parenting – Page 12 – yummyblogger.com

13 tips for mums-to-be: things that I wish I’d been told!

Your whole pregnancy and early days of motherhood are filled with tips and advice that other parents give you, most are really useful (e.g. buy lots of muslin squares) but not all are true (e.g. ‘sleep when baby sleeps’ isn’t helpful when your baby sleeps best while you’re walking him up a big hill or driving down the M4!)

Anyway this got me thinking about things I WASN’T told but wish I had been!

Get fit – as soon as you find out you’re pregnant (ideally before, if you’re planning!) get as fit as you can – in the third trimester I had some real achy days where I ached from head to toe, and by then it was too late to do anything apart from pregnancy yoga – I should have done lots of swimming…. Being fit will also prepare you for labour which is the biggest workout of your life!
Bump photos/Cinemama – I used an app called CineMama which joined all my bump photos into a little video – a nice little momento of your pregnancy journey 🙂 (I wish I had taken more/better photos – I was always in my PJ’s lol!)
Join a community – ok so this is a tip I was given (but only by one person so it doesn’t count!) which was to join a Facebook group called ‘Due in May 2014’ which I did and it ended up being a great resource where you could ask stupid questions that you might not want to ask friends/family etc. And actually even more than, you could see questions that other members were asking that you hadn’t even thought of! By now it feels like a proper little community and I would recommend you find something similar whether it be Facebook, forums or *gasp* a real-life group!
Everyone tells you to stock up on nappies and fill your freezer etc but I think you should also stock up on everything from loo roll, toothpaste, cat food to shower gel – your ‘nesting’ time is a perfect time to do this and fill up all your cupboards so that in the first few weeks you only need to worry about getting fresh food in – the more prep you can do in those last few weeks of pregnancy, the easier the first few weeks of parenthood will be!
Leave tags on stuff/keep packaging – during that nesting period you will have the urge to make your nursery as beautiful as possible even though the little munchkin won’t be in there for another few months…. in doing so, I took some bedding, blankets out of its packaging but I’ve since realised we won’t need it as we were given so many so I could have taken them back. Ditto clothes – I would never exchange any gifts, but I could have exchanged stuff I’d bought that we wouldn’t end up needing….
Get your screwdriver kit handy – for some reason, everything from our play gym to our sleep aid needs a screwdriver to change the batteries which reminds me…..
Buy a range of batteries when you’re doing #4! AA, AAA, C, D… the list of battery types in baby equipment is endless!
Get a copy of your yellow folder – when you’re pregnant, you get given a folder to take to every appointment. This becomes a record of your bump and scan measurements, and details of your labour…. when you’re signed off by the midwife about 10 days post-labour, she will take this folder with her and I so wish I had taken a copy before she had… so many memories!
Breastfeeding is messy and smelly – you will get it all over your clothes and bedding! I was given all sorts of breastfeeding hints before baby arrived but nobody told me about the mess, or leakage… or random spraying! (Still well worth it mind!)
The nights will be surreal – In those early few weeks I used to wake so often thinking that baby W was still on me, and said to my other half on a few occasions ‘can you take him off me?’ even though he was sound asleep in his basket! The sleepless nights are tough, but you’ll cope and get used to it!
Poo comes out in the rain – despite having an expensive washing machine, the best thing I’ve found to get poo out of muslins and clothes is to leave them out in the rain- I think it’s the combination of UV light and volume of water that does it!
Don’t buy too many shoes until baby has arrived – my shoe size has gone up one and when I mentioned this on Facebook and Twitter, turns out it’s quite common for your shoe size to go up or for your feet to get wider while/after you have a baby! (Wonder if it’s because you’ll be carrying a heavy load?!)
Your beautiful baby might be spotty, have gammy eyes and have skin falling off – this is all normal during the first few weeks and will all clear up 🙂

Mums – have you got any tips/things that you learnt the hard way to add to this list?!

Still addicted to my iPhone?

A week ago I set myself the challenge of cutting down on my iPhone usage as I was finding myself getting addicted to checking things like Facebook and Twitter a million times a day!

So how did I get on?

