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Looking after a newborn...it's tougher than you think

My baby Rafe is now three weeks and four days old. Blog posts are few and far between, as are hair washes, stretches of sleep and getting anything done.

Looking after a newborn baby is tough. Seriously tough. They may be small and adorable but when they want something they morph into ferocious, red, wailing little monsters...or Rafe does anyway.
And they poop like absolute troupers! I basically spend the majority of my life changing nappies and Rafe takes great delight in farting in my face as soon as his dirty nappy is removed and freshly filling the new one.
I'm fairly lucky thats the worst I've had to contend with so far. Daddy not only got pooped on but then immediately after sprayed with wee aswell all in the same nappy change. He now claims to be far too traumatised by the experience to complete further nappy changes insisting I am so much better at it...hmmm. And I'm sorry if this is gross or TMI, but Rafe is breasfed and the colour of his poop's! Mustard yellow! and impossible to remove those stains from anything!

Now lets talk cluster feeding. The absolute worst part in my opinion. You feed your baby, you carefully burp your baby, you cuddle your baby back to sleep then gently...gently try to put them down in their Sleepyhead Deluxe and BAM! They are wide awake and yelling for more food. After an hour or so of doing this on repeat it gets seriously draining. 

Then there's the changes to your relationship, wait...what relationship?! There is very little spare time to spend with your partner anymore. I miss my fiance despite the fact that I live with him. Rafe recently spent a full week sleeping in bed with me in his Sleepyhead, turfing daddy out and on to the sofa downstairs. Thankfully he has now claimed back his spot in the bed, but once baby is finally asleep we cannot risk having a chat or Lord forbid a cuddle for fear it will awake the little beast. A good nights sleep and a lie in are very much a thing of the past. Some nights Rafe is really good and only wakes every three hours to feed. You know you are a mum when you consider three hours of unbroken sleep to be a treat. Then there are some nights when not even three hours consecutive sleep are going to happen...lets not talk about those.
People will tell you to sleep when your baby sleeps, which is actually very good advice. But then in practice as soon as your baby is asleep you want to take the opportunity to get shit done. When he's napping I want to get a shower in, brush my hair, feel human again. Oh and now we are on the topic of showers, well don't expect that to be a private activity again. Rafe lays in his Sleepyhead in the bathroom doorway while I shower as I don't want to leave him by himself for longer than five minutes. 

Now I know all of this seems very negative. No I do not have post natal depression, and yes I absolutely love my child more than anything and I feel incredibly lucky to have him. BUT it is a lot harder than I thought it would be. Before you have children your friends and family will tell you how hard it is and like us you won't believe them. How hard can it be to look after a tiny human right?! But it really is tough. It is also 100% worth it though, I wouldn't change him for the world. 
Anyway I am planning to do a post partum update very soon and also posting about the post natal workouts that I have started and the progress I am making in terms of getting the pre-baby body back! But that's for 2017! And when Rafe decides I am allowed...he's the boss!

Happy new year everybody! Hope 2017 is the best one yet!

Jx

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Follow my blog with Bloglovin The best Christmas ever!!

Sorry I have been rather consistantly MIA with the blogging recently. The addition of a newborn baby in my life has somewhat put a spanner in the works when it comes to getting anything done these days, apart from taking care of him and basic means of survival for me!

Christmas day was raher amazing! It was the first Christmas in our own home, we moved in here April 2016, and of course it was baby Rafe's first Christmas ever! All very exciting! Richard cooked Christmas dinner which was fabulous (I had the rather important tasks of vegetable preparation and gravy stirring I would just like to add...The vegetables and gravy were both delicious...) We were all spoilt with presents, Richard's family are all incredibly generous.
After a morning of present opening and Christmas lunch devouring Richard was rather insitent that we should go for a walk. This is not normal behaviour. I am usually the one who has to persuade him that walking is a fun activity. Plus it was cold and looked like it was about to rain, needless to say I was not exactly enthusiastic about the walking idea. But we packed up the pram and wrapped Rafe up against the cold and embarked to Hengistbury head. (Hengistbury head is a headland between Poole harbour and Hurst spit in the UK and is about a twenty minute car journey from where we live).

