Nexcare Maternity products reviews

During my pregnancy with Peaches Nexcare kindly asked me to trial some of their maternity products. I was very happy to do this given it was my second pregnancy and I wasn't quite as fit as during my firstl. Plus everything seems a little 'looser' second time around so I was keen to support myself as much as possible.

1. Nexcare maternity support

The Nexcare Maternity Support is an adjustable support belt designed to support your bump during pregnancy, helping to spread the weight evenly and reduce back and abdominal pain.

The support lifts the abdomen to help relieve lower back pain caused by the increasing weight of your bump. It also helps to relieve pelvic girdle pain and improves your posture by stabilising your abdomen. 

The Nexcare Maternity Support is made from latex-free soft elastic, and is fully adjustable as your bump grows.

I wore the support every day towards the end of my pregnancy and between weeks 38-41 I felt like it really helped.  My bump was pretty big but the support wasn't uncomfortable and didn't dig in at all.  It helped me stay active chasing Posey around and almost balancing the weight of my bump against the rest of my body.  You couldn't tell I was wearing it as it was so discreet.  The belt is adjustable so will fit different sizes of body and bumps!

2. Nexcare Postpartum Support

I've been wearing this on & off for the last 6 weeks since Peaches was born.

The Nexcare Postpartum Support is a latex-free, elasticated support belt that provides gentle yet firm compression to support weakened abdominal muscles following childbirth. It can be particularly helpful after a caesarean section, or to recover from diastasis recti (muscle separation) giving security, comfort and protection for your abdomen as it heals. Fully adjustable with an easy-to-use Velcro fastening, the amount of support given can be altered by simply stretching the belt a little more or less and adjusting the fastening position. The latex-free composition and soft outer material is gentle on sensitive skin, and the belt is easy to put on and take off without help. Once in place, it sits smoothly and discreetly under your clothes, helping you return to normal activities with confidence. The Nexcare Postpartum Support can be hand washed in cold or warm water with mild detergent. It is not suitable for machine washing or tumble drying. This Medium size fits a waist measurement of 80-96cm; Large sizes are also available. Customers are advised to read the enclosed instructions carefully before using this product.

I didn't have a c-section or difficult birth and I had fairly strong abs before I fell pregnant but having carried Peaches to 41 weeks my abs felt very loose and like I had a 'mummy tummy' for the first 4 weeks.  I wore the support to ensure my weakened abdominal muscles came back together.  Having Posey meant I didn't get much time to rest up and recover from Peaches' birth.  I wanted to carry on doing things with Posey as normal - including her active clubs & taking her to soft play.  This support gave me the reassurance I needed that my recovering abdominals we're being looked after.

It was comfortable to wear & skin coloured, so you couldn't tell I was wearing it.  It even helped disguise my muffin top haha!

3. Nexcare Cold / Hot Maternity Compress

Reusable cold and hot gel compress

·       When hot: use before feeding to stimulate milk flow, unblock ducts from milk residues and help to ease breast engorgement

·       When cold: use after feeding to reduce risk of inflammation, breast congestion and bring immediate natural pain relief.

·       Can be easily fitted into nursing bra

I chose not to breast feed Peaches, as you may have read in previous blogs of mine.  My reasons were entirely personal and I have a lot of respect for breast feeding mums.  It didn't work out for me with Posey so this time I decided to reach straight for the cartons of formula!

I used the maternity compress from when Peaches was 3 days old until she was 10 days old.  My milk came in on day 3 and got really painful between days 4-6.  In fact it was so painful I took paracetamol and I struggled to even lie on my back and walking was uncomfortable.  I had no pain relief during Peaches' birth except a few puffs of Entonox so me taking paracetamol is pretty major!

Using the compress cold gave me great relief from engorgement and the relief was almost immediate.  Whenever I got the chance to day and night I used this compress and it was very very good!! If you're not breast feeding or suffer from engorgement between feeds I would highly recommend this product.  It's reusable and fits into your bra.  You get 2 per pack and simply warm them in hot water before use or put them in the fridge to cool them.

All the above opinions are my own although Nexcare's PR agent did provide me with free samples.  Many thanks to Nexcare.  To purchase products from the Nexcare range log onto their website and save 20% using the discount code 3Mmaternity01 on www.3mdirect.co.uk.

Thanks for reading, love Coco x

My blog - what's next!

I've been blogging about my latest IVF journey, my family and the arrival of my second beautiful daughter, Peaches, for around a year now and it's been a great experience!  It's been pretty emotional & although there have been some very hard times, I'm one of the luckiest girls in the world.

Buzz and I have made the decision to try for a third baby when Peaches is 6 months old.  We'd like to do a frozen embryo transfer at our IVF clinic.  We have 7 frozen blastocysts so are extremely fortunate.  We'll both be 37 this year and we'd love more kids so we've decided to go for it.  Hopefully it'll happen for us.  If it doesn't we'll be devastated but we have to try to know!  We're both very positive people so we'll fight our infertility and keep going until we feel our beautiful family is complete.  We're in the fortunate position where we can provide everything for a big family and we'd just love more kids! Being a mum is definitely my true calling in life.  My 2 girls, Posey & Peaches, are my world.  

I'll probably blog less over the coming months but when we start baby journey number 3 I'd love to share it again and hopefully you'll like reading it.  There are 2 reasons why I blog about my baby journeys.  Firstly because it helps me make sense of infertility, IVF treatment and the emotions of pregnancy, and secondly, because I've had 2 IVF cycles and 2 perfect babies, plus 7 blasts in the freezer.  I want that to give hope to everyone with of their journeys.  It's tough and I found the success stories were a massive help to me.  I hope I can be that to others.

Love as always from me, Buzz, Peaches & Posey x

ps.  Never abandon your dreams, miracles do happen.  Positive energy is everything x

My second blog post for The Blissful Baby Expert x

I wrote this article when Peaches was 2 weeks old & thought I'd share it on my blog x

Hi there, I'm Coco and a few weeks back (just before my second little girl was born) I wrote about how I felt going from having one child to two.  My baby is now 2 weeks old and her eldest sister is 2 and a half, so I thought I'd update you on the reality of the last 2 weeks!

