Pageants and Pregnancy

I am always very honest in pageantry, in my interviews I know they are getting the real Hannah as I am honest about my life experiences and how they shape me to be the queen I am today. I never thought I would compete pregnant, or even be pregnant for that matter! To get it out the way, I hadn’t had periods for over three years, I was having different tests done and my hormones were all out of place, not releasing eggs and being advised if I wanted to carry a child IVF would be the way to conceive. Of course, I wasn’t planning to have children for a while, I was happy in my career and I wasn’t in a settled relationship to give a child the perfect nuclear family. In my life things don’t plan that way, so when I found out I was nearly 3 months pregnant was a massive shock, so much that I spent that time laughing as it simply couldn’t be true!!! I grew up without a father, and I knew that my child would be surrounded by love (all the pageant girls have already requested babysitting rights and spending time with little P). In the time that followed was a very dark time, my life was changing as I knew it, friends become enemies and the worries about health started to show, so rather than throw in the sparkly towel, I entered YEMI.

The pageant journey wasn’t easy, especially when you have morning sickness that last’s all day long and all these emotions running through you, not to mention the growing bump! Crazy enough the first few months I actually lost weight! Which was why it was a shock when I found out as everyone was saying how much weight I had lost! Now I wasn’t going to enter a pageant without knowing all the rules and a pregnant lady entering a pageant isn’t really the norm. Lucky my directors were super amazing, suggesting that if I did win, I could attend the 2019 Texas finals instead, accommodating my growing bump. Even the night before they presented my little bump with her very own sash and crown (I had only found out that week I was having a little girl, so they must of knew!) which was great for my emotions!!

Being pregnant shouldn’t stop you from doing anything (unless it can damage the baby of course!), I still continued to attend appearances, making use of my Wiltshire title and not letting the months go to waste. I still taught and took part in exercise and I still made sure I had time for everyone between naps! Planning the outfits for the stage in advance making them a little bigger to accommodate the growing bump. My red, white and blue wear was roomy and easy to slip on, my fashionwear was easy to put on and the high low was glued to my hips after (because even pre pregnancy I wasn’t squeezing into that!) and my evening gown suited my category and new status. I honestly thought that being pregnant would go against me, but the judges were super accepting as well as the pageant community. Times are changing and the superwomen are emerging. When my name was called, it was an amazing feeling but also to show woman everywhere that your life doesn’t stop just because you are with child. When Penelope is older, I will show her all the pageant pictures and the bump pictures and say she was my good luck mascot in my tummy!!

As I am getting bigger, heels are getting a very hard job indeed (never good when you are short as well and stand against all the tall queens!!) but soon Penelope will be here, and she will be coming to Texas but in her own cot not my stomach!! I can still be a pageant queen and a mum, there are so many amazing queens already who have little children and jiggling motherhood in itself is a full time job, but to take on pageantry as well they inspire me so much! I haven’t let this slow me down as I have continued my reign as Young European International Ms, since being crowned I have attended several pageant finals to support my sash sisters, been involved in charity work and donations as well as training other pageant queens. I will still be behind my laptop even after, although I may be more sleep deprived and have a baby under one arm and my roxy foxy under the other! But I am very lucky, because the system I chose to represent is all about aspire to inspire, and this keeps me going to be the best of what I can be.

So if you are expecting, or planning to conceive or you are now a yummy mummy, don’t be afraid to keep those glam heels on (or flats, they can still be fabulous!) and enter the world of pageants, of course check the rules first and also talk to the directors about your situation. Regardless if you compete or not, still remember that you are an amazing woman, you deserve to shine and be beautiful, I look forward (and very, very scared) to join the motherhood!!

Thank you for reading and hopefully this gave you a little insight as to why I love sitting down so much! Next week I will be talking about why I chose YEMI to compete and about the journey so far! Stay tuned!

Lots of Love

Your Young European International Ms Hannah

X <3 X

Find me on facebook@ hannahgoldingbeautyqueen

@sparklesandrhinestonesuk

@yemipageants