Brave Little Soldier.

We were having a lovely morning, the little dude & I.

He treated me to a 7.15 lay in (that's 3 in a row people, yay!), we had our usual post-breakfast chat & singsong, and then he went down totally fuss-free for what's become affectionately known as 'the jeremy kyle nap' (because it coincides with Mr K's shameless parading of many unfortunates, which i never ever used to dream of watching, but since maternity leave started, has been slowly weaseling it's way into my daily routine. oops.)

While my little man was in the land of nod, I checked emails, caught up with my google reader, found that I'd won a competition!! (excitement - I never win things!), and replied to texts. One of which, was from my friend S, to say yes, we are free for lunch with her & her little boy Z on Monday, fun stuff.

Before the arrangement details got lost in the candyfloss that is my brain, I grabbed my diary to write them down.

Crap crap crapity crap.
There, in pink capitals (you know, so that I wouldn't forget!) was:
DYLAN - DOCTORS - JABS ROUND 2 - 1PM!!!

Note to self: diaries only work if you remember to look inside them occasionally.

At that moment, I kid you not, the heavens opened & the rain fell down.

Brilliant.

All that said though, the J - A - B's weren't nearly as bad as last time - once again the little dude didn't even flinch at the first one, but did turn almost purple after the 2nd.
*but* rather than crying all the way home & then falling asleep, this time he was over it before we even left the surgery. Progress helped along largely, by funny bug, his latest favourite toy.

We must never, ever, lose funny bug.

And now? He's sound asleep, completely oblivious to why there's a tiny red dot on each leg. And once again, I feel like a big girl for getting myself all worried about nothing. But I already know I'll do it all again next month. Thank goodness that'll be the last lot for a while.

And that funny bug will be on hand to help... assuming he hasn't been usurped by something noisier of crinklier or fuzzier.

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Come on Squigler!!

Dancinfairy - this one's for you!

Your update just popped up on my googlereader, and I figured that as you can access *your* google reader, I would send you some love & luck wishes via the gift of blogger... what an age we live in, huh?!

And, thought you might like to know,you're practically a trending topic on twitter - everyone is checking up on your Mr's tweets to see if there's any news! (poor bloke - but at least you're working on giving him the best birthday present ever! :D)

So, hope you're doing okay - not too uncomfortable, and not going too loopy through boredom!!

Hope everything goes quickly & smoothly & that you'll be gazing in wonder at your little squigler before you know it :D

Sending you bunches of good thoughts and hugs - and good luck!! xxx

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Wordless Wednesday: I ♥ my boys :)

p.s. theres a giveaway over at my other bog :)

happy wednesday!
(visit wordless wednesday for more great photos.)

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To sleep, perchance to dream...

I saw a briliant rubberstamp yesterday while I was spending money I shouldn't be idly browsing my favourite craft shops online...

"People who say they sleep like a baby, generally don't have one."

It made me giggle.

But, at the risk of sounding ridiculously smug & probably jinxing myself big time, I'm actually pretty lucky in that department. The little dude generally drifts off at about 8ish, has a sleepy feed at 11.30ish, then *usually* goes through to around 6am (which to be honest, is a little earlier than I generally like to get up, but I suppose I shouldn't complain!!) - not too bad for a 3 month old!

What I don't get though, is my inability to last on minimum sleep rations.

Back in the day, I was quite a party girl!
At college, I'd go clubbing til the early hours & still make morning lectures, at least 3 times a week - I'd pull all nighters to get coursework in on time, not a problem, I'd be out again over the weekend & still hold down a weekend job - easy!

And even more recently pre-baby, my colleagues at work were always amazed at how fresh-faced I looked on a Friday morning after a weekly Thursday night karaoke-a-thon til 1am - and that was when a night out included more than one or two cocktails!!

Now, I barely drink, am pretty much always in bed just after midnight, and yet still find myself giving sleepy the dwarf a run for his money in the yawning stakes by teatime! Definitely need to work at the baby stamina - he'll be crawling before long, I'll spend all day chasing him round the house, and then I'll really be shattered! :P

Speaking of sleep - have you checked out the contest over at cafebebe? If not, do! It's a great prize, sponsored by pampers, and while you're there - have a poke around the site, it's fabulous :)
I'm going to enter a picture of my sleepy little man.. I know, I know, mushy new mummy taking photos of the snoozy baby, but really - how cute? very :D

sweet dreams dear readers! x

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Proper little mummy...

As a rule, I hate stereotypes, of any kind.
But now that I'm a mummy, there are a few I actually quite like.

Let me explain...

We're going to a party tomorrow - my friend's little girl is one, it'll be the little dude's first party - exciting :D

So today, we went to town to buy a present (cute denim dress, a hand puppet, and a gorgeous touchy-feeley book), and when we got back, I wrapped it all up, and finished off the birthday card I'd been making (which you can see on my crafty blog if you like).

