Leona Lewis on Sleepless Nights Post-Baby 😴

0:01Welcome back all you sexy little cats. On the menu for nearly parents today we have... I am so hungry it feels like I've got tapeworm. And also we have Leona Lewis on the podcast. And of course listeners messages. So keep listening, keep, keep listening. It's a reference to Leona Lewis on the episode. Enjoy.

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1:30Plus, it's covered by most major insurances. Getting started is easy. You can book your first visit with a clinician right away. It's not you. It's your hormones. Visit joinmidi.com to book your first visit. That's joinmidi.com. Insurance coverage varies. Check with your plan for coverage. This is Hannah Berner from Giggly Squad. Opil is the first over-the-counter daily birth control pill available in the U.S. Let's be real. Getting a birth control prescription is not always easy, and it's so much admin. In fact, about a third of women face barriers to access prescription birth control. Between scheduling appointments, missing work, class, or just trying to exist, it's a lot.

2:07But now Opil is putting birth control in our control. Opil is a daily birth control that's FDA-approved, full prescription strength, and estrogen-free, and 98 % effective when used as directed. Grab it online or at most major retailers, no prescription or doctor's appointment needed. So if you're thinking about birth control, check out Opill to see if it's right for you. Use code Giggly for 25 % off your first month of Opill at O-P-I-L-L.com. That's code Giggly at O-P-I-L-L.com. Birth control in your control. We love to see it.

2:44hello i'm jamie lang and i'm sophie lang and we've been married for two years and we're having a baby yes we are are you ready let's go it's a new day it's a new dawn it's a new beginning and it's sophie and jamie together we're nearly parents once again we're back it's an what was that i cannot stop doing it What is this hand signal you keep doing? I cannot stop doing it. There is something happening to my body where my hands go like rock on and it is icky, it is frightening. I am shocked at myself. I am talking to people and my hands just go to that. How was France? I can't. I can't stop it.

3:27Is it because I'm becoming a mom and I'm just everything cool about me that ever was is gone. It's out the window. For those of you listening, you know when you put your fingers up in the air like rock on. Like when you're like surfing, like, work on. That's one hand in particular. It's not the right, it's the left. It's just in it. It's always in it. It's never flaccid, the hand. It's just constantly in rock's eye. Sleep with it in rock's eye. Oh my God, it's stuck. I'm having a channel ring, Raymond. I'm not even joking. It honestly, like, you don't understand, it's like a twitch. It just wants to come back.

4:04You're freaking me out. I can't stop. Should I put my hand high? Oh my God, I can't. It's weird. If yours is like that, I'll have to chop your fingers off. What happens if you turn over, roll over and see me in bed and I'm like this on my head?

4:26I'm giving bath, my hands like this. No, I've got to stop now. It's so good. Things like this going on. We went for a walk last night. And Sophie was so weird in a park in the middle of central London. And she was scared because she thought vampires were going to come out. I've watched so much Vampire Diaries. Because, let me tell you, being pregnant is pretty fucking boring. And I've watched so much Vampire Diaries that I... Firstly, I have genuine feelings for the Salvador brothers, which is, like, really concerning for me. What do you mean genuine feelings? Genuine feelings. I text my sister saying, like, I have actual genuine feelings for them.

5:05Stefan and Damon. I don't understand what that even means like I genuinely I don't just fancy them I think a part of me loves them are you serious? I've never felt like this about somebody I've watched on the TV in life or just on the TV? well I have in life but like I would borderline say I love them as much as I love you some characters from a show but I feel like I know them I've watched like four seasons back to back in like the space of two weeks like I am they are in my brain I go to sleep and I to hear their voices and obviously when we're walking through a deserted park i feel like i'm gonna get eaten live by vampires wasn't deserted full of people so you you genuinely feel connected to these these people in vampire diaries no just the boys like i and i urge any other women who has watched vampire diaries to comment and let me know because i know i know that there are so many women who feel the same way i don't know what it is that that tv show did or the connection or the chemistry those brothers have they are still best friends it's no get out of here sophie i you cannot help but fall in love with them like it's not like old seth adam brodie and oc who i also really love like this is a deep deep deep deep love do you know what i'll say to that rock on have you ever loved someone on the tv no never i don't think i've ever have i ever loved We loved that girl.

6:31Which girl? True Romance. Patricia Arquette. Patricia Arquette in True Romance, actually, I had a real thing for. That is so true. You're saying the actor's name. Do you know what's so funny about you? Is that I've only mentioned that ever once, and you remember it. Yeah. You remember these little weird things I mentioned. Never does anything like me, Patricia Arquette. Nor do the vampires. You think the vampires look anything like me? They're tall and dark. No, one of them's quite fair, actually. No, he's not. is dark hair with vampire teeth. It looks nothing like me. What other things in the past have I said that you remember?

