy so far. Mine and Oli’s decision to ‘try’ for a second baby, what I did to prepare my body for conception, how the pregnancy is going so far and everything else I can think of!

Thank you, as always, for holding space for my—and my family’s story. Motherhood, and all of the ebbs and flows that have come with it, has been the greatest teacher of my life. I’m so grateful that as I learn, I get to share and grow alongside so many of you.

A note here: I will be sharing about trauma I experienced in my first pregnancy. If that feels like an avenue you’d rather skip for now, I get it, and am sending love your way.

The decision to try for a second baby, following trauma

As many of you know, my first pregnancy—which ultimately led to us welcoming our sweet sweet boy Luca into the world, a fact I’ll forever be grateful for—was marked by significant trauma. At 28 weeks, I was booked in for a ‘routine’ scan (not ‘routine’ for most, but I have a heart condition), which flagged that Luca’s limb measurements were reading on the shorter side.

I’m skipping a few steps here, but ultimately Luca was diagnosed with achondroplasia, which is the most common form of dwarfism. If you’d like to read more about Luca’s diagnosis process, I’ve shared in depth here.

The diagnosis itself was a shock—Oli and I are both of average stature, and so welcoming a baby with a genetic condition like achondroplasia is extremely rare.

Though life-changing, we quickly came to terms with Luca’s condition, and thanked our lucky stars that we’d been gifted with such an incredible son.

The diagnostic process itself, however, was deeply traumatic. There was a period of time when we didn’t know if I would be able to carry the pregnancy to term, as Luca’s skeletal dysplasia was—at the time—unidentified. Devastatingly, some skeletal conditions are ‘lethal’ meaning that the baby wouldn’t survive pregnancy, or long after birth.

As you already know, with infinite gratitude, Oli and I were able to welcome our healthy baby boy Luca into the world in November 2023, and he’s been the Sun of our universe ever since. We love him for exactly who he is.

Just going to leave this adorable photo here bc I truly cannot get enough of baby Luca.

If you’ve been subscribed here for a while, or follow me on Instagram, you’ll already know that the health curveballs in Luca’s early childhood didn’t stop there.

Shortly after Luca’s first birthday he was admitted to hospital for what we—at the time—thought was a one off BRUE ‘event’. Namely: loss of colour, blueness around the lips, shallow breathing and a ‘stillness’. What unfolded was a 6-month hospital admission, countless tests and scans, which ultimately led to an epilepsy diagnosis. I wrote about that chapter of our lives here.

Around this time last year—early spring 2025—we were adjusting to a new epilepsy diagnosis and medication. We brought Luca home just as the flowers on the blossom tree in our front garden were in bloom. Life felt hopeful once more, if a little shell shocked still. As a family, we embarked on a ‘simple summer’, and I embarked on a major health commitment of my own.

Following Luca’s long hospital admission, I was diagnosed with adrenal burnout, Hashimoto’s and a residual infection I’d picked up while on the wards. I’ve written about my recovery here, here and here.

Despite everything, our first two years of parenthood were FULL of the brightest, most heart-expanding moments of our lives. I look back on that time as the richest of my life. Equally, as “two things can be true at once”, those years held some of the darkest, most challenging events we’ve ever faced.

Coming around to baby #2

Prior to Luca’s long hospital admission, Oli and I had said that we’d discuss trying for another baby around Luca’s second birthday.

Given everythinggg that had occurred, I truly didn’t know how I’d feel once we were celebrating our sweet boy turning two.

However, therapy has been a phenomenal gift to me over the past couple of years (I started when Luca was 4 months old), and it’s helped me to work through a lot. Therapy has also allowed me the ability to ‘self-therapise’ (often in the car haha) and work through my own overwhelm, fears and thoughts, even when I’m not in a session.

When I really thought about the decision to grow our family, I imagined myself at the end of my life, looking back. I realised that a lot of the concerns I had in the moment were ‘noise’, valid absolutely, but they didn’t speak to the core desire in my heart—and that was to grow our family. When I thought of myself reflecting on my life, I realised that the ‘concerns’ would take up flickers of space, whereas children would—hopefully—redirect my story altogether and become woven into the very fabric of it. Just as Luca has already.

Once I was settled in my mind, Oli and I somehow stole an hour together, with family watching Luca, and took a drive. Within minutes, we’d agreed—we wanted to try for another baby! The timing felt right for us 🫶🏼

Trying to Conceive (TTC) Second Time Around

As soon as we made the decision to try for another baby, I looked up where I was at in my cycle, and—as luck would have it—my ovulation window was up.

At this point (December 2025) I’d been tracking my period for four years using the Apple Health App. I knowww there are more glamorous apps and wearable tech, but I like the simplicity of the Health App.

I came off of hormonal contraception about a year before I fell pregnant with Luca, and I haven’t gone back onto it since. Truthfully, I’m not sure I ever will. At the time of TTC for pregnancy #2, I was about 5 years clear of any hormonal intervention.

In addition, I had been working through an extensive Functional Medicine health re-set with The Maas Clinic.

When I first started working with Phoenix, The Maas Clinic’s Women’s Health Lead, on my recovery from burnout, Hashimoto’s and streptococcus—I shared with her my desire, at some point, to grow our family.

I go way more into depth on the testing I did with Phoenix here, but as it pertains to pregnancy, the most important test I did was a DUTCH hormone panel. This revealed where my hormone levels were sitting.

My first set of results showed that my hormones were sub optimal for TTC. Phoenix shared her concerns; it was unlikely—with where my hormones were at the time—that I’d be able to fall pregnant, or sustain a healthy pregnancy. Hormonal optimisation became a focus of my recovery programme.

Fast forward to six months later, having been super diligent with my recovery programme, I re-tested my hormones via another DUTCH test.

By the time I received the results, I was already 4 weeks pregnant!!!

Phoenix leapt from her chair to hug me when I told her during my consultation 😊

Though Phoenix was surprised (I hadn’t told her we were TTC just yet), she also wasn’t surprised when she reviewed my second set of DUTCH results. In her words, my hormones were ‘perfect’ for conception.

We fell pregnant within my first ovulation window. I share that with incredible gratitude and humility. I am acutely conscious that pregnancy and conception is a subject which, for many, comes with challenges. If you’re reading this while going through your own season of challenge, please know that I see you and am sending so so much love your way.

I share a lot more about my Functional Medicine recovery programme here, but in short, it combined tailored supplements, a low inflammation Mediterranean-style diet (minus inflammatory foods including gluten, dairy and refined sugar), low cortisol-emitting exercise like Reformer Pilates, walking and strength training, alongside a real focus on lifestyle habits: sleep, rest, meditation and nurturing strong ‘radiator’ relationships.

Following that programme consistently for the six-seven months prior to TTC, I truly believe, prepared my body for pregnancy as best I could. It gave me the opportunity to rebuild my health from the inside out following burnout and everything our family had navigated the previous year.

It’s also important to mention that Oli too is incredibly health-conscious. He doesn’t drink alcohol, follows a healthy diet and exercises regularly. I mention that because often men get missed in conversations around TTC, when in reality, a father’s health is a major factor too.

How I ‘knew’ I Was Pregnant

I had an inkling I was pregnant right away. It wasn’t so much a physical thing, more of a sense.

Using my trusty Apple Health App (the MVP here haha!), I was counting down the days to when my period was ‘due’. I figured out the earliest possible day I could take a pregnancy test, and could barely sleep the night before. It truly felt like Christmas morning was coming!

I woke up early, peed on the stick, and pottered about for a few minutes, not letting myself ‘look’ until the waiting time was up. Though I sensed that I would see two lines, it was still a shock! I snuck into the room where Oli was sleeping with Luca, and took Oli’s hand. He knew right away by my smile, and we walked into the bathroom to stare at the pregnancy test together.

Sitting on the toilet seat, looking at a pregnancy test with two lines, in our little bathroom together . . . it’s such a massive life-changing moment to be sharing in the most everyday of settings. I look back on it with so much joy. I can even recall the pink striped bath mat that was under the test!

After that first positive pregnancy test, I took another test a few days later, and tested periodically for a few weeks. It was reassuring to keep getting positive results, and I actually found it hard to wait between tests! I so wanted to know that this pregnancy was ‘OK’.

Quite quickly I developed a few mild symptoms: my boobs felt heavy and bigger, my sense of taste changed, I was waking up in the middle of the night (when usually I’m a straight-through sleeper), and I started to fall asleep when Oli and I were watching TV!

Amazingly, it was also Luca’s change in response to me that made me really think I was pregnant. Luca became very attached to me, and would cry when I left a room (new behaviour!). The crying has since settled a little, but he’s still very much seeking me for comfort—which I am embracing totally. Our hugs are 11/10 RN.

First Trimester Symptoms

By the time I tested I was already 4 weeks pregnant. It blows my mind how you’re already a few weeks in by the time you get a positive test!

At first, I didn’t have any adverse symptoms. My boobs were heavier, my taste was off and I was a little tired, but I was so happy I felt like I was walking around in a glow-y bubble of early pregnancy joy. My symptoms felt mild and manageable. And I felt like Oli and I knew the most special little secret.

I thought: “maybe, just maybe, this time I won’t get nauseous”. LOLLL.

I made it all the way to five weeks and six days in my little bubble, before the nausea hit at precisely six weeks. This echoed my pregnancy with Luca.

For anyone that has experienced pregnancy nausea, you’ll know that it’s unlike anything else.

I liken it to a hideous stomach virus, but for weeks—months even—on end. In my case, I didn’t ever throw up, but the nausea lasted pretty much all day, every day. And it intensified when I was tired.

I had aversions to all of the foods I usually love. Anything fresh or ‘healthy’ became repulsive. I could only manage eating beige, starchy food. And lots of it. Within one 24hr period I had McDonald’s 3 times.

If I didn’t eat I felt worse. But eating such a bland diet also made me feel horrible.

In my more rational moments I could ‘understand’ that this was temporary, but in my more exhausted and depleted moments, I’d ask Oli “if I’ll ever feel normal again”. The drama haha!

I tried to stay as active as possible, but massively scaled back on the intensity of my workouts. Instead I focused on getting fresh air, and going for walks when I could.

I read Elizabeth’s pregnancy announcement recently, and related to a lot of what she shared. When you’ve worked hard to develop routines and habits that help you to feel good, it feels so strange—and I found it a little scary too—for them to fall to the wayside.

My nausea with Luca lasted all the way until 20 weeks, and so I was prepared for a similarly long stint.

Thankfully—and I REALLY thank my lucky stars for this—with this pregnancy the nausea started to gently ease at precisely 13 weeks. At that point I started to get longer stretches of time where I didn’t feel nauseous. And I could start to eat a little more variety. I think pineapple was the first fruit I wanted?! By 17 weeks, the nausea had pretty much subsided entirely.

In those early weeks, the only thing that helped ease my nausea was: OSHUN Electrolytes, mixed into a glass of water with lemon cordial. Similarly to my first pregnancy, I struggled to drink water (it tasted weird), and so this little ‘mocktail’ got me through.

I would love to say that I have some other advice for navigating the nausea, but frustratingly I didn’t find anything, other than the lemon cordial + electrolytes that helped. If you have any advice or tips yourself, please leave a comment to help other mamas out!

Giving myself grace, moving through each day one step at a time, and resting as much as possible was truly the best I could do. Additionally, I tried to reassure myself that ‘strong symptoms’ were hopefully an indication of a ‘strong pregnancy’ ☺️

Other than the nausea, the most prominent adverse symptom I’ve had in my pregnancy so far is perioral dermatitis. I didn’t have this with Luca, so this one took me by surprise.

The lower third of my face, particularly around my chin and either side of my mouth, has been red, inflamed and dry. I saw Sally at Face Matters for a facial, which helped ‘re-set’ my skin in the short term. If I could have a facial daily I’m sure it would be cleared up haha! Sally advised that I skip my usual skincare products, and focus on 100% natural jojoba oil instead. I use this one. Though I still have flare-ups, the oil has definitely helped. As has using my red light face mask consistently.

As symptoms go, the dermatitis is manageable, but it added to my less-than-glow-y feelings in the first trimester!

