Smear Campaign!

No, it's not a post about slander and scandal.  Just simply wanted to say that I had a smear test yesterday and remind all you ladies out there how important it is to have them done.  It only takes 2 minutes and may just save your life!  Nuff said.
Well, after the joys of Bubba loving his first real taste of solid food courtesy of the fab products at Ella's Kitchen he decided to celebrate with a monumental sleep which lasted from 8pm last night until 6.15am this morning without waking.  I had to squint at the alarm clock to check I wasn't seeing things!  He's been a happy bunny this morning too and enjoyed some of this:

 

Don't forget to enter the competition to win some free pouches of Ella's Kitchen!

On a different note, I got the notion yesterday to make pasties.  I have no idea why as I don't really eat pasties but I'm so glad I did.  I would show you a photo of the little blighters but I made four of them and they're all gone!  It was easy peasy as I used Jus-Rol shortcrust pastry ready rolled, cut it into 4 equal rectangles, lined them with some cubes of cheese and chopped, fresh spinach then filled them with a pre-cooked mix of mince, onions, mushrooms, garlic, a spoon of gravy granules and the usual seasoning. Brushed them with beaten egg and sealed them up before cooking for about 20 mins.  Delicious!  The filling possibilities are endless and they're so quick and easy to make.  Perfect for picnics now the summer is coming again...hooray!

Bubba is being babysat by the Jumperoo so I'm gonna whizz round doing some washing, pour away his bath water and make a brew.  I need to get myself geared up for the arrival of the treadmill I won last night on Ebay.  I am sooooo sick of being 2 stone heavier than my pre-baby weight.  Even then I was 10 stone so I'm aiming to lose 3 stone in total bringing me back down to a weight I haven't seen since my early 20's.  I knew I kept my favourite size 8 Levi jeans for a reason....now I just gotta run, run, run!  I'll keep you posted on my lack of progress.....eating brioche and pasties for breakfast is not a good start!!  Hey-ho :) xx

Bubba loves Ella's Kitchen - I'm giving away free samples!!

Here we go, another post about the minefield that is baby weaning!  This post, however, is a very positive one in which I will share with you my new love of Ella's Kitchen baby foods.
I had a dilema, do I use the convenient jars of baby food which contain ingredients that an adult shouldn't be eating let alone a small baby?  Or do I endure all the faffing about involved in making baby food myself?  I don't have a blender and also have an, (albeit unfounded), issue with freezing and defrosting food to feed Bubba. What will I freeze it in?  Probably small tubs with lids.  Are there any chemicals in the plastic of these tubs that could pass into the baby food?  Who knows!  I have all sorts of other questions about using a microwave, (free radicles and all that), as well as the availability of fresh fruit year-round.  I could go on and on...but I won't!

After writing my post about when to wean?, the lovely lady at QWERTY Mum commented that she had posted a review of Ella's Kitchen baby foods where I could watch a video of her son being fed 'normal' baby rice as well as Ella's Kitchen baby food.  You can see that the baby's reaction to the different foods says it all!!

I didn't think much more about it until I was in Sainsburys yesterday where they have a third off all baby items, (except baby milk but don't get me started on that!), so I swiped a few sachets of Ella's Kitchen Stage 1 into my absolutely ENORMOUS trolley, (the one where you place the car seat on top but then can't see where you're going...I bumped into quite a few people), and thought I'd give them a try.

It's not until I got them home and actually read the packet that I realised they don't put any of that chemical nonsense in there....just fruit and veg 100%...no additives, sweetners...nothing!  The banana, apricot and rice sachet contained organic banana, apricot and brown rice.....nothing else at all.  This range of baby foods are my saviour, they will not only give Bubba the very, very best nutritional start in life but also save me precious time and as a new mum I couldn't ask for anything more.

You won't find me slaving over the kitchen counter, chopping, boiling and blending away my weekends...I shall instead be relaxing with a good book and a glass of vino........who am I kidding, probably doing yet another load of washing and dancing round like a loon to entertain his majesty but it's certainly one less thing to worry about.

To top it all off, as if I hadn't had enough baby food related excitement for one day, Bubba absolutely LOVES them.  We *heart* Ella's Kitchen, we really do.

In order to spread the love to other families I am going to give away two sachets (120g each) to five lucky individuals.  To win them, all you have to do is:

- FOLLOW this blog by clicking the follow button on the right, (if you follow already then just leave a comment), 

AND

- Leave a comment at the end of this post telling me which stage of Ella's Kitchen you'd like to win, (if you're unsure then just leave the baby's age and I'll get the right ones).

