My Joules Baby Christmas Picks!

When Joules asked me if I wanted to try some of their baby boy selection I was pretty excited! From my experience Joules clothes, whilst a little pricier, are gorgeous and so well designed and made.

They have some adorable festive pieces in the collection at the moment which would be great for Christmas gifting - I for one would be thrilled to receive them for Archer!

I picked a few pieces to try for Archer - firstly the adorable Cream Babypolar Character shirt (£14.95)*. I love the cute little flappy tartan ears on him! Anything with a face amuses Archer, so hopefully this will entice a giggle from him too.

Secondly is possibly the favourite piece of clothing I've ever got him. This little 'I Still Live With My Parents' two piece (£29.95)* is simply ADORABLE. It's a little big for him at the moment (as is most of the stuff, he's a tiny 18 month old!) but I can't wait to get him in this.

Finally, I picked more of an 'essential' item which would make a great gift for Christmas. The gorgeous 'Babygeorge' gilet  (£29.95)* which looks so cosy - I wouldn't mind having one for myself! It's a great piece because it will keep your little one cosy but still allowing them freedom to explore with their arms without stuffing them into a big coat. 

Do you have any other recommendations for toddler clothes this Christmas? 

xxx

Products marked with * are gifted PR samples, please read my disclaimer for more information

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BROODY.

A Bills In The Bay

Growing a Human: The First Year

April in Photos

LIFE UPDATE.

DIY Polaroid Collage!

Photo Roll: Winter Wonderland

10 People You Hate When You Become A Parent

Sometime, people really annoy me. They haven't done anything particularly offensive but in that moment they truly are one of the worst people on the planet. I summed up my top ten people who just grind my gears a little bit too much since I've had Archer...

Lush... For Your Baby?

Postpartum Problems: What They Don't Tell You

Just now, I had a pain so bad it felt like a mild contraction. I went to do my usual twitter ranting, but thought instead I'd share my postpartum issues on here.. as 140 characters just isn't enough!

September Favourites '14

So, somehow, the 1st of October has rolled around already which can only mean it's time to talk September favourites. It's a mixed bag this month with beauty, baby and other favourites, let's get stuck in!

New Baby Picks

Sorry for the late post tonight guys, babies eh? I thought I would share a couple of my 'picks' for new babies. These are things that I have found hugely helpful throughout my time as a new mum and things I will definitely pick up for baby no. 2 (although we aren't thinking about that just yet...!).

Nursery Additions

Archer's 1 Month Update

So it's been 5 weeks since little Archer was born and life has changed so much now he's come along (for the better, of course!).

I'm definitely enjoying being a Mum and can't imagine not having a baba! The trauma of the labour is nearly all forgotten and it was definitely all worth it! I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before but I generally hated being pregnant, so to have my body back(ish) feels pretty amazing after such a long time! I still have a stone of baby wait to lose but I'm hoping when I'm able to resume normal exercise next week to shift that ASAP!

Archer's gained quite a bit of weight and is now a hefty 10lbs14 after being 8lbs14 at birth - he's a big fella'! His face also looks really different to birth and his darks blue eyes have started to lighten up.

Most of what I was told pre-baby is correct. You can never have enough clothes, you can never have enough nappies, sleep sucks. 

I can't say I have it too bad with the guy as he does the majority of his sleeping in the night, however the broken sleep is definitely the hardest bit - especially when you're falling asleep breastfeeding through various ungodly hours! He generally feeds every 2 hours but I'm hoping over the next few months the time between feedings will increase (fingers crossed!). He is co-sleeping with us at the moment (we bought a co-sleeping cot due to him hating the moses basket) but he generally just likes to be cuddled to sleep all the time - okay when you have keen family around, not so good when you're home alone and you have 101 things to be getting on with! I'm currently typing with the guy kipping on me like so...

I've been... quiet... to say the least for the past month or so but I think devoting all my time to the little fella' was necessary - my apologies for this but expect to hear more from mr from now on!

Lyd

xxx

A New Man In My Life!

So my little man, Archer, is finally here! Actually... this post is a little late and he just made it as a May baby being born on the 31st and 10:18am!

I had my second membrane sweep at 1pm on the 30th when I was 40+6 days pregnant and it must have done the trick as I had awful backache all day and then contractions started that evening. They came in thick and fast and I can barely even begin to comprehend the pain of them now! I went to hospital around 1am that night as the pain was unbearable and my contractions were around 4.5 minutes apart but was only 1cm dilated so got sent home... boo! So after coming home and doing the most vomiting I think I've ever seen someone do (TMI?) I couldn't handle the pain and was back in hospital by 3am - this time 6cm+ dilated and in fully established labour (not quite worth sending me home!).