Telling Family and Friends

At 11 weeks pregnant I underwent genetic testing to determine if this baby has achondroplasia, like Luca.

Given that we didn’t find out about Luca’s achondroplasia until 28 weeks, we wanted to be as equipped as we can be, with information early on.

We chose to undergo testing before sharing our pregnancy news with family and friends, so that we could share our news ‘in totality’. We’d either be able to share that we were pregnant, and this baby does have achondroplasia, or that they don’t.

I can share with you now too, that this baby doesn’t have achondroplasia, and is currently tracking well on all scans and monitoring. We would have loved them wholeheartedly were they to have achondroplasia, just as we love Luca, but knowing definitively either way has allowed us to have some clarity ahead of their arrival.

We undertook this testing in private, which meant that for my first trimester, only myself, Oli and our care team knew that I was expecting.

I feel incredibly lucky to have a brilliant care team in place already. My midwife Katrina, from my first pregnancy with Luca, is back 😊 We have an extensive network of doctors and consultants that know our family. I’m still under Phoenix’s care at The Maas Clinic. Sophie who I see for my 1:1 Reformer classes at Winchester Physio & Health was one of the first people I told, alongside my therapist.

Having a core group of care givers in place, who knew about my pregnancy from the beginning, gave me comfort and offered immense support when I needed it in those early vulnerable weeks.

At times, I found my first trimester lonely. Feeling so unwell, and not sharing with family and friends, was hard.

Once we received the results from this baby’s genetic testing, we started to share our news with our loved ones. This was SO joyful! It was also a relief to be able to say “and that’s why I’ve been looking so sick” haha!

Sharing our news has been beautiful. And I’m so so thrilled to be able to share it with you today too 💗

Where We’re at Now! And Looking Ahead!

As I write, I’m 21 weeks pregnant!!! I’m feeling really well—energised, I can eat all of the foods I love again, I’m having coffee (yayyy!) and I’ve been loving getting back into more challenging exercise.

We found out at 16 weeks that we’re welcoming another BOY into the family, which truly I am so so thrilled about. I would have loved our baby, whatever their gender, but I knowww the boy mama love already and am so excited for another little guy to join our family!

And for Luca to be a big brother!!!

I’m due in late September, and am currently in the thick of nesting feels and soaking up as much of the ‘golden trimester’ as possible. I didn’t ever get to the nesting stage with Luca, as the achondroplasia diagnosis process took over the latter part of my pregnancy, so I’m REALLY enjoying it while I can!

It feels wonderful to be able to share this news with you. And have it ‘out in the world’. I don’t ever feel like I can be authentically myself online when I’m keeping such a large part of my life to myself 😅! To be able to share alllll of the bump pics (note to self: take more!), and what life is ‘really’ feeling like right now, is truly a joy.

I am so looking forward to living through, and sharing, this next beautiful chapter with you 💌

With love, always, Monica x

I remember feeling particularly GOOD and ‘me’ here, a few months into my recovery 💘

Friends, we’re here!!! Part 3—the final hurrah—of my Burnout Recovery series. This series has felt important. Not only does it record and reflect a time in my life when things were hard—and thankfully, the road to a much brighter time since—it’s also proved SO valuable time and time again to share. A reminder to me as much as anyone else: You’re never alone. And you don’t know who your story may help.

So, here we are, the literal HOW and WHAT of my burnout recovery. Below I’m detailing all (I mean alllll) of the practical things I did to recover from burnout. Once again, this is a long article, so this is your nod to charge your cup/mug/glass and settle in. And maybe bring a notebook 😅

If you want to catch up on Part 1—the story behind my burnout—and Part 2—the diagnostic testing I did—you can tap through to those below before diving into Part 3!

💗

Burnout and Recovery as a Toddler Mama Part 1/3

The Tests That Finally Explained My Burnout Part 2/3

💗

The Core Elements of my Burnout Recovery

I probably took this photo after peeing in a pot 🤣

My recovery programme has been entirely a natural one. As I detailed in Parts 1 & 2, I’ve been seeing Phoenix, The Maas Clinic Women’s Health Lead, since last summer and I feel so, so fortunate to have connected with her. Phoenix is a phenomenal Functional Medicine practitioner. She’s also lovely and ‘gets it’.

The whole thing about Functional Medicine is that it uses scientific testing—in my case blood work, a stool test, hormonal testing and genetic testing (all detailed here)—to identify exactly what’s going on in the body. “Test don’t guess” is the mantra here.

The treatment programme, however, is 100% natural, using a blend of lifestyle and nutritional guidance alongside tailored supplements.

At its core, my programme focused on three things:

• supplementation

• diet

• lifestyle

All based on my test results.

Here’s what that looked like in Phase 1, and how things have evolved now that I’m in more of a maintenance mode.

Phase 1: Burnout Recovery

Walking was one of the first things I aimed to build stamina with 🌞

As I shared in Parts 1 and 2, I was diagnosed with Stage 2 adrenal burnout in June 2025.

Meaning: my adrenal glands had been overextended and had stopped producing cortisol in the amount needed to support my energy across the day. They were quite literally—burnt out.

Nerd out with me here for a second.

Cortisol is often referred to as our “stress hormone”, but it’s not inherently a bad thing. We actually need it—especially in the morning—to get us up and functioning! In a healthy rhythm, cortisol peaks early in the day and gradually tapers off as melatonin (our juicy sleep hormone) rises in the evening.

The problem is, the body doesn’t distinguish well between real danger and perceived stress. So whether it’s a genuine threat or ongoing life pressure, cortisol is called upon in the same way.

Over time, if that system is constantly activated, it becomes depleteddd.

In my case, my body had been under sustained pressure, for a long time. My then one-year-old son was having frequent, undiagnosed seizures—sometimes upwards of 20 a day. Every time it happened, my whole system went into fight or flight. It was intense, relentless, and compounded by spending a six-month-long stint in hospital. You can read about my experience with my son’s long-term hospital admission here.

As Cath from The Maas Clinic later described it, I had experienced: acute stress on a chronic level. Usually we’re only dealt one version of stress at a time. To have both co-existing was a particularly potent poison.

So Phase 1 of my recovery focused on two things:

• reducing overall stress load

• gently supporting my adrenal glands back into function

Supplements

Ooof—my supplement schedule is spicyyy 😅

At one point I had to buy a little basket just to keep everything organised (seen below). It looks like a lot (and it is), but I’ve found a rhythm with it. NB: the Søstrene Grene foldable boxes are great value and work perfectly for housing supplements/other random health bits!

I take one set of supplements with breakfast and another before bed. Most of them need to be taken with food. For me this means I take my second set quite late in the day, as Luca goes down post-8pm most nights (a discussion for another day haha).

Two things I’ve learned:

1. supplement requirements are incredibly individual (what’s working for me, won’t necessarily work for you and vice versa)

2. consistency is everything (and sooo important when you’re tracking results!)

You can’t dip in and out—daily consistency is what really moves the needle.

A few supplements that made a noticeable difference for me:

Adrenal support
I take a blend including ginseng, known to be an adrenal toner. I’ve also used ashwagandha in the past—both are adaptogens, meaning they support your body in regulating your own unique stress response.

B vitamins
Through genetic testing, I discovered I have an MTHFR gene variation, meaning I don’t process B vitamins efficiently. B vitamins are closely linked to energy, and supplementing has had a veryyy noticeable impact on my energy.

Vitamin C
Did you know that our bodies don’t store it?! We use and excrete Vitamin C daily. Since supplementing consistently, my immune resilience has improved dramatically. A handful of times I’ve felt a cold coming on, only for it to pass within a few days. This is night and day compared to when I was in the thick of my burnout and caught back-to-back illnesses, including two which required rounds of antibiotics.

I take a number of other supplements too, these were specifically prescribed for my needs. If you’d like the full list, feel free to drop me a line/comment! I thought I’d save some space haha, but I’m always happy to share!

A Note on Supplements

The supplement space is vasttt—and growing rapidly. And while regulation exists, quality and dosage varies extensively.

According to IBIS World, the supplement industry revenue is set to reach £1.5billion in the UK this year. It’s BIG business. In the UK, supplements are regulated by the Food Standards Agency, meaning that they’re held to ‘food standards’. Which, I think, is at least a little comforting. That being said, even if something is food-grade and technically ‘safe’ to consume, it doesn’t mean that it’s delivering what it promises in terms of vitamin or mineral content, or that there aren’t other ingredients included that you’d rather not consume.

With this in mind, I think it’s sooo helpful to learn a little on how to read labels and do your research, so that you can tell what’s truly ‘good’ and what’s just great marketing. Which btw, supplement companies really excel at!

Here’s what I’m particular about when it comes to my supplements:

• reading labels

• checking ingredient lists

• understanding dosages

For example, I take 200mg of magnesium daily via two tablets—but some brands offer 200mg per tablet. That’s a small and relatively ‘safe’ example, but other supplements I’ve looked to re-stock on have had wilddd dosages which are potentially harmful. A reminder to always do your research, and work with a professional to guide you if you can. Some supplement companies even offer free video consultations.

Supplements really do move the needle on your internal biochemistry and it’s important to be careful with both provenance and dosing.

Where I buy my supplements

I buy the majority of my supplements directly through The Maas Clinic, as I know that they’re committed to selling only the most potent, clean and effective supplements. The brands they favour include:

• Metagenics

• Metabolics

• Cytoplan

• Jarrow Formulas

• Maas Nutrients (their own range)

I also buy from

• BetterYou

• Innopure (I’ve found them to be particularly affordable and good quality)

Other brands I really like, but which aren’t currently in my routine:

• Artah

• Wild Nutrition

• Zita West for prenatal, pregnancy and postpartum (I took these throughout my pregnancy and postpartum period with Luca)

Lifestyle

This was one of the biggest mindset shifts for me.

I began to see my energy as finite. Each day I had a certain amount—and once it was gone, it really was gone. I had no ‘backup’ to borrow from.

In the early days of my burnout diagnosis, alongside Hashimoto’s—which is also linked to fatigue—my ‘energy pot’ was pretty small. I had to be very intentional.

Energy is expelled on everything that requires output. There are obvious energy-consuming things like: parenting, commuting, socialising . . . and less obvious things, like: domestic tasks, decisions, small physical exertions.

I had to adjust my commitments—and my thinking—to reflect this.

On one occasion, I recall telling my mama friends that I wouldn’t be able to make one of our get-togethers because the drive was too far for me (an hour each way). I explained that I was being mindful of my energy levels given my recent health challenges. I had so much anxiety sharing that message; yet it was met with such kindness and understanding. Subsequently, a similar message came through just a week later from one of those same friends. A reminder: In sharing vulnerably, we give permission to others to do the same.

Over time, I’ve been able to build my daily energy reserves back up. It took months, but I now feel at a point where I can say yes to days out (recently had a gorgey London trip to see an exhibition with my friend Charlotte!), and push myself a little more.

The idea of ‘finite energy’ is one I’ll be carrying forward with me. Especially in this season of early motherhood. The demands on my energy are great, even when I’m feeling well. It pays to be mindful. And it’s also worth remembering to keep some energy in the tank at the end of the day. It’s doesn’t all need to be ‘spent’.

Other than my ‘energy pot’, I’ve also focused on refining core lifestyle habits: sleep, exercise, nutrition, connection (radiators, always!), therapy, positive self-talk, refining my immediate environment so that it’s conducive to relaxation (a work in progress!), and boundaries.

Diet

How satisfying are these colours?!

Nutrition was a core pillar of my recovery.

I was working to support multiple things at once—burnout recovery, bringing my Hashimoto’s into remission, balancing hormones and clearing a streptococcus overgrowth in my gut—so my diet needed to be both supportive and consistent.

Specifically, I was guided towards:

• a low inflammation diet

• a primarily Mediterranean way of eating

• and eating in alignment with my blood type (A-) (more info on blood type diets here)

In practice, that translated to leaning heavily into whole, nourishing foods. And tbh, it was delicious and less restrictive than I had anticipated.