The competition will end on Saturday 9th April at 23:59 and I'll draw 5 entries out at random.

GOOD LUCK!!

NB - This post is not sponsored by anyone, it's my own personal opinion and the prizes will be bought by myself :)

Unleash the Talons!

My son is a face scratcher and has been since the day he was born.  I'm looking forward to the day that he doesn't have to wear mittens but, for now, his talons are only unleashed at selective times during the day.  He has good control of his hands and arms now, reaching for toys and pulling them into his mouth but when he starts to get a bit cross or sleepy he claws at his face in a frightening manner.  One time he drew blood and I almost cried, it looked sore but he didn't appear bothered at all.  He won't let me near his nails to cut them so I have to clip them when he's asleep....I hate doing it as it requires so much concentration and I'd feel awful if I ever hurt him.  So far so good although I should cut them more often.
Here he is the day he was born and the only day he's ever gone without mittens:

I had assumed they were just normal and he'd been born with them but no, he did this to himself!

Well, today is round 2 of his injections and I'm not looking forward to it.  It's not so much the jabs themselves, (he really only cried for a few seconds last time), but the worry about any side-effects like high temperature or just being off-colour.  I know I'll worry about him for at least a week afterwards but I guess that's all part of becoming a parent.
I wonder if I'll be allowed to have a shower today.....just one of the small luxuries I took for granted before having a baby!!

Central Heating Wars.

Perhaps it's just in my house but the central heating and control thereof seems to turn this house into a battleground on an alarmingly frequent basis.  To set the scene, (and try to sway you onto my side of the arguement!), I'm on maternity leave and at home all day as well as being the payer of the energy bills so I have more than a vested interest in the central heating.  Scottish Power also decided last month that they were increasing my direct debit from £75 per month up to £121 which is smashing news when you have dropped to less than a quarter of your wages thanks to the generous maternity pay!!  Anyway, back to the battleground.
Me and my partner have very different views about heating the house, it makes no sense to me that I'm so hot in the day as it's glorious weather outside and yet I'm having to open a window because the heating has kicked in too.  I usually tolerate it for 2 days then I go and start fiddling with the radiator settings in each room, (why oh why does the radiator in the spare room need to be turned to maximum??), as well as resetting all the little clicky things on the boiler timer to reflect better the actual requirements for heating.  Now, this sabotage will go unnoticed as long as the weather remains roughly the same, however, on random cold nights such as yesterday the tell-tale comment, such as "stop fiddling with the effing timer on the boiler", lets me know that I've been rumbled.  I suggest to him that he simply switches the heating on for a while but usually end up being lectured on the most efficient way to heat a house.  And so the cycle continues.  Hey-ho.
On a lighter note I have happened upon the worlds greatest Disney film, if you haven't seen it then I suggest you do - it's absolutely brilliant!!

The film is called 'UP', the start will make you cry but it's such a wonderful film.

Hope you remembered to do your census forms xx

Who Switched on the Elephant?

Why is it that as soon as Bubba is sleeping and we need to be quiet we seem to turn into noisy, clumsy elephants?  Doors crashing, floorboards creaking and the general collisions of one item into another....I actually just did it there...mid type I drove my cup of tea into the edge of my porridge bowl with a clatter.  Fortunately the wee beastie is wide awake and engaging in his daily bout of smashing his gym animals hard in the face.  I'm operating a round-robin system for toys at the moment as he gets bored VERY quickly.  He's only 12 weeks and already I feel like I've done a few rounds in the boxing ring at close of play each evening....how the hell will I cope when he's on the move?  Hopefully I'll shed one of these extra bellies I've accumulated!

Bubba had a go in his Bumbo chair this morning and he looked so teeny weeny in it (he actually weighed 14lb 6oz last week) :

He looks a bit naughty, think that's a face I'd best get used to!
I also introduced him to Ollie, the octopus I made over a year ago.  I'm so glad I didn't give it away after all.

I'm having withdrawal symptoms from sewing at the moment.....our house has just gone up for sale and to get it close to normaldom we had to put pretty much all our surplus stuff into storage...my sewing machine, my overlocker, my fabric *cry*.  To make it worse I still get Sew Hip! magazine delivered every month and am itching to have a go at some of the patterns...this month they had a dinosaur cape which I will have to make.