Peaches Lula was born on 10 Feb, a week after her due date and in just 2 hours she'd made her grand entrance.  Everything went well but as she was born in the early hours, rather than come straight home we decided I'd stay on the post natal ward until the morning with Peaches and then be discharged ASAP while my husband, Dan (nickname Buzz) came home and saw Posey, our elder daughter in the morning before preschool.  Her grandma had been looking after her for us.

By 11.30am Peaches and I had been discharged and once we'd got ourselves ready & in the car on the way home the reality hit.....I HAD A BABY AND A 2 YEAR OLD.  Having been through 2 IVF / ICSI cycles this was a dream come true, but boy did I have my work cut out.  All the way home I was thinking about 3 things:

1. Was Peaches ok in her car seat? Was she cold? Was she hot? 
2. How would Posey react when we got home? We'd had a FaceTime call that morning and she'd said "Hello baby Peaches, I'm your sister" but meeting her in the flesh may be different.
3. I felt normal, not like I'd just given birth at all but what if something terrible suddenly happened to me (random I know...)

Anyway, we got home and Posey and her grandma welcomed us in with Posey straight away asking to cuddle Peaches.  I told her that Peaches had bought her some presents and that I'd go and get them.  With Posey being the biggest Peppa Pig fan alive I'd bought her lots of new Peppa Fairground toys from Peaches.  She was over the moon and spent the rest of the afternoon kissing Peaches on the head and saying "Fank yoo baby Peaches for my Peppa Piggy toys, I luff yoo." Phew!

I have to say that 2 weeks in things are still going pretty well.  Posey had shown no jealousy towards Peaches and because Peaches is bottled fed, Buzz and I have shared all of her feeds.  That has meant I've still been able to do all of Posey's regular activities, clubs and preschool runs with her.  

The one thing that Posey does struggle with a little is Peaches crying.  Peaches is quite a windy baby and she has a witching hour around 10pm.  Unfortunately she's woken Posey twice and Posey has been quite upset thinking Peaches is poorly so we've had to explain she's just "full of burps and tired."  At times during the say if Peaches cries Posey gets very concerned and wants to join the cuddle, which is lovely.

One of the proudest moments for me so far has to be when my best friend and her mum came over to see us and Posey kept talking about "My lovely baby Peaches.  She's my sister." True sibling love!!

So how am I coping? Really well actually,  I had a few bumpy days when my milk came in and the baby blues hit but I got through it like a true trooper and I am now the master of multitasking! I love having my 2 girls and just pushing Peaches' pram with Posey on the buggy board felt amazing! Seeing them in the bath together with Posey passing me cotton wool for Peaches was lovely.  Posey mopping up Peaches' milky dribbles with muslins is so sweet! 

This week will be the true test as Buzz is back at work....so perhaps I'll update you again soon.

How I felt before Peaches arrived....x

So I wrote this little post for Lisa, The lovely Blissful Baby Expert, the week before Peaches arrived.  I thought I'd share it on my blog x

Hi there, I'm Coco and my second baby girl is due to be born this week! I already have a daughter, Posey who is almost 2 and a half years old.  Both of them were conceived through IVF / ICSI treatment and I feel like the luckiest girl alive.

Throughout my current pregnancy I've felt pretty good.  I've had no sickness or nasty symptoms and just a little tiredness to contend with, probably to do with chasing a toddler around! While I've been extremely fortunate to feel so good over the last 9 months one thing has always been on my mind - how will I feel going from 1 child to 2? I have repeatedly asked myself how I could ever love another child as much as I love Posey and if I will get the same overwhelming rush of love when I hold my newborn in my arms for the first time.  I spent 18 months after Posey was born thinking she'd be an only child before my husband and I decided to 'go for it' again.

So how do I feel knowing my baby's arrival is so imminent? I guess there are 3 main things on my mind:
1. I know I will love my baby as much as I love Posey but how can I show Posey she still means just as much to me?
2. I have fears that Posey will feel 'pushed out', especially in the early days while we establish a routine.
3. I spent ALL of my time with Posey when she was a baby.  This time I have to split my time & ensure both of my girls feel loved and special.  How will I do this?!

I think second / third etc time mums are such a font of knowledge & advice at times like this and certainly some of my good friends who have more than 1 child have given me some good tips on how to make it all work.  Things like:
1. Don't try to be supermum, it's impossible!
2. Try not to have to do anything except be mum.  Accept help with jobs at home, shopping, errands etc.  Don't plan too much in a day.
3. Keep Posey's routine as close to normal as possible.  Try and get the new baby to fit in.
4. Do things all together, ie. the baby is with Posey and I while we play.  She comes with us on preschool runs.
5. Share the night feeds with my husband.  I'm planning to formula feed plus expressed milk only so we can do this.  It'll help me to get enough sleep so I can do plenty with Posey during the day.
6. Buy a gift for the baby to give Posey.  I have a giant Peppa Pig toy ready!
7. Encourage Posey to talk to the baby, help with feeds / changes & reward her with Peppa Pig stickers / chocolate buttons
8. Ensure Posey still has play dates / outings with just me & 'us time.'  I'm actually secretly looking forward to going on the slides at soft play with her once my bump has gone!

I think taking the above advice and putting it into practice will be great.  I'm so excited to become a mum again & I can't wait to have my 2 girls at home together.

Peaches is 3 weeks old!

Wow! So it's been a month since I last blogged but boy have I been busy....  Posey is upstairs fast asleep having come home from preschool early with a sicky bug & Peaches is having a nap next to me right now.

I'm writing to tell you all about my new beautiful baby daughter, Peaches, here & I will also write about how things have been for my new family increasing from 3 of us to 4 shortly.