I was eating a lot of:
healthy fats—avocado, nuts, olive oil (lots of olive oil), salmon
colourful vegetables—leafy greens, carrots, beetroot, cucumber, radish
complex carbohydrates—sweet potatoes, rice (especially resistant starch)
proteins—chicken, fish, lamb
and plenty of fruit—berries, apples, bananas
^ all of which I love!

And reducing or removing:
gluten
cow’s milk
oat milk (this one surprised me with how often it had crept in!)
refined sugar
alcohol
fizzy drinks
fried foods

I hadn’t realised quite how often things like gluten and oat milk were appearing in my daily diet until I removed them. Looking at you oat milk flat white 🤣

This is a side note, but I didn’t realise how challenging things like ‘lunch on the go’ are if you’re gluten free. Sandwiches are such an easy and low cost option (also fine to eat one-handed when you’re wrangling a toddler haha!), I found this randomly one of the hardest things to navigate. I ended up buying a fair few M&S GF sandwiches which while OK, aren’t nearly as tasty as their ‘regular’ counterparts. Open to any tips from those of you eating GF!

A typical day of eating for me, during my low-inflammation phase, looked like:

Breakfast
A 35g protein shake with almond milk, almond butter, chia seeds, cinnamon, vegan protein powder and banana
(+ a coconut milk coffee)

NB: this is my favourite protein powder brand. I buy the Vegan Protein 360 ‘Platinum’ in Vanilla Crème. Try it, you won’t regret it! Use code MONICA10 for an extra % off.

Lunch
A large chopped salad with chicken or salmon, dressed with olive oil and lemon (great for clearing toxins!)

Dinner
A rice bowl with ground beef, avocado and salad (would usually make the beef in batches and have it throughout the week)

Dark chocolate in the evening (I LOVE this chocolate)

A good rule to follow, I found, is “eat the rainbow”—as much colour on the plate as possible for a wide range of benefits. This plate is literally overflowing with goodness haha!

Pretty quickly, I noticed changes—more stable energy, clearer skin, and feeling physically stronger and more balanced.

The only thing I added in that wasn’t strictly recommended was beef (since my blood type is A-). Ever since being pregnant with Luca, I’ve craved beef. I spoke to Phoenix about it, and she reassured me it was absolutely fine—just to keep variety across my protein sources.

More recently, interestingly, my cholesterol reading came back as slightly low, so I’ve been encouraged to add more fats back in—things like steak, butter and re-introducing some gluten in the form of good quality sourdough. A ‘prescription’ I’m more than happy to follow.

Exercise

Exercise has been a mainstay throughout my life, but more recently it’s become a sanctuary.

This has maybe been my favourite part of the whole programme! I’ve always been someone that thinks a lot, I have multiple to-do lists running in my brain, and this has only increased since becoming a mama. And especially so given Luca’s extra health considerations.

My movement focus during this burnout recovery was: low cortisol-emitting exercise. Meaning: exercise that would gently challenge me, but not put extra pressure on my adrenal glands, as, as we know, they were already well past their capacity.

My exercise regime included:

• daily walks. I built these up over time as my energy reserves grew

• Reformer Pilates, I see Sophie at Winchester Physio & Health for a 1:1 session

• low cortisol-emitting strength training in the gym (devised every 6 weeks or so by a PT)

• meditation (usually tagged onto the end of a gym workout, this has been sooo beneficial for my nervous system)

I came to call my exercise slots—especially Reformer Pilates and strength training—my ‘brain shower’. During the most frantic of times, it was the only hour I’d truly step out of my thoughts and into my body.

Snippet of a Reformer session with Sophie 💗

Now, I’ve pretty much stuck to my ‘low cortisol’ routine, though I’m able to gently push myself. Slightly more challenging movements/sequences at Reformer. Slightly higher weights in the gym. I’m intuitive with it, ebbing and flowing with intensity according to how I’m feeling on the day. Sometimes I literally spend 20 minutes at the gym. It’s not about how much I ‘complete’, it’s more about the commitment to myself and the head space it affords me.

Where I’m At Now

I re-tested my hormones and bloods just before Christmas, and I’m SO happy, relieved and grateful to share that everything’s looking strong and in balance once more. My hormones have landed in optimal range, the Hashimoto’s is in remission and the streptococcus has cleared.

It’s incredibly helpful to have this confirmed in testing. Yay, science. Equally, I was able to sense how much had changed, by the way I was feeling. Energised. Focused. And able to move through my day with so much more bandwidth and peace.

Maintenance Mode

Moving forward, I’m now in ‘maintenance mode’. I’m continuing with all of the guidelines as before, just with a little more flexibility. If I fancy a pastry and an oat milk coffee, I’ll have it. As I write I’m currently on holiday and I’m reallyyy enjoying the ‘flexibility’ haha. If I end up socialising a couple of nights in a row, I know I can recover OK.

The programme I was on did SO much for my health, I can’t see myself veering from it too much. And I’ll continue to have periodic testing at The Maas Clinic to check that everything’s looking in order, and make adjustments accordingly.

A parting note from Phoenix:

”We often ignore the small signs our body gives us—fatigue, inflammation, irregular cycles—because they come and go, feel easy to dismiss or life carries on and we forget that we ever got a small signal in the first place. In reality, nothing changes overnight like a light switch flipping; these issues develop gradually, with subtle signals along the way that are easy to overlook.

Our bodies don’t work on our timelines; they follow natural rhythms. The more we learn to notice and respond to those early signs, the better chance we have of preventing that “switch” from ever needing to flip into something we can no longer ignore.”

An offer from The Maas Clinic

My experience with The Maas Clinic was so transformational, I wanted to be able to share an offer with anyone else keen to get their health back on track. This can be taken up from anywhere in the world, as the clinic offers a telehealth service as well as in-person appointments.

If you would like to explore a Functional Medicine programme at The Maas Clinic, Phoenix has so kindly extended an offer to my readers. If you reach out and mention that you came via me, you’ll receive a complimentary introductory call, as well as a discount if you sign up to a programme. Thank you so much Phoenix and team for this huge generosity!

💗

Wherever you are at in your own health right now, please know that you deserve to feel well, energised and happy. If you’re feeling a little (or a lot!) off, that is worthy of your attention. Things can change for the better.

To anyone else going through burnout, or a particularly challenging season of life, I’m holding space for you and sending the warmest hug. I hope that things feel more gentle for you soon.

Thank you for walking through this series with me friends. I felt that, in a way, I needed to write it all down. Thankfully this burnout feels like it’s a chapter I’ve now closed ☺️

All my love, Monica x

Hiii sweet friends! Today I’m sharing the second article in my Burnout Recovery series. In this article I’m sharing the exact Functional Medicine tests that helped uncover the root causes of my burnout, including adrenal fatigue, early stage Hashimoto’s and gut health issues.

My aim with this series is to help other women feel seen during what can be an incredibly confusing—and at times lonely—experience.

If you are flat-out exhausted, have brain fog, a wild cycle . . . just don’t feel like ‘you’ . . . I hope reading my experience signals that 1) you’re not alone, 2) your experience is valid and real and 3) there is help out there 💗

ICYMI, the first article in this series shares the backdrop to my own experience of burnout. Namely: my rollercoaster ride of motherhood so far, starting with a late-term genetic diagnosis in pregnancy, followed by a six-month hospital admission when my son turned two.

Everyone’s Road to Burnout is Unique

There is no “more valid” reason to feel burnt out than another. You know yourself best. If you sense something isn’t right, I encourage you to tap in and listen. It’s amazing what we can uncover when we truly tune into ourselves. And moreover, when we have the courage to act on an answer.

Side note: whenever I feel ‘distant’ from myself, or overwhelmed with the noise of life, I try to take a minute to really tune in. Stop everything. Close my eyes. Take a deep breath. Normally when I feel out of alignment, my focus on health has gone askew. By prioritising the basics: sleep, nourishing food, movement, minimal commitments . . . I can usually tap in again. That ‘moment’—however long—is so powerful.

Below, I’m sharing the exact testing protocol I embarked on when I recognised that I was very much not OK health-wise, what the results flagged, and a first look at the recovery programme I’ve been on ever since. I’ve included names, screen shots, the works!

Let’s get into it.

I promised no gatekeeping—and truly, there’s no detail I think I’ve left out. That said, if you have any questions at all, drop me a line below or here and I’ll get back to you.

Health History

Before my first consultation at The Maas Clinic, I was sent a pack of six detailed questionnaires to complete.

They covered lifestyle, health history, women’s health, current symptoms, practitioner history, prescriptions, readiness assessment and health goals.

If that reads like a lot of homework—it is.

Commitment to the programme is the difference, in my opinion, between a successful result and a so-so experience. You really do need to be all in. And the questionnaires are the first test of that.

They took me a couple of hours to complete. Although they’re designed to give your practitioner a detailed picture of you, I found them incredibly helpful for me too. It’s a reflective exercise.

To sit with where you’re at health-wise can be confronting.

I looked back this week on my readiness questionnaire. This is what I wrote:

Question: How is your current situation limiting your daily life?

Answer: I feel tired AF haha. Sometimes walking my son’s pram to the park (a short ten-minute walk) feels like walking through syrup, which limits the amount of joyful ‘present’ time we have together. I want to be super-energised so I can play and interact with my toddler, and be a present wife, friend, sister, daughter . . . all the things. Mostly I’m doing it for me. As I know I cannot pour from an empty cup. And right now my cup is dryyy.

LOL to how casual I was with my answers! Equally, I didn’t have it in me to sugarcoat anything. I actually remember finding it really tiring just filling out the questionnaires—such was my level of exhaustion.

In the readiness questionnaire you’re asked a number of questions to gauge your commitment to a treatment programme. ‘1’ being ‘not very willing’ and ‘5’ being ‘all in’. I ticked 5 for every box. I was—as the saying goes: “sick and tired of being sick and tired”.

I’m now eight months into the programme. The first six months were where the bulk of the recovery happened.

My First Consultation

I see Phoenix at The Maas Clinic—the practice’s Women’s Health Lead.

During our first consultation, we went through my questionnaire answers and unpacked the circumstances that led me to what I suspected was adrenal burnout.

For context, adrenal fatigue is a term used when the adrenal glands have been chronically overstretched and are no longer producing cortisol in the correct amounts or at the correct times to support energy levels.

If adrenals glands are working well, you should feel naturally energised in the morning, with energy gently dipping in the late afternoon, before feeling fully ‘ready’ for sleep around bedtime. This is a great article from the clinic which shares more on the topic.

Phoenix agreed that my symptoms aligned with a pattern of adrenal fatigue. She also flagged that my unexplained weight loss warranted thorough thyroid testing.

“Test, don’t guess.”

I take great comfort in that. Symptoms can point you in a direction, but test results and data allows you to have total transparency on what’s actually going on.

The Testing: What I Did (No Gatekeeping)

When you’re in the thick of burnout, everything can feel kind of . . . vague. Even, perhaps especially, the burnout itself. By its very nature, burnout is an insidious thing: stress over a prolonged period of time, like a leaky tap that eventually drains a reserve dry. If you take one thing from this piece, please let it be this: it’s not ‘normal’ to feel tired all the time. Even as a new mum. Even with a lot on your plate. Feeling exhausted constantly is a red flag.

Testing, for me, was the moment things became tangible.

Blood Work

We started with foundational blood work—a Complete Blood Count, thyroid panel and Vitamin D levels. These provide a broad snapshot of overall health and flag issues like anaemia, infection, inflammation or thyroid dysfunction.

Given my symptoms—extreme fatigue, hair loss, weight loss and irregular cycles—the thyroid panel was particularly important. Even subtle dysfunction can leave you feeling completely depleted.

Vitamin D, interestingly, was not low in my case. It was actually off the scale high—something I would never have known without testing.

From there, we went deeper.

DUTCH Hormone Test

The DUTCH Test was suggested immediately. It’s considered a gold standard hormone test because it doesn’t just measure hormone levels—it shows how your body metabolises them.

Hormones influence almost everything—energy, mood, sleep, focus, cycle regularity.

The DUTCH Test is an at-home urine test (read: peeing on paper) collected at specific times across the day, usually at a particular point in your cycle. The trickiest part for me was figuring out which cycle day to test on, because mine had become unpredictable. Thankfully, there are clear instructions for irregular cycles, no cycle or perimenopause.