By leaving my phone in a different room for most of the day and only checking it during naptime I am definitely using it less – the temptation has gone!
However, I realised how much I use it for other things like the camera, notebook and baby apps – so I’m using an old school notebook and pen – old school, I love it!
I unfollowed some of the parenting groups that I’m a member of, on Facebook – if I ever have a bored half hour I can check them, but they won’t clog up my feed (it turns out these are the only updates I ever seem to get as most non-parents are in work or living their lives lol!)
Although I don’t think I’m missing much on Facebook, I do miss getting involved in some of the Twitter banter with other mums etc!
First thing in the morning is the hardest – baby W has taken to getting us up at 7-7.30 and I’m like a zombie til about 10 – my usual fix is breakfast TV, the Wright Stuff, lots of tea and my phone – that’s been the hardest habit to break
I still find myself checking it when I go to bed… this is bad for ‘sleep hygiene’ and I’m tempted to leave it downstairs but it does come in handy for nightfeeds so we’ll see…

Overall result? I like to think I’m slightly less addicted, and if baby W is old enough to take note I hope he has noticed 🙂

Have you tried cutting down too? Any tips you can share with us?!

REVIEW: Medela Swing Electric Breast Pump

When I was pregnant I remember researching breast pumps and wondering if I would end up using one, if I would end up breastfeeding etc.

During my research, one pump came into online conversation time and time again, which was the Medela swing. Everywhere from Facebook groups to forums hail this as la crème de la crème of breast pumps so I couldn’t wait to try it!

When it arrived even the packaging lived up to its expectations, I love the Medela branding and colours etc. To me it shouts quality and oozes a bit of class! I know I’m already starting to annoy you, but even the instructions were amazing… Why don’t more brands use photos/diagrams, colours and a decent sized font in their instructions?!

Great instruction manual with the Medela swing!

Anyway I digress, let’s get back to the main event…

How it works/how I use it

The pump comes in a few parts – 4 pieces make up the pump/bottle then you have 2 leads plus the main unit….

It’s easy to put together, helped by clear instructions…. the bottle has a valve system inside it…

Medela swing pump - nearly ready-to-go! — Medela swing pump – nearly ready-to-go!

You need to make sure you wash and sterilise the parts before you put it together as per the instructions. Once you’ve set it up, plug it in and hit the power button 🙂

As with using a manual pump, I didn’t really know what to expect in terms of how it would feel but it felt fine – painless and comfortable! It has a ‘2-phase’ method so it starts pumping as if a baby was suckling, then kicks into the expression mode 2 minutes later – but if your milk/let-down starts flowing within that 2 minutes, you press a button to go into expressing mode early. It has + and – buttons to increase/decrease the vacuum effect – I tend to use the + button to encourage the milk a bit when I’m struggling… and conversely I’ve used it when the milk is flowing well and can go quicker!

Result? In a good session when I have lots of milk in, I can easily express about 400ml of milk. While it’s not hands-free, you only need one hand to operate it so you can be reading/scrolling through the internet/ reading a magazine etc while you use it – essentially it does all the hard work for you!

Result! Pumped milk in the medela swing!

A couple of times I’ve looked down and realised my nipple is no longer moving so it’s stopped working – it usually means a bit of my clothing has got in the way which stops the ‘vacuum’ effect from working. Once I realised I hadn’t plugged the cable in – doh!

Pros

Easy-to-use, light equipment, comfortable and very effective in expressing milk in an effortless way (especially compared to a manual pump!)

You can use it with batteries, and the main unit has a clip on it – so you could walk around the house doing it etc (you’d just need to keep your hand on the ‘breastshield’ (the funnel-looking bit!) as you do if you’re sat down i.e. it’s not hands-free!)

Cons

Probably just me being an idiot but I couldn’t get the UK adaptor bit to fit, so I’m using it with an adaptor plug instead!

If the bottle tilts a bit too much I have had a little bit of leakage – I think this is down to me not closing it tight enough rather than being a design fault but thought I’d mention it so you make sure yours is always closed tight, and always use the stand it comes with when you’re placing it down on a surface!

