Week 32 -Baby bonding, bath time and the Blorenge

Week 32 – 27/02/16

It’s been a mostly good week hanging out with my favourite little guy, though we are missing Jon lots as he has been working really hard for us all on our cottage renovations and at his day job all week long so we haven’t seen him much at all. It can be quite lonely and tough being a parent sometimes, especially when you are doing most of it alone because one of you has to work (and build us a home!). I feel like this week was a big challenge for me to get through it on my own and I really missed having my partner, my hubby and my best friend by my side. And I know he missed being with us a lot too. Hopefully though, we won’t have to be doing this for much longer as the cottage is really taking shape and it feels like we will actually be able to live there soon enough, all thanks to my amazing husband and Pads incredible dad. We love you J-dad! What a fab role model he is to our son, proving that hard work, dedication and perseverance can get you to where you want to be, though the process may be slow and bumpy, it will all be so worth it in the end.

Anyway, here’s what Pads and I got up to in week 32.

1. The cat woman leg lunge.

Forget rolling and crawling and yoga push ups and trying to pull himself up on things. We have a new move that trumps them all. It is an awesome super hero pose that Pads has taken to doing whenever he is crawling around the floor now. He’ll pause to play with something, look at or scratch the floor or just figure out his next route and stick one leg fully out to the side, superhero lunge style and keep the other bent in, as if ready to pounce, a la cat woman. He has very good balance and really styles it out. Excellent signature move Padster.

2. Sleep….

We are by no means consistent here and have had as many downs as ups this week, but we have had a couple of nights where Pads has ‘slept through’ – so 5-5.5 hours straight and one night of 4 hours in a block. Perhaps because he can now finally crawl and is getting to grips with his mobility and more control over his body, he is waking up less by bumping into the cot than before, however he is still waking quite a few times a night by just rolling onto his front seemingly in his sleep and then perhaps being confused or frightened as to how he got there and crying out unable to figure out how to get back to lying down and asleep, though he does know how to do it, it’s as if he just can’t remember in a sleep daze. One friend suggested it might be because he hasn’t got as good a grip on his movement when in his sleeping bag, but that this should improve with practice, as her boys did the same thing and now don’t. Here’s hoping!

On the flip side to actually getting a few hours sleep a night, as opposed to a few hours sleep a week for a change, we have also had 3 nights in a row where he kept waking and would only settle back to sleep with some boob, and only after absolutely ages feeding/suckling. If I tried to take him off when he first fell asleep and started just suckling, he woke up, started to cry and stretched out both arms to pull my boob back in. It’s as if he just wants the comfort again all of a sudden, rather than necessarily being hungry each time and he won’t go back to sleep by any other means, so I have just been giving him what he wants. After all, that’s my job to comfort him and help him so I am not going to deny him the basics despite what the ‘don’t feed him to sleep’/’you’re just being a mummy dummy’ police may think.

I wonder if he is teething again as now his bottom 2 teeth have poked through, he keeps grabbing at his upper and back gums and making a gurn face so it could be more teething pain bless the little tyke. Or a growth spurt? Or perhaps he just wants his mummy at the moment because his world has recently just got so much bigger with the crawling and developing at the rate of knots.

I will take a few nights of some actual decent sleep and then a few shitty ones though, it’s a definite improvement on the past few months.

**After writing this, last night was one of his worst ever. Between 7.45pm when he first dropped off until 3.30am, he only slept for 3.5 hours in broken fragments of blurry sleep mixed with cries and feeds and desperate rocking, sshing and singing by me. He kept falling asleep but fighting it for some reason and refusing to be put down in his cot at all. I came very close to reaching for a dummy at one point which we have still never used, and I almost got up and put us both in the car as I thought a drive might get him to sleep but just didn’t have the energy for that in the end.

I managed half an hour of sleep in that time frame so needless to say I, and Pads, were fried the next day. (He did then sleep from 3.30am-6am with only one wake up that a quick feed sorted out, but we were both so beyond tired by this point it felt like the kind of sleep you get when really drunk, i.e shit). I seriously hope that was a one off as one more of those nights and I reckon I’m done in.

3. The weaning games.

The oaty milk I started him on last week to add to his porridge, Ready Brek and to use in cooked dishes has so far been a real success. He hasn’t been sick on it at all and it tastes lovely in everything I have made with it so far so we are firm oat milk believers in this house now!