Gut Health Test

Gut health was the other major pillar. I completed a comprehensive stool test through GI Ecologix. The gut influences immune function, hormone metabolism, inflammation and nutrient absorption. If something is off there, it can ripple into almost every other system.

The test looks at bacterial balance, infections and inflammatory markers.

Yes—it’s a stool test. No getting around that one. But truly, it was fine. And way less gross than I thought it would be.

I’m so glad I did it. Without it, I would never have known I was carrying streptococcus in my gut—a residual effect of an infection I’d picked up in hospital.

Genetic Testing

Finally, I completed genetic testing focusing on methylation.

Your genes are like a blueprint for your health. You can’t change the blueprint—but you can influence how well the building functions.

Methylation is a process happening constantly in the body. It plays a role in energy production, detoxification, immune function, hormone regulation and neurotransmitter balance.

In my case, the test showed a genetic challenge around B vitamin uptake.

That was a lightbulb moment.

B vitamins are closely linked to energy production and nervous system regulation—two areas I was deeply struggling with.

The empowering part is this: while you can’t change your genes, you can support them. For me, that meant ensuring I consistently included adequate folate, B vitamins, magnesium and zinc through both diet and supplementation.

What My Results Flagged

1. Early-stage Hashimoto’s affecting my thyroid.

2. Low cortisol levels.

3. Hormone imbalance.

4. Residual gut infection.

5. A genetic predisposition impacting B vitamin uptake.

Seeing everything laid out in black and white was confronting—more so than I thought it would be given that I already had a sense that things were off. It’s funny how having someone ‘confirm’ that you’re burnt out, feels both validating and I also remember feeling sad. Like the reality of how tough things were, was then confirmed.

Still, having that confirmation meant that I could move forward onto a treatment programme, and spoiler: 6 months on, I re-tested and everything was looking great! So much so, I’ve moved onto a ‘maintenance’ programme.

First Look: The Healing Programme

I feel incredibly fortunate to have connected with The Maas Clinic and to have been guided by Phoenix throughout this process.

It can be lonelyyy navigating ill-health, particularly when traditional routes don’t always look at the full picture. GP appointments are short by necessity. This isn’t criticism—our GP has supported us as a family more times than I can count. But when it comes to holistic healing, I’ve found value in practitioners who can take a broader view.

In Part 3, I’ll share the exact healing protocol I followed—from supplementation to lifestyle shifts to dietary changes—and how I moved from burnout and imbalance to feeling energised—and more like me!—again.

In the final instalment of this series, I’ll share:

• The exact Functional Medicine protocol I followed.

• The lifestyle and supplement shifts I made.

• The long-term changes I’m maintaining.

• Where I’m at now.

If you have questions, I’d love to hear from you. Interestingly, when I shared question boxes on Instagram, it was mostly crickets. I wonder whether health struggles feel too vulnerable to admit publicly—or whether this is simply an “observe and absorb” topic.

If you’d rather message privately, you can always reach out via my contact form or DM.

I truly believe health is our greatest currency. Life flows with so much more ease and joy when we’re well.

And finally, a reminder—The Maas Clinic have extended a generous offer to my readers. If you mention me, you can book a free discovery call and receive a percentage off if you choose to join a programme. All programmes can be completed remotely 💗

My goal with this series is simple: to help women feel seen, validated and hopeful, wherever you’re at in you’re own health journey.

With love, always,

Monica x

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Of all the things I talk about with my fellow mamas, and women in my life, ⚡️ energy ⚡️ is a fail-safe topic to spark animated conversation. We have none. We have some. We’re overdrawn. Getting back to it . . . it’s a wavyyy ol’time.

For context, I’m in my mid-thirties, a first-time mama to Luca—my now-toddler, and many of my friends are navigating a similar season in life—early motherhood, fertility considerations and hormonal shifts. What a ride! For me, in particular, the last three years—as I navigated my pregnancy with Luca, trauma, birth, postpartum and early motherhood—have been exponentially demanding on my health and mental wellbeing. Oof!

This article marks the first in a three-part series, getting into the weeds about my experience of burnout and recovery as a toddler mama. Specifically, covering my experience of extreme fatigue, hormonal imbalance, Hashimoto’s (an autoimmune condition that affects the thyroid), how I came to identify the root causes of all of these ailments, and ultimately how I’ve recovered using a Functional Medicine protocol.

If you’re here for a highlight reel and your brain’s already saying: “gal, I’m that no-energy mama RN, get me to the good stuff”, the long and short of it is: I reached out to The Maas Clinic, a brilliant (world-leading award-winning) Functional Medicine Clinic for help! And they guided me back from burnout to what now feels like balance. Here’s their website: The Maas Clinic. If you feel called to reach out for help too, and you mention me, the amazing team can book you in for a free discovery call and you’ll get a juicy % off if you choose to sign up to a programme! A HUGE thank you to The Maas Clinic for extending this generosity to my readers 🥰 NB: all programmes can be completed remotely, no in-person appointments required if that’s logistically not possible for you.

Below, I’m outlining the first piece of the puzzle: the ‘why’ behind my own experience of burnout—and what led me to seek help from a Functional Medicine practitioner.

Over the next two articles, I’ll take you inside the exact testing I completed (no gate keeping here!), the protocol that helped me rebuild my energy, and the habits and shifts I’m maintaining long-term to support my health.

As women—and mothers—our bodies go through a lottt. Whether you’ve experienced extreme symptoms like I did, or you’re feeling generally ‘off-kilter’, I hope this series can help shine a light on the importance of listening to your body. And moreover, really paying attention to symptoms which are often written off as ‘normal’.

Or, let’s be real, just ‘tiredness’.

As Laurens Maas, founder of The Maas Clinic says:

And we all deserve that 😊

My Health Challenge Backstory

Receiving an Achondroplasia Diagnosis in Pregnancy

During my pregnancy with Luca, my husband Oli and I received a life-changing diagnosis: Luca has Achondroplasia, the most common form of dwarfism. While Luca’s Achondroplasia is an intrinsic part of him—we love him for exactly who he is ❤️—the road to diagnosis was deeply traumatic. I wrote about it here.

Subconsciously, I deferred addressing the emotional load of this until Luca landed safely with us earth-side. My sole focus became keeping him safe, maintaining a healthy pregnancy, and lining up all of the support he’d need when he was born.

Luca arrived safely, and calmly, with us on a beautiful autumn day. I wrote about my positive planned caesarean birth experience here:

Subsequent to Luca’s arrival, I began the process of working through the emotional trauma I’d experienced during my pregnancy.

I started therapy. I gently navigated my first year of motherhood, supported by family, friends and a newly adopted mama tribe. I justtt about felt like I was ‘getting there’ (‘there’ being a new version of myself blending motherhood, work, life and physical health) when we were dealt another earth-shattering challenge.

Luca began to have—what we now know are—seizures.

Childhood Epilepsy and Hospital Life

From 12–18 months of age, Luca was an in-patient across numerous children’s hospitals. We, as a family, adapted to ‘hospital life’. Dozens of investigations, scans and trials later, we found out that Luca has epilepsy. I shared more at length about this here:

Throughout Luca’s time in hospital, I was in survival mode. I told anyone that asked that actually, we (Oli and I) were ‘fine’.

And, in many ways, it was true. After the first few weeks of admissions, we accepted that this was the reality we were living with, and we adapted accordingly.

Some days were particularly hard, and I felt emotionally drained. But most of the time I was concentrating on the ‘good things’, and numbing out the rest.

And—though it may sound unlikely—there were good things, every day. I took Luca, most days, for a walk in his pushchair and appreciated the rhythm of our strolls, and the notes of the seasons, so much. What a lifeline those walks were. I remember in particular a big archway of trees, which went from having bare branches, to buds, to a lush canopy of green over the months Luca was admitted. On sunny days, those trees cast a dappled shadow across Luca’s pram when we walked beneath them, and their leaves rustled to create white noise for his naps. I felt, and still feel, strangely attached to those trees. Family and friends rallied around us. Luca was delighted with the toys and play rooms in the hospital. Nurses, doctors, support teams—all SO lovely—quickly felt like extended family.

By the time Luca received a conclusive diagnosis and was discharged, it was late April 2025. Spring was in full swing and we felt tentatively hopeful for the seasons ahead. We committed to a Simple Summer and stripped everything back to the bare minimum.

Home with our baby-now-toddler. Pouring love into our familial ecosystem.

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Bliss, then Burnout

Once the dust had settled on us coming home, I realised—I was very much ‘not OK’.

When I think about my overall ‘health’, I consider all elements: physical, emotional and cognitive. These systems don’t exist in isolation. If my physical wellbeing is good, my mental wellbeing is—generally—good too. If I feel emotionally balanced, my internal systems feel more harmonious. Good cognitive function comes with a steady circadian rhythm (physical) and coping mechanisms (emotional). Having this umbrella outlook is what’s meant by the term ‘holistic health’—looking not just at one system, but at an individual as a whole.

Pre-pregnancy, my immune system was strong. I was rarely ill, and if I did catch something, I’d get over it quickly. Ohhh how things changed.

Since becoming a mama, antibiotics and I started an on/off relationship 🫱🏼‍🫲🏽

During the course of Luca’s hospital admissions, this ramped up. I became seriously ill three times: with a chest infection, then a gastric virus, and finally tonsillitis.

The gastric virus passed quickly—thankfully, ugh, so draining—and was the only time during Luca’s whole admission that I truly rested. It was, as it turns out, divinely timed. A turning point when I realised I really needed to look after myself if I was to be able to look after Luca—and be resourced enough to do so.

The chest infection and tonsillitis, however, lingereddd. I was prescribed antibiotics for both, and felt my lowest emotionally when physically I was spent too.

It was during that bout of tonsillitis that I realised: “Shit, my immune system is shot.”

I couldn’t at that time ‘deal’ with my own health issues, as Luca was still an in-patient. My energy was being poured exclusively into him.

However, I logged that data point to come back to when I could.

Compounding Symptoms

Following the realisation that my immune system was underperforming, I began to log other symptoms, including:

• fatigue

• unexplained weight loss

• hair loss

• bloating

• rashes on my arms

• a challenging, irregular menstrual cycle

… I was building a very pretty picture haha!

Each of these symptoms deserves investigation, but I want to highlight here how my menstrual cycle was one of the loudest indicators of imbalance.

Hormonal Imbalance

At that point, I needed a benchmark. What should a healthy cycle actually look like?

I often defer to the work of Alissa Vitti for period chats—she’s the doyenne of periods and the founder of FLO Living, which is a brilliant resource for all things periods and hormones. Side note: I used Alissa’s protocol for hormonal acne in my mid-twenties and never looked back!

According to Alissa, a normal period should:

• have a cycle that lasts 26–32 days—and be regular, for you

• be the colour of cranberry juice throughout, and last 4–7 days—and be regular, for you

• have sensations and warm feelings in the build-up to your period, but not debilitating cramps or pain

• feature clear cervical fluid around ovulation

• have clear ‘seasons’—with ovulation being energised and upbeat, and your luteal phase being focused and productive

My period did not look like this.

My cycle varied in length month to month. Hormonally, I felt like a storm was brewing. I would beg my body to start my period to clear the emotional overload I was feeling: irritability, sadness, overwhelm.

If any of this sounds familiar to you, and you don’t already track your cycle and symptoms, I encourage you to do so. For years I’ve used the Apple Health app to do just this. It’s been invaluable both for fertility awareness and when discussing my health with doctors and healthcare professionals.

It was the combination of all of these symptoms—not one in isolation—that led me to eventually reach out to The Maas Clinic.

My Relationship with Alternative Medicine

I’ve always had a deep respect for alternative medicine: homeopathy, acupuncture, ancient Chinese medicine—I grew up on it all.

My parents were both committed to using natural remedies wherever possible. My Mum is Italian, from a tiny mountain hamlet, with an incredible relationship to nature and the seasons. My Dad is emotionally intelligent and beautifully balanced.