Other bits

The set also comes with a handy drawstring bag for when you’re out and about (I’ve not taken it out so not used this yet, but you can see from the photo that it’s a decent size – more than enough room for the main unit and all the accessories!)

As I said, you can use it with batteries so in theory is transportable but I’m not sure how discreet it is – I wouldn’t say it’s loud but I wouldn’t say it’s really quiet either – I wonder how mums get on with it when they’re pumping in work etc?

The set also comes with a Medela Calma teat to use as with the bottle. I’ve not used this as we’d got baby used to the Tommee Tippee bottles and I don’t want to confuse him, but I’ve heard good things about the Calma as it’s supposed to mimic the way a baby breastfeeds.

Overall result

I love the Medela swing – I now use it daily so it’s become an essential part of our routine and so much easier than using a manual pump. Even when I had a cold and my milk dried up a little, I managed to express a little using the Swing – although I have no idea how effective it is, if you have problems breastfeeding – hopefully it can help!

The Medela swing retails at around £130 and I don’t think it’s discounted often (or ever!) – this is likely to be a big chunk of your baby budget, but if you’re exclusively breastfeeding then it’s the money saved from not buying formula milk! You can buy it in places like Mothercare and Boots so maybe you could ask family and friends for vouchers towards it 🙂 Also, I think some of these retailers (and NCT) have rental options.

I hope you found this useful, have you tried the Medela swing or any other electric pumps? How did you get on?

Disclaimer: I was given this product in exchange for a review, but views and opinions are my own!

Addicted to my iPhone

My name’s Heledd and I’m addicted to my smartphone…

I think it all started when baby W was a wee newborn and we’d have some epic feeds… 1 or 2 hours glued to the sofa or bed and as much as I love staring at his gorgeous face , I needed something else… Something to keep me awake…

Scroll, scroll, scroll, swipe, swipe, swipe……

He’s now nearly 4 months old and I feel addicted…. I am constantly checking Facebook and twitter! Facebook used to be where I kept in touch and up-to-date with friends. It still is but now I’m also a member of about 10 mummy groups where there’s always dramas, people to help, people to ask for advice…

Ditto twitter, i set up a new account to go with this blog, and so my feed is 99% parenting-related, obviously v useful to a new mum like me! I can check both a gazillion times in a few minutes, and I can guarantee that not much will have it happened since I last checked!

But like I said, I guess it’s habit… A habit that’s just gotten worse (like most habits I guess?)

This all sounds petty… Why does it matter?

Before W came along I’d always said I wouldn’t want my children addicted to iPads and phones like so many kids seem to be. So with me being addicted to my phone, I’m not giving him the best start am I ?! When I mentioned my addiction in baby group last week, a mum to a 6month old said her baby was already wanting to/asking to play with her phone. This mum, and another, both admitted to sneaking a look at their phone while feeding/ playing with their babies, like I do!

Each to their own, but for me, it’s laziness… I might have messages that I haven’t replied to for weeks, but scrolling and swiping are so easy… So lazy! I don’t want baby W to inherit a lazy habit… and I don’t want to miss a thing while he’s awake! Don’t get me wrong – I’m sure he will end up playing with iPads and iPhones – but in moderation, not all the time like his mummy!

Today it stops. My challenge for the week ahead is to leave my phone in another room to the one I’m in. I will only check my phone when baby is napping (so about 3 times a day) I will check it when daddy comes home and takes over for an hour. I will then check it again before bed. This will be similar to my blogging rules – I only blog when baby W is napping in the day… Evening time is time for me and my other half and weekends are family time.

I don’t really check it when I’m out and about – it’s more of a sofa habit.

Find out in a week how I get on… Will my right hand hurt any less? Will I miss out on anything? Will I feel like I’m missing a limb?!

Weeks 15-16 of being a mummy – baby’s first night in a hotel…. and first tooth!!!

Well the last 2 weeks has been a game of two halves… the first week my OH was off work, the second week we had baby’s first tooth cut through and with it all the fun of teething… way earlier than planned! Read on…

Week off

So yes my other half had a week off last week, and it was lovely. His job is busy, and he’s studying for a professional qualification on the side… so we both managed to catch up with some much-needed rest (I finally got rid of that lingering cold!!), he caught up with some of his studies…. and most importantly he got to spend some quality time with baby W especially when he’s at his cutest, full of smiles and chats in the mornings!

