Merry Christmas and a Happy Holidays everyone...

Christmas can be one of the most stressful holidays of the year no matter what country you are in. And our house is no different.

It is 11pm on Christmas eve and I am making rum balls and cake-pops for tomorrows family dinner. Have never made either before, well the first attempt at cake-pops was a total flop so I am not counting it. Decided after following the rum ball recipe to the t that I am crazy to be doing this.

Dip your filling balls in chocolate... Hmm that doesn't work the filling just melts when you dunk it in the warm chocolate. Decided on putting the chocolate in a zip-lock bag and snipping a corner then pouring it over the filling balls. They look a total mess, but it works. Tastes nice either way.

I do in a way wish that I had decided on something simple like my Berry and Vanilla Cake but I wanted to do something special since it is Christmas. I have learnt that I should practice first, not make a recipe that I have never done before.

Ok it is now midnight, well 8 minutes off midnight so time for bed...

p.s, photos of my unpretty rum balls to come.

It's ok Darling I'm Supermum - Part Three

It's ok darling I will put the cat out at 4.30am when she wakes me after trying to get you up, but only after I wait 5 minutes for her to eat the biscuits that she turned her nose up a dinner, then crawl under the table to pull her out after I open the backdoor and she turns and runs back inside.

It's ok darling I don't need to eat breakfast until lunch time, you eat yours at the normal time.

It's ok darling I will prepare and cook a full roast dinner, even though I have asked multiple times, including when you got up today to help with prepping the veges.

It's ok darling I will feed the baby while trying to eat breakfast.

It's ok darling I will feed the baby while watching the ideal cooking time for the roast disappear into the past.

It's ok darling I will change the nappy that you mentioned was starting to smell slightly.

It's ok darling I will change that same dirty nappy that I asked you to change while I had a shower.

It's ok darling I will hang out your freshly washed work clothes.

It's ok darling I will calm the crying baby.

It's ok darling I will hold a sleeping baby while I do everything because he wont sleep during the day unless in my arms, no matter what I try.

It's ok darling you just dig the base for the wood shed, even though it is summer and we don't have any wood yet. I understand it needed to be done today.

It's ok darling I'm Supermum you know.

Note: I understand darling that feeding the baby is a little hard for you since he is exclusively breastfed. But when I ask you to help with dinner, just peeling the veggies is all, that you will actually help me.

Denying the Breast

I could probably be labeled a bad mother for doing this, but when you are sick and tired of being used as a pacifier the boob no longer becomes available. My son at present is using me as a pacifier and wants to be in my arms to have free access to my breasts. He doesn't suck for food most of the time but will just suck for the sake of sucking. I will gently detach him and he is generally asleep at this point.

Carefully I stand up with him in my arms and take him to his cot to sleep the rest of his nap. I stupidly think that he is in a deep enough sleep to stay asleep when I put him down. But low and behold as with every other time I put him down during the day he wakes with big smiles. I try to get him back to sleep but to no avail. If it's night I can leave him and he will go to sleep on his own but during the day he won't take a bar of it and will cry until picked up. Then seek the breast again.

DOn't get me wrong, if he is really showing signs of being hungry I will feed him, but the constant sucking is just getting too much. He gets irritable from no sleep, but then will be happy the rest of the time. I am at my wits end.

Today is not a good day for lack of sleep, we have a BBQ to go to and I need to make a plate, but his clinginess is putting a damper on that.

KID I JUST WANT you to SLEEP!!!!

It's ok darling I'm a supermum, part two

It's ok darling I can do it all.

This post and the previous one is the outcome, if you haven't guessed already, my frustration at my partner aka darling. I am in a thoroughly foul mood and he just isn't making it any better.

Today is just one of those days where housework has to be done. I know that my father won't really care that the bathroom hasn't been cleaned in a week, or that the washing that covers our large 3 seater couch still hasn't been folded and put away despite being washed a few weeks ago. But when a friend, not family comes over it is totally another deal.

So in order to make the house look semi presentable I, and I mean I, cleaned the bathroom, hung out the washing that was in the machine, and started to fold the washing. In the end I just gave up and stopped half way through the washing, we only need one half of the couch.

