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!
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
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!
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!
Saturday, March 19, 2011
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
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
Friday, March 18, 2011
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
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:
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:
Thursday, March 17, 2011
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
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
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
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!!
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!!
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