pouches - do you use them?

Does anyone else feel guilty about giving their baby pouches instead of making their own stuff? When we began weaning I swore that I would make all of my own stuff excited about blending and making my own purees and eventually meals but between life running away with me and having limited space in the freezer I begun toying with the idea of using pouches but with so many different brands out there and with the warnings of sugar and salt I felt lost as to what to try and felt I was not doing the best for my baby. I bit the bullet though and tried a pouch and do you know what so LOVED it! She had the entire pouch in one sitting!

I am still a little wary about feeding Layla pouches, not that I judge anyone who uses them. To me for some reason it makes me feel as if I’m failing as a mum because I don’t home cook all of her meals but I know I’m being silly. The main focus is that they are quick, easy, able to carry around and most importantly Layla really enjoys them.

How do you feed your baby? Homemade or store bought?  

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Weaning

Health vistors now advise for you to wait 6 months to wean and to follow 'baby led weaning' but as all babies are not the same and because for some, the idea of handing your baby solid food is quite daunting, I thought I would share our weaning experience so far.



As Layla has reflux my OH thought weaning could solve all of our problems so was keen to begin the weaning using puree at 4 months. I wasn't. After lots of reading and talking to health visitors and other mums I really wanted to exclusively do baby led weaning especially after the option to breast feed was taken out of my hands. I didn't want to not give my child the 'best' option again. We went back and forth on this and I asked for opinion after opinion but nobody could give me an answer as to whether or not the weaning was going to help her reflux so at 5 1/2 months I threw in the towel and made up my first batch of homemade puree.




She wasn't a lover of food at first and it took her a while to actually swallow any food but we got there. She was having a puree 'meal' a day and I went down the full traditional weaning route and did 3 days of each new food getting her used to the flavours.



6 months came and I was so excited to try her with her first lot of finger food. Layla however was not impressed and proceeded to throw it all on the floor much preferring the puree food that I could spoon feed her.



I persevered though and now at 8 months she eats a great combination of puree and finger foods so much so she has completely gone off her milk feeds in the day!




Now that she is eating the new question is what should we feed her everyday?
Breakfast is usually porridge with fruit and the occasional crumpet or slice of toast, lunch a sandwich or wrap but tea time for me is always the trickiest. It's not just what to feed her for tea but also when as we still want her to be hungry for her bedtime bottle. I have taken to doing a combination of pouches or giving her our last nights tea depending on the time/night in question.




It's still a working progress and I think it will take us a long while to get it fully working for us but I can honestly say I look forward to meal times with Layla however messy it may be.

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Reflux update

Since I last posted about reflux (back in April) time has whizzed by but the hope we had of Layla's reflux being a thing of the past hasn't happened so I thought I would write a little update on how our now 9 month old (where has the time gone?!) is getting on. 

In terms of medication Layla is on pretty much everything she can be on for reflux. Prescription milk, gavison, ranitidine, domperidone and omeprazol. Each to be taken at different times of the day at different quantities. The medication has definitely helped her comfort levels as when she is sick it doesn't seem to hurt her as much and she is a lot more settled. We can now tell when the meds need adjusting because of her weight as she begins to be really unsettled again arching her back a lot and not sleeping very well. 

We have also had a couple of reflux related hospital stays.The first was for an operation on a suspected Laryngomalacia which is basically a floppy tissue above the vocal cords that. falls into the airway when a child breathes in. If you read up on this it is something that can either cause reflux or the reflux can cause this to happen. We didn't get the operation because of her reflux even though they suspected it was all linked. We got it due to a weird noise Layla used to make while breathing. The operation fixed the  Laryngomalacia but alas the reflux showed no improvement. 

The second hospital stay was a PH study which meant a microchip on a tube was positioned in Layla's stomach for 24 hours recording how acidic her stomach was and how often she was sick. Alongside this I had to keep an activity sheet and write down everything from whether she sneezed to what activities we were doing to see if there was an causes for her reflux or whether certain parts of the day aggravated her reflux. The results we received a few days later didn't give us much good news just more confirmation that she had significant reflux and that we would need to up her medication once again. 