My friend had asked if the grown up guests could bring an offering for the buffet, so I whipped up a batch of cupcakes and left them to cool. (My baking skills are limited, but I make YUMMY cupcakes.)

Then, I went to make dinner (veggie lasagne incase you're curious!), and while that was cooking, I iced the cupcakes, voila:


I went back into the lounge where Daddy & Little Dude were engrossed in the very hungry caterpillar, and put the tin of cakes next to the birthday girl's present & card. Chatting to myself, I was all
...presents wrapped? check. card written? check. cakes done? check. dinner in the oven? check...
(yes, slight obsessive compulsive tendancies at work there, it keeps me sane :P)

and that's when the daddy (having finished telling LD all about the very hungry caterpillar) said,
"aww, look at you, you're a proper little mummy! :D"

And d'you know what? I think I am. And I think I like it.
Don't get me wrong, I'll never let myself become nothing but 'the little woman', the daddy will *always* be expected to do his share, and the feisty opinionated chick with the passions for loud music & heated debate will always be part of me, but I guess there's a little domestic goddess in there too, and that's not such a bad thing :D

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Rebel with a baby - I mean cause.

I have come to the conclusion, that I’m a rebel mummy. Yep, I am.

When I got pregnant, I read a stupid amount – books, websites, articles, leaflets from the midwife – everything I could lay my hands on.
I was going to be the best read, best prepared, most perfect mummy EVER.

HA!

Having had a real life baby for a little more than three months (rather than the little text book version who feeds 3 hourly on the dot, naps with military precision and never ever cries for more than a few minutes {really, Gina Ford, really?!}), I know now, that pregnancy books should be viewed as a rough guide. A jumping off point to start negotiations if you will.

Here are just a few of the mummy rules I’ve already broken…

Do not mix breast & bottle in the first months. Check.

If breastfeeding, do not offer baby a dummy in the first months. Ooops. (I was not prepared for the 40 minute cry-a-thon on day 4, having slept for about 6 hours since the little dude’s birth – so the dummy that came free with our steriliser was an absolute godsend. I am glad though that the noodle only uses it for maybe 5 minutes while he’s settling down to sleep.)

Use Controlled Crying – nope. Tried it once, felt like the worst mummy ever, not doing it again.

Make a bath part of baby’s bedtime routine every night. Much as the little dude quite enjoys a splash in the bath, it’s still a bit of a large scale operation – and frankly far too time consuming for every night. Plus, he’s a baby, apart from the nappy region, he doesn’t get all that dirty. So he generally has a bath 2 or 3 times a week, and gets topped & tailed daily instead.

Mummy should sleep when the baby sleeps. Nice theory, but when am I supposed to take a shower, do laundry… eat?

Don’t let your baby fall asleep in your arms – always put them down awake. This is the one I hate the most. I love cuddling my baby boy, and when he gets sleepy, I love the way he snuggles right into me (especially now he’s learning to cuddle properly – chubby little arms grabbing you tight :D). We settle down on the couch together, I sing him a song, and he soothes himself off to sleep. It’s not all the time, but yes, it’s at least once a day, and yes, I enjoy it. So there. Sorry Ms Ford, we’re just going to have to agree to disagree.
(and he's still quite happy to settle himself down too, so I'm not making a rod for my own back!)

So does breaking the rules break your baby?
Of course it doesn’t.

My little man is amazing (yes, I know I’m biased, but it’s true!), he hardly ever cries unless he’s hungry or in need of a new nappy, he’s almost sleeping through, learning new things crazy-fast every day, and is definitely not suffering as a result of his mummy making up her own rules!

All the books and what not are all well and good, but they really shouldn’t take over from the most important ruling of all – mummy instincts.

However, for a little light relief, these baby do’s & dont’s are well worth a look – I’m emailing the link to all my pregnant friends :D

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The controversy of boobies!

So as a new mummy, I can't help but keep up with the mountain of media coverage breast feeding has been attracting lately.

My first thought on the whole thing, is why is it all such a big deal?
Why do so many people who aren't even mothers, care so much about how those who DO have children, feed them?
(prime example - the breast feeding consultant who 'helpfully' manhandled my boobs in hospital, has no children, yet made it her mission to get me lactating like a jersey cow. go figure.)

Secondly, those who apparently find breast feeding in public 'offensive' or 'inappropriate'- what exactly is your problem please?
If you find it so terribly awful, here's a suggestion: don't look.
We are not doing it for attention, it's not a peep show (in my own experience, I'll use anything available - blankie, bib, babies head - to make sure I'm flashing as little boob as possible!), we're doing a job. Would you rather a hungry screaming baby interrupt your oh-so-civilised cappuccino & browse through the times? Thought not.

