tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8602699928289379962024-03-05T09:44:30.929-08:00A New Mum Without A Manualsarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15498237144019170134noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-860269992828937996.post-89848141585640559312018-08-14T13:22:00.000-07:002018-09-04T04:11:44.899-07:00Life update.<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I have been planning on writing this post for the longest time now, constantly rehearsing and mentally writing it out in my head trying not to sound like a complete and utter knob, because ultimately that's the fear isn't it? when you're putting yourself out there in such a public way. It's vulnerable stuff.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">There is also the very important fact that Love Island has ended, and as much as i'd love to pretend i'm far too intelligent and above it, I am 100% not. And I need something to occupy that 9pm-10pm void in my life- <i>Please do not judge me.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">You see my life at the minute is a perpetual cycle of preparing meals for little ones. All day long i'm cleaning faces, bums, washing clothes, hands and not to mention blotting questionable stains off the fabric sofa. Did I mention that it was <i>cream </i>fabric sofa<i>?</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I'll admit I am still very much in that bubble that people often find themselves in after having a baby. I'm oblivious to chart music, i'd describe my style as 'comfortable' and bed time is up there with my favourite time of the day. This won't last forever, so i'm totally OK with this. I am <i>totally</i> OK with living like an 80 year old at this moment in time, I mean after all it's basically Autumn and this makes it perfectly excusable.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">My partner?<i> I am not so sure</i>.. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">He's been reminding me to bin my 'comfortable' maternity underwear for years now.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I'm joking of course. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Kind of.</span><br />
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My new role as a mother of two little ones is still relatively new to me, and I am quite happily plodding along trying to make it through the day, keeping every one alive and making sure teeth are being brushed and at least <i>something</i> healthy is being consumed, because let's be honest, that in itself is a full time task. I have an eight month year old who won't stop eating and I fear we will have to take on second jobs to fund his habit, and an almost four year old who has convulsions at the sight of a vegetable. If it's not snackable, free from all texture, colour and flavour she just doesn't want to know.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">When i'm not knee deep in changing nappies, trying to get those orange stains out of the bibs (why do they even manufacture white bibs/muslins???) and trying to prevent my kids developing into future serial killers, I like to eat out, drink bourbon, take the odd nap and scroll through my insta feed, mostly to see what everyone else is having for dinner.</span><br />
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Social media seems to be a massive talking point at the minute, particularly the topic of comparison, and it's certainly something that affects my life greatly.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">It's so easy to fall into that trap when things become a little mundane. I seem to have quite a knack of comparing myself to women who are up to their arse in endorsements and ad deals and begin to wonder why<i> I </i>can't afford to decorate my whole house in Farrow and Ball paint and pick up clothes in Zara as frivolously as I pick up trainer socks or hair bobbles in Primark.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I scroll on and I ask myself <i>why</i> am I not living in a warehouse conversion with exposed brick and ridiculously high ceilings? <i>Why</i> does my Daughter not eat broccoli like she does Barny bear cake bars? <i>Why</i> does everyone else seem to <i>love</i> their job and I could go through three boxes of Man-size Kleenex at the thought of my return from my maternity leave.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">This seems to happen when i'm feeling a bit vulnerable. A bit, blah. </span><br />
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The majority of the time i'm consciously trying to remind myself to cut myself some slack. I'm in a different stage in my life. This ain't no race.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Career wise, financially, physically or mentally i'm not quite where I want to be, but when I dig deep, I always come back to the fact that ultimately I want to be with my children as much as I can in their early years. I made this decision and have went out to work evenings and weekends just so that I <i>can </i>be at home during the week days. I don't regret it for a minute.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">OK. <i>Mayb</i><i>e </i>there has been the odd day (or 50) when i've declared i'd rather work a 12 hour shift...... but let's not dwell on that. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The bottom line is my children are my <i>everything</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I have ambitions, aspirations, lists of places that I want to see and things that I want to achieve for <i>myself </i>as much as the next person<i> </i><b>but</b> at this particular stage in my life I'm slowly recognising that if my main goal of the day is just getting us all up, washed and dressed, then so be it. I'm choosing to celebrate all the little victories. My living room won't always be a shit tip, I won't always spend evenings picking Play Doh out of My Little Pony's hair. I won't always get the 6am wake up calls and have stand offs in shops over £5.99 magazines. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Does that mean I don't moan about it? Oh please, <i>of course</i> I do! but will I miss it all when they're older? My God, yes! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Which is exactly why i'm adamant it's an 'anything goes' policy with Grandparents. They miss it, they miss it all, and some day I will miss it too.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">These often mundane moments of my day are some of the things money just can't buy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> I need to enjoy my reality and stop coveting someone else's highlight reel. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">We all need to.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">On the topic of social media, I'm finding that in the four years of mothering I have witnessed a momentum gathering were women are going about their business. They're attending their beauty appointments in the early weeks after giving birth, bringing their kids on long haul flights to exotic places, going on weekends away with their girl friends and just <i>getting back out there.. </i>demonstrating<i> </i>you can still be the self assured, driven woman you always were <i>and</i> be a wonderful mother at the same time. There's a lot of ball juggling, but it's not impossible.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Their careers aren't being held back, and neither are their social lives because life does not need to stop when you have children. It is both fabulous and refreshing. I admire how polished some of these women look especially at times when I can't <i>find </i>the time to wash my hair.<i> </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i>I know, I know.. we are all given the same amount of hours in the day..</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I love how they are giving the middle finger to the <i>many</i> stereotypical images that are built up around mothers. We don't all arrive at the school run every single day in leggings and messy buns. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">There is no one size fits all. We are all unique in our own right, so why wouldn't our parenting styles be?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I mean it's absurd when you think about it. Our financial situations are completely different, as are our family dynamics, our support networks too so of course our prefered parenting paths are going to differ.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">One of the biggest realisations I discovered with becoming a mother, was how much we are judged (often inadvertently) </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">It is <i>relentless</i>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">From the<i> way</i> you feed your baby, <i>what </i>you feed them and where you put them down to sleep at night. There's even a real snobbery in regards to everything from the products you use on their skin to the pram you push them in. If you go back to work you're judged, if you choose to stay at home you are judged, and if you dare leave them with their doting grandparents for a few hours every weekend, you too are judged! Imagine leaving them with the very people who will shower them with the most love and affection?! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i>Shocking</i>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I think it's just a case of human nature to judge, and I think it's inescapable to be honest</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> but recently (and I <i>do</i> think it's through the power of social media) we are now beginning to exercise our freedom to make the best choices for ourselves and our family without fear.</span><br />
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People are opening up about their experiences with feeding, there is no longer <i>such</i> a stigma in regards to formula feeding.. <b>Fed </b>is best<i>, didnt you know? </i>Women (and men) are opening up about their struggles with their mental health, their experiences with anxiety and post natal depression, infertility, miscarriage and still birth. There are so many topics to list but people are opening up, conversations are flowing. You only need to scroll through your Instagram feed and someone is opening up about a struggle they have been through, the comments are rife with replies from people who have been through similar and although we might not agree with <i>everything</i> people are writing it's so enlightening hearing from someone else's side of the fence. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I have also noticed a big movement of mother's who are 'pulling up the drawbridge' in those early days <a href="https://www.dontbuyherflowers.com/motherhood/pulling-up-the-drawbridge/">https://www.dontbuyherflowers.com/motherhood/pulling-up-the-drawbridge/</a> and spending 'a week in bed, a week on the sofa' supporting the idea that motherhood is for life, these first few <i>momumental </i>weeks go by in the blink of an eye and perhaps we should be allowing ourselves a few weeks with little to zero expectations and the opportunity to adapt to our new normal. Visitors can wait, as can the house work.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> I can definitely vouch that some of us need this time more than others.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">You could say i'm continuing to take the piss and find myself living by this mantra eight months on, but when my second baby arrived I became completely unapologetic to needing <i>time </i>for my sanity more than anything and this was the biggest aid to my post birth 'recovery' </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">How can I promote a health lifestyle when i'm too exhausted to eat meals, let alone cook them? How can I promote self worth and confidence when I haven't had the time to do the little rituals that help me feel like the best version of <i>me?</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I only wish that I had twigged on to this mentality with my first baby but the baby books tend to stop at the birth.. I always allude back to the moment Andrea, our first midwife walked out of the door. <i>"Errr, now what do we do now?"</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">To be honest it's been the 'insta mum' (cringe) accounts that have spurred me on during the bad days.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">My little girl is now (very almost) four years old and lives each day as though she is on the stage. Everything is a performance and it can be entertaining and draining in equal measures. She is as bright as a button and from the minute she wakes up she is asking me questions such as "<i>Where does my voice come from?</i>" "<i>Have you ever had a drink come out of your nose?</i>" before i've even managed to open both eyes. It is all go go go. Throw an eight month year old baby into the mix and chaos escalates quickly in this house, or perhaps I should say squatters den, it all depends on what kind of day we're having. Eight months on and i'm still cutting myself some slack, because after all i'm on *jazz hands* <i>Maternity leave. </i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">A maternity leave that is so very nearly at it's end. <i><br /></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Maybe that's why i've been so <i>reflective</i>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Reflective of how quickly time passes, how amazing but how hard.. so hard it can be. Reflective of what i've learnt and observed from other mothers. My new found respect for not just mothers, but women in general.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I never had any intention of writing for this long, nor I am 100% certain any of this makes sense. With baby shark being reintroduced into our household, mental clarity is hard to find these days. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">But I hope it does make sense, to someone, somewhere.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span>sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15498237144019170134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-860269992828937996.post-33491635335836205852018-02-05T13:43:00.002-08:002020-08-17T13:24:29.829-07:00Oliver's arrival<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
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<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">On December 11th, just minutes after 3pm on a Monday afternoon, we welcomed little Oliver James Lucas into the world. It was beginning to feel every inch like Christmas outside with a </span></span><span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">down pour of snow in the days before, but it had finally stopped. And as the snow melted outside, the most gorgeous sunlight shone through the window</span></span><span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"> of delivery room no.3 as we met our boy for the very first time. The little boy that kept us waiting, and waiting, but was every single bit worth the wait and more. </span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">He was instantly forgiven.</span><br />
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<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">It had felt like a <i>long</i> time coming. At our 40 week appointment I was told to make another one for exactly one weeks time. I let out a (borderline psychotic) nervous laugh.</span></span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"> '<i>hahaha, hopefully I won't make it to that one</i>!' </span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">...and I was <i>so</i> sure that I wouldn't.</span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">With my first pregnancy I had went into spontaneous labour at exactly 41 weeks and I have honestly no idea why, but I never doubted that this time around would be any different, despite being told a thousand times <i>'There are no two births the same!'</i></span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"> I was perhaps in hindsight a bit naive and had it in my head that it would be another straight forward labour, a natural birth in the Home From Home; perhaps in the pool this time. I had been reading a hypnobirthing book and had maybe got too carried away with the idea of a natural birth- I think it's always good to have a preference, just not to get obsessed with it in case it doesn't go to plan.</span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">I was a second timer and had been there and done that and although I knew it wasn't going to be a walk in the park (<i>understatement of the year alert</i>) I did take a considerable amount of comfort in knowing that I had lived through it and kind of<i> </i>knew what to expect, which was why my hospital bag was stocked with enough Lucozade Sport to supply </span><span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">half the ward </span><i style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: x-large;">and </i><span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">I remembered a hair brush this time!</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">...But 41 weeks came and went and I felt nothing. No signs or symptoms, no twinges. </span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">Nothing. Nada. Zilch.</span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"> I begrudgingly attended my appointment in the same old trusty stripey top and maternity jeans that had been on repeat for the two months; the last remaining clothes that could just about stretch over my pretty sizable bump (and 8 weeks post birth I might still be wearing.....)</span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">The midwife I spoke with was really upbeat and supportive and when I told her that I really wanted to go into labour naturally she was completely on board with my decision as baby and I were healthy. So without any cause for concern it was decided that we would just wait it out, but an induction was booked on the off chance that labour didn't start to progress.</span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"> 'It's always good to have a date to aim towards' she said, and I didn't disagree. If you've ever went over your estimated due date you'll know that every day seems like an eternity and becomes a bit of mental and physical torture. I was feeling so drained and deflated when people messaged me asking where the baby was that I left them unopened in my mailbox, still sitting there unopened to this very day.</span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">Apologies...</span><br />