So it was freezing and blowing a gale and Richard was acting all shifty, he kept looking behind and suggesting we walk down muddy paths away from people. It was all very strange and I even asked him if he was okay after point blank refusing to go down muddy tracks with my Rafe's lovely new pram.
Eventually we came to a bench and he suggested we sit down (I was quite keen to go home by this point but showed willing because it was Christmas afterall) and then he pulled a little gift wrapped box out of his pocket and gave it to be. Now this was clearly a jewellery box and I was trying very hard to play things cool. Obviously I was hoping for a ring but I didn't want to yell YES!! at the top of my lungs in case it was a pair of earrings.
Turns out I didn't have to worry about concealing any disappointment because it was indeed an engagement ring (and the most beautiful engagement ring I have ever seen at that). and then he proposed to me...and I of course said yes, but refrained from yelling it at the top of my lungs.


So 2016 has probably been one of the best years ever and I am so grateful for everything amazing that has happened, I will be quite sad to say goodbye to it. But 2017 is a fresh start and I am determined to make it another fantastic year. I have so many things that I want to achieve next year, I think it will be twelve months of hard work but I'm very excited.

Jx

My beautiful ring! You will have to excuse the rather posey photograph but I have not had my nails done in months and I did not really want them in the picture...so I stuck my hand in a vase of Christmas inspired flowers that were the centerpiece on our dining table! Follow Follow Pinterest

Follow my blog with Bloglovin Post partum survival guide

Little warning this post may be a little TMI for some people. Labour and birth are seriously tough going on our bodies, I had an assisted vaginal birth with an episiotomy and forceps. Recovery was a lot tougher than I imagined and these are a few things that I found really helped me.

First off buy maternity pads. Buy lots of maternity pads and buy both the really chunky maternity pads and the slim ones. The first couple of days after birth you are likely to bleed. A lot. I also found these really useful when my waters broke, even if they go in one massive gush like mine (gross sorry) they will continue to leak until you actually give birth so for the sake of your car seats massive maternity pads are good to have.
Also breast pads will be an essential, I am breastfeeding and by around day three after birth when your milk 'comes in' you will definitely need them.

I use the Boots ultra slim breastpads which I've found effective and discreet.

On the same train of thought as breast pads if you are planning on breastfeeding then I would strongly recommend Lansinoh nipple cream. It's a pure lanolin cream that is literally a life saver...or nipple saver! You do not need to remove it before you feed your baby and I apply it after each and every feed an so far I have only had minimal nipple soreness. Cheaper brands are avaliable but I would really suggest spending a bit more and getting this because it really does work and you can't put a price on being able to feed your baby without being driven to tears. 
 
Massive granny knickers. The bigger and uglier the better. You will want to feel comfortable after birth, it's unlikely a thong will offer this comfort and you won't be interested in looking sexy for a while!
I took Arnica tablets after birth to aid healing. I was informed that they are safe when breastfeeding but check with your own midwife before hand before taking them to be safe. I had no problems and feel like they speeded up my recovery.

Having an episiotomy and stitches was the thing I struggled with the most. It was so painful. I couldn't sit down without wincing for about a week. There's a few things that I found helped with comfort and healing. First purchase a travel neck pillow or rubber ring to sit on, it will take the pressure off of the area. Next when using the bathroom have a jug of water to pour over yourself and clean and soothe the area. I put a couple of drops of tea tree oil in this every time I did it which is natural and antibacterial therefore going to help prevent infection. The next thing I used was pure distilled witch hazel which I would soak my maternity pads in, this is super soothing. 

The last thing I used was more for vanity than recovery but I would recommend a belly binder or waist cincher belt. I didn't actually use mine until around a week after birth but I feel like that plus breastfeeding really helped my uterus contract and my stomach reduce in size. My waist is currently three inches away from it's pre-baby size. I didn't order an expensive belt just one off of Amazon which I think does the job just as well.
Most of all I would say the best way to recover from labour and childbirth is to rest, not easy but try and sleep when your baby sleeps...afternoon naps have become a frequent past time for me since becoming a new mum! Try and eat well and stay hydrated especially if you are breastfeeding and don't try and do everything just focus on looking after your baby, ask for help if you need it and most importantly enjoy this time!

Jx
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Follow my blog with Bloglovin Rafe's Two week update!

Okay so Rafe is actually 15 days old as I type this, but it's pretty much impossible to get anything done on time when you have a newborn! The photo I'm including was taken yesterday for accuracy.
I can't really say that these two weeks have flown by, my days all seem to merge into one nappy changing, bottom wiping, burping and feeding blur! It's been a lot harder than I thought it would be, the lack of sleep is a killer. I end up walking around in a daze most of the time which is dangerous seeing as I wasn't the sharpest tool in the box before motherhood!