Thirdly, those of you out there who are so fiercely pro-breastfeeding you view formula as the devil's baby juice & mums who use it as unfit, selfish anti-mothers, how about sparing a though for those who can't breastfeed?
Oh I know I know, 'it's the most natural thing in the world', 'breast is best', blah blah blah, but as with most things in life, sometimes it just doesn't pan out.

And the last thing a new mum who can't, or has decided not to breast feed needs, is someone who doesn't matter judging her decision.

Because ultimately, that's what it's all about - each individual mother making her own choice. And it should be an informed choice - as my good friends cafe bebe & OMG Pregnant have been discussing, and it should be respected.

Personally, I always wanted to breastfeed. I didn't even think about it, just assumed it'd all fall into place.
WRONG!
My birth was traumatic.
Afterwards, I was exhausted, and the little dude was too.
We tried almost immediately, he wasn't interested.
A little later, the breastfeeding consultant came to visit, poked, prodded, and shoved my boob into the little dude's face, not happening.
A little later still, he woke up from a nap & I tried myself, he got there. I was full of joy. For about 7 seconds.
Oh my God it hurt.
Nobody had told me 'the most natural thing in the world' would make me want to swear like a sailor.
But I persisted. After a week of feeding on demand, often 2 hourly for an hour at a time, my boobs, and me were a mess.
The HV came round to weigh the little man, he had lost 14% of his body weight. I was distraught. I was so disheartened. I felt like a failure.
We had to take him back into hospital, he was weak & listless & just didn't have the energy to feed.
They gave him some formula through a tube (which utterly broke my heart) & encouraged me to express as much milk as I could, which went down too.
(NB: they lent me an electric breast pump - that did NOT help my painful boobs one bit. Imagine a hoover latched to your nips. Yeah, owch.)
Withing 48 hours, he was back at my boobs.
It was still killing me, but I was so relieved, I grinned & bared it.
The doctor's guessed that he may have been 'lazy feeding', I didn't care, it all semed to be fixed, we could take him home, I was happy.
A week later, still feeding on demand what felt like a thousand times a day (and night!) the HV weighed him again, he'd put on 3 ounces.
That was my lowest point.
HV suggested topping up with formula after every feed, and after she left, I reluctantly sent the daddy out to get a pot of Aptamil.
I cried for over an hour.
Within another week, we were officially combination-feeding - alternating one boob, one bottle through the day, and just boobs at night.
And we were all SO much happier for it.
The little dude started gaining weight beautifully, my boobs started healing, the daddy stopped having to watch me cry every time I fed.

Breast is best? No, this was much, MUCH better all round.

Now, 3 months on, it's about half & half. The little dude is happy, healthy & thriving - and seems to be slowly weaning himself off the boobies, which is good,I only ever wanted to breastfeed up until proper-food-weaning, as I personally believe that's long enough.
(But that's another story!)
And for the record, my son & I have bonded fantastically despite our bumpy road, so there goes that ridiculous formula = no bond with baby theory.

The best advice I can give to expectant mummies, is go with the flow, and expect the unexpected.
Give it a go, you might be one of the lucky ones - you & your baby will take to it like ducks to water & it'll be great - but, be prepared to have to work at it, you're both learning! And, in case it doesn't go according to plan, have bottle-feeding equipment on hand as a back up plan, and DO NOT beat yourself up about using it.

Those first few weeks are far too precious to waste on a boobs vs. bottles guilt trip - and as long as your little one is full, nourished, and happy, you're doing a great job, regardless of what you're using to do it :)

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Awards & Memes...

I said I'd remember these eventually!

So firstly, thank you bunches to the very lovely Sandy at Baby Baby, for my 'Honest Scrap' award :D



For this one, I have to share 10 fascinating facts about me, so here goes…

1. I’m a neurotic loony. My wardrobe is colour coordinated, and I only ever wear underwear in matching sets.
2. I’m obsessed with butterflies and frogs. Always have been, no idea why!
3. I’ve been a vegetarian since I was 9.
4. I have an inappropriate crush on Simon Cowell.
5. And a very appropriate one one Johnny Depp. He’s my back up husband.
6. I’ve got every Tim Burton movie on DVD. He’s my hero.
7. I never kill bugs, they always get scooped up & put outside. Except wasps & flies, they get squished.
8. I secretly enjoy trashy chick lit – ‘tis my guilty pleasure.
9. I hate bananas. The smell, the texture, the taste – ick. (Will not be feeding the little dude mushed up narnas, daddy can do that :P)
10. I know all the words to pretty woman. I know, such a girl :P

And secondly, muchos gracias to the uuber organised Nadine at Time Management Mum for the Lemonade award:



For this one, I’m supposed to say what I’m thankful for… so many things!!
So off the top of my head, I’ll say:
My gorgeous baby boy, obviously, his equally gorgeous daddy, my wonderful friends (that means internet ones too – breastfeeding at 4am would be very lonely without you!), my dog, music (my life would be so much duller without my iPod & my CD collection!), and Galaxy Caramel.