I made a lovely baby friendly golden fish pie with cod, parsley, oaty milk and a potato, sweet potato and butternut squash topping with a grating of cheddar on top last weekend. It was pretty delicious I have to say and I couldn’t wait for Pads to try it. However…it got left out of the fridge overnight (not by me I hasten to add!), as it had been too hot to put in when I went to bed with Pads for the night so alas my beautiful labour of love wasn’t safe for Pads to eat the next day as I didn’t want to take any chances with food safety and a baby. It was quite upsetting as I had put a lot of time and effort into it and was really excited to see him try one of my favourite dishes. I will just have to make it for him again another time, but as it was pretty time consuming to de-skin and de-bone the fish to make it baby safe, and had lots of fiddly stages to make, I won’t be making one for a while yet!

Mashed Avocado toast fingers. Total winner but he loved it so much that he ate almost 2 whole fingers plus a couple of spoonfuls of mashed avo which I think may have been more than his little tummy could hold as he was sick twice afterwards and it looked mainly like pieces of avo in water rather than sick, so think it was a case of over indulgence on Pads part and over feeding on mine. We’ve all been there – when something tastes so good you just want more even though you are full. One day I can teach him my teddy bear roll technique for easing the discomfort of over eating but for now, I need to offer him less food I think. Because he loves food so much I don’t think he would turn it down even if he was full (I am the same) so that needs to be my job to gage when enough is enough. Oops. Portion control has never been my forte. That’s why I’m not a model. (Among other reasons!).

Kale, potatoes and leek cous cous. I chopped the steamed kale up into tiny pieces and stirred it into cous cous made with potato purée and then added some pan fried leeks, cut up finely. He eagerly gobbled it down so it must’ve been ok. I am a big lover of kale so very pleased that my boy is up for eating it too and it so good for him.

Pitta bread. This seems much easier for him to handle than bread or toast and is probably better for him. He likes it plain as it must feel nice on his gums I reckon and is easy to soften into a sort of mushy pitta paste in his mouth, or he likes it with his beloved hummus spread thickly on top, and this week I added an extra clove of garlic and a bit more tahini to the hummus mix as I know my boy can take stronger flavours and he enjoyed it more I’d say. It’s especially fun to squish in between fingers it seems and then suck it out of his fist.

Mango. Totally yummy and ideal for sucking the juice from like a little natural fruit lolly. I would say it’s up there with pear as a contender for his favourite fruit now. He even started mixing up his own combos, adding a satsuma segment to the mango strip in his hand and sucking on them both together. Good boy!

I cooked up the leftover mango before it went soft and have blitzed it into a chunky purée that he had stirred into his ready Brek and then as a pud the next evening and he loved both of those options too. Nothing goes to waste here!

Salmon, asparagus and sweet corn sort-of-chowder! I want to get some fish into my boy each week and he liked salmon last time, so I mixed it with baby sweet corn, a little cous cous and some steamed asparagus with some extra cooking water to mash it all up with and he wolfed it down.

The next day I had a little of this mix leftover so I added some of the broccoli and cauliflower purée cubes I had in the freezer and some chopped fresh curly parsley to make a very green looking concoction which I have to say was very tasty, and he ate the lot, which is fab. The frozen pureed veg cubes are coming in really handy now to add to other bits of food and meals to make them more nutritious and tasty so I am glad I did all that batch cooking!

Chilli con carne with mashed potato and courgettes and broccoli with mint. This was a cobbled together effort to use up some of the frozen veg purees I made at the start of our weaning journey and to introduce a new herb to the mix. I took this combo out with us for lunch with friends and he absolutely loved it. He kept asking for more and was super happy and excited after eating it so it must have boosted his energy levels too!

I am thoroughly enjoying cooking for my son and coming up with different combinations and ideas for food stuffs for him to try with the aid of a couple of brilliant cookbooks that have provided me with endless inspiration. I had an hour to myself one morning this week as Pads napped and I spent it devouring recipe books and menu planning baby friendly dishes to make throughout the next few weeks and I was in my element. I have some big flavour plans to really push Pads culinary journey on as I know he is up for it. This used to be one of my favourite things to do pre Pads so it felt good to be doing something I love again, but this time, with my boy firmly in mind. Thanks for reviving my love of food and cooking Pads, you’re the best!