Lets talk about sleeping, something I miss more than anything in the whole world right now! The first couple of nights after we brought Rafe home from the hospital were terrible. He would not settle at all and just cried and cried...and cried. Even if he had just fed. I ended up giving him dentinox colic relief thinking he must have had trapped wind. However after seeing a midwife on day three it was explained to us that brand new babies like to cluster feed the first few nights until your milk has come in. Quite reassuring to know we weren't doing anything wrong and our child didn't hate us. I did feel bad for giving him medicine that he didn't actually need though.
Fast forward to day fifteen and sleep has improved, slightly. It's a challenge to get him to actually settle and go to sleep and he tends to like to fall asleep while I am breastfeeding him. This isn't good because apparently he will associate feeding with sleeping and not be able to settle himself so I will be trying to break this habit. Some nights are better than others. On the occasional blissful night he will only wake up a mere two times and go back to sleep fairly non-confrontationally...and then other nights it's three plus wakes. He goes through spells of wanting to cluster feed aswell, cluster feeding is the tough on both me and my nipples! Thank God for Lansinoh!
Rafe also sleeps in bed with me at the moment in a sleepyhead deluxe pillow (I think they are called Dock a tot pillows in the US) and Richard has been banished to the sofa, something we are hoping to change soon...

In terms of weight gain Rafe is a piglet! He was a fairly little 6lb 9 when he was born and when he was weighed by the health visitor yesterday he is now 8lb 4. Something I am very proud of seeing as he is solely breastfed. Makes the lack of sleep, cluster feeds and sore nipples somewhat worth it! He tends to feed at least every three hours, most of the time more or he will just latch on for a snack! He usually wakes by himself to be fed but if he doesn't I tend to change his nappy, which wakes him, before hand. His length is currently 51cm and his head circumference is 37cm. Unfortunately I haven't got any previous measurements to compare to but apparently all is normal there. I can definitely tell he's getting bigger all his clothes are actually starting to fit him without swamping him like old hand me downs!

Something not quite so positive is the fact Rafe has jaundice. Apparently its very common but it's usually cleared up by itself by two weeks in full term babies and he still has a yellow tinge to his face and eyes. We had to go to the hospital for a blood test today to see what the levels of Bilirubin are in his blood and we may have to go back for another to ensure the levels are going down. Don't ask me what Bilirubin is because I have no idea! He seems fine in himself, he's very alert and feeding VERY well and producing lots of dirty nappies so his only symptom is his slightly tanned appearance.
Just to make matters worse in terms of appearance Rafe has started to peel. It started on his body and is now affecting his hands and feet. It doesn't seem to bother him just looks a little unsightly!

Rafe's stump fell off on day number six (thank goodness) it really started to smell! After it had gone we gave him his first bath which he surprisingly really enjoyed! He didn't like getting out quite as much but bathtime is a hit. I've been filing Rafe's nails but I actually braved using some baby nail clippers yesterday. His nails are so sharp and scratch mits don't tend to stay on so I am going to try and keep them short. Quite nerve wracking clipping nails on such little fingers!

Rafe doesn't actually do proper smiles yet, he makes all kinds of facial expressions especially while he is sleeping but I think they are still gas smiles at the moment. Cannot wait for the day when I get a real smile. He is very alert when he is awake and looks at faces (especially mummy's) we also have some black and white wallpaper on one wall of our lounge that he loves to stare at. He had a hearing test before we left hospital after he was born which he passed and he does startle at loud noises.
Rafe loves going out for walks in his pram and being in the car in his car seat, which sends him straight to sleep! If only we could use it at night! He's currently a bit too small for his baby swing so we haven't tried that and I attempted baby wearing but even after watching instructional YouTube videos I couldn't work out how to put the thing on so I abandoned mission.

I think thats about all to report for the two weeks. I can see from comparing the photos from immediately after he was born to the ones now that he has changed so much already. Makes me feel quite emotional, I would like him to stay little forever, just maybe little but sleeping through the night! I will probably do another update at one month and keep you posted on the jaundice situation. Anyway the little cherub is currently asleep so I am going to try and get a nap in, I have been up since 4am so it is much needed!

Jx 

Here he is my little smurf! This picture doesn't really do him any justice but he was not in a co-operative, photo posing mood at the time!