Fast forward to my twenties, when I discovered Alissa Vitti’s work via a podcast. Her approach to hormones was unlike anything I’d heard before. I followed her hormonal acne protocol and within weeks my skin had cleared. My cycle improved too.

Unknowingly, this was my first experience of integrative medicine—using dietary changes and supplementation to improve health at its root.

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Functional Medicine — what is it? An introduction to The Maas Clinic

Functional Medicine uses scientific testing to identify the root causes of an individual’s health concerns. It then uses natural protocols to treat those underlying imbalances. In my opinion, it’s a harmonious marriage of western and eastern medicine.

I was first introduced to The Maas Clinic in 2019 via a copywriting commission. I interviewed the practice’s founder, Laurens Maas, about topics ranging from the gut microbiome to mitochondrial function, and produced articles for the practice’s website. I loved it. I got to nerd out on topics I was already fascinated by.

Over the years, The Maas Clinic became a Studio client. I managed their social media channels and supported marketing projects. I came to know the team personally and professionally.

When I realised I was in a health crisis, it was, of course, The Maas Clinic I called upon.

Without missing a beat, Cath—the clinic’s COO—called me. As I shared before:

“Acute stress is a sharp, intense event—a crash, a crime, a trauma. Chronic stress is slower and more insidious—ongoing pressure, illness, lifestyle strain.

In my case, I experienced acute stress on a chronic timeline. Every seizure, anaesthetic, and distressing treatment registered as acute stress. Because this happened repeatedly over six months, my body logged it as chronic.”

At that point, I didn’t yet know exactly what we would find. I just knew something was wrong—and that I was ready to stop zombie-ing my way through it all.

For the first time in months, I felt proactive instead of reactive.

I booked in to see Phoenix, The Maas Clinic’s Women’s Health lead, and embarked on a healing programme which, quite literally, changed my life.

Coming up

In Part 2 of this series (shall I give it a fun name?! LMK if you think of one!), I’ll share:

• the exact testing I completed to identify adrenal fatigue, Hashimoto’s and other health flags

• results + the initial recovery programme I embarked on

• the first small shifts that made the biggest difference

And in Part 3, we’ll chat long-term changes and where I’m at now 🙋🏻‍♀️

If you have any questions at this stage, I would love to hear from you.

One of the most profound gifts of motherhood for me, so far, has been the generosity of other women sharing their experiences. From the minutia (I’m here for a niche detail!) to the big picture thinking. I never feel more ‘seen’ (or truly, more ‘normal’ haha!) than when I’m sharing and learning from other women 💗

My hope with this series is that in sharing openly about my own experience of burnout, and the wild rapid ride that is motherhood, it can make other women and mamas feel ‘seen’ and confident listening intuitively to their bodies, minds and needs too.

Thank you, as always, for holding space for me to share.

Love + an extra sprinkle for Valentine’s today 💌!

Monica x

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A reading note: click through to read this article in full if your email server truncates it 💌

Having a January birthday—the 17th!—I feel as though I get to cheat my way a little through the new year. Whereas non–Jan babes have the hard and fast line in the sand of January 1st, I give myself permission to work towards my Personal New Year a couple of weeks later.

I’m conscious that a lot of people have pretty glum feelings around January (see: ‘Blue Monday’), but I feel lucky that, for me, it’s a celebratory month. I love a birthday! Mine and anyone else’s. On that note: Happy Birthday to my fellow Capricorns and January babes! I’m sending a spiritual Rifle Paper Co. card your way!

The last time I wrote here, I laid out my intentions for a simple summer. How restorative and cup-filling that time was. So much so, I kept the pace and intentions going through the end of the year.

This article has been a long time coming—a BIG catch-up on everything that’s been going on in my orbit since Luca’s discharge from hospital in late April 2025. Try as I might (with my very best editing hat on), this isn’t a short story. And in truth, it’s been such a big life chapter, it feels as though it deserves the writing expanse to reflect that.

So, fair warning: this is no bite-sized snack of an article. But rather a three-course meal with cocktails and a mid-dinner sorbet palate cleanser. (I can’t write that without thinking of The Princess Diaries. IYKYK.)

Below, the big ol’ life debrief, touching on:

• Luca’s epilepsy diagnosis

• our long six-month hospital stay

• my personal experience of burnout, healing and coming back to ‘myself’ once more

Top up your cup, wrap your hands around something warm. This is the girly catch-up I’ve been waiting for!

A little background: achondroplasia, early parenthood, and Luca’s first ‘episode’

November 2024 to April 2025 was a particularly rollercoaster-y time in the Welburn-Leggett household. In fact, from week 28 of my pregnancy with my now two-year-old son Luca, life has been quite the wilddd ride.

For those new to our story: late on in my pregnancy we found out that our son has achondroplasia, the most common form of dwarfism. As two parents of ‘average stature’, welcoming a child with achondroplasia is extremely rare.

The road to diagnosis was traumatic, with a period of time spent not knowing if we’d be able to continue the pregnancy to term. With endless gratitude, we welcomed our healthy baby Luca into the world on November 3rd 2023—and truly, we could not be more head over heels for our superstar boy 💗 His name means bringer of light, and how closely he’s reflected that for us.

Our first year of parenting was spent—like most new parents—navigating the vertical learning curve of early parenthood alongside the all-encompassing love bubble of a new baby.

Four and a half months postpartum, I started seeing a therapist to begin processing the trauma I experienced in pregnancy. What a gift it was to have started tending to my emotions then—something I needed deeply in that fragile postpartum season, and as it turned out, even more so just a few months later.

Shortly after Luca’s first birthday, he experienced a then-undiagnosed ‘episode’. Having done an infant first aid course (Newborn & Beyond with Leila—highly recommend!) prior to Luca’s birth, I thought I’d be able to keep my cool in a medical emergency. However—all sense of calm evaporated when Luca experienced his first episode, at home, alone with me.

I’m going to share a brief description of the episode here—please feel free to skip. Luca’s breathing slowed, his skin turned grey, his lips turned blue, and he became unresponsive, staring fixedly into the distance.

Leila’s voice rang out in my ears, urging me to call 999. It was all I could do to tap those numbers and follow the instructions of the call handler. An ambulance was dispatched and arrived within minutes.

Side note: I feel it’s important to mention this—as parents or caregivers, your instincts are so astute. Do not second-guess yourself. If you fear for your child’s safety and feel it’s appropriate, call 999. We were assured that the ‘best-case scenario’ for an ambulance crew is that a child is fine. You are not wasting their time if you have a genuine concern about your child’s immediate health and safety. Trust your instincts.

Luca was admitted to hospital, and we spent a week undergoing tests to determine what had happened. He was discharged, and the event was categorised as a BRUE (Briefly Resolved Unexplained Event), apparently not uncommon in young children. Though shaken, we were glad to be home and tried to put the incident behind us.

A pattern developing

A week or so later, Luca experienced another ‘event’. Another admission. Another discharge.

Unfortunately, the pattern continued. These events became so frequent—sometimes upwards of 20 in a single day—that it was deemed unsafe for Luca to leave hospital until the root cause was discovered.

And so we embarked on six months of hospital life.

Luca was an inpatient mainly at Winchester Hospital on Northbrook Children’s Ward, with visits and stays at Southampton Children’s Ward and Evelina Children’s Hospital in London too.

One day, I’ll share more in depth about the experience of ‘living’ in hospital. Though the circumstances were not ones I’d wish on any family, we came to adopt some rhythms and small comforts that made the days feel more manageable.

There are many families navigating long-term or complicated childhood illnesses and lengthy hospital admissions. If this is landing close to home for you as you read, I’m sending you endless love and the warmest hug 💗

A quick coping list for parents & babies in hospital

For parents

• ask for—and accept—help (of family, friends and care teams)

• fresh air (even two minutes off the ward, deep breaths)

• a nutritious meal (canteen food, microwave meals, friends/family)

• a big bottle of water

• clean clothes

• a shower, if/when you can

• whatever helps regulate your nervous system (for me: TV on my phone, resting when Luca napped, tidying our bay)

• an extra-long charging cable

• an eye mask for overnight stays

• slippers for comfort (wards get hot and I found my shoes uncomfortable)

• edited skincare & makeup

For babies & toddlers

• a blanket from home (Luca also loved his Binibamba sheepskin)

• a few books and toys (not too many—wards have plenty)

• a white noise machine

• fresh clothes (bonus points if someone can help with laundry—my mum so kindly did)

• if you formula feed, bring your preferred brand with you

Here I want to highlight two charities that supported us during our time in hospital:

Sophie’s Legacy
Started in honour of Sophie Fairall, who passed away in 2021 from a rare form of childhood cancer. Sophie’s Legacy supports parents in hospitals UK-wide, including providing hot meals for parents staying by their child’s bedside.

Being with an unwell child is depleting, and without Sophie’s Legacy (and family home-cooking), I’m certain we’d have gone long stretches forgetting to eat or surviving on vending-machine picnics. On Mother’s Day, I received a gift left at the end of my pull-out bed—a note from Sophie’s mum Charlotte, along with treats and a coffee voucher. I was so touched by this simple, profound gesture: from one mum to another.

Ronald McDonald House Charities
Yes—those spinny coin boxes in McDonald’s! (A core 90s memory for me!) They fund Ronald McDonald House Charities, which provide accommodation and respite for families with seriously ill children.

During Luca’s admission to Southampton Children’s Hospital, we were allocated a room at a Ronald McDonald House. It became a safe haven—a place for hot showers, sleep, and decompression. The house marked holidays with small events, like Domino’s pizza on Valentine’s Day (pizza has never tasted better). Some families stayed a few nights; others had been there over a year. We also had access to a kitchen and laundry facilities—a true home away from home.

If you’re able to and feel called to, both charities offer phenomenal support to families navigating hospital life. Donations truly go a long way.

Luca’s epilepsy diagnosis

At the end of April 2025, we finally received a conclusive diagnosis: Luca has epilepsy.

The way Luca’s epilepsy presents is extremely rare, which explains the lengthy diagnostic road. It took a somewhat divine alignment of people, systems, and hospitals to capture an EEG during an active seizure—the gold standard for diagnosis.

Almost instantly, the EEG confirmed epilepsy. After six months of tests, scans, and admissions, to receive a diagnosis within minutes felt totally—world-pause-ingly—surreal. People asked if I felt relieved. The truth is, I felt numb. I’ve since learnt this is a common protective response.

Shortly after diagnosis, Luca was started on medication and discharged a couple of weeks later. There are still nuances we’re working through as we transition between medications, but having him home is a gift we hold incredibly close.

The most ‘normal’ moments now positively ✨ sparkle ✨ with preciousness. Watching Luca toddle across the room. Playing with a toy. Cuddling him in bed. Everyday, unremarkable moments that feel anything but.

The physical toll

As any parent knows, raising children places enormous demands on the body—and for mothers especially so. Pregnancy, birth, postpartum, regulation . . . our bodies go through so much.

Before Luca’s hospital admission, I’d felt I was finding equilibrium again—with exercise, work, and relationships. But six months of hospital living placed an immense toll on my physical and mental health.

Once home, when the adrenaline wore off, fatigue hit hard. Every movement felt like wadinggg through maple syrup. Walking Luca ten minutes to the park felt like a hill I couldn’t climb—literally or figuratively. My hair was falling out. I lost weight. I developed rashes. I was bloated. My cycle symptoms were extreme. “My cup runneth dry”.

Healing through Functional Medicine

Note: I’m writing a deeper series on my experience with The Maas Clinic—including adrenal fatigue, Hashimoto’s, and more. Any questions—send them my way!

At a physical low point, I sought the help of The Maas Clinic—the incredible Functional and Integrative Health Clinic I’ve known for 5+ years. During my initial consultation, Cath, the clinic’s COO, explained the difference between acute and chronic stress.

Acute stress is a sharp, intense event—a crash, a crime, a trauma. Chronic stress is slower and more insidious—ongoing pressure, illness, lifestyle strain.

In my case, I experienced acute stress on a chronic timeline. Every seizure, anaesthetic, and distressing treatment registered as acute stress. And because this happened repeatedly over six months, my body logged it as chronic.

My system flooded with cortisol to cope—and once we were finally home, I burned out.