Sure he puts clothes in the washing machine and fills the dishwasher, but other than that I haven't seen him do much else. He couldn't even manage to turn the washing machine on or offer to get me something to eat. An apple and small slice of cake at 9am will not last very long when breastfeeding.

Thank god my little one has been happy today and not all grizzly as with previous days this week. Not that my partner took much notice of the crying baby anyway.

I am highly tempted to dip into our savings to buy some fluffies brand new, am sick of buying secondhand ones at one a week. 

It's ok darling I'm a supermum you know!

It's ok darling I will change our baby's clothes for the 5th time today.
It's ok darling I will clean up the explosive dirty nappy/diaper again.
It's ok darling I will change my clothes when the baby brings up milk on me not you for 3rd time today
It's ok darling I will wash all YOUR clothes so that you have socks.
It's ok darling I will make you lunch.
It's ok darling I will miss lunch so I can hang your washing on the line
It's ok darling I will calm the crying baby
It's ok darling I will keep the baby quiet while you sleep
It's ok darling I can sleep through the lawnmower
It's ok darling I will get up and let the cat out, you just keep snoring
It's ok darling I will clean the bathroom before family comes to visit
It's ok darling I will clean up the kitchen even though I did it yesterday
It's ok darling I will make you dinner.
It's ok darling I will find time to have sex
It's ok darling I will just drink water at the BBQ tonight, don't worry I don't need anything nice to drink, you just drink your rum, I will be fine.

It's ok darling I'm SUPERMUM!!!

Day dreaming, lay-buys and baby carrier addiction.

My partner would kill me if he knew I was awake right now. My darling son has been resisting "real" naps during the day so I end up exhausted by the time bedtime comes. But as per usual I am wide awake at midnight and need to wind down.

Current wind down is to browse all the cloth nappy shops online and see if there is anything within my limited budget, so far not yet unless I lay-buy. Mainly it is just me dreaming about the cute ones that I would buy if I had more money. Oh money thou art a heartless bitch, please I would like more of you.

But I recently started to dream about the woven wraps I would like to own. After putting a hole in my stretchy wrap it is time to search for a new baby carrier, but with so many choices and most well out of my price range lay-buy is essential once I work out what it is that I want mind you.

Ok now that it is almost 12.30am and the typing errors that occurring I think I should turn off the lights and say goodnight.

4 am milking...

Sometimes being a breastfeeding mother makes one feel like a cow. For the week and a half that I had to exclusively pump was the worst. The feeling like all you are here for is to produce milk is something often felt.

Right now it is half four in the morning and I have just put my son back to bed after a late night/early morning feed then because I have to leave him in the care of others for a few hours this weekend, pumped to add to my stash. Pumping at 4am makes me feel like I am back working on a farm and getting up to help with the morning milking. But it is something necessary when you wont give your baby formula when with others. My son is breastfed and will have my milk even if I can't be the one to give him.

If it means I am up in the early hours of the morning pumping then so be it. A mother needs her freedom sometimes.

For Sale

Selling my old cloth nappies is proving to be quite difficult. I need them gone, not only because my son has grown out of them but also because I need the funds to buy new ones that will fit. There is only so long that I can put up the the badly fitting Kushies that I have to use.

All I want to do is sell them people.

Terrible Teething

No official diagnosis but I think my darling son is starting to teeth at only 3 months. I do wish that would have come a little later but for now I will just have to put up with it.We are seeing the Plunket nurse in a couple of days so I shall confirm it with her. His symptoms so far are:

• Wanting to put everything in his mouth no matter what it is. Fingers, clothing, toys etc.
• Drooling has started though he kinda sucks it back in.
• Irritable especially at night with frequent wakings for feeding, managed a 6 hour sleep to begin with, but that was because he was so tired due to not sleeping during the day.
• Resisting sleep, yesterday was a killer for that, today is no different. He has seemingly become a light sleeper that wakes at anything.
• Wanting to feed more, but not actually feeding more sucking/gnawing on my nipple(that is no fun).
• Minor rash on his face.
• Pulling at his ear
• rubbing cheeks against things especially my shoulder.

Here's hoping it passes soon, sleep deprivation is starting to get to me. No tears yet though.

On another note however we got some giggles from him last night.

That impossible time of the day...