The week flew by, my parents were also holidaying nearby so we saw them a few times… we went down to Cardiff Bay one day, quaint Cowbridge another day… and we also took W for his first night in a hotel!

First night in a hotel

We didn’t go far, we’d got a living social deal for us and my OH’s parents to stay at the Court Colman manor.

Gorgeous place, little bit shabby on the sides but for the £50 a night we paid I couldn’t complain! So we did our usual bath and bottle routine with W, and once he was asleep in his basket we carried him down the restaurant and he slept through our dinner – phew!

While that bit was great, he still woke up twice for his nightfeeds and we realised then that we probably wouldn’t go abroad on holiday til he’s sleeping through all night – the 3 of us confined in a hotel room for a week could be pretty stressful! We might go to Center Parcs or somewhere where we get a bit of space!

These were the views from our room in the morning – gorgeous 🙂

Mummy’s second big night out

I first went out on a big night out when W was just 7 weeks old, on a work party! Last weekend I went out with some of my best friends and had a great time – I took W over to see them for brunch, then we regrouped for afternoon tea in Park Plaza later in the afternoon although it was afternoon tea with a twist…. Gentleman’s afternoon tea…. so miniature burgers, Yorkshire pud, scotch egg etc – it was delicious! Food, chats, champagne, cocktails and lager – great mix and I stayed relatively sensible so I avoided a hangover the next day 🙂

Gentleman's afternoon tea, Park Plaza, Cardiff — Gentleman’s afternoon tea, Park Plaza, Cardiff

Ladies enjoying afternoon tea :) — Ladies enjoying afternoon tea :0

Baby’s first tooth – Teething at 15 weeks!

After that lovely week, it was back to a reality with a bang: last Sunday we were with both sets of grandparents and W was proper grouchy. Either that night or the following night, for the first time he wouldn’t settle for bed, took an hour longer than normal.

Tuesday morning he was over at his nan’s and she text us to say his thirst tooth had come through! Haven’t managed to take a photo yet but it’s a tiny little white lump, with the one next to it peeping through too now!

He’s been chomping on his hands, toys and anything else he can get his gums on for a few weeks now but expected his first tooth on a few months time….

He’s been up and down with the pain all week. It’s been really tough so many times this week where he’s been in inconsolable pain and there’s not much I can do! He wants to be picked up a lot more than usual, and calpol and bonjela both seem to help a little bit, as does rubbing his gums…. poor thing 😦

Some of our teething kit!

Other developments – jabs and weigh-in

He had his second jabs this week, screamed for a second but was fine after and a lot sleepier than normal. While we were there we got him weighed for the first time since he was 8 weeks old… He’s now 13lb 8, and back to the lower 25% percentile which is where he was as a newborn., so the health visitor was happy with that (we won’t mention the things she was unhappy with… That’s a whole other blog post! Health visitors tsk!)

He’s still comfy in his 0-3 month old clothes. More presents this update include a knitted hoody, and slipper socks from his mamgu (my mum); books from his grandparents, family friend and my bestie, and a White Company sleepsuit from his Nanna’s friend, oh and some Mothercare vouchers from a friend. We have so many vouchers to spend – perfect for some nice Christmassy outfits I reckon as we have 3-6 already sorted!

The only things we bought were the teething things – exciting! No other news – yoga and swimming both on a summer break, we finished baby massage this week which I will blog about… and we went to our usual Wednesday baby group where he loved playing with the playgyms!

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Weeks 13-14 of being a mummy.. first laugh and formula milk

Just a quick update – I’m still fighting off a cold/chest infection that I’ve now had for 3 weeks… Leaves no energy for a luxury like blogging!

Baby W

After hitting a big milestone in the last update (rolling over, which he hasn’t done since!) he hit another one this week… He laughed for the first time!

