I flew to New York fashion week when I was about six weeks pregnant...
Everywhere you could imagine, I was sick. I started carrying shopping bags around with me. It was awful. My poor assistant! The hardest thing is you can’t tell anyone. I went back to London and didn’t get out of bed until I was 15 weeks. I was put on bed rest due to complications. A lot of people are blessed with an easy first three months, but I wasn’t. When you are somebody who likes to work and run around, you really do need someone to say stop. Even when they say stop, you need something quite serious to happen. I didn’t realise how much I really wanted the baby until I came close to losing it. My motherly instincts kicked in and I thought, I’ll do anything to protect this little baby. After 15 weeks, I was off bed rest and I started travelling again but with a whole new outlook. Once I slowed down, I felt much better.
I always said I didn’t want to have children until I’d done everything and set myself up career wise...
I didn’t want to have any regrets. My Mum and Dad had me when they were very young, and while they have no regrets, my Mum always said to me, do everything you could ever want before you have children and I really feel that I’ve lived very much to the full. I also feel like my husband and I have had enough time together as a couple – it’ll be five and a half years when we have our son.
We went away to Italy and had the most incredibly holiday of our lives...
We started in Verona and drove all the way to Tuscany for a friend’s wedding. I fell pregnant in Verona. We were staying at the Hotel Giulietta e Romeo hotel. We often joke we’ll call our son Romeo!
I have been learning a lot about the hypnobirthing method...
I am hoping to have a home birth with a midwife and a doula. I have been doing my meditation everyday. Didier does it with me and it’s amazing. We do it for half an hour and always end up having a nap afterwards! For me, it’s really about giving the baby the best entrance. When I get stressed, the baby gets stressed. I recently had a bad fall and injured my knee badly. He didn’t kick for two days. That really showed me how much he responds to my adrenaline and stress. Since I’ve fallen pregnant, I’ve had a tooth removed with no anesthetic and a very painful knee injury, so I feel ready for anything!
I’ve always dressed up, even more so since I moved to London...
I usually wear really severe, structured pieces. My most relaxed look is a button up shirt with leather pants. I’ve had to change my style a lot. I own two T-shirts and they’re both from my collection for General Pants, Candidate, which came out last December. My best friend had never seen me in a T-shirt before today. I went to buy a pair of pregnancy jeans from TopShop and I just couldn’t do it. It wasn’t really me. Since falling pregnant, I’ve gone down to flats, which is really nice. I also wear a lot of Celine, which is often quite oversized anyway. I thought I’d have to live in oversized tents, but you just end up looking big and you can’t see your bump.
I used to swim a kilometer three times a week, but I’m not an exercise type of person...
I might go for a walk around my park but I wouldn’t say I’m into exercise. I run up the stairs on the tube! Next time I fall pregnant, I am going to get so fit beforehand and do lots of Pilates to build up my core strength.
I've always loved children but I think my friends were completely shocked when I told them I was pregnant...
I love working and I love travelling, and I’ve always been a bit of a nomad. I think when you meet the right person everything changes. Didier and I have been married for just over a year, but we’ve been together five years. I knew the minute I met him that I just wanted to make lots of mini hims.
You see these women who seem to be doing it all...
I think they just remove all the things you don’t really need to be worrying about in life. You rid yourself of all the things that are irrelevant. It was nice for me to realise that slowing down is actually a really positive thing. Once I did that, my whole life just changed.
Candice Lake is standing in a bassike T-shirt laughing. “I need to go and show Iwona. She’s never seen me in a T-shirt before,” she says. Off she goes to show her best friend what she looks like in a cotton tee. ”That was the first time shes ever seen me in a T-shirt,” says Lake, back to slip into something that is more suited to her own personal style: a Dion Lee knit leather skirt and silk top which is sheer around the midriff revealing her petite bump. ”Now this is more like me! This skirt has been my saving grace. It’s long enough and quite a thick, stretchy knit. Comfort is starting to get a lot more important.”
The striking Lake is six months pregnant, due to give birth to her son in April. If anyone knows how to tackle dressing stylishly with a bump, it’s the Australian photographer, blogger, model and contributing style editor at Vogue Australia. It helps that her bump didn’t start to take shape until the 22-week mark. ”I started to think maybe I’m faking this? I’m almost six months now and it has really popped out in the last four weeks.”
London-based Lake remembers the moment she first discovered she was pregnant. ”I went to see a fertility doctor who told me I was pregnant after feeling my pulse and looking at my tongue. I was on my way to an appointment at Jimmy Choo. I sat through the whole appointment thinking oh my god, I’m pregnant, am I really pregnant? Is it really bad to do a pregnancy test in the bathroom of Jimmy Choo on Sloane street? Of course, I waited until I got home and the test was positive.”
While Lake might make pregnancy look effortless, she says the first trimester was anything but. ”I flew to New York fashion week when I was about six weeks pregnant. Everywhere you could imagine, I was sick … the hardest thing is you can’t tell anyone. I went back to London and didn’t get out of bed until I was 15 weeks. I was put on bed rest due to complications. A lot of people are blessed with an easy first three months, but I wasn’t. When you are somebody who likes to work and run around, you really do need someone to say stop.” Luckily, the rest of the pregnancy has been easier, which Lake says has come from a quieter life. ”You see these women who seem to be doing it all, but I think they just remove all the things you don’t really need to be worrying about in life. You rid yourself of all the things that are irrelevant. It was nice for me to realise that slowing down is actually a really positive thing. Once I did that, my whole life just changed.”
A vegetarian, Lake says her diet hasn’t drastically changed. She stopped drinking any coffee or alcohol and started craving smoothies (berry and banana). ”In the beginning, all I wanted to do was to eat dry toast with a bit of vegemite, no butter. I had a lot of food aversions and lost too much weight in the first three months. I’m a big tea drinker and even the thought of tea made me literally sick.” Now, she has her three staple dishes on high rotation. “I’m a horrible cook. I make three dishes: spelt risotto with kale, lentil soup and tuna pasta. Breakfast is lots of fruit, granola and yoghurt. I’m not really a big eater, but I’ve noticed that my appetite is starting to pick up.”
Her pregnancy tips? “I love Weledas Stretch Mark Massage Oil. It really helps because my skin has become really dry. Also, she advises finding a good pregnancy pillow. My husband bought me one. Poor Didier, he has been kicked out of the bed and now it’s all about the pillow!”. She’s also a huge fan of a book called The Gentle Birth Method by Gowri Motha. ”It’s a wonderful pregnancy programme which covers everything from diet to massage to affirmation techniques. Her book was so calming and really changed my whole approach to pregnancy.” And as for falling pregnant, she says don’t pay attention to your iPhone. ”There are so many aps which tell you when you’re supposed to ovulate. Don’t listen to those! I followed one for a couple of months and it was completely wrong.”
Having spent the summer holidays in Australia with her friends and family, Lake is about to jump on a plane to New York fashion week armed with oversized coats (look out for her Tom Ford fur) and flats galore (they can be very chic). Then it’s back to London where shell stay put until the baby arrives. ”I love the growing bump because it feels like I’m getting closer and closer to meeting him. I also love the kicks, because I’m learning about his personality. It’s such a beautiful experience.”
Photography: Julie Adams Hair and make-up: Sarina Zoe Styling: Kristin Trude Words: Georgie Abay