It's yet again that impossible time of the day when the baby is asleep, and you have a moment to complete all the housework. But then again it is the perfect opportunity to catch up on some sleep. Evenings are me time, when I talk about me time, I mean the be me that isn't a mom and do the housework, write a blog etc. So here I am at quarter past 11 at night writing a blog and posting nappies for sale online when in reality I should be in bed...


Hmmm ok on second thought sleep is better than this blog..
Bye
Me time now... sleep time...

Washing, washing, washing and a nappy/diaper review or two.

It seems that I wash a load of dirty nappies once a day. So now that I finally have my nappy routine down I thought that I would do a review of the ones that I am using at the moment. Please note the Green Beginnings that are mentioned first in this review are no longer used as my son is too large for them, but this review was started at least a month ago and only now am I posting it. Life as a cloth nappy mother is busy.

In no particular order:

These I like and are the ones that I used the most in the first couple of months. Now that my son is almost 3 months old he is just about too big for them so I am going to have to either sell them or put them away for my next child.

They are a sized, fitted pocket nappy so unfortunately they can't be used right up to potty training. I like the fact that they are sized though and if I keep them I will be able to use them for future children. Admittedly I do have some in pink as I bought some second hand when I was pregnant, so my son did wear a pink nappy once or twice a day. But hey who cares, he can't complain.

I do find that they aren't suited to night-time and that the runny poops can occasionally escape the pocket. I am yet however have poop escape from the leg of the nappy. I think if I remember correctly any escaped poop is when he was in disposables. I am not a fan of disposables. Oops getting off track again.

The structure of the green beginnings nappy is different to any other pocket nappy out there, however any creases and ruffles in the fabric do become imprinted on his skin. I do wonder if it is uncomfortable for him but he doesn't seem to complain. Though the pocket is made out of a waterproof material similar to a shower curtain I find that there is no rustle, then again that could be because he isn't up and about yet so movement is limited.

I like the structure of the inserts and the way that they are trifold. I do find that the stay dry layer gets pilly quite easily. But all in all I like these nappies. 

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This nappy I found for $0.50(NZD) in a charity/op shop which is awesome as they are about $40 new. Rather than a sized nappy Easyfit are OSFM(one size fits most) and are an All-in-one but have the capabilities to add extra soakers in the pocket section.

Some of the cool TotsBots Patterns

Because my son is still small the smallest setting is a bit bulky on him. I haven't had any leaks yet in the few times I have used it. I quite like it and am thinking of getting some more to add to my stash. The minkee fabric that forms the soaker is extra soft against the skin and I prefer this to other fabrics used in modern cloth nappies.

Other than them being a little bulky on small babies(though there is the teenyfit to solve this issue) I can find nothing wrong with them. I like the AIO(All in one) system and the fact that the soaker pulls out for fast drying, unlike other AIO nappies such as my next review.

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This one fits quite well despite it having the one size fits most snaps to make it small-large. I like it's absorbency and that it has a built in absorbent pad along with an extra soaker insert which can either go on top next to the skin or in the pocket.

It comes with either snap or velcro closure. My personal preference is velcro closures as they are easier to use than snaps which can be difficult to snap and get on the right snap setting around the waist.

The one downside to these nappies is the inbuilt soaker takes ages to dry, which in winter and with a limited number of cloth nappies is inconvenient.

The fabric next to the skin is soft fleece and soakers are microfiber.

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This nappy I got in a trial pack with the Grovia( review to come later as I need to prep it for first use). I chose minky for my pop in and it only came with the additional soaker not nighttime booster.

I haven't actually used this nappy yet but I like its features, OSFM, pop in soakers with the option for more, nighttime capabilities with the booster, waterproof shell without need of a cover, the overall fit and colour/pattern options. The downsides which is why I haven't used it are:

• Extra tough velcro that is scratchy and will stick to anything. It does mean that it is difficult for an older child to undo the nappy them selves.
• The wash strip to attach the velcro to is not just small ones where you fold over the edge like all other velcro closures I have but a strip of stiff loop that runs across the back of the nappy against the skin. This feature is the main reason that I haven't used the nappy as I feel it will irritate my sons skin.

Basically I think the velcro is the one and only downside to this nappy. I suppose I should try it once before fully deciding if it is for me.