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<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">Although I <i>really</i>, <i>really </i>didn't want to be induced, I also knew that we had to balance up the risks as well. I was aware that the risk of stillbirth went up gradually every week after 40, a very small risk, but a risk to consider all the same.</span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">There's also the heightened risk of infections, problems with the placenta and having to be passed on to consultant led care had I went over the 42 week mark, ruling out all chances of being midwife led. A Home From Home birth would be out the window, and the risk of a more medicalised delivery increased. As much as it didn't seem like it at the time, an induction was and would be the safest route to go down.</span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">We had five days before the supposed induction date and so the pursuit of trying to get the baby out began. I'm usually always that highly annoying person who says 'Baby will come when baby is ready' but now I was all about the eviction.</span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"> I ordered all the spicy food, became obsessive over cleaning all the floor tiles on my hands and knees and started bouncing on my birthing ball which had been collecting dust for the last few months. But nothing was happening. This is when I started to become anxious, <i>really</i> anxious. Up until this point I had every belief in my body. I had trusted that it knew what it was doing, but being twelve days over my due date and time passing at an alarming rate, I started to doubt it's capabilities and I genuinely started to panic. Every day that came and went ended in a pity party, and I'll admit I was a broken record to listen to.</span><span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"> I decided to phone the girls in the midwife led unit for a bit of advice and was told to come on down.</span><br />
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<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">There I was lucky enough to chat with one of the senior midwives who was the human version of a fairy god mother. W</span><span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">orking in the midwife led birthing center specialising in low risk births with little or no pain relief, she completely reassured me that my body</span><i style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: x-large;"> was</i><span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"> in control, it knew </span><i style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: x-large;">exactly</i><span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"> what it was doing, it was all just a matter of time. She talked me through some breathing exercises and helped me visualise a relaxed birth (dimmed lights, aromatherapy oils, controlled breathing, relaxing music etc) </span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"> Even though none of these were applicable to me in the end, the breathing techniques I can honestly say were invaluable to me and i'm so glad that I went down for a chat that evening, she was the calming influence I needed all along.</span><br />
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<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">It was only when she performed a membrane sweep that the realisation hit home that I wouldn't be giving birth there. "The head still isn't down, but don't be discouraged there's still time for that" </span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">But the sweep turned out to be unsuccessful with the cervix still too high up.</span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><i>'.. But I will say you are more favourable than unfavourable'</i></span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">What I took from that was basically a polite way of saying '<i>Not a chance are you going into labour any time soon' </i> but of course in the most encouraging way.</span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"> She explained to me about the hormones needed to kick off labour, and that the more uptight and anxious you are, the longer they take to release. I learnt that this is why hospitals tend to send you home if you aren't dilated enough or tell you to stay at home as long as possible (not <i>always</i> to do with the lack of beds!) Apparently when you are in your own environment, your body tends to relax and in turn your labour progresses quicker. In a clinical setting like a hospital we can become more anxious, tensing up and it is proven that labour can slow down and contractions can even stop.</span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">It made sense. The more time that passed, the more stressed I was getting and perhaps, the more I was preventing labour from starting. </span><br />
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<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">Unfortunately nothing changed in the days after. No tightenings, no pressure, no twinges. On Sunday evening, two days after the failed sweep we said our goodbyes to Eva at my mum's and headed to the hospital. We had waited all day for the call that a bed was available, and when we finally got the heads up we were more than ready. I didn't think I would be so emotional about it, but I couldn't help having a cry on the car journey that we were leaving behind our little girl, who was still so oblivious as to how much her life was about to change. I felt guilty enough that her favourite activities had taken a back seat over the last few months, but I was equally excited to be giving her the gift of a sibling, even if she had been telling us for the last few months that she didn't want a brother, but rather demanded a puppy instead..</span><br />
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<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">We arrived just before 5pm and were given a bed straight away on the induction bay. With one midwife for six women, I instantly knew this wasn't going to be the relaxing experience I had hoped for, but I did feel relieved that we were finally going to meet our baby.</span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">I had been in the Home From Home the first time. It had been a large spacious room with it's own birthing pool, toilet, ipod dock and tv. A sofa, a nice view out of the window (well, if you looked past the Mc Donalds directly opposite there was some greenery!) but most importantly privacy- A luxury in labour when you're feeling like you're loosing all your dignity.</span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">Here we were in a crowded induction bay with a communal bathroom for six women with the constant bleep of monitors. People had told me these kinds of wards are reminiscent of a cattle market, and there is an aspect of truth in it. There we were, all in the same situation just waiting to meet our babies, dropping like flies when every so often someone would be wheeled off to delivery suite and another would come in to start off the process. On reflection, it really wasn't too bad, when you're in that much pain you tend to zone out from everything around you </span><span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">and the two</span><span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"> midwives I encountered here were nothing but kind, compassionate and supportive and I 100% felt cared for, and not just regarded as another number.</span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">More so these women do not get enough credit or praise for looking after six labouring women on their own. Most men will tell you, one woman is bad enough.</span><br />
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<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">After being monitored for half an hour, the pessary was inserted. I asked how long it would take to 'kick in' expecting to hear the infamous <i>'how long is a piece of string?' </i>but was told it could be anything from an hour up to 24 hours. </span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">Luckily, within half an hour contractions started to kick in. It's amazing how quickly you forget the pain after you've got the final product in your arms, but remarkable how quickly the memory comes flooding back once you're going through it again. </span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><i>Ouch......</i></span><br />
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<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">One of my initial worries about being induced was that I had been lucky that my first labour was slow and steady. Don't get me wrong, it was hard- it's not called 'labour' for nothing, but it was gradual, and therefore mangeable. When you're induced, your body is jump started as it were, into labour and I was worried that I wouldn't cope with the intensity.</span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">I began having six contractions within ten minutes with no resting time in between. Once one ended, another would start and I knew something wasn't quite right. My midwife wrote in my notes that I was distressed, and I do remember having an emotional outburst, but I think the gas and air high as a kite effect helped contribute to that! </span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">After being monitored , the midwife decided it was best to remove the propress 'in view of hyperstimulation'. With the horrific pain that accompanied the contractions I was certain I was edging 8-9cms, ready to push out a baby.</span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"> I can now completely understand the logic behind some birthing books stating that you are completely within your means to say no to being examined if it's not absolutely necessary. If it's not the outcome you're expecting it can completely knock your confidence. I can totally see how it can lead you to make decisions on a whim about pain relief and perhaps against birth preferences you were so certain on.</span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">'2cms' she said.</span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">And with that I could have cried. I had quite calmly walked into the hospital the last time at 5cms, and here I was 2cms dilated unable to hold a conversation. I was still having constant contractions so after consulting with whoever was in charge, my midwife gave me an injection of terbutaline to try and stop them altogether.</span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">'We'll see if that gave your body the push to bring labour on itself and if not we'll try the propress again in the morning'</span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">And with that decided, Stuart was sent home just before 1am and I used my gas and air throughout the night, attempting to sleep and trying not to curse him for having the house to himself and a night of undisturbed sleep ahead of him!</span><br />
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<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">From the moment I was examined I convinced myself that my pain threshold had changed, I felt embarrassed that I wasn't coping as well as I thought so I kept quiet, shut my eyes and tried to zone everything out, making the most of the gas and air.</span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">I had been advised to mobilise and get up for some breakfast but once I made it out into the corridor, I had to turn back. </span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"> Stuart was sitting in the chair next to me in and out of sleep and I put my earphones in and really tried to focus on my breathing and finding a comfortable position.</span><br />
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<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">This is when it got a little hazy. Things started to intensify, and I could feel a lot of pressure, just as though I was near the end. The midwife had to leave to attend to someone else and said she would examine me when she got back and if I was 5cms I could go to the Home from Home, but moments after she left I told Stuart to ring for help as the pressure was getting stronger. I vaguely remember another midwife coming in and and there was a lot of talk about decelerations in the babies heart rate, I was quickly put on my left hand side and when I was examined was told I was 8cms dilated. (Cue the hallelujahs) </span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">With the decelerations</span><span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"> still occurring I was wheeled around to the delivery suite. I hope its the closest to a Holby City like experience i'll ever have, but I remember it all being very fast paced. The student midwife who was there (an angel in disguise) told me to close my eyes, and talked me through my breathing. She was a Godsend, massaging my back between contractions, making me laugh and offering the best advice. If anyone was born to do this job, it was Janette.</span><br />
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<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">When we got into the delivery room, everything seemed to calm down. I used the gas and air and experienced so much relief in between contractions, that I was able to have conversations and even laugh. Janette stopped me from using the gas and air constantly so that it was more effective when I <i>was</i> having a contraction. Common sense perhaps, but those simple suggestions helped massively when I wasn't thinking straight and that honestly made all the difference this time around. </span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">Having an amazing support team around us made <i>such </i>a positive impact that in that moment it wouldn't have made a difference if I had been in Home From Home, the labour ward or even the car park.. just having the right people around saying the right things was imperative.</span><br />
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<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">After 12 minutes of 'pushing' Oliver arrived. I had been guided into a good birthing position and talked through what I was going to feel and when I was going to feel it. </span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">Birth is certainly no competition, there are no prizes for using or not using pain relief, for going natural or receiving help, the baby at the end is of course, the prize.</span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"> But I do feel so empowered that I gave birth using gas and air and I can't help but put that down to the midwives guidance and support.</span><br />
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<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">Oliver was lifted up on to my chest and it was a truly unforgettable moment. It had felt like a lifetime to get to this stage, but now he was finally here we couldn't wait to introduce him to his big sister.</span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">It's the strangest feeling to describe. You spend nine months baffled at how you're ever going to love another human as much as your little one, you perhaps feel guilty that the love will be divided between the two. You're told that the love isn't divided, in fact if anything it'll multiply, but there's always that worry, that niggling doubt in the back of your mind that it won't come quite as naturally as that. But then you meet your baby, and they fill a void you didn't know even existed, and you get it. You finally understand what everyone means. </span><br />
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<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">Oliver Lucas, you are so loved.</span><br />
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<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;"><br /></span>sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15498237144019170134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-860269992828937996.post-2101660514862260382017-08-25T13:30:00.000-07:002017-08-26T01:05:53.346-07:00Self Love<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I don't think I'm alone when I say that I've battled with body confidence/self esteem issues for most of my life. One of my earliest memories of these struggles was as far back as primary school, when I specifically remember running up and down the stairs trying to 'loose weight' before a swimming party which I was going to later that day. A part of me is able to see the comical side to it all these years later, the fact that I thought I could shed a little puppy fat in the space of an hour.. (In my defense I was just a tad naive and once went to bed literally praying that in the morning I would wake as Pocahontas- it's safe to say I woke up just a little disappointed)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">But in all seriousness, as a 26 year old mother to a beautiful little girl, there is a part of me that feels massively sad remembering it. I'm a self confessed sensitive soul at the best of times, but it truly kills me to think of my Daughter ever thinking about herself so negatively.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Another memory I have is from a p.e lesson years later in Secondary school. The teacher had us girls all sat together and asked us to raise our hands if we were 100% perfectly content with our bodies and appearance. I vividly remember two girls raising their hands. I could quite confidently bet money on it that most of the girls who were in attendance that day won't even remember the conversation. I on the other hand, was so taken aback by it and so, so incredibly envious and to be really honest, quite disbelieving that there were actually people out there confident in themselves that I've never been able to forget it.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Both of those girls have went on to have multiple children each and I sometimes wonder if they still feel this way about their bodies. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I genuinely hope so.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Back to the present day, I am currently 26 weeks pregnant with my second baby and I feel i've been quite body confident throughout the first few months. This time around I knew I know whats ahead, nothing has came as a surprise. The boobs and strong white nails have grown (the perks) but the stretchmarks from the first time have resurfaced and so have the wispy baby hairs that even the Liz Earle hair oil just won't tame. But you win some and lose some, and having been there and done that I know that the end result is worth all these trivial hang-ups.</span></span><br />