7:07Patricia Arquette. Oh, I remember you saying that the one celebrity you fancied was Camille Monroe. Again, nothing like me. Like, really ingrained in my brain, actually, because you mentioned it more than once and I was like, okay, well, you're not going to meet her. Oh, God. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a really fun show today and what makes it even better is our guest today is Leona Lewis. Now, you know Leona Lewis from The X Factor, from her song Bleeding Love. Singer. Keep, keep bleeding, I keep, keep bleeding in love. That's her song. So I spent the weekend away from Sophie. I was in France having a lovely, wonderful time.

7:45Sophie got a little bit angry because she said the reason, Sophie is claiming that the reason why she's eating food is because of me. Eating food? You said that. I'm eating food just to live. But you said you were so bored this weekend Guys, the amount of food I think I ate our entire house Like I was so bored I was like, oh my god I'm going to wring my own head If I don't do something No, it turns out no one's around in August And everyone who is is like Well, we're going to the pub at 7pm And I'm like, it's just not a vibe Me turning up anymore And my husband, who's meant to be supporting me is just like off gallivanting in France.

8:29So I found my friend food and we really went to town. What did you eat? Everything. Every single thing. I took myself, I like took myself on a trip to Harrods to the food hall. Like I was just like, give it to me. And it won't stop. It's like made my stomach really hungry. And now like, I feel like there might be tape rub or something. We went to Harrods to have a look at prams because we were really excited to go and look at prams. We walked all the way to Harrods and ended up just getting a Soviet apple tizer. we got the apple we went straight to the food hall because I was suddenly like and if you're pregnant you know the thirst that just comes over you you're like I will literally drink out of that puddle and so we go straight into the food hall I grab myself an apple tizer elite drink and then we were like alright you're done now and we just left no honey you say that to me I'm not done I would love to look at Prams yeah I said are we done now and then we left and then we were like oh god we just didn't look at one Pram what are you craving at the moment anything in particular there um no i've i'm like really off the sausage vibe like give me the sweet i'm just like anything really noodles um a lot of thai food like i'm really craving like the sweet and the sour like the thai i could suck on a lemon what do you mean i just want to suck on a lemon like i just i want a lemon in my mouth um and along with that like family bags of popcorn are going down a tree two a day what's interesting is we're just going through like it i feel like it's a little bit of a stage of like your hunger is quite high at the moment i think that happens in pregnancy ragingly ravenous and soby thinks that her hips and her stomach stomach are expanding my hips expand in the night it feels like i'm turning into a werewolf and my bones are moving you're lying to me honey there's no way i'm not fucking lying to you and my feet are looking different every day and my mom went well yeah your feet get bigger when you're pregnant i was like what's that gotta help with anything like how is the size of my foot helping get a baby out why can't they just say like my normal size five feet i don't want big size sevens they can't be grown they are and my hips are like in the night i can feel like the bone just suddenly like moving to the side like they're just it's like aching it's growing pains growing pains i think everyone's also getting a bit annoyed at me because i keep laughing at things that's going on with you and and are they well they're not really but i think there's a little protective nature going on over you which i totally get because you mentioned your teeth and I was laughing about that, you know, talking about your feet.

10:55Are people really getting, standing up for me? People stand up for you the whole time. Oh my God, guys. I couldn't imagine anything like that. But it is funny. It is, it's funny. The teeth are really funny. The teeth are funny. The feet are funny. The fact that your feet are growing. They're not growing outward. Have you seen all the comments? Everyone's like, that's a thing. Like it's lack of, the baby takes all the calcium. Everyone is saying that their teeth like fell out, fillings. One woman wrote, I don't know how people who have three kids have any teeth left. I was like, oh my god I want three kids I have to wear dentures dentures my sister told me the other day that when the baby's head comes out which is obviously why like your hips grow or whatever they call it the ring of fire why?

11:39because it's a ring of fire the baby's head coming out your vagina hole is the biggest part of their body and it's the ring of fire what do you mean the ring of fire? Well, it burns your vagina. What more do you want me to tell you? And then once that slips out, you're like, and then they're like, just the shoulders now. And you're like, I was like, oh God. What are you feeling about that whole moment when you lead out a touch? You're quite intrigued by the pain, aren't you? I'm so excited. It's going to be the most exciting day in the entire world. By the way, so as I said, guys, we want to do a quick little intro at the top because we have a guest coming on the podcast.