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Follow my blog with Bloglovin Things that I thought I would care about during labour that I really didn't care about.

1. My appearance. Yep I realise how ridiculous that is now. I was vain enough to think that I would be worried about how my hair and make-up looked during labour. By the time I had my baby I did not look in any way glamorous. Nor did I care in the slightest.
I will say however that I am glad that I packed my make-up in my hospital bag because the next morning I did apply a full face, and I felt so much better for it.

2. Doing a poop. I was so so worried about this. I even bought some glycerol suppositories to use when I went into labour to try and reduce the chances of it happening. The thought of defecating in front of my partner was bad enough let alone a room full of complete strangers.
So I didn't use the suppositories in the end, and I genuinely have no idea if I pooped or not. I don't think I did but I don't actaully care either way. To anyone else worried about this I would advise them to get your partner to stay at the head end once you start pushing and make sure that he knows that if he does witness you pooing yourself then it is a secret that he should tell nobody especially not you. 

3. The noises that I would make. When you watch births on television the noises the women make are some what disturbing. I wanted to remain as quiet and dignified as possible during my labour and birth. When it came to it I was bellowing like a constipated cow at the top of my voice and I couldn't care less.

4.People looking at my bits. I am no prude but I am a fairly modest person, I used to find a smear test traumatic enough. The thought of people examining me filled me with embarrassment especially when personal grooming becomes a challenge towards the end of pregnancy. 
I ended up having an episiotomy, forceps, stitches and then to top it off a finger up my bum to check for tearing. There were about four doctors and midwives looking at me while my legs were in stirrups and I did not care one bit.

My advise to anyone expecting a baby who is concerned about some or all of the points above would be not to worry. I know that is easy to say but these things are trivial and once you are in active labour none of them will worry you at all. Make sure you have a supportive birthing partner who you feel completely comfortable with and talk about anything that you are worried about with them. Most importantly remember that midwives deliver babies every day and they have seen everything before. Being as relaxed as possible is going to make your birth easier and more enjoyable. 

Jx

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Follow my blog with Bloglovin My labour and delivery story: Scrap the birth plan!

Disclaimer: If you are an expectant mum maybe don't read this.

Okay so my labour wasn't that horrific...I lived to tell the tale afterall and Rafe got here safe and sound. However it definitely didn't go to plan...and I was definitely not prepared for the pain!
When I wrote my birth plan I really wanted to try and go through labour and delivery with minimal pain relief. I rather arrogantly thought that I had a high enough pain threshold to be able get through labour using just breathing techniques supplemented with the occasional puff on the gas and air...How wrong was I! I ended up BEGGING everyone and anyone in the hospital who would listen to get me an epidural
 
My waters broke at half past eleven in the evening on Monday 5th December one day before my due date. This wasn't just a slow leak of waters or just a trickle there was loads. I called the hospital who told me to get some rest and come in at 9am the following morning. We actually ended up going in at both 1am and 9am as I thought baby had stopped moving. At both visits they monitored the babies heartrate and whether I was contracting and they took my temperature and bloodpressure. After establishing that everything was fine they booked me in for an induction at 7am on Wednesday the 7th December and then sent me home to see if I would progress naturally. I wasn't overly happy with this as after your waters have broken there is an increased risk to the baby of developing infections. But they refused to induce me any sooner so we headed home.

By this point I was having mild contractions, just like period cramps on and off with no pattern or regularity. They weren't really bothering me so I got a couple of hours sleep and just continued with normal day to day activities. At around 6pm that evening I was really starting to suffer, the pains were more intense but they will still sporadic with between six to ten minutes between them. Eventually when they were around five minutes apart and lasting fifty seconds we made a move to the hospital, this is a little early but I was in a lot of pain and it is a forty five minute journey.I think my naive self thought that if we left things too long the baby would just pop out in the car on the way there, if only it had been that easy!
Sods law on the journey to the hospital my contractions began to slow down. We saw a rather patronising midwife who told me that I was not in proper labour. She suggested paracetamol and pethidine and offered to examine me. Because of the risk of infection I refused an examination. In regards to the pethidine it may have been a good idea in hindsight but my own midwife had been quite negative about it so I went with the paracetamol and we headed home. Again.

The next few hours were probably the worst of my life. I am not exaggerating. I have never been in such pain! The only position I could bare to be in was all fours and I had to be continually moving. I was literally crawling from room to room wailing uncontrollably with poor R following me about and rubbing my back.