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Maybe a little tmi, but I didn't expect to fall pregnant so quickly. In my head I wanted to be as healthy and my body as fit and ready for pregnancy as humanly possible. But after loosing almost a stone after a bout of the notorious norovirus, I soon made up for the weight loss and gained over a stone and a half with the stress of buying and moving house with a toddler. Well, that's my story and i'm sticking to it.......</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I was a little bit pissed off to be honest starting my pregnancy with as bit of excess weight. I was able to avoid maternity clothes the first time around, the mighty hair bobble trick served me well and I was scared that my body would struggle to get back to any kind of normality after two.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> But I was hit full whack with a reality check when my doctor referred me to the early pregnancy clinic at 7 weeks + 4 after several nights of cramping and shooting pain.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">It was a bank holiday and so I had to wait three agonizing days until I could be seen. I had never experienced this with my first pregnancy and had utterly convinced myself that we had lost, or were loosing the baby. So much so, I couldn't even bare to look up at the screen until the wonderful lady doing the scan said '<i>Don't you want to see? look at that nice steady heartbeat</i>'</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Ever since that scare I have never taken for granted how extremely hashtag 'blessed' I am. How fortunate I am to be able to conceive and carry a baby. Not just one, but two healthy pregnancies.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">My heart breaks for the women that struggle, the one's that show up to their scan to hear devastating news, the one's that never to experience the things we like to moan about. The one's that have to say goodbye, before they even get a chance to say hello.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">It's only when you look up the facts and figures you see how all too common it is. And so i'm adamant to embrace the changes, both the perks and the flaws of pregnancy. To keep in mind exactly how I felt waiting to find out if my pregnancy was 'viable' when I complain of aching hips, lack of sleep or the battery acid rushing up my throat every time my head hits a pillow. I am fortunate to experience these symptoms that tell me my baby is continuously growing. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">This week is the first in 26 that i've hit a low point. Lately i've had so many comments </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">about my 'bump'/ body/ appearance that I came home from work the other night, shut the door and burst into tears. Proper Kim K ugly crying tears if we're being specific. You know one of those crying fits were you can't quite get the words out? that was me. Luckily Stuart was there arms wide open, and was quick to make me a cup of tea. A double Jack Daniel's, no ice would have went down a treat- but, pregnant, and all that.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> 'Wow, you're massive, and so long still to go!' 'You're definitely a lot broader this time around' 'You're bigger but it's still a lovely bump' 'Are you sure there's not another in there?' Cue lots of eye rolling and polite laughing. I've never been blessed with quick wit and so a sarky comeback is out of the question.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The icing on the cake was when I walked past two council workers who looked at each other and I seen one mouth 'Holy Shit' when I walked past. Hurt turned to anger instantly , and it's had me thinking ever since.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I know this comes as part and parcel of being pregnant. I'm probably guilty of it myself. In fact I <i>know</i> i'm guilty of it. It's hard not to be face to face with a pregnant woman and <i>not</i> make a comment. Maybe it's because I am carrying more weight this time i'm definitely feeling more sensitive to comments. Last time I was 'all bump' and I was quite proud of it. I know deep down people don't mean anything vicious by it, in fact i'd say the majority of the time they aren't even aware of how it can make a woman feel and would feel mortified if I told them that I had to literally force myself out of the house the other day to take my Daughter to the leisure center because I was so unhappy with how I felt in my jeans. My two sizes bigger than usual, maternity jeans. No hair bobble trick can sort this one out. I'd sooner go to a supermarket in the next town than have to bump into people I know and hear the same comments on repeat. I'm so proud of my body that i'm so angry at myself for letting <i>other</i> people make me feel self conscious about <i>my</i> body.</span></span><br />
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I tried explaining to Stuart that it's like </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">having a </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">noticeable wart on the end of your nose, and everyone you come into contact with commenting on it. It becomes draining. Some days you're more sensitive to comments than others. Some days you have all the confidence in the world, others you want to shut yourself away.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I am so proud of my body, and the bump i'm growing. Don't mistake this for me moaning, because I am so flippin' grateful for this experience. But I am also sick of feeling like public property, and working in a retail environment, hearing these comments are all too familiar. Instead of basing them on my appearance, it would be refreshing to hear more people ask how my pregnancy is going, how i'm feeling instead of telling me how big I'm getting.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Would we ever go up to a stranger in the street and comment on their size? Or run into an old friend from school 'I haven't seen you in years! has your nose always been that big?!' 'Your acne isn't as bad as it was in school' Why does it suddenly seem so acceptable when they are pregnant? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The mind boggles.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I'm sporting a big bump, but i'm growing one healthy baby. I'm trying to limit the </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">unnecessary evening snacks, not because I medically have to, but because my partner's family have a history of birthing 10lber babies and that kinda puts the fear of God into me. But sometimes those salted caramel cookies are just too damn tempting.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I've done enough ranting, crying and moping about the house in over-sized tshirts these last few days to last me a lifetime. No more hiding away and having a pity party over meaningless throwaway comments. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I'm down to double digits now. My app says it's less than 94 days until we meet our baby, and as the kicks are getting stronger, it's all becoming very, very real. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> I'm so excited to see what he/she looks like, I can't wait to see Eva's reaction to her new sibling, intrigued as to what he/she will look like, scared at the level of exhaustion i'm going to experience with two. But I can tell you that no amount of stretchmarks or numbers on the scale are going to change how ecstatic I am about meeting this little one. The one I feared I would never have the chance to. And if anything that makes me want to love my body that little bit more.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15498237144019170134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-860269992828937996.post-35392731578296511922016-08-05T11:49:00.001-07:002020-08-17T13:26:13.378-07:00Time.<br />
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<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">For what feels like a <i>very</i> long time now, I have been so mentally detached from all things 'baby'. Our good ol' trusty Perfect Prep machine that served us <i>so well</i>, is all boxed up and collecting dust in the attic. Meticulously sterilising bottles has become a thing of the past and I can't even recall the last time I had to nip into Mothercare for anything, and my bank account is delighted about that!</span><br />
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<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"> Pregnancy feels like a very vague, distant memory- more like a surreal dream if anything, and when a friend asks for advice or product recommendations for their little ones, I am dumbfounded-<i>absolutely clueless. </i>If it wasn't for my Blog and the baby book I wouldn't know off the top of my head when all these changes even occurred- When did she started sleeping through the night? When did a bottle every three hours turn to one a day? When did she start knowing she wanted cereal instead of pancakes?! When did it become so normal hearing her talk and telling me what she did at Nana and Grandpa's?</span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"> More importantly, how have we even managed this far?! I can't quite believe it, though I have the eye bags, and Stuart the grey hairs to show for it.</span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">I literally cannot believe i'm about to write these words, but even the sleepless nights seem like a distant memory now, and it's only if you know me, or have ever read my Blog will you understand the <b>enormity</b> of that statement. </span><br />
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<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">....and i've probably went and jinxed it.</span><br />
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<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">The transition from little baby to toddler seemed to happen so suddenly, without us really even noticing.</span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"> One day we had a little baby who was dependent on us entirely, the next we had an independent little girl who just wants to run <i>really</i> fast and free, has no fear (...except loud noises!) She doesn't want to come in from the garden in the evenings for dinner and has learnt the word 'NO' .. throws some pretty impressive tantrums, and only ever in public.</span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">But oh my- we are having the very <i>best</i> of times. </span><br />
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<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">I loved having a newborn baby, I really did. I could have watched Eva sleeping for hours upon hours. The scent... ah that smell of a newborn alone is enough to make even the least maternal of people, broody. I absolutely love how scents can evoke a memory, and every time I open a box of Fairy non-bio, some Cusson's Mum and Me 'Bump' lotion or a packet of extra sensitive Johnstons wipes i'm immediately transported back to those early weeks, and it makes me feel all warm and cosy inside.</span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">Staring down at those pouty lips and kissable cheeks, the teeny tiny little fingers and toes that grasp and curl. I loved the morning feeds tucked up in a toasty bed watching tv while she lay milk-drunk in my arms. I was very much happy in our maternity leave bubble. The world outside seemed to carry on at a fast pace, while we took it nice and easy, and only really had to make sure that we were washed, fed and dressed. If it was raining outside, we didn't have to go out. Visitors came and went, copious amounts of coffee and cake were consumed, and it really was a lovely little set up, and I honestly really would live it all over again if I could, and if some mystery benefactor could post a couple of grand through my letterbox. </span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><i>All that cake eating is expensive</i>.</span><br />
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<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">But at the same time, I found being a mum to a new born really hard. Looking back it was probably more emotionally if anything, and it sounds <i>kind</i> of silly, because now I can't remember my life any other way, but I definitely mourned the loss of my <i>'old'</i> life. I don't think I was really prepared for things to change just as much as they did, and I sure as hell never read about experiencing these feelings in any of my baby books.</span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"> It took me a very long time to adjust to our new lifestyle and I remember nights feeling so exhausted, and so frustrated and not really knowing who I was anymore. I'm totally aware that just sounded as cheesy as a Dawson's Creek script, (Joey, Pacey- anyone??) but it's true. I know in my case at times I felt so out of the loop knowing that everyone else was out at work, or had busy schedules all week long, while this was the first time in my life I had <i>so </i>much free time. Sometimes it felt like<i> too</i> much time.</span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">Of course hindsight is a wonderful thing and having being back at work for over a year now, if given the chance to take a nine month paid leave, I'd be out that door like nobody's business, you wouldn't have to ask me twice.</span><br />
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<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">I look at my almost two year old and honestly can't believe how quickly time has passed by and how much she has learnt and developed and grew in that space of that time. It's amazing to watch her little personality emerge, -bossy, but oh so sweet. She can talk for Britain, but soaks up information like a sponge. So feisty and independent, but i'll catch her eyes wander from across the park looking for me, just to make sure i'm there.</span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">And i'm there, i'm always there. I'll stand and give her a great big smile, even when inside i'm wincing at how dirty her clothes are because she's carried about a stick she's found, in and amongst the trees, or she's pulled her bobble out and is rocking the bed head look in public. </span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">But i'll put these thoughts to the back of my mind, because right now, it makes my heart so unbelievably happy to see her happy, no matter how muddy or scruffy she can be.</span><br />
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<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">'Let them be little, 'cause they're only that way for a while. Give them hope, give them praise, give them love everyday. Let them cry, let them giggle, let them sleep in the middle. Oh.. just let them be little'</span><br />
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sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15498237144019170134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-860269992828937996.post-75512151314779590502016-04-26T14:51:00.003-07:002016-04-26T14:52:13.769-07:00Dear Sarah (A letter to my pregnant self)<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Dear Sarah,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">So you're Pregnant?<i> </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i>Congratulations!</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">There is nothing to be scared of. I promise. The scary stuff kicks in after the baby arrives.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i>I'm only joking</i>, but develop a thick skin and get used to these kind of comments- you'll be subjected to them all through your pregnancy, and after, and <i>pretty much forevermore.</i>. and usually, by strangers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">They don't need to know if your pregnancy was planned and if you are planning on breast feeding- tell them where to go or you'll have to endure countless tales of daughters, nieces and neighbours who caused their baby long lasting damage by over stretching or accidentally eating a sandwich with brie in it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Just let these throwaway comments go through one ear and out the other or your nerves will be wrecked for the next nine months, and trust me, nine months when you're pregnant might as well be eighteen- and on that note, keep yourself busy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Stuart will encourage you to get behind a team during the World Cup<i> 'It'll make the pregnancy go in quicker for you' </i>he will say. Don't listen to him, it wont. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">People will also enjoy telling you the negatives about pregnancy, the heart burn, the insomnia, the errrr.. excess hair- but </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">there are just as many absolutely amazing aspects too, like feeling your baby move, kick and hiccup.. the emotional bond you've developed with someone you've yet to meet. You will spend hours upon hours imagining and wondering what your baby could look like, what career she could have, and all the exciting memories you will share together in the future.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">You'll will have never really thought into the future as much as you will now. In fact, some nights you will lay in bed riddled with anxiety at the thought of bringing your little girl into the big, bad world, it's something which will never leave you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Try and embrace all the changes going on with your body. I know, I know... it's easier said than done, and pretty disheartening when you can fit into nothing but pjammas and Stuart's football attire- Sure, you are openly supporting Manchester United against your will, but one day you will miss that bump. The same bump that made it awkward to get out of bed, shave your legs (<i>what a perfect excuse to stop...</i>) and will make your sense of spacial awareness non existent- but I promise you this, you <i>will</i> miss it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Just try and think of the bigger picture, nine months is <i>nothing</i> in the grand scheme of things, and you will one day look back and feel as though your pregnancy went by in a flash. Which is exactly why you should keep up to date with your Bump To Birthday book..especially now that you have the time to do it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">(there will still end up being gaps..)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Giving birth will be the most surreal and amazing experience.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> It will leave you feeling sore, bruised and a little broken, but you will feel so elated that you will finally meet your little girl . You'll soon be quick to realise that the postpartum bit is generally the part people don't share with you, but these rollercoaster emotions are normal. <i>So normal</i>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">So don't go self diagnosing yourself too quickly, keep your mirror above your waist, give yourself time for you body to adjust, rest up when you can and don't be afraid to ask for help. <i>Everyone</i> needs help now and again- and you know you'll always prefer your mum's ironing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Invest in some comfy pjammas, witch hazel, some dry shampoo and enjoy hibernating with your new little family, even if you do resemble some kind of squatter.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Maybe add some concealer on to the list while you're at it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">But it's a small price to pay to have this beautiful little baby nestled in your arms.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">You will hear it time and time again, until you're sick of hearing it, but honestly, soak in all these moments, they go so quickly.. even those night feeds that feel like hours, they too will soon will pass and will be missed. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Every day she will do something different, capture these little moments, you will be amazed in months/years to come how much she has changed- so much so, you will doubt she is even the same baby.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">There are going to be some hard times ahead, times when you will question your own sanity. There will be moments that you will not be able to look at Stuart in the eye out of pure hate, and he will 100% feel the same way about you, don't worry about that. You are both so new to this parenting malarkey, and it can be tough when you're just winging it, and both so stubborn. But you will get through it, and you <i>will </i>laugh about the hard times. You will pack up your belongings more than once and claim you are moving out, but a few Jack Daniel's will do that to a hormonal, sleep deprived woman.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">So just go to bed and sleep it off.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Ain't nobody got time for a tearful drunk.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">(Ok, so it may well be months down the line, but you will find the funny side.....) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Because every day it gets easier, and more normal, and familiar. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">And it's only when you stop for a minute to reflect and look at an old photograph, or find an old baby suit or sock you are reminded of just how quickly time passes by and deep down you know you'd happily live through it all again, the sleepless nights, the teething and tantrums if you were only given half the chance.... if it meant getting to keep your little Girl close by your side for as long as possible.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">You can do this, you are <i>so </i>capable.</span><br />