The pain was agonising and I was demanding painkillers from everyone I could but as it was the night there wasn't a midwife around to care for me so I was left hanging for longer than I would care to be left for....

Eventually I got gas and air which did help a little, but I think it was more the feeling pretty high that helped rather than doing anything for the actual pain relief.... I didn't want it as I knew it made babies drowsy but I also had pethidene which helped SO much but made me fall asleep between contractions so I was too tired to really push or do anything. Both the gas and air and pethidene wore off pretty quickly and I couldn't have anymore pain relief due to being too sleepy - boo!

A few hours later I'd been pushing away for a while to no avail.. I remember saying to the midwife (or maybe shouting...) 'I'm pushing but he's not moving!' which turned out to be correct. The little guy was not shifting for anything and every time I would push him down he would move straight back up.

I eventually was admitted to theatre for a forceps delivery and I must say... being given a spinal tap was actually one of the best feelings I've ever had - going from that much pain to none was amazing! But the theatre delivery was pretty weird. There were probably about 12 people in the room... they all announced themselves before the delivery. My other half was suited up in scrubs next to me and I watched my legs be lifted up into stirrups in front of me when they still felt like they were on the bed (so weird!).

The little guy was out within a couple of contractions then, but the poor guy did get some war wounds! They've all healed up now thankfully so no harm done.

I was in a pretty bad way afterwards which sucked. I couldn't stand up until the next morning but was in hospital with a baby to look after all night without his dad which was pretty hard! I could barely walk or sit down for a week or so after this but now feel just about normal and just get a bit achey after long walks. The pain afterwards was excruciating at times though! I wish I'd known that before!

It all feels like a distant memory now though and I couldn't bare to be parted from my little man. He is hard work but totally worth it! Who knew there could possibly be so much laundry? And nappy consumption?!

I'm glad pregnancy is over and I can start to enjoy life more now. This time last year I could not have imagined having a little boy a year later, but I'm so glad it turned out this way!

Lyd

xxx

What's In My Hospital Bag?

Following yesterday's post on baby's hospital bag, it's now time for the second installment - what's in my bag!

I bought the bag from River Island here a couple of months ago and it will make a handy luggage bag following the birth!

I'm not entirely sure where to start here, so I'll go vaguely from left to right....

- Washbag with essentials

- Birth plan and hospital notes

- Snacks!

- Some make up

- Belly bandit for post birth

- Old towel

- Bikini top

- Vest and yoga pants to leave in

- Kleenex for the inevitable crying

- Maternity pads

- 'You're just my cup of tea' nightie from Primark for labouring

- Old underwear, disposable underwear and pack of cheap pants (you can never have enough pants, right?)

- 2 x comfy bras

- Shorts (in case the ward is really hot!)

I'm SO ready to go to the hospital now! (Hey, maybe by the time this is up I will be there, who knows!)

Any other tips and tricks for packing for the hospital?

Lyd

xxx

What's in Baby's Hospital Bag?

So I recently finished packing up mine and baby's bags for the hospital and thought I would share a peek into what I'm bringing with me! I don't have a huge amount as the hospital I'll be going to doesn't keep you in for very long as long as there aren't any complications.

I bought the changing bag on eBay from here and it's really good so far (although obviously has had no real use as of yet...). It's got loads of pouches on the inside for various bits and pieces and has a travel changing mat in the front pocket. Also the little clips on the side make it really easy to strap it to your stroller - so a big thumbs up from me!

So... the contents of the bag are as follows...

- 2 x blankets, one small waffle blanket and another thicker fleece blanket. You can't predict the weather here in Wales so best to be safe!

- A load of size 1 nappies and new baby sensitive wipes. I'm not sure what's provided by the hospital, but thought the best bet was to bring my own

- Tommee Tippee size 1 dummies. Not sure if he'll be into these, but packed just in case it does the trick at soothing him!

- Lansinoh Lanolin and Johnson's Nappy cream. Again, not sure what the hospital provides so thought I would bring my own. 

- 2 x Muslin cloths. Can't remember where these are from but chucking a couple in for quick clean ups.