Testing revealed:

• stage 2 adrenal burnout

• streptococcus in my gut (from a virus we picked up in hospital)

• genetic challenges around B-vitamin uptake

• mineral and vitamin deficiencies

• early-stage Hashimoto’s (an autoimmune condition that affects the Thyroid gland)

Phoenix, The Maas Clinic’s Women’s Health lead practitioner, created a comprehensive treatment plan to heal my adrenals, put my Hashimoto’s into remission, clear infection, balance hormones, and restore energy.

Six months on, the headline is: we’ve managed all of that—and more! I feel better now than I did even before Luca’s hospital admission.

My current health anchors:

• tailored supplements (based off of blood test results)

• a mostly gluten-free, protein-rich Mediterranean-style diet

• low-cortisol exercise (strength training, walking, reformer pilates)

• breathwork

• strong boundaries around energy

• therapy

• sleep

• meaningful connection (and planning fun 😊)

My Personal New Year

As I step into my Personal New Year, I’m grateful for the space to reflect on what has been the most challenging—and most beautiful—chapter of my life.

Welcoming Luca has been the greatest gift. I love (love love!) being his mama. I love parenting alongside Oli, our little unit of three. We are blessed with people who showed up for us in the most real ways.

At the same time, our experience of parenthood has brought profound challenges: pregnancy trauma, a life-changing diagnosis, emergency care, long hospital stays, and personal burnout.

From April last year, I stepped back from public-facing work. I quietly tended to my Studio clients—a rhythm that kept my mind engaged and income ticking at ‘just enough’. It wasn’t a season to push. It was a season to heal.

During the hardest hospital days, when Luca was experiencing multiple seizures, my sister’s friend and vicar, Amy, visited me. I shared honestly (thank you therapy for the vulnerability training!) that I was struggling to find hope. Everything felt dark and uncertain.

Amy reminded me of this: winter feels dark. Days are short. Light is scarce. But beneath the surface, roots are growing. Seeds are opening. Life is preparing to bloom in spring—even if you can’t yet see it.

I held onto that image tightly.

And in many ways, our timeline mirrored the seasons. On Mother’s Day, we walked the hospital grounds and found blossom trees in bloom—it felt like a quiet nod from Mama Nature. Luca was discharged in late April, just as many flowers and plants began to thrive. Back home, I noticed every bud, flower, leaf, marking the shift we were living through.

Winter through spring.

And now, onto summer 😊

Re-finding myself

This year, I’m focused on personal growth. Reconnecting with ‘me’ now.

I lost myself there for a while.

One thing fuelling my creative cup: having fun with clothes again! Pregnancy, postpartum, and hospital life turned getting dressed into an exercise in neutrality and function. Survival. But—as OG followers will know—I’m a fashion girly through and through 💁🏻‍♀️

Just before Christmas—after quite literally months of deliberation—I found a pair of trainers I was willing to ‘commit’ to. To use the term ‘commitment’ sounds extra, but that choice represented confidence. I chose a pair of dark brown Nike Cortez trainers with a vivid pink tick. I love them.

And they unlockeddd something for me. I’m now excited about clothes again. I feel permission to dress—not like the ‘old’ me—but with a joy that feels familiar.

💗

And so, here we land.

It’s taken me a good few days to write this piece. A few sobs along the way. I promised you a catch-up of mega proportions, and this feels like it. It’s also a huge sigh of relief to ‘get it out there’. I felt frozen with the enormity of this story. Now, I feel a little more flow-y ☺️

To close, thank you. Thank you for reading, for holding space for my/our story, and for every message, thought, and kindness along the way. Your support truly felt like sunnnbeams during those ‘winter’ days.

And to anyone going through a personal winter, I hope that Amy’s note on spring can offer you some comfort & hope too 🌸

With endless love, gratitude, and brighter times ahead!

Monica x

One of my very favourite things about living in England is the distinction between seasons. Though drizzly—sometimes drench-y—days pervade all months, each season has its personality. Winter is winter in its cosy, low-light-at-4, hibernation-ness. Autumn is a caramel-hued arch. When skin’s still kissed gold, and knitwear’s sometimes/maybe?! needed, and the leaves put on a final show before shedding. Spring is a flirty fun time, with new growth, buds, hope—a reminder that good times are coming. And summer is summer. Summer does the most. Summer is warmth and full bloom and travel and friends and celebrations. Long sunlight hours, rest, recharge.

My first recollection of a ‘real summer’ was my GCSE summer. My classmates and I were given too many weeks off in preparation for our exams—‘study leave’. Though I spent a huge amount of time developing a colour-coded revision timetable, the other key focus of my summer was studying hard, quite simply, having fun. My friends were all off! It was hot! Freedom! I’d just started a part-time job in Miss Selfridge. Which meant I got a discount at all Arcadia stores including—teenage mecca!—Topshop. That summer was good. It felt never-ending.

On reflection, I’m certain the reason it felt so rich and endless was its simplicity. There was a natural ‘pause’ between finishing school and starting college. I worked enough to have spending money. My days were structured, but loosely so. And spontaneity was there. For day trips, projects, friends, walks. And there was plenty of “la dolce far niente”—the sweetness of doing nothing.

This summer, I’m embracing a simple summer once more.

Our son Luca was recently discharged from hospital after a long six month stint; the last three and a half months of those spent continuously in hospital. I shared a little more about the experience on my Instagram. At some point I’ll likely share more, but the headline is: Luca has been diagnosed with epilepsy. He’s now on medication to manage the condition.

6 months in hospital, though overwhelmingly an experience we look back on with gratitude—we were incredibly well looked after—has done a number on us all. I’m spent. My battery is dead. My cup runneth dry.

And so, in a bid to recharge my battery and top my cup up, the next few months are looking . . . simple. Open. Low stakes.

We’d been home from hospital for a few weeks when Oli and I had a conversation about summer. In most years gone by we have travelled. Our proximity to other European countries is an amazing coo. Menorca in particular, where my family have an apartment, is a home-away-from-home and summer is often punctuated with trips to our favourite island.

But this year, the most appealing summer plans involve staying home-home. The biggest luxury of all.

In a bid to sum up my take on a simple summer, below I’m sharing some of the things I’m most looking forward to. Categorised by the plans, places and focuses which will shape it.

A Simple Summer

Things I’m looking forward to

Food & Drink

• buying fresh produce and cooking delicious meals at home. Bonus points for: farmers markets, farm shops, and anything pick-your-own

• salads, tossed in good olive oil—the kind that hits the back of your throat. On the hunt for a good brand—any recs? I often gift this to friends as they can keep the gorge bottle

• speaking of olive oil—bread dipped in it! Our favourite loaves come from The Street Bakeshop

• iced coffee! That first cold coffee of the season is a real ‘moment’. I enjoy an iced black americano or an iced vanilla latte (oat or almond milk, verrry light on the syrup)

• the Schweppes ‘Aperitif Spritz’ mocktail is low key one of the best things I’ve tasted! It’s SO like an aperol spritz it’s startling, and it’s cheap. I don’t know how this isn’t a viral thing (is it?! did I miss it?!) all I can say is gooo

• I don’t drink much alcohol RN, but a crisp rosé, a picante or margarita singsss of summer. Just add fab company

Plans & Places

• National Trust properties. I was introduced to Mottisfont by some of my mum friends recently and was blown away. It was the perfect spot for a toddler hang—loads of open space, the option to bring a picnic, good facilities—and it was beautiful. We loved it. The kids loved it. On my list: to buy a National Trust family membership so that we can go back to Mottisfont and explore other properties too!

• our garden. Tending to it, cutting flowers from it, and entertaining friends in it! Esp. Luca’s cousins and pals. Grass + toys + snacks = outdoor soft play

• room for spontaneous flow-y plans. A committed diary feels like too much of a stretch RN. But room for ‘if the mood takes us’ plans feels fun!

• one thing I would like to plan for: a re-visit to Stem & Green’s incredible PYO flower farm! Had a ball last year!

• and let’s not forget the abundance of fetes, festivals, markets and alllll the fun things that go on locally in the summer!

Home

One of my favourite things about choosing a ‘simple summer’ is the opportunity to pour love back into our home and move forward with plans we have. We’ve been absent, largely, since last November. Now’s the season to reconnect. I keep thinking about the phrase “the grass is greener where you water it” and that feels so very very true of our home. It also feels like a good time to regroup money-wise.

• wardrobe clear outs for everyone! Me (Vinted upload incoming!) Ols and Luca.

• garage clear out and reorganisation (I’m putting this on the list though I’ve actually already completed this, and ohhh the high was real!)

• shed clear out and reorganisation—hoping for a similar rush!

• nursery mega-sort-through and reorganise. Luca’s currently in our room. But his nursery is a tippp and while it’s not being used for a baby, it could still be much more useful!

• garden clear out, mega de-weeding, plant pots up with pretty flowers

. . . I realise now that the theme of ‘home’ is clear out and reorganise 🤣

- all that to say, once we are ‘clear’ and ‘organised’ I am looking forward to pretty-fying too! By putting up artwork that’s been hanging around since our move two years ago . . . styling little vignettes, changing some window treatments . . . the fun stuff! I’m ready for fun stuff!

Personal

Looping back round to the aforementioned: “I’m spent. My battery is dead. My cup runneth dry.” I’m going deep on health this summer. During Luca’s epilepsy diagnosis process I was on antibiotics twice. And since Luca’s been born I’ve been on antibiotics a handful of other times. It was only during the most recent round (℅ bacterial tonsillitis) that I reflected and thought: “shit, my immune system isn’t holding up like it used to.” I’m also conscious of other telltale symptoms: fatigue, brain fog, bloating . . . now’s the time to address it all. I’m shortly revisiting The Maas Clinic—the brilliant Functional Medicine clinic I’ve been seeing for the past 5ish years. I’m embarking on a complete health re-set—will share what I learn!

More than anything, my hope for our ‘simple summer’ is that it’s a season of healing.

Having our unit of three back together is the best. We went into hospital with a Luca-baby and we left with a Luca-toddler!

Luca’s 19 months old now and yesss I’m biased but ugh he’s great. I’m obsessed with his giggles—sometimes predictable, sometimes erupting from a joke only he knows! He’s ‘chatting’! He’s walking! My heart physically aches with this sunshine-y warmth when I see him try something, trip a little, only to go back and conquer it. This time is precious and we’re treating it as so.

Writing about my simple summer has only made me more excited for it. I hope that whatever your summer plans look like, if a simple pace appeals to you—be it a day, a few weeks or the whole season—that it can be restorative for you too.

Over to you!

I asked on Instagram for what a ‘Simple Summer’ means to you! Here are some of the responses:

“pottering in the garden”

“staying put (not going abroad), friends here to stay, endless rosé and alfresco dining”

“reading a chapter a night with the windows open and the fan on while the light dims ✨”

“hanging out in the garden, cooking delicious food & not making too many advance plans”

“PYO farms, dinners in the garden, farm shop trips, going to the park, coastal walks”

Heavennn!

What’s your vibe this summer? I would LOVE to know!

A parting note: I dropped off of the face of planet-Substack shortly after joining. Luca’s hospital admission landed days after my last post, and the admission/diagnosis process was too much for me to manage a new-to-me-platform alongside. I’ve been aching to get back here, and a little nervous if I’m honest too. A bit like a first day back at school—if you’d started a new school and then disappeared for a few terms! All this to say, I’m so glad to be here. To see you here. And I look forward to seeing you more often.

With love, Monica x

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There’s a section of my wardrobe which I await wearing, with particularly eager anticipation, every year: my festive jumpers. Nothing rings more true of the twinkle-lights-time than a great seasonal sweater.

In recent years, nearly every high street brand—and supermarket—has hopped on the festive jumper sleigh bandwagon.

There’s ample opportunity to score a Christmassy sweater. However, there’s a line to be drawn between a truly stylish festive jumper, and a novelty nod. I am not against a playful design—love them in fact—but a truly ‘ugly Christmas jumper’ that will be discarded come December 26th seems wasteful. 

One of my very first industry jobs was compiling ‘get the look’ features for Marie Claire online. Scoping the shops for the best pieces out there, is something I’ve always enjoyed. And this edit was particularly delightful to compile!