At half 5 I could take no more and we set off back to the hospital. By this point I was exhausted, in agony and possibly a little hysterical. I had to sit in the passenger foot well and lean over the passenger seat...not exactly safe or legal but the pain was unbearable if I sat down. I just remember making sure I did not look out of the window once during the entire journey because I didn't want to know how far away we were from the hospital.
Once we reached the hospital I lost all dignity. ALL DIGNITY. I began begging for someone to help me, begging for an epidural. Once they got us in a room I was writhing about so much on the bed that a nearly fell off and a midwife had to push me back on. I was inhaling so much gas and air that my face started to feel numb and while this was happening I was completely naked apart from a hospital gown that came undone at the back exposing my bare arse (although I didn't even care by this point). When they eventually examined me I was six, almost seven centimetres dilated just on paracetamol!! That's the only part of my labour and delivery story that I am proud of!

I eventually got my much anticipated epidural and it was the BEST decision I could have made. When you have been in that much pain the relief it provided was incredible. Once I was fully dilated they gave me an hour and a half to push. It wasn't happening and unfortunately I ended up needing an episiotomy and forceps delivery and I lost 1.2 litres of blood. I definitely would not say that my birth was the experience that I hoped for but as soon as my beautiful baby boy was put on my chest all the discomfort was forgotten and it was worth every second of pain! 

My advice to anyone due to have a baby would be to prepare really thoroughly. Learn about the alternative pain relief available like TENS machines, water and breathing techniques. I wish I had researched these and maybe I would have coped better. I would say don't be set on your birth plan, obviously it's good to have one prepared and hopefully everything will go to plan but be open minded to different pain relief options. Every labour and birth is different and if it's your first baby it's very difficult to know what to expect.
Don't be too hard on yourself. I felt really disappointed in myself that I needed to have an epidural and I felt like I had failed in some way. But I have come to terms with it now, and there is no point in suffering when you don't have to. The most important thing is that your baby gets here safe and sound.

Jx Follow Follow

Follow my blog with Bloglovin Welcome to the world!

 Been a little MIA on the blogging front but for good reason. On the 7th December at 15:30 baby Rafe Everett made his entrance into the world weighing 6lb 9. 
Only one day after his due date so he didn't keep my waiting too long! Labour definitely wasn't what I was expecting and my delivery didn't exactly go to plan but I will be writing a post all about that. In the meantime lets bask in the cuteness of my baby boy. Jx

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Follow my blog with Bloglovin What should I name my baby?

I am indecisive at the best times but when it comes to what we are going to name our son, well I think the options have changed about fifty times! Two baby name books later and some trauling of the internet and I think we have decided what he will be called (or we at least have a shortlist depending on what he looks like).
There is just so much choice nowadays and your childs name no longer has to be convential. Celebrities are naming their children increasingly flamboyant creations and the fact we live in a multicultural society means we can use more exotic influences when choosing what are children are called. 
These are some of the things that have helped me come up with a baby name that both my partner and I are happy with.
 
1. Purchase a good baby name book...or in our case two. We used the 'Best baby names for 2016' by Siobhan Thomas and 'The 2017 book of baby names' by Hannah Crawford. Both of these were good but we did find that 'Best baby names for 2016' had greater content.

 


2. Consider your partner and be prepared to compromise...obvious right?! Choosing a name for your baby should be an exciting and fun process that brings you and your partner together. But this can soon turn sour if you have completely differing opinions. I firmly believe that the person that has carried the baby and given birth gets the final choice BUT myself and my partner both went through our baby name books and and wrote down all the options that we liked on one piece of paper then narrowed it down from there. If there's a name you hate but your partner loves then consider using it as a middle name aswell.

3. DO NOT TELL ANYONE!! This is the MOST important thing. There is nothing worse than enthusiastically revealing what you have spent ages deciding as you baby name to a 'friend' or (worse) family member for it to be met with 'Sounds like a dogs name that' or 'Oh I knew a boy at school with that name, he was bloody horrible.' Okay. Great. Thanks.
And if your baby name is quite modern or creative do not expect older, more traditional family members to understand your choice, like your choice or keep their opinions about your choice to themselves...because in my experience they do not.
People are insensitive and a lot of the time they simply do not realise that they are upsetting you, and with pregnancy hormones running rife it simply is not worth the tears. 

