Thursday 29 March 2018

Excess Baggage!


This one’s for the Mummas, Mummas... I’m sorry Ms Jackson... I am for realllllll... Never meant to NOT pack my bag.. ooooooooo !!!
Comment below if you get the reference above LOL


After reflecting on my pregnancy journey you can understand when I say I really left the packing of my maternity bag to the last minute. I remember dashing around Westfield; running around Boots and Primark, well tryingggg to run, just to make sure I had everything I needed. Honestly, packing my hospital bag was very overwhelming, of course me waiting to the last minute to shop was counterproductive. It looked like I was going on vacation lol, my bag was so big, I’m sure it could have passed for a suitcase. If I could press rewind I would definitely avoid packing too much because finding what I needed,  when I needed it, was a mission.

How can you be smart and avoid this mistake?
I suggest packing earlier than you think you should  and with the help of a friend, your partner or even a family member. This will give you more time and as the saying goes “many hands make light work”. It should then, not be as overwhelming and your helper can also assist you to identify when you are going overboard with packing your hospital bag.

Alternatively, you can slowly place a few new items into your bag with each passing day or week. For those who read my special delivery blog post, you already know that I would suggest that your bag be packed by the 7th month of your pregnancy journey. I packed for myself, my baby and my birthing partner. Ensuring I had enough stuff for during labour and after labour.

Packing your hospital bag is all about striking a balance with everything. Keep in mind that you may need to pack a few extras, unless you have someone who can collect a few bits from your home and drop them to you. Me, for example, I struggled with breastfeeding, it was a real challenge getting him to latch on to my nipple and so I had to stay in the hospital for longer than planned. I also was a young mum who they felt needed extra support with my baby (this is never a bad thing, I was glad for the extra support).  

Today's blog is about what I would suggest are the essentials you need in your bag:
15 Items for Mumma bear!
  1. Maternity notes.
  2. Maternity pads x60 (2 packets) keep some at home for your return.
  3. Black underwear x12.
  4. Warm socks I don't know but my feet were freezing after birth x5.
  5. Maternity bras/ nursing bras/ sports bras x3.
  6. Breast pads if your planning to breastfeed x20-30.
  7. Nightie or nursing PJ (breast feeding accessibility if needed).
  8. Towel.
  9. Dressing gown.
  10. Slippers and shower flip flops.
  11. Wash rag/ flannel.
  12. Maternity swimwear ( for water birth)
  13. Toiletries- toothbrush, toothpaste, shower gel, cream, deodorant, hair brush, hair band.
  14. Car seat.
  15. Loose and comfortable clothing to go home in.

10 Items for baby bear!
  1. Baby hat.
  2. 30 nappies. (1 packet)
  3. Baby towel.
  4. Baby socks.
  5. Baby blanket.
  6. Baby vest x7.
  7. Baby grows x5.
  8. Baby bibs/ or muslings x3.
  9. Cotton wool pads/ newborn wipes (unscented).
  10. Baby formula and baby bottle (in case breast feeding does not go to plan).
5 Item for your birthing partner!
  1. PJ.
  2. Toothbrush.
  3. Underwear.
  4. Towel.
  5. Slippers/ flip flops.

10 Entertainment / snacks!
  1. Water.
  2. Crisps.
  3. Energy drinks.
  4. Water based fruits ( watermelon, grapes)
  5. Camera.
  6. Chargers.
  7. Book/ kindle.
  8. Phone/ Tablet.
  9. Music- phone/ tablet/ i-pod and portable speaker.
  10. Cash for car park /bank card

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Thursday 22 March 2018

Roller Coaster


What a holiday!

I need to keep things real with you guys so lets rewind back to when I was pregnant. The memories of being pregnant are somewhat mixed between joy, fear, happiness, tears and definitely excitement. Ohhhhh I forgot to mention Sickness!

I remember going on a family holiday just after I had found out I was pregnant. I was so excited because I had not been abroad in years and this was my first time visiting Turkey. On my arrival to Turkey I was mesmerised by the views. We stayed in a city called Antalya, every hotel I passed looked like a royal palace. It was beautiful, the people were very warm and friendly, the air was so fresh and clean. Unbeknown to me, my excited bubble would be popped by this “wonderful” thing called morning sickness.

Now please can you help me by telling me who had the bright idea to name it “morning sickness”. Me? I have no idea whatsoever, all I know is that there’s definitely nothing morning about it. I was sick morning, afternoon, evening and night. I was constantly nauseous!

If you know me, I am all for being positive and staying positive but let me be honest and say positivity was not cutting it for me. Picture positivity here...and on the other side of the spectrum far, far, far, away was me at this stage. I was either lying on the floor of my hotel bathroom or puking in my bedside bins.

I had reached a point where I could not eat or drink anything whist on holiday. This negatively affected my holiday experience as a whole because all I could physically do was sunbathe. I felt absolutely terrible but I still had to put on a brave face, smile and pretend to the world that I was 100% okay. Bet you are wondering why I had to pretend... well, this was in the early stages of my pregnancy, let's say a couple of weeks so I was trying my hardest to keep it hush hush. I guess I did a good job even though I probably came across a tad bit grumpy or boring to my family/friends on holiday.

If you are pregnant right now you might be able to relate to my experience. If you know someone that is pregnant you’ve probably experienced the heat of their fiery words and emotional tantrums as well as their weird cravings. So thankfully upon my return to the UK my doctor had a life saving solution. He prescribed me anti-sickness tablets and signed me off from work for a week.

Bet some of you thought “ohhh what great news” but as some of you already know I struggle to swallow tablets. I struggled to keep them down but after day 4 of taking these sickness tablets. I felt better and so I stopped taking them.