Safe to say, I count my blessings daily :)

And lastly, thanks again to Sandy for tagging me for this meme:

Here are the rules:
Mention the person who tagged you. (done!)
Complete the lists of 8's. (done!)
Tag 8 other bloggers and let them know. (um, not done, see below!)

8 Things I'm looking forward to:
1. My friend’s little girl’s 1st birthday party on Sunday – will be the little dude’s first party :D
2. Weaning!
3. The next Dr Who special. I heart David Tennant.
4. The postman bringing the prezzie I bought Dylan yesterday!
5. The seafront fair this weekend
6. The Daddy having a whole week off next month.
7. My new kitchen being fitted.
8. Winning the lottery. (Got to be optimistic, or it’ll never happen, right?:P)

8 Things I did yesterday
1. Made a veggie lasagne
2. A load of baby washing. (baby clothes, not putting the baby in the machine, honest!)
3. Had a lovely long bath.
4. Watched QI repeats on Dave :)
5. Made a feeble attempt at denting the ironing pile.
6. Phoned my auntie.
7. Listened to ELO’s greatest hits. (so good.)
8. Tried & failed to sort the big box of ‘baby stuff’ in the living room. Will try that again tomorrow.

8 Things I wish I could do
1. Play an instrument – guitar, drums or piano would be good.
2. Sew. (technically I can, but not well.)
3. Knit. (see above.)
4. Speak Spanish, fluently. (I can hold a very basic conversation & order my dinner, but that’s it.)
5. Be one of those people who never forgets a birthday.
6. Remember where I put things. They’re never where I think they are.
7. Make really good chocolate chip cookies.
8. Be a stay at home mummy permanently… still working on that one ;)

8 favourite fruits
1. Apples – green ones, not red.
2. Grapes. (particularly when squished up & bottled)
3. Pear Cider. (‘tis one of my 5 a day, no?)
4. Oranges
5. Limes. (Very good wedged in a bottle of corona. I’m not an alcoholic, really!)
6. Pineapple
7. Melon (good for dipping in chocolate fountains)
8. Kiwifruit – cut off the top & it’s a fuzzy little boiled egg.

8 Places I'd like to travel
1. Japan
2. Canada
3. New York
4. Mexico
5. Australia
6. Prague
7. China
8. California

8 Places I've lived
1. Glasgow (was born there)
2. Aberdeen
3. Inverness
4. Livingston (just outside Edinburgh)
5. Edinburgh
6. Worthing (moved to England when I was 15)
7. Southampton (while at Uni)
8. West Worthing – Now! (technically a cheat, but I ran out of places!

Regarding the tagging…I’m still relatively new on the mummy blogging block, and I’ve taken ages to get round to these, so I’m not sure who’s been tagged already, & I don’t want to bug anyone, so I’m going to be lame & just say if you don’t already have one of these awards, help yourself, on me :)
(Hey, if you’re reading this, you qualify as great!)
And if you haven’t done the meme, do that too, it’s fun.

And, in lieu of taggage, have a peek at my blog roll (over there------------> somewhere), and visit the lovely people I read. They’re fabulous :)

Okay, DONE! Phew :)

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Bumpy Fashionistas

I have a few friends expecting babies now, and I’m very flattered that each of them have come to me for advice on maternity fashion that doesn’t suck :)
(I don’t know much about politics, world affairs, geography or anything else in the realms of general knowledge, but I do know fashion. It is my vice & I love it :D)

So, I thought it’d be fun to do a post of all my preggo-fashionista tips…
(Please note, I’m by no means an expert - my only qualifications are that I’ve been there and done it myself!)

1. When you start to get bumpy, go through your wardrobe, bag up everything that doesn’t fit & put it somewhere safe. You won’t be wearing it for a while, and gazing lovingly at all your bump-unfriendly beauties as you’re expanding is just depressing! And be realistic – just because you can technically get into something, doesn’t mean it looks good – and keep in mind – you’re only going to get bigger!

2. As a rule, stuff worth keeping out for the duration includes: tunic tops, anything floaty & loose fitting, jersey dresses (they will hitch up at the front as your bump grows, but leggings are your friend – put a pair on underneath, and pretty stretchy dresses become long bump-flattering tops.), longer length vest tops, anything elasticated.

3. Get yourself a bump band or two. Or three. I LOVE them. Basically, it’s like a boob tube for your belly, and wearing one means you can continue wearing non-maternity tops, letting the bump band fill the gap between the bottom of your top & the top of your bottoms ;)
(They’re also really handy after the event – great for covering up the mummy tummy during breast feeding, and for a little extra support & confidence while you’re getting back in shape.)