4. Number 2’s.

Well solid food is fun when it comes out the other end isn’t it? We are in a whole new world of poo and it’s quite fascinating (cripes, how my life has changed…!). He did his first proper pellet poo and has done several since. Like a firm cat poo, though thankfully it didn’t smell as bad as that, and full of evidence of what he’s eaten the day before or a few hours earlier usually. He is doing a couple, maybe more ‘movements’ most days, so the constipation has definitely gone, but they do obviously still take it out of the little guy. Quite a step up though from baby poo to this. Is it weird that I am proud of him for the way he is pooing?!!!

5. Too wriggly for Wrigglers.

It was our last Daisy Foundation Wrigglers class last week, which was sad as we have once again really enjoyed the classes and they have kept Pads entertained and taught us both a lot of new songs, games and sensory ideas along the way. However, my boy is just too ‘on the go’ now to concentrate or stay settled or still anymore sadly.

I was that mum who spent the whole class chasing my baby around the mat and trying to stop him from poking the other immobile babies in the eye/face/mouth etc…

Sadly I think our Daisy Foundation journey has come to an end as he just isn’t getting the same out of the classes anymore so we haven’t signed up for another term. I would totally recommend the classes to any new mum though as we have really loved them and got a lot out of them as well as meeting some lovely other mums as a bonus.

6. Baby bonding

My NCT group now meets for fortnightly play/catch up sessions with our babies at each other’s houses so the babies can play safely with different toys each time and us mums can enjoy a catch up and swap tips and stories about bringing up our babes.

Pads got to play in an amazing baby pink baby Mini Cooper car belonging to his baby pal Sophie (and her lovely mum Bethan who hosted our meet up this week brilliantly – thanks for the Welsh cakes and biccies!) and he looked right at home behind the wheel! It’s great that the babies get to have a go on toys they don’t have at home. 

Now, they are all so much older and socially aware, it so great to see how they all interact with each other and move about in their own individual ways. They all notice each other now and have started finding each other’s faces and feet in particular, very interesting and worth a good finger explore. They are even starting to communicate via sound as well, either shouting out or babbling at one another or doing little screeches of excitement. Their little personalities are starting to come through too, from the baby who quietly sits and takes in all the chaos around them, to the baby who just loves to bounce, to the baby who wants to give all the other babies kisses on their forehead (adorable!), to the baby who really wants to chat with the others and try and copy the ones that are crawling. It is so much fun to watch them all sitting/rolling/crawling around on the various play mats.

My little Padster is the baby that crawls all over the place and wants to touch and feel everything and everyone. He travels to each of the babies to investigate them and have a good look and feel, and he really enjoys being in the centre of their sitting/lying circle and stealing or grabbing at the toys that the other babies have. Oh dear, I have a toy thief already! I am trying to teach him about sharing straight away!

I can’t wait to see how their play and interaction develops and wonder if they recognise each other or find each other in any way familiar as they have been hanging out now since birth, though admittedly only for a short while every few weeks. I cannot wait for proper little friendships to form – now that will be cute!

7. Paddington’s trees.

We received a lovely letter from the Welsh government informing us that they had planted 2 trees in celebration of Paddington’s birth. I had no idea they did this as a scheme, apparently they do it for every child born or adopted in Wales, so that was a nice surprise and a really lovely idea. One of the trees is in a new forest in North Wales and the other is in a family’s garden in Uganda. The Plant! scheme has apparently been going since 2008 with the Uganda tree planting being added in 2014. The aim is to help the environment and tackle climate change by planting more trees and to raise awareness of the environment for our kids. We hope to take Pads to visit his tree when he is a bit older and teach him about the wonder of the natural world around him.

8. The rubber duck bath.

Now Pads is too big for his angel care bath support and Jon has not been able to make many bath times lately because of work, I haven’t been bathing as much with Pads at night as it isn’t as safe to do it on my own. I had been putting him in the big bath in shallow water on his own and holding him, but my mum’s bath is incredibly high sided so it was really tricky to keep a good hold on the little man and too slippery for him to sit up on his own, meaning that bath time was pretty ineffective as I couldn’t hold him and wash him at the same time on my tod.

My mum said her friend recommended this inflatable yellow duck with a non- slip lining by Munchkin, for her grand kids so she kindly bought us one. I was a bit dubious at first thinking it was probably more of a gimmick than anything, but it has been brilliant.

