10 Tips For New Mums/Mums To Be

Hello Lovelies, 

Having only been a Mummy for nearly five weeks I am most definitely not an expert I have however learnt a lot! I thought I would just take a few minutes to share 10 useful (hopefully) tips that got me through my pregnancy and the first few weeks of motherhood.

WARNING: this post turned into a big mamma.  

1. Accept help - I am very lucky to have such a supportive family and fiancé who are willing to help me in any way that they can. In the last few months of my pregnancy it became so hard to do so many things like bending down and walking around shops, this wasn't helped by sciatica pain. 

I remember getting so frustrated because I couldn't even put on my own shoes or socks, I would try and do this myself but would just end up making things worse. So as hard as it may seem at the time or as frustrating as it can be it is better most of the time to just say yes and accept the help. 


2. Feeding your baby how you feel comfortable - this is a bit of a taboo subject but hey ho. The big breastfeeding debate has been going on for years and everyone has their own opinion on what is best. I felt so pressured by some specialists to breastfeed, I remember coming away from one meeting with a spinning head thinking  that formula feeding was not even an option. 

I did eventually decide to breastfeed because of my birth circumstances and breast feeding difficulties in hospital I ended up formula feeding whilst we were there. Then once we came home I expressed breast milk and topped up with formula if we needed to. I found that this worked really well for me. I am now feeding fully with formula and things are running smoothly. 

So in a nutshell; everyone is different, everyone has their own opinion and you need to do what is right for you and your baby.   

3. Have a back up plan - This links to above as I said I had decided to breastfeed but a week before Edward was born I was reading up on techniques etc and I realized that it does not always work for everyone. 

I decided to buy just one box of formula just in case and thank god I did. So even if you are planning on breastfeeding I would really consider getting a box in even if you don't use it.

4. Clothes rotation - Oh my goodness, I can't believe how quickly you go through vests and baby grows. Edward has already outgrown some of his. At least once a week I have tried to rotate his little outfits so that he wears everything he has, putting the smaller outfits at the top of the piles so that he gets a few more wears out of them before they are boxed away. 

5. Ready Meals - Again I have been lucky as we are living with my family there are more than enough people to cook tea. On the rare occasion that I have been at home alone I have been so grateful for a stock of tinned soup and cuppa soups (even if they do go cold because I've been distracted). 

6. To Do Lists - Keep them short, sweet and simple. 

I like to give myself a short mental list of things to do in a day, usually of about 3 things. Just to keep on top of things, I usually get these done whilst Edward is asleep. 

7. Don't be hard on yourself - This is something that I have to keep reminding myself. I'm new to this, there's no guidebook on how to be a perfect mum, I'm still learning. 

So if I don't get all of my list done in that day, I do go for a nap whilst someone watches Edward or I don't manage to get dressed until late afternoon. IT DOESN'T MATTER! IT'S NOT THE END OF THE WORLD!

8. More than enough - Make sure you have more than enough of the essentials e.g. bottles. I originally had only 6 bottles after washing them and filling up the sterilizer one day it occurred to me that if Edward needed feeding in the time that the machine was on I had no bottles so I bought a couple more just in case. 

9. Pick and Choose - Advice, whilst your pregnant and after everyone has an opinion and advice on what is best for you and your baby. 

Just like this list, this is just what I have found helpful it is my opinion and everyone is entitled to their own.

 From the advice and opinions that people gave me I picked what I wanted to take on board. It is hard though especially when a stranger is giving you advice and you just want to tell them to go away. I found myself just nodding and agreeing (even if in my head I was waiting for Carl Pilkington to fly in and shout "bulls**t.")

10. Take a step back - This is something that I didn't think I would struggle with but I found it so hard, especially when we came home. 

I found myself wanting to jump in anytime that Edward was fussing or crying, even when he was with his Daddy. I had to take a step back and remind myself that it is not just me that is learning and that bringing up a baby is a joint effort.



A big virtual high five if you made it to the end of this one, it's a biggy. Let me know what you're top tips would be for a first time mum in the comments. 

xx

Bakewell Walk

Hello Lovelies, 

I hope you all had a fab weekend. On Saturday Anthony, Edward and myself went to Bakewell in Derbyshire for the day.

Derbyshire isn't too far from where we live so we often like to venture out for country walks and a look around the villages.  

It was pretty cold so it's a good job that we all wrapped up. Edward slept almost all day, he only woke up once for a bottle but we still had a good time. 

After looking at these photos I desperately need to get my hair dyed roots galore haha.   

I hadn't been to Bakewell for while (possibly over a year or so) and was so surprised that they had a love lock bridge. I also forgot how busy it gets at a weekend so would suggest if you are going to visit do it on a weekday if you can. 

Let me know how you spent your weekend in the comments, also leave a link to your blog if you have one so I can have a peek. 