Around the same time of the PH study Layla began refusing her milk during the day and therefore drinking as little as 12 ozs (360ml) in 24 hours. The Dr is worried (as am I) that Layla has now begun to associate any liquid with vomiting and is therefore refusing to drink it. As a result of this we are off to the dietitian soon to see what we can do about it.  

We are currently waiting to see what this next lot of upping the medication does for Layla. We are hoping it does the trick and that she stops being sick and settles. If she still isn't right after this lastest medication increase we will be back in again for more tests. 

It's not all bad news though, Layla is steadily gaining weight and is back up to the 9th percentile, where she was at birth, and seems to be meeting her milestones as normal. 

Any other reflux babies out there? Any other mummies been there and done that? Would love to hear some stories of babies who have grown out of their reflux and any tips other mums might have on reflux babies.  

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Alice Lily dribble bibs review

When Alice. Lily had an opportunity for product testers for their dribble bibs I jumped at the chance! Having a reflux baby means that I go through several dribble bibs a day trying to keep clothes fresh and sick free. The products arrived promptly in beautiful packaging with clear instructions on how to care for them. 





When I opened them I was not only taken aback by the appearance, design and quality of stitching but also just how large they were. When I compared them to other dribble bibs I had bought in high street stores they offered way more coverage than others I had previously purchased. 

Another feature of the dribble bib I was pleased with was the use of poppers at the back to fasten. Some bibs I had previously bought used Velcro to fasten and this had irritated the back of Layla's neck. The poppers also provided two fittings which will allow the bib to grow with Layla. 

We received two bibs one with a toweling back and one with a fleece back. Upon wearing both of these bibs were extremely absorbent. Layla was able to wear just one of these bibs for the whole day without it making her top damp or irritating her neck and chin. She was even sick at one point and the dribble bib caught this with ease. 



If I had to pick between the toweling and fleece I would pick the fleece as after washing the toweling was quite rough while the fleece back maintained its smooth back and I feel it was softer on her skin. 

Overall I would definitely recommend these dribble bibs and buy them again as I was more than satisfied with the product as well as the speedy delivery. 

If you would like to check out more of Alice Lily's products you can find them here:

 http://www.alicelily.net/

Or on her social media:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AliceLilyTutus
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Alicelilytutus/?fref=ts 
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/alice.lily.xx/





Disclaimer: I was not paid to write this blog post however I did receive a discount on the product. All views are my own. 

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fashion look book - my favourite outfits 0-3 months

I love a good outfit of the day pic and our little ones are in their clothes for such a short amount of time, I thought I would share with you some of my favourite outfits Layla wore in 0-3 months. 



 

Keeping her warm in those winter months. Hat £3 George @ asda, Coat was a gift but it was from next, dribble bibs £3 pack of 3 George @ Asda, Jeans from baby gap outlet and booties from penguin which was also a newborn gift.









This outfit was too cute but the jumpsuit was a pain as it had no leg poppers just buttons down the back so she didn't end up wearing it much. Dribble bibs pack of 3 and booties from Tu at Sainsburys, cardigan hand knitted and jumpsuit from MandCo.







I got this dress and headband set from the next outlet store, tights asda and the cutest shoes from Matalan. Layla got ALOT of wear out of this.










This number was a gift from a family member when Layla was first born and even came with a hat and cuddly bunny it's from next and made a great gift. I even went on and purchased it for a friend! 






She looks so small here! As you can see I'm a great fan on the t-shit and jeans combo. Shoes, cardigan, jeans and dribble bib as before. Headband from ted baker and the t-shirt from M&Co.