You can place it anywhere, it doesn’t have to go in a bath, so we do it on the bathroom floor as Pads inevitably splashes and tips water on the floor so it’s easy to clean up then. It would be great to travel with for this reason too. He can sit up in it safely and comfortably and it really is non slip so far. I can then sit on the floor next to him and wash him while he happily plays with his little rubber duck, in the big rubber duck. It says it will last until 24 months but we will see with mr long legs! It also uses much less water than the normal bath, and is easy to fill up and empty afterwards using a jug, plus it has a temperature sensor on the base that says if the water is too hot.

Bath time is now super quick and easy to do by myself and we can bath together again as a treat every now and then rather than regularly as we were doing before, which will give him more independence and confidence bathing on his own and is massively helping his sitting skills already. Thanks for the suggestion mum!

9. Drink up

I must drink more water. I have been inspired by my lifey, and gorgeous new yummy mummy Tam, and her super cute 5 week old baby Lola.  She always dutifully has a pint of water next to her when breastfeeding (I remember starting off this way but I slipped into old habits pretty quickly!) and the water is helping keep her supply flowing. I need to start expressing again routinely to build up a return to work supply and I am just not getting much at the moment and it is quite disheartening again, but I am not drinking nearly enough in the day either and water boosts supply, so my goal is to drink a pint of water at every feed and expressing session and more throughout the day when I remember. So if you see me out and about, or at home, without a glass of water nearby, you have my permission to tell me off and force me to down a pint of H2O there and then!

I also discovered that peppermint tea actually reduces your milk supply and I had been drinking that in the afternoon in lieu of tea to try and be healthier. Oops. This breastfeeding journey keeps you on your toes for sure.

10. The Blorenge

Pads and I both had our first ever walks on the spectacular Blorenge mountain, just outside Abergavenny and really tested the Mountain Buggy in the process! Am pleased to report it literally lived up to its name. We went with 2 of our lovely Baby acorns group ladies, Harriet and Chrissie, and their gorgeous babies and it was a beautifully clear, sunny, crisp and ruddy cold day but the view was just breath taking from up there.

We walked around Keeper’s Pond and as far along the path to the top as our buggies would take us. It was just the ticket to get some fresh air, vitamin d and have a good chat and catch up with mum pals. It was bitterly cold though so I was grateful I had recently bought a fleece line foot muff for the buggy to zip Pads up in as well as being in his snow suit with his long john knitted leggings on. He had a very runny nose towards the end of the walk and a wind beaten red face bless him so it was definitely time to call it a day after an hour and a half in the cold mountain air, but am sure it did us both the world of good too.

11. The night shifts…

This week has felt quite lonely, at night only, largely because Jon has either been working late at the cottage so staying there overnight, or he has had to get up early, and with Pads waking often and sometimes just really screaming and shouting until I acquiesce and feed him again, Jon has had to go into the spare room leaving me on my own, as usual, to deal with all the feeding, settling, soothing and getting little man back to sleep throughout the night. It’s always been like this, so it’s nothing new. Jon used to live in London in the week until not so long ago so I am used to going it alone for the night shifts. And I honestly don’t mind, despite how this may sit contrarily to what I am about to say, because that’s my job as Paddington’s mum, and I don’t have to get up for work in the morning at the moment. It just felt really hard and really quite lonely this week for some reason and the nights somehow felt darker and longer than normal.

It’s my job to look after Pads, and it’s Jon’s job to look after his job and earn the pennies while I am on mat leave, as well as renovate our cottage and try and get it liveable as soon as possible, so we are both super busy and burdened with our own responsibilities. They just feel very separate responsibilities at the moment and there is something very isolating about being awake on your own in the middle of the night, night after night, with a baby that just won’t settle or keeps waking, just as you start nodding off, and needs something, whether it be a cuddle, a feed, a burp, reassurance or a nappy change. It feels like the night may never end and sometimes I wonder whether I should just take me and Pads downstairs, put on the tv and give up trying to get either of us any more sleep. But I don’t. I keep trying to get my little guy to sleep and then with whatever time is left before his next waking, try and get some shut eye myself. It’s just harder when there isn’t that other person to turn to in the dark and reassure you or share the burden with. If you are able to share the night shift with your partner then count yourself as very lucky indeed and treasure that fortune. If you are a fellow lone she-wolf, or perhaps he-wolf, in the night, then I salute you and want to tell you what I should tell myself more often: ‘you rock! And you will get to sleep again one day. Go easy on yourself and hang in there!’