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sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15498237144019170134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-860269992828937996.post-42200371970675230132016-02-11T08:17:00.001-08:002020-08-17T13:26:51.631-07:00Parenting Guilt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
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<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">Mummy guilt. or should I say, parent guilt.. (Dad's never seem to get a mention do they?)</span></span><br />
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<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">Along with the perils of teething, over tired tantrums, and stretch marks in unmentionable places, <i>Parent Guilt </i>is just another one of those things you find out all about<i> after</i> having a baby (and maybe just as well ) </span></span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">Pre-baby I had very little to feel guilty about, and if I did, it was all trivial things like not swapping shifts with a co-worker, declining a night out or 'forgetting' to respond to a text.</span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">Like I said, I had very little to feel guilty about. </span><br />
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<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">Since becoming a mum I feel guilty over everything. Every little thing. Everyday, all day long - Like an emotional hamster wheel of guilt.</span><br />
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<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">I'll worry if i've spent enough quality time with my daughter that day, then feel guilty that the house resembles a squatter's den <i>because </i>we spent the whole afternoon playing with every toy in the box. </span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">I'll then clean and feel guilty that I want it to stay tidy and that i've <i>hid</i> the crayons, Peppa toys, slide <i>and </i>seesaw out of sight so that I don't have to put them away later.</span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">I'll feel guilty that I put her down for her afternoon nap, and now the sun is shining and she's missing out on a beautiful day outside, yet deep down I know if I was to wake her i'd feel guilty that I disturbed her sleep and run the risk of her having a public emotional breakdown due to the sleep hanging out of her.</span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">I worry that she watches too much tv, despite the fact she's quite capable without it and uses it as mostly background noise as she potters about the living room from toy to toy.</span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">I feel guilty when she waves goodbye when she's comes along to drop me off to work, even though I decided to return to work to add to our income so we can live comfortably and treat her to nice things now and again.</span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">I feel guilty that I enjoy time alone. I'm conscious that I don't make enough for my childless friends, that when I do i've missed out on big parts of their day to day lives because sometimes I can be so consumed in my own. </span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">I feel guilty that I make my own partner feel guilty when he says he's tired or has had a rough day. Because God forbid the man might feel tired after a 10 hour day!</span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">For flipsake, I feel guilty that i'm even <i>feeling</i> guilty about every thing instead of just enjoying every minute I have as a parent.</span><br />
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<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">Literally every little thing turns into a reason to feel guilty about.</span><br />
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<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"> I read a comment on Facebook recently under a 'Unmumsy Mum' post, in which a woman said to remember this following statement in those guilt ridden or 'down day' moments </span><br />
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<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: x-large;">'Everyone fed, no one dead' </span><br />
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<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">If we have achieved just that, surely we are all doing a wonderful job. </span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">It's time to not let the guilt consume us, but rather in a weird way, embrace it ( unfortunately it never leaves- or so I am told) because it reminds us that w</span><span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">e care, we want the very best for our children, it would be more concerning if we </span><i style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: x-large;">didn't</i><span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"> have these worries, if we had given up all hope and didn't strive for better. </span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">In years to come i'm almost certain (or I at least for my sake, <i>hope</i>) that my daughter doesn't remember that I didn't have her at every baby/toddler group going- because I shudder at the very thought of them, that chicken nuggets were a dinner time staple, or that it often took us until 12pm to leave the house.</span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">But she'll remember the sunny days she spent in the park on the swings, nights she stayed up a little later because Grandparents were over, days at the beach and sunday morning in bed snuggled (or rather, wedged, feet in spine etc etc) between her Mummy and Daddy</span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">Because at the end of the day, those are the things that she will remember and those above everything are the things that really matter, aren't they?</span><br />
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sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15498237144019170134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-860269992828937996.post-5414374026387912702015-11-17T13:33:00.002-08:002020-08-17T13:28:53.701-07:00The 'S' Word<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;"><br /></span>
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<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">If you have ever been a reader of my blog, you will have been made very aware of our issues with sleep. Yep. I let <i>everybody</i> know. So much so,</span></span><span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> I was</span></span><span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> convinced for a while that the postman</span></span><span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"> didn't even attempt knocking before posting the 'sorry we missed you' slip through the door, and sadly on my part, I really don't blame him.</span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">It has taken me weeks to sit down and write this post for many different reasons. This has been the biggest challenge for me when it comes to motherhood. It left me feeling deflated for months, affected my relationship and to be perfectly honest let me feeling like a crap mum. <i>How come everyone else's babies seemed to be sleeping? Where am I going so wrong? </i>and when told by well-meaners that 'everybody goes through it' it left me reeling and defensive. If <i>everybody</i> went through it, I just couldn't fathom how people would go on to have more.</span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">While that may sound a little harsh to some (and a bit sad really) sleep deprivation is no picnic. I wouldn't wish it upon anyone</span><span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">. It is a constant hangover, mixed with fatigue and that surreal feeling that comes along with jet lag. When I managed to nod off, I would wake up minutes later thinking I had dropped Eva, despite the fact she was safe in her moses basket. It was terrifying and I honestly didn't know</span><i style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: x-large;"> how</i><span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"> we were meant to be caring for this beautiful baby when we were too tired to look after ourselves, there are only so many cups of coffee your body can consume in a day.</span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">I'll just chuck in a little disclaimer at this stage and say that this blog isn't intended to be a negative one, i'm not looking for a pity party either, rather it is one for all those new mum's out there going through the same thing, and there are plenty. You are far from alone. </span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">It <i>does</i> get easier. And if it doesn't get easier, you certainly get used to it. In the meantime stock up on concealer and coffee to help you ride out the storm.</span><br />
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<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">Eva is now thirteen months and it is only when we look back we realise how far she has come in regards to her sleeping, I mean<i> wow </i>we are often treated to stretches of up to five hours . <i>Yes</i> so we are still co-sleeping- and enjoying it, <i>most of the time</i>- all apart from the erratic arm movements and toes in the spinal region) but we're definitely progressing.</span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">It was only after her 12/13 month jabs which has sent her sleeping up the left again has it really reminded me of those challenging early days and with these feelings ripe in my mind I thought it was the perfect time to blog about our sleep journey.</span><br />
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<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">We were never really off to a good start in the sleep department. From around 30 weeks I suffered from pretty bad pregnancy insomnia. Many nights I'd wake at 3am and take myself downstairs where I could still be found when Stuart was leaving for work. Luckily back then it was just a case of mauling my way through a box of cheerios and crawling back into bed, emerging only for lunch and (lets be honest), pee breaks. So as hard as the lack of sleep at night seemed, I managed by napping sporactically during the day. I was on easy street and didn't even know it.</span><br />
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<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">Fast forward to the first few months of Eva's life when sleeping was non existent, it got to the point we were asking the doctor HOW was it possible that our daughter was surviving on <i>so little sleep</i>? it could not be healthy.</span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">She didn't take to her moses basket (We tried <b>three) </b>Refused to sleep in her cot, hated her bouncer, we even tried parking her pram beside our bed if it meant we could have an hour of continuous sleep, but that too was short lived. </span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">We read every sleep related website, every message board and forum. People recommended sleep training books and we had family cutting out newspaper articles in the hope they would help. Our brains were so consumed with information on how to implement the best bedtime routine that we could have been sleep professionals, yet our own baby hadn't quite got the memo.</span><br />
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<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">When reading articles by so called 'experts' or listening to fellow mummies who had their bedtime routine down to a T I would find myself frustrated especially when they would offer their own pearls of wisdom. Don't get me wrong, i'm very open to suggestions- I don't exaggerate when I say we were <i>desperate</i> and would try anything, but </span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">ohhh we have heard it all.<i> Put her to bed earlier, keep her up later, try baby massage, a bath, bottle and book. porridge to keep her going longer through the night, lullabies, a night light, controlled crying, the shush pat method, lavender spray, sleeping bags, a rigid set routine, blackout blinds, drop a nap, add a nap, dream feed... Everything!</i></span><br />
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<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">While we attempted a good few, with the exception of controlled crying (this mama is just not cut out for it) we quite naturally fell into the good ol' controversial Co-Sleeping.<i> </i></span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><i>That's were they're going wrong' </i>people may say. and it <i>very often </i>comes out of the mouths of those with snoozy little sleepers that like to clock up to 12 hours of sleep a night (Yes! I said it) but anyone who has been through something similar will know that you do <i>whatever</i> you have to do to get some sleep, even if it is only a 30 minute powernap- <i>For your health, for your sanity</i></span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">While i'm not saying co-sleeping is 100% the route to go down, after all there are (like most things in life) risks involved but it certainly worked for us and we do most nights manage to get at least six hours of solid sleep, however it was very gradual and definitely didn't happen over night- try six months. </span><span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">I've found that co-sleeping is such a taboo subject, one that some mum's don't like to admit they do out of fear of being judged which is completely ridiculous and upsetting that they should feel judged over their choice of parenting. I know I can definitely relate. No first time mum wants to feel as though they are failing, that they are doing something wrong.</span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">I've accepted that as long as you follow appropriate safety precautions and your baby is happy and healthy you are doing an<i> amazing </i>job. You know <i>your</i> own baby best.</span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">As confident as I sound in regards to co:sleeping, for us it was definitely a case of desperate times call for desperate measures. There were nights the two of us would take turns pacing the hallway literally crying with exhaustion. Our own mum's at the other end of the phone offering to take Eva so we could pull ourselves together. So while we enjoy the closeness that comes along with co sleeping, i</span><span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">f we are ever blessed with another baby we have both firmly agreed our bed is unfortunately off limits.</span><br />
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<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">The next challenge for us is moving Eva into her toddler bed and oh what a challenge it will be but with those 5.5 size feet not getting any smaller and being wedged into my spine through the night i'm ready to accept that now is the right time. </span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">On another note I have the utmost respect for single mothers/fathers/those whose partners work away and don't have the option of a few hours kip at the weekend while their partner holds the fort downstairs or even just the ability to jump in the shower for 10 minutes and zone out. But if I have learnt anything about parenthood it is that your body has this remarkable, mind boggling way of pushing you on through the exhaustion- after all there is no phoning in sick, no staying in bed all day to catch up on ZZzzz's. There are days you run on empty and somehow seem to pull yourself together and get somehow, get through it.</span><br />
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<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">So there it is. I put my hands up and admit I have no advice. None whatsoever. No tips or tricks or even my own pearls of wisdom.I simply offer some glimmering hope that one day soon it all clicks into place with your little one and that googling '<i>how to get my baby to sleep</i>' at an ungodly hour will soon be a thing of the past.</span><br />
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<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">The hormonal, sleep deprived Sarah with the Uncle Fester eye bags would have cursed at anyone writing that, '<i>Cheers for the help</i>' and in a way I find it so entirely bizarre that I am and touch wood, it stays that way. But one thing I know for sure, it that it has all been worth it to have this little lady in our lives. Every last sleepless night.</span><br />
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<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15498237144019170134noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-860269992828937996.post-10839495474583593382015-10-30T03:51:00.001-07:002020-08-17T13:29:33.001-07:0050 Things I've Learnt During The First Year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span face="" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"> Some observations, 'words of wisdom' and home truths from my first year of parenting!</span></div>
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<li>-The human body is absolutely <i>amazing.</i> Yep, the very same body that couldn't carry me around the field during cross country (circa '02) managed to grow a little human. It was stretched to its maximum capacity over 9 months, endured excruciating pain and birthed a little human, and it still kinda blows my mind.</li>
<li>You know what else is amazing? Witch Hazel. Cooling, soothing witch hazel. If there ever should be a <i>'next time</i> ' it's sure as hell the first thing being chucked in the hospital bag.</li>
<li> Expectant parents are like putty in the hands of marketers. I too am guilty of stocking up on so many <i>useless</i> products that I was led to believe were 'essentials'</li>