4. When buying new stuff, be selective. Make a list of what you really need (A decent pair of jeans or two, the bare minimum in workwear {I made do with a skirt, a pair of trousers & a shift dress all in black, plus 2 tops}, 2 or 3 ‘going out’ tops & a few basic vests/tees should do you) , and set yourself a budget. (Do you really want to be blowing a fortune on a temporary wardrobe? No. Especially not with the most expensive little bundle you’ll ever meet on the way!)

5. To that end, don’t dismiss the wonder of ebay!
Do a search & you’ll find a whole bunch of lovely maternity wear – much bigger selection than in the shops, & a fraction of the price. And of course, as it’s previous owners will most likely only have worn it a handful of times, it’ll be in great condition too!

6. Explore the high street. Depending on what’s in style while your bun is in the oven, you might find you’re able to get away with wearing ‘normal’ clothes if you just buy a size or two bigger – particularly with tops & dresses. Failing that, most high street shops are starting to realise there’s money to be made from pregnant women – H&M (my personal favourite – and also my favourite place to go baby-clothes-shopping!), Dorothy Perkins, New Look and Topshop all carry a maternity range – most of which is adaptations of ‘regular’ styles. However, the maternity section in store is often very small, and very limited size-wise – annoying!! So, save yourself the hassle & check them out online instead. (You’re pregnant, you’re allowed to be lazy! :D)

7. Accessorise! If you’re struggling to find anything you like, get the absolute basics & pretty them up to your hearts content. Your growing bump won’t have any effect on the fit of fabulous jewellery, scarves, brooches, hats & bags. Phew.

8. Most importantly, love your bump. Embrace it. There’s no point trying to hide or disguise it under big baggy ill-fitting clothes – that’s a surefire way to make yourself look ‘fat’, and to feel frumpy & fedup.
Choose well fitting, belly skimming pieces, fabric that drapes & flatters your bump, and you’ll look & feel a million times better.
SMILE! Even if you’ve got miserable morning sickness & chronic backache, fake it! Keep telling yourself ‘only a few more months to go’, and focus on the fantastic little person growing inside rather than how you’re looking from the outside.

Love your bump & you’ll look like a gorgeous blooming yummy mummy in the making.

Because you are :)

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Quality Mummy & Baby Time

Is it a tiny bit selfish that I really enjoy the days the little dude & i spend at home, just the two of us?

Because I do.

Days when I don't have to share him with anyone.

Days when we don't really 'do' a whole lot - we haven't got clinic, or a group, or a class, or a playdate, or a coffee shop meetup, or shopping for neccessities...

In fact all that is on the to-do list, is staying home & making eachother smile :)

That's what we've been doing today.

We had a lovely nap together this morning after breakfast, we've had 3 readings of 'where's that monkey?' (D's current favourite), dozens of rounds of peek-a-boo (he all of a sudden 'gets' peekaboo - or it makes him laugh at least), we've danced about the living room, sang some songs, had a bath, *and*, we finished our first mother & son craft project, voila! :



what do you think? :)
I reckon we make quite the artistic team! Though it did take 5 attempts for the little dude to realise he wasn't supposed to be just squishing the clay at random.
And we thought it looked a bit blah with just the prints, so we blinged it up with some buttons - and we didn't like the look of the beige chalk that came in the kit, so we substituted mummy's blue eyeshadow - because it's all about the artistic license ;)

I love days like today, I really do.

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Busy Busy Week...

I am one tired mummy!

Partly because I did indeed jinx the little man's sleeping through the night, which has been on again off again since (ah well, we're making progress at least!), and partly because I basically haven't stopped all week!

Weigh-day (little monster is a whopping 12lb 9oz now - over double the 6lb he dropped down to when he was poorly - yay!), mother & baby group, visit to Auntie's (my little sister - can't get enough of the little man :D), meeting up with new mummy friends, essential nappy-based shopping trips, and last night, a mummy & daddy trip to the pub while nannie looked after the baby. (Yeah, okay, that bit was self-inflicted tiredness ;) - fun though, and I'm getting better at leaving the noodle for more than two minutes at a time!)

Plus of course all the usual nappy changing, bundles of washing, rounds of peek-a-boo, and all the other fun that comes with a new tiny person!

So yes, I don't feel at all guilty about being a lazy bum today, we deserve it!
And as the little man is *finally* down for his nap (third time lucky), mummy gets a chance to blog & catch up with google reader :)

AND, a chance to share a rather lovely special offer with all you lovely mummies :)



Do you have hundreds of photos on your computer that you keep meaning to print but never get round to?
Have you ever used Photobox? If not, now is a great time to try them, because, not only do new customers get 40 free prints anyway, but until 2pm Monday, they can also order up to 50 more prints for just 1p each!
Or in other words, you can print 90 photos for 50p plus p&p (which is a very reasonable £1.49).
As a new mummy, I've taken quite literally hundreds of photos since the little dude arrived, and I always use photobox to print them - they are great quality, excellent value, & they deliver really quickly - can't recommend them enough.
Click here to judge for yourself.