So! Peaches Lula Carvalho arrived 8 days after my due date on 10 Feb after a labour that lasted just 2 hours.  Posey arrived in under 2 hours so I'd been hoping for another quick labour.  We'd had a nice quiet family day at home and travelled up to the delivery suite as soon as I felt something happening. We'd been advised to do that because Posey had arrived so quickly.  On arrival the midwife examined me & I was 8cm dilated & having contractions every 3 minutes lasting around 1 minute 30 seconds.  I got into the birthing pool & spent around an hour in there using the warm water as my pain relief before feeling the need to push.  I decided to give birth on the bed rather than the water & after only about 20 minutes of pushing Peaches was here! I had no pain relief other than the water & a few puffs of Entonox (which didn't really help!). I felt in control right the way through & it was lovely to give birth in a dimly lit room, with our music on and just the midwife, Buzz & me.  

Peaches cried straight away & it was just amazing to hear her cry.  She weighed 7lb 9oz & was absolutely perfect.  Thankfully I didn't need any stitches & I was able to get up off the bed easily. Having had Posey 5 weeks early, who was taken straight up to SCBU, & suffered a second degree tear having Peaches was exactly the birth experience I'd longed for.  The midwife gave the three of us plenty of quality time together while we got to know eachother.  I gave a Peaches her first feed but then switched to bottles & formula, as planned.  As it was 3am by that point Peaches & I spent the rest of the night on the ward rather than come straight home & risk waking Posey, who was fast asleep at home, being looked after by her grandma.

The morning after Peaches & I were discharged quickly and Buzz drove us home.  Apart from my thighs feeling like I'd done an extra hard gym session I felt completely normal! I felt so different to how I felt having given birth to Posey, despite Peaches weighing 2lb 8oz more!

It was lovely to get home & see Posey.  The feeling that the 4 of us were home together was just amazing.  

The rest of our first week together was lovely.  Peaches fed well & only lost 2oz in weight in her first 5 days :) my milk came in of course & was damn painful for 3 days while i waited for it to go again.  I absolutely don't regret my decision to not breastfeed this time having had such horrible experiences with it after Posey was born.  Peaches is thriving on formula and it all works for me, so we're both happy.

My 4 stone pregnancy weight gain is disappearing too.  I lost 2 stone in the 7 days following Peaches' birth and have lost another stone since then so I just have 1 stone to go.  I'm eating very healthily & am being very active doing lots with my 2 beautiful girls. There's no chance of sitting still for long for me!!  I'll start seeing my personal trainer in 2 weeks so that will help me to feel nice and toned again.  My old skinny jeans don't quite fit yet but I can get them on & secure them with a hairband across the button so they're fine worn with nice wedge heels, a loose top & a cardi - my standard mum uniform haha!

Posey & Peaches are very very alike.  It's pretty scary looking at pictures of them both as babies actually.  They could easily pass for twins.  They have the same button noses, long eyelashes, lots of dark hair & olive skin.  I think they're beautiful but I'm biased of course.  Peaches loves sleeping, as did Posey, and Posey loves being a big sister.  It's lovely.

More soon....x

40+2 weeks pregnant!

So my due date arrived 2 days ago.....and passed with nothing happening! I know a lot of mums get to their due date & feel a bit fed up & deflated.  I have to say I felt delighted!!!! Having only got to 35 weeks with Posey I just felt like I'd achieved something massive and I felt so proud of my body for being able to carry my baby for the full 40 weeks after all.  It was a very nice feeling.

I have been putting operation 'evict baby from the premises' into action in an attempt to avoid some of the more uncomfortable things that come after your due date passes - things like membrane sweeps & possible induction of labour.  I've been walking lots (with Posey on her scooter), I've been having acupuncture and reflexology, I've been drinking lots of raspberry leaf tea and I've been guzzling pineapple.  Sex hurts, as does crawling around on all fours scrubbing floors, but boy have I gone for it.

I still feel really energetic & have been having a good balance of sleep, chill out time and active time.  Posey and I have been doing things like drawing, going to the park, all of her usual clubs & we've been having play dates.  I feel like I'm making the most of my time.  The baby's bedroom is completely ready and I have a freezer full of home cooked meals!  The house is spotless & organised and I guess I feel ready for Go Go Go!

As I'm now over 40 weeks & the baby is measuring over average size-wise my midwife is keen to help get things started.  With me being only 5'3" and petite delivering a big baby could be tricky so I had a membrane sweep yesterday.  My cervix was a little hard to reach at first but my midwife managed it and was able to complete the sweep, even feeling the baby's head! It was uncomfortable but not at all painful, so wasn't as bad as I'd read beforehand.  I bled a little bright red blood afterwards and had cramping, both of which are very normal.  The cramping stopped overnight and I slept really well though.

So today I'm playing the waiting game! I understand around 50% of sweeps result in labour starting within 48 hours so we will see which 50% I fall into.  If nothing has happened by Thursday I'll have another sweep that day.  If still nothing, a third sweep on Monday when I would be 41+1weeks!

I feel good though, I'm by no means uncomfy, struggling to sleep or achy.  I just feel normal but with a huge baby bump.  I can't imagine feeling fed up given how fortunate I am to be having baby number 2 after years of infertility.

Right, back to evicting baby now.  Hopefully I'll have news soon!
x

It's nearly POP time! Or is it...?

Well hello.  And here I am sitting at my breakfast bar with a nice cup of raspberry leaf tea (my third today so far) and a tub of chopped pineapple that my lovely Ocado driver delivered for me this morning.  Yep, I'm ready to have my baby!

Today I am 39+2 weeks pregnant.  4 weeks more pregnant than I ever was with Posey.  I honestly do feel great though.  I feel energetic, healthy, I'm eating well and I'm sleeping well.  I'm pretty fortunate.  My body is by no means too tired of being pregnant, I just really really want to meet my baby now.  Buzz & Posey do aswell.  We're all ready whenever she is ready to appear!