** Since starting this review blog I have used this nappy once and found it not too bad. I do still unlike the wash strip for the velcro  and the stiffness of the velcro. Overall the fit was good, and the velcro strip doesn't seem to bother my son so for now it is in use and will not be sold on like planned**

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This one I like the fit and that it is all natural cotton. However it does not have a wicking layer meaning that the liquid soaked nappy is against the skin causing my son discomfort. I use it as a last resort for when I am down to my last few nappies. 

They are a sized prefold nappy with waterproof cover. The cotton is super soft and overall they have a good fit for my son. They dry relatively fast but not as quickly as my Green Beginnings or Totsbots Easy Fit. These nappies are quite popular. I myself will not be investing in the next size up as they don't suit my lifestyle and aren't liked by my son.

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Kushies Ultra are an All-in-One nappy that is made up of a waterproof outer layer with multiple layers of flannel as the absorbency. I purchased these second hand off the internet and though they sounded brilliant they just don't suit my skinny child. They are sized to a point, but I find are better suited to chunkier babies. My son's legs are just too skinny and the poop is always leaking out the leg.

I am using them at home during the day as I had purchased them with the intention of using them as a replacement for the Green Beginnings that my son grew out of. But due to the fit I am trying to sell them onto someone who's baby will fit them better. My stash is just too small to not be using them and I need to sell my old nappies in order to have funds for new ones.

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I purchased the nappies listed above from the following websites:
Baby Factory - Green Beginnings
Cheeky Cherubs  - Pop-in, Real Nappy and yet to be reviewed Grovia Hybrid
Nappy Days   - Tots Bots Easyfit

I did purchase my Ones and Twos from Cheeky Cherubs but they are no longer available.

Due to my now limited nappy stash I am in process of buying new nappies to use so more reviews to come. I am hoping to try some Itti Bitti nappies and hopefully source a few more EasyFits as I really like those.

More reviews to come as more nappies enter my stash.

Please comment bellow your preferred nappies and why.

Sleepless vs Sleep-through nights

I read somewhere that a baby is classed as sleeping through the night if they sleep from 12-5am. Would sleeping from 9.30pm - 4.30am be classed as sleeping through?

A parent gets so used to surviving on little or no sleep that when your child sleeps through the night, however one may define it, that it is a shock to the system. I had grown used to having to get up once in the early hours to feed my son that on the first night where he slept right through until 6am felt unreal and something of a dream. The aching breasts and light penetrating the curtains were what gave it away. Now long sleeps at night are becoming more common which is nice, not sure how long it will last.

All the books and Internet sites tell you that you will get very little and often disjointed sleep resulting in sleep deprivation. What they don't tell you however is that on the first night where your baby sleeps through that you will panic when you wake, thinking that you had slept through your babies cries or even worse your baby is dead. Because I woke before my son on that first night I had feel multiple parts of his body to check that he was breathing and warm. After I got over the initial shock that my baby wasn't dead and was still asleep the guilty feeling that I had sleep through him crying overcame me. I worried like mad about that as I expressed a little to make my boobs more comfortable. All worries were dispelled when my son woke up shortly after and gave me a big smile indicating that I was worrying over nothing.

I am unsure yet whether my son being up often in the night to feed lots and/or being unsettled is better or worse than him sleeping through the night. I like my sleep but I also like to know that my son is happy and content and not being ignored in the middle of the night because I am fast asleep.

When did your child start "Sleeping through the night"? Was it gradual or sudden? 

Incorrect parenting and insufficient supply.

Last week I had a visit from one of the ladies at Plunket. Let's just say when she left I was left questioning my skills as a parent yet again. Am I really doing it wrong?

I have been told and read right from the beginning that I should demand feed my son not schedule his feeds to the 2-3hr timings also recommended. So that is what I did, now that among other things is incorrect or so the lady implied. Apparently me feeding him on demand and letting him have longer sleeps during the day is not how it should be done. This is how is supposed to be done or so she said; let him be awake for an hour tops then put him down to sleep for 2-3hr.