<li>On the subject of stocking up, we are <i>still </i>scraping through tubs of never ending Sudocrem and bottles of baby shampoo... a year later. <i>Oops</i>.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<li>You <i>probably </i>will have a big ol' cry at some stage in the first few weeks of parenthood. One you will be able to look back on and laugh at. Those pesky hormones, eh?!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
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<li>...And sadly, those hormones will never be the same again. Get used to weeping over everything.. cute animals, old people, Grand Designs...</li>
<li>Stretchmarks <i>do</i> fade. OK, so they don't completely vanish over night, but they<i> do</i> fade- You only have to look at your baby to know that they are very much worth it.</li>
<li>You will never have to set an alarm clock ever again.</li>
<li>7.30am is considered 'sleeping in' My teenage self would shudder at the very thought.</li>
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<li>I really thought baby clothes were extremely awkward to put on, until it came to dressing a walking toddler. This is the time of day I count as my daily exercise.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
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<li>Had I known Gaviscon was available on prescription I wouldn't have have bled my bank account dry buying it in Boots..<i> at least my advantage card reaped the rewards! </i></li>
<li>I never really appreciated sleep until becoming a mum, and if I could turn back time I would happily have clocked up more hours in bed and felt no guilt whatsoever.</li>
<li>Never under estimate the power of a baby wipe. Not only do they clean baby, they'll also be used to clean your sofa, your floor, yourself in between showers, and those baby food stains from your jeans. </li>
<li>Every one loves a birth story. I have never shared so many intimate details with other women since becoming a mum. <b>'You leave your dignity at the door of the hospital' - </b>Correct!</li>
<li>The Tommee Tippee Perfect Prep machine is a lifesaver and I would happily kiss the feet of the person that created it.</li>
<li>Google is both your best friend and worst enemy.</li>
<li>You will say it a thousand times over, but they really don't stay babies for long, and time is so fleeting that it's kinda <i>terrifying</i>.</li>
<li>There is no one i'd like to slap the face off more than the person parked in 'parent parking' minus a child.</li>
<li>Wise is the mum who<i> doesn't</i> brag about their baby's fantastic sleeping habits, for it's sure to change <i>that very night</i>.</li>
<li>...And watching your baby sleep will <i>never</i> get old, a year on and i'm still besotted with my little snoozer. The sleepy stretches and rosy cheeks make my heart melt.</li>
<li>There is (sadly) <i> a lot</i> of snobbery and competition amongst mummies regarding <i>everything </i>from choice of feeding, changing bag, clothes to pram. Which is ridiculous as we're all knee deep in dirty nappies and cleaning spaghetti bolognese off the floor. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
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You become the most selfless version of yourself and will happily leave a shop with nothing other than items for your baby. You'll go without washing your hair, often skip a meal and change plans last minute to suit your baby's needs.</div>
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The smallest things will give you the biggest sense of joy like watching your little one's reaction to new toys/people/surroundings.</div>
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The injections will always be worse for you than your baby. <i>Always</i>.</div>
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If you've been blessed with a bad sleeper, it<i> does</i> and <i>will </i>get better. I promise.. It may take 10 months, lots of tears and gallons of caffeine. But it<i> will </i>get better.</div>
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Listen to advice from friends, read the books, blogs and magazines but always go with your gut instinct.</div>
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You start doing the things you promised yourself you would<i> never</i> do and previously judged other mums for doing. 'No child of mine will ever have a dummy!' - She's had a dummy from day one. 'My child won't touch sweets until she's at least four' - There's milky buttons stashed in the cupboard, just three years early..</div>
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I used to think Sleeping when baby slept was the most ridiculous piece of advice ever offered, but now that I start work in the evenings, it's my saving grace.</div>
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You start to think about the future more, and really want to strive for the very best for your family.</div>
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There is no better therapy than having a fellow mummy friend. You can rant about your lack of sleep, your partner's inability to multitask, laugh at your parenting mishaps and complain about your inability to lose baby weight while scoffing cake and tea.</div>
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There comes a point you stop apologising for clogging up your Facebook newsfeed with pictures of your little cherub, if people aren't happy to see them- why are they on your 'friends' list to begin with?!</div>
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...And although friendship is a two way street, you naturally begin to weed out the people who haven't been there through the biggest change in your life. </div>
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If you are<i> anything</i> like me your sense of fashion will have taken a back seat to comfort. Anything oversized, fluffy or arse covering, im buying it.</div>
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I still can't help but lick the spoon after a dose of calpol... strictly for nostalgia purposes.</div>
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Your little one will always gravitate towards the most insignificant things so do yourself a favour and go easy on your Visa card at Christmas.</div>
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You will quickly realise there are many different stages of tired.</div>
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Overtired, fighting sleep baby is the devil in disguise.</div>
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I've called my daughter so many pet names during the last year I doubt she knows which one is her actual name. </div>
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Children's television programmes are most definitely thought up whilst on acid trips. I'm convinced of it.</div>
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Invest early in a good stain remover. If it's not sticky Calpol on bed sheets, it's those luminous orange pasta bibs. Our washing machine is on constantly and there will <i>always</i> be something steeping in the sink.</div>
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Hearing your baby laugh is undoubtedly the best sound in the world, there is no greater sound.</div>
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Watching my daughter grow and learn new things by the week really has made the sleepless nights, fatigue and chaotic house all worth it. (No<i>, really!)</i></div>
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I love a good pregnancy announcement and find myself getting emotional despite not even knowing the person. Damnit, Facebook.</div>
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Mummy Guilt. Ugh,<i> mummy guilt</i>. Well that's a whole Blog post on it's own.</div>
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Baby dancing is both the cutest and most hilarious thing to witness. </div>
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Returning to work after Maternity leave is never as a bad as you think, in fact it's probably worse for your co-workers who will be subjected to daily baby stories/ thousands of pictures.</div>
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You suddenly appreciate your own parent/s<i> so much</i> more.</div>
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Write things down. It's amazing how fast babies change and develop. You'll want to remember their first tooth cutting, first solid food, first steps.. and if you didn't manage to note it down, your social media time lines may help with that!. I can almost hear my Grandparents tut at the very thought.</div>
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Enjoy the good days, don't be too hard on yourself. Don't be afraid to ask for help. We're all making it up as we go along, aren't we?</div>
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Pour a drink, exhale a sigh of relief, you have made it through the first year!</div>
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sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15498237144019170134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-860269992828937996.post-14908418219213897282015-10-08T15:39:00.000-07:002018-02-08T02:41:10.072-08:00The Party<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I love a good browse on Pinterest. Whether it be for recipes, beauty tips or even quotes i'm always left feeling inspired, which is why it was my first port of call when planning Eva's first Birthday party. Although many of the party ideas are a little too 'far fetched' for my liking (Think glitter toffee apples.. watermelon carved as tortoise.. <i>what the...</i>) there were plenty of ideas that caught my my eye and I was keen to try out.</span><br />
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We decided to go for a Pink and Gold theme to keep it simple and easy to buy for- there is no shortage of pink party decorations in the shops or online! We picked up the majority of the party tableware from<i> Home Bargains </i>which was absolutely amazing for quirky little bits like the stripey straws, polka dot cupcake stand, sparkly wands and 'honeycomb' style paper garlands. It really surprised me how inexpensive these were in comparison to many online party supply shops. It is without a doubt worth having a browse around- Keeping in mind it is one of those shops you nip in to get one thing and come out with everything you <i>don't</i> need! It is amazing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">We didn't set a budget per say, but were keen to keep costs down, the most expensive decoration being the £7.99 pastel pink and Gold 'Happy Birthday' banner from Ginger Ray which I intend to use year after year. Stuart joked that Eva will be sick of the sight of it by her 21st and so be it!, it's beautiful! - well as beautiful as birthday banners come.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcRF5ItlSoRoFjRIq48JvtLaDkCcKSOqAhKYSQkWclspCf8tDM8EWzXLy45acGQfLbA3jz0_wv5QCSTo9yhRsBTvkQmrpCdSBWwLO1iYJGl3E8MPnbeEcLE8JeK_hIa63w9gaFdclB2fiW/s1600/cupcake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcRF5ItlSoRoFjRIq48JvtLaDkCcKSOqAhKYSQkWclspCf8tDM8EWzXLy45acGQfLbA3jz0_wv5QCSTo9yhRsBTvkQmrpCdSBWwLO1iYJGl3E8MPnbeEcLE8JeK_hIa63w9gaFdclB2fiW/s640/cupcake.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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I really wanted to add some personal touches around the house and to the table so I ordered Polaroid-style prints of Eva from the very beginning until now. I placed them on to a pin board with mini wooden pegs (which cost next to nothing on Amazon) across a line of string found in the cupboard!. It cost very little and made a really nice touch- Another Pinterest idea! A quick Google search and you'll find lots of sites that will print your photos in an authentic Polaroid style.<i> Years</i> ago I owned a Polaroid camera but buying the film proved extremely costly so I loved the fact that I can use a service like this for a one off now and again. If you are wondering, I used <a href="http://www.photobox.co.uk/">photobox</a>!.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFz2k8R32o299I3f-isLdRSMRhDJV-NFqtAbVR9mdBHpgwtQz1SQxeik942xlMtrSXhzOsqAxVosYEDbYGwCWM-c2DdWtS69DcmQ8y6gxhiHznpTKtQPXKl8-167nEa6Swx38aHmYway_d/s1600/58.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFz2k8R32o299I3f-isLdRSMRhDJV-NFqtAbVR9mdBHpgwtQz1SQxeik942xlMtrSXhzOsqAxVosYEDbYGwCWM-c2DdWtS69DcmQ8y6gxhiHznpTKtQPXKl8-167nEa6Swx38aHmYway_d/s640/58.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXunC-aJtRnvXCWd5A379bXiTA46j2xXM_F8d2uCXPqcXZzHQicy_l88lsPX4i7k1ebcD9Ad_EW3iuL8Fpgm5qYbnCGSJvCxGpAdAkxI7WGxeu8GJObUw6RczSP5ewHBNQflovFXmGbVe0/s1600/evabirthday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXunC-aJtRnvXCWd5A379bXiTA46j2xXM_F8d2uCXPqcXZzHQicy_l88lsPX4i7k1ebcD9Ad_EW3iuL8Fpgm5qYbnCGSJvCxGpAdAkxI7WGxeu8GJObUw6RczSP5ewHBNQflovFXmGbVe0/s640/evabirthday.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">A few months after Eva was born I ordered this custom made letter frame from a lady I had came across on Instagram who specializes in little crafty pieces- I love stumbling across these kinds of independent sellers on Instagram- they're usually the best finds! I was able to choose the fabric and design and with help from the seller and we came up with this. It's one of my favourite things in Eva's bedroom and thought it would look perfect on the table keeping with the pink theme. I also used a shabby chic inspired photo frame (a Poundland bargain!) and inserted one of the 3d prints we received at our gender scan.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7IV25b1ebphsmprj_RwNodfWK0K4g1bBbV4Q7ZFJNBgQ9chbxNFKp43tCj-ALf7DcnI2jlhw5zLbB454ILO2N9vniRz_sYG8JwoMfYYAITG_wY7n6ngTfJRfWa_E0oEwZ0JhBd6mBsjs4/s1600/DSC_0117.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7IV25b1ebphsmprj_RwNodfWK0K4g1bBbV4Q7ZFJNBgQ9chbxNFKp43tCj-ALf7DcnI2jlhw5zLbB454ILO2N9vniRz_sYG8JwoMfYYAITG_wY7n6ngTfJRfWa_E0oEwZ0JhBd6mBsjs4/s640/DSC_0117.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEyXqdD_7vtN59eexQg16x9r7JLyWmytEUIA8kkXZpFU1KrwZlhUNEd-P9s8Q67VW7Y2uhJGREZtWpkLboNRvaq9v-gKIMMzW4j7prlgo_guSOd2VhF1zKSdDrmhwVur_V0KYRSY9U-Z-6/s1600/DSC_0123.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEyXqdD_7vtN59eexQg16x9r7JLyWmytEUIA8kkXZpFU1KrwZlhUNEd-P9s8Q67VW7Y2uhJGREZtWpkLboNRvaq9v-gKIMMzW4j7prlgo_guSOd2VhF1zKSdDrmhwVur_V0KYRSY9U-Z-6/s640/DSC_0123.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The majority of the party snacks on the table ran with the pink girly theme! Stuart and I definitely have a sweet tooth and had no problem filling our trolley with the tastiest treats Tesco had to offer. So much so, we completely over bought and spent the weekend in a sugar induced coma. In fact it was the first time in our (almost) four years together that we have declined cake. I suppose<i> there's a first time for everything!</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">We decided to keep the hot food simple. We served up finger food like the obligatory cocktail sausages, mini pizzas, sausage rolls, spring rolls, chicken goujons, tikka bites as well as savoury snacks like crisps and dip!Stuarts mum made trays of sandwiches and my mum made a pavalova for dessert. We stocked the fridge with beer for the boys, Prosecco for the ladies and fruit shoots for the kids.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW9Yk4Q9li4NkOTkcq2YIWYLxpfyyqRY-xS3jwQ14dZJAk2t3LwvVA7-maxVdBKMl02dM1_EeXsLdpsRfsjS-nBmsPk7zpO4Cvv0i95kIoA19mj3Z9IH1oL83rodQK331I3pQ1gJuXYzME/s1600/pav.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW9Yk4Q9li4NkOTkcq2YIWYLxpfyyqRY-xS3jwQ14dZJAk2t3LwvVA7-maxVdBKMl02dM1_EeXsLdpsRfsjS-nBmsPk7zpO4Cvv0i95kIoA19mj3Z9IH1oL83rodQK331I3pQ1gJuXYzME/s640/pav.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I ordered a Wilton nozzle to do the icing on our cupcakes and was extremely impressed with the results, It was completely foolproof and a bargain at the price of £2.32 with <i>free</i> delivery!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002PNZKA0?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00">Wilton Icing Nozzle</a> If you're anything like me and struggle with decorating your cupcakes you need this in your life.. and there's always sprinkles to cover up botched attempts!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6W8w3DiQGMrl2gsd3xZQpZF5vi1IO9zzw7Zp1GMKp2ghfxvYYaks3xpwNDzcDTyJ89DWVAs5uYtH4-c-2FiC-AAAS6YAv7YMECdE_fPyN5aJo_FWnI9af3g3R_JLU2dVkjYPJIo8kGlsb/s1600/DSC_0096.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6W8w3DiQGMrl2gsd3xZQpZF5vi1IO9zzw7Zp1GMKp2ghfxvYYaks3xpwNDzcDTyJ89DWVAs5uYtH4-c-2FiC-AAAS6YAv7YMECdE_fPyN5aJo_FWnI9af3g3R_JLU2dVkjYPJIo8kGlsb/s640/DSC_0096.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">As the ages of the kids coming to the party ranged from 10 months-15 years we decided sweet cones would be the best route to go down when it came to party favours. That and the fact that as first time parents we were absolutely clueless to say the least when it came down to the contents of Party bags these days- Safe to say we have<i> a lot </i>to learn. Times like these I am starkly reminded that we are such newbies in the parenting world ( Like our first proper family outing were we came home with wet jeans and spent the guts of £15 on two cups of coffee and shop bought sandwiches - We definitely missed the 'Essential Parenting items' memo which specified that we needed a rug, a thermos and a cooler box for such outings...)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> I purchased the sweets in bulk on Amazon (just as easily picked up in pound shops) as well as the cellophane bags, and spent a Saturday afternoon making them up and trying to refrain from eating any- this was surely the hardest part of the entire process. Ah well! The kids seemed happy enough with their sweet cones and the littlest member of the family went home with some new stacking cups, Peppa Pig buttons and a bag of biscotti biscuits!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH0nk1RyJnTjoinnePWonYFq3riVPDv6nKPctEXE1BhLqT8uB6h71Hk48lClonbJlDIuPHUwECJbFtZwH_eVO4wckzVF7hf4Q8oWGsgebFb63UWfOllj5CSejQItFK0RKURlwXow_18TeL/s1600/sweetcones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH0nk1RyJnTjoinnePWonYFq3riVPDv6nKPctEXE1BhLqT8uB6h71Hk48lClonbJlDIuPHUwECJbFtZwH_eVO4wckzVF7hf4Q8oWGsgebFb63UWfOllj5CSejQItFK0RKURlwXow_18TeL/s640/sweetcones.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirDS2A-ku5CEc0KNtJZEf8093xzM9xHo-vFnJVKWgdtWoD6EI_oGBk4yuiYTnOBHtQ1w8SUVE1w3Z4F1pL0S1PvLt-nxSRkn17s6PTpS4XMKPtUc70GMOdpjOm4hneTR4yrYfmGn_Eb93T/s1600/DSC_0277.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirDS2A-ku5CEc0KNtJZEf8093xzM9xHo-vFnJVKWgdtWoD6EI_oGBk4yuiYTnOBHtQ1w8SUVE1w3Z4F1pL0S1PvLt-nxSRkn17s6PTpS4XMKPtUc70GMOdpjOm4hneTR4yrYfmGn_Eb93T/s640/DSC_0277.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Months before Eva's party we had thought about getting a local baker to bake the cake. The only issue being it was £40. <i>Yes £</i>40. Now I am definitely one for supporting local businesses and I understand how much time, not to mention the costs and effort that goes in to baking and decorating a cake, but in the end we just couldn't justify spending that much on a cake. In fact £40 could have just about covered our food shop for the party! We browsed Marks & Spencers, Tescos and Sainsburys and we both agreed on this white chocolate cake. (We <i>probably </i>would have opted for a Peppa Pig cake but Nana and Grandpa had already purchased one for her party on the Friday night) It was beautiful, tasted delicious and I didn't feel the need to force feed everyone to make sure I got my moneys worth! It reminded me of a girl who I once worked with who got a cake specially made with a photo of her daughter's favourite boyband printed on it. Her story always had me in hysterics as she recalled <i>crying </i>when the cake was cut! The poor girl barely got near her cake as her mum stuck it in the freezer to preserve it for as long as possible! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">We were a little paranoid that the older kids would find the afternoon slightly boring- At the beginning we had thoughts of hiring out a room in a leisure/play centre but we felt Eva would have been limitted to what she could do and we wanted it to be as enjoyable as possible for her. Luckily we have a park across the road which they ran back and forward to. To be honest there really was no chance to be bored once all the cousins were reunited together, kids really can find fun<i> anywhere.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">It felt lovely to have a full house with everyone enjoying each others company, eating, drinking and having a laugh. In the end i'm so glad we decided to have it in the house- not to mention the fact the leftover prosecco made the cleaning up after no hassle at all!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Most of all the Birthday Girl went to bed a very happy little lady (<i>Who wouldn't be if they had a brand new slide in their living room!</i>)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">So that pretty much concludes the first of many Birthday related blog posts! If you would like to know where anything is from, please feel free to ask! </span></div>