12:18I'm so excited for Leonie Lewis I'm one of the biggest Leonie Lewis fans No, my dad's one of the biggest Leonie Lewis fans Your dad is? My dad is Explain, what do you mean? So when my parents were getting divorced My whole childhood Rings in my bell Rings in my bell Rings in my brain Is bleeding Bleeding Rings in my bell Bleeding love That was so in tune Rings in my bell Sorry What are you talking about? Rings in my bell Do it one more time? No. And he just played it in the kitchen and my parents were going through divorce. It actually breaks my heart a little bit. I get it opened with that with Leone Lewis.

12:57Like it rang in my head. He had it on repeat. I just think he had a playlist and it was just Leone Lewis, that one song. I'm like, this is like nostalgia. This is like X Factor. This is everything. This is Leone Lewis who is coming on our podcast. I went to the X Factor concert. Can't say that word. Concert. Concert. Sorry? Say the word. No, you said. No, you said. Don't embarrass me. I'm not embarrassed. All the listens will come for you. Go on to set. So what do you call it? My friend's dad, Emma Marsh's dad, drove me and like five other girls. And we went, Winnie was there. And we went and watched X Factor, the year Olly Murs won.

13:34So was that Leonie Lewis's year? I can't remember. But what was it called? The concert. The concert. And I was so in love with Olly Murs. It was beyond pain to watch him. I thought he was everything and more. I think I cried watching him. Can you just say concert one more time? Concert. Oh God, it's driving me insane. Last time. Also, who else? Diana Vickers with the bare feet. Yeah, she was a vibe. She was very cool. I thought she was absolutely everything and more too. I recently saw her at an event a couple of years ago. Yeah, I see her a few times. Hi, legend. What about Cheryl Cole's lookalike?

14:15Do you remember her shirt? She's still kicking him out. But no one was Leona Lewis. Leona Lewis's voice is simply incredible. And so I just hope, I don't know how we're going to make it happen, but hopefully we're going to get her to sing on the episode. All right? Shut up, a private performance. A private performance. Just act cool all right today. Okay, but... I cannot believe you're about to do that with your hands again. What is going on? I don't know, but just tell me how to say that word. Try and say it last time. Concert. You make it sound. Concert. Concert. It's basically like con-soot Like sooty con Concert Okay Alright everybody listen Before Leone Lewis comes in It's time for Dictionary, Dictionary, Dictionary Corner Pregnancy edition I want to know if you're ready to pay parents So I have some words for you that are pregnancy related And I want you to tell me what they mean Go on give it to me Montgomery glands Montgomery glands.

15:18Sounds very Harry Potter. Montgomery glands. I have no idea. The tiny bumps on the areola that help with breastfeeding. Do you know what an areola is, Jamie? Your nipple. Yes. Can we quickly talk about your nipples? No. There's a shake of the head, which means we can't. Let's just say they don't look like my nipples anymore. Anything but. if you put me in line up and you said which one are your own nipples I would not know because these are not what my nipples look like and I am shooketh that this is happening and I don't know if they go back because Georgia keeps going to me look mine are back to normal now and I'm like they're not hun hey break it to you they're not quite normal again so I think that's goodbye to my old boobs if I'm totally honest they've gone like a mahogany cutler they've changed shade they've changed shade and also they're mahogany it's like a deep mahogany wood it's like everything about them has changed so size shade texture nothing about them is my old nipple if you were really in a line up if you were in a line up you wouldn't be able to tell I would have no idea who's those boobs I'd be like those ones are not mine that's for sure do you think if I was in a line up if my penis was through a hole so you couldn't see my legs yes I would know you wouldn't be able to know Yes, I would.

16:42There's not a chance. If it was just penises in a line. You have like a massive telltale. What is that? Circumcised. So are loads of people. Not in my history, I will say. How was... You were the first. I was your first circumcised penis. Was that a surprise? I don't think... Yeah, probably. Not like... I wasn't like, oh my God, Jamie, circumcised. But I was like, oh, this is different. I will say nicer. So, just quickly, if my penis was in a lineup... I would know which one your penis is. Not a chance. Yes, I would. There's no ways. So you wouldn't know anything about me in a lineup? If your vagina was in a lineup, I don't think I'd be able to tell it's your vagina.

17:26Are you joking? I haven't seen it in about six months. This is true. Four at this point, I reckon. Oh my God, you wouldn't? Would I be able to tell your vagina? Yeah, I think I probably would be able to tell your vagina. Surely you would. But vaginas are so different. Are they really? Every boy who says this to me, I am absolutely flabbergasted. Every man, they all look the same. They all look the same? I've never seen a bodily part look so different than vaginas. Every woman's vagina is so different. Really? Yes. Magda, do you agree? You know how different breeds of dog have different types of tail?

