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Anna's pregnancy diary - Week 14

goodtoknow's Food and Diets Editor Anna is pregnant, so we've asked her to keep a diary of her pregnancy, telling you all the good bits and bad bits and asking for your help and comments.

This week Anna isn't sure whether she can dye her hair and has had to start thinking about maternity clothes

You won't be surprised to learn that I'm not a natural blonde. I'm sort of a mousey blonde, but I've had my hair coloured or highlighted since I was about 16 years old.

In the past I used to pick up a bottle of L'Oreal Excellence from Boots every six weeks and colour my hair myself. But now I'm pregnant, I've read that it's not very good for the baby as the bleach can be absorbed by the scalp into the bloodstream and traces might reach the baby.

I know the chances of the baby being affected are small, but most things I've read suggest waiting until 12 weeks to dye your hair just to be safe. Somehow I've managed to last until 14 weeks, but I've got horrendous dark roots so I not only feel dreadful, I look dreadful too.

Then I read that hair salon Aveda do natural hair dyes which are 97% derived from natural ingredients. An answer to my prayers. I book an appointment, spend two-and-a-half hours in the salon and am delighted with the results!

So now I've got my hair sorted, it's time to do something about my clothes. I've been wandering around with baggy tops on to hide the fact that I can't do my top button up on any of my jeans any more, so I definitely need some jeans, but I don't want to spend loads on maternity wear if I can get away with it as I reckon I'll need all the cash I can get my hands on for baby stuff.

I decide I just need a couple of essential items. I love my Topshop Baxter jeans so order online a maternity pair of those, a denim skirt which stretches over my bump and two bump bands, one in white and one black to extend my tops.

Unfortunately the courier company decide for reasons only known to themselves to not deliver them for two weeks (Topshop's website states 3-4 days delivery) even though I've already paid for them, so while I increase in size and desperation, they receive the full force of my pregnant rage and many angry emails. How can they do this to a pregnant?!

Eventually they arrive and I breathe a sigh of relief, particularly because I can actually breathe in my bottoms again!

I also pop to Primark and buy loads of stretchy T-shirts for a few quid each. I figure that I can wear these under looser tops and then, when they're stretched within an inch of their lives, throw them away without feeling guilty. H&M have a great long-line tunic top that's quite fitted and I buy that too. That's it!

Having gone through all the clothes in my wardrobe I realised that thanks to last summer's trend for smock tops I can last quite a long time without buying any more. Mamas and Papas have some nice summery tops, which I might splash out on for special occasions, but for now, I reckon I'm done.

- Coming up: Cats and shopping
- Previously: Anna gets the results back from her 12 week scan
- Read Anna's diary from the beginning
- More about week 14 of pregnancy

More help and advice

- Pregnant? Find out what's happening to you and your baby with our week by week guide
- What can I do when I'm pregnant?
- Tests during pregnancy - what to have
- All you need to know about scans
- Help in the first trimester
- Having problems conceiving? Find out more

By Anna Penniceard

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