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<br />sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15498237144019170134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-860269992828937996.post-42789866214115730872015-08-14T14:45:00.000-07:002020-08-17T13:30:42.659-07:00The Farm<div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Last weekend we were fortunate to share a rare work-free/football free (<i>hallelujah</i>!) Saturday together so we decided to get up early and out of the house for a few hours to escape the sounds of the Piplings and Cheebies of Waybuloo, and to get a bit of fresh air. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Every morning we have a personal wake up call courtesy of little Eva between the hours of 6am and 7 and the weekends are definitely no exception.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> I've always been a bit of a night owl and as much as it kills me having to get up so early, honestly- I still use every distraction I can think of in the hope of an extra 15 minutes, Nothing has proved effective (<i>yet)</i> and alas i'm shivering downstairs in the kitchen clutching on to my cup of coffee for dear life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">At times I like the fact we start our day so early and instantly feel more productive for it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> There are days I have my hoovering, washing and breakfast finished by 8.30am feeling like Mother Of The Year, and others I can be found sprawled out on the sofa watching Mr Tumble with one eye open with Stuart's 'Rocky Italian Stallion' dressing gown wrapped around me. The only thing that can get me shifted is Eva pulling the logs out of the fire place or attempting to dismantle the television.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i>Anyhow, </i>early mornings aside<i>, </i>after being inspired by a school friend Lauren, and her beautiful little boy who visited the farm the previous week, we decided to take a trip there ourselves .Since having a baby we have have done the rounds when it comes to day trips. Lakes, soft play centres, country trails to the local parks.. it can get a little repetitive and so the farm was a great opportunity to experience something new.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">After a quick search on Google maps and loading up the car with all the gear (buggy, baby bag, snacks. nursery rhyme cd for the car- The joys, eh?) we were ready to set off.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">To be honest we didn't really know what to except from the farm and wondered if Eva would really even benefit from any of the activities they had to offer - but we couldn't help feeling excited anticipating her reactions to all the animals, considering the fact she hasn't been in contact with animals before, despite Stuart's best attempts at trying to get us a dog.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Well what can I say? we all<i> loved</i> the farm! Eva was so intrigued with all the animals and we didn't hear a peep out of her while she was stroking chicks and bunny rabbit and bottle feeding a baby goat. My baby feeding a baby animal?<i> Someone pass the Kleenex! </i>It was also<i> </i> the first day Eva had ever wore 'proper' shoes, and I was most definitely that overzealous mum, bursting with pride and being ever so snap happy with the camera.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i> 'Ohh stand with her beside the tractor'</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i>'Awwh! stand in front of the horse!'</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Oh yeah. <i>That mum</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The staff at the farm were fantastic and constantly brought animals over to Eva without us even having to ask and were so extremely patient with her. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The rain came on and we ventured into a little playroom where we were able to take a little break and Eva was able to crawl about and stretch her legs. In this little room we met a little boy (Jonah) with his mummy,and days later after seeing a picture of this lovely little boy appear on my Instagram feed I was convinced these were the people we had met at the farm. As much as Stuart tried to refrain me sending her a message 'You'll sound like a baby stalker!' nosiness got the better of me and I tagged her in the photo. It turns out it was in fact Jonah and his mummy! We both have been following each other on Instagram for a few months and little did we know that our babies were playing together. How small is the world? Such a lovely coincidence.</span><br />
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Overall, a great day at the farm!</span></div>
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sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15498237144019170134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-860269992828937996.post-66677269291782733592015-05-31T14:46:00.003-07:002016-01-29T05:42:33.506-08:00Recent Loves<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Just whenever we thought Eva's sleeping could not get any worse, she throws a spanner in the works- Just to keep us on our toes. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">We're now back to seeing <i>every single hour</i> on the clock. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">It's as well she's ridiculously cute as she stands in her cot clapping her hands for our attention.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">We're up before most bakers in the country, before the majority of people have even stumbled home from the bar. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>It's just a phase </i>we keep telling ourselves.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">A torturous, cruel phase sent to push us to our physical and mental limits.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">So understandably the caffeine intake has been upped this week.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">(Nero, Costa... you name it)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The stronger the better, and a slice of cake please</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">And thank the Lord for Grandparents.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsx8OyFaLaBKiX5VYVu3orFyTf43ComJkwY8DGo1WopasHxgrmmUekSIFYVWdwpLjLg2D3XJtjBsZmJq_bzz93O609sjeX_VRnYRxvkJWrm9HtsRUPGLMjWDmHHnN3s2JFCAldjkmeWkO-/s1600/IMG_20150526_094026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsx8OyFaLaBKiX5VYVu3orFyTf43ComJkwY8DGo1WopasHxgrmmUekSIFYVWdwpLjLg2D3XJtjBsZmJq_bzz93O609sjeX_VRnYRxvkJWrm9HtsRUPGLMjWDmHHnN3s2JFCAldjkmeWkO-/s640/IMG_20150526_094026.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">We have been Youtubing 'Baby Lullabies' the last few weeks.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">We've all been there at one stage or another, haven't we? particularly at stupid o'clock in the morning.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I<i> was</i> a fan of the white noise apps back when Eva was a newborn, back before she found the sounds of the rain forest so comical.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">These days we're on the lookout for something a little more calming and sleep inducing. I randomly came across 'Rockabye Baby' on one particularly challenging night. Rock music in lullaby form? Count me in.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">There's everything from David Bowie, The Cure and The Beatles to Coldplay, Pharrell Williams and Bob Marley.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">A genius idea if you ask me!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Ok, so it hasn't actually lulled her off to sleep but how ridiculously relaxing is this to listen to? I have a playlist I like to put on while feeding Eva her last bottle of the night- it sends all three of us into a nice sleepy state. Other songs i'd recommend are The Cure's 'Just like heaven' and Journey's 'Don't Stop Believing' which I can't believe i'm actually typing as if there's one song I hate with a passion, it's this one. It just<i> screams</i> out drunken karaoke. But in lullaby form? <i>I'm all over it.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The lovely people at Nuby sent Eva out a teething bundle last week. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I was almost as delighted as her as those little gums have been giving her a considerable amount of trouble recently.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Everything in the parcel was extremely useful, from the thick, absorbent dribble bibs to the teething rings that double as toys (Great for car trips)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">OK, being completely honest. a teething baby is going to enjoy <i>anything </i>they can get into their mouths aren't they?- only this morning I was wrestling with Eva to get the edge of the laptop out of her mouth, and the remote control did not stand a chance.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">That being said, these are a great distraction for her, they're safe, bright and colourful and the different textures means it holds her attention for longer.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> She's particularly been drawn to the 'Wacky Teething Ring' which contains a piece of of crinkly fabric which is always a winner with an inquisitive baby and lots of soft silicone for her to chomp down on.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I picked up 'Gurgle' magazine a few weeks back in the WHsmith in the airport. To be honest it was a bit of a panic purchase, but i'm <i>so</i> glad I came across it, I didn't put it down the entire flight.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Gone are the days of Cosmopolitan and Glamour, eh?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">It's aimed at modern mums (and mums to be!) and contains articles on<i> everythin</i>g under the sun, from embarking on your weaning journey, helping little ones with a sleep aversion (sounds familiar), to information on fertility, IVF and conceiving.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">There's maternity fashion, baby fashion, product reviews and recipes. <i>Everything </i>that is relevant to mums and mums to be. Where has it been in my life the last eight months?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I personally love reading other women's experiences and learning about all different styles of parenting and the tips and tricks that come along with them. The best recommendations come from the mouths of mums who have tried and tested products themselves and will give honest opinions.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I only wish I'd discovered it when I was pregnant.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The past week we have been enjoying looking back at pictures of Eva. I think returning to work made me take stock of the last nine months and it was so nice to sit down and look back..</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> It is amazing how much she has changed in the last few months. As much as i'm a perpetual pest with the camera i'm so glad i've captured all these fleeting moments by the week. I just need to get move on printing some and adding to the baby books!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvgT4JEIwsnq-rgTYRhuiK6bOkvT_G0y1WCNg7FMSaoxw6TUmzSR_jJfrKzEACRoZCNsW91QHsihmrWOjg8fkW8-OREWtVNIUqdv3hI1cAt_vUMoxBpBxfY667zABMYhbELKn-1KG_HIPf/s1600/IMG_8550.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvgT4JEIwsnq-rgTYRhuiK6bOkvT_G0y1WCNg7FMSaoxw6TUmzSR_jJfrKzEACRoZCNsW91QHsihmrWOjg8fkW8-OREWtVNIUqdv3hI1cAt_vUMoxBpBxfY667zABMYhbELKn-1KG_HIPf/s640/IMG_8550.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">....And i'm back! On Tuesday I started back to work after nine months off on Maternity leave. I've spent the last few months feeling incredibly emotional and anxious at the idea of returning to work but like lots of mums who reassured me, it <i>really</i> wasn't too bad after all.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I really missed having a little cuddle in the evening, the bedtime routine and even just spending a few hours in the evening with Stuart. (Although on the plus side i'll probably lose a bit of weight by ditching the obligatory night time tea and biscuits)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">By the third shift it felt as though I had never been away and had </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">almost forgot about the joys of working in retail:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">lots of dirty fingernails, forgotten wallets and plain strange conversations!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">But I am glad to be back, see familiar faces and get back to a bit of normality. (For now that is!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">and what better way to finish off the week?? (Courtesy of my Tesco Clubcard vouchers!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15498237144019170134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-860269992828937996.post-15942300400313745652015-05-17T04:12:00.000-07:002016-01-29T05:44:58.896-08:00The 'T' Word..<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxpHqoid4H51AX5nqEZYFUNURg1BFEQH8CBTzSxxg3yiIg3WWyISCGViTf4xNSZFfgA7aCylgL0YUgJwXBm0cUo_4YayEDqOattUN93hEr24N3uQgGZ6WRUvEG3AKsXXkP-wVYcSUJwl3T/s1600/The++'T'%0AWord...png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxpHqoid4H51AX5nqEZYFUNURg1BFEQH8CBTzSxxg3yiIg3WWyISCGViTf4xNSZFfgA7aCylgL0YUgJwXBm0cUo_4YayEDqOattUN93hEr24N3uQgGZ6WRUvEG3AKsXXkP-wVYcSUJwl3T/s640/The++'T'%0AWord...png" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Pre baby I knew <i>nothing</i> on the subject of teething. <i>Absolutely nothing</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> I'd often read status's on Facebook, people telling of their little loves cutting teeth</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">and to be honest I hadn't the faintest idea what they were talking about, cutting teeth was a phrase so incredibly foreign to me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Seven months into parenthood and i've come to the conclusion that teething is yet another one of those unspoken things that we keep hush hush, only to be discussed with fellow members of the Mum Club. If discussed to childless women in too much detail, right down to the nitty gritty, people wouldn't willingly reproduce any more.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">OK, that's maybe a little melodramatic, but you get my point.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Teething is <i>horrendous.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">It seems to strike when all is going swimmingly, when you're finally getting the hang of the weird and wonderful world of parenthood. You've established a good routine, your baby is no longer a complete stranger, you know them inside out and recognise all their little signals- hungry, overtired, overstimulated, restless, bored <i>etc etc etc</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">When out of nowhere you're suddenly mothering the spawn of Satan. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">That handy wee routine you had going is out the window, you're back to seeing every hour on the clock and experiencing random bouts of manic wailing while poor Sophie La Giraffe is being ruthlessly decapitated.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">It suddenly makes so much sense why they're so accurately named 'dribble bibs'- How can such a tiny human produce <i>so much </i>salivia?! Everything in your baby's eye line becomes chewable, the tv remote, their comforter, your knuckles! The teething nappies that the 'experts' claim are myth, are in fact real and those little scarlet cheeks are so hot you could probably cook your eggs off them. (But isn't there something<i> outrageously</i> cute about them?!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Teething in my opinion, is horrific for all involved.There is<i> nothing</i> worse than witnessing your little one in pain, especially when they can't vocally communicate what the problem is,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">which is why it's a good idea to stock the cupboards with remedies for when teething strikes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Little E has had her fair share of horrendous nights due to teething (the days tend to be more manageable as she can be easily distracted with toys/sights and sounds around her) We've tried and tested lots of different products over the last few months and to be honest, we haven't found a Holy Grail product, nothing has eliminated the pain completely - it's just been a matter of perseverance, a positive mind frame (keep reminding yourself that it won't last forever...tomorrow will be a better day) and shower them with lots of cuddles and TLC.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Although we haven't found a miracle product, <i>yet</i>, there have been plenty that have definitely helped, which i've discussed below.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Dentinox teething gel: </b>Dentinox was the very first teething remedy we came across in Boots and decided to give it a go, it's gel based, sugar free and suitable to use from birth. It has a minty unoffensive taste and works by numbing the pain of the gums as well as eliminating potential infection. t's easy to administer, just a dab on the gums with a clean, damp finger.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Pros: </b>Temporarily numbs the pain, can be repeated after 20 minutes, a pleasant, sugar free taste. Inexpensive and widely available.( A friend told me she's spotted it in a pound shop!