And now, as the daddy has kindly offered to see to the little man's next feed, the mummy is off for a long soak in the bath... bliss :)

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So apparently, pain in labour is a good thing.

Or so says Dr Denis Walsh in this article in The Observer. (Brought to my attention by the lovely & equally outraged Sandy at Baby Baby - her blog is great, go have a peek!)

Yes, that's Denis Walsh, as in a male of the species, so probably not all that experienced in the field of childbirth.
Ah, but he is "a senior midwife and associate professor in midwifery at Nottingham University", so y'know, he has watched a lot of women give birth. Well that's okay then. HA!!!

The good doctor claims that:
"A large number of women want to avoid pain. Some just don't fancy the pain [of childbirth]. More women should be prepared to withstand pain. Pain in labour is a purposeful, useful thing, which has quite a number of benefits, such as preparing a mother for the responsibility of nurturing a newborn baby."

He sounds great, doesn't he?
DEFINITELY want him on hand in the delivery suite if I ever have a second.
So that I can punch him repeatedly in the head.

Seriously, what a lot of nonsense. (That's not quite the words I used as I was reading, but I'm trying to be polite!)

Obviously, yes, a natural, drug-free labour is the ideal situation.
But we don't live in an ideal world!!
And yes, I appreciate that in 'the old days', women had no choice but to grin & bear pushing their babies out drug-free - but doctors also used to amputate limbs with no pain relief - should we go back to doing that too Dr Walsh? No, thought not.
And let's not forget, in the 'old days', all too many mum's & babies tragically died in childbirth - we have the technology to avoid that now - why on earth would we go backwards?

The fact is, modern medicine is constantly evolving & presenting pregnant women with options and choices. And that's just what they are - CHOICES. Which should be respected. If a woman chooses gas & air, an epidural or even an elective c-section, that is her choice, and she should definitely NOT be made to feel any 'less of a woman' because of it.

A pain-free birth may negatively impact your bond with your baby?
Doubtful.
A wretched little man spouting nonsense about pain as a 'rite of passage' & making you feel inadequate for accepting help?
I'd say that's more likely to cause problems. But then what do I know, I have no medical training or qualifications, I'm only a new mum who's actually had a child.

And incidentally, my own birth plan had 'Natural' plastered all over it.
I wanted to grin & bear it & do things the old fashioned way.
But in the end, I did have an epidural (after dilating only a cm in 14 hours & getting utterly exhausted), which failed, and resulted in me needing an emergency c-section. None of which was in anyway fun, or an 'easy' option.
I had nightmares about my birth for weeks afterwards, which were not at all fun either.
I did feel inadequate because I hadn't given birth 'properly'. Again, not fun, not easy.
But I got through it. And not once did it effect my bond with my son Dr Walsh, if anything, it made it stronger. So there goes that theory.

And the 'rite of passage' involved with becoming a mother, is certainly not the pain.

It's carrying your baby for 9 months & dealing with all that goes with that.
It's holding your tiny baby in your arms & promising to take care of him for the rest of your life.
It's changing your first nappy.
It's gushing over the first smile, the first steps, the first words.
It's a million other things on a daily basis that are nothing to do with being in agony for however many hours.

Mothers are amazing. How we bring our babies into the world, is irrelevant. We're clever, strong, adaptable, resiliant and feisty.
And there are a lot of us.
So you should maybe keep your head down for a while Dr Walsh, because we can get rather vocal when provoked too!

(Can't help but wonder if Dr Walsh is married? My guess would be no. Or if he is, his dinner will be in the dog for sometime to follow.)

Okay, rant over :D

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Catching up...

I said I'd remember these eventually!



So firstly, thank you bunches to the lovely Sandy Calico, for my 'Honest Scrap' award :D

10things about me


Nadine at Time Management Mum for the Lemonade award - gratitude


Sandy again:


Here are the rules:

Mention the person who tagged you.

Complete the lists of 8's.

Tag 8 other bloggers and let them know.

8 Things I'm looking forward to:


The toddler deciding that the kitchen bin is no longer his favourite thing in the world.

Getting rid of my cold.

Going to the Word Soup Poetry evening tomorrow night.

Performing my songs at an Open Mic night in July (I think I'm looking forward to this)!

Using the Pamper voucher my husband gave me for Christmas!

My Mum coming to stay for a month in August.

My husband's 40th birthday, we're going to London (without the boys - thank you Grandma) to meet up with friends, eat, drink and do karaoke.

The Breast Cancer Care Fashion Show, my best friend is modelling. I will be taking tissues, plenty of tissues!

