Monday, March 31, 2008 Rosee is trying to have a green baby...

Being a green mum is easier than ever these days. There are organic baby foods, washable nappies, and lots of lovely wooden toys (sustainably grown natch).
But there are still some hurdles to get over.

This week I took delivery of a mammoth bundle of handed down clothes from my sister in law – almost 100 baby gros and sleep suits, plus tops, trousers, dungarees, dresses, hats, socks, and bibs.

I already had a few things which I’d bought for next to nothing from charity shops, and I’ve also benefited from the kindness of strangers thanks to Bristol Freecycle.
If you’ve not heard of Freecycle, it’s a Yahoo! network of literally millions of people all over the UK who offer unwanted items to other people in their local group. You get regular emails with what’s on offer and just contact people if they have something you’d like.The Bristol one has been fab, and I’ve got washable nappies, breast pads, blankets, maternity clothes, toys and lots of other bits and pieces this way.

Anyway, I digress. My point is, will I really need all of this stuff? As I hefted the massive bag of clothes from my sister in law into our car my mother-in-law Julia pointed out that when my husband was a baby she’d had just three of everything – one to wear, one spare and one in the wash - a traditional layette. And mums often spent their pregnancy knitting most of this.

I know babies need their clothes changed A LOT and it seems to me that chucking 40 baby gros in the machine once a week is preferable to having to handwash a few of things every three days. But even though it’s all second hand, and I’ll pass it all on to someone eventually, it still feels a touch excessive.

Ria only has ten weeks to go....

Week 30

Eek! Three-quarters of the way there, and the last 10 weeks have zoomed by, I can’t decide if I want the next 10 to go quickly or slowly, my bump is a pretty comfortable size at the moment and I’m getting quite used to it! Ante natal classes are making us realise that we actually are going to have a baby, and the whole birthing process is beginning to get more than a little bit scary!

Obviously it is inevitable that baby one way or another is going to have to come out, it’s just that up to now I’ve not really had to think about that too much, but you are forced into thinking about it when you are brainstorming the pros and cons of various pain relief with 10 other expectant couples! Tomorrow we have a tour of the maternity unit at the hospital, and have a talk about what can happen if not all goes to plan, mostly the classes have been really useful and not at all like the stereotypical images you see on TV of heavily pregnant women propped up against their partners practicing panting!

I saw the mid-wife this week and had blood taken again to check for anti-bodies, I am rhesus negative, but fortunately Jon is as well, otherwise we would have had to decide whether or not to have the anti D injection around about now. I heard baby's heart beat again and it was really loud and strong – the loudest it’s been, she’s becoming really active and keeps poking bits out at my tummy too. In the ante-natal class I saw my belly move for the first time, and I had to suppress my excitement, because pretty much everyone else has probably been having that for ages! I woke up the other night to find something that looked rather bottom-shaped poking out of my side!

I’m starting to get really uncomfortable after sleeping, going to sleep is no problem at all, but I wake up in the morning and all down one side is really aching, no matter how I sleep or on which side, it’s always the same muscles that are stiff – really strange, I’m becoming addicted to baths to soothe it which is very unlike me because I’m not a bath person.

Most of our time is still focussed on our pup at the moment, and I still think it’s good practice for baby. She’s started going out for walks this week, and we have to carry her when she gets tired – we’ve also been weighing her to check she’s growing as she should be, it’s great fun and a lot cheaper than kitting out for a little person!

Tamzin's daughter is on the move!

28 weeks

Isla’s walking!!! 13 months and one week exactly! She took her first three steps before we went on holiday and then practised a lot while we were away, but the most she did was 5 or 6. Then, when we got back we went to friends for lunch and some other friends from my NCT group were there and their little boy Harry seemed to inspire Isla! She crawled out of the room and he overtook her on foot and when they came back, she was walking!!! It was so funny, it really was like she’d thought “Hey!! I can do that!”