When the sun comes up and the day begins, I am fine, no matter how little sleep I have had, and I always make the most of our days everyday, but I can’t help that feeling of resignation when night falls because I know the pattern that will inevitably follow. It will be just me in a dark room with an owl night light, picking up, repositioning and putting down a crying/sleeping Pads into the cot over and over; a revolving cycle of winding, singing, ssshing, rocking, cursing and pacing round the room; multiple feeds, switching sides; checking my phone repeatedly to see what time has passed/what boob I am on/when he last slept/to fart about on Facebook or find an article to distract me and stop me falling asleep during a feed; hopeful patches of sleep followed by fretful and loud awakenings followed by more hopeful patches of sleep, and so on and so forth into and out of the night.

I long for an actual lie in where I indulge myself with even more sleep even though I have had enough already (ha! Sounds like a sketch from the Parent Fantasy Hotline right?! If you haven’t seen it check it out online, v funny and spot on!); I long to be able to go to bed when I want to, you know after a nice, relaxing (eaten at my own pace not shovelled in as fuel, and hot) dinner, some tv or a movie (uninterrupted and watched without having to pause it every few minutes to tend to a little person) and some quality time spent with my hubby (which doesn’t involve painting/sanding/internet shopping for sinks/discussing house plans or anything to do with building works or babies in general); I long to be able to actually just go to sleep when I do go to bed and not wake until the morning (which in my old world meant after 8am…) and I long to be able to choose what time I want to get up and hit snooze on the alarm (several times) if I feel like it (who even needs an alarm now as I know I will be up from 5am onwards, 6-7am at the latest if I am really lucky). Does any of that ever happen again mums of older kids, or did I sign all of that away in the delivery room?!!!

Anyway, to all the mums and dads out there struggling with the night shift, you are doing a fab job and we are all in this together really, staring at the same moon, night after night.

 

Week 31 – Two Front Teeth!

Week 31 – 20/02/15

Paddington is 7 months old now. It is incredible how time flies. It only feels like yesterday that we brought him home from the hospital and suddenly had our worlds blown away by this tiny, little hero. He has made one heck of an impact in those 7 months, and continues to do so, not only on us, but pretty much everyone we meet has something to say about my little guy and I often catch people (mainly old ladies and 30 something blokes surprisingly) smiling broadly and fondly at him, and it makes me so proud. If I was a pigeon I’d be puffing out my chest right now.

His mobility has gone from strength to strength after last week’s initiation into crawling and there is no stopping him now. He wants to go over things, under things and around things, (sometimes all at once), and has some pace on him. He is one determined little man, I’ll give him that! The fire guard is up, his play area has opened up and taken over most of the lounge, and we have put down more foam squares on the hard floor, and dug out the safety gates to put up next. It’s all go in Pads world now!

Here’s what week 31 was all about.

Its pretty much impossible to get a picture of a baby’s teeth – this is the best I could do, but his tongue is in the way.  They are there…I swear!

1. We have two teeth!

My boy has been seriously busy these past 2 weeks, first crawling and now he has 2 bottom teeth! The first tooth (bottom centre to the right) cut through at the start of the week, after I felt a sharp protrusion in his lower gum at the weekend, and its partner followed shortly behind a few days later, and boy they are sharp! He has been really enjoying being able to actually tear some real pieces off his finger food properly now. It looks like his next teeth may not be too far away either as his upper gum is looking ready to bear teeth soon as well.

Everything is happening all at once it seems and my boy is just growing so fast all of a sudden! No wonder he hasn’t been sleeping, he has been busy learning to crawl and growing two teeth. Does this mean he will start sleeping better soon then?! Time will tell…

2. Bouncing baby boy.

Now Pads has mastered crawling, we have a new movement that he likes to do when in my lap, being held, or occasionally if he is really tired or excited, on the boob, which is an odd and often painful experience, and that is bouncing up and down like Tigger. He has super strong legs and I reckon he could easily hold his own weight if he could keep his balance. He enjoys a good bounce when standing upright on his feet and can push up really fast and strong. We find if he has just been in the Jumperoo his legs buckle a bit when he then tries to bounce out of it so I am pleased we only put him in there for a few minutes every now and then and not for any longer as I don’t think it aids his muscle and leg work and he seems to be doing very well figuring it all out on his own.