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Cons: </b>Not a long lasting pain relief, it tends to slide off the gums quite easily. Doesn't tend to be as effective at night when teething pain seems to intensify.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Similar products:</b> Baby Bonjela, Calgel, Nelson's Teetha gel, Boots own brand.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Anbesol Liquid: </b>When Eva first starting showing signs of teething Anbesol was recommended to me the most by other mums, I honestly don't know why we didn't pick it up sooner. After a hunt around my local Boots I discovered it was kept behind the counter and the lovely customer advisor told me that their head pharmacist swears by the stuff and uses it on her own babies. Anbesol contains a local anesthetic and numbs the affected area and can be used by all ages for many different problems for example: Ulcers, denture irritation, toothache. It is a great deal stronger than your average teething gel and being a liquid I find it absorbs into the gums giving it more staying power.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEuPrOwKsr17nxAro9Vvh9vZWM1l70Dal3IbMGoHHSK5lERyBI1jGo8N8QFxhpbA1u79pJ_57N-IXtGuUSi9htzSDkS7-4vjixsku3Qnr0H2EBK2PrShNfBORIY5Zv_zLuQotmOe5-FKb2/s1600/anbesol.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEuPrOwKsr17nxAro9Vvh9vZWM1l70Dal3IbMGoHHSK5lERyBI1jGo8N8QFxhpbA1u79pJ_57N-IXtGuUSi9htzSDkS7-4vjixsku3Qnr0H2EBK2PrShNfBORIY5Zv_zLuQotmOe5-FKb2/s640/anbesol.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Pros: </b>A stronger alternative when baby is having a particularly bad teething day. I've tried it on my own gums and was taken back by how well it actually numbs the area.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Cons:</b> Slightly more costly than gels/granules (Anbesol is priced at £5.59) h<i>owever</i>, a little goes a long way. It has a stronger, more unpleasant taste - not for everybody- Stuart despises the stuff and personally won't use it on Eva- saying it's too strong, where as I prefer to use it on bad days and find it effective! Each to their own, eh?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Teething Granules: </b>Like many teething remedies, teething granules can be a bit of a Marmite product. Being homeopathic there is speculation on whether they do anything at all to aid the pain of teething. As there is absolutely no scientific proof that they do anything at all, it takes a bit of trial and error to see how your baby responds to them, but generally speaking we've always had a good experience and tend to reach for the granules first when teething strikes, simply as they're a more natural alternative. Teething powders/granules come in boxes of individual sachets and can be poured straight into baby's mouth or rubbed around the gums with a clean, damp finger.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">We prefer to use Nelson's Teetha but have also used Ashton and Parsons as well as Boots own in the past and to be completely honest I wouldn't say there's a great deal of difference between them, 'Teetha' just seems to be more available in our local supermarkets and chemists so that's why we pick it up!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZPx6_HlFlATDGI18ZLWi9afs5z5juYIXesqVp1xHK6gCQVsCk_N3ZUj44js45J88dR0ZnnGF5nJTPHYq8VzPGPwYCSR4UkIEpd9Mhn6buuiSayxpCxjniQZ9rFYwFU-K_2WnbwChG5H61/s1600/teetha.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZPx6_HlFlATDGI18ZLWi9afs5z5juYIXesqVp1xHK6gCQVsCk_N3ZUj44js45J88dR0ZnnGF5nJTPHYq8VzPGPwYCSR4UkIEpd9Mhn6buuiSayxpCxjniQZ9rFYwFU-K_2WnbwChG5H61/s400/teetha.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Pros</b>: A more natural alternative and side effective free. As they come in small sachets they are perfect for carrying in the side pocket of a changing bag.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Cons: </b>Do they really work?, no one knows!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Similar products: </b>Ashton & Parsons Infants Powders, Boots Teething Pain Relief.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Infant Nurofen/Calpol: </b>Ol' trusty Calpol. We've all been subjected to the sickly, sweet taste of Calpol at some stage in our lives, haven't we? and even though generations have passed, Calpol still seems to be the go-to solution in the medicine cupboard - It's been modernised slightly - they've finally ditched the little white plastic spoon (which always seemed to crack) and been replaced with a syringe device that left me highly confused the first time I went to use it, I shamefully had to read the instructions.. #mummyfail.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I reserve Calpol for more severe bouts of teething as it contains paracetamol but find it extremely effective, particularly at night time when the pain seems to flare up. We recently swapped Calpol for Infant Nurofen after a recommendation from another mummy and I have to say I prefer it. Nurofen is Ibruofen based (where as Calpol is Paracetamol based) What's the difference you ask? I had no idea until I read up on the Calpol website</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">'<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">As a painkiller, paracetamol is thought to block the production of certain substances in your body when you are ill or hurt to make your body block the pain signals to your brain'</span></span></b></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><b>'Ibuprofen is a different sort of drug from paracetamol. When someone is unwell their body may produce certain chemicals which cause inflammation and pain. Ibuprofen can block the production of those chemicals to help reduce pain and is also an anti-inflammatory drug.'</b></span></span><br />
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I swear i'm not being sponsored by Calpol, I'm just an paranoid mummy who likes to do her research... <i>promise!.</i></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFZ9JbMNevndBWZmb-wurY9B3pIoixu4f8Zy-bgrXOGmwaOhEfeAfWFOC1GtRGoVDk1L2eQHbk7Ew4VJFahX28ZZSKVhjoDUqcIve4TTYY4S451ffhf74ybKIqOt_xfcOM0zhmwTK3J1mM/s1600/IMG_20150517_103324.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFZ9JbMNevndBWZmb-wurY9B3pIoixu4f8Zy-bgrXOGmwaOhEfeAfWFOC1GtRGoVDk1L2eQHbk7Ew4VJFahX28ZZSKVhjoDUqcIve4TTYY4S451ffhf74ybKIqOt_xfcOM0zhmwTK3J1mM/s640/IMG_20150517_103324.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Pros:</b> Not only aids with teething pain,but lowers temperature/earache/post immunisation fever - a must-have in the medicine cupboard. Has a pleasant Strawberry flavour. Can be used from two months old and is available in sachet form - fantastic for the baby bag- no more hauling about a sticky glass bottle!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Cons: </b>After the first dose it is recommended to leave between 4-6 hours before the next, a long ol' day if those gums are particularly inflamed!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Similar Products:</b> Boots Paracetamol 3 months plus/ Boots Ibuprofen 3 months plus.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Sometimes you just don't want to give your baby medicines, for whatever reason and there is plenty of other teething aids to rely on.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Sophie La Giraffe:</b> A major cult product but really does help those little gums. She is made from natural rubber, the perfect shape for baby to hold on to and has lots of different grooves for baby to get his/her mouth around. Also lets not glaze over the fact that Sophie is <i> ridiculously</i> cute.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Teething Rings</b>: Are great for popping in the fridge or freezer (check instructions first though!) to soothe and stimulate those sore little gums. There are so many different brands to use from but I find Nuby to be a reliable brand- their products are brightly coloured and are BPA free.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Tommee Tippee Gummy Teether: </b>It took Eva ages to get used to this little contraption but she's coming around to the idea of it! Stuart simply places it into her mouth (and holds it) while Eva chomps down on the hard ridged rubber - A couple of minutes with it and it takes the edge off the pain. It's like a little mouthguard!</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3uZn4PJczhCUZA-d8seMN9jNRVLEbOugyC_PE1L5u9hRtN1-bZ7pIqLpQO3ysPDcUsXPltagKdcpYFy_0KXws98KsIV3e93rSM1fOY_wzQ2noNeUECTETXr2rVVdQ3nW7qf-0SaxQpdEV/s1600/mouth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3uZn4PJczhCUZA-d8seMN9jNRVLEbOugyC_PE1L5u9hRtN1-bZ7pIqLpQO3ysPDcUsXPltagKdcpYFy_0KXws98KsIV3e93rSM1fOY_wzQ2noNeUECTETXr2rVVdQ3nW7qf-0SaxQpdEV/s400/mouth.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Toothbrush: </b>I read somewhere to lightly massage your baby's gums with the head of a (new, clean) baby toothbrush to stimulate and soothe gums. We purchased a Baby Oral kit from Mothercare during my pregnancy which came with 3 different bits: a gum massager, a 'finger' toothbrush and a larger toddler brush. It's came in quite handy but you can always use a clean, damp finger and massage the gums yourself.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Food: </b>Recently i've been buying carrot battons and melon slices for Eva to chew on.. I keep them in the fridge so they're nice and chilled and she loves gnawing away on them, even if she doesn't eat them it really soothes the gums and acts as a great distraction from the pain. If your baby is too young to be dabbling with finger foods unaided I highly reccomend the Nuby Nibber net. Stuart came home with this handy contraption from Tescos when we first started introducing finger foods but were over paranoid of her choking.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">You simply place a piece of food in the net and screw the little lid around. The food is locked in there and baby can work away sucking the food through the net.. You could place chilled fruit such as strawberries, mango, melon.. etc! However, have baby wipes at the ready and expect mess. Lots of mess.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">These are just a few of my personal favourites and are all my own opinions, I haven't been approached or paid by any brands to feature any products, it's just been a great deal of trial and error over the last few months.</span></span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Is there anything in particular that you use for teething??</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I can't get my head around Amber necklaces/anklets.. has anyone tried one?</span></i><br />
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sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15498237144019170134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-860269992828937996.post-57596435568126448572015-04-20T02:54:00.001-07:002017-12-28T15:04:32.816-08:00What I miss about pregnancy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYtLx8jqCIlad8oFtgFiLs5araPkiRZ7fpnOLQmxj5iXNCFekQkJZWGVoMe16ZJ6uK84qSlc9XQn3OyzOgb-0dFDav81f8s8IK4sSQd8VvsIkiSxmyycOcL_CMQvCYu8p7zug0dpzKLS1X/s1600/pregnant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYtLx8jqCIlad8oFtgFiLs5araPkiRZ7fpnOLQmxj5iXNCFekQkJZWGVoMe16ZJ6uK84qSlc9XQn3OyzOgb-0dFDav81f8s8IK4sSQd8VvsIkiSxmyycOcL_CMQvCYu8p7zug0dpzKLS1X/s640/pregnant.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There seems to be such a baby boom at the minute, my social media time lines are filled daily with scan pictures and bump updates! It's making me reminisce about last year like a crazy woman and </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">brings back floods of memories both good </span><i>and </i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">bad!.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">When the Mr asked what my latest blog post was on and I told him,he had a look of utter horror on his face. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhohyphenhyphenYdXTniyI6_F1JVXGzCcwwHIgC1ctIagWdihQZ9Ng81s0FgCkCIi-oIXCeBCD8i1iFdlv2SrZJrtJvGuMvFIBTlDKZvnBioS30GUESTF1Pgzd7oDrerA3FA00a2hTunqvSNJzrzwxyj/s1600/nooooo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhohyphenhyphenYdXTniyI6_F1JVXGzCcwwHIgC1ctIagWdihQZ9Ng81s0FgCkCIi-oIXCeBCD8i1iFdlv2SrZJrtJvGuMvFIBTlDKZvnBioS30GUESTF1Pgzd7oDrerA3FA00a2hTunqvSNJzrzwxyj/s640/nooooo.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Do not fear, friend. After this </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">particular bout of teething, all plans of a future pregnancy have been put on hold for now, until </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">my sanity returns at least.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">But below are just a few things I miss/love about the pregnancy process!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>Those first few weeks</b>: When only Stuart and I knew our little secret. It was too early to tell anyone. In fact we were still trying to come to terms with it ourselves, and for several weeks we got to enjoy this special but absolutely terrifying time together. Stuart wrote on a Valentine's Card ' You and me, we'll soon be 3' I was an absolute emotional wreck reading it. </span><br />
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<b>The thick glossy hair and strong white nails: </b>I thought this was nothing but a pregnancy myth but <i>wow, </i>this pregnancy caper does wonders for your hair and nails. I didn't really take too much attention to it at the time but at a few months post partum I was mourning the loss of my shiny thick locks and unbreakable nails!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Apparently this is all to do with the increased estrogen levels, blood circulation and sped up metabolism which carries more nutrients to your hair and nails. But I reckon Pregnacare supplements had a lot to do with this as well-My midwife told me to continue taking them even after giving birth to make sure my body was getting all the nutrients it needed while my body was recovering.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFwumgclh0l8wTMCqz2jW_y65mey1Y7AnmacK-x3ajOdXEvsRgzUICSTBskGs3ERzOic_cUUJnirPoRbew5OB8XYO3QHwlOqQ2iWn5qQVkCFValkDkniswsxUzMplRj1boRoOdy189aUFx/s1600/bump.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="460" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFwumgclh0l8wTMCqz2jW_y65mey1Y7AnmacK-x3ajOdXEvsRgzUICSTBskGs3ERzOic_cUUJnirPoRbew5OB8XYO3QHwlOqQ2iWn5qQVkCFValkDkniswsxUzMplRj1boRoOdy189aUFx/s640/bump.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<b>It's ok to put on weight!: </b>For the first time in my life it was completely acceptable to put on weight, in fact it's natural and healthy. Although eating for two is unfortunately a myth, it's probably the one time in your life you can enjoy your food without feeling<i> too</i> guilty. (I didn't say no to seconds.. or thirds for that matter) Any time I was horrified at the number on the scales I reminded myself that it wasn't just the weight of the baby I was carrying, it was placenta, increased volume of blood/fluid and amniotic fluid.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Pass the cupcakes, please!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Baby shopping: </b>The other day we were in a baby section of a clothing shop and I spotted a pregnant woman with her mum browsing the first size clothes. I could have cried reminiscing back to those days, browsing through shops with mum 'awwwwhing' and 'aaaahing' over all the teeny little doll-like clothes. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Of course we could never leave a shop without buying at least <i>something, </i>even if it was just a pack of muslin cloths or socks! Not to mention that a shopping trip could almost always guarantee a free lunch with a iced caramel latte. I was in my element.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The minute I got home I would go straight into Eva's room and get<i> everything</i> out and would constantly sift through all the clothes sorting them into sizes, several times a week. I was obsessive!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>The naps:</b> I'm talking the pre 20 week naps, before the aches, pains, heartburn, cramps and even lightning crotch(Is there a politer way to put it?) kicked in. The post work naps that stretched well into dinner time. I've never been a great sleeper so these naps were heavenly!</span><br />
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<b>The cleavage:</b> I've said it before but Mother Nature gives you an amazing, natural free boob job, and in a cruel twist of fate takes it away from you, despite all the hard graft you've put in over the last 40 weeks. Life, eh?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>The pregnancy bubble: </b>You spend the duration in your lovely little pregnancy bubble</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> which i miss </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">terribly! I start back to work in less than a month and my bubble is well and truly burst. My body is back to normal. I can</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> lift heavy things, I don't need to use the lift as the stairs that once seemed </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">kilimanjaro like</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">are now fine. I can eat all the soft cheese I want, a few glasses of Jack D here and there are perfectly fine. I miss my little bubble of safe!</span><br />
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<b>People are nicer, strangers stop to talk: </b>Everyone loves a pregnant woman!.. (except for maybe all the men on my Facebook list who've had to endure my pregnancy updates.) Working in retail customers constantly stopped to chat to me, asking me how I was getting on and offering up pieces of advice (<i>not all welcome advice</i>!- I could have done without hearing about how your complicated your daughters/nieces/second cousin twice removed's neighbour's delivery was) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">People become a lot friendlier, doors are opened for you, seats are offered up.. People have never been so nice to me in all my life. Now i'm just one of those pests with a a pram. One that struggles to navigate it around narrow shop aisles and clips people's ankles in the process, the kind of person you hate to find yourself walking behind.</span><br />