18:05I think that's what genitals are like. I agree. No two look the same. Really? Same with penises. every penis looks very different but some penises look the same okay Chadwick sign are you going to answer this? sorry what is Chadwick sign? Chadwick sign is potential early sign of pregnancy where your vulva, vagina and cervix turn a blue or purplish colour oh my god I mean honestly you just women need to have a round of applause because I'm going to just do it here we go round of applause what happens to your body and what you go through is just phenomenal and you just put up with it That is wild.

18:41I don't remember my vagina being blue or purple. But does it go back? Well, I don't remember ever getting that, but maybe I did. Okay, it's time for... Listener's Messages.

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19:41Plus, it's covered by most major insurances. Getting started is easy. You can book your first visit with a clinician right away. Midlife needs MIDI. Visit JoinMIDI.com to book your first visit today. That's JoinMIDI.com. Insurance coverage varies. Check with your plan for coverage. This is Hannah Berner from Giggly Squad. O-Pill is the first over-the-counter daily birth control pill available in the U.S. let's be real getting a birth control prescription is not always easy and it's so much admin in fact about a third of women face barriers to access prescription birth control between scheduling appointments missing work class or just trying to exist it's a lot but now opill is putting birth control in our control opill is a daily birth control that's fda approved full prescription strength and estrogen free and 98 effective when used as directed grab it online or at most major retailers, no prescription or doctor's appointment needed.

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22:03Welcome to Listener's Messages. And by the way, just thank you so much for sending them in. Once again, always the same thing I say, but it is just true. Okay, we have one, a wild birth story from Anonymous. I have a top tip for Sophie. Before birth, stretch your vagina. I repeat, stretch your fanny. Get Jamie to go to a sex shop and buy an eight-incher. Believe me, I stretched my fanny and birthed two giant boys with not a single tear. The midwives were coming in like it was a freak show in awe that my exit hole was still intact. Everyone who's listened to my advice, their babies have popped out like a wee walnut.

22:41All my friends... Woolnut. Wee walnut. All my friends that haven't have ripped from fanny to arsehole. Oh my god. Mine said no stretching for six months. Even the past, even the post-birth poo was a breeze for me. Just fell out. Get stretching. Sorry, so many questions here right now. What is the post-birth poo? Apparently it's like worse pain than giving birth. No, you can't. Yeah. Because you're so sore there and it's coming out of a very similar area. I don't quite understand how that can be so painful because it's not the same hole. But clearly, apparently, it's shockingly painful. What is going...

23:20This is so hectic. You have to do this. And some people, obviously, if you tear, then risk of infection if you poo. Oh my God. Absolutely. So what you do is you take like laxatives basically or like stool softeners so that your poo is very soft and doesn't like hurt. Because like you want it to basically slop out. My friend told me a story on the weekend. That he went to a girl's house and he tried to flush the loo. He took a poo and he tried to flush the loo and it wouldn't flush. So he thought, fuck this. and grabbed it with his hand. No, he didn't. And he said it was like holding a bar of soap and he then threw it out of the window.

24:06But we've had this written into Wednesdays. No, Sophie, a friend. Which friend? I'm not going to tell you, but you know them. They picked it out and it was like soap, a bar of soap. Can I just say that's honestly so disgusting. It ruined it. I just don't know. I can't believe it. Why wouldn't he, like, get a bit of tissue at least? They went bare hand in and just grabbed it. I said, did it not break up? He said, no. What and what? She walked down in the morning. Oh, my God, there's a human shit on her hand. Even worse. You can ask him afterwards. He threw it onto the roof. Ask him afterwards. He's in this office.

24:45It's not in the office. Got you. You can ring them up. He threw it onto the roof. Okay, I've got a love story. Oh, give me this love story. From Amy and her. In December 2017, I was advised by my GP after a range of tests that I was highly unlikely to be able to conceive children naturally. I was devastated. My main purpose in life was always to be a mother, so this news was heartbreaking for me. The GP started the ball rolling on more tests she could do and booked me in for a blood test the following week. Fast forward another 14 days, I was feeling sick and a day late on my period. I was regular as clockwork, so being late was almost unheard of for me.

25:23So purely to rule it out I took a pregnancy test I've never been so shocked In my life To find two very Strong blue lines 14 days prior I was told I couldn't have children So I thought The test had to be wrong I called the doctor And she pulled up My blood test From the previous week And confirmed that Yes I was definitely 100 % pregnant Wow The child I was advised I would be highly unlikely To conceive Will be seven next month And going into year two In primary school Come on She's perfect Has just the right amount Of sass and attitude and is simply beautiful. I love this. Guys, that is like so special.

25:57I'm so happy. And that's so true. I cannot wait. Guys, honestly, just thank you so much. But also just these stories just make us feel like wholesome and lovely and connected and part of so many different things. And hopefully we keep entertaining you. So keep sending them in. Voice notes, everything. At nearlyparentspodcast on Instagram or you can send us an email nearlyparents at jampodproductions.co.uk. Honey, that's the end of Listeners Messages.