Anyway, we went home that afternoon and there was no stopping her and she’s walked since. She’s not yet got the hang of walking from falling in a space, but if there’s something to pull herself back up she’s off again! It’s wonderful, much easier on my back and just so sweet to watch. Everyone says “oooh, it’ll be more difficult when they walk” etc etc, but actually it’s not much different, she was already opening cupboards and going everywhere she shouldn’t on all fours, so nothing’s changed really. I thought there’d be more tears with the frequent falling, but she seems to be quite an ‘ard nut! I’m amazed at how little she cries, I hear a crash and then wait, holding my breath...nothing, just a bit of scrabbling!



I don’t know if it’s the fact she’s walking, I don’t think so as I still have to regularly pick her up, but my back is miraculously better! I think the baby must have moved because one day it just wasn’t there, (the pain obviously, not the baby!!). I’ve had the odd twinge and a bit of general lower back achiness which is only to be expected, but nothing like the previous discomfort – I feel like a new woman!!

Wednesday, March 19, 2008 Ria starts ante-natal classes...

Week 29

We have had an exciting third trimester week this week! Ante-natal has begun! We’re back at school and experiencing what it’s like to have to drop baby off at childcare and still work full time, although our baby has fur and four paws! Noodle, our new puppy, has a puppy sitter whilst I’m still at school, which was a bit worrying at first, but we and she are in the routine and all seems to be going well, as is the practice potty training… we have puppy training pads which she is using really well.

I don’t think baby will be quite as advanced as being able to ask to go outside when she needs a wee at 14 weeks though, but there are lots of similarities, we definitely have been getting less sleep since pup arrived!

We went to our first ante-natal class on Tuesday, we were a bit nervous about it at first, but once everyone had gotten over the nervous silence of first day at school it was good fun and really useful. There are about 10 couples there, and we were definitely the youngest there and by far had the smallest bump despite being only a couple of weeks behind everyone else.

The focus of the session was to get to know everyone and to talk about our experiences of pregnancy so far, high points, low points and then begin to think about what we were expecting from the birth, together with our different options. The midwife leading the session was very pro-home birth or going to a midwife run unit as opposed to hospital. Jon is very keen for the hospital option, which is what we originally said we would do, just so that everything is on hand should we need it.

Exeter have just built a new women’s health centre which is where we’ve been going for scans and it is really nice and not too “hospitally” so I think if we can, we’ll stay at home for as long as possible and then go there. Next week our class is based at the hospital and gives us a tour of the unit so I guess we’ll have a better idea then.

My mum and sisters are coming to visit next weekend, and I’m expecting them to be amazed at the size of my bump, although I still seem quite small compared to other people, it has grown so much since Christmas, Jon goes away for one night to rugby and thinks I’ve grown already. Puppy has doubled in size too, so looks like we’re all expanding at a rapid rate!

Monday, March 17, 2008 Rosee is saying ommmm...

I have finally bitten the bullet and started yoga again. Thanks to a couple of fairly serious knee operations it’s been a couple of years since I last got down to floor level for some bendiness. But, although I’ve enjoyed doing lots of walking since I got pregnant, I’ve missed the high intensity cycling I used to do as well. I’ve also found it harder to sleep and, although I’m by no means porky, I’m definitely a little less toned.

I’m keen to have as active a birth as possible, and that means being strong and reasonably flexible. So yoga seemed the answer to several problems at once. Last weekend Operation Ashtanga began. Al and I made a trip to Ikea on Friday evening – always the quietest time, and bought some bits and pieces to sort the room out.

My yoga area isn’t just my space. It’s also where Al keeps all his personal training gear, where our rats live when they’re in their cage and where our clothes dry. This meant I couldn’t just take over the whole room, so some careful planning was required. Our visit to the giant blue furniture store yielded a blanket box – to store the steadily accumulating junk which had been piling up in the corners of the room, and a giant chest of drawers, which would hold the rat bedding and food, and our baby stuff. Not in the same drawer, obviously! We also grabbed some cushions for our very hard kitchen chairs, and a lovely big picture, which hopefully not too many other people we know will have purchased…

Luckily, I am highly experienced in the ways of the flatpack, so the new furniture was banged together in no time. I could have asked Al to help, but, going on past rows experience it’s better if I just get on with it myself. Once the furniture was done I stuck Daisy and Muffin’s cage on top of the chest and moved the table it had previously been sitting on into the corner, where I added some candles, and the iPod speakers for my relaxing classical music. A few more candles on the window sill, some fairy lights, and another picture a very talented photographer friend took in India, and the room was complete.