I didn’t even see it as I was bouncing him, facing forward in the relaxation part of our yoga class. Our teacher was bouncing another baby and was pulling faces… And he just couldn’t stop giggling! It was the cutest sound 🙂

Things he loves

Faces– he’s well into people’s faces at the moment and smiles a lot especially when funny faces are pulled!

playgym mirror – likewise, he likes checking out his own face 🙂

owl on his bouncer – loves chatting to the owl that lives on his fisherprice bouncer!

comforter – he’s still obsessed with his comforter and munches on it… A lot!

Keeping busy – I’ve learnt through the baby massage classes that he gets bored pretty easily of being in the same place/position for too long!

Routine

In my last update we were just starting our bath, bottle, bed routine. Our aim was to calm him down as he was quite often grouchy in the evenings/nights; and also we were hoping to get him to sleep through a bit longer.

It’s worked well so far, he’s asleep by 7, we dreamfeed him about 11, then he still wakes up for at least 2 nightfeeds but most of the time he’s chilled about it and goes back down easily.

It’s lovely having our evenings back, being able to watch TV in peace or have a bath, all in the knowledge that he’s more chilled because of it!

It is tough for daddy though who sees him a lot less during the week now. Oh, and it’s also very tough at times trying to keep him awake from 4 to 6 so that our routine works!

Next week will be interesting as daddy has the week off and we’re hoping to go away for a few nights, I think routine will be out the window while we’re having dinner etc… We’ll see what happens then!

He has roughly 3 daytime naps, about half hour each time – mad to think that a few weeks ago most of his days were spent sleeping! It’s absolutely lovely spending all day with him awake, chatting to him, playing with him, pulling funny faces at him but it means a lot less ‘me’ time in the day and I’ve learnt to do everything so much quicker – no faffing about! A half hour nap means a choice between a shower, laundry, dishes, catching up with messages, blogging etc etc…

Feeding

You’ll know that I’ve been lucky enough to breastfeed without problem…. Until now…

My milk supply has slowed down a lot, I think due to this ongoing cold. It’s not too bad when he’s on the breast, but we’re trying to express for the evening feeds so that his dad can feed him, and I had a work keeping in touch day this week where supplies were perilously low. I’ve been trying to keep hydrated and eating plenty of oats (good for milk production apparently) but in the end we got some Aptamil to help us out and to make sure we always have some milk here for him.

He’s had it a couple of times now and took to it fine. I had mixed feelings… After breastfeeding exclusively for 3 months I was keen to try and hit 6 months… But ultimately it was about him, not me, I feel like this will keep him happy while my body fights this infection and gets back to normal!

Purchases and presents

No time for pics but I have bought Sophie the giraffe and baby nail scissors for W. (have not been very successful in cutting his fingernails with my nail scissors!)

He was given a HUGE bag of 3-6 month clothes from my friend Carys so we won’t need to buy anything else in that size which is fab and has probably saved us a fortune – so grateful!

For me, I treated myself to a scarf covered in cats from a local gift shop, and coral shoes from Dune – expensive but I HAD to have them! (to be fair I don’t think I’ve bought new shoes for at least a year now!!)

Enjoyed this update? They’re usually better than this with a few pictures – Read the last update here and follow me on Twitter or Bloglovin so you never miss another update 🙂

Baby clothes haul – NCT nearly new sale

A few weeks ago I went to my first ‘NCT nearly new sale’ and I was so impressed I had to share my buys with you…

By the time I arrived I was pretty much last in the queue so I feared I’d missed most of the bargains but the place was so big I didn’t need to worry – I headed straight for the baby boy 3-6 months section and pretty much had it to myself… in total I spent £23 and here’s what I got….

The top on the right is one of my faves – I love minis! The t-shirt on the left is the worst thing I bought, only because it was slightly bobbly – but at 50p for a Jasper Conran t-shirt I can’t complain!

Jasper Conran T-shirt (50p) and Monsoon long-sleeved T-shirt (£2)

Brand new T-shirt from Tu on the left (50p) and one from Next on the right (£1)

We’re hoping to get away for our first family holiday in September so it was great to stock up on these shorts – all in excellent condition and cute details e.g. the john Lewis ones have a lovely red lining to contrast with the blue.