Below I’m sharing my edit of 12—actually—stylish festive jumpers. 

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To further emphasise the rigorous editing process for this post, every jumper featured here ticks the following boxes:

• festive, yet appropriate for outfits pre-and-beyond December

• timelessly festive, can be worn year after year

• versatile for dressier, and less dressy, occasions

I hope that if you hit ‘buy’ on any of the below, that every time you wear it, it reminds you of magical Christmas memories. Such is the charm of a great festive knit.

Scroll to the bottom for styling ideas for: work, parties and casual days.

Enjoy!

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1. Blurred Fair Isle Jumper, The White Company

£130

Why I like it: sooo chic! The fabric composition of this jumper is great, meaning it should last for years to come. The colour-way is elegant and can easily be worn for multiple occasions. Reminder: styling ideas at the bottom of this post!

2. Frost Fair Isle Jumper in Plum, White Stuff

£48.75 (on offer!)

Why I like it: this colour! Plum is one of my favourite rich hues for the festive season.

3. Navy Fair Isle Jumper, Joules

£69.95

Why I like it: turkey curry buffet, but make it chic.

4. Cream Fair Isle Chunky Knitted Wool Jumper, Nobody’s Child

£115

Why I like it: I have this jumper, and have worn it 3 days out of 7 since it arrived! It’s oversized just ‘so’, and has that reassuring ‘hug’ feeling of a great jumper. Looks fab with blue denim.

5. Scandi Fair Isle Jumper, White Stuff

£48.75 (on offer!)

Why I like it: a joyful alternative to traditional Christmassy hues.

6. Fair Isle V Neck Knitted Vest, Seasalt Cornwall 

£75.95

Why I like it: I gave my Mum a similar vest from Seasalt Cornwall last year and it has become one of her most-worn items. A vest is versatile. I particularly like this pattern when worn with other patterns; leopard print, stripes, florals. Reminder: styling ideas at the bottom of this post!

7. Crew Neck Button Front Cardigan, Marks and Spencer

£35

Why I like it: if subtle is more your vibe for festive dressing, this gorge cardi will serve your purpose. I usually like to size up in my knitwear, but I think this will look great more fitted.

8. Cropped Evergreen Sweater, Abercrombie

£52

Why I like it: a cute cropped style!

9. Bobbi Chunky Fair Isle Jumper, Reiss

£148

Why I like it: there’s something so cool about this jumper. It’s festive, without being obvious. Just add a roaring fire.

10. Ivy Wool Blend Jumper, Reiss

£148

Why I like it: Reiss is really doing the most when it comes to chic winter jumpers. Another cool girl knit.

11. Formica Pink Cashmere Jumper, Boden

£230.00

Why I like it: oh the colour of this jumper is just gorgeous! 100% cashmere, this is bound to become a forever favourite. 

12. Cable Knit Bow Jumper, Mint Velvet

£125

Why I like it: so girly and fun!

Styling Ideas for Your Festive Jumper

Frilly Shirt // Medium Hoop Earrings // Leopard Print Jeans // Trainers // Hat // Borg Saddle Bag // Camel Coat (I own this, love this, size down 1 - 2 sizes) // Faux Leather Leggings (these are THE best) // Black Biker Boots

Red Lace Bra // Silver Skirt // Rhinestone Earrings // Red Lipstick // Pink And Red Glitter Socks // Twist Silver Heels // Faux Fur Leopard Print Jacket // Metallic Pink Mary Jane Flats // Bronze Sequin Trousers // Satin Shimmer Eyeshadow Duo // Pomegranate Noir Cologne // Diamante Statement Necklace // Blue and Green Earrings

Neutral Checked Blazer // Navy Trousers // Loafers // Tote Bag // Cross Body Bag // Rhinestone Earrings // Chocolate Coat // Olive Skirt // Suede Ankle Boots

Before we dive in . . . a thank you for the warm welcome to Substack!

This chapter of life feels—and is—so new to me. Motherhood has changed the structure of every element of my life. As has my experience of Luca’s Achondroplasia diagnosis. I still feel like ‘me’. Just a different version. And coming back round to writing—the first medium I knew as a 2011 .blogspot.com gal—feels homely. 

Reflecting on my experience of motherhood thus far, is something I had thought I’d do much earlier. I saved optimistic ‘to-write lists’ from the past year, with notes on articles covering Luca’s first 3 . . . 6 . . . 9 months. 

Truth be told, only recently—as Luca’s just turned 1—have I felt in a good position to reflect. The daily demands of motherhood are—as I’ve found out—so high, that allocating time to reflect and write is a challenge in itself. Equally, having some distance from the heady early days . . . months . . . now year of motherhood has given me some perspective. 

I recall many people telling me a version of the same thing before Luca’s arrival: “it’s the best and hardest thing you’ll ever do”. I didn’t, maybe couldn’t, understand what they meant. But now, I get it. It’s been the very very best, and—at times—hardest of years.

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learnt in the past year is that sharing this chapter of life—especially with other mums and parents—is a bonding experience like no other. A knowing nod, a hug, a “that sounds tough” gives light to testing times.

Equally, nobody will quite know the joy that comes with settling a colic-y baby, or moving through a teething phase, or celebrating a hard-won baby poo quite like a fellow parent-in-the-trenches.

NB: I’ll be sharing reflections on my first year of motherhood here on Substack, interspersed with sprinklings of fashion, interiors and other feel-good things. If baby stuff isn’t your vibe, I hope that the other articles on route will be more so!

I hope that in sharing my experience of pregnancy, Luca’s diagnosis and motherhood, it can help other mums, parents, and families navigating a similar chapter of life.

And so, we begin quite literally at the beginning. 

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My Positive Planned Caesarean Birth Story

If you read my first Substack post, or you’re familiar with our family’s story, you’ll already know that my son Luca has Achondroplasia—the most common form of dwarfism. Luca’s Achondroplasia was diagnosed during my pregnancy, which I wrote about here.

As soon as Luca’s Achondroplasia diagnosis was confirmed, there was a gear shift.

The diagnosis had an impact on the care team around us, and also on my options for birth. Babies with Achondroplasia often have a large head circumference, which can make a vaginal delivery difficult. It was recommended that I consider a planned caesarean birth.

I surprised myself with how quickly I found comfort in this decision. Oli and I both agreed that a planned caesarean felt like the best option for our family.

The weeks of uncertainty, tests and heartache during Luca’s diagnosis were fraught. I felt relieved that the caesarean was something I could ‘plan’ for. 

Once we’d made a firm decision, it was time to ‘book’ Luca’s birth in. Truly, it was as casual as a restaurant reservation haha! Akin to a maître d’ running their finger down a bookings sheet, spotting a gap and asking if you could “make 7pm?”.

Luca’s due date was November 7th. We ended up ‘booking in’ for November 3rd, which coincidentally is also my sister’s birthday. My sister was my closest confidant during my pregnancy, especially during the diagnosis stage. Knowing that her and Luca would forever share a Birthday felt like a soul bond that was meant to be. 

As soon as we’d settled on a birth plan and birth date for Luca, I felt a sense of strength and calm. 

Preparing for the birth

Hypnobirthing for a planned caesarean

Though I was relieved at the ‘controlled’ element of booking in for a planned caesarean, I felt some sadness around it being a—what I then perceived to be, I no longer do—less ‘natural’ birth.

By some serendipitous algorithm magic, I stumbled upon Lauren Doffman, who’d not long had twin boys. In an Instagram post she shared that she’d worked with Helen Fairlie, of Born London, on hypnobirthing for a planned caesarean.

Helen is one of a few people who entered our lives post-diagnosis who I believe were truly ‘meant’ to be in our circle. I knew the moment I received Helen’s email, full of warmth, compassion and confidence, that I’d found the right person to help us prepare for Luca’s birth. 

You can read all about Helen’s course options here. Helen offers hypnobirthing courses for parents preparing for a vaginal birth, a caesarean birth, or parents in need of a ‘refresher’. 

Our course included two x two hour sessions with Helen via video call. The first was focused on the foundations of planning for a caesarean birth, the running order of the day, the operation itself and going over any fears I/we may have. We also touched on the ‘golden hour’ after birth. The second session was focused more on hypnobirthing techniques, visualisations and affirmations. During one visualisation I felt such a dramatic sense of ‘relief’, I ended up sobbing in ‘release’. I referred back to the visualisations and affirmations often in the lead up to welcoming Luca.

Working with Helen helped me to re-connect with my birth choice. Where it once felt like ‘the safest option’ for Luca and I both, sensible but more mechanical than I’d thought birth would be; working with Helen helped me to reframe Luca’s birth choice for the incredible, beautiful occasion it is.

On that note, a simple shift: Helen encouraged Oli and I to use the term ‘caesarean birth’, rather than ‘C section’ or ‘caesarean section’. This small shift of verbiage was empowering. However your baby enters the world is truly nothing short of a miracle.

Helen’s work felt like the bridge between the ‘natural’ birth I’d always envisaged, and the medical option which felt safest.

I credit my time with Helen, with reframing my anticipation of Luca’s birth. Something ‘clicked’ for me, and I begun to feel excited and confident in the lead up to it.

Such was our bond, Oli and I discussed inviting Helen to attend Luca’s birth. It’s a surreal invitation to send haha, but it felt ‘obvious’ to me and I received a swift reply from Helen with a resounding yes. As you’ll read, Helen was there on the day of Luca’s birth and it was nothing short of magical.

Fun update: as I hit ‘publish’ on this post, we’re freshly back from meeting Helen for brunch today! A forever bond 💗

Midwife and consultant care

From the very beginning, my pregnancy was under consultant care as I have a blood condition. The blood condition turned out not to be an issue, but it did mean that I had extra scans booked in for the latter stages of my pregnancy, which by chance is how Luca’s Achondroplasia was first flagged.

As I mentioned, once Luca’s diagnosis was confirmed, things shifted up a gear. 

From 28 weeks on I had a medical appointment of some kind, every few days. “We’ve got you” is a phrase I recall vividly from one of my early diagnoses appointments, and the promise very much came true. I felt that Luca’s arrival into the world was no longer something that just we as a family were anticipating. There was a whole team of people rooting for our baby boy.

Given Luca’s diagnosis, and the trauma of the process uncovering it, my mental health had taken a toll. I was made aware of a specialist midwifery team that deals with pregnancies in need more support. I put a request in to be transferred, and after a short while I met a new midwife—Katrina—who took over my case. 

Enter: the second kismet person to support Luca’s arrival. 

From this point onwards, all of my midwife appointments were at home with Katrina. Katrina got to know our family in our own environment, which gave her a sense of who we are and the home Luca would be welcomed into. More than anything, she gave me time and space to share my fears and ask questions. No appointments were rushed—they always involved a cup of tea and a chat—and Katrina quickly came to feel like—and ultimately became—a treasured friend. 

Katrina also attended Luca’s birth. I remember her communicating with us every step of the way on the day. Telling us what was going to happen next, when to change into our scrubs, reassuring me when I was scared . . . Oli and I both credit Katrina with guiding us through the whole process step-by-step. She ran the show! The caesarean—which felt so alien to us—was so familiar to her, and her confidence and experience carried us through the day. 

Immediately after Luca’s birth, when he was being checked over by the Drs, I recall Katrina squeezing my arm and saying “he’s gorgeous, Monica”. Knowing that Katrina was able to check on Luca, when I was still mid-operation, was a massive reassurance. I knew that Katrina, who I trusted so implicitly, had eyes on our baby.

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Preparing for the birth: hospital bag, the night before, the morning of

I will preface this by saying we WAY overpacked haha.

We were told to expect some time in hospital after Luca’s arrival. This was to allow for initial tests to be done, and extra care given to Luca and I both. We were in hospital for 9 days total.