4. Will the initials of babies first, middle and surname stand for anything offensive or rude...might just be something to check prior to registering!

5. Do you like the shortened version of the name? There will always be some annoying sod that will call your child the shortened version of their name, so try and make sure you do not hate it.

6. Will the name look good on your childs CV? Okay so they won't be getting a CV together for years but it's no good choosing a name that is 'cute' for a baby but embarrassing for a grown man.

7. Be open to change. I am 99.9% sure what I want to name our baby boy but I am ultimately going to wait until I have seen him and then make the decision from there. And with my due date tomorrow I'm hoping I won't have to wait too much longer!
Name reveal (hopefully) coming soon! 

Jx Follow Follow

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How can I feel good about myself during pregnancy?

You are pregnant! You are probably feeling a combination of emotions; happiness, excitement, joy...fear of the unknown!
Once it has all sunk in you have to tackle the fact that your body is going to change enormously over the next nine months and this can be a little difficult accept. Especially if you have always been body conscious.
I have always been insecure about my body. I have never been overweight but that doesn't mean that there wasn't a time in my life where I would look in the mirror and hate what I saw. I tackled this feeling and learnt to accept my body by eating healthily, exercising reguarly (particuarly weight bearing exercises) and most importantly breaking the unhealthy habit of comparing myself to others. 

I am going to talk more about beating insecurity in other more health and fitness focused posts. I will say that even though I was in good shape when I became pregnant, I was quite concerned about how my body was going to look by the end of it.  I am now 39 weeks pregnant (plus five days) and I can honestly say it's not as bad as I thought! Have faith your body can do this and there are so many inspirational women out there who look amazing after multiple pregnancies. It's going to be okay.
This is my pregancy survival list! Just some tips that I found useful for the days where I felt like a human beachball!

1. Buy new underwear. This made a HUGE differency to how I felt. Your boobs change a lot during/after pregnancy and they need adequate support. I also found that my hips and bum have got significantly larger. Nothing makes you feel worse that when both your bra band and knicker elastic is digging in creating unsightly bulges and making you look like a joint of meat with that string around it about to be put in the oven.
Buy new, pretty underwear that fits your current size and feel okay about it. You wont be this size forever, this is temporary. But while you are larger you still deserve to feel sexy and attractive. So what if your knickers are a size or two larger, cut the labels out if it makes you feel better.

2. Fake tan. Not for everyone and pale is beautiful. But for me personally, well I felt better with a tan. It helps disguise my pregnancy cellulite and I think I look a bit slimmer with one. Plus if you are feeling nauseous and tired a tan can make you look a bit more glowy and alive. If you don't get a natural pregnancy 'bloom' then fake it! (I think you do have to be careful with the chemicals in some tans when pregnant so just do your research and use one thats safe).

3. Have a pedicure (and a manicure). I am a trained beauty therapist so I usually paint my own nails and toenails but there comes a point in pregnancy where it is impossible to reach your feet. Booking a pedicure and foot massage with a friend will make you feel relaxed and pampered. And you can relax in the knowlegdge that although you may not be able to see them your feet look beautiful!

4. Enjoy those pregnancy curves! Pregnancy is the only time some of us have boobs and a peachy bum. Enjoy it. Buy some new outfits that flatter curves and show off some cleavage. You can still be sexy while pregnant.

5. Do not let yourself go! We have all devoured an entire pack of Hobnobs in one sitting occasionally (I used to do this before I was pregnant). However do not spend your entire pregnancy eating for two fully grown adults. It would probably be a very enjoyable nine months but you will just give yourself a lot of additional hard work to lose the excess weight once baby is here. Eat healthy, nutritious foods and try and include gentle exercise throughout pregnancy for a healthy you and a healthy baby.

6. Do not neglect personal grooming. If you are anything like me sex is not a priority in pregnancy. Nope. No way. (Although now that I am nearly 40 weeks I am tempted to try anything to get this baby here!) but still remove access body hair, apply make-up if you wear it, even if you are just at home. Get your hair cut. Looking after yourself will make you feel good.

7. Be around POSITIVE people! I believe that this is SO important even when you aren't pregnant. Be around people that see the good things and that make you feel good. Don't be afraid to take a compliment either (or give one), if someone tells you that you are glowing then don't brush it off say thank you and allow yourself to feel good...you deserve to. 

