The Bump: Valentina Pepe

Becoming a mama is one of life’s greatest gifts and to celebrate we’re running a dedicated feature each month featuring a Sassy Mama and her beautiful bump! This week we’re sitting down with fashion designer Valentina Pepe and chatting about her favourite pregnancy moments, weird cravings and how to stay stylish throughout the whole 9 months. Her little bundle of joy William Pepe was born on 27 May 2014 weighing 4.5 8kg.

What was your reaction when you first found out you were pregnant?
Overwhelming joy and excitement. Happiest day of my life.

Your funniest memory over the 9 months?
Being congratulated by a stranger on my pregnancy except we told him my belly was due to overeating (which obviously wasn’t). The expression on his face was priceless, he was very embarrassed and walked away…

Any great books and resources that prepared you for when your baby arrived?
My doctor told me his most important advice during pregnancy was to not read any books, so I avoided most pregnancy books – with the exception of The New Contented Little Baby Book as my sister is a big Gina Ford follower. I am nowhere near as disciplined as my sister, but it gave me a good guideline on how to get things started. If I was ever in doubt, I asked my mum – she definitely gave me the best advice I’ve had so far.

What do you think every woman should know before getting pregnant?
Nine months is longer than you think, so go wild.

What was the easiest trimester and which one proved most difficult?
I didn’t suffer from morning sickness so the 1^st was pretty exciting, although the 2^nd is much easier as it’s “official”, so you don’t have to sneak around. William was considerably late so the 3^rd trimester felt never-ending. Plus, my belly was so big everything became a challenge.

Did you follow a fitness programme while you were pregnant?
I was going to pilates at Flex twice a week and going for mini hikes in Lantau on weekends. Of course, all the walking, running around and baby shopping helped out.

Any fashion tips and tricks for maternity dressing?
I was quite anti maternity clothing so I just bought normal clothes a size or two bigger. Once the real belly pops out, flaunt it. A big, beautiful belly makes everything else look smaller, so tight clothing looks great! Pregnancy is also the best time to accessorise – it’s the best excuse to buy new jewellery.

What have you struggled with most since being pregnant?
Getting my engagement ring back on. Almost there.

What are your hopes and dreams for your baby?
Too many to name. Although most importantly, for him to have what both my husband and I had, which is a loving family.

Name a mama you find inspiring and why?
Well there are two. I am so blessed to have my amazing sister as my role model: she has two kids, is always calm no matter what (including when everything around her is total chaos) and she always looks effortlessly beautiful – she is the epitome of a Sassy Mama. And second, my mum. Just because she’s the perfect mummy.

Did you find out the sex in advance?
We chose not to (although it took a lot of convincing from my husband, I was desperate to find out). It was worth the wait and definitely the best surprise life can give you.

Did it take you some time getting pregnant or were you one of those mamas who got lucky on the first try?
We had a honeymoon baby, so yes we got lucky pretty quick.

What kind of birth did you have?
Hospital birth. 48 hours of labour, no epidural followed by an emergency c-section. Not what I was expecting but would do it all over again in a flash.

What helped you get your groove back after being pregnant?
A juice every morning, chasing after my 4 year old nephew, tennis with my husband and having a great personal trainer who doesn’t take no for an answer.

Any local businesses that made your pregnancy journey easier?
Yvonne Heavyside is the fairy godmother of all things pregnancy related. We did our antenatal classes at The Family Zone, which helps prepare both mothers and fathers to be. Frequent prenatal massages also helped relieve my pregnancy aches – I loved going to Flawless.

Did you have any weird and wonderful cravings?
Yes, beer and kimchi. I also ate a lot of ice-cream, but that started long before I got pregnant.

All photos in the article above were taken by the extremely talented Beatrice Lee, if you’re looking for picture perfect memories of you and your bump or your family get in touch with her at [email protected].