Thanks

xx

 

Project Life 2015 | Recording Our Family Moments

Happy hump day!

I couldn't help but add this picture in of Ozzy sat at the table watching me take photo's. (I didn't eat all of that chocolate although I may have helped hehe). 

This year as our family has extended I have decided that I need to record more of our precious moments together. Over the years I have had loads of digital photos, however as I have had laptop disasters or software failures I have lost a lot of these images. 

I was going to do just a normal family album or attempt to scrapbook but after watching a few YouTube videos I decided that I would give Project Life a go. 

All of the above were purchased from Hobbycraft online.

To start my project I selected a D ring binder in Jade , project life mini kit - the baby boy edition, the 3x4 Jade edition insert cards and the big variety pack of inserts.

This was enough to get me started. The pens that I began to use were the Sharpie fine point markers. After using these on a few pages I was not happy with the result especially when I had used them on the Baby Boy inserts, as the ink had ran through meaning that I could not use the other side to write on. 

Some people may be fine with this as it is possible to put a different card on the other side, trying to be thrifty though I would rather write on both sides so that I can stretch the cards out further.   

So I decided to invest in some different pens from Paperchase, I prefer to write in black rather than blue but these are available in both colours. 

Whilst in there I found the sticker stand and just couldn't resist buying a few packs to jazz up some pages in the future. I was surprised at the price as well, these packs were between £1 and £1.50, I thought that this was really reasonable.   

  This is just a sneak peek at one of the pages I have done so far. I have been finding it so enjoyable looking through the photo's of Edwards first few weeks and putting them into the album. 

I plan on posting more about Project Life, if there are any questions that you have about it feel free to leave me a question in the comments. 

xx

All opinions are my own and this post is not sponsored. 

Busy Day

Hello Lovelies, 

Yesterday we had our appointment to register Edward, we had to wait 3 weeks as the register office is so busy at this time of year. 

We had to be at the appointment for 9am, we had to set off at 8am and only just managed to make it on time! I forgot how crazy the traffic can be in Sheffield on a week day. 

We had to find somewhere to feed Edward as he was getting restless. Luckily there was a Costa close by. I was also in need of a coffee after the early get up (we shared a cheeky chocolate twist as well). 

After a quick trip to the hair dressers for Anthony we had a look around a few shops and then headed to Meadowhall. Anthony treated me to a Zizzi's, I would definitely recommend the calamari starter it's delicious! 

So after a busy day yesterday I am staying at home, having a pj day and watching Les Misérables. 

I hope you all have a great day whatever you are doing. 

xx

Country Walks| OOTD

Hello Lovelies,

This week we had our first walk in the village where we live. We are very lucky to be currently living in an area which is surrounded by countryside, I had been waiting for a day when the weather was not as wet. 

We all wrapped up warm in our woollies and Edward wore his winter friends Snow Suit in his pram to keep him extra snug. Anthony's parents had taken Ozzy for a walk so we have yet to go on a full family walk but I don't think it will be too long. 

I got my selfie stick ready to take with us but then found out I had forgotten it. I think baby brain has continued from pregnancy. 

It's a good job that Anthony is tall enough to get a decent picture of us.  

I love this (apart from my hair being tucked under my scarf). 

It ended up being a pretty windy walk so I had to wrap my scarf around me more to keep myself warm. 

OOTD: My hat, scarf and coat are recent buys from New Look. Jeans are maternity Joni jeans from Topshop, these are by far the most comfortable maternity jeans that I have. The mittens are what My mum makes and sells they are upcycled from old woollen jumpers and lined with fleece, they are amazingly warm and cosy.

It was so nice to get out in the fresh air and have a gentle exercise. Edward slept for the whole walk.

What have you been up to this week? Also if you have a blog leave me a link in the comments and I'll have a sneaky peek. 

xx

Everything's Changing | 2015

Hello Lovelies, 

I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas and New Year. This years Christmas for me was a little different, if you have been following my blog or instagram you will know that my due date was on the 26th of December. 

From Christmas day until around my Birthday on the 3rd of January all seems to be a bit of a Blur. We welcomed our bundle of joy on the 27th of December after my waters broke at midnight of the 26th. (It just so happens that this is the day that the deep snow decided to fall in Sheffield). 

Anthony dug the car out of the snow as soon as my waters had gone to prepare for the journey to the hospital. We went in at 4.30am and by 7.16pm on the 27th we had welcomed our little boy, Edward Anthony. I am so pleased that I did not have a birth plan as I think I would have been very disappointed. I may post about my labour at another time.

I can honestly say that I have never been so in love. Our lives have changed completely and we wouldn't change it for the world! 

Week one :D

 I will hopefully be blogging a lot more this year along with recording our family memories in different ways. Anthony very kindly bought me a new camera for Christmas with some accessories and for my birthday I also got a selfie stick and other accessories from my sister. 

Thanks for reading

xx