Bump Watch...Week 28 & a New Hair Do!
Saturday, 9 April 2011
Friday, 8 April 2011
Lollibop - The Big Bash for Little People
All the entertainment is aimed at children and there is something for all! That's not to say that adults aren't catered for: there will be guest musicians and DJ's, relaxing cocktails, tea and treatments, market stalls and a real ale festival bar!
Highlights of the festival will include: The Zingzillas, Minimission (an Ibiza style baby disco!), Charlie and Lola, dance workshops, balloon shows, demonstrations from the Science Museum, Fairy and Wizard School amongst many other things.
I'm really looking forward to taking Isla to this as I think she will thoroughly enjoy it and in the run up to the weekend I will be hosting a competition for my readers to win a Family ticket for 4 to go to Lollibop on whichever day you choose over the weekend. If you're unlucky in the competition I'll also have a discount code whereby you can buy reduced price tickets.
Keep an eye out for further updates on I Heart Motherhood for Lollibop and check out the Lollibop site for more information!
Monday, 4 April 2011
Listography - 1st 5 Albums I Ever Owned!
This weeks Listography from Kate at Kate Takes 5 is a real admission of taste - the 1st 5 Albums I ever owned. Here goes and I can already hear you sniggering!
Bucks Fizz - Greatest Hits - Released 1983 - I was 7...
Oh Dear! I remember this one vividly. I had a big clunky tape machine and I was off school ill. I laid on my bed all day listening to this as it was actually the only tape I owned at the time. I remember that I really didn't like Jay - the lady, bottom right. Think I thought she was bit up herself and I definitely liked Cheryl Baker best.....
Culture Club - Colour by Numbers - Released 1983
I got this album for my birthday when I was 8 and I didn't just have the ordinary record - I had the picture disk and I loved it - it was one of my prized possessions and I would look at it over and over and also do lots of drawings of Boy George - I loved him, and had no inkling at all that he was gay! I obviously loved Karma Chameleon but loved "Church of the Poison Mind" - the real talent on that song was the female backing singer, Helen Terry.
Madonna - Like a Virgin - Released 1984 - I was 8
I got this on my birthday in December 1984 - I remember it so vividly because that morning before school my mum and dad had, had a row. I wasn't too disturbed by it but I think my Dad felt so bad about it being my birthday and the atmosphere that was created in the house in the morning that when he came home from work he was armed with an 'Our Price' bag with 2 shiny new tapes in it!! I was very excited. I got this and the Wham one below. I have my Dad to thank for me loving Madonna for many years after this. I really was too young at 8 years old to know what I was singing about when droning along to 'Like a Virgin' but I loved it! I loved all the lace, the beauty spot and her style.
Spandau Ballet - The Singles Collection - Released 1985 - I was 10
I don't remember who bought me this, but I still love Spandau Ballet and found the Kemp brothers fascinating and Tony Hadley's voice was so powerful. True, Gold - who can resist singing along to those powerful songs?!
Wham - Make It Big - Released 1984 - I was 8
My final admission is the Wham boys. Again, I had no inkling that George Michael was gay. I also harboured wished that Madonna would get it together with him. I could see no better pop match! I knew that Andrew Ridgely was the nobody in the group. I only had eyes for George. I loved the Last Christmas video with Pepsi and Shirley too, thought it was magical.
And so that brings me to the end of my Listography, I've enjoyed re-living the memories!
Bucks Fizz - Greatest Hits - Released 1983 - I was 7...
Oh Dear! I remember this one vividly. I had a big clunky tape machine and I was off school ill. I laid on my bed all day listening to this as it was actually the only tape I owned at the time. I remember that I really didn't like Jay - the lady, bottom right. Think I thought she was bit up herself and I definitely liked Cheryl Baker best.....
Culture Club - Colour by Numbers - Released 1983
I got this album for my birthday when I was 8 and I didn't just have the ordinary record - I had the picture disk and I loved it - it was one of my prized possessions and I would look at it over and over and also do lots of drawings of Boy George - I loved him, and had no inkling at all that he was gay! I obviously loved Karma Chameleon but loved "Church of the Poison Mind" - the real talent on that song was the female backing singer, Helen Terry.