26:26Very excited for this. Act cool. You act cool. Act graceful because we have royalty about to walk in. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the podcast, the queen that is Leona Lewis.

26:42Leona Lewis, welcome to the podcast. Thank you for having me. Let's go. Yeah. I'm so excited. Me too. I'm so excited. I'm excited to be here. Like I'm freaking out a little bit. Why are you freaking out? I might have to get a selfie. Yeah, yeah. I'm a little bit freaking out. I don't know why. A selfie? Yeah, right, can we do a selfie now? Sure. We do have to get one for you. I was saying to Jamie, my dad is like your biggest fan. Like he really is. I have to send him a phone to me at some point. I love to dad. You know, how's life? How's everything? Life is good. I actually just got back from a little holiday, a little family holiday in France, which was nice, with my little one, my three-year-old and my hubby and my best friend and her kids.

27:33It was actually mad because it wasn't really a holiday. It's like when you've got little kids like that, it's more of like a trip. And it's still a bit crazy. You're not like sunbathing and relaxing. Oh, no, don't tell me this. It's just never relaxing anymore. No, it's not. it's not like a holiday three year olds not sunbaity next year no they're not like staying still for like one second it's just here you have to have eyes everywhere so yeah but it was fun it was really fun what advice would you give us straight away about becoming new parents and going down that road what advice would you have the first thing I would say is sleep now like sleep as much as possible because the sleep deprivation is so real like I didn't realise how like sleep deprived I would be Wait, are you talking about now with a three year old baby stage?

28:29Baby stage but then like I feel like now I'm still like I'm trying to catch up on sleep from then yeah so just try and sleep as much as possible I can't sleep being pregnant I'm so unholt one and half I know, I know I remember when I was coming to I don't know about eight, nine months like even turning oh yeah just turning like in just turn it's is that a whole thing like it's a thing yeah it's it's a lot i literally be like husband like you just need to like turn me over like you'd have to help like like a whale like trying like sitting up i feel like i'm like straining my stomach it's like you almost need a rope to pull yourself up and you feel like you're you can't get any bigger but you do and that's I just don't think I can yeah like and then you're gonna be your mind is gonna be blown when you get to like nine months you're like how is this possible and then you're ready to just be like come on come this baby just needs to come now like yeah the last month yeah the last month it's it's it's a lot but but but enjoy it but it's great it's really fun as long as you've got a great partner that is helping you out and yeah.

29:43How are you juggling life? Because you're living a little bit in LA, you're living a bit in London, you have your beautiful baby and you also now got this 35 day residency in Vegas, which let's go. Thank you. That is insane because you, and you've been manifesting this for 10 years? Yes, something that, honestly, I went to and saw Celine Dion in Vegas actually years and years ago And in the back of my mind, when I saw her, I kind of just visualized myself there and having a show like as a dream. And yeah, like all these years later, it's actually happening. So it's kind of crazy and amazing. So I'm really, really excited about it.

30:28It is a lot when you've got all that going on and then you've got a toddler as well. I did tour two years ago and she was one. What? It was hard. It was hard. I needed my family. Like you need to lean on your family a lot in these times, like especially in that first year. Like family is so important. And, you know, if you can have people around you to help you, like it's really important. So my mum and dad have just been like the biggest blessing in me still being able to do music and sing and perform and do shows and still bring my baby along with me. so having them there it's just been the biggest blessing of life that is the most amazing when you when you manifest something and it comes yeah real and then you're going to be standing on stage in vegas yeah it's insane it's yeah it's it's huge it's definitely manifestation i think and even i was saying um when i was younger i used to just say i'm a singer i'm a singer i'm a singer and as i grew up that's just what i believed i'm a singer and i'm an artist and and then i became a singer and a musician so it's definitely a real thing that if we tell ourselves this enough and feel it enough that it probably is going to happen you know in some way i i i do want to say one thing though is that you had one thing which i don't have which is a good voice you yeah you should probably be able to back out with something yeah so i i said to myself i'm gonna be a singer and I really couldn't back it up.

32:05I mean, that's like me saying I'm going to be a triathlete and never running on a treadmill in my life. So you definitely have to back it up with something. Because I thought what we should do in this moment is I should sing to you. Oh, please do. And I want you to judge me on my singing. You want me to judge you? Yeah, 100%. And you can be really honest. Okay, I'll be honest. You're going to do the same. I'm absolutely not singing in front of Fiona Lewis. Are you not going to be singing? No, no. I have the world's worst voice and so do you. No, I think I'm singing tune. And you're singing in front of the queen of singing.