Farewell sewing room, thankyou for awakening a creative side I never knew I had :

This was taken on a fairly tidy day but still looks like the elephants have been in! xx

My Son is Crackers!

He bloody loves his Jumperoo, I had to take this short video to prove it!!  Money well spent as I get at least 30 mins peace a day when he's in it :)

It's amazing how quickly he's learned how the features on it work....when the music stops he has to jump to restart it.  I can't stop laughing when he's in it and it's amazing to watch him learn and grow.

Your Mothers Music.

Can you hear that?  Listen a bit closer......that, my friends, is the sound of a well rested mum and let me tell you....he's asleep as I type too!  Yes, dream feeding has officially been thrown out of the window as it seems to disturb his sleep pattern and cause him to wake up 2 or 3 times in the night.  Instead we just let him do as he pleases which, fortunately, involves sleeping from 8pm until 4.30am...I then spend an hour feeding him and trying in vain to get him back to sleep before giving up and trudging downstairs for a brew.  It only takes about another 30 minutes before Bubba decides that he does want to sleep after all....so here we are!
I had a strange idea a while back to compile a list of legendary albums that have influenced me/shaped me/saved me over the years and plan, on his 13th birthday, to give my Bubba an iPod with these albums pre-loaded onto it.  As a teenager once myself...long, long ago....I have felt the power of music at times when the world was a dark, lonely place but I had to discover Frank Zappa, The Ramones etc for myself.  Through fear that Bubba will never stumble upon such awesomeness I would like to hand him them on a plate.....it's then up to him if he likes it or not. 
The length of this list could spiral out of control so I am limiting myself to 10 albums.  I'm just throwing band names around at this stage and will whittle the list down later....just holler if you think I'm missing something important....doesn't have to be your favourite band, just an iconic one :)


Here goes (in no particular order - much like my mind):
- The Ramones
- Jimi Hendrix
- Bob Marley
- Nirvana
- Rage Against the Machine
- Frank Zappa
- Pink Floyd
- Queen
- Michael Jackson
- The Eagles
- Willie Nelson
- Tracy Chapman
- Lynyrd Skynyrd
- Battlefield Band
- Queen

The list could go on and on.  To make it even more difficult, I think I'll select just one song from each band too...if he likes it then he can listen to the whole album in his own time!
It's a good job I have quite a few years to sort this out...this could take a while!

Anything I've missed?

Silly Old Sleep.

Yeah, who bloody needs it? Clearly not my son it would seem who has embarked on a one-baby crusade to fight sleep all the way....and it's starting to get very, very tedious..
He is 12 weeks old today and decided to celebrate with a 3.30am start.  Wonderful!!  I tried to persuade him back to sleep with gentle rocking and a belly full of milk but he just smiled and laughed with no intention of giving me ......j.u...s..t.....o.n..e....m..o...r.e.....h..o..u..r.
We came downstairs and he chatted happily to himself whilst I tried to wake up with a massive brew.  I watched One Born Every Minute on good old Sky+ and was transfixed by one of the girls in labour and her terrible teeth.  It's horrifying enough for my baby to look up and see my face in the morning let alone her baby looking at those awful blackened teeth....Eugh!
I've then spent the rest of the morning trying to get Bubba back off to sleep but he fights tooth and nail against it depite his drunken, sleepy eyes crying out to be rested.  Finally, after plugging him with his dummy and pacing the floor with him, he has just gone off again and I daren't make a noise in case I awaken the beast once more....even the tip-tapping of the keys as I type is a danger but I'll go mad if I don't share these tough times.
I was supposed to be heading into town today but I'm so sluggish and sleepy that I really can't be arsed right now.....I've also managed to miss the recyling collection as I was still pyjama-clad and refuse to allow anyone to see the horror that is me this morning until I'm washed and out of my slippers!
I hope that your Tuesday has started a bit better than mine.  At least the sun is shining outside and I think a walk would do us both good....for now though I'll let Bubba sleep and grab myself another cup of tea.
They really should make the working hours a bit clearer for the Motherhood job...I thought 8 hours of supervising an aerospace lab was stressful and exhausting......oh how wrong I was!

Mayhem Monday!