Getting him to sleep after only an hour is proving to be quite difficult, but I can see how it could possibly help him sleep better and have been trying since her visit to make it work. I am able to do an hour and a half to two hours awake before he sleeps and always have. Today was the exception to this:

•  8am Greeted with a big smile when he woke up
• 11am sleep time.. no wait nap time.. laundry in and vacuuming completed
• 12pm lunch time - with big smiles and some coos and goos
• 3pm afternoon tea time - lots of snacking, smiling and staring at the world close by
• 5pm early dinner and smiles
• 5.30pm sleep time

But along with the feeding schedule I should also begin sleep training, the self soothe cry it out method. That I don't think I can do exactly. Hearing my baby crying is totally gut wrenching and something I like to avoid at all costs. She does have valid points in that I need to get my baby to go to sleep in his cot or alternative location himself and not at the breast like often happens. I like to feed my baby to sleep, it makes me feel good and also comforts my son.

Rather than let him cry himself to sleep with minimal comfort from me I am going with what I know and what I have done from the beginning... Nurse to sleep, or if I'm lucky to the point where he is almost going to drop off and will fall into true sleep when I put him in his cot (a totally rare occurrence).

To me sleep training and schedule feeds just aren't going to work for me and him, We are happy as we are thanks.

How do you do the feeding and sleep in your family? What works for your family? Post a comment below and don't forget to check out my Instagram, Youtube and Facebook.

Resentment and the things no-one tells you

I expected to be exhausted, struggling to find the time for a shower and unconditionally in love with my baby, what no one told me is that I would have a resentment to some of the new things in my life, or that by the time my son is 5-6 weeks old he should now be feeding from both breasts at a feed.

I am struggling to accept the fact that I have a minor resentment towards my partner. It's not really towards him as such but the fact that he gets to sleep through the night and not get up. Everywhere tells you to share the load, "get your partner to help with nighttime feedings". What they don't tell you is that unless your partner is also a lactating female or you are formula feeding there is no way that they can help with feeding. My son does not do man boobs. I would love right now to not be up at 3am feeding a baby who half an hour ago indicated he was done and waited until I had put him in his cot to make it known that he was hungry again.

I know that I am slightly crazy in being up at 3am blogging and not sleeping as my baby is now asleep in my lap and not making the I'm hungry signs. But sometimes frustrations need to be released before one can fully get good sleep no matter how short it may be. Plus there is every likelihood that my partner will make the usual irritated grunts and roll over away from me when I finally crawl into bed.

Oh and to you new mothers, don't feel guilty when you let your baby cry as you make some toast for breakfast or get some lunch, they will get over it but you need food too and just once in a while your needs come first. I thought you should know this from me as I gave up on feeling guilty a couple of weeks ago when I realised that despite people telling you to eat healthy and have 3 meals a day plus snacks it just doesn't fit into my baby's schedule. That is unless I let him cry a little while I make something to eat. Food that you can eat one handed while supporting your baby at the breast is easiest. 

Dramas in the delivery room...

To say that my labour and birthing experience went smoothly and without drama would be a total lie. I gave the staff in the delivery suite of my local hospital quite a scare, not that I remember it.

At 41 weeks and 3 days I went into labour in the wee hours of a Monday morning, starting with mild contractions and the mucus show. There had been concerns as the previous Friday when I had a scan the amniotic fluid around my baby was low and only just within the acceptable range. The decision was made that we would see how things went over the weekend and if no baby to do another scan on Monday. Monday rolled around and no labour though there were possible contractions. Another scan was done and this time the amniotic fluid was even lower and no longer deemed acceptable. The doctors at the hospital wanted me to go in for an induction, but I resisted this. My midwife, partner and I decided to wait and see how things went as a few minutes after an internal exam by my midwife my waters broke (an interesting sensation), and the contractions were getting stronger.

Waters breaking in a gush like mine did was a little like I peed myself but no muscle movement that usually accompanies peeing oneself.

By midnight I was finally ready to birth this baby and we rushed to the hospital, a very tense ride with every bump in the road seeming to appear with each contraction. I did not particularly enjoy the labour experience, and the birth itself, well that is another thing all together.

After hours of painful contractions I had given up and was begging for an epidural. I had tried the gas and it did nothing for me. I was so exhausted that I stopped pushing with the contractions and just gave up, I could no longer take it. I was given two options, c-section or assisted birth, I originally asked for a c-section, but was persuaded to try going for an assisted birth to make future vaginal deliveries easier. Here I was with this birth plan to deliver naturally with no pain killers but fate decided otherwise.