8 Things I did yesterday


Cleaned the bathroom.

Changed all the sheets.

Washed and dried a load of washing.

Wrote a short blog post about Father's Day.

Went shopping on my own, I haven't been clothes shopping for AGES :-) I bought five tops in the sales and three books for the boys.

Had a coffee and a muffin in Debenhams cafe.

Peeled my finger instead of a carrot.

After I put on a plaster, I cooked a curry from scratch.

8 Things I wish I could do

Cook a proper Yorkshire Pudding

Play the piano really well

Get more sleep

Sew

Write a book

Speak other languages fluently

Lose weight and keep it off

Ensure my family's health and happiness

8 favourite fruits

Strawberry cheesecake

Banoffee pie

Fruit cake

Jaffa cakes

Toffee apples

Orange ice lollies

Strawberry daquaris

Raspberry ripple icecream

8 Places I'd like to travel


Safari in Africa

Galapagos Islands

Madagascar

Sri Lanka

New York (again)

Australia (again)

New Zealand (again)

Japan

8 Places I've lived

Bedfordshire

Hertfordshire

Sydney, Australia

Christchurch, New Zealand

Hertfordshire (again)

Bedfordshire (again)

Surrey

Lancashire

8 people tagged



Who to tag? I'm trying to find out who hasn't already been tagged and who hasn't already done this meme. Apologies if I make a mistake, you're under no obligation to do it, or do it again! I blame 'Baby Brain'!

Soapboxmummy

Millenium Housewife

Life with a little dude

A place of my own

General Ramblings

Ramblings of a mum on the run

Juicytots

Supply and Demands?

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Catching up...

I said I'd remember these eventually!


So firstly, thank you bunches to the lovely <a href="

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Proudest Mummy Ever :)

So not only has my little man mastered the art of pushing himself up off his tummy, but he's also slept through to a reasonably respectable 6am for the last two nights!!

not bad for a day short of 12 weeks I think you'll agree? :D

I always promised my friends I wouldn't become one of those mummys who goes completely over the top about every tiny achievement her baby makes, but do you know what, it's impossible, and I make no apology!
I love my little man. He amazes me daily & I'm pretty sure I'll never ever get bored of beaming proudly about all his new found skills :)
(probably a good thing I started this blog really, or I may end up on a slippery slope to no-friends-ville :P)

That said, here's hoping I haven't just well & truly jinxed the whole sleeping thing so that he decides 20 minutes will do nicely tonight.
Nah. That won't happen. Right?

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The Curse of the Mummy (tummy)

Disclaimer: I adore my little man. He is without a doubt the very best thing I've ever done, and he might only be 11 weeks old, but I really can't imagaine life without him.
He's Brilliant.

However, I hate what having him has done to my body!

Now to be fair, I was never destined for super model-ness. To be honest, up until I was about 16, I'd have considered myself chunky. But, I put in the effort, discovered healthy eating (okay, selective healthy eating), gentle exercise, and ended up with a reasonably toned, curvy size 14 figure.

And I was happy with that! I never really wanted to be super skinny - I like food too much for a start!

And of course I knew that having a baby would take it's toll - I was prepared for the stretch marks & the swollen ankles, but 11 weeks on, I naively thought I might atleast be back in my pre-preggo jeans.

Guess again Leslieanne!

I can get into my back-up-fat-day jeans - just. (As in, I can button them up, but sitting down is painful & potentially embarassing), but that's it.
And I'm a girl who loves her jeans. I have 10 diferent pairs! (and no, I don't think it's excessive!!)

It's not been so bad the last couple of weeks - summer = dresses = yay :) (though all my cute little tea dresses are out on account of the huge new boobs!) - but today it's ben chucking down raining, and the mummy tummy has made me cross.

My maternity jeans are falling to pieces having been worn to death, and I'm bored sick of leggings.

So, action is needed!!
I'm setting myself a goal - to be back in my favourite jeans by the end of the month.
It might be a little over-zealous, but I need the goal, the motivation, so there it is. Gauntlet thrown down!
I know I can't 'diet' (hate that word anyway :P) as I'm still breastfeeding, so i'm just going to be strict - no more naughties (or very few, anyway), healthy snacks, loads of veggies, all that stuff.
And sit ups. I HATE situps, they are evil. But they're also the only sure-fire way I know of flattening le tummy.
(top tip - I usually do them in the bath - tis easier!!)

Wish me luck :)

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All aboard the guilt train!

So all of you more experienced yummy mummys will most likely read this either nodding sympathetically or thinking 'ah, bless the naivety of the newbie', but really, none of the baby books mention it - The All Consuming Guilt that comes with your pass to the mummy club!