Given that we knew we’d be in for a while, we packed bags for Luca, myself and Oli. I’ll share a separate post on my hospital bag list—edited down!—but the best things we packed were:

For Luca

• zip up newborn baby grows, these from John Lewis are my favourite

For me

• miniature toiletries, these were gorgeous

• pillow mist, I love the Mauli Sleep Dharma Pillow Mist

• rechargeable fan, this one

• soft socks, I still wear these

• my own blanket

For Oli

• bedding

• eye mask (we got this two pack)

• extra long phone charger

The night before Luca’s birth, Oli and I shared a dinner at home. It was calm and intimate. As we went to bed, Oli took a few phone photos of me, grinning Cheshire cat style. The whole experience of birth was surreal, including going to sleep knowing that—all things being well—we’d be driving to hospital the following day to meet our son. 

The morning of, we woke up early and Oli blow dried my hair. This was such a luxury and one which I’m so grateful we made time for! I felt fresh are ‘ready’. NB: the blow dry held for the whole 9 days we were in hospital, with the help of dry shampoo! It was a small thing which helped me to feel put together . . . while wearing a hospital gown, and gauze knickers hahaha. 

As we drove to the hospital around 7am, the autumn trees were shimmering. Autumn is my all-time favourite season and it felt fitting that we’d be welcoming our baby boy on a perfect golden morning. 

We arrived at the hospital, parked our car, and headed in to wait for our ‘slot’. 

The birth

Recalling the stages of preparation ahead—and the movements on the day—of, Luca’s birth is taking me right back there. I can feel the flow of excitement and nerves. 

There were two other planned caesareans booked for the same morning, and we were told that ours would be second of the day. 

We were shown to a ward, and given a bed by the window. There was an incredible view of large autumn trees and I felt once more like nature was conspiring to welcome Luca on an especially beautiful day. Helen arrived shortly after we did. We shared a big hug, and it felt like no time at all before we were given our scrubs to change in to. 

At some point Laura, the surgeon due to perform my caesarean, popped in to say hello. She was lovely, and I felt calm and safe in her hands. I also met my anaesthetist, another warm, kind woman. Our care team was widening and I thanked our lucky stars to be surrounded by people who all felt genuinely invested in our family.

Vaginal Seeding

Skip this section if you’re a little squeamish haha!

When babies are born via a vaginal birth, they collect ‘contact bacteria’ which helps to build their microbiome and bolster their immune system. I was acutely aware that by opting for a caesarean birth this step would be missed. Upon airing my concerns, Helen mentioned ‘vaginal seeding’ to me.

Vaginal seeding involves inserting a sterile gauze, as you would a tampon, about an hour before the birth. The gauze is then removed and kept in a sterile container. Once the baby is born, the gauze is wiped over the baby's mouth so that they can take on as much of the ‘good bacteria’ as possible. 

NGL, this was one of the most uncomfortable bits of the whole day. The gauze was dry, grim, and awkward to insert. I’m glad I opted to do this for Luca’s health. Equally, if someone could invent a more comfortable way of performing vaginal seeding, that would be great haha. 

Heading into theatre

Around 9.30am, we were told that it was time for us to walk down to theatre. 

Have you ever seen a photo of someone’s aura? Google it, it’s fun! An aura photo places the subject in the middle, and there’s a glow of colour—their aura—around them. Heading down to theatre, I felt like a walking aura photo. Deeply present, surrounded by a protective glow. It was surreal and magic and I don’t think anything else will ever feel quite like it. I cupped my hands around my bump, connecting with Luca and reassuring us both. 

A few weeks before Luca’s birth I had a tour of the theatre. This was a HUGE help to me, as I was able to visualise the space before the day itself. Having a sense of the physical area allowed me feel more comfortable (I wasn’t entering somewhere completely new-to-me), and I was able to practice visualisations ahead of time. 

I also went over the process of the operation itself multiple times with Helen, Katrina, my consultant . . . anyone I could ask haha. Although I was completely new to this, many elements didn’t feel unexpected.

Anaesthetic

This was one of the things I was most concerned about ahead of the operation. I’d never had an op before, and the thought of having an anaesthetic felt scary. 

I’m happy to report that the process, in my experience, was calm, painless and I felt thoroughly well taken care of throughout. 

As I mentioned, I was blessed with an incredible anaesthetist. She had a calm and confident manner which made me feel at ease. The epidural was administered, and the efficacy of it was tested using a ‘cold spray’.

Oli and I were introduced to the team in the theatre. There was a paediatric team on hand for Luca, my surgeon Laura, and various assistants and nurses. An unexpected twist: our consultant, who’d flagged Luca’s Achondroplasia, entered the theatre and shared that he’d be performing the caesarean alongside Laura. To have our regular consultant there, as well as the rest of this amazing team, felt ‘full circle’ and once again I was reassured by the support around us. 

Our birth playlist

One thing we were in charge of, was the playlist! For weeks I’d been assembling songs, favourites of both mine and Oli. I played the playlist on repeat ahead of Luca’s birth, hoping that it would help his transition into the world . . . if he recognised the songs, maybe it wouldn’t feel so scary for him?! 

To this day, if I play the playlist to him, I swear there’s some recognition!

As soon as I heard the first song start to play, I felt a rush of emotion. At this point I was sat on the edge of the operating bed, and Katrina clocked it right away. She came over to reassure me. Oli then gently pulled my hair back into a ponytail.

Anaesthetic administered, and final reassurances given, we were ready to meet Luca. 

Luca

This part of the birth is a blend of vivid and hazy memories. To say it’s wild to go through a caesarean truly skims the surface.

I opted to have a screen up throughout the operation, so I didn’t see any of the procedure happening. The screen was placed above my bump, and the theatre team kept Oli and I informed throughout.

Oli was sat on the right hand side of me, close to my head. He held my hand throughout the birth, and we chatted to one another, kissed . . . it was one of the closest bonding experiences we’ve ever been through. Having Oli there with me was the greatest comfort, I felt like all three of us—me, Oli and Luca—were all ‘in it’ together!

About 10 minutes had passed, when Laura gave us the news we’d been so so eager to hear—“he’s here”!

Almost instantly, we heard Luca cry. 

A round of cheers and applause erupted in the room.

Helen subsequently told us that when Luca was born, she vividly recalls everyone smiling and leaning closer to take a look at our Luca Love!

After all these months of growing, waiting, surprises . . . 

Luca was here!!!

I will never forget the relief and joy at hearing that cry. Luca was lifted into the world, and immediately brought to us for a kiss.

Oli wiped the seeding gauze across Luca’s mouth. He was then whisked away by the paediatric team for extra love, care and attention.

The balance of the caesarean + initial recovery

Once Luca was safely in the world, the balance of my caesarean was performed. I hadn’t appreciated that this would be the longest part of the operation. At times it was uncomfortable, and I had to ask for more pain relief. This was administered very quickly, and I felt a heady rush of comfort. I felt—and, according to Oli looked—very spaced out.

After about 40 minutes total, the operation was complete. I was transferred to a bed and taken back to a bay to begin my recovery. At this point Luca was already in the NICU, which we were prepared for. Knowing that our son was Earth-side, and already being taken such brilliant care of, gave me an overwhelming sense of relief and happiness. 

I’ll leave Luca’s birth story there. As Luca’s first birthday came round last weekend, I was conscious that among all of the celebrations, it was also our shared ‘birth day’. I’m so grateful that the sensation I have when I reflect on this is peace.

Though a planned caesarean wasn’t the birth route I had originally envisaged for myself and Luca, I had the most calm, love-filled experience that I cherish. Looking ahead, should Oli and I be blessed with more children, at this moment in time, I would opt for a planned caesarean again. 

If you are currently thinking about an elective caesarean, you have any questions, or you have thoughts you’d like to share, please leave them below.

Thank you infinite times over to the care team who guided us all ahead of, during and after Luca’s birth.

Thank you also to our wonderful friend Charlotte Bryer-Ash for the pregnancy photo shoot, shot just a few days before Luca’s arrival 💗 some of our most treasured photos ever ever.

With love, Monica x

Hi friends! And welcome! If you’re new here, hello! I’m Monica, an OG blogger and newbie to Substack! If you’re a long-time reader or follower, hiii I’m so happy you’re here!

When I was thinking about launching this Substack, I was a little torn. Life looks a lot different now than when I first started blogging in 2011—then under the name ‘The Elgin Avenue’. Who’s been around since then?!

I began my career online with a traditional fashion blog. I would share my outfits—cash-strapped on a student budget, they were often Zara sale or second hand finds—and as my life progressed through my early—then late—20s and into my 30s, so did my interests. I ended up contributing to—and being featured in—publications including Vogue, Marie Claire, Grazia and more. I also began to work with brands, which quickly became—and still is—a large part of my working life.

I’ve always loved fashion. I was the girl who’d pore over magazines, scrap book favourite shoots, agonise over what to wear, take part-time jobs in clothes shops . . . getting dressed has always felt FUN.

Equally—as we often hear—two things can be true at once. And I have many other interests alongside fashion, including: health and wellbeing, interiors, skincare, business, and—most recently—motherhood.

As with many Millennial content creators, I’ve adjusted the articles/photos/posts I share to wrap around each chapter of my life; home, work, marriage + more. And, generally speaking, it’s continued to strike a chord. The majority of my readership are also Millennials and we’ve shared echoes of life. Never exactly the same, but similar or relatable.

However, my life changed, in a momentous way, during my pregnancy. As well as having big blue eyes, a raspy laugh and a really good head of golden hair, my son Luca has Achondroplasia—the most common form of dwarfism. (I wrote about my family’s experience of receiving Luca’s diagnosis here.)

As I launch this Substack, Luca is days away from turning 1. Truthfully, I had thought that I would get back into my writing groove sooner, but—as I’m sure most parents can attest to—parenthood is a wild ride. And alongside the regular rollercoaster of Motherhood Year 1, I’ve been learning how to best support Luca and his unique needs and care. 

That torn feeling I mentioned? The version of ‘me’ now, feels wildly different to the version of ‘me’ that first shared her life online in 2011. I know logically that we all change and evolve with the benefit of thirteen years. But the seismic shift of motherhood and welcoming a baby boy into the world with a rare condition . . . it’s a layer of life I hadn’t anticipated. 

Motherhood is a prominent part of my life now. And it is unquestionably a pillar I want to and will be sharing about on Substack. Both the bigger heart-led conversations, and the fun. Like baby knitwear OMG.

And—to lean on the two-things-can-be-true-at-once trope again—I’ll also be sharing about the lighter ingredients of life. The things which have brought me so much joy to experience and write about over the past 13+ years.

All this brings me to say, that here you can expect honest conversations on: motherhood, fashion, wellbeing, interiors, skincare . . . and whatever feel-good thing crosses my path that I think you might like to hear about too!

THANK YOU for being here 💗 Eeep, new chapter here we go!

With love, Monica x

P.S. a fun fact! I started my blog on the 01.01 (2011) and I’m now launching on Substack on 01.11 (2024)—as someone who loves serendipitous alignment, this pleases me no end!

P.P.S. a huge love note of thanks to my dear—and wildly talented—friends Charlotte and Victoria, for their photography and branding prowess respectively. They’ve both put their stamp on this new corner of the internet for me, and I am forever grateful for their unwavering support and creative magic.

Subscription Info

Updated—June 2025

Shortly after launching my Substack, my son Luca was admitted to hospital. What ensued was a 6-month long stint of blended hospital life and as such this Substack was put on pause. Currently, all content remains free and open to all. Thank you for bearing with me 💗 Should you wish to become a paid subscriber to offer your support, you can. However all subscribers—paid or free—will currently receive the same content. Whatever you choose to do, I’m grateful to have you here!

With love, Monica x

Free Subscribers

Subscribe for free to receive my monthly ‘Croissant Reading’ newsletter. This is a hug-in-a-mug kind of newsletter sharing links from around the web I love. This series has been going for yearsss (I’ve lost count of how many!) and I’m excited to bring it over to Substack.

You’ll also receive ad hoc articles which are open to all.

NB: articles about Achondroplasia and my experience navigating pregnancy and Luca’s diagnosis, will always be free to read.

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For £5 per month (or £50 per year) you can receive the complete catalog of articles from me, including: long conversations on motherhood, homeware and style edits, energy tips, wellbeing chats . . . the full remit! You’ll also have access to the comments section of every post, which as we know, is where the good stuff goes down 😉

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