I started a bit of an eviction process on Saturday (it's Tuesday today) and have been drinking plenty of raspberry leaf tea since then plus lots of pineapple.  So far.....nothing!

I had my first acupuncture session today aswell.  I found it very relaxing.  My acupuncturist said my body had responded well.  If nothing happens for the remainder of this week I'll see her again on Saturday.  I also walked briskly there and back (only 10 mins either way) as I thought walking might stir my baby into action!

My baby has been fully engaged for around 2 months now and 'deeply engaged' (I'm not sure what the difference is) for a couple of weeks now so she's ready to go all right!

I'm really keen to deliver my baby over the next few days for a number of reasons:

1. With IVF / ICSI treatment your dates are so accurate so I know I will be exactly 40 weeks pregnant on Sunday.  Passing your due date increases the risks of having an assisted birth / c section / big baby.

2. At 37+3 weeks I had a little scan and the estimated weight for my baby that day was 7lb 1oz.  That was 2 weeks ago so today she could well weigh around 8lb.  If I go past my due date she could be close to 8 and a half pounds! That's a big baby for me to deliver given I usually weigh around 8 stone, I'm only 5ft 3 and Posey only weighed 5lb 1oz at birth.

3. My pelvic floor has not been particularly great since Posey was born (no running or jumping for me..) and of course Posey was very small at birth.  I do fear what delivering a big baby naturally could do to me.

4.  I really really want to go into hospital, have my baby and then be home within hours. Posey and I were in for 10 days after she was born and it was very tough.  I'm desperate for a better experience this time.  In order for this to hopefully happen, I'll need a straightforward, natural birth, hopefully on a birthing pool.  An assisted birth or c section could mean a longer stay and harder recovery.  It's almost impossible to actually have your 100% ideal birth scenario but I do have a clear idea about what I want this time and want to achieve as much of it as possible.

Something else I plan to throw into the eviction plan is reflexology.  My best friend's mum practises reflexology so come my due date on Sunday, if the baby isn't here, I shall go and see her!

All in all, things are good and I just really want to hold my baby now and bring her home x

10 days until my due date!

Hurray for having a baby!

As I type, I am just 10 days away from my due date.  What a lovely feeling! It'll only be a matter of days until I get to meet my second beautiful baby girl.

At 38+4 weeks today I am more than 3 weeks past the point at which Posey was born and I feel like the anxiety I felt over having another early baby & potentially spending time in SCBU / NICU has gone.  I feel pretty chilled, excited and pretty good.  I saw my community midwife this week and she said my baby is very, very engaged so she could literally arrive at any time.  I do feel like I'm carrying a basketball around now, as walking can be a little uncomfy.  I feel like I'm going to wet myself every time I walk somewhere! There's a serious amount of weight on my pelvic floor now so I'm hoping at some point soon the pressure will break my waters and then labour will swiftly follow! The ideal time for my baby to arrive is between now & 40 weeks really.  My dates are so accurate and I feel like going past 40wks would just increase the risk of me having a baby who's too big for me, and therefore may require an assisted birth, plus I'm aware the risk of stillbirth does increase marginally over 40wks aswell.

I had a little scan last week and I understand my baby already weighed around 7lb, so that will be more like 7 and a half pounds this week and 8lb by next week.  If I was to go over my dates by 12 days, which is the policy in Hertfordshire before induction, she could be close to 9lb! That's one big baby for me. I'm only 5ft 3 and the most I've ever weighed outside pregnancy is 8st.  On a curvy day I'm a size 8.  I want a straightforward water birth this time without the risk of requiring forceps, ventouse, epidural, c section etc.  You can never exclude anything happening, but I think you can plan your ideal birth and try and eliminate risks where possible.

I've learnt to nap on demand in recent weeks.  Posey has been a little tinker.  She's slept through the night for 12+ hours since she was 3 months old but has recently started waking around 5am, having only slept for 10 hours! She won't nap in the daytime now so somehow she 'so been managing on about 10 hours sleep! At 38+ weeks pregnant it's been a little hard as at times she 'so been grumpy and I've been tired but thankfully I've napped well while she's been at preschool and last night she slept until 6.15am, so I really hope we've had a breakthrough! @blissfulbabyexpert (Lisa) gave me some good advice around being firm, consistent & using a gro clock. I hope she'll be sleeping at least 7-7 again soon.

Everything for the baby is ready at home, Buzz is ready for some time off work and I'm looking forward to having the baby! Everything feels good :) x

36 weeks pregnant :)

Today I am 36 weeks pregnant! This is the most pregnant I have ever been now by a good few days and I am currently sitting in my kitchen at the breakfast bar wide awake at 4.42am.  Why?  Who knows! I think pregnancy insomnia can be very random & impossible to understand. It's just one of those things, but for me, undoubtedly prepares you for broken sleep in grey months ahead.

Posey is sleeping with the side off her cotbed, replaced with a bedrail, for the first time tonight, and that was very much on my mind last night & when I went to bed, so perhaps that's got my mind working overtime.  Needless to say she's still sleeping like an angel! Buzz and I wondered what would happen tomorrow morning & if she's just get herself out of bed & come into our room...we will see! The stair gates are shut so she can't wander up & downstairs!

Now that I've gone past the point at which posey was born, slightly after 35 weeks I'm wondering if I may be pregnant for a good few weeks yet & even go full term (or more...) what a feat that would be for me!  I have my heart set on a water birth now and hopefully being in & out of hospital quickly so I'm not away from home & Posey for long.  The anxiety I felt over potentially having another early birth had certainly lifted somewhat over the last few days :)

It had been so long since I packed my hospital bags that I replaced the baby's bag yesterday & swapped her blanket and sleep suits for done different ones.  Buzz and I have bought her so many lovely things and now I just look forward to the day she arrives & gets to wear them.  She will be beautiful.

How am I feeling?

Elated to give got this far!