I went through the risks of the spinal block and signed the consent form, then I felt the need to use the bathroom at this point and went in by myself, I needed to retain some dignity. I remember sitting on the toilet and possibly trying to get up off the loo but things after that are a blank and others had to fill me in. All I remember next is the anaesthetist cracking jokes as he gave me the spinal block, and mention of forceps, pushing with the contractions that I could no longer feel and watching as the doctor steadied himself against the delivery table to pull my son out with forceps.

I have vague disjointed memories after that of my son being placed on my chest then being taken away, my partner crying and being asked about being shaved down below(not exactly sure when I was asked that.).

I have been told that while on the toilet, before being taken into the operating room, I fell on the floor and had a fit. When one of the staff pressed the emergency button the room was suddenly filled with nurses, doctors and midwives(apparently it was handover time for the next shift). I was diagnosed with epilepsy in 2006 and when the staff saw me on the bathroom floor it was assumed that I had a seizure, that is yet to be confirmed. The neurologist who saw me later on that day discussed that I did not have an epileptic seizure but a Vasovagal episode(fainting fit). So the epilepsy diagnosis is still to be confirmed with tests occurring later on this year.

So the dramas surrounding my sons birth started with low amniotic fluid levels, possible induction followed by me becoming so exhausted I no longer had the energy to push with my contractions. Then after a failed attempt at using the ventouse(suction cup) my son was pulled out with forceps. After the birth I was then nil by mouth for 24 hours due to the medication given to stabilise me after the fit. I also caused the machines around me to beep in alarm as I was suffering from tachycardia(accelerated heart rate). So overall the birth experience was not without its dramas and my memory is quite foggy about bits. But at 9.24am on 13/08/13 my son was born weighing 3350g or 7lb 6oz. He is a happy healthy baby with a powerful set of lungs on him and is the most gorgeous baby I have ever laid my eyes on, but that could just be me being bias.

What were your labour and delivery experiences like? Dramatic? Easy? Out of your control? Leave a comment below and share it.

For those of you who are pregnant with your first child/children, fear not the birthing experience is not always like mine and most often quite natural and not necessarily easy but something you can cope with. I had full confidence in my midwife that she would know what was best for me and my son, and if it required interventions well so be it.

Formula Recalls, Botulism and all important decisions - Part Two

I could quite easily delete the original post and part of it no longer applies, but that would not be staying true to my pregnancy and motherhood journey, so an explanation is required.

While pregnant I researched and discussed with both my doctor and midwife about the option of breastfeeding. The decision was made that I would breast feed twice a day when my medication levels are lowest and then formula feed all other feeds. My medication can cause drowsiness in my baby if the levels in my milk are too high. So feeds were going to occur just before I took my doses. Research showed that there  were no adverse or significant effects to the baby when breastfed exclusively on my current dose so I could take that as meaning it is safe. I also decided that I would at least breastfeed while I was producing colostrum so bubs would get all the benefits.

After birth however that changed. I spoke with lactation consultants, a specialist for my condition and midwives before I made a new decision. I am now exclusively breastfeeding my darling we baby, which has come with its challenges. Sure I do worry that my medication could have adverse affect on my baby, but it is just a matter of watching out for the signs and checking the levels in his blood on a regular basis. For now my son is happy and healthy.

Dirty Diapers, wet wipes and insane choices...

I wrote in my last post about having to make all these decisions that one has never made before, well quite early on in my pregnancy I made the decision to use cloth nappies. I am not sure yet whether I will exclusively use cloth or use a combination of cloth and disposable. I do know that for at least the first one to two weeks I will be using disposables to allow myself to get used to the whole motherhood thing, before adding all the washing and soaking.

Washed, dried and ready for sorting.

Flat fold nappies.

Covers and inserts ready for sorting and stuffing.

All sorted, stuffed and ready to be used.

Getting them all ready, took a bit longer than anticipated and I really shouldn't have left it to the last minute to do. Being 40+ weeks pregnant and washing dozens of nappies can be a little tiring, but I can now say that it is done. They have all been pre-soaked to kick start the absorbency, washed 3 times and dried outside for added freshness. Now I just need the baby to arrive so that I can start to use them.