Brand new T-shirt from Tu on the left (50p) and one from Next on the right (£1)

R: John Lewis Shorts (£1), tommy hilfiger shorts (£1.50)

Baby’s first coat! I love, love, love this – I think it will be perfect for those rainy Autumn days!

Gorgeous jacket from Gap (i think it was £2)

I had to get these Next T-shirts…. look at the backs!

Baby’s first shirt… I’m sure we’ll find an occasion for him to wear it to!

Some of you will know I have a thing for elephants so when I saw this rucksack, I had to have it – hope he likes it by the time he’s old enough to use it!

I also have a thing for bees, so I HAD to have this bee outfit – it still had the tags on it too so another great bargain!

Brand new from Tesco (I think I paid £1.50)

The above doesn’t quite add up to £23 – the remaining £5 or so I spent on 3 baby books – with textures, sounds etc.

So what a bargain, I was seriously impressed as I wouldn’t normally buy any designer labels for baby, so at this price the haul was a real treat. The quality on most items is really good, they really are nearly new – there’s only one t-shirt that shows a bit of wear/bobliness.

The next NCT sale in Cardiff is on September 26th 2014 – find out if you have one near you on their website. I was only interested in the clothes and books but they sell pretty much anything that’s baby-related! I will definitely be going to the next one…. will you?!

Weeks 11 and 12 of becoming a mummy

Another busy 2 weeks has passed…… eeek!

Baby W

In terms of development, W doesn’t seem hugely different from the last update – lots of smiles, grabbing and generally being more awake. We did have a big milestone the day after his 12 week birthday – he rolled over from front to back!

Sleep (or lack thereof)

He’s still very content 99% of the time. Sleep is still a distant fantasy for me! As the last few weeks have been so hot, he’s usually been getting his main 3 hour sleep but then been waking up every hour. Then for a couple of nights last week, he wouldn’t settle back down in his basket after his nightfeeds which is unusual for him… again, might be down to the heat and he is starting to get too big for it! One night we had to leave him in his bouncer for a few hours instead so we could all get some sleep!

Looking at the Wonder Weeks app, he is currently in a developmental leap which could explain those funny few nights, he’s calmed down a bit since (and as I write, the weather has cooled down…. hooray!)

We are finally starting a bedtime routine for him today, to see if this helps him sleep through (I’ll keep you posted!)

Me?

I’ve had a stinking cold for a week now – no fun at all with a little one to keep entertained and happy. So, so lucky that we have family nearby to help out!

So what have we been up to over the last 2 weeks?

Sunday – had a lovely family day out at the Cardiff food and drink festival and a trip into the city centre (W slept through most of it)

Monday – went to our first baby massage class (W started ok, then cried for a feed, then cried for a poo and then wouldn’t settle!)

Tuesday – yoga class (W slept through it)

Wednesday – went to Jellybabies mother and baby group where my friend helps out so great to catch up with her, and met a mum with a 6month old.

There was a free taster of a sign and sing class… W slept through it (are you seeing a theme developing here!?)

Thursday – work were having an afternoon out in the park so I took W down to say hello… he slept all the way through

Friday – took him for a long walk to the nearby village of Llandaff and its cathedral while the cleaner was here (he slept for most of the way through)

Stopped for a feed on a secret bench overlooking Llandaff cathedral

Saturday – a friend came to visit with her 2 little ones and we all went to St Fagans outdoor museum nearby – great fun with her little 2 (W slept for most of it!)

Sunday – a couple of hours in Roath Park with friends and their infants, including a friend who was back from Canada for a couple of weeks

Monday and Tuesday – mummy had a stinking cold so gave W to his nanna for a few hours both days!

Wednesday – family funeral – thankfully W slept through the service. The men were wearing pink shirts (breast cancer) so I enjoyed putting W in a pink giraffe print babygro! (the least girly one I could find!)