A little tired some days.  Posey has been off preschool over Christmas and new year (which has been fantastic) but she starts again on Tuesday, so when I need to I will be able to nap during the day again.  She's like a little energy machine.  Up from 8am-6.30pm without hardly taking a breath!! I
think she probably has her fair share of terrible-twos moments but on the whole she's a very good girl.

Prepared! Our baby's nursery is literally ready to use! I feel a bit nervous about unpack again things like the steriliser, monitor, bugaboo, baby bjorn, bouncer etc at the moment but then we'll be able to do all that once we're home from hospital and the most important thing is that she arrives safe & well.

Buzz bought a flashy juicing machine last week and has been preparing all sorts of yummy, healthy juices.  They've really helped me feel energetic & good in the mornings after a night of broken sleep. Tomorrow he is planning to make carrot, orange & beetroot juice.  Yesterday we had apple, carrot & lemon juice.  Really really tasty :) it's a Sage juicer.  I believe John Lewis stock a good range of them and they're well worth a look.  Perhaps I'll do a pits pregnancy juice diet!

Over and out for now peeps.  Here's to lots more days of pregnancy :) x

The terrible twos & becoming a big sister

Most people that strike up a conversation with Posey at the moment hear "Sister coming soon.  Helping mummy look after baby" or "My toys are mine".  Bless Posey :) only time will tell whether she understands we're having a real baby who will need lots of care or whether she thinks it's a doll!

I've had loads of chats with Posey over the months about the baby arriving and how special it'll be, but that we'll have to work together to look after the baby by sharing toys, going out together, reading books together and all getting on well.  Posey may not have walked until she was 18mths old but boy can she talk!! I'm not a competitive mum by any stretch but I will say Posey's verbal communication is pretty impressive for a child not yet 2.5.  I think the fact she can express her thoughts, needs and requirements in words keeps many terrible twos moments at bay as for her, the frustration of not being understood isn't there.  What I will say though, is she gets Buzz and me to herself an awful lot of the time and that is all about to change, which does worry me!!!

We spend hours reading to her, building duplo towers, playing at the park / soft play, going to the farm etc etc.  Posey is our lives! We both feel we need to do the same things with her once the baby arrives and also both still spend plenty of time on our own with her too.  I've chosen to bottle feed the baby from birth as I think that will really help me be able to still do things with just Posey and me.  She says "I love mummy and Posey days" regularly.  I really do too! I will express like Daisy the cow to get as much of the good stuff I can for the new baby but I do believe formula milk is just as good plus Buzz and I can share the feeds / bonding sessions with the baby.  We both want Posey to feel secure and like her world has only got better, not that some of her favourite things have suddenly stopped.  Posey also refers to herself as "Mummy's helper" often too, so we will encourage her to help us by doing things like sitting next to us when feeding the baby and showing the baby pictures in books, choosing outfits for the baby, passing us nappies at change time, singing to the baby and, as she puts it "looking after the baby in the car."  Hopefully we can keep any terrible twos behaviour to a minimum.  One thing is for certain...I daren't give the baby any hand me downs...everything is "Posey's!!!!!!!".  I think you have to puck your battles as a parent, and that is not one I will choose....

x

Few pregnancy aches & pains for me + Nexcare review

I have friends who (I'll say this as constructively as possible) have moaned from start to finish during their pregnancies.  Although pregnancy is not an illness, far from it - for me it really is a blessing & I feel incredibly fortunate to be about to have my second baby.  Pregnancy related ailments can make you feel a little off colour from time to time.  I think I've gotten off pretty lightly both times as I've never had sickness, stretch marks, SPD, oily hair, skin breakouts or swelling in my hands & feet.  I have found ways to ease the aches I have had and so far am still as active as ever & really enjoying my pregnancy.  Here's a few things that have affected me and how I've overcome them:

1. First & third trimester tiredness.
It really does just hit you! Feeling tired isn't great, especially not if you're working or have other children (or both..). There's so much going on in your body during pregnancy that it's hard to sleep sometimes at night and then nap during the day as you can always rely on car horns, couriers, barking dogs & other people to disturb you!  A mix of Spa Tone iron supplements, vitamin c through freshly squeezed orange (followed by gaviscon to reduce the heartburn risk) and a nice Jo Malone candle has worked wonders to help me sleep.  My dream genii pillow has helped me stay comfortable and a mug of hot milk before bed really relaxes me.

2. Crampy legs - ouch!!! Pregnancy yoga taught me to circle my ankles on awaking in the night and keep my legs moving through the day (easy with a 2 year old!).  Thankfully my legs aren't too crampy now and I know what to do when they are.

3. Lower back ache - I have only had a little of this fortunately and it's been very connected to particular activities, eg. Leaning into my rabbit hutches to clean them, crawling around soft play with Posey, not bending my knees properly when lifting things.  Nexcare kindly sent me a Maternity Support to try and I love it.  I feel supported! It makes my bump feel comfortable and secure.

The maternity support is just 1 product from Nexcare's range of antenatal & postnatal products, retailing for around £38 in Mothercare and Baby specialist stores.  You can't tell I'm wearing it and it doesn't dig in or scratch my skin.  I will most definitely wear it for my remaining weeks of pregnancy.

4. Emotions! Oh boy, I have a fair few days when I could just cry! I have no other explanation for this other than there are so many hormones flying around my body just now that sometimes they take over! My solution? Meet a friend for a play date, take Posey to the farm (she loves animals), get a nice hot drink and magazine, retail therapy or get my nails manicured! Simple things....

Here's to a healthy, ache-free last few weeks of pregnancy :)x

34 weeks pregnant!

Wow! So today I am 34 weeks pregnant! I can't quite believe how close the big day is getting but I sure am feeling pretty excited, and I do feel ready.  I think posey is excited but Buzz isn't quite ready...it will be a bolt out of the blue when things start to happen.  A lot of dads I know have been like this - they shut it out until they need to spring into action.  Not like us mums to be - we must be mentally & physically prepared!!