Okay, so it wasn’t perfect. Al’s chin-up rack still lurked in the corner, along with his lifting belt and a pile of weights. And of course, it was still the home of our furry friends, who watched me with bemusement as I threw my first ‘shapes’. But with the lights down low and the candles lit, it was surprisingly relaxing.

Since I set up the room I’ve managed two sessions this week, and next week I’m sure I’ll do even more. I’m not bending myself into daft positions, and there are a lot more cushions involved than in the past, but I feel more relaxed and my ever-growing bump now feels a little easier to carry too. Now I’ve just got to get swimming…

Kelly gets back to normal...

2-4 weeks

It is surprising all the administrative tasks to get done after having a baby: registering the birth, applying for child benefit and Child Trust Fund, confirming place at nursery and thinking about pre-schools. I know it sounds crazy but the local pre-school is fantastic and has an outstanding Ofsted report so you need to put your baby’s name down when they are born for the term when they are 3 year’s old. Libby was 8th on the list for September 2010!!!Let’s hope that she manages to get in.

Libby holds her head so well at this very early stage and will push herself up off my chest when I hold her, so I have to be very careful. Everyone including the midwives and health visitors has commented on how strong she is and we feel very proud. We were signed over by the midwife to the Health visitor at 2 weeks and Libby had regained the initial weight that she dropped to going back to 50th percentile. At 3 weeks old she had put on a whole pound from her birth weight to weighing 8.5lb. I was very pleased as when you breastfeed you never know how much your baby is feeding but Libby was obviously feeding well. At 4 weeks she had put on 10oz in a week to weigh 9lb2oz, still the 50th percentile. It was no wonder that I was feeling exhausted.

Poor Libby suffered from her first cold and sore throat at 2 weeks old. It broke my heart that I was unable to do anything. The midwife suggested using nasal saline drops and they really helped to cure her snuffly nose. She had been quite mucousy when she was born and this was obviously her body reacting to get rid of it. I put a towel under her mattress in her moses basket underneath her head so she wasn’t lying totally flat and this also seemed to do the trick. It sounds strange as although she cannot talk you can hear the sore throat/voice in her cry. Fortunately she was better after a week. I knew that it was nothing serious as when she was poorly she was still pretty content and fed well but as a first-time new mum you can’t help but worry.

Libby is feeding ever 2.5 hours on average so I am getting up a few times in the night. I hear Libby wriggling in the moses basket waking up next to me, so I then jump up and feed her. She then falls asleep feeding on my breast, I change her nappy and it is back to sleep within 25 mins. We are very lucky as she never cries during the night and goes back down straight away. Libby always feeds for about 15-20 minutes which is great as one of my friends’s baby is feeding for almost an hour!! The first couple weeks are tiring especially when you are breastfeeding. I did not realise how tiring this would be and always have to have a glass of water handy as it does drain you and you need to keep your fluid levels up. I have also tried to eat regularly as my friend’s milk supply temporarily dried up one day as she had not ate or drank enough. You really have to look after yourself when breastfeeding.

The breast feeding is going really well now and the sore nipples have healed after using the Lansinoh cream and I guess that they have just generally toughened up now. I now feed Libby in a great position which ensures that she is latched on correctly and feeding well. I love breastfeeding, Libby cuddles in and touches me or pulls my top and it is really sweet. I am so glad that I have been able to breastfeed as it is really nice to know that Libby relies on me for food and only I can give it to her as her mother.

I started to express milk at 2.5 weeks as the feeding was going well. I had read that it was best to wait 6 weeks to express but Libby had taken a dummy and was not confused by the teat nor did it impact on the breast feeding so I thought that I would give it a go. My sister-in-law lent me an electric pump and I managed to express 20ml the first time but it wasn’t long before I was expressing 60ml. I guess this is what Libby was drinking at each feed. You can keep expressed milk in the fridge for 24 hours or in the freezer for 3 months. It was nice because we managed to get into some kind of routine with Tim giving her a bottle of expressed milk around 11pm so I could get to a bed a bit earlier. This was a nice bonding opportunity for him and I wish I had expressed earlier really as I think it would have helped minimise engorgement. I will try that next time…

