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Showing posts from June, 2020

June Challenge Over!

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Today is the last day of the month and the last daily blog post challenge which I committed to. I have absolutely loved sharing and writing consistently this month and I hope you have enjoyed reading it. I would love to continue it actually but I think it would probably get a little bit too much eventually and I'd get burnt out, but I may make it a new tradition for every year. June will always be a special celebratory month for me so we shall see. I was speaking to someone recently about having a niche for their blog or business and to be honest, on here I don't really have a niche. My "niche" I guess, is myself. Anything and everything that affects and is important in my life. I thought I'd also share some of my favourite blog posts from this month! Here are my top 5: Hannah's Lips UK: Sale and Why I Started : a special post sharing my "why" about my business Midwifery Year Two: Review : I finally wrote up my year two midwifery exper

Midwifery Year Two: Exams

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Following on from my year two review, I am sharing my experience of the exams and assessments. I did a similar post for my  first year midwifery exams  and I think for my second year, as I had already experienced the process, I was somewhat used to them. The University of Nottingham offers a cycling curriculum, meaning that they revisit the same assessment and similar themes of topics each year, at the same time. As a result, students get used to the types of assessments, and usually more comfortable, if not better at them. Similarly, the module content is built upon, for example, Normal Childbirth moves to Complex Childbirth. This year I didn't have to be the team captain for the debate and it made me so much happier! There was a lot less stress as I only had to speak once and I wasn't last which was better. Once again, I got a tricky topic to  ague against with "Women who give birth prematurely should be told that their babies need to be given breast milk to achieve

Celebrating my 24th Birthday in Lockdown!

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I just turned 24 and here's how I celebrated in lock down!  Click here to watch the vlog or see below.  I woke up honestly quite down and depressed. I'm not sure why but it just felt like a normal day and without seeing any friends and knowing it was a birthday in lockdown, just made it quite sombre. After a relaxing morning in bed watching television and replying to messages...plus sorting out a few university bits and bobs so I could have the day off.  Despite the clouds, it was a really warm day so I put on my favourite Amazon pink dress-jumper and paired it with white shorts. I love the delicate white lace detail on the front and the whole thing just makes me feel really pretty. Then I paired in with my white denim shorts from Dorothy Perkins which I absolute love.  Dad came into my room to surprise me in bed with presents and lots of cards which was really kind of unexpected, given that not many people know where I am at the moment. Plus, mum had already

My Acne Journey: Roaccutane Treatment! (Part 3)

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As I ended last week , I ended up getting referred and seen by the dermatologist within the space of two weeks. I am so thankful the process was quick and painless and then to have all my treatment done privately was great, especially when I had a busy life with shifts and university. It meant it was much easier to select my appointments and also, the phlebotomist queue was always fairly short. So roaccutane is somewhat of a last resort for acne treatment. It's drug name is actually, Isotretinoin and it is a treatment for severe acne that comes in capsules. It acts by normalising sebum (aka oil), preventing clogged follicles and reducing bacteria, redness and swelling in. It all sounds great, however it has a wide range of severe side effects and because of that, it require specialist prescribing and monitoring. On top of the usual acne treatment side effects, it also has the highest suicide rate of any medication with extreme depression, can cause sever liver damage and also has

Big Break Hamburg: Online Escape Room (Review)

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As I was celebrating my 24th birthday in lockdown, I still wanted to celebrate in someway with my friends. I had a £5 voucher with Groupon to spend as I had bought the 2 cinema tickets for £10 voucher, when I went to see My Spy , and had only been able to spend one due to lockdown, which when contacted, they kindly refunded me the difference. I ended up looking on there for Father's Day gifts because I didn't want to forget about the voucher and let it expire. I couldn't find anything I thought he would really like but then I came across some online games. I ended up searching and one that stood out the most was  Big Break Hamburg  which was an online escape room. It was cheap, costing just £6 which meant I only spent an additional £1. I have been wanting to do an escape room for a long time. I love having to use my brain to work out puzzles and find clues, so the idea of being able to use it to "escape", always appealed and the thrill excited me. I was a