He also enjoys a weird lying down bounce, sometimes mid feed, which is quite peculiar! I guess he is just experimenting with what his body can do and his strength now he knows he can crawl, he’s like ‘so, what else can I do?’. I think most babies bounce first then crawl but my Padster does not follow any rules so he is doing things his own way. Atta boy.

3. Absence makes the heart grow even fonder.

As we are nearing the end of an incredibly involved and slow but steady cottage renovation, we are doing the final pushes to get our home finished so we can actually enjoy it and live it in as a family, which was the whole reason we uprooted our lives and moved to Wales in the first place. It’s been a long time coming but the end is finally in sight and that is beyond exciting. So, at the moment, every second either myself or Jon can spend doing something at the cottage counts towards getting us living there sooner.

I went to do some sanding and painting in the cottage lounge, so left Pads with grandma for just a couple of hours. As I walked away he stared at me, watching me go and looking a little forlorn I thought. We don’t ever really spend time apart so it’s probably good for us now and then, but that doesn’t make it any easier to actually do.

I missed him terribly. The car journey was weird without him gurgling and babbling away in the back and I kept checking my wing mirror for the sight of his gorgeous smiley/sleeping face. Really odd not to have him as my passenger. I did take advantage of the respite and cranked up the tunes nice and loud however and when I was painting I brought out the music I wouldn’t normally listen to with Padster at a very high volume, which was refreshing and fun!

I couldn’t wait to get back to him and give him a feed and he gave me the biggest, widest grin and excited body rock when he saw me which was awesome. But then I had to dash off on my own again for an appointment and to visit a friend in hospital on a ward where babies aren’t allowed so I had to leave him again. Both of my tasks took longer than I had planned so by the time I got back to my favourite guy, he was very tired and ready for bed. He didn’t get his usual number of feeds throughout the day, proving that he can go for longer without the boob I suppose but I felt guilty for him missing out on what he would normally have.

I tried to give him his bath as usual but he absolutely hated it as he was too tired I guess, and hungry perhaps, even though I started his bedtime routine earlier than usual.

At the end of the week, I took Pads to his other grandparents for a few hours whilst I nipped off to do some more painting at the cottage. Again it was the car journey that was the weirdest not having him to natter away to and look at. When I returned to him 3.5 hours later, he was fast asleep on his nanny, so it was good to see that he was happy and comfortable without me, however when he woke up and saw me, he gave me the best grin ever and started wiggling his legs then let out a cry when he thought I was walking away from him. So I scooped him into my arms and gave him a big mama hug and lots of kisses as I had missed him terribly again. He then did the cutest thing and sat/stood/bounced up and down on my lap facing me for the next 10 minutes and chattered away at me, looking intently at my face and stroking and tapping my collarbone and face. It really sounded like he was telling me all about his day with his ‘oh oh ooohs’ and ‘gargly ga gi ga’s’. Adorable.

The grandparents said he definitely missed me and after I had left earlier he kept looking for me for a good half hour or so afterwards and the way he was nattering away and focusing on me solely when I returned surely means he did miss me! My heart melted for him a little bit more, if that’s possible! We are two peas in a pod me and Pads; a team; best buds and I just love being by his side all day and I reckon he thinks I’m alright too.

It was a strange couple of days of not being with the little dude who I have spent pretty much every second of every day with for the past 7 months and it did feel really weird. Like a part of me was missing I guess. If only the magic, wonder and closeness of maternity leave could go on forever hey?! I am going to miss, yet cherish, these months spent just with my boy.

As someone said to me early on, when I said I was going to take as long off on maternity leave as we could afford, ‘well isn’t he a lucky boy then to have his mummy all to himself for so long. Such a special time, it will be with you both forever.’ Amen to that.

4. The Weaning Chronicles.

Pads foodie voyage of discovery is continuing at a steady pace and we ventured outside the home for some solid feeds this week too, which is a whole new ball game isn’t it?! From remembering all the tools of the trade – spare spoons, bibs, plenty of wipes and tissues etc… – to figuring out how new high chair harnesses work and constantly wiping down surfaces and spoons as they repeatedly fall to the somewhat grubby public trodden floor. I think we did pretty well though as newbies to this whole eating with your baby in public malarky.

This week’s specials were:

Mac ‘n cheese. I am so happy that he is a mac ‘