Our Family Christmas Tree 2016

This is our Christmas tree this year. We decided to use our white tree from last year and have a gold, silver, and black them.

Now, I know what you're thinking. It's only November and we already have the decorations up? Last year we did the decorations on 8th November and this year we decided to do the same. I absolutely love Christmas and the sooner I can do the Christmas decorations, the better. I'm the sort of person that loves Christmas and Bonfire Night but as long as both festive dates are over, I get too impatient about putting the decorations up and buying all the presents. I also have a problem with buying presents and being unable to leave them unwrapped for over 2 days in a row.

We also have a new addition to our little family this year, our little son that will be just over 3 months when Christmas come around this year so having him put his special bauble up on the Christmas tree was something we just couldn't wait to witness and film.

Ways To Help Your Newborn Baby with Tummy Pains

So, as a first time mom I always worried what it would be like when my baby started to have tummy pains. For the first few weeks, my baby had no pains whatsoever... then all of a sudden, one night, there they were.

Here, I have a list of ways I found to best help my newborn baby with his tummy pains.

Infacol
Infacol is a liquid you can give your child orally from birth on wards (always check age on package to ensure you are purchasing the correct one for your child's age). My baby went a few days with tummy pains and being unable to poo, so I spoke to a mommy friend and she suggested to try this product. I popped to Savers (shop available in UK) and purchased a 50ml bottle for under £3. The dosage is 0.5ml (basically the whole syringe thing that comes with it) before each feed. So, you basically have enough for 100 uses. The first time I gave my baby this, he loved the taste because it pretty much tastes and smells of Calpol (orange) so even if your baby is crying, they will stop for a little bit when you give them this, just in time for you to get that cap of the bottle or your breast ready to feed him/her. My little boy hadn't pooped in 2-3 days and pretty much exploded with poop within 5 minutes of taking it. I have been giving it to him ever since and he goes once a day now, which really helps with his tummy because he was going every couple of days before.

Massage your baby's tummy and back with baby oil
My little boy usually starts getting tummy pains when he has gone over 24 hours without pooping, so as soon as he starts getting uncomfortable, I warm up my hands so they aren't cold and I massage his tummy and bottom of his back with baby oil. Doing this really helped, it didn't make the tummy pains go away but it did ease them enough for him to be able to get a few hours sleep here and there before they came back again.

Gently massaging your baby's tummy while holding them with their tummy downwards
Another thing that I noticed helped him loads was gently massaging my baby's tummy while holding him with this tummy downwards with one arm supporting him and the other gently massaging him lower tummy. Once again, this didn't make the pains go away completely but it did ease them off enough for him to sleep and be a little more comfortable.

These are the ways I use to help my little boy with his pains but what ways are your favorite and do you find most effective? Let me know in the comments or write a blog post yourself and send the link to our Twitter ( @asboe_blog) with the hashtag #mommyblog.

My Little Boy's Progress | Week 6

My little boy is 6 weeks old now. He is so much more alert and also smiles and giggles now. He loves looking at the Christmas decorations we have decided to put up early. 

Baby J was meant to have his 6 week check with the doctor this week but our surgery had to cancel so we will have to wait for an appointment when he is 7 weeks. But I will let you know what happens at the 6 week check so you know what to expect if you have to take your little ones to theirs.

Baby J is now having 5 ounces (150ml) of formula milk at a time, at around 3-4 hour intervals unless we take him out to the shops in this pushchair, then he will sleep and literally only wake up for a feed whenever we get home again. 

We came across his first set of tummy pains this week. Baby J couldn't go for a poo for a few days in a row (probably because of formula) so we went out and bought him some Infacol which was just under £3 from Savers but I'm pretty sure Superdrug and Tesco/Asda sells it too. It's meant to help with wind, colic and gripping pain. Pretty sure it has done its job right because he has been a lot more happy and relieved since we started giving it to him.

After First Birth | Week 2

This week has been full of pain. Even though my stitches are meant to have gone by now, they are still there and are becoming swollen due to taking longer. So, I'm back on to the mighty antibiotics. These ones seem to be quite strong because my stomach is sort of rejecting them which is causing me a lot of pain and making it difficult to even keep food inside me for long.

I'm still finding it very difficult to lay down in certain positions, sit in certain ways but walking is a completely different story. I actually feel like walking is helping me move better in some way, but obviously only when I'm holding onto the baby pushchair because if I fully stand straight, it's super uncomfortable to walk properly. 