8. DO NOT COMPARE YOURSELF TO ANYBODY ELSE! Easier said than done, I know. But this is so so important before, during and after pregnancy. Do not compare yourself to celebrities or other pregnant women who put on minimal weight and snap back as soon as the baby is here. Everybody is different and every BODY is different. This is your unique pregnancy journey. Eat healthily, exercise if you can, dress well and look after yourself and most of all try and enjoy it. Your body is achieving something amazing and giving you the best gift!


Jx

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It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

In the Turner household anyway! This is our first Christmas in our own home and I am soo excited! I'm usually one of those really grumpy, bah humbug type people, but I think that was because I've always worked in a pharmacy...and working in a pharmacy at Christmas is NOT fun! But this year I am on maternity leave so I've basically wanted to put my Christmas tree up since October!
My partner bargained with me to wait until December, and here she is, a thing of beauty! Quite proud of it seeing as it's not as easy to decorate when you are 39 weeks plus pregant, and the size of a baby elephant. 

Clearly it's not a real tree, I personally love real trees and that amazing Christmassy smell they give off, but the logical side of me knew that the last thing I would want to be doing every day with a newborn is vaccuming up fallen pine needles! (Although i seem to be doing this with fake snow and glitter instead to be fair.) It's probably more economical aswell and they had 25% off in Tesco, so it only cost around £35 which isn't bad for a 6ft 5 tree (can't remember the exact price, sorry...baby brain.)
 
And this is my attempt at a home made wreath...Okay so maybe I have too much time on my hands at the moment but I am rather enjoying the craft type activities lately! Just bought one of those straw wreath ring things from the garden centre and used ivy and the plant with the red berries (that I don't know the name of but it's not holly) to make it. All of these plants were sourced (poached) from my parents rather enormous garden by the way in case anyone is wondering. 

The rest of the house still requires some work, decoration wise. I want to get a Christmassy garland to go down the stairs and a stocking for baby. I also want a bauble for the tree for baby as it will be his first Christmas. Oh and some silver decorative reindeer. So tempted to turn the house into a Christmas grotto, complete with fake snow, while R is at work but I'm not sure he would be impressed!
Hoping this decorating obsession is some form of nesting and could mean that labour is imminent...but I still do not think it's going to happen any time soon. Mind you where I live in the UK earliest they will induce you is 12 days after your due date (imagine the growing he could do in 12 days, he will practically be a toddler!! Aaaahh!) but at least I know he will be here before Christmas!

One thing I will never enjoy about Christmas is shopping. I do not like shopping at the best of times, but when it's crazy busy everywhere it's so stressful. I've always suffered with quite a lot of anxiety in busy social situations where there are a lot of people, this seems to be worse now that I am very pregnant. I'm always worrying somebody is going to walk into my bump or something. Think the Christmas shopping will be done in the safety of my own home from behind a laptop!
The Christmas markets are always really lovely though. We went to the one in Winchester last year which was really good and I highly recommend, definitely use the park and ride if you are planning on going. Trying to find a parking space in Winchester is no easy task! One thing I definitely am missing thanks to pregnancy is warm mulled wine! Yum! Maybe I will attempt to make some homemade mulled wine for Christmas day...or maybe I am being a little ambitious!
Anyway I'm off to do some bouncing on my birthing ball and maybe devour an iced minced pie...or two! Extra spicy curry is on the menu for tonights dinner, going to see if the consumption of some chilli will persuade this baby out! Will keep you updated!

Jx



















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Nobody told me this!

When you get pregnant there are certain changes that you expect your body to undergo. You are going to develop a bump, maybe not straight away for some women but its going to happen eventually. Your boobs are going to get bigger (hurrah!) and I was fully prepared for a little weight gain all over. Your body needs to lay down some fat supplies for breastfeeding afterall. But there are some changes that happened to my body that I was definitely not expecting, some good...some not so good. Here goes...

1. Cellulite. Before pregnancy cellulite was never a concern of mine, I might have had a little but nothing particuarly noticable. After an inspection of my bum and upper thighs in the mirror during the third trimester I can now reveal that cellulite is now a new body insecurity that I can add to the ever growing list!

2. No more leg hair! Pack the Venus away my legs are now a hair free zone! Okay maybe not completely fuzz free but pregnancy definitely slowed the rate in which my leg hair grows...fortunate now that I am in the third trimester, the massive belly has made it somewhat difficult to shave below the knee!