It starts while you're a preggopot:
-guilt about not eating like a super duper health goddess
-guilt about thinking 'antenatal yoga classes, what a good idea', then never actually doing anything about it
-guilt about those boozy nights before you realised you were pregnant and the damage you might have already done to your tiny unborn child.

And then just gets worse in labour & beyond:
-guilt about giving in to the drugs when your au-naturel birth plan goes awry
-guilt about just wanting to sleeeeep
-guilt about secretly not actually liking some of the 'lovely' gifts people give
-guilt about not sending thank you cards, replying to texts, answering phonecalls...
-guilt about eating chocolate digestives for breakfast
-guilt about leaving your wide awake baby all alone in their moses basket for 2 minutes because you simply have to pee & there's nobody else home!
...the list goes on. and on :P

However, the busy-busy of the last fortnight has made me a little late in mentioning the worst guilt so far: the little dude had his first round of injections last week - oh the trauma!

I'd been dreading it since the appointment slip came through the door (I HATE needles, so the thought of someone sticking them into my tiny little baby was not good!), but the day came, and I was brave - faked being all super happy & calm so as not to worry the little man.
We sat there in front of the nurse, and her two evil syringes.
I babbled to the noodle like a loony, keeping him distracted.
She landed the first one.
He didn't even flinch. Not a peep. I thought 'Brilliant!, what was I worried abut?!'
Second leg, Second jab.
Oh dear.

My little man turned to me with the biggest pout I've seen so far, a look of 'what did you just let her do?', went very red, then let rip with an almighty scream.
Which continued most of the way home.

I have never felt so guilty in all my life!
Of course *I* know that it's for his own good, but there's no way of explaining that to a pouty little baby who's looking at you like you've just utterly betrayed him!

Thankfully, he went off to sleep when we got home & woke up having forgotten all about it - no bad reaction, no need for the baby calpol I'd stocked up on, all good.

But of course, we have to do it all again next month.
And again the month after that!

I just hope it's not like when we take the dog to the V-E-T - when we turn that particular corner and it suddenly dawns on her that we're not just out for a lovely extra long walk after all.
When we're sat in the waiting room, will he remember the last time & try to make a break for it?! Or will mummy's crazy-lady babbling & toy-shaped distractions be enough to keep him occupied?

Oh I hope so.
But either way, the guilt train will definitely pull in again as soon as I see those evil pointy needles.
The little dude might not remember it all in years to come - but I certainly will!

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Mummy Rocks (though not quite as hard as she used to)

So this weekend was spent at Nannie & Grandad Church's - our first 'weekend away' since the little dude arrived.
It was lovely, but also incredibly busy & utterly exhausting!

The main reason for the trip was that the daddy & I had tickets to go see Blur in Hyde Park on Friday, & Nannie C was babysitting for the day - they live in Guildford & we really don't visit as much as we should, so we decided to stay the whole weekend.

Sooo, first 'holiday'(ish - does a 3 day stay with the inlaws count as a holiday?) with baby - PLUS the first time I had to leave the baby with someone else for a whole entire day rolled into one - GULP.

Getting ready to leave, was stressful.
You'd think I'd be used to how much stuff my tiny little person needs carted around by now - and to be fair, I have - when it's just a few hours out & about in town - but THREE days? that's a whole 'nother ball game.
Nappies, wipes, bottles, breast pump, steriliser, formula? Check.
Huge bundle of clothes? Check.
Extra clothes incase of sick and or poop incidents? Check.
Loopy links, rattle, cuddlies, bibs, blankies, books, baby calpol 'just incase'? Check check checkity-check.
But, we got there eventually, and I didn't forget anything. Well, nothing important anyway ;)

Leaving for the train station on Friday morning, leaving my little man behind - for the whole entire day - for the first time ever - well that was just horrible.
I know, I know - I need to have a life outside the baby, he needs to learn to get along without me sometimes, D & I need time to be a couple, not just 'mummy & daddy' - blah blah blah, YES, I know & agree with all of that - but wow, it really doesn't make it any easier!!
I was pretty good though - I was a tiny bit tearful after kissing him goodbye, and I had a few little wobbles through the day (most notably when Damon sang end of a century - that's where the little dude's 'dirty little monster' nickname comes from), but on the whole, I coped.

And we had a fantastic day. The gig was incredible, and it was nice to feel all free & crazy & young & wild again for a few hours.
Or as wild & crazy as a girl with a felt fish finger puppet in her handbag can feel.
(finding that in there may have caused one of the wobbles :P)

But as brilliant as it was, I was *SO* happy to get back & squish the little man. I missed him tons.

The rest of the weekend, was a whirlwind blur of nannie & grandad time, doing the rounds visiting D's rellies - great aunties, great grandad, second cousins... and it was nice, but all very busy, very hot, very tiring.
Getting home this afternoon was a good feeling.

And cuddling up on the sofa with the little dude & the daddy this evening, just the three of us, was even better :)

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