This week has been super exciting. Even though I'm still feeling a little overwhelmed by the pressure everyone around me seems to be putting on to me, seeing that our baby is doing so well is really making me happy. I think being a new parent can be overwhelming to anyone because it's a big change in your life. But it's a really good one. 

I am super excited for Christmas with our little one already. But, what do you even get a 3 month old for Christmas? 

My Little Boy's Progress | Week 2

Week 2 has been rather eventful. Our little boy has now been registered and has a birth certificate. He has had his checks done by the midwives and health visitor and is doing great.

We have realised we hate using all the sterilisers we have so we have decided to just get a deep box, put water in it and chuck the needed sterilising tablets in order to sterilise his things. A lot easier... The microwave steriliser can go away and never come back.

Baby J is now sleeping 3 hours at a time at night, sometimes goes as far as 3 hours and 30 minutes. Which is always good because he's more alert during the day if he sleeping 3 hours and 30 minutes at a time at night. He's also starting to look more towards people when he hears people talking to him.

All baby's lose weight after they are born, it's okay for them to lose up to 10% of their birth weight. Baby J only lost 2% of his birth weight which is great. The midwife came over to our house and also took a few drips of blood from his foot, which he really did not enjoy at all.

I am super excited for him to start reaching his little milestones and recording them all in some way or other.

Have your little one's started to reach any milestones? Are you recording them in any special way? Let me know in the comments section. Let's share stories and ideas.

After First Birth | Week 1

This first week was actually full of emotions. Full  of excitement, happiness, love, but also full of fear and doubts.

Baby and I were meant to stay in hospital for 48 hours after birth but due to things going so well and baby doing great, we were allowed to go home 24 hours after birth instead. I was so relieved when the doctor said we were allowed to go home early because I really wasn't liking it there and I don't think my little boy was either. I will let you know why in a future post.

Due to my stitches, I have been very limited to what I can and can't do. I have to take my time to stand up due to the amount of pain I have been in and I also struggle to walk and move. This has resulted in my partner having to change baby most of the time and bring baby to me so that I can feed him.

For some reason, baby wouldn't latch on to my breasts so I am unable to breastfeed him. This really got to me because I really wanted to breastfeed and as I was told by the nurses that breast milk is very important for the baby, we all want what is best for our babies. But my little boy was getting very stressed from the nurses trying to get him to latch on to my breast to the point he would cry so much he would be sick so I decided it was time to move him on to formula. What's important is that your baby is being fed. Maybe breast is better but formula is good too, as long as your baby is getting fed that's all that should matter. But I know this gets to a lot of first time mums just like it did to me.

Like I said, this first week was full of happiness, love and excitement. However, it was also very overwhelming. Having a baby isn't what was overwhelming for me. What was overwhelming for me was the amount of pressure everyone puts on to you. Always looking at what you're doing. Almost like they are always looking to find something to judge you upon. It can put a lot of pressure on to you. Even though all the advice is lovely and people may even have the best intentions in giving you that advice, it can also hurt you a little. It can make you feel like people are doubting your abilities as a parent and doubt that you know what you're doing. Truth is, sometimes it's best to let a new parent to learn for themselves. Or even better, give them advice, help them but don't nag them every few minutes with what they do or don't do. The first few weeks are made for learning.

Anyways, at this point, I haven't done much on the recovering side yet. The recovery seems to be going very slowly. But at least baby is doing great and enjoying his first week out in the World.

How was your first week after giving birth? Was it your first baby? How did you feel and how was your recovery? Reply in the comments section. I would love to hear about how your first week was, how you felt, what you learned and how your recovery has been.

My Little Boy's Progress | Week 1

Being able to take your newborn baby home truly feels amazing but can be so scary at the same time. Like, am I going to know what to do? What if he starts crying and I do everything I can but nothing works?

I did too much overthinking at the hospital before coming home. It's nowhere near as scary as I thought I would be. If there is something wrong or your baby is uncomfortable, hungry or needs his nappy changed, he will let you know. Even though it is best to change him before he starts crying about it to let you know but the good news is that you will get the hang of things.

My little boys's first week has been very eventful. Everyone wants to meet him, family are loving meeting him and he is loving everyone's cuddles. 

For this first week, we didn't use any lotions or baby wipes. Most baby's get very dry skin for the first week, we were told not to use any baby oils as the skin is still very sensitive so we used some some olive oil on a cotton pad. 

We had to buy a room thermometer and baby thermometer. Baby's bodies are unable to fully control their temperature so it's very important that we keep an eye on it and try to balance if needed. 