Libby sleeps a lot during the day and I was shocked but pleased at how much newborn babies sleep. Whilst she sleeps I get on with the household chores but with hindsight I probably should have taken this opportunity to get more rest. The first few weeks have felt that all I have done is feed, change nappies, sort out the washing, do housework and have visitors. With hormones all over the place I have had a few tears or two but after speaking to my fellow mums they seem to having the occasional emotional moment so I feel pretty normal. In the evening when you reflect back on what you have done in the day it doesn’t seem very much but then looking after and feeding a newborn baby does take a lot of time.



I was feeling more like normal and any pain/bruising from labour had now gone. In the first couple of weeks if I had done too much I would know as the bruising would intensify. I realised that it was really easy to overdo things and so started to be more careful. I think when I went to the supermarket on day 3 this was totally stupid and really I should have left it a week. It sounds silly but you forgot what your body has been through with labour and just because you feel ok doesn’t mean to say that you are back to normal. It has taken me about 4 weeks to feel like normal but even now I am still careful not to overdo it and I make sure that I listen to my body.

Ria is feeling unprepared!

Jon’s mum has now bought us the Natures Sway hammock cradle that we wanted, it’s so snuggly – we set it up hanging from a door way and before long all manner of pretend babies (including the pup) were having a go. Lots of our older relatives have gone overdrive on the knitting front, I’m not sure how many cardigans a baby needs, but I think we have that covered now!

I went to see Kelly recently with Jon’s sister, she is looking so well, and seems to be really happy. Libby looked tiny, I had a cuddle and felt very scared! I feel really under-prepared to have a baby as a I really don’t know much about them, and would be much happier if a puppy came out – I know what to do with them! It does worry me a bit, and I’ve spoken to mum about it, but she assures me that it’s so different when it’s your own, and I can understand that totally.

I also went up to see my good friend Katie who was one of my bridesmaids and is also expecting. Her bump is due in a month, and typically of her and James her husband they are halfway through renovating and moving into a new house. At the moment it is like a building site, with leaking roof, no kitchen, no floors and a very dusty and concerned Katie in the middle of the mess! I don’t think they’ll be ready for baby, and will have to stay put in their current house for a little bit longer, at least that’s not something we have to worry about. Next weekend I’m going up to London to see my mum and sister and I think we’ll have a little visit to Ikea and start investigating a few things!

Wednesday, March 5, 2008 Tamzin is back from Egypt...

Well, we had a wonderful time and no-one got ill...thank goodness!!! The flights were a bit of an ordeal, just going to Gatwick and manoeuvring baggage etc was probably the worst bit and then when we arrived, there were no trolleys so we had to get our cases, hand luggage and 2 babies all the way to the mini bus – with no help at all (I’m writing a letter of complaint to the travel company actually!!). But other than that it was great. The Egyptians absolutely adore babies, everywhere we went they were admired and cuddled, it was lovely. It was also interesting to see how many other people were travelling with very small children and quite a few pregnant ladies!
We had our bucket and our Milton tablets so sterilising was no problem, but we had to go to the shops to get mineral water that had less than 20 g sodium – or something – the nurse had told us this was important for their kidneys although I didn’t know that when I went on holiday before so I may have already damaged Isla’s kidneys.....the guilt!

Our other drama was the weight restriction on luggage because they didn’t allow extra for an infant and we were told it was 20kg, which is not a lot when you’ve got a week's worth of baby food and nappies to transport. We had a right old palaver trying to get all we needed in and ended up taking very little for ourselves, we were actually repacking in the hotel at Gatwick the night before in order to leave stuff in the car. Typically, on arriving at check-in the sign said no baggage over 32kg accepted, so it was all for nothing! Flipping travel company!

The highlight of the holiday was snorkelling and a pod of dolphins turning up! Apparently they can sense pregnant women, so whether it was my little girlie calling to them I don’t know but it was magical! Isla was happy on the glass bottomed boat in her life jacket, she was fascinated, but what I was really disappointed by was not getting a photo of pregnant me in a wetsuit, it was such a sight and I would have loved to share it with you!! I almost was tempted to put it back on especially, but it was just too tiring!