- 3 x sleepsuits. I'm expecting a little baby so have brought 2 little ones incase one gets spoiled and another slightly bigger one in case he turns out to be a little larger than expected!

- 2 x vests. Again, have packed slightly different sizes just in case.

- 2 x hats. I didn't need to pack 2... but I want options!

- A pair of scratch mits. In case he's a scratcher!

- Bunny comforter by Gro company. Now I know he probably won't enjoy this much, but it's super cute and will make for some nice photo ops.

- LOTS of breast pads. These are tucked neatly into that little Birchbox bag in the top left corner. Can't be too prepared!  

So that's the contents of baby's bag, keep your eyes peeled for my bag in the next couple of days!

Any suggestions on what would be useful would be much appreciated!

Lyd

xxx

Growing a Human: The Third Trimester!

So, as I write this I am 40 weeks + 3 days pregnant and definitely READY to get this little guy out! 

I must say, I have had a relatively easy pregnancy and don't have too much to complain about. Over the last 10-12 weeks I have definitely had the most weight gain (cry) but I know childbirth, breastfeeding and an active lifestyle is right around the corner so I'm not getting too down about this! I've also since week 37 suddenly got lots of tiny stretch marks which made me a bit miserable, but I'm hoping these will fade pretty quickly and they already look a bit better from using Palmers stretch mark massage cream every night. 

We've had some lovely weather for the UK over the last few months and I've definitely been trying to make the most of that and get out and about so can't say the pregnancy had hindered me that much, although a gin & tonic would have been nice!

I've found myself very sleepy again so over the last month or so have been resorting to daily naps and I have experienced the return of the first trimester nausea which isn't too fun! 

The last week has probably been the worst, my hormones are CRAZY and I will cry over almost anything, I'm exhausted then energetic, struggling to sleep and my left foot has swollen to the point where the majority of my shoes don't fit! 

BUT it's the home stretch now.. little guy could show his face any day now (although he seems pretty happy just to stay in my belly forever at the moment) and I am SO excited to meet my little guy and not be pregnant anymore!

It's been a rollercoaster and not something I will easily forget about, but I know it will all be worth it when I see my little man!

Lyd

xxx

Growing a Human: The Second Trimester

So I'm 26 weeks now, 6 months pregnant and entering my third trimester! This means it's time to relay my experience of the second trimester to you all...

At the very beginning of my second trimester I got to see my little one for the first time! I still felt really tiny, so seeing something that had the form of an actual baby was crazy! He was kicking and jumping about like crazy which was really reassuring to see. 

Symptom-wise... my sickness eased off completely but I was still exhausted for a while. The worst problem I had was with my ankles which caused me agonising pain for a few weeks. There's a few reasons which could have caused this and I won't bore you with the details, just know that it was super painful!

Near the beginning of my second trimester I also fainted. In public. In 'Home Bargains' of all places. Having never fainted before and being unaware that pregnancy makes you faint, this shook me up quite a bit! I haven't fainted since, but have got that feeling like I'm about to lose consciousness and had to sit down. It only ever seems to happen when I'm on my own too which is never fun! 

As the weeks went on it all got easier and easier and my bump was becoming more and more visible. I had to come out to work with the news (didn't do this until I was 20 weeks gone!) and, surprisingly, everyone took it okay! I then came out to the rest of my friends / world / internet with the news and it was a HUGE weight of my shoulders. 

I then had my second scan at 20 weeks where we found out we were having a boy. I think pregnancy emotions for the better of me during this one because I felt so in love with the little fella' I just wanted to cry!

Since then we've been allowing ourselves to buy bits and pieces and generally start making plans for his arrival! 

Here's a snap of the belly at 3 months and 6 months to give you an idea of how I've grown during the second trimester - A LOT. 

I'm eating pretty much non-stop.. but don't have any cravings really. I've always been more of a vegetable person and have found myself wanting fruit all the time, as well as craving chicken nuggets more often than I would like... but haven't found myself unable to get through the day without eating something!

For a while tea / coffee made me feel sick which was pretty annoying considering how sleepy I was, but for the past few weeks I've been having the odd cup of tea and feeling great, so I'm glad that's subsided. 

Emotionally, still wild. I'm completely up and down all the time and if I start crying, I will not stop crying for a good few hours. Luckily, this isn't too often!

I'm so excited to meet my little man and can't wait to pop him out. I'm just hoping the next couple of month's fly by!

I will have more posts to follow with updates on the nursery / baby hauls!

Lyd 

xxx