I'm Going To Britmums Live Courtesy of Look Again!

Back in 2011 I went to a brilliant Parent blogging conference called Cybermummy. I was 39 weeks pregnant and I waddled around the entire day, chatting to other bloggers I'd only ever tweeted or met for a few hours at an event. People thought I was slightly mad, with my mahousive bump, and there was talk of potentially popping out the sproglet at the conference! I was so glad that Noah decided to save his appearance for another day (although 12 days late did get me down slightly!) as it meant that I had a fabulous time and I learnt a lot. I missed Britmums (as it is now called) last year, and I was gutted to miss out, so this year I'm so happy to say that I'm going and that Look Again are sponsoring me to be there! I am looking forward to meeting bloggers new and old, trying to learn more about blogging and improving my social media skills, and obviously taking part in the social aspect that comes with it - particularly having a few alcoholic drinks that I couldn't partake in the last time hahahahaha!

Here's a little bit about me:

Name: Sharon

Blog: I Heart Motherhood

Twitter ID: @iheartmuthahood

Height: 5ft 11 - yeah, I'm tall!

Hair: Bobbed brown

Eyes: Green and Hazel

Is this your first blogging conference? No it's my 3rd

Are you attending both days? Hell yeah!

What are you most looking forward to at BritMums Live 2013?

Catching up with all my favourite bloggers, attending some great sessions and feeling inspired!

What are you wearing? Is it a cardinal sin to admit that I don't have a bloody clue! I know that this is extremely disorganised of me!

What do you hope to gain from BritMums Live 2013? I hope to build on my blogging skillz!

Tell us one thing about you that not everyone knows

I used to have some weird crushes as a youngster - Stephen Hendry anyone?
Here's a little bit about my sponsors:

Look Again, packed with inspiration for a fashionable wardrobe and home, Lookagain.co.uk is a fresh, new ultra-stylish and easy to navigate online store. Brimming with gorgeous clothing, footwear and interior looks, plus a host of fabulous features and new interactive tools, it’s all been designed to make shopping a dream. 

There’s always something new to inspire & surprise! 

We’re dedicated to helping you keep your wardrobe on-trend with the very latest looks - so 100 brand new styles are launched every week. And because they all have 10% off for the first seven days only, you can get the newest styles first for less. Our whole collection is priced to compete with the high street, too, so you can shop effortlessly from home with the confidence that you haven’t paid a penny more than you need. Looking for ideas? We’ll show you how to wear the must-have looks, your way. And our regular trend reports will show you what’s hot this season. If it’s snappy style advice you’re after, our celebrity stylist ’60 second fashion fix’ videos are just the thing. And we’ll help you find the perfect item easily with our innovative online shopping tools. With both exclusive new brands and those you love at your fingertips, a wide range of 17 shops for all occasions and specially selected ranges for you, your family and home, make Look Again your first port of call every time you shop. Not only that, with fantastic treats up for grabs in our weekly prize draw plus a whole host of exciting new features coming soon to the site.

I'd just like to say THANK YOU Look Again for sponsoring me to go to the Parent Blogging Community's event of the year. I'm looking forward to every minute! 


Look Again have paid for my Britmums ticket, travel and overnight stay

The Year that was 2011!

Well that whizzed by in the blink of an eye didn't it?! 2011 been and gone. Must be something about having kids that makes this happen, and given that we had our baby boy Noah this year I put the blame solely on him ;-)

Anyway, seriously, 2011 has been a pretty fantastic year for me and my little family. I spent half of the year pregnant (the last 12 days when the baby was overdue feeling longer than the previous 6 months!) and the other half of the year running round after Isla and Noah like a blue arsed fly and battling extreme tiredness (again!). So here's a quick run down of what we got up to in 2011.

January - This month I started Bump Watch on my blog. It began at week 15 when Noah was a teeny tiny thing in my tummy. I love having this record of my pregnancy. It's fascinating to see my tummy grow week by week.

We were also fully in the grip of the Annie obsession. It's funny because a year later we still have days where a random burst of 'Tomorrow' can be heard. It really was the start of Isla's love of films and I actually rather love that film too. Which is far from what can be said about her new fascination with Princesses - particularly all the Barbie Princess films that have been on Nick Jnr over Christmas!

We were also having regular swimming lessons thanks to a blog review opportunity from Swim Baby Swim.

February - This month we found out we were having a baby boy! We were gob smacked - I know it's a 50/50 chance but in my mind I always had a picture of 2 little girls running round together, so when the scan revealed it was a boy we were speechless but happy!