Well, another weekend over...not that it matters at the moment, all the days of the week merge into one on maternity leave and the weeks flow by quite freely.  This would be fantastic were it not for the fact that August will be here before I know it and I'll have to get my ass back to work.  How on earth will I be able to leave my baby and who would I leave him with?  Perhaps I should start researching into childcare but I'm living in denial that I will ever have to leave him at all.  Darn that pesky lottery....about time my numbers came up.
It's been quite a busy weekend as we're putting the house up for sale and the estate agents are coming to take photographs today.  The house is, (almost), sparkling but as well as negotiating a very eager husky and an 11 week old baby, (12 weeks tomorrow...woohoo), I will have to move various things around that we couldn't live without whilst he takes pictures.....this should be interesting.  The husky is moulting big time too so I hope the gentleman doesn't arrive in his bestest suit trousers or else he'll be leaving with an additional white hairy patterning on them!
Back to the issue of childcare, is it really financially viable to return to work these days?  I mean, I'd be spending so much on childcare that I'll be working for a third of my wages if I go back full time....it doesn't make sense to me.
I'd be very interested to know your story about returning to work, or not.  Any regrets?
The sun is shining like mad outside and it would be criminal to stay indoors today.  I need some milk anyways so off to the shops I trot or I'll miss out on my 20-a-day brew habit!

Labour of Love.

Morning folks!
Wasn't Comic Relief good last night?  Had me blubbering like an idiot, I can't believe that children are still starving in this day and age....it's disgraceful.  Now that I'm a mum it seemed to hit me even harder, I could relate to the mothers clutching their babies, hoping that someone would help them.  Utterly heartbreaking and after each short film I trudged upstairs to check on my own Bubba, trying not to wake him with my sniffles.  I'm so grateful to live a life where we don't want for basic amenities, where I can take my child to a hospital for excellent care when he's sick and know that although we're not rich financially, we are millionaires in comparison to lots of people struggling across the world.
Shame on you if you didn't donate any money!!
Anyways, back on topic, I thought I'd post about something I wondered about most whilst pregnant. 
What does labour actually feel like?
Obviously it's different for everyone but I found it very frustrating to be told 'it's like strong waves of period pains'.  Having now experienced it I would agree that, for me, the first 9 hours were like waves of strong cramps and very much bearable.  I then went from 1 to 7cm within an hour and, believe me, the pain was not like cramps.  The only way I can describe it is similar to when I was riding a bike many years ago and pulled the breaks to hard forcing my pelvic bone into the crossbar.  It took my breath away so much that I toppled off the bike totally winded.  It was that sort of pain where it's so overwhelming it takes your breath away and made me lose control of my body.  During the latter stages of labour I would fall to the floor with each contraction and writhe about totally oblivious to anything going on around me. After my c-section I phoned my mum and asked why she hadn't told me the truth about labour pains and she said she didn't want to frighten me, which I can totally understand.  I think that it was the total shock of the intense pain that caused me to lose control, had I known then yes, I would have been more aprehensive of labour but also much better prepared!
At least I'll know for next time I guess!
Well, we're clearing lots of shite out of the house today in anticipation of it going up for sale this week.....I dread the day we actually move but, if we get the lovely old cottage we've seen, we should be much happier and create a better environment for Bubba to grow up in.
That's all for now, hope you're all enjoying the sunshine xxx

Jump Jump Jumperoo!

Just a quickie!
I decided to splash out on a Fisher Price Jumperoo for Bubba.  Quite expensive, which is why I haven't bought one before now, but I figured he needs to move on from his play gym as he gets quite bored of it these days.
So far so good as he seems to love it!  Just hope the novelty doesn't wear off too soon :)

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Bubba demonstrating the marvellous Jumperoo:

Have a fantastic weekend xxx

When To Wean?