Madonna - Like a Virgin - Released 1984 - I was 8
I got this on my birthday in December 1984 - I remember it so vividly because that morning before school my mum and dad had, had a row. I wasn't too disturbed by it but I think my Dad felt so bad about it being my birthday and the atmosphere that was created in the house in the morning that when he came home from work he was armed with an 'Our Price' bag with 2 shiny new tapes in it!! I was very excited. I got this and the Wham one below. I have my Dad to thank for me loving Madonna for many years after this. I really was too young at 8 years old to know what I was singing about when droning along to 'Like a Virgin' but I loved it! I loved all the lace, the beauty spot and her style.
Spandau Ballet - The Singles Collection - Released 1985 - I was 10
I don't remember who bought me this, but I still love Spandau Ballet and found the Kemp brothers fascinating and Tony Hadley's voice was so powerful. True, Gold - who can resist singing along to those powerful songs?!
Wham - Make It Big - Released 1984 - I was 8
My final admission is the Wham boys. Again, I had no inkling that George Michael was gay. I also harboured wished that Madonna would get it together with him. I could see no better pop match! I knew that Andrew Ridgely was the nobody in the group. I only had eyes for George. I loved the Last Christmas video with Pepsi and Shirley too, thought it was magical.
And so that brings me to the end of my Listography, I've enjoyed re-living the memories!
At the Hospital - Part 2 of My Birth Story
Following on from Part 1 of My Birth Story :
I started on the Entenox around 9pm as soon as we got to the hospital and I was so relieved that I could try something else to help with the pain, nothing could help with how tired I was from no sleep for about 48 hours but at least I knew I was in the home straight. The OH was as tired as me and kept nodding off in the chair - never for long though as I made sure of that!
The hospital felt quite quiet and the lights in the room were nice and dim. I was also lucky because I had a midwife that I'd met through attending the diabetic clinic in the preceding weeks, and the familiarity was nice. I was all belted up and connected to the monitor which unfortunately makes you even more aware of the contractions as the digital monitor shows the numbers rising as the contraction builds. Not good. I couldn't stop my eyes from looking at it and I'm sure that every time I saw them going up my eyes would grow as big as saucers.
After a couple of hours of gas and air I couldn't take anymore pain, and was offered Pethidine. I'd said in my birth plan that I didn't want that but it seemed to be the only thing being offered at the time as I think I wasn't being convincing enough about how much pain I was in (obviously doing the British Stiff Upper Lip thing!). One thing to remember if you haven't been through this before is that nothing will happen very quickly, when you ask for drugs, count on them taking at least 45 minutes before arriving in your room, then remember they don't work instantly! I found this all the more frustrating. It was at least 45 minutes before I got the Pethidine and then it takes up to 20 minutes to work. So you end up persevering for a lot longer than you want to with gas and air.
I can safely say I HATED PETHIDINE! For me it just made me feel off my head and out of control and not a feeling that I wanted to associate with having my baby. It works by altering the perception of pain, so it won't take pain away, but in between contractions it will take you off to a far away place, but then Boom! once another contraction comes, i was very much in the room again! It is meant to reduce the amount of pain you feel by inhibiting pain signals from the brain. When my OH describes how I was on it, with my eyes looking all weird, I really don't like to hear about it, makes me think I resembled the cast of Trainspotting!
So after a couple of hours of that, again I couldn't take anymore and asked for an epidural, but this time knowing that it would take ages (even longer for this as I'd have to wait for an anaesthetist) and I was looking at the clock and manically working out how long in my head before I thought I would be pain free. I think I was about 6 centimetres by this point. Finally he arrived and I got the epidural. It was described as a mobile epidural - but that didn't mean I could get up and move around, I was still restricted to the bed - no conga-ing for me! It just meant that I would still be able to feel when to push which was actually good. I had to be very still while they put it in my back (before having a baby, I was more scared about having this than actual childbirth!). I felt lots better after having it but it didn't work properly down one side, so I had to have a top up. I think before the night was out I had a further 2 top ups.
By 8am, I was told I was 10 centimetres and that I could get on with the pushing! I pushed, and pushed and pushed. All manner of nasties came out while I pushed - I'm not going to describe this, use your imagination.... I kept pushing and pushing and I was told over and over how well I was doing and how I was nearly there. Hmmm, then where was my baby? By 10am, 2 hours later, I still didn't have a baby and I was still being told how nearly there I was, and that they could see her head and I kept pushing. I was so tired. It was decided that I needed assistance and we waited for the Dr to come and tell us the next course of action. Obviously, all the while I'm still having to push even though it's not producing the desired result.