3.BUT...Belly hair!! WTF?! Yep thats right thanks to those lovely pregancy hormones I got a hairy bump! Nothing extreme, we aren't talking a thick forest of hair but it's definitely hairier than it was. My midwife assured me that it is completely normal...I think she was just being nice, and I did shave it! Hopefully this is a rare pregnancy symptom and not every woman suffers belly fur!

4. Dandruff?! Another really weird one. Before pregnancy I never got dandruff at all, but during the first trimester I had it all the time no matter how often I washed my hair. Weirdly one of my pregnant friends also had it and she is also expecting a little boy so whether that has anything to do with it I don't know.

5. Clear skin!! Okay so the start of the first trimester my skin was spotty but the rest of the pregnancy I have had the clearest complexion of my life! I've always been prone to the occasional breakout and I would never have left the house without a layer of foundation but now I can get away with just powder and my skin has never looked better! whether it's pregnancy hormones or my prenatal vitamins I do not know but I love it!

6. Extra soft skin. It's not just me that noticed this my partner has commmented on this several times on how soft and smooth my skin is now...not that I  had rough, leathery skin before. It's true though thanks to baby it's now baby soft.

7. Bad breath. This has only been a symptom of the third trimester, and I think it may be related to the heartburn and acid reflux that I have been suffering with (yuck). If you are a fellow pregnancy halitosis sufferer then I would recommend seeing your dentsist as I think it is occasionally a symptom of other things aswell. I have found using activated charcoal before brushing has helped and whitened my teeth, but more on that in another blog.

8. A VARICOSE VEIN! This for me is probably the worst one! I developed a big, bulgy vein and the location of it only makes matters worse as it is right at the top of my left thigh boohoo. My midwife said that it is the pressure of the weight of baby and uterus etc and that is should go away of it's own accord once I have had the baby, fingers crossed!

9. Massive areola. Or burger nipples. Enough said on that one.

10. More body confidence! Yep that's right I have MORE body confidence than before I was pregnant. Even though the majority of the symptoms on the above list are hardly desirable, I feel incredibly proud of my body. Firstly for being able to make a baby (with a little help) but also for being able to carry a baby for what is now nearly 40 weeks. 
Okay so it may never go back to exactly how it was before and I am sure I will be left with some battle scars (hopefully not the vein) but it's done a pretty good job so far. To all the fellow pregnant ladies view your body with pride, even if it is a little diffent than before, a bit of cellulite and some loose skin is definitely a sacrifice worth making for a healthy, happy baby!

Jx Follow Follow

Follow my blog with Bloglovin The Never ending pregnancy...

39 weeks and three days. That's how long I have been pregnant (it feels much, much longer) and I am SO done with it!
Okay I know I technically have four days left and it's not like I am overdue but I have had enough.

It's not just the fact that I resemble a walking, talking egg, it's the fact I am no longer able to perform the simplest of tasks without a struggle. For example putting on socks now takes about ten minutes of trying to contort myself into weird positions around my massive belly and trying to hook them on to my feet. 
I haven't slept properly for about a month, I keep waking up either needing to pee or with heartburn so bad I feel like I'm about to start breathing fire. Oh and leg cramps and hip pain at night, two new additions to this weeks list of pregnancy delights. It only serves to make matters worse when your partner is snoring away peacefully next to you as you try and manoeuvre your bulk into a comfortable position. 

To be completely honest my early pregnancy was a breeze and I've sailed through with a little basketball bump and not so much as a hint of waddling until now. But the final month is TOUGH. I certainly do not feel like I am 'glowing' unless we are referring to the thin sheen of sweat that is permanently on my brow due to the fact even the most menial task renders me unable to catch my breath.

I have been trying to induce some labour symptoms. I've been eating dates, I've tried fresh pineapple, raspberry leaf tablets, I've been bouncing on my exercise ball all evening, every evening since week 37 and I walk up and down my stairs about 30 times a day. All this and my midwife cheerfully told me that my baby is a mere one fifth engaged at my last appointment. I know that engagement doesn't necessarily have any correlation with labour starting but I am beginning to worry I may be pregnant forever.
One thing I will NOT be trying to induce labour is sex. I resemble humpty dumpty in underwear and there is NOTHING sexy about me right now. 

Here's hoping that a (short and pain free...) labour and delivery story is the next thing that I will post on this blog. If anyone needs me I will be bouncing on my birthing ball, munching through an entire pineapple!

Jx  Follow Follow