The world of weaning has left me flummoxed.  It's not difficult to confuse me to be fair!
If you have a weaning story or any advice you'd like to share then please leave a comment, it really helps us new mums!
My baby will be 12 weeks old on Tuesday and he is bottle fed, (see my LAST POST ).  Now I know all the experts in the land say that we should wait until our babies are 6 months old but now there is talk of reducing that to 4 months.
When I speak to other mums about this I have found that many started the process anwhere from about 10 weeks onwards but feel the need to do it in secret, like they're doing something wrong.  I am astonished at the pressures 'society' puts on new mums without offering up help and advice when they do thigs a bit differently according to the needs of their own children.
We are expected to breastfeed at home but bottlefeeding is more acceptable in public...we simply can't win.
When I discussed weaning with my health visitor several weeks ago I mentioned that I would start weaning whenever Bubba was showing signs of being ready.  By that stage he was already taking 6-7oz feeds every 3 hours, reaching for his gym animals and pulling them into his mouth and, more amusingly, staring intensely whenever we were eating or drinking.  The Health Visitor recoiled in horror and reeled off the information she had memorised from the 'How to be a most excellent parent' guide that all baby professionals must have to study.  I was told that weaning earlier than 6 months would really harm my baby, giving him allergies and feeding problems as well as bunging up his intestinal system.  And yet, when I turn on the tv I'm told that waiting until 6 months will have the same effect and I should start at 4 months.
Why does everything have to be so secretive and confusing?  The whole system is designed to make us feel like failures when we realise that babies don't fit a single developmental structure...they are all different and the best people to analyse a babies needs is us, the parents.
Having said that, Bubba tried a spoon of baby rice and pulled a face illustrating his disgust at me placing vomit in his mouth.  Think I'll give him a couple more weeks before I try him on the more 'colourful' flavours!!

I don't think he's any the worse for having tried some baby rice...this is the view I have of him as I type:

I Did My Breast

I remember, just over a year ago in fact, the first visit with the midwife after finding out I was pregnant.  It was all very surreal having wanted a baby for my entire adult life but just accepting that it wouldn't happen for me...it's not that I couldn't concieve, just never met anyone who wanted to have a baby with me. 
So there we were discussing various baby-related topics when she asked me about feeding the baby and what were my plans.  She had a whole speech ready about the benefits of breastfeeding but it wasn't required.  Myself and my siblings were exclusively breastfed (until at least age 2) and I was 100% adamant that I would do the same.  It's nutritious, ready-mixed, always available, just the right temperature and totally free.  The midwife seemed very pleased, (probably as she didn't have to reel off the long speech about breastfeeding), and she said I would be surprised at the number of people who bottlefeed.  I remember thinking that there must be a lot of lazy people around and even uttered the words "it should be made illegal not to breastfeed".  Seriously, this was my attitude and it's one that I feel very stupid for now...so narrow-minded and judgemental.
Fast-forward now to my ante-natal classes and the demonstration on breastfeeding, (bottle feeding wasn't up for discussion it would seem).  A small marble was used to illustrate the size of a new baby's stomach and we were told that if we bottle feed we would have to stretch this stomach to 5 times it's size in order to get enough nutrition into the baby.....I was horrified and very glad I would be breastfeeding.
Small fast-forward to the birth of my son.  23 hours of labour, (very drugged up), followed by a C-section were definately NOT part of my birth plan but I'll post my full birth story another time (once the nightmares have stopped...lol).  By the time they'd sewn me back up I was sooo exhausted and shaking so much I barely knew where I was.  I got a quick peep at Bubba then they gave me a drink of water and they tried latching him on but I can't really remember much at this stage. 
Back on the ward I took Bubba in my arms and tried to latch him on again.  He didn't really take much and it was a bit sore but I had expected that.  We spent that first night just staring at eachother....shell shocked!
Over the next few days I invested all of my time and energy into getting him feeding but he was having none of it...he just screamed.  At least 10 different people helped me latch him on but he just came straight off.  He was getting some milk but I could tell he wasn't happy at all.  I stuck with it through 5 of the hardest days of my life...we both cried non-stop and the midwives even topped him up with formula through a syringe to try and ease the stress but it didn't help for long.
On day 5 the midwife came to visit me at home.  I had just finished feeding him for 4 hours straight and was in excruciating pain.  The midwife very helpfully pointed out that he was crying as he was still hungry and I burst into tears.  What more can I do?  I was getting zero sleep and he screamed almost constantly as he was so hungry.  She told me to stick with it but also observed that he was a very lazy baby and suckling the breast was too much like hard work for him.  That day I went out and bought formula and bottles.  That was the day our lives were transformed.  Finally I could sleep again and, more importantly, my baby settled with a full belly.
I will always be sad that I'm not breastfeeding him but I will never regret the decision to switch to bottle feeding...any benefits of breast milk must have been negated by the stress he was suffering.
So, here I sit as a bottle feeding mum trying to spread the word that bottle feeding mums aren't lazy and we're well aware that 'breast is best' thankyou very much.  No-one would chose to bottlefeed, it's a logistical nightmare and very expensive.
I am absolutely delighted for anyone who can breastfeed quite easily or are able to weather the storm of the first few weeks but spare a thought for those of us who simply can't and try not to judge us too much.....I really did try my breast.
xxx

WIP Wednesday.