It's that knitted cardigan making an appearance again (I think we had 3). The top was a gift from a friend when I was pregnant, the bottoms are from mothercare and the little booties from penguin. Lots of her stuff for 0-3 was neutral as we didn't find out if we were having a boy or a girl. 







Due to Layla's reflux a romper is always a winner to keep in the nappy bag for emergencies and this white one is simply stunning. It's from Ralph Lauren and the headband from an instragram shop (sorry I can't remember which one). I tend to pop a headband on her on every occasion so people know she's a girl! 








This top is actually a built in vest from baby gap. It looks adorable and is practical too. The bottoms are from tesco again as a newborn gift. As were the booties and dribble bib. 

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What should I do with you?

The first few weeks went by in a blur and I was lucky enough to have my OH home with me for the first month but once he went back to work the days dragged and some days became unbearable. On more than one occasion I had to ring my other half to come home as I couldn't cope!

I soon discovered that the days I spent in the house were the worst and the the days. I felt I couldn't cope so I soon made a pact with myself that I would need to go out everyday even if it was just to the shop. Over the next few months however, I was able to find some good groups and activities to keep us both happy. Here is what a typical week looked like for me:

Monday - At the local sure start centre Mondays were the baby clinic day where you could go and get your baby weighed. As well as getting your baby weighed your child can play in the playroom and you can chat to the other mums.

Tuesday - We didn't really have much planned on a Tuesday so I used to either take Layla out to wander the shops or to get some odd jobs done. 

Wednesday - We headed to our local library. This was our favourite day of the week. At our local library they do a book start bear club where there is a song and story time. 

Thursday - This used to be baby massage day and then we moved on to swimming lessons for only a £1 a session at our local pool. 

Friday - As Tuesday we used to plan walks out or meet up with friends. 

I couldn't recommend finding your local sure start centre enough. There is always plenty going on and so much to do throughout the week. It is also a great place to meet other Mums. 

What does your week with your baby look like?

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Strangers and babies

 I don’t know how you feel about strangers touching your baby but I am, for the most part, quite ok with it. That is as long as it is a touch of the hand or the cheek and most of the time it’s just little old dears who just want to coo over your baby. 

We decided as parents we were going to have Layla held by as many family members and friends as we wanted her to not get too attached to one of us as I thought this would lead to problems in the future of her being too clingy.

Although I am ok with strangers having the odd touch of Layla's cheek or hand but I wouldn’t go as far as my OH. When Layla was about 2 weeks old we went shopping for a new fridge and the lady who was serving us was cooing over Layla and he handed her over for her to hold! I was a bit taken a back but with him being the Dad I couldn’t undermine him but I would never go that far.

 However, there was one instance that I felt went too far. I was shopping in boots and had taken Layla out of the pram because she was getting whingy, I got to the till with my shopping and the lady behind was cooing over Layla and holding her hand which was fine but when I went to the till to pay I suddenly felt someone try and take Layla off me and it was the lady! She had her arms under Layla’s armpits and was physically pulling her off me! As I turned and held Layla tighter she said ‘Oh I’ll have her while you pay.’ She must have seen my face because she quickly followed up with. ‘What?! It’s not like I’m going to steal her or anything!’ when I politely declined she tutted and walked off! I was in shock. Surely she could understand why I would be wary about a stranger holding my baby while I had my back turned paying.

As well as strangers touching and cooing over Layla, another thing I wasn't prepared for was people thinking they had the right to comment on her especially when she happened to be crying. On a particularly tough day I was walking around Tesco with Layla wailing in my arms ‘she’s hungry her.’ ‘ooo is someone hungry?’ ‘does someone need feeding?’ Were just some of the comments I was met with. In fact she had just been fed and was being cranky just because she was being a pain in the ass that day! It really annoys me that people feel like they can pass comment on your baby and what your baby needs just because they hear them crying. Is it just me? 