5 things I wish I knew whilst on holiday;

1. Avoid strong smells- perfumes, cleaning products, cooking of foods. When you are pregnant your nose becomes your enemy so try to stay away from smells which trigger you to feel nauseous.

2. Find ginger - Raw ginger, ginger sweets, ginger tea...Everything and anything ginger. When back in London a friend suggested I try out these ginger sweets. I did and they were magic. I purchased mine from Holland and Barretts.

3. Eat water based fruits- watermelon, grapes, pineapple. I struggled with drinking water so it was very important for me to eat water based fruits.

4. Ice- chewing on ice chunks, crushed ice and slush puppies. Slush puppies are not the healthiest option but it help me. After work, without fail I would rush to Joe Delucci's in Westfield and order myself a large slush-puppie and I would instantly feel better.

5. Eat little but often- I mean very little even if its a few bites of some dry bread or crackers. It is better than nothing and believe it or not an empty stomach can make it worse because of the acid that builds up in your stomach.

But remember morning sickness is never the same for everyone. I would love to encourage those currently going through "morning sickness" to remember just like labour the pain does go away [Check out my blog post Special Delivery, if you haven’t already]. Before you know it, you will be holding your cutie pie.

To our supporting friends and family please don't judge our weird habits, unique craving and nauseousness.


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Thursday 8 March 2018

Special Delivery

"Sometimes happiness is a feeling sometimes happiness is a decision" 
-unknown 



My happiness started with a decision! 
I went into labour Saturday night but I was not even sure if I was in labour. I suddenly screamed "ouch" what's that? to my mate, she was like your probably in labour. So I called the hospital they said that I should time my contraction and come in if the pain gets unbearable. So I went into hospital around 4am and the midwife wanted to give me strong painkillers. I told the midwife I could not swallow tablets, but she insisted I tried. So I attempted to swallow the 2 tablets. Oh guess what happened, I instantly vomited everywhere, even on my midwife. So yes I felt sorry for her but I did say. My midwife started gagging and ran out of the room and puked. She said "I can handle blood, but I can't handle puke" LOL (Laugh Out Loud).

Next my cervix was measured and this was soooo painful. My cervix was 1cm dilated and I needed to be 4cm dilated to stay in the hospital's birthing ward, so I was sent home. Sunday at around 12pm I woke up and I literally felt as if I was dying. I called my sons dad but he was at work, I called my aunt who was my other birth partner and she was travelling out of London. I thought to myself "What!!! ooh no this could not be happening". But she told me not to worry, said she'll turn back and come to pick me up.  We got to the hospital at about 4pm my aunt was very fast but at this point I was only 3cm dilated. I was in agony climbing up walls (not literally), the pain was so severe words really can't describe the feeling. The midwife suggested to either go home to rest or go for a long walk. 

OHH MY GOSH !
For real guys,I could barely stand up. But regardless I was told by my midwife and my aunt that I was handling the pain very well. Come to think of it, compared to other mums, I couldn't disagree because there were a few other women in labour and they were screaming and crying, I felt their pain. 

Long story short my aunt and I decided to go home. On the way out of Homerton hospital we bumped into these five ladies (church Aunties I would say). They were dressed in all white from head to toe. The ladies were asking me questions but I was definitely on another planet, so my aunt was replying for me. We did not even know them but they wanted to pray for me. I found this so cute. 
Considering we both believed in God my aunt said "yeah sure". Now they all gathered around me, laying their hands on me. Keep in mind this was right at the hospital exit. 

When I tell you, I jumped out of my skin LOL. The ladies shouted at the top of their lungs "in the name of Jesus this girl will give birth today! Her water will break today! She will have a safe delivery today! She will deliver a healthy baby today!" The other four ladies kept repeating "Amen, Amen, Amen!" in agreement. This was an incredible experience, everyone was just staring at me. I then said thanks and after that the wonderful, loving ladies disappeared. Like all of them gone, not behind me, not in front of me, nowhere to be found

My aunt left me to go bring the car round. I sat in the hospital Costa and waited and  KID YOU NOT! A couple moments later my water broke. A man next to me started busting up laughing. I was sooo embarrassed, another man asked me if he should go get my aunt who just walked out. My aunt came rushing back with a wheelchair she grabbed by the entrance. Best believe I slid out of the chair, it made me feel sick. As I stood up the same guy, started cracking up. He was really annoying but personally looking back, I do not think he was mentally okay.

Moving on, I get back up to the delivery suite and they finally let me stay as I was 4cm now. As soon as my midwife came in I asked for the gas and air, I remember inhaling it deeply till I passed out (this may be in my head but after each inhale I blacked out and was laughing). The gas and air was the best thing ever, it got rid of my pain instantly. About six minutes later I began screaming "I need to push, I need to push" the midwife was like no, no, not yet your only 4cm. She began to set the water as I had planned to have a water birth. 

Then his dad walks in, he walked across to my bed side that was free but he stopped "Oh wow, "I can see his hair" was his first words. The midwife said "WHAT! okay Britney slow down your going to fast". Man she was lovely but right then and there I wanted to slap her LOOOOOOL. With three pushes he came out. They put him on me and I cried get him of me. Honestly I don't remember why but Jeremiah was probably like "why is she sending me away? I'll show her" LOL. Guys he urinated on me. But after he was all cleaned up, I could not put him down.

I can truly say I experienced true happiness.This was my labour story. At the time I definitely didn't see the humour but now I can laugh. 

Three tips I would leave with expectant mothers are:
1. Make sure your hospital bag is packed by at least your 7th month of pregnancy (no harm in being early).
2. Stay local to your hospital area, nearer the end
3. Always go with your instincts, no body knows your body like you do.
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