This month was also where I had a starring role at The Baby Show - I brazenly wore a maternity bra on the Bras4mums stand. It was a great way of getting attention for them and it also really boosted my confidence. It is something that I would never have done had it not have come up through my blog. I really think that my blog has given me so many opportunities and it has made me far more confident and interested in the wider world. 

March - Nothing really happened this month, it passed by with me getting huge, doing lots of pregnancy yoga and preparing for the new baby.

I posted two of my personal favourite blog posts Spectacular Puke & POO!

April - This month one of my good friends and his partner came over from Australia and I got to meet his little boy and they got to meet Isla and see the bump! His parents were also kind enough to invite his friends over to their place in France so we could all spend some time together. It was fantastic but so different to our previous visit where we all stayed up drinking most nights! There were 5 children in tow this time and 2 bumps. They organised an Easter Egg hunt for when we arrived and as usual made us some lovely meals - we were thoroughly spoilt and the weather was pretty nice too!

May - We went to the Lollibop Picnic! It was fab!

I found out I was a MAD Blog Awards finalist which was very exciting!

I was also really in that Mamas and Papas supplied me with some absolutely fantastic maternity wear and I showcased it on the blog. They really were my saviours to be honest and I felt great wearing the clothes! Far better than I actually feel now post baby about my clothes!!

June - I went to Cybermummy, waddled my way around and met up with some of my blogging buddies. All in all it was a really good day, meeting some old and new friends.

I also finished up at work for maternity leave. It felt so good not to have to trek up to London carrying my massive bump around on the train and around the Circle Line!

July - We had our bouncing baby Noah! He was due on the 1st and arrived on the 13th. Weighed in at a whopping 9lb 14oz and has become a real little character. 4 days after Noah's birth we celebrated Isla's 2nd birthday. She was really brilliant to be honest about the arrival of her new brother. We had some melt downs and it felt like she'd gone deaf sometimes when I was asking her to do things but this all worked itself out within a month or so.

August - This passed by in a hazy newborn fog! Loads of visitors to see Noah. We managed to get up to London for the Lollibop event - we didn't have a great time - this is no reflection on the event which would have been fabulous had it not bucketed down with rain the entire time we were there and we didn't have a 3 week old baby with us!!

We had a slight scare with Noah and I having an overnight stay in hospital for a dodgy rash. He was fine in the end but it was a bit frightening.

September - We took our first holiday as a family of 4 to Cornwall. We went on a fantastic farm holiday to Coombe Mill, Isla had a great time and we'll definitely look at a return in the future! Isla still talks about it now, she will never forget that the goat knocked her over, however if asked what her favourite animal is she will always say goats!!!

It was also the MAD Blog Awards night. It was fabulous, I didn't win but that didn't matter a jot. It was nice to be part of a community and the evening was my first out since having Noah, all made more fabulous by my outfit sponsor, Debenhams, who made me feel wonderful!

October - My Dad had his 60th birthday, a low key lunch with mum, sis, OH and munchkins. It was lovely! We also had Cousin M's second birthday and the OH became a God Father.

November - The OH and I had our first night away without the rugrats! Did we go all goo-ey and romantic? Did we hell! It wasn't the best evening we've ever spent away in each others company but all we wanted to do was sleep! We did but admittedly not as well as we would have done in our own bed, so next time we will be having a child free night in our own home, just need to get the Grandmothers lined up!

I also went to a brilliant event for Give As You Live, read the post and see how you can do your bit for little effort!

December - Noah's first Christmas and the first Christmas where Isla had some understanding and we could start to weave some of the magic about Father Christmas. If I'm honest it was my most tiring month so far as a mum of two. After finding things getting slightly easier they have started to feel harder but I might save all that for another post.

So that was my year. It's been brilliant. I'm particularly happy about all the opportunities my blog has given me and all the wonderful people who have liked what I've been doing here. It's my hobby and I don't get too hung up on stats but it's always nice to be appreciated. That leaves me to say:

Happy 2012 one and all - hope it's a healthy and prosperous one! Hope you'll still be following me this year!

Noah's Birth Story

My last birth story for Isla was split into Part 1, 2 and 3 - it had a lot to it!

Happily I can report that Noah arrived a lot quicker and with NO DRUGS (Well Entenox - but I don't count that as I think I mostly chewed on the plastic mouthpiece!)! Although I say he arrived quicker - he was 12 days overdue so he had to be encouraged to come out....

I was convinced that he would be early, even though boys are notoriously lazy! As the due date approached I had quite a few nice things planned in my diary and I was convinced he would arrive to scupper my plans of attending CyberMummy and other outings I had scheduled. That wasn't the case - I waddled around the conference with most people looking at me in disbelief that I could get around for the whole day without collapsing with tiredness (or going into labour). The due date came and went and I was doing pretty well at keeping up a cheery disposition, even though inside I was getting a bit cheesed off by my little mans non appearance! I'd go to bed every night wondering if tonight would be the night and every morning I would wake up disappointed. 