I was also in Sainburys feeding Layla once and was speaking to someone with a baby about our children and I had to give Layla her medicine. Once I had medicated her she leaned over to inform me that I am supposed to wait half an hour before I feed my baby and that is why my baby was being sick. I was a bit taken aback after all I would never feel it appropriate to comment on how someone is medicating their own child?!

Has anyone else had any unwanted encounters with strangers?

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Mum Friends

There is something that happens when you become a Mum that means you suddenly find yourself needing a new network of friends. You are off alone on maternity leave while all your friends and family are at work and you are just at home with this little bundle of 'joy'. I say 'joy' because sometimes they do not bring you joy at all, sometimes they just bring frustration, anger and sorrow and no one understands that more than other new mums. 

During my pregnancy I was able to talk to one of my very close friends who had been there before and was able to answer all of my crazy questions such as how many baby grows do I need to buy? What is it like straight after giving birth? I swear our what's app conversations when I was pregnant was just me asking her a million and one questions. Also during my pregnancy someone from work and my cousin were also pregnant so it was nice to share the pregnancy journey together. 

The after birth experience though was very different. I had signed up to birthing classes but was unable to go to any due to complications in my pregnancy, so after my OH's paternity leave finished I had one mission and that was to find some Mum friends. 


I entered my first class full of nerves and apprehension wondering who I would meet and if any of them would like me. We started off doing baby massage when our little Layla-Rose was just 8 weeks old. I met many Mums there but only 2 other first time mums. The others had been there, done that and got the T-shirt. One Mum in particular (Mama V) caught my eye as she was also bottle feeding and had a baby that looked small like Layla. We got talking and it turned out we had a lot in common; we both tried to breast feed but couldn't, our babies were both small and had problems and we both worked in schools. I went out of that class feeling better than I had done in days excited about the possibility of having a new mum friend. Thursdays soon became my favourite day with the promise of the baby massage class and my chance to mix with other mums. All to soon it was coming to an end though and I must admit I had a little panic about what I was going to do. One of the other Mums (Mama L) at the massage group mentioned about a library group that met every Wednesday so once again I braved this class in the hopes of meeting some Mum friends. 

I had varying degrees of success in my attempts to make Mum friends with one incident that sticks in my mind. I was discussing sleeping with 2 other mums and they looked horrified as I told them about our co -sleeping arrangements. One of them even told me that I mustn't do that because of the risk of death and the other one piped up that she would never put her child at that kind of risk. I was so embarrassed I back tracked and said that when I said co-sleeping I meant she was still sleeping in the room with me. I thought there and then that I need to have Mum friends who I can be honest with and who won't make judgments on my choices.

After a few weeks of chit chat I was offered an olive branch by one Mama (Mama L) who invited me out for a coffee after one of the baby sessions. She had been the one to invite me to this baby session and who I had been chatting to for a few weeks. It took a lot for me not to jump up and shout YES! We went and met up with 2 other mums Mama A and Mama S who Mama L had made friends with at a breast feeding group. I was nervous but I kept to my vow and was honest. We discussed all things mum from birth stories to feeding and sleeping (or lack of) and I felt comforted in the knowledge that I wasn't alone. Mama S told me that she too co-slept.Thank goodness I wasn't going to get a lecture off these mamas!

Along the way we have been joined by Mama V (the mum who I first spoke to at baby massage) Mama Se and Mama Lo. We have a what's app group (yummy mummies) and we must message each other at least 10 times a day about all sorts; rants, tips, advice, comfort, laughs and the coffee shop meeting? It's become a regular thing with all of us meeting for coffee, cake and a chat. The other Mums have also been great in opening up doors to other things going on in our area and thanks to them me and Layla-Rose are able to fill our week with lots of wonderful things. 


One of the best things about our group is that we are all first time Mums and have little ones around the same age, which means we are experiencing the same milestones and will continue to for the rest of our lives. These Mums are now my friends, my friends who have seen me through some of my toughest of times as a parent. 