Today Buzz has taken Posey to the park & soft play.  He's had plenty of work functions and long days in the run up to Christmas so Posey and I have had lots of time with just the two of us.  Lovely of course, but pretty full on as she's now dropped her daytime nap and with my huge bump soft play isn't really for me just now!!

I saw my midwife last week & all seems well with the baby, thankfully.  She believes the baby is engaged though, so could arrive very soon or could stay put for a while yet.  Having had steroid injections at 30wks to help mature the baby's lungs, I feel ok about an early arrival as the neonatal-stay risk will be a little lower.  I gave my heart set on being in and out of hospital pretty quickly this time so things aren't too unsettled for Posey.

I feel good.  Between loo breaks, drinks, snacks, achy legs, baby kicking at night etc I squeeze in 7-8hrs of sleep each night, which is pretty amazing! I'm really on top of things at home & I've handed over my businesses it staff now so I'm getting plenty of chill out time.

My midwife dates calculated that Posey was born at 35+5 weeks but my IVF dates were 35+1 weeks.  Based on those latter dates if this one is as impatient as Posey I could be giving birth in 8 days time - what a happy new year that would be!!! Babies really do work to their own agenda.  I'm ready whenever she's ready to pop out.

x

My top nursery purchases

I think it's safe to say that kitting out a nursery second time around has been a lot more straightforward than when I was pregnant with Posey.

Being pregnant for the first time,  I felt excited but dumb-founded every time I went into a baby shop!  I just didn't know where to start.  Buzz and I were clueless!

There is a mass of useful information online and available through antenatal groups, such as NCT classes.  The best source of advice I found was experienced mums.  Mum friends who'd already had a baby or were on the second / third babies.  This time I pulled together a list of everything that worked well for Posey and I've bought it for the new baby.  She might be a completely different baby but at least I feel prepared!

So here are my best buys:

1. Bugaboo Bee.

Posey had an icandy peach.  I loved it and wouldn't have swapped it for the world for the first 9 mths but once I started using the microlite stroller for short trips I found the icandy heavy, bulky and a little awkward to keep in the car.  This time I wanted something that both the baby and Posey can use.  I wanted an adaptable, lightweight, stylish and easy to use travel system.

The great thing about the Bee is it ticks all of those boxes.  The baby's maxi cosi car seat can clip on the base with the pushchair seat still in place, rather than having to swap them.  The carrycot is a cocoon which lies flat in the pushchair seat, meaning no separate carrycot to store.  The idea Buzz and I have is that either the baby can be in her car seat or cocoon with Posey walking or on the buggy
 board, or Posey can be in the pushchair and the baby can be in the baby bjorn carrier.  Posey doesn't
use a pushchair much now so it felt silly buying a double.

We chose the Bugaboo Bee All Black special edition at £529, with off white accessories including cocoon, footmuff & parasol.  We also have a buggy board and maxi cosi adaptors so we can easily clip the baby's car seat onto the base.

2. Maxi Cosi Cabriofix and footmuff.

The baby is due on Feb 2, so it will be cold!! Mothercare ran a promotion recently and we got a free cabriofix car seat when we bought the Bugaboo.  It was great!  To save us flagging with snow suits and blankets depending on if we're inside or out we bought a footmuff that just unzips, keeping the baby either warm or cold.  I think it'll work really well.

3. Dr Browns feeding equipment.

Breast feeding didn't work out with Posey and I feel so scarred from it that this time my baby will be formula fed from the start.  I'd love to express too, but all of her milk will be bottle fed.

Buzz and I bought everything from Dr Browns! Their bottles were the only ones that agreed with Posey and stopped her being refluxy.  We found them after trying and giving up on Avent, Tommee Tippee, Medela and Mam bottles through wind-induced lack of sleep!

We have bought an electric steriliser, 12 feeding bottles (10 of which are special edition pink - yay!!), an electric bottle warmer and a selection of follow-on teats.

4.  Next Baby clothes.

I love shopping for baby clothes.  There are such gorgeous pieces in the shops, particularly in at he White Company, JoJo Maman Bebe and Le Petit Bateau.  Great for presents!  When buying for my own baby though, and knowing how many vests and sleep suits she'll rattle through on leaky nappy / sick / milk dribble days I wanted nice clothes that didn't cost me the earth.

I find that sizing is fairly inconsistent between stores and supermarket sizes can be huge! The baby clothes I have from Next though, are great-sized for birthweight, wash well, dry well, don't lose their shape and are stylish.  All of my new baby's clothes are from Next and I know they will be fab.

Note to friends - presents from TWC, JoJo & Le P Bateau though ;)x

5.  Bloom highchair.

I love them! They may cost £400 upwards but boy are they worth it! With the baby snug and 3 different recline positions you can use them from birth.  Posey has used hers every day from birth and is now 2 and 3mths.  I can't see her stopping using it any time soon.  She never resists it and refuses to give it to the baby! So we got another one....

The baby will have a white highchair and orange seat insert.  Her snug will go in the seat fully tilted backwards until she can sit unaided, at which point the tray will go on for her.  Having the Bloom Fresco Loft means she is at work top height in the kitchen rather than in a bouncer on the floor and she can sit with us at the breakfast bar.

What are your best baby buys?
x

Into Week 30 of pregnancy!

Firstly, it really has been a number of weeks since I last blogged, so apologies for the lack of updates! If you follow me on twitter you'll have seen a few snippets I'm sure.  It really has been manic recently!!!

Today I am 29 weeks pregnant! It's a great feeling and I'm immensely proud of my big bump (which actually measures a little on the large side but we won't worry about that just yet..)

My second trimester was pretty easy going.  I felt fortunate.  I had plenty of energy, ate well, Posey was well behaved and Buzz and I did lots of preparation getting the bedroom ready for our new baby girl.  In fact, right now the only remaining purchase is the isofix base for her car seat! We 've delayed that as I'm having a new car delivered this week and will pop into John Lewis for a fitting once it's here.