32:41I'm going to do it. Because I imagine when your baby was in your tummy, you would probably sing and you would... Are you singing to the baby? No. I am now. No, what Jamie does is he has very adult conversations with the baby. He's like, talks about work and business. And I'm like, oh, okay. Because you told me to talk to the baby as an adult. I'm not as an adult Oh do you mean When the baby's here Like don't talk In baby voice Yeah I Yeah I think that's actually There's something behind that Their language They pick up language more If you speak to them In like Not like an adult A little adult Yes Like proper sentences Okay Leon I'm going to sing to you Are you ready for this I'm ready Go on I'm now feeling a little bit In my head I'm absolutely mortified That this is happening I'm actually I'm actually like getting myself what was it when you de - Depersonalize.

33:33I'm depersonalizing. Disassociating. In my head this was way better and now it's actually real. I feel a bit intimidated. I'm just intrigued as to what song you're going to sing. You and me both you know. Oh my god I don't think I can do it. Okay here we go. Here we go. Love Oh my god. Did you warm up? What do you mean warm up? You're just doing it cold like that. Yeah obviously because I'm professional. No, if you're a professional, you warm up and then do it. Should probably be teaching you a few things then. I don't need a warm up. Here we go. You ready? Love lift us up where we belong.

34:14Where eagles fly. It's really trying. Up in mountains high. Yeah, go on. Love lift us up. Oh, you key changed. Yeah. Wow. You're really trying to challenge me right now. Love lift us up where we belong. Where he goes right from the stomach. I'm really trying to like harmonise with you, but I don't even know like where. Can we try and harmonise? We don't even know like where on the scale we are because the key has changed like five times. Okay. Really, I love it. Okay, let's pick another song and let's try and harmonise together. Try and sing like in the same key. The same tone? Like the same tone?

35:03Yeah. No, the same key. It's not the same tone. So what? Key and tone are different, but like. I love it, Leona, how you agreed with her. No, she couldn't go. Don't listen to me when you're singing. Just listen to you, okay? Because if you start listening to me, your key will change. Okay? No, it won't. So, oh, okay. Challenge accepted. Okay. What key do you want me in? Babe, any key Alright You pick it Alright, fine I'll do it in A C Just so A C So musical I'm going to do it in a C Minor C minor Just for you I sit awake Oh, beautiful There's an angel You just changed key I knew it Contemplate my fate That's the same key, yeah And do they know The place is where we go When we're grey and old Yeah, keep going Cos I have been told That salvation Lest the wings unfold I've just got to let you take this, honestly I got a head rush doing that Actually does, I'm pretty much You know what?

36:22You stayed in the same queue for like a little while for you to come in I know but I just the key was just I couldn't find it sorry but thank you for sharing that I've got a headache from that like not from the noise that was really good good song choices stunning song choices what advice as well would you give to us about I know you said keep up and sleep and things like that but any advice for me as becoming a dad like your partner what has he been really good at doing do you know what I think feeling like you're a team and you're together like even on our like most exhausted like frazzled days because it is so new and like life does change and you're trying to get used to everything and then your body and your hormones are all over the place and you're trying to you know come back to yourself and it's it's it can be a lot and it can be really hard in a relationship to keep the communication going.

37:26But I feel like as long as we feel like we're on the same team, we're trying to get to the same place. We love each other so much. We support each other. Yes, we're going to have our little differences and our little bickering moments. But as long as I feel like we're on the same team together, I'm good. That's such good advice. Yeah, that is. Like you're on the same road. Yeah, exactly. Because I feel like we're a team together. Yeah, me too. There we go. Look at that. yeah would be a bit worrying if I said no I don't I actually don't think we are I tell you what I tell you what I figured out doesn't really happen we've spoken a lot about this on the podcast intimacy is off the cards for a while oh yeah for sure don't touch me I'm so glad you said that okay does that happen because some pregnant women are like I was never like more into it I'm like not me I feel like when I had my baby like literally you have the baby on you all the time like you're with the baby all the time like you don't want anyone else touch it like you're like get off of me you've got enough oxytocin going on yeah like I'm good like get away I was literally like get away don't no don't even hug me at this point it takes a minute it takes a minute there was one point where I literally started to like I touched Sophie's leg and she was just like get off me you do not especially if you're hot like it's the heat that's exactly it his hands are so hot I'm like your hands are like radiators to me since I've been pregnant so it's just like you keep putting a hot water bottle on me.

38:54I'm like, you need to get it removed. Why does no one talk about this? Why does no one talk about that no one has sex during this period? No one talks about it. This is a, you're both looking at me like it's... There are a lot of things I feel like that people don't tell you. Oh my God. Like, you just learn by the fire. Yeah, 90 % pretty much. You're in the dark. Literally. Like, I think we forget as well. Like, a lot of my friends like just for, like, left out details. I'm like, you could have told me. I know. So that's why I'm trying to give you like, because it was, I mean, it's been three years, but like it's kind of recent.