I am so lucky to have met these ladies so I urge all of you if you haven't already to go out, be brave and meet some Mum friends! 

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Why won't you sleep?!

Co-sleeping like many other things pre baby was something we definitely weren't going to do. I felt so strongly I refused to even consider buying a co-sleeping cot and opted instead for a second hand stand alone moses basket. 





After our baby flew into the world we soon discovered that people were not kidding when they say babies don't sleep and ours was certainly no exception. After a week or so of having pretty much NO sleep at night our midwife informed us that our baby must have day and night mixed up as she slept beautifully all day (we even had to wake her for feeds) and then from midnight she was wide awake! We began sleeping in shifts. One of us would have a few hours in bed and the other would stay downstairs with the baby, ride it out and hope for the best and then when the non sleeping person couldn't take it anymore we would swap.  





This went on for what felt like forever. You see we didn't have any trouble getting her to sleep, we just had issues getting her to sleep in her moses basket. She hated it. We tried everything and I mean everything to entice her to sleep in there. We even had one blissful night where we wedged the change mat in the moses basket and another where she slept in a massive fluffy blanket but when we would go and try and repeat this for the following day it wouldn't work. 




We found more and more that when we were putting her to sleep we were falling asleep ourselves with her in our arms and on more than one occasion we awoke with her in the bed, with the fear of SIDs and with the health visitors advice ringing in my ears I was in horror with what we had done frantically googling and scanning mums net for anyone else co-sleeping. 




We fell into a pattern of Layla sleeping in bed with us but because of the taboo surrounding co-sleeping we were reluctant to tell anyone and the the people we did tell? Well we were met with a frosty reception. Lots of people told us we were making a rod for our own back by letting her sleep in bed with us but in truth she was sleeping and we were not only finally able to sleep in the same bed but also get small chunks of sleep! These chunks of sleep however were not the comfiest and I was so conscious of both mine and the OH's position in bed I still was unable to sleep further. By this point I was ready to revisit the co-sleeping cot. 




In a sleep deprived daze I made my way to mothercare to purchase the next to me cot. I asked the women serving me if this would guarantee my baby to sleep. I was desperate to get her out of our bed and into a cot to sleep. It wasn't immediately the miracle cure I had hoped for. I spent many a night hanging inside the cot trying to get her to sleep in there. 






All this time we had been trying to get her to sleep on her back but she would forever wake herself up by jerking her arms about. I had begun placing her on her front to sleep during the day when I could keep a close eye on her as a quick google will tell you again this is something not to do due to the risk again of SIDs. I was too scared to place her on her front at night even though she slept so much better on her front during the day. After speaking to several family members and friends about placing her on her front to sleep at 14 weeks old I spent a string of sleepless nights watching over her sleeping on her front but do you know what? She slept and she slept in her next to me cot and only woke for feeds! 




We discovered some more tricks to her sleeping, we played white noise for her, she prefers a blanket to a sleeping bag and needs it to be pitch black at night time with nothing in her cot. She also needs her dummy to help her get off back to sleep. 




Layla is now 6 months old and still sleeps on her front in the next to me cot beside the bed. She still wakes once a night for a feed but I can cope with that. Sometimes we have to place something of ours in the cot to help her sleep and sometimes like all babies she refuses to sleep. We are not quite ready yet for her to move into her own room but I am hoping the transition will be a smooth one! 
 

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A right to refuse a mum to bottle feed?

A recent encounter has got me thinking:


I went into my local branch of Natwest for a scheduled appointment and needed to heat up Layla's bottle as she was due for a feed. I didn't forsee that this would be a problem as I had requested this in many different places; salons, leisure centres, cafes, shops and it had never been an issue. However, when I asked for the hot water to warm her bottle up I was told due to health and safety reasons that this was not allowed. I was baffled. I reexplained that my daughter was unable to have her bottles cold so there was no way I could feed her otherwise but I was met with the same response. What I really couldn't understand is that they routinely provide customers who have a scheduled meetings, like myself, a hot beverage. I had no choice then but to leave and walk my now screaming daughter home in the pouring rain to angry and embarrassed to go into somewhere else to ask for hot water, As soon as I got home and fed her I rang Natwest to complain it took them 3 weeks to get back to me but I was told that they had every right to refuse me the hot water I required to warm my child's bottle. 