So it's been very busy preparing the baby's bedroom.  Many people have commented on how organised I've been with it.  The truth is I'm terrified of having another early birth so want to stay in control as far as possible!  I was also aware that once my third trimester started the tiredness, heartburn and patchy sleep at night could start at any time, and boy was I right! Now most things are done I am spending a considerably greater amount of time relaxing and enjoying me time.  Buzz is being great with Posey and I've cut my work commitments right back, including selling one of my three businesses.  I really want to look after myself and stay pregnant for as long as possible.  If the baby arrives early I don't want to feel as if me being super-busy and un-chilled out as contributed to it.  It's world prematurity day today and I remember vividly the emotions I went through when posey arrived early and spent time on SCBU.  It was tough and I don't want to be there again.

I started a pregnancy yoga class in October.  I love it!  I sleep like a log afterwards and I find it very very relaxing.  I'll keep going as long as I'm able to.  I'd totally recommend it.  I've been doing some gentle TRX and Pilates with my personal trainer too.  I'll do that after the birth as well.  Posey used to sleep in her car seat while I did it last time so hopefully this time I'll be able to do it again, while Posey is at preschool and the baby is asleep! Fingers crossed!

x

Ps. I shall blog more about family, The terrible-twos and my top nursery purchases very soon x

Almost 18 weeks :)

Wow, it feels like a long time since I've updated my blog, and I guess it has been a month so I'm right!

The last month has been pretty busy and very soon I'll be officially half way through my pregnancy, so time really is flying.  My energy is well and truly back, and I feel like I'm making the most of my 'nice' second trimester.  It really is true that you should aim to do whatever big things in your life you need to do during the second trimester, as the first and third can be pretty hard going.

At 16 weeks Buzz and I had an extra 'reassurance' scan at a local private clinic.  It was so lovely to see our little baby rolling around and kicking about on the screen.  Thankfully everything still looks ok! We also found out we are expecting a little girl!  It will be so nice for Posey to have a little sister :)

It was also Posey's birthday last week so we threw her a big Peppa Pig party with 25 of her friends and more soft play than you could imagine!  She had a great time.  I used to dream of being able to have big parties for my kids during those years when I wondered if it would ever happen.  I feel very very fortunate to be able to hold those parties now.

My third business has also taken off well, which I'm really round of.  I shall milk it as much as possible before taking a little time off in the new year as my due date approaches!

Another thing I've been doing is writing my list of baby purchases.  We pretty much gave away or sold everything we used when Posey was a baby as I felt like I needed closure in case we were never lucky enough to have another child.  So I'm getting pretty excited abut hitting John Lewis, JoJo Maman Bebe and Next to start buying for our baby.  We're having her bedroom decorated when I'm around 22 weeks so after that we'll buy the furniture, blind, curtains and everything else she'll need.  We're also having new carpets fitted when I'll be around 24 weeks so that will be nice!  I kind of feel like 34 weeks is 'time up' for 2 reasons.  Firstly, I'll be 34 wees at Christmas and it would be great to just focus on enjoying Christmas with Buzz and Posey rather than feel in a rush to get the baby's room ready.  Secondly, Posey arrived at 35 weeks so I'm terrified the new baby will be earlier!  So weeks 22-34 are going to be very busy with decorating, carpet fitting, baby buying and generally us getting ready!

Our next stop is my 20 week scan.  That is on September 18, so is not far away at all.  Fingers crossed everything with the baby will still look like it's developing well and we will get some more lovely pictures of our beautiful baby girl x

Second trimester here I come!

So today I am 13 weeks pregnant.  13 weeks and I'm still struggling to believe I'm fortunate enough for this to be happening to me again and also spending much of my time wondering if I really am pregnant or if it's a dream!

Last week Buzz and I went together for our 12 week scan.  We were pretty much straight in there (with a very full bladder...) so there wasn't much waiting around.  We saw our baby straight away on the monitor, moving and kicking around! We also saw the heartbeat and as I arched my hips so the sonographer could get a better view we saw 2 little legs & feet and two arms!  It amazed me this time (as it did last time) how much you can see on a little baby who measures little more than 12cm in length!  Our baby's face was very clear, we could see the nasal bone and we even got a little wave :)

Our baby is measuring bang on for dates, with a good heartbeat and the nuchal fold measurement was 1.6mm.  The sonographer told us that anything over 2.5mm would be a concern.  We have gone for the combined nuchal fold test this time so are currently awaiting the results of my blood tests in order for the midwives to work out our risk factor for Down's syndrome & other chromosomal abnormalities.  If we are a high risk, we will receive a phone call within 7 working days (we're now on day 5) and if we are lower risk they will write to us.  Hopefully we will receive a letter in the post and not a phone call.

Over the last week I've felt pretty good.  It was so nice to see our baby again and know that it's developing correctly.  We have told a number of our close friends & family this week that we are expecting a little brother or sister for Violet.  Everyone has been thrilled for us!  I have also done a little online shopping of the maternity ranges at Topshop and asos.com so I now have some lovely, comfy, fashionable clothes that will see me through this pregnancy.  I am loving my elasticated waistband jeans as my tummy seems to be getting bigger each day!

I have also launched my third business over the last week, which I'm really proud of.  Being at home being a mum and working as & when it suits me is definitely for me.

x

Hurray hurray! 12 weeks pregnant today!

Wowzers, I feel like I've reached a magical milestone today - the 12 week mark!

I feel very fortunate to have just written the above sentence as my twitter feed is currently littered with a lot of BFNs, news of miscarriage, girls not responding to IVF treatment and those waiting to start treatment.  Pregnancy really is a blessing and does not always come easily.

Today Buzz, Posey and I are just chilling at home.  It's the perfect family Sunday really as the weather is lovely and we can use the garden.  We have all the patio doors open at the back of the house so we can just potter around!