New elephant/ pink giraffe print babygros from Marks & Spencer (Instagrammed)

Thursday – auntie Shell popped over for cwtches, then we went for an afternoon tea with an Indian twist at Chaiholics, Cardiff with his auntie Sioned followed by a long walk around Roath Park, lovely day! If you’re in Cardiff, I highly recommend a trip to Chaiholics – I thought it was ace!

My first ever Chai latte at Chaiholics, Cardiff

Friday – we popped into town to see some work colleagues that we hadn’t seen yet

Saturday – daddy’s birthday! We went to our usual Swimkidz swimming lesson and daddy got to go underwater with W to see what he looked like which was cool to watch – apparently he scrunches his face up 🙂 We spent the afternoon picnicking and chilling in Roath Park – perfect birthday for daddy!

The weather has been scorching, and as you can see I’ve mentioned a few parks etc – this weather (and being on maternity leave!) has made me fall in love with my city Cardiff again! I’ll post about it separately at some point but I just love all the free parks and green space 🙂

As I said, glad it’s cooling down a bit now and I’ll keep you posted on the sleep situation!

Purchases and presents

As well as those babygros earlier, I bought a couple of t-shirts in the Tesco sale, his auntie Clare bought him a cool checked shirt from Next and also a very special present – ‘baby’s first year’ book based on baby favourite ‘guess how much I love you’ – we’ll have fun filling that in!

I was also given my push present – a Pandora ‘baby boy’ charm for my bracelet.

And we also given some knitted goodies from my family – my mum, nan and auntie knitted these for him….

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REVIEW: Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature manual breast pump and bottle

I always hoped I’d be able to breastfeed, and express when baby came along. I remember researching breast pumps while I was pregnant and I decided that I would go for an electric pump instead of a manual one as they sounded easier, more comfortable etc.

But as the saying goes ‘never look a gift horse in the mouth’ and a member of a Facebook group I’m in for mums due in the same month, kindly send me a Tommee Tippee manual pump, as she had already had one but had been given another as a gift.

When it came to giving it a try when baby W was 7 weeks old, I was quite nervous – breastfeeding had been entirely painless but now I was staring at a contraction that looked like it could cause pain… and actually when I tweeted that I was about to use it for the first time, a few people said they’d had a tough time using it….

How I got on

So after washing it, sterilising it and getting my head around it, off we went…. after a few minutes of pumping, milk started dribbling through and in my first session I managed to pump over 100ml of milk – I was so pleased!!

I used this pump for another week or so before moving over to an electric pump. Personally I don’t think there’s a huge difference between the manual and electric pump in terms of output- I prefer using the electric one now as it’s lazier – I just have to hold it whereas with the manual one, you need to keep pumping to keep the milk flowing.

At first it feels like a strange sensation, but I quickly got used to this. I don’t think it should feel uncomfortable – perhaps if you’ve tried it a few times and it still hurts then for whatever reason it’s not the pump for you?

Closer to nature bottle

This bottle comes free with the pump, it’s what you use to catch the milk before adding a teat on to it to feed baby. Again, I was nervous about how baby would take to a bottle (if at all) after 6 weeks of exclusive breastfeeding and I’m delighted to say he took to it straight away and we haven’t tried any other types of bottles since so that we don’t jinx ourselves!

I believe these bottles/teats are supposed to be good for mums who are still breastfeeding, as the teats are supposed to be quite similar to the nipple thus making it easier for baby and reducing the chances of ‘nipple confusion’

My verdict?

I think this a great, value for money product. The RRP is £29.99 but I think it’s quite often half price in places like Mothercare which makes it even more of a bargain, so if you’re on a budget this could be the breast pump for you!

It’s very easy-to-use and I found it comfortable – I quickly got into a rhythm and learnt how to do it one-handed etc! You’ll know from my breastfeeding story that I have a plentiful milk supply, so I do think that helps with this pump – and I recommend you use it just after feeding, or when you feel that milk has come in – this will make it easier to use and you will get more milk that way! With that in mind, I wouldn’t bother buying this or any other breastfeeding products until you’re in ‘established breastfeeding’ i.e. been doing it for a few weeks!

As well as being easy-to-use, it’s very easy to clean and steriliser as it’

Another huge plus is the bottle you get with it – again, before rushing out and buying a huge set of bottles you can try this one and see your baby gets on.