39:30But the sleep was a lot. The sleep for me was the main thing. So tired, you're just like, I didn't even know tiredness existed. Oh, like delirious, like literally deliriously tired. I'm sorry. Can I ask, what is the biggest thing that's happened to you that you never realized was going to happen? I can't think. All of it. The teeth. The teeth. the teeth yeah that's really so true the teeth is like also like the hormones at the beginning wow the rage i like it's the rage it's not so much like the tears like i expect it to be very emotional and all these things oh no my sight red rage comes out it just comes out of absolutely nowhere and i'm like oh my gosh what why am i so angry something's like i'm turning out of a human did you have morning sickness or no okay did you have morning sickness oh so bad oh i had morning sickness literally until i gave birth no leona literally it was so bad people hate you why are you laughing he laughs at all of this no i'm really upset it was it was crazy the first four five months but then after that it got better but i definitely every morning there would be a little a little quiz a little quiz and then literally when i gave birth i was like yes It's the first time that I don't feel sick So it just literally vanished The mini-game birth So what were you able to eat When you had all that morning sickness For a whole 10 months Just like dry crackers Like dry crackers Anything like dry I was like just give me dry rice Just give me dry bread Like it was yeah Just anything dry to take away the quiz Oh that's really brutal So many things Look what we go through I know right And then we've just got you laughing at us.

41:15I'm not laughing. I'm supporting with laughter. Yeah, we really feel that way. You didn't get the rage ever? Did I get the rage? I probably did with my husband. I'm sure he would say, you got the rage. I'm like, I was fine. But that's who gets it. I think he definitely got it in the neck a few times for sure. Okay, we're going to play a quick game. Are you ready for this? I'm ready. It is called Parenting X Factor Apologies for the title It's original It's really original We'll just call it Parenting X Factor Okay So we've got some quick five questions for you to see what's harder Being a parent or being a pop star Okay so what takes more prep A.

42:01A red carpet event Or B. Leaving the house with a baby Leaving the house with a baby No ways It takes so I'm late to everything it's getting better you were early no because I don't have my baby with me okay me slight difference but literally it takes there's so many things that you have to bring with you like just so much stuff let me just let me just style this out for a second okay here we go wake up yeah get out the bram have you prepared do you know one thing I said to my husband you better read a parenting book he was like it's fine i'm gonna be fine it's it's it's good like it's just gonna come natural totally no it's gonna come natural i was like you need to read he's he was oh yeah i should have read something so for women it does come more naturally than the men really should get a bit educated i feel like yeah it would have been helpful to like just read a little book just just something just i'll read a little book yeah i don't need it but i'll read it Read a little book.

43:05See, that's how my husband was. I don't need to. I'm fine. But I just, you get out the pram, put the baby in the pram, get the bottle, out the door. What if the baby poops or wheeze? And don't you need spare bottles so you can sanitize them? You need spare bottles. You need to wipe the poop and the wheeze. Oh, yeah. There we go. That's good. So you need wipes. Snack please. You need... Snacks? Snack. Well, not for a newborn because they don't eat food yet. And noob or maybe you just have your boob. Yeah, like, yeah, if you're breastfeeding, then, yeah. Okay, all right, it's a lot. It's a lot, it's a lot.

43:40Okay, which is more intense, boot camp, week on X Factor, or potty training? Do you know what? Coco was really easy to potty train. Really? Yeah. That's a really nice thing to hear. Yeah, she was really easy. I was dreading it and putting it off for so long, but she, I don't know, I think she was just ready. so she was actually thank god it really easy to potty drain yeah it was actually quite quite easy all right i like it i like that a lot okay who gives harsher feedback louis walsh or a toddler with no filter it's the same thing well played well played probably my toddler like she has yeah they have zero filter like yeah zero filter I can imagine everything like and but it's so innocent and it's so like sweet like she's like mommy your belly looks so big it's coming from like the cutest I can't even like so I'm like yeah okay you're so cute I don't take offense it's fine they always say they someone told me once that if you're this is quite harsh they said if your child you're you find your kids so cute if you didn't find them that cute it would be a nightmare you'd be like get out you they actually said didn't they said you'd drop them on the side of the road like that's why they're that cute if they test you so much like i had as well apparently i don't know if this is true um but the baby looks like the dad so that the dad can like bond and like yeah want to look after the baby the newborn yeah and then they start to turn yeah i asked sophie once what she wanted out of me for our baby to to to look like and she said just your personality i didn't say just your personality i didn't think of it like that i meant just no i didn't say the word just i said it as a real compliment i said i would love for the baby to have your personality because then what else i didn't think of the looks because all i care about all of it all she cares about is your personality exactly isn't that such a compliment it's complete horseshit it's complete are you joking you know what apparently a lot of the baby's personality comes from the dad as all these instagram things keep popping up and telling me okay interesting well i don't okay here we go what's more satisfying hitting the perfect note or finally getting a baby to sleep oh goodness it's hard definitely getting the baby to sleep actually my husband was really good at that like the the the shushing and the rocking and like the middle of the night wake up actually he was really good at being able to like there's a certain way that he would like hold her that he kind of perfected and she would just go right off which was lovely but hang on but when you hit the perfect note and you're on stage do you go in your head like you did yeah yeah but in your head do you go fucking nailed it she does that every time every time I reckon when you'd really get it I don't know if I've ever said that to myself honestly I don't know I'm too much of a perfectionist are you really yeah I am yeah I'm starting I used to be I'm starting to be a lot more just chilled out about it but I think that's what like kind of drove me a little bit to this like perfectionism to like get it right or get it and it's just chasing something that just doesn't actually exist so I'm definitely way more relaxed about stuff like that.