LGBTQ Pride Month

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Every year, during the month of June, the LGBT community celebrates in a number of different ways. Although this year has been slightly different with social distancing and other lockdown measures still in place, across the globe, various events recognise the influence LGBT people have had around the world. What? LGBTQ stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer. LGBTQ pride is the promotion of the self-affirmation, dignity, equality, and increased visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people as a social group. Pride, as opposed to shame and social stigma, is the predominant outlook that bolsters most LGBT rights movements. As well as being a month long celebration, it is also an opportunity to peacefully protest and raise political awareness of current issues facing the community. This year has obviously seen a huge outcry in the  Black Lives Matter  campaign. Why? Pride Month is so important because it marks the start of huge change within the LG

Welfare Wednesday: Getting Active!

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I for one am guilty of not exercising enough and I, like many, go through phases of exercising regularly and then letting it fall off completely. In between placement, life and everything else going on in the world, it can be hard and I know it's an excuse but sometime there really are barriers to exercising. They can be physical barriers, such as travelling difficulties or financial, as well as social or psychological, like self-esteem. Regardless of people's barriers, it is important to be non-judgemental and support them. It's important to remember all the benefits of exercise. Most recognise the positive effect on physical health but there are also others, many of which link to the hormones released. It can reduce stress and tension, through providing a better balance of cortisol. Your sleep improves due to being more tired after activity and the steady release of serotonin. Lower depression rates are reported with more activity, less dwelling on and often forming cl

My Top 5 Summer LipSense Picks!

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It's been a little while since I did a favourite LipSense post and even longer since I did a seasonal edition. Well today, I am back with my top 5 Summer LipSense picks. Also, all of these lip colours I am wearing with Glossy Gloss!  First up is Violette! This one is described as a rosy lavender with hints of a frosty iridescence and I think it is the perfect purple for summer. It's soft and pretty, while still adding that much needed pop of colour. I also love if because I have like 3 different outfits which it colour matches to perfectly.  Next up is Heartbreaker. I always love this shade when I wear it but for some reason I only ever wear it in the summer. There is something about wearing this rosy-coral shade in the sunshine which makes me extra happy.   Summer Sunset is my third shade and similarly to Heartbreaker, I only wear it in the summer. This one is a coral shade again but has more of a pink undertone, rather than orange with the former. I can't n

Mummy's Star: Online Training (Review)

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Like with Beyond Bea , I recently attended an online study day with Mummy’s Star . Whilst they haven’t advertised the fact that they are offering these, I really wanted to hear them speak, especially as I missed out on the Midwifery Society’s organised day in March as I had my SNTA interview . I ended up organising a special session just for our cohort and it was really great. Also, the way it fell, just happened to be during Cancer and Pregnancy Awareness Week and also my birthday week, so I ended up doing a charity fundraiser to further support them, as a charity. If you wanted to donate, you can do so here until it closes, otherwise head here to donate directly to them. Mummy’s Star is another incredible charity which I am very fortunate to be aware of. They support families, provide choices and break myths. It is the very first cancer support charity of it’s kind, after a gap of other charities in supporting women diagnosed with cancer during or in the year after pregnancy was

Gorgeous Weather, Baby Animals and Mummy's Star!

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My last few weeks of being 23 were filled with randomness. The weather was gorgeous and we saw some gorgeous baby ducklings and cygnets! Click here to watch the vlog or see below.  With such gorgeous weather and getting ahead of my work, I ended up deciding to take a few days off studying. In all honesty, learning in lockdown has been quite a doddle for me. Not that the work has been easier than normal, because it's been the same level, but we have had very little teaching with very little work to do. Although I know the lecturers are doing their best and trying to accommodate student's home life, I can't help but feel like we're being left to our devices somewhat, despite paying £9,500 per year for tuition.  Anyway, as a result of being ahead, I ended up taking a few days off again to enjoy the sunshine and read some books. I ended up reading 6 books in the space of a week...and these were big books! I also sunbather on our picnic blanket and got such a gr