At 8 days over due I went in for a sweep, I was so apprehensive about it, having not had one before and for some reason I imagined it would be painful, as it turns out I didn't even feel it and the midwife said I was 2 centimetres dilated. The idea is that the sweep will bring on labour but if it didn't then I was booked for an induction 4 days later. I left the hospital feeling hopeful that tonight would be the night! It wasn't. 

So on 13th July I phoned the hospital at 7am to find out if there was a bed - I was expecting to be told to call back as they were full - but no, they were ready for me and I was to get there as soon as possible. I felt really excited and nervous! We had to get Isla ready to take to my Mother In Law and then we were on the way.

When we arrived we got taken to our room and met the midwife who would be with us until she clocked off at 3. She examined me and said I was 2 - 3 centimetres and that she would use a hook to break my waters. Waters duly broken at 12.10pm, I just relaxed and played about on my phone and chatted with the midwife and husband. By about 2.10pm I was feeling like things were hotting up - contractions had been coming but they were starting to get really close together and I felt like I needed some help as up till that point I'd been messing about with a TENS machine (second time around and I'm still not convinced by these machines!) and regulating my breathing as per my pregnancy yoga. I got on the gas and air and I felt a lot better.

After labour taking so long with Isla I just wasn't prepared for how quickly things were going to get going with Noah, I was convinced that I would be in for a long labour again and when things started upping the pace I got a bit freaked out and started saying that I couldn't do it on my own and needed an epidural. Basically in my head I knew that there would become a moment whereby I'd be too late and I'd have no choices left to make. I got scared and obviously this is what is called 'Transition' and when midwives realise that the baby isn't far off! The midwife humoured me and got the anaesthetist who went through the procedure for epidural with me at which point I let out a massive groan and made my first pushing attempt. Hmmmm, too late for an epidural then. The anaesthetist was sent packing and my fears at doing it on my own were to become a reality!

As I had drugs with Isla's birth I didn't really properly get the sensation. The feeling that your body is taking over and you have no control over what it is doing, that baby is coming out no matter what. I can't tell you how long I was pushing for but for most of it I didn't actually feel like I was there - I had my eyes closed for most of it and when I did open them everything felt a bit surreal. The midwife (the second one, as the first had clocked off) and my OH were brilliant but I got tired of hearing the same words of encouragement over and over and when you're told that the baby has just got to come round the bend, you just think, COME ROUND THE BLOODY BEND, HURRY UP AND COME OUT!!!

And then at 5.22pm he did. And he was the biggest baby I'd ever seen, his hands were like dinner plates, his feet like canoes and he was all purpley/ pink and I loved him so much! The arrival of Isla and Noah couldn't be more different. I realise now after having this wonderful birth that I was actually quite a mess when she arrived and I was like this for some weeks after. With Noah although he didn't come of his own accord the birth was in a way pleasurable, I think back on it fondly and that isn't something I can say about what I went through with Isla. I also remembered every minute detail of the labour I had with Isla whereas with this birth the memory is fading and the bits that are left aren't gruesome or too harrowing.

We stayed in for 2 nights - my fault this time as I couldn't wee (just like last time!) - Noah slept beautifully the first night (I didn't, courtesy of the new mum across the ward from me who could snore the walls down!) and the second night he decided he didn't like sleep and I spent a lot of the night feeding him, while listening to another new mum who thought it was acceptable to be on her mobile at all hours of the night chatting to relatives in Pakistan (grrr bloody mobiles!).

We got out of the hospital and began life as a family of 4. We're all doing well and it definitely feels easier this time round, even though we have 2 kids. It is more tiring as there is no let up at all but there isn't so much of the fear that we had last time of not knowing what we're doing and we're also able to read him so much better than we could Isla - we know when he's tired or when he's got wind or when we're just annoying him with attention.

Life is truly very good!

If you fancy reading some more birth stories then get yourself over to Actually Mummy blog to see a wide spectrum of birth stories!