47:25What was the moment when you suddenly let go and stopped trying to be perfect? Definitely I think a few years before my daughter actually was born I just kind of wasn't enjoying what I was doing even when I was listening to things back I'd like have this like critical voice in my head and now I'm just ready to enjoy things and and I need to like kind of put that aside especially with my daughter I just want to be in the moment with her and really just yeah enjoy her and not have her feel like she needs to be a perfectionist because it steals the joy actually out of what you're doing and I feel like especially when performing or writing I'm just like way more in the moment with everything now and yeah that kind of started to snowball I went into the studio because I just felt very inspired by it and yeah just writing from such a different place now especially with my little girl does that mean there's going to be some new music yeah definitely next year so I'm I'm yeah I'm excited and like I said it's I'm writing from such a different place now it's not even like a new chapter it's a new novel it's a new book and you'll see like how profoundly your life will change when you meet this little person that you've created out of your love for each other and just how much it like rocks your world in all the best ways but how like deep you can love something and how much love you're open up to is insane like also how much fear because then you're scared because you're like worried about them and like you just want the best for them all the time so it's kind of both and it's how to hold both of those things um and yeah like so a lot of the writing in the album a lot of writing that I've been doing is about that so yeah next year some new music I can't wait for the new music I want to let's go to Vegas with the baby I know I was just thinking let's go to Vegas with the baby I can't freaking wait baby does Vegas thank you so much for coming on you're the best the biggest fan in the entire world and thank you so much for giving us your time you're the best thank you yay

49:48well that unbelievable was a complete and utter treat Can I just say, most stunning person I've ever seen in my life, in real life. And secondly, most stunning energy. Just wonderful. And that voice, I got snippets of it. You were so annoyingly loud. What you didn't see, everyone, but you can see on our social media is Leona Lewis singing to our baby when I'm on my knees. That is actually the coolest thing. We can show our baby that in years to come. I know. In years to come, when Leona Lewis will be like Frank Sinatra.

50:20why don't you say someone else like frank sinatra i weirdly like listened to some frank sinatra today okay sorry like celine dion sophie's music like tastes is unbelievably quite unexpected so i'm doing my pregnancy playlist at the moment this is for birth should i read you some of the names here we go listen to this eva cassidy feels a god song right lovely top of the world looking Down on creation Carpenters Jolene Jolene Jolene Donnie Parton Hotel California Eagles Which is about drugs A bit weird to do that On giving birth or whatever Take it easy Drugs Lying eyes You can hide Your lying eyes So are we in the 70s?

51:05Am I mine? Is it? And then this one's the best In the ghetto By Elvis Presley Can I just say Like unexpected You will tell you I understand Unexpected The child needs a helping hand it's so sexy you have all that music knowledge it's just what my parents my mum mostly listen to I love it honey well listen ladies and gentlemen on that note I want to say a big thank you to Leona Lewis you are a complete and utter legend you really really are wow I would die if she goes on tour next year we are there I'm in with my dad I'm going to send her a message and I can't wait she's the best thank you Leona for coming on and thank you everyone for listening once again as always you can get in touch with us at nearlyparentspodcast on Instagram or you can send us an email nearlyparents at jampopproductions.co.uk and of course we're going to be back next week.

51:51We've been doing that a lot this episode, haven't we? Next week for another episode of Nearly Parents. Until then, buckle up. Do the pip, pop it, sockets. And if you're getting married Good luck. If you're getting engaged Good luck. If you're getting divorced Good luck. If you're renting a house Good luck. And if you're having a baby Good luck. We love you, goodbye. Goodbye.

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