Following Tami's WIP Wednesday posts, I thought I would post a photo of the aforementioned blanket that I'm making for one of my sisters.  I'm so much quicker at crochet than knitting but it's still taking me forever...perhaps the 11 week old baby has something to do with that!

Project so far:

Each square section is about 30cm across and I'm joining them as I go rather than sewing together at the end...it's so much neater.  I'll do 4 x 6 squares I think then finish with a border all the way round the outside...probably just in black as it frames it really well.  I know how lonely it can be heading off to Uni so I thought this would cheer up my sister and remind her of me if she's a wee bit sad!

Bubba randomly had a monster sleep last night from 8pm until 8am, only waking once at 4.30am for a feed.  Muchos sleep a happy mummy doth make!
Here is the nutter bashing his baby gym animals (age 10 weeks):

Well, am now sat here with a dilema.  Part of we wants to get moving and go out for a walk, the lazy side of me just wants to laze about today......m..u..s..t......g..e...t.....m..o....v..i.n....g!!

Blogging Jumble.

Yes, I know....where the hell have I been?
Well, having observed Bubba for a couple of days acting a bit more wierd than normal I decided to ring NHS Direct and they instructed me to take him directly to A&E.....nothing like an over-reaction to set the heart racing!  Basically, to cut a long story short, we had to stay in hospital for 3 nights, nothing was wrong but they gave him a blood test, 3 lumbar punctures and an IV course of antibiotics for good measure.  The nurses were amazing but the doctors a nightmare as they insisted Bubba must be having seizures or something equally worrying.....there was simply no telling them that he just has bad wind and was rather tired.
Speaking of nightmares, the following day after leaving hospital it was Baby Clinic time and I trundled up there for the first time, (no pesky Health Visitors invading my home anymore...hooray)!  The 'lady' looked at Bubba's bum in horror.  I should point out that due to the antibiotics we were enjoying a runny poo festival which had given my son a sore bum.  It was a straighforward sore bum for which I was administering lashings of Sudocrem and it was clearing slowly.  Not so according to the 'lady'.  He most definately had thrush and I was neglecting to seek proper treatment.  I tried to explain that a Paediat.....Baby Doctor had seen him the previous day but she was having none of it.  Baby was crying, I was stressed and I left almost in tears.  Not a good experience.  I want to take my baby's perfectly healed bum and stick it right in that bitch's face.  I hope she has thrush.

On the crafting front I am mostly cracking on with a crochet blanket for my middle-little sister to take to Uni later this year.  I must say I'm rather pleased with it although it meant I just had to buy more wool much to my partners dismay......by dismay I mean "What the fuck do you need more bastard wool for"?  Hehe.

Bubba is now 11 weeks old and amuses himself by peeing on me every time I change his nappy...little bugger.  He took it to new heights the other night when he projectile shat all over me....not good at 3am and having just peed all over the first clean nappy, (and my shoulder).  We've moved him into his own room and the big cot...mainly for sanity reasons but partially to protect my partner....if I see him sleeping whilst I'm feeding the baby then I really want to kill him.  Bubba sleeps much better now.  I'm planning to go back to Baby Clinic and tell the 'lady' that I've made this move and also tried him on a spoon of baby rice.  That should rile the bitch a wee bit!!

Right, that beer in the fridge is simply not going to drink itself.  I think I should adjust my pre-baby aspirations of becoming Mother of the Year.....I honestly thought it would be easy!!

Give Me Strength!

Phew!  Been one hell of a day and it's not over yet!  My bubba has spent most of it screaming.....not crying, actually wailing and shrieking.  It's utterly heartbreaking.  He's really tired but as soon as he gets off to sleep he throws his arms in the air and cries out.....I have concluded that it's trapped wind as he's farting for Wales every time I pick him up.  I've given him Infacol and he's downed almost 5oz of water (even refused milk as it's water he wanted) but nothing seems to shift his bloody wind.  I suspect that it's not the formula so much as all the other variables that cause these problems.  Have the bottles been sterilised correctly, did you make up the bottle bang-on and to the right temperature, how long before you fed him did you make the bottle etc etc.  It really is tough for a mum who so desperately wanted to breastfeed to see her baby going through this pain.
I'm just trying to ride the formula train until I can start the weaning process but it's very hard.
He's now straining and crying to have a poo so I need to give him reassuring cuddles with a G&T for me afterwards me thinks!
Wish me luck! xxx

Me Likey Long Time!