The chosen method of delivery was Ventouse and to say this was uncomfortable would be an understatement. Imagine, you've got a really big handbag and you're looking around for something right in the bottom of it with your hands, just scrabbling around, well that's what it felt like when the Dr was attaching the ventouse to the baby's head - I remember literally trying to edge my way up the bed away from his reach. Along with ventouse delivery comes a nice episiotomy. I'm obviously still pushing but now it feels like there's a tug of war going on down below. 3 hours and 15 minutes after I first started pushing Isla was born. The midwife I saw at my recent booking appointment was shocked at this timing and has put on my notes to keep a closer eye on my progress for the second birth.
I had a quick hold of my baby girl and then she was taken off to be weighed etc and I was stitched up.....Final part here
I started on the Entenox around 9pm as soon as we got to the hospital and I was so relieved that I could try something else to help with the pain, nothing could help with how tired I was from no sleep for about 48 hours but at least I knew I was in the home straight. The OH was as tired as me and kept nodding off in the chair - never for long though as I made sure of that!
The hospital felt quite quiet and the lights in the room were nice and dim. I was also lucky because I had a midwife that I'd met through attending the diabetic clinic in the preceding weeks, and the familiarity was nice. I was all belted up and connected to the monitor which unfortunately makes you even more aware of the contractions as the digital monitor shows the numbers rising as the contraction builds. Not good. I couldn't stop my eyes from looking at it and I'm sure that every time I saw them going up my eyes would grow as big as saucers.
After a couple of hours of gas and air I couldn't take anymore pain, and was offered Pethidine. I'd said in my birth plan that I didn't want that but it seemed to be the only thing being offered at the time as I think I wasn't being convincing enough about how much pain I was in (obviously doing the British Stiff Upper Lip thing!). One thing to remember if you haven't been through this before is that nothing will happen very quickly, when you ask for drugs, count on them taking at least 45 minutes before arriving in your room, then remember they don't work instantly! I found this all the more frustrating. It was at least 45 minutes before I got the Pethidine and then it takes up to 20 minutes to work. So you end up persevering for a lot longer than you want to with gas and air.
I can safely say I HATED PETHIDINE! For me it just made me feel off my head and out of control and not a feeling that I wanted to associate with having my baby. It works by altering the perception of pain, so it won't take pain away, but in between contractions it will take you off to a far away place, but then Boom! once another contraction comes, i was very much in the room again! It is meant to reduce the amount of pain you feel by inhibiting pain signals from the brain. When my OH describes how I was on it, with my eyes looking all weird, I really don't like to hear about it, makes me think I resembled the cast of Trainspotting!
So after a couple of hours of that, again I couldn't take anymore and asked for an epidural, but this time knowing that it would take ages (even longer for this as I'd have to wait for an anaesthetist) and I was looking at the clock and manically working out how long in my head before I thought I would be pain free. I think I was about 6 centimetres by this point. Finally he arrived and I got the epidural. It was described as a mobile epidural - but that didn't mean I could get up and move around, I was still restricted to the bed - no conga-ing for me! It just meant that I would still be able to feel when to push which was actually good. I had to be very still while they put it in my back (before having a baby, I was more scared about having this than actual childbirth!). I felt lots better after having it but it didn't work properly down one side, so I had to have a top up. I think before the night was out I had a further 2 top ups.
By 8am, I was told I was 10 centimetres and that I could get on with the pushing! I pushed, and pushed and pushed. All manner of nasties came out while I pushed - I'm not going to describe this, use your imagination.... I kept pushing and pushing and I was told over and over how well I was doing and how I was nearly there. Hmmm, then where was my baby? By 10am, 2 hours later, I still didn't have a baby and I was still being told how nearly there I was, and that they could see her head and I kept pushing. I was so tired. It was decided that I needed assistance and we waited for the Dr to come and tell us the next course of action. Obviously, all the while I'm still having to push even though it's not producing the desired result.