Even though he is only a week old, he already tries to lift his head to look at us and to look around the room. At this point, it is still safe for us to change him on his changing unit because he is still unable to roll over and is only able to slowly turn his head from side to side, but when he starts trying to roll over, we will have to start changing him on a nappy mat on the floor so he's safe from falling from a high surface.

My little boy didn't like Cow and Gate and he also didn't like SMA milk so we tried Aptamil and it was third time lucky, He fed straight away and loved it so that's the milk we have stuck with. He has been feeding 2-3 ounces (60ml-90ml), every 2-3 hours. 

He already tries to grab our fingers. I was unable to breastfeed him so he grabs our fingers while we are bottle feeding him. Which by the way, is super adorable.

So, tell me. How was your baby's first week? Did they reach any little milestones? Let me know in the comments section. I would love to hear about your little one's progress.

Best Mobile App For A New Parent

We all know that having a newborn is hard work and it's hard to stay on top of everything to do with your child, especially in the first few weeks.

As soon as my little boy was born, I started searching for an app that would help me keep organised and monitor how he is doing. After looking into the apps, I literally found the perfect app.

It's called 'Glow Baby'. I use this app to ask other parents questions and for advice if I have any doubts or concerns. But the features I use most on this app have to be the section that lets you record what time your baby feeds and how much they feed so you know how often they are feeding, how much and when the next feed is estimated for if your baby is already having feeds with similar intervals. The same comes to their toilet business... The app lets you also record when your baby pees and poos and what colour and texture their poo is. If the app finds anything to be concerned about, it will let you know. It will always keep you updated with what to expect from your baby for the week and when your baby may hit certain milestones.

I highly recommend this app, especially if you're a first time parent. It doesn't matter if you're a mum or a dad because this app is for everyone to make the most of.

Have you tried this app? How much would you rate it out of 10? Are you going to try it? Let me know your thoughts and opinions in the comments section. I would love to hear what you have got to say.

Dealing With A Third Degree Tear

The title of this post pretty much sums it all up.
When I gave birth, I had a third degree tear that needed stitches. I couldn't find anything online to give me advice on how to deal with it so here is my advice from my own experience.

• Keep maternity towels on you at all times. Not only will you be bleeding anyway, I felt that have the area in contact with a maternity towel instead of just underwear was a lot more comfortable.
• Sitting down will be a struggle so always have a pillow to sit on to make things a little easier.
• Don't be scared to poop. It won't hurt, it will only sting a little. Put your feet on a box to help things run smoothly so you don't have to push. Relax, go on your phone and have the tap running. Don't ask me why the tap, I don't know, I just know it somehow helps.
• If peeing stings for you, pour some slightly warm water to the area while you pee. It will soothe the area a little and make it more comfortable for you.
• If you feel that the area has been sore for too long and you don't feel things are getting better within a week or two, don't be scared to call your midwife. That's what they are there for. It could be a sign of infection so it's important you look into it. 
• Also, if you accidentally push when you poo the first few times, don't panic. Your stitches will not rip apart. 
• Take some paracetamol to help with the pain, especially if you are going to be doing some walking. This can help for the first week or so. If you have an infection you may need to have stronger painkillers but always remember to contact your GP first.
• Don't force yourself to do too much. If people offer you help, take as much of it as you can. 
• Don't be afraid to tell your partner "no". You just had a baby and had to be stitched up. Even though some people heal fast, you're likely to not be ready for a while. That's perfectly normal. Don't stress out about it, things will get there.

I hope this helps you, ladies. At the end of the day, your body just went through something pretty big. It's normal for it to take a while before you feel like yourself again. 

Have you had a tear? What advice would you give? I would love to hear your advice on the subject and your previous experiences.

My Birth Story : Baby Jayson (first baby)

Before I start, let me just tell you that for 9 months, everyone told me how bad child birth is and pretty much tried to scare me about it all the time... But from my experience, it's really not as bad as people make it out to be. Just like people will scare you about taking care of a baby and it's actually not that bad either, but that's a subject for a different blog post.

So, today, I'm telling you ladies about my birth story in the hope it will make some of you soon-to-be mummies feel at least a little more relaxed about giving birth. I sure know I could have done with reading a nice birth story instead of all those scary ones that made me panic for 9 months.

I found out I was pregnant in early 2016, meaning that my baby boy was due to be born on 11th September... However, he was 3 days late. My contractions started 36 hours before I actually went into hospital. I couldn't sleep and I pretty much had no appetite for those 36 hours. I was always in contact with the midwives at the Delivery Suite of my local hospital throughout those 36 hours, once the contractions became 5 minutes apart, I was finally told to make my way to the hospital. By this point, I was stressing out making sure I had everything in my maternity bag but soon enough, we were out of the house.