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<b>The midwife appointments: </b>Talking to midwives, getting baby's measurements, hearing the heartbeat, seeing the growth chart progress.. I really enjoyed it. Just me?</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRR65ysGks6ED70PXH6ZB2xgp7Eii-UErmtmyQU1twhHiSGsf9KI1ApjE0aKvsWX2xZvbc057HV3jrSdDSI-0VvVkf8gLkqXC1ylvHzSlgQfU_xsM1zpTy5l34X3onhBZYsDodeI20huLF/s1600/bump3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRR65ysGks6ED70PXH6ZB2xgp7Eii-UErmtmyQU1twhHiSGsf9KI1ApjE0aKvsWX2xZvbc057HV3jrSdDSI-0VvVkf8gLkqXC1ylvHzSlgQfU_xsM1zpTy5l34X3onhBZYsDodeI20huLF/s640/bump3.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>The bump: </b>I was constantly being told how much i'd miss my bump, and after 41 weeks I honestly couldn't remember what life was like pre-bump. By the end it made everything awkward, I underestimated how much room I had between myself and cupboards, doors, shelves- everything!. Trying to get into a comfortable position in bed was almost impossible, even talking left me gasping for air and shaving my legs left me as out of breath as doing a marathon. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Nearly seven months on I admit I really do miss my bump, my little built in resting shelf. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I used to sit for hours watching my bump rise and see a foot or a leg here and there, watching it grow by the week, and the hiccups.. ahhh the hiccups.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivo9Ko7weQPwzi0SLEWJC2NfH1qBkV-FqZqQXsyFZd6qr7JM4m9iGfHvOJFfRYyvX6HszdOWND0H1fPSrzEjGvziKvJX6n_q0rcefLoj-Fx5szL8CMeUadF-0RSl9obN6mIbOvgUNNsnDn/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivo9Ko7weQPwzi0SLEWJC2NfH1qBkV-FqZqQXsyFZd6qr7JM4m9iGfHvOJFfRYyvX6HszdOWND0H1fPSrzEjGvziKvJX6n_q0rcefLoj-Fx5szL8CMeUadF-0RSl9obN6mIbOvgUNNsnDn/s1600/5.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>The pampering: </b>I was gifted lots of mum and me products for my birthday and towards the end of my pregnancy. Sleep mist, bump lotion,shampoo and bath oils. There are so many products on the market aimed at mums to be! (Mum and Me were my favourite but Asda do a great range, as does Sanctuary available in Boots!) I'd usually think products like this a little gimmicky and any excuse to get mums to be to part with their pennies but I really enjoyed them! The products are loaded with ingredients such as camomile and lavender to help relax and soothe those aches and pains as well as containing ingredients to hydrate your skin which can become stretched, itchy and tight in the later stages. It's a lovely time to really focus on your body and health and really take time to pamper yourself. Lets face it, once baby arrives this goes out the window!. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I practically lived in the bath, did weekly hair and face masks, made smoothies with fresh fruit and treated my bump to a massage with bump butters morning and night!.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"><b>Lazy days: </b>Days spent in the comfort of my bed. I'd make breakfast and would go crawling back into bed- which contained a massive stash of books, magazines, snacks!. At the time I felt ridiculously guilty.. Stuart used to joke that I spent all day in bed and get dressed just minutes before he walked through the door from home (...and there may be a little a bit of truth in this..) but on reflection, I had <i>nothing</i> to feel guilty about, had I known how little time I would spend in my bed when baby arrived i'd have spent the last two months in bed! instead we were smack bang in the middle of a house move, but nevertheless, I had some amazing pajama days, I think every mama to be should make the very most of these days!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Being a psycho and getting away with it: </b>All hell broke loose the day Stuart returned from Boots with the wrong flavour of Gaviscon. Aniseed? ANISEED? <i>what must</i> he have been smoking to pick me up aniseed flavour? The poor man just took it on the chin, apologising profusely.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Any time we had as much as a disagreement, even just a minor difference of opinion such as what to have for dinner, my eyes would well up and everything seemed earth shattering. It's comical (and embarrassing) looking back. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Stuart told me in the weeks after that it was getting increasingly hard to bite his tongue, but he knew it was the hormones. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The man did <i>good</i>.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoyi6lrUiNWMc3s1jrj8Re5A2CWZGz8kM6DLliu-MVFoMfwqTwvFln6AjwV2xAc5azIA33jDsPXoDp18N4F8NYuxfhTiRKnpMQlfrUkYUPyP7A1OjXjXXWmIHB9p0iAKcpybr0HGP0LkrK/s1600/IMG_0226.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoyi6lrUiNWMc3s1jrj8Re5A2CWZGz8kM6DLliu-MVFoMfwqTwvFln6AjwV2xAc5azIA33jDsPXoDp18N4F8NYuxfhTiRKnpMQlfrUkYUPyP7A1OjXjXXWmIHB9p0iAKcpybr0HGP0LkrK/s640/IMG_0226.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"><b>You're never alone: </b>You've yet to meet your little one, yet there is an unbreakable bond. When I was having a tough time in work feeling my little one kick away really kept me going, it was such a comforting feeling, I was never alone. From the minute I found out I was pregnant I became so protective over this little person I had yet to meet. Remember that scene in Friends when Rachel has her baby?.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Upon giving birth she looks down at baby Emma in her arms and says "I know you" </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">It is so spot on and gets me every.Single.Time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">(Obligatory labour selfie...)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"><b>The labour/delivery experience: </b>Every time we drive past the hospital my hearts a little! Stuart laughs and I have to defend myself by explaining that the maternity ward holds so many memories for me as it was the first place we met our daughter! It was the same hospital I sat in crying my eyes out when I'd fallen down the stairs before 20 weeks and we had feared the worst. The one I'd spent a night in at 37 weeks for an infection that wouldn't shift. I'd sat in the day unit with a trace machine attached when I couldn't feel any movements, laboured and gave birth in the home from home unit and carried my little girl through the corridors to the car on her first day home. So many memories!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Is there anything you miss about pregnancy?!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15498237144019170134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-860269992828937996.post-73190841931393092015-02-07T11:16:00.001-08:002016-01-29T05:32:32.301-08:0030 Things I want my Daughter to know<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>1</b> Wash your face morning and night. Foundation is a real bitch to get off pillows.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>2</b> Read, I don't care if you've got your head stuck in Jane Eyre or Cosmopolitan, just read!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>3 </b>The grass isn't always greener on the other side, even if it looks that way on instagram. People choose what they want others to see.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>4</b> Tattoos are permanent- just look at your dads.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>5</b> Get your Maths. Please, please, please.You probably won't ever have to know how many angles a rhombus has or how many fractions of pizza Jimmy ate, but employers want you to have it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>6</b> Guys have meaningless fun with easy girls, they don't marry these kinds.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>7</b> If you are going through tough times in your life, chances are I have been there too, talk to me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>8</b> You will kiss a good few frogs before you meet your prince.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>9</b> And when you think you've met him,let me suss him out before your dad does. I'll help prepare him, mentally<i> and</i> physically.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>10</b> Visit your grandparents, not just at Christmas. (although I don't think they'll give you much choice in the matter.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>11</b> Phone me up to collect you no matter how drunk you are, no matter what time it is, as long as you're home safe. (That doesn't mean I won't kick your ass 'round the living room in the morning though.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>12</b>. Double denim is a no go. Ever, Even if Vogue is all over it, Steer clear.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>13</b> Most bad days can be turned around with a long bath, candles and chocolate.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>14</b> What you think of yourself is far more important than what people think of you.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>15</b> Stay away from cheap wine, for £3.99 you may think you're getting a good deal, but you will have the mother of all hangovers the next day, not even Lucozade will be able to help you.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>16</b> Enjoy every minute of your youth, don't be in a rush to grow up. One day you'll wake up with two kids, a mortgage and bills to pay. Enjoy every second of having no real responsibilities.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>17</b> There are much worse things in life than carbs, stop pushing salad around your plate and eat the pizza.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>18</b>.An ugly truth is always better than a pretty lie.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>19</b>. Take an interest in whats happening in the world, not only will it widen your knowledge, but it helps if you're ever stuck for conversation.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>20.</b> Invest in good pair of tweezers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>21</b>. If you ever feel you've hit rock bottom, think of it this way, you can only go up from here.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>22</b>. But know that you will have bad days and they will always pass, having a few bad days here and there doesn't mean you have a bad life.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>23.</b> Keep smiling. You have the most beautiful of smiles (..not that i'm ridiculously biased or anything..)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>24</b>. Material goods do not equal happiness but if you're having a bad day, treat yourself to something nice, it doesn't have to break the bank, even a slice of red velvet cake can do the trick.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>25</b>.If you help it, try not to buy now, pay later on anything.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>26</b>. Quality is better than quantity. Three close friends are far better than fifteen fake ones, christmas will be cheaper too.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>27</b>. Travel. And I mean further than Magaluf.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>28. </b>And if you do choose to go to Magaluf, know that the only person you'll be sharing an apartment with is your father.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>29</b>. Never let people make you feel inferior. We all wake up with morning breath and bedhead hair.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>30. </b>When you think i'm the worst/annoying/frustrating/unfair person to ever grace the planet, remember that I love you more than you'll <i>ever</i> know.</span><br />
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sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15498237144019170134noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-860269992828937996.post-25315692155233083662015-01-18T19:13:00.000-08:002016-01-29T05:37:25.995-08:00Things I didn't know about pregnancy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">In all honesty, before I was pregnant I didn't believe in cravings. I thought them as an excuse for women to over indulge, what would a baby in utero need Flamin' Hot Monster Munch for?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I worked in a shop and witnessed first hand a man rushing in before the shutters went down. "She's having an ice cream craving!" he uttered, rolling his eyes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Fool! I thought, that woman of yours has you completely under the thumb!, picturing some barely pregnant woman sat at home, filing her nails with her feet up.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">A year down the line and i'm eating my words, It's a Friday night and we're driving around town with one sole purpose. To track down a slush puppy. A red one. (keeping in mind the last time I drank a slush puppy I was wearing dungarees and had a bucket and spade in hand.) I did a Google search and we drove around until we finally found a petrol station selling them. In that moment of sheer desperation, I felt nothing but empathy for that poor soul I had previously criticized, patiently waiting at home for her ice cream fix.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Who was I to judge?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">At the beginning I couldn't get enough of mashed potato/carrot and parsnip. "Oh my cravings have all been quite healthy" I smugly told people.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Well <i>that sure as hell</i> didn't last too long.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Over the next eight months I couldn't pass a Costa without ordering an iced caramel latte, and a fifteen. And if i'm being completely honest- a sandwich too.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I became quite the connoisseur of cupcakes, pickled onion crisps, anything covered in coconut and, McChicken sandwich meals. <i>'Make mine a large, and shall we get chicken nuggets to share?'</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Cravings are <i><u>very real</u>, </i>and despite your best intentions in the first trimester, you'll most likely cave by month 5, justifying all those late night takeaways by promising yourself you'll be out every day for lengthy strolls with your little lovely in their pram. 'Awk the weight will just fall off you' people will tell you. I'm four months post partum and have finally accepted the fact I need to exercise, this tummy isn't going anywhere, anytime soon.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">By week 35 I was well over two stone heavier and I was still convincing myself that I fitted into my River Island skinny jeans. I stopped craving food (thank God for that) and moved on to stranger things. After polishing off a 72 pack of Rennies in three days, my other half told me enough was enough and I was placed on heartburn- relief surveillance. 'Ok' said I, shamefully hiding packets in my handbag like relapsing drug addict.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">To compromise he went on the hunt for a mint, the chalky texture of a Rennies. I loved the smell of bleach, wasn't satisfied until our bathroom smelt like a swimming pool and I could have quite happily worn our fabric softener as perfume, it smelt <i>that</i> good.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">It is said that only 5% of babies are born on their due date, and even though we'll tell everyone 'I'll probably go over' we secretly all like to think our little bundles of joy will arrive bang on time.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I personally blame everyone else. Towards the end you're being asked by everyone from strangers in the street, to the lady in Boots scanning your maternity pads</span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">"When is the baby due?"</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">You say the date so often it becomes so embedded in your head that when that (what is supposed to be the momentous day) arrives, and then...... passes, you're absolutely gutted. And if you hear</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>"Baby will come when it's ready" </b>one more time you'll be ready for swinging at the person, whether it be your granny or not.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> The night comes and you're propped up in bed, with a face like thunder as you scroll through countless "well?!" texts.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">At this stage, log out of facebook, turn off your phone, do it for your own sanity.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">And so begins the ridiculous pursuit of trying to get baby to move. Your backside won't see a seat for days you'll be too busy on your birthing ball, resenting your poor partner for looking so ridiculously comfortable on your cushion laden sofa.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Curries will be ordered, walks will be had and you'll be absolutely livid if there's no immediate change. We become desperate, uncomfortable and lets not beat around the bush, we become bitches. Hard to be around, bitches.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">And rightly so. In the short space of nine months your whole life has changed.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Your body has become unrecognizable, your income has taken a knock, You become somewhat of an invalid needing help getting out of bed, and putting your shoes on can break you out in a mild case of the sweats. Your priorities have had to change, and you can no longer justify paying £90 for a pair of Topshop boots when there's a cot needing paid off.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">You'll pee multiple times an an hour and will quickly become an expert on local public toilets, which are the cleanest (M&S) and which to avoid (Lisburn Square..) Anyone who comments on the size your bump becomes the enemy and God help any poor acquaintance from school who bumps into you in town. "Awk I didn't even <i><b>know</b></i> you were pregnant!" </span></span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I haven't seen you in six years, I wouldn't expect you to....idiot</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Exactly a week after my due date, I went for a midwife appointment to discuss an induction date. Whilst getting examined I was told I was 4cms dilated. Our baby was en route.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I had spent the last nine months worrying about this day, would I be able to handle the pain? where would I be when the labour kicked off? what if something was to go wrong? Now it was here- I had never felt so ready for anything in my life.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">My mum who was with me, cried. (Then panicked incase my waters broke in her car), the other half got the text and came rushing down the motorway from work, and I limped out of the health center, mid contraction holding on to my mum's arm for dear life.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> I was told by a friend that by the end 'Nature makes you so sick and tired of being pregnant that you just want to crack on' and it's so true. When the time comes you do what you're meant to do. You find the energy from somewhere (God knows where, but you do), the thought of getting to meet your baby outweighs any amount of pain you feel. Your body was made for this.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">And when that little bundle of pure love is placed upon your chest, everything just falls into place, and it all makes sense.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Every pound you've gained, every sleepless night, every stretch mark and every little discomfort.. it was all worth it, you'd do it again a hundred times over if you had to.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">And just like that, those nine months which felt like years, are over in a matter of minutes, and this little human who you've only just met, but know so well, becomes your all, your everything..</span><br />
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sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15498237144019170134noreply@blogger.com0