The chosen method of delivery was Ventouse and to say this was uncomfortable would be an understatement. Imagine, you've got a really big handbag and you're looking around for something right in the bottom of it with your hands, just scrabbling around, well that's what it felt like when the Dr was attaching the ventouse to the baby's head - I remember literally trying to edge my way up the bed away from his reach. Along with ventouse delivery comes a nice episiotomy. I'm obviously still pushing but now it feels like there's a tug of war going on down below. 3 hours and 15 minutes after I first started pushing Isla was born. The midwife I saw at my recent booking appointment was shocked at this timing and has put on my notes to keep a closer eye on my progress for the second birth.
I had a quick hold of my baby girl and then she was taken off to be weighed etc and I was stitched up.....Final part here
Sunday, 3 April 2011
Silent Sunday
If you want to find out more about Silent Sunday then go to http://www.mochabeaniemummy.com/silent-sunday/
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Saturday, 2 April 2011
Boots Baby - A Review
We were recently sent some bath products to try out from Boots. I was going to save them until baby boy arrived in July but we ran out of baby wash and so we decided Isla should get first go of them!
The first is Boots Baby Dreamtime Calming Body wash. The first thing to mention is the smell is lovely, and when Isla has had her bath she smells delicious. It's also non drying which is really important for young skin. We do bath time every night, as Isla loves her bath and it's an important part of her evening routine, so the non drying part of it is key as the water could make her skin suffer. I'm not sure that it exactly calms Isla as I think this would be an impossible task for our little livewire and bath time for her is about being as splashy and noisy as possible, but when we have our new baby I'll definitely be using these products to test the calming claim as new babies can get a bit angsty towards the end of the day.
The second product is Boots Baby Sensitive Moisturising Head to Toe Wash which is described as perfect for newborns, of which Isla doesn't fit that description but the way I see it is if it's delicate enough for newborns then it's got to be good for older children too. It's fragrance free and colour free and is suitable for eczema prone skin too. It's made for use on hair and body and again I'll be happy to try this on our newborn.
Both products are tearless formulations, hypo-allergenic and dermatologist and paediatrician approved.
We've loved trying out these products and I always find that Boots is such a great place to find products of good value and quality. It's worth knowing that there is a fantastic offer coming up at Boots - 3 for 2 on all baby items from 4th April until 3rd May!
There is also a Boots Parenting club that I've been a member of since Isla was born and it's so useful for advice, information and offers online. Members of Boots Parenting Club can now receive 10 Advantage Card Points for every £1 spent on baby products in Boots*. So for every £10 you spend on baby products, you’ll receive £1 back in Advantage Card points to buy whatever you like from Boots for you and your family.
We were sent the products mentioned above for free and this post has been honestly written in response to trialling them.
Friday, 1 April 2011
Flashback Friday - Are my Festival Days Over?
Now I'm pregnant with baby number 2 I've really started to think about how life is changing, I mean obviously it changed a lot with baby number 1 but now with another on the way it's dawning on me that things are definitely taking a different direction. And don't get me wrong I love the direction my little family is going in now, I love my husband more than anything, and my daughter is the love of my life and when baby boy comes he will be the icing on my very delicious cake. What all that brings with it though is the realisation that life will never be the same again, those carefree days will be limited to about 1 or 2 a year, when we can get a pass out by letting the grandparents take the strain for the weekend!
So all of that leads me on to why I chose this photo for Flashback Friday It was taken at V Festival in 2005 where I experienced my first festival (pretty shameful if you ask me at the age of 30 - but in my defence I was a bit of a dance fan and thought festies were too grungy!). I went with my best friend and my best colleague from work and we had a riot. This photo just shows us looking all chilled and really captures to me the great time that we all had together. It was the most fabulous weekend in August I'd had in ages and we just partied and danced and laughed the whole time.
We saw plenty of bands, we danced in the dance tents, we drank our body weight in booze, we chatted and made friends, we pee'd in bushes and we just had the best girls weekend. Camping was a pretty new experience for me but even that brought it's share of laughter and a glass of red wine first thing in the morning always helps in those situations!
We didn't look pretty by the end of it (one of us looked like she had birds nesting in her hair...) but the sign of a good time at that point in my life was feeling like death and gagging for a big greasy McDonald's on the way home.
So however much I wouldn't change the life I have now, I fully appreciate the fun and frolics I used to have and hope that one day I will make a return to a festival - albeit maybe with some kids in tow and no red wine for breakfast!
Why not check out the other Flashback Friday entries over at Cafe Bebe and join in!
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