Was I wrong to be so annoyed withe this verdict? Is this as bad as a refusal to breast feed? After all by not supplying the water I required to heat the bottle I was unable to feed my child. 

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What is your mum style?

The recent hot weather has got me thinking..OK panicking about what to wear. Last summer I was pregnant and had bought an array of maternity tops and was proudly showing off my growing bump. However, ever since having Layla-Rose I have been struggling to feel secure and happy in my new 'Mum bod'.

In my maternity top just days after giving birth. First time I was out of my pjs!

Throughout my pregnancy I hadn't put on any weight and in fact in my first trimester I had managed to lose 1/2 a stone just  through sickness. Throughout the rest of my pregnancy I had more food aversions rather than cravings so shortly after giving birth to Layla I was a whole stone and a half lighter than before I was pregnant. 

Before those Christmas pounds

Then came Christmas, the late nights, early mornings and the boredom of being at home. Before I knew it I was supporting a lot more weight around my middle and then came the nice weather so off I set up into the attic to retrieve my summer clothes. I am pleased to report they still fit but did they still suit me and my now new mum status? My partner didn't think so. 'you're showing to much skin, your're a mum now.' I don't think he meant it as an insult but I took it as one and so those nice summer clothes have been put back up in the attic. This led me to the question as a Mum what do you wear in the summer? I want to feel confident in my new skin but have no idea how to dress myself. I feel like I am 12 again in that awkward no longer in child clothes but to childish for adult clothes stage. 

Instead of style I have gone for comfort so my current Mum style is baggy tops, leggings and bottoms with an elasticated waist. I have however managed to build up a new collection of go to clothes and some tips and tricks of my own: 

Layering - With my new found mum tum I am so conscious of wanting to keep it covered so I tend to wear a long strappy top as my base layer and then one of my new baggy tops over it sometimes I add a scarf too. 

Kimonos- I adore kimonos so had built up quite a collection before I was pregnant. I love how they dress up any outfit as well as cover up my upper arms.




Batwing sleeves - I have always been concious of my upper arms and love the floaty feel they give an outfit. 

A fitted waist - If and when I am able to go a bit more dressed up (usually when I am headed into school for a meeting) I love to wear outfits that skim over my tummy but pull in at my waist. Sometimes I even add a belt. 

Anyone else got any good tips and tricks or a favourite 'mum' outfit? Anyone else as lost as I am when it comes to summer?

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Dummies, the good, the bad, the ugly

Before we had Layla-Rose we were dead against dummies I thought there was no need to have them. It stopped their teeth developing properly and their speech. Plus if you look after a baby properly they don't need a dummy. There is a lot of judgement, I feel, on dummies and parents that use them and I hate to admit it but before I Layla-Rose this is how I felt too. 

Even though we said no dummies a few friends still bought us them as gifts so by the time Layla was born she had a collection of about 4 dummies. 

When Layla came into our lives we weren't prepared for just how poorly she would be and just how much she would cry! It was on one of those crying episodes in the middle of the night 2/3am where the subject of dummies was brought up again. 

(while furiously jigging baba up and down around the bedroom)

Me: Some parents use dummies at  night you know
OH: We said we weren't doing dummies
Me: I read somewhere it could help her reflux
OH: We said we were against them

Cue another 30 minutes of screams

OH: Just go and get the dummy but don't tell anyone 
Me: It will be our little secret

Well almost 5 months have past since that night and we haven't looked back obviously everyone now knows we use a dummy and it has actually been such a life saver in so many ways. It calms her, helps her sleep and in my opinion, helps with her reflux. 