I did balk a little when I was looking into the costs of cloth nappies.  I do know that I am going to save money in the long run with my decision but the initial start up costs were a little daunting. But overall I think I have done OK. I also showed my partner the savings that we will be making, I just need to get him use to the idea of using them. I did show him today how easy some of the ones I have are to use. We like simple and easy in our house.

My best bargain so far is this TotsBot easy fit for $0.50 (NZ) from an op-shop. I couldn't believe my luck as they come highly recommended, and cost approx $35 new. Here's hoping it's not past it as it looks almost brand new.

Stay tuned for my experiences in using cloth nappies and feel free to check out my YouTube and Instagram pages, the links can be found on the left above the 'about me' section.

But lastly one question for you all... Did/do you use cloth or disposables?

Formula Recalls, Botulism and all important decisions.

I haven't even had my baby yet and already the formula that I chose to initially use has been recalled due to a botulism scare with the whey powder used.Click here for more info.

How can a first time mother put her faith in infant formula when things like this happen? Firstly though, to those of you who breast feed and can be a little judgemental about those of us who choose to formula feed, please know that I didn't get a choice. I want what's best for my baby and apparently my first choice didn't make the cut. Fear not, I have now replaced the tainted powder with another brand deemed safe.

Being a first time mother is going to be hard enough without having to worry about the formula that I will be feeding my baby. We have all these decisions to make not only before the child is born but also once it arrives. Do I want an epidural? Should I have a water birth? Do I give my baby vitamin K?, What nappy cream is best? Is my baby wearing enough clothes? Do I wait in clamping the cord? We have all these new and confusing decisions thrown at us and are expected to know what is best for our children.

Can anyone truly make the right decision every time? 

Another tough decision: Diaper/Nappy Bag... Need a top of the line one, or something simple?

That dreaded diaper bag, do I need a fancy one, a cheaper alternative or none at all? I have been given one, which I will find helpful, but i don't know if the style is right for me.

I have seen quite a few online that I like the look of but so far have resisted buying one. Sure I want to be a trendy mum and have a stylish nappy bag, but do I really need to spend $100 on one when I can get one similar or the same size for less than half that, that also does the same job. What about you mums what style/price/absolute must haves did you decide on.

In other news, I have officially gone past my due date, am now sitting at 40 weeks and 3 days and totally over the waiting. Have been off work for 4 weeks now and had honestly thought that I would have a baby by now. This time last week there was what we assumed as the start of labour but it went no where and since then nothing. Here's hoping the walking that I will be doing when I go out this afternoon will kick start this baby into arriving. It unfortunately is banned from arriving this Wednesday or Friday as I wish for my child to have it';s own birthday and not share it with another family member.

Feel free to also check out my YouTube and Instagram channel and latest pregnancy vlog.

It's Time Honey

Last night I finally got to tell my darling partner, they are 1 min long and 12 minutes apart. All was going well and the contractions were getting longer, stronger and more frequent. We were thinking now is the time. I finished packing my hospital bag and called the midwife to let her know and then just played the waiting game until I was ready to be taken to the hospital.

They tell you to rest while you can especially if it is at night. So what do I do, I crawl into bed and attempt sleep. It worked, I actually managed a fair amount of sleep; the contractions seemed to be mild enough to let me do that. Now a few hours later at 6am they seem to have come to a standstill and almost stopped. Sure I get the occasional one but nothing as strong as last night when I went to bed. 

Oh the irony, you sleep to conserve energy for the further stages of labour and birth and your body up and decides, it has had enough and wants a break. Not that I'm complaining they were really starting to hurt. 

Current stats: 39 Weeks 4 days,big, fat and uncomfortable. 

Before all this contraction business started I had begun the nesting bug. For the past week I have cleaned, cooked and sewed. Sure I had days of rest and my house still looks like a bit of a bombshell and I don't have kids to mess it up just yet, only a partner who owns too much stuff, but it is cleaner than it was. I did originally predict that I was going to give birth a week and a half ago but it just didn't happen. A week of boredom was my allotment in life instead. 

Come on baby we are ready...

Burp Cloths

Bib 2 front

Bib 1

Bib 2 reverse