So I’m really glad we went, but I have to say it really seems to have done for my back. It wasn’t good before and now it’s awful, which could have happened anyway I suppose. I went to the osteopath on Monday and was right as rain Tuesday but then awful again Wednesday and since. It’s stopping me doing things now but I think I just need to rest more.....I’ll try!

Breastfeeding and dummies for Kelly...

0-2 weeks

After spending one night in hospital we left to go home to start life as a family! I was exhausted as had spent the whole of the Thursday night in labour and had little sleep in hospital on the Friday night. On the Saturday one of my closest friends was having a marital blessing in church and as I felt ok, I thought that I could manage the 45 minute service so I went along. I left Libby in the capable care of her daddy and this gave them, an ideal time to bond just the two if them which I knew they both appreciated.

The first night at home, I managed to sleep better than in hospital but could not stop looking at her and checking that she was still breathing. She was pretty well behaved and was feeding every 2-3 hours. Tim was a star and got up to settle her all night, did all the nappy changes and brought Libby to me in bed when she needed a feed so I could get as much rest as possible. When I spent the night in hospital with Libby, he went home and had 12 hours kip, so it was only fair…

Libby has been spoilt rotten and got so many cards and presents that her keepsake box is not big enough to hold all the cards - so they will be going into a large box file. People are so kind and some of my friend’s parents even gave her a gift which was really sweet.

She is such a little wriggler and strong thing with a great grip, her cord fell off in the first week. I think she is going to take after her mum and be a sporty little thing. Libby looks much more like Tim then me, especially when she frowns. I heard it was an old wives tale that babies often look like their fathers initially to confirm paternity. I am looking forward to her starting to look like her mum and am sure it won’t be long before she develops my chubby cheeks.

Libby is a very content baby and spent most of the first 2 weeks feeding and sleeping. I am breastfeeding and as Libby didn’t latch on properly after the birth, I got very sore nipples. I used Lansinoh nipple ointment – not cheap at £10 a tube but worth every penny. I also bought those Avent breast shells to help ventilate my nipples and they worked a treat. Their gentle pressure also helps with engorgement. Engorgement was very painful and I had to use hot flannels and massage my breasts to help ease the pain, which thankfully only lasted a couple of days. Within a fortnight my nipples had toughened up and breastfeeding was going well.

A friend leant me the “Breastfeeding Without Tears DVD” by Clare Byam-Cook which is more than 2 hours long but well worth watching. It goes over the importance of latching on and how to do it correctly and how it is all about positioning. It even shows different women latching their babies on to make sure that you are doing it correctly. I wish I had watched it whilst I was pregnant and then I think I would have had an easier first 2 weeks. I think whilst pregnant you worry so much about labour, you forget about what happens when you get home with your little bundle of joy.

I can appreciate why some many mothers don’t get along with breastfeeding and convert to bottlefeeding as the first 10 days or so can be quite painful and it takes a bit of time to get used to it, but once you get through that it becomes much easier and feels completely natural. Breastfeeding is tiring and it’s important to get rest where possible but with chores and visitors, it’s sometimes difficult to find the time to take a nap and with hindsight I should have napped more while Libby was sleeping.

Libby was 7.5lb at birth and dropped down to 7lb 3 oz which was fine as most babies lose weight at first. It wasn’t long before she was back up to birth weight...the breastfeeding was obviously working out. I had some newborn babygros but they were all hanging off her. Fortunately we were given some tiny baby outfits that my niece had and these fit perfectly. It’s funny as different makes of clothes sizes vary. I found that Tesco newborn clothes were the smallest along with Mothercare whilst Asda, Adams and Ladybird were some of the larger newborn clothes.

We decided to use a dummy in the second week for when she wanted to be soothed and as she enjoyed it and was good at sucking, so she took to it well. I know some parents are against using a dummy but I myself had one until I was 2 and I know it never did me any harm. Libby doesn’t use it for very long and it sometimes helped her go a little bit longer to the next feed and helped her settle herself to sleep at night. When she didn’t want it she just spat it out. I know some babies have problems taking a dummy and are not interested in having one but my little Libby found comfort in using one when necessary.