I don't know how long we will end up using a dummy for but I have defiantly changed my tune in regards to using a dummy like so many other things since becoming a mum. 






Linking this up with #PoCoLo!

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Wicked Wednesdays 11th May

This is why you don't put a baby with reflux on your shoulders.

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My Liebster award blog post

I have been tagged in the Liebster Award blogging meme by TinBoxTraveller. Thank you so much for the nomination and please go and have a nosey at her post here.

From what I understand the Liebster Award is for bloggers just starting out or with low followers on social media. 

Here are the Liebster rules:

1. Thank your nominator and link back to them from your post.
2. Answer the questions you’ve been set and tag your nominator when you share your post on social media.
3. Nominate 11 bloggers to answer some questions from you. Don’t forget to let them know!

So here are my nominations:

1. The reading mummy
2. babies, biscuits and booze
3. my sleeping bub
4. the toddler chef
5. porridge and parenting 
6. Detrice Matthews 
7. That wise lady
8. Top five mum
9. Beta Mummy
10. The ordinary Mum
11. Along came mummy

Here are the questions Tin Box Traveller asked me:

1. What’s your favourite foreign food?

Oh goodness I love Italian, Chinese, Indian and Mexican food but if I had to pick one I would go for a good old Indian curry. 

2.What’s your best memory from a holiday?

My best holiday memory would be when I was 9 years old my grandparents paid for the 4 grandchildren to go on holiday to Florida with them and it was truly amazing one to have the whole family there and two because it was where my parents got married. 

3.How many times have you moved house?

I think 10 times but this does include moving 4 times while studying at uni.

4.Where’s your favourite place in your home country?

A place that will always be special in my heart is where I grew up in the south west of the country in a little town called Westbury it's just so pretty and holds so many amazing memories. 

5. Camping or all inclusive?

All inclusive definitely I come on holiday to relax! 

6.Where were you this time last year?

This time last year I was in the very early days of my pregnancy with my now 5 month old and me and the OH were so excited about our little secret!

7.What’s your best tip for holidaying with kids?

We haven't been lucky enough to take our little bean on holiday yet!

8.What have you got planned for your next day out?

Our next day out is actually just a date day where we are going to play golf! As in a family day we love going out in our local area and going on lots of walks together as our new family especially when the weather is nice. 

9.What do you find most useful for planning your travels: guide books, Trip Advisor, blogs or something else?

I tend to use Trip Advisor ALOT but the more I read blogs and vlogs the more this is influencing days out and future holidays. 

10. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?

I'm so happy where I live now in Manchester but if I could have my cake and eat it I would also have a home down south where I grew up.

11.If you could be sat next to anyone on a plane for five hours, who would it be?

cheesefest but my OH he drives me crazy but he is my crazy.

and here are your questions:

1. What inspired you to start blogging?
2. Can you describe your blog?
3. Do you hope to gain anything from blogging? If so what?
4. Who are your blog idols?
5. What was life like before you became a mummy?
6. If you could give one bit of advice for a mum to be what would it be?
7. What is your favourite thing to do to unwind? 
8. What is your favourite thing to do with your children?
9. What have you learnt about yourself since you became a mother?
10. What has been your favourite mum moment so far?
11. What are your future hopes for your children?

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Blood clots of all kinds

We were just over a week in with our new born and back out of hospital (read about our reflux experience here) when I was taking a shower and then all of a sudden heard a thud on the shower floor what I saw was a massive lump of blood. I felt faint and immediately begun to panic I knew that this was not normal. I rang the maternity assessment unit and was told to come in right away. The whole journey I felt faint and was terrified that it was a postpartum haemorrhage after all the blood clot was way bigger than a 50 pence piece. I was assessed and had a scan where they found lots of blood clots still in my womb. I was told they should pass naturally within a week, was giving antibiotics in case of infection and to come back to get another scan to see how I was getting on. A week passed by and I went in for my next scan, no change the blood clots were still there I was told I would have to be given a tablet that causes contractions in order to force the rest of the clots out. This was not happy news after all I had just gone through labour to push out a baby, I wasn't about to go through it again to push out a clot! I pleaded with them and they allowed me to give it one more week. The week came and went and I headed back for another scan and everything crossed. The blood clots had gotten smaller so I was allowed home for my body to sort itself out naturally. Thank god. 