Wowsers!  I hear you cry...surely not two posts in one day!  I had to hop on and link an awesome new blog belonging to a new friend of mine.  We met, (in the virtual sense), through our pregnancy and thankfully she has decided to also write a blog.  Excellent news for me as I can have a nosey at a mum who also has a teeny baby.

Having just read the first post I can tell I'm going to love it and thought you might too!!

Here's the link...go have a peep :)

http://manic-mum-day.blogspot.com/

Thanks, Kerry xxx

While You Were Sleeping.

My darling son is not a great sleeper, he will fight with all his might to stay awake and has been known to allow me less than two hours sleep during the night.  It seems to have been decided, (although I wasn't invited to the meeting), that I will do all of the nightly feeding/cuddling/changing and for that reason I set up camp downstairs on the sofa.  Yes, our front room is not only a small zoo but also a nursery at the moment.  Now, the official reason for this is that my partner is working and needs his sleep but I would like to share with you the real reason.

Picture the scene for a moment:
It's 2am, darling baby is screaming and I trudge downstairs to make up a bottle.....I wish I had been able to breastfeed.  I perch, very uncomfortably, on the edge of our super-squishy matress and start to feed bubba.  My head is bobbing about all over the place as I fight off sleep, (it really is a miracle that I haven't dropped him during the night), and my partner stirs.  Does he check that we're ok?  Does he hell!  He rolls over as if to avoid being disturbed by our happy little party.  Were I not holding a baby, it is at this moment that I would smash his face in.  I really, really want to lash out at him and I can only put it down to sheer exhaustion coupled with a baby screeching in my earhole.  Instead of smothering him with a pillow I sit downstairs, make a brew and put the telly on....ok, I usually have a sneaky bag of Wotsits too but I need the energy, (no wonder I still look pregnant)!!

I long to climb back into bed, (the sofa is extremely uncomfortable), but I fear that my mugshot may end up all over the news.  NEW MUM BLUDGEONS SLEEPING PARTNER WITH A TOMMEE TIPPEE!

Alas, I fear I am destined to sleep on the sofa evermore......

In The Bag Baby!

Well, here I am again having finally surfaced 9 weeks after giving birth, (can you call it giving birth if you had a c-section?!), and I'm ready to crack on once again with the blogging malarky.
You may notice some changes to my blog....I am now a mumbling mum and the crafting, although not gone completely, has taken a serious back seat.
I've learned so much over the past few weeks.  You could say that I've had a peep behind the puppet show and seen the strings.....motherhood is bloody hard work....and quite lonely...very frustrating...constant worrying and an absolute delight all rolled into one, (although very much the hard stuff in these early weeks).
I could ramble for pages about babies and my own wee beastie but would probably not blog very much having done so.  Instead I'll dedicate each post to something I've learned or just want to share.
Please please please write comments and give feedback as I'd love to think that a struggling mum may one day read this and find some solice in our experiences.

So, my first post is all about what to take to the hospital in your labour bag.  I must have read 20 lists detailing everything I would need and quite frankly they missed out at least one very, very important item.

Massive, over-the-belly-and-far-far-away pants.  Here's why:

I didn't expect to have a c-section, I knew about them but it didn't really click that I might have to have one.  I did.  So, it's the day after my op, I'm bleeding (a lot), can't even bear to think about my wound and basically just crying a lot.  I need to use one of those super-delux enormous pads (they were included in the list) but unfortunately the top of my knickers sit right in the fold where my darling son emerged from and I definately can't wear them.  It didn't occur to me (well, I was very busy weeping) that I could get enormous pants from just about anywhere so I didn't request that anyone bring me any.  Instead I sat on a giant bed pad feeling grubby and disgusting for 3 days.....oh, the joys of motherhood!  Upon returning home I went straight out and bought 15 pairs and proudly wear them to this day, (although my belly is very, very slowly shrinking).
My partner finds said pants particularly amusing and takes every opportunity to hold a pair aloft and declare that he thought they were a babygrow/tent/t-shirt and chuckle merrily.  Sometimes you just don't realise how much danger you are really in!
Ladies - Don't forget your massive pants!!

So, what's the one thing you'd advise a mother-to-be must bring to the hospital?

I couldn't sign off without a photo of my bubba :