Tuesday is a big day as that's when Buzz and I have our 12 week scan to confirm dates and ensure the baby is developing correctly,  I have no reason to believe things aren't as they should be but naturally there's fear in my mind that something might not be right.  I have lots of things to keep me busy until Tuesday and then our scan is at 8.50am so will be here before I know it hopefully.

Tuesday is also Posey's first day at preschool.  She's now 23 months and is graduating from nursery to preschool at her current school.  She has to wear a uniform from now on! Scary stuff!  Hopefully she'll settle in well.  Lots of her friends are moving with her so she'll be with familiar faces.

I had to start taking Pregaday iron tablets this week as my iron levels were low.  I had been feeling very very tired and a little dizzy from time to time and now I feel much less so, so hopefully they ,ve made a good difference.  I have to take them until the baby arrives.

I'm also still taking my pregnacare supplements daily as well as my crinone progesterone pessaries each day.  I have to take my crinone each evening until I'm 13 weeks and then every 2 evenings until I'm 14 weeks.  By then the placenta will have taken over from the yolk sack and my body will no longer need the extra progesterone.  Much as it puts my mind at rest taking it at the moment, I'll be pleased to stop as it is a little yucky!!

Wish me luck for Tuesday x

11 weeks pregnant :)

Hurray hurray, just one more week until 'ok'! In theory....

I think you read a lot about how the first 12 weeks of pregnancy are the most critical and then after that, coupled with your 12 week scan, the risk of miscarriage reduces dramatically and it's kind of ok to start announcing your pregnancy to friends and colleagues.

Buzz and I announced my pregnancy with Posey when I was around 13 weeks and we'd had the results of our nuchal fold scan back, which gave us a low risk of Down's syndrome and other chromosomal abnormalities.  I already had a bit of a bump, and we felt we'd waited so long that it was finally OUR turn to announce our pregnancy.  What an amzing feeling that was!

On my 12 week scan I will actually be 12+2 and we will have our nuchal fold scan that day too.  I have a bump already! I'm naturally somewhere between a size 6-8 so being petite, my bump is quite obvious.  I've been hiding it with skinny jeans and loose fitting tops.  I'm looking forward to not having to do that for much longer!

Buzz and I have decided that we'll wait until we have our nuchal fold scan results again before we announce our current pregnancy. I imagine I'll be somewhere between 13-14 weeks by then so going into my second trimester.

So how am I feeling just now?

Bit mixed tbh.  At my booking appt when I was 9+3 they did standard blood tests and yesterday I received a letter in the post advising me to collect sme iron tablets from my maternity unit as I'm anaemic.  I felt like crying, like I'd let us down.  I took iron supplements through my pregnancy with Posey but not until around 20 weeks.  I've been feeling pretty exhausted again over the last 2 weeks and a little dizzy from time to time, so I guess that's explained by my iron deficiency.  I'm vegetarian, so although I take my pregnacare supplements, of course I don't get iron through meat.  While pregnant with Posey, I had regular nosebleeds too, and I had one 2 days ago, so perhaps they're going to feature in this pregnancy too!

Apart from that & some bloating (which I'm blaming on my crinone progesterone supplements) I'm ok! Enjoying being pregnant! Definitely looking forward to our 12 week scan next week too.

x

10 weeks pregnant :)

Yay! So today is officially the day when our embryo turns into a foetus! We're also 25% of the way through my pregnancy.  How time flies.

I'm feeling pretty good just now.  I'm exhausted by 9.30pm but I have my energy back during the day and my nausea seems to have passed.  Hopefully it'll stay that way.  I've been enjoying lots of time outside with Posey in the sunshine over the last week but I'm having to wear as high a factor as her as my skin seems very sensitive to the sun.  I'm drinking loads and loads of water too to keep me hydrated.

Buzz and I went to our booking appointment this week too.  It was all fairly straightforward but the hospital have put me under consultant care this time rather than sole midwife-care as Posey arrived prematurely.  I feel ok about it as I am terrified this baby will arrive early too, so the more care I get, the better.

My 12 week scan is booked for 23 July, which is a little over 2 weeks away.  I'll be 12+2 that day.  As I'll be 36 when the new baby arrives we have opted to have the nuchal fold scan as well as the dating scan.  The nuchal fold scan assesses the likelihood of our baby having downs syndrome as well as other chromosome-related conditions. We had the nuchal fold scan when I was pregnant with Posey too and the odds came back as a 55,000:1 chance of her having a condition, which was considered very low risk.

So for the next 2 weeks I will continue to look after myself and enjoy my pregnancy.  I'm eating well,  sleeping well and feeling pretty ok.  I feel fortunate, very fortunate.  Buzz, Posey and I are off to Norfolk for a little holiday tomorrow to recharge our batteries.  The weather is forecast to be lovely and sunny all week!

x

9 weeks pregnant and loving it x

Hurray hurray! The nausea and tiredness seem to have passed (for now..) and I'm feeling pretty good.  Today I am 9 weeks and 1 day pregnant with my second baby.  The 2 weeks since my viability scan seem to have flown by and I'm looking forward to the weeks ahead.  Buzz, Posey and I have a lot to look forward to.

Our booking appointment is in 2 days time.  This will be the first time we've seen a midwife this pregnancy.  The booking appointment is to confirm my pregnancy dates details, talk through my health and my previous pregnancy so we can plan the care I'll receive during this pregnancy.  Given Posey was a preemie I'm keen to keep my community midwife close.  The booking appointment feels like yet another milestone and I felt quite emotional when I received the letter with our appointment.

Next week the 3 of us are heading to a holiday cottage in Suffolk for 5 days.  We're really looking forward to it as the last few months have been tough at times.  It's only about 90 mins drive from us so perfect for Posey to have her nap in the car!

I am also looking forward to launching my third business venture on our return from holiday.  I've worked really hard on it and am proud of it.

It's Posey's birthday soon too so Buzz and I have been busy planning her party!  Very exciting but I can't quite believe she's about to turn 2. Time flies way too fast!

x