After my delightful run in with womb blood clots I thought my after birth nightmares were over, that was until my right calf became sore. I ignored it for over a week but after lots of pleading from my OH I headed to the doctors. The doctors felt my calf and measured them as having one calf bigger than the other is a sign of a blood clot they were fine but I was sent marching back to hospital to get it checked out just in case. I got sent for a scan and they confirmed my OH's fears I had a blood clot in one of my major veins in my leg so was given tablets that I had to take everyday for 3 months. 

What amazed me is after I found out I had a blood clot in my leg I found out about so many preventative measures I could have taken that I didn't know about such as wearing the areoplane socks and not sitting cross legged (which I do all the time).

I would like to hear if anyone else experienced a blood clot after pregnancy? Did it come back?  Has anyone had another baby after a blood clot and what measures had to be taken in your follow up pregnancy? I heard you have to inject yourself?! Any information would be helpful. 

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Wicked Wednesdays - May the fourth

Wicked Wednesdays - May the fourth

In the spirit of May the fourth my OH thinks our little one looks like Admiral Akbar from Star Wars..... I would be lying if I said I couldn't see a resemblance. 

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Top tips for a reflux baby

After my last post all about how Layla-Rose got diagnosed with reflux I though mums who have reflux babies or suspected reflux babies might want some tips and tricks that we have learnt along the way. 




Dr Browns bottles
As soon as we decided to bottle feed our midwife recommend Dr Browns bottles which have an insert in the bottles which help stop the baby swallow to much air when feeding. I'm not sure how much difference they have made as we have used them since day one but I do like the numbers are etched on in plastic, rather than the tommie tippie bottles whose marks wash off. A word of warning though don't put boiling water in and then add the insert and lid straight away as the hot water then explodes out!




Burp your baby lots
To stop any trapped wind keep burping your baby throughout the feed we used to do it after every 20ml although Layla screams the house down if we stop the feed now! 




keep your baby upright
After each feed keep your baby upright for about half an hour to allow the milk to settle. This can be a pain especially during the night feeds when your baby falls fast asleep and you have to hold your baby upright its worth it though as the nights where we don't we end up having to change the sheets because she has vommed in her cot. 




Dribble bibs
Before I had Layla-Rose I wondered what the triangle shaped bibs were for and would I actually use these? Surely I would only need the round food bibs. However, those round food bibs do not look great with an outfit but having a reflux baby bibs are not optional unless you want to end up with about 10 outfit changes a day. We now own at least 20 different bibs of different colours that match different outfits but it's so much easier than having to constantly change a whole outfit. 






Muslin Cloths
Coming hand in hand with the dribble bibs no newborn essential list should be without muslin cloths and this is especially the case with reflux babies as much as a barrier for you as well as an extra barrier for the babies clothes. I make sure I have some close to hand in almost ever room in the house. 




Elevated sleeping
During our hospital stay we were advised to keep Layla on a slant when she slept to help keep her food down this was really difficult in her moses basket but once we got the chico next to me cot we were able to place it on a slant without have to stuff a pillow underneath the mattress.





Plenty of spares
This applies to you as well as your baby for those sick episodes I have now resorted in 3 spare outfits for Layla-Rose on trips out and at least one spare for me. It goes without saying the washing machine is always on too. 

Weaning early
It's too early to say whether or not weaning at 5 months doing puree foods instead of waiting and beginning BLW at 6 months is helping her reflux but I shall keep you all updated!

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