Bump Watch...Week 40 & Waiting

As I'm hoping this is going to be my last week of Bump Watch I'm being brave. I wouldn't normally post a picture of me so scantily dressed but it was a hot day, I was getting splashed by the toddler in the paddling pool and I look at this picture and see it for what it is, me with my 2 children! I'm not massively confident about my body but I love how it has housed Baby Boy for 9 months and I'm proud to show it. So here I am (my one regret: I wish I'd fake tanned!):

The due date has come and gone and we're waiting for baby boy to make an appearance. It's strange waiting because I didn't have to last time, things started happening 3 days before my due date with Isla so this is all new to me. Because I had a few plans in the run up to BB's due date I fully expected him to put in an early appearance thus scuppering my attendance at CyberMummy, but I needn't have worried it seems and he's still hibernating inside my tummy. Making his presence felt with big shunts and wriggles.

So what have I been doing? Well, it's been nice to spend some 'extra' time with Isla. These were days that I hadn't expected to spend with her as a family of 3 and it's been great and the nice weather has helped as we haven't been cooped up. She's also carried on with her normal routine of nursery and also spending time with her grandparents, so I've had some time to rest and also potter around the house, preparing things (that were already prepared!) and thinking about the future. I'm enjoying the day times but the night times are a bit long. Most nights I'm up for the loo at least 3 times, my hips ache on both sides from sleeping on my side with this heavy weight and I generally don't sleep past about 5.30am (Isla usually doesn't rise till at least 6.30).

What happens next? I'm booked in for a 'sweep' on Saturday morning, something I'm not particularly looking forward to, given all the intervention I ended up having last time. I was told I could phone midweek to see if there was a cancellation and I could have the sweep early - mmmm, let me think....NO THANKS. Although part of me thinks maybe I should? 

It feels a bit like life is on hold but at the same time like it's situation normal. Here's hoping that he decides to come soon, we want to meet you!

Cybermummy Meet & Greet

As you know I'm attending this years Cybermummy Conference with help from my fantastic sponsor Mamas and Papas. Carly at Mummy's Shoes is hosting a meet and greet, so to help you spot me here's a few pointers, but let me remind you, you won't find it hard to pick me out in the crowd as I'll be 39 weeks preggers....Eeek (Baby Boy, please don't make an appearance until after the 25th...)! Check out my bump page to see how enormous I am!

Name: Sharon Donnelly

Blog: I Heart Motherhood

Twitter ID: @iheartmuthahood

Height: Tall Bird at 5ft 11.5 inches (I always say this as I'm afraid that if I measure myself properly I will actually be 6ft and I'm not comfortable with that!)

Hair: Just past shoulder length dark brown hair, currently with fringe

Eyes: One is green and one is hazel, you have to look very hard to notice - was more noticeable when I was little when my Dad kindly used to call me 'Oddy' - thanks Dad.

Likes: South of France, Owls, Pimms

Dislikes: Banging doors, small wheely suitcases, olives (no matter how hard I try to like them!)

Cybermummy 2011 Sponsorship Request...

I am looking for a kind, caring, sharing sponsor to send me to CyberMummy 11 - the UK's number one blogging conference. 

I started blogging in November last year and since then I've become quite addicted to it! I've made some lovely mummy contacts in such a short space of time and they all in their own way add to my parenting experience, from sharing tips and problems to comparing funny anecdotes about our kids. I wanted my blog to reach out to new mums, and mums who are old hands at the job. When I became aware of Cybermummy 11,  I really felt it was something I wanted to be part of as it will help me move things along with my blog. I'd really value the advice and experience I could gain from attending. It takes place on the 25th June 2011 and it's basically the top notch event in the mummy blogging cybersphere! To enable me to go I would love to be sponsored by a business looking to reach out to the parenting world.

About me

I'm a 35 year old mother of 1, a daughter aged 18 months, also expecting baby number 2 in July, so I'll probably be the size of a planet come the 25th June, the day of the conference! I work 4 days a week, which apparently is part time, but feels like full time in my book. Apart from being a mum and employee, I blog and spend as much time as I can with friends and family.

What do I need?

Cybermummy ticket £100 - It's really that simple

And that really is all, as I live in Greater London and already own a season ticket for travel, so no need for accommodation or train fare

What I can offer you:

Announcement blog post and tweets announcing my partnership with your product/ brand

Further mentions in my blog and tweets in the run up to the event - this could be more lucrative for you if I had material to blog about in the form of products you need testing or competitions I could run for you

I Heart Motherhood will happily host an ad on the blog for your product/ brand in a prominent place that will be welcome to stay for 1 year

I will wear a T-shirt with your logo emblazoned across my bump at Cybermummy and believe me by then I will be enormous so you'll have a high profile while I'm there!

In a nutshell I would be a brilliant ambassador for you and your brand/ product, I'd work my little socks off!

I may not have thought of everything, so I'm all ears if there's anything else I may not have mentioned above! If you're interested and think we could work together then drop me a line at
sharon.donnelly@ymail.com or tweet me @iheartmuthahood