The pump also comes with a steriliser travel box, milk storage bottles and breast pads but the girl who sent this to me had quite rightly kept those for herself – shame, as the steriliser travel box sounds really handy and I’m sure I’ll end up buying that!

When you add it all up, I think you get a lot for your money (especially if you can get it on offer!)

Any cons?

I honestly can’t think of any other than you have to do the work yourself by pumping – so this is not suitable for lazy people 🙂

Was this useful? Did you try this pump and find it as good as I did or did you struggle with it? Leave a comment to let me know, thanks 🙂

Disclaimer: I wasn’t asked to review this by anyone, I was given it as a gift and wanted to share my thoughts!

Mummy’s new wardrobe – Oasis haul

As you know, I packed away my maternity clothes a few weeks ago. My staple uniform since little W arrived has been the stereotypical breastfeeding mum uniform of jeans and loose/comfy T-shirts. (Or sometimes my PJ’s/dressing gown if I’m not leaving the house!)

So I was very excited to try and find some new things to wear from my favourite clothes shop, Oasis. The aim was to look a bit more yummy mummy (and a bit less frumpy mummy!)

Although I was excited, I was also slightly nervous – I didn’t know what size I would be and whether things would fit me properly like they did pre-baby. And I’m not great at clothes shopping at the best of times – I tend to stick to plain, classic stuff.

So here’s what I bought…

1 – Stripey vest

Bit of a safe bet this one (I have a few stripey tops!) but the best value in terms of getting wear out of it – I’ve worn it with jeans for a few of our days out already. Because the bottom half is a little bit loose, it’s great for breastfeeding! It also has 2 layers – a thin navy vest layer underneath (again, great for feeding as it could mop up some spills although this hasn’t happened to me….yet!)

2 – Floral blouse

I haven’t worn this yet but love the fabric, print and shape. I think it will be lovely for a summer’s evening with a pair of jeans and heels or flats. I could wear it to work when I go back too. As I’m petite, these small prints tend to suit me.

Flower power blouse with gold buttons from Oasis

3 – Palm print dress

Bit of a random one, and the photo doesn’t do it justice but I love the palm print stuff and this is a really flattering fit. The fabric is also nice and comfy, quite thick so again perfect for a summer’s evening. Not sure when I’ll get the chance to wear it but I do have a girl’s day/night out in August.. and hopefully our first family holiday in September 🙂

4 – Coral blouse

I normally stick to quite plain, dark colours so to move me out of my comfort zone I went for this coral blouse and I love it! I think it’s perfect for summer and is a nice cheerful colour. I’ve worn it with jeans and gladiator sandals a couple of evenings out already and paired it with a new skirt (below). I love the buttons and ruffle details on it. it’s a bit see-through so got to wear a vest underneath it!

Coral blouse with gold button detail from Oasis

5 – Floral, knee-length skirt

As I said, I live in jeans so I wanted to get something different for my bottom half and I’m not sure I would get away with those pyjama-style trousers that everyone’s wearing. I have short legs (and my thighs are large in proportion to the rest of me!) so I tend to avoid skinny jeans and very short/long skirts which make me look shorter. So this skirt was perfect in terms of length for me 🙂 Again, being petite I tend to go for smaller prints, so it ticks that box too. Oh and I plan to wear it with tights in the winter – perfect for work!

I teamed up the skirt with the coral blouse (and gold gladiator sandals) for the girly lunch I went on last week. I’m not entirely sure they go, but I thought it looked ok… and it was SO nice to dress up a bit and peel myself out of my jeans!

Apologies for the awful selfies – I need practice and I need a full-length mirror! (And to learn how to crop photos on wordpress.com!)

A bad selfie of my new outfit from Oasis!

Another bad selfie of me in my new Oasis outfit

I have purposefully forgotten how much these add up to as I paid full price for them, but you’ll be pleased to know that most of these are in their sale now!

So there we have it – mummy’s new wardrobe. They met my brief of glamming me up a bit and making me feel a bit more yummy! Did you treat yourself to anything new once baby had arrived?

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