I was given my own room as soon as we got to the Delivery Suite... Let me tell you though, it was absolutely freezing in there. I was assigned a midwife that literally stayed with me throughout the whole day, she kept checking my blood pressure and keeping on top of my anti biotics (I had Group B Strep so I had to be on anti biotics throughout labor to reduce the risks of baby getting it during labor).

14th September 2016

6am-------- We arrived at the hospital, I got changed, laid on the bed and was finally allowed gas and air. The gas and air helped a lot with the pains. It did make me super dozed out, and it was hard to pay attention after a few puffs (towards the end of each contraction) but that was good because it allowed me to sleep for a few minutes here and there. I was 4cm (or 5cm I can't remember) dilated when we got to the hospital.

9am-------- I was given my first dose of anti biotics due to Group B Strep. These were given to me through a tube that they put through the veins in my hand (may sound stupid but the pain of this tube in my hand was worse than the contractions and actual labor pain). I was 6cm dilated by this point.

12pm-1pm------- My partner literally went out for 15 minutes to get something to eat and by the time he came back, I was fully dilated and begging for the epidural (I was the one that always said I would do everything naturally with just gas and air... hahaha... NO). I was always super scared of the epidural but it's the best thing ever. I had no pain at all when they put the epidural in, the doctor that did it was super nice as well which made things better and more relaxing. Soon enough, I couldn't feel anything and kept peeing myself through a catheter.

3.30pm------- Once again exciting things only happen when my partner was out of the room. He went out to go and get his mother and sister to see me for 5 minutes and by the time they all came back, the midwife had broken my waters with a little hook (didn't hurt or anything but was the weirdest sensation ever, like a water balloon just popped in there and gushing out like a pierced paddling pool). By this point, the midwife told me we would start pushing in the next hour.

4.15pm------ My body got impatient so I started pushing. Never did I think hearing someone say ''I can see a head down here'' would be so relieving yet, panicking.

4.30pm----- The midwife asked a second midwife to come in the room for assistance. I was given a handle on each side of the bed to hold on to while pushing (probably so I wouldn't break my partner's hand).

4.50pm----- The final two pushes were the worst... I wouldn't say painful but quite sore. The last push for the head to come out was the sorest for me (but that might be because I pushed a head and a hand out at the same time... Guess I won't know until next time). The only push to get the body out was more effortless even though still sore, but sooooooo relieving.

4.52pm----- And finally our little boy was finally here.

They put my little boy straight on to me and my partner cut the cord while he was still on top of me. Also, while he was on my chest, the midwife injected something into my thigh for me to deliver the placenta. The delivery of the placenta is something I can't explain, words can't really describe it, it's just super strange.

Shortly after that I had to go into theater to be sewn up because I had a third degree tear. All the surgeons that were in the room were super lovely. As soon as I was told I had a tear and needed stitches I felt super nervous, and as soon as I went into theater and saw 6 young male surgeons waiting for me, I got really anxious and embarrassed and what not... But only for 5 minutes. The surgeons were all having a laugh and trying to make me laugh through the whole thing. I had one surgeon stitching me with the assistance of a few others and I had one at my head talking to me the whole time so I wouldn't pay attention to what was happening down there. I was in theater for about 30 minutes and then was sent to a recovery room for 20 minutes with a doctor in there that kept checking my blood pressure and the feeling in my legs.

After that, I was able to go back to the room I gave birth in, my partner was still in there with our little boy and then I was taken on to the ward with other mums and babies in there. It was surprisingly quiet.

Like I said at the beginning, people always tried to put me off about the whole birthing scene but it wasn't so bad. In fact, it was a lot better than I imagine. In my head, I was thinking that if I wanted the epidural it wouldn't work and if I needed stitches it would be scary and painful and it was nothing like that, but I based it on what everyone around me told me and things I read on online forums. People always said ''once you have the first one, labor will put you off it so much that you won't want another one) but for me that really isn't the case. Giving birth was amazing and it certainly did not put me off wanting more children, in fact, it was so much better than what I expected that it actually did the opposite of putting me off. Either way, next time I can base my thoughts on my own experience and not what everyone else tells me.

So, if you're pregnant and panicking about giving birth or even if you're thinking about trying for a baby but are too scared because of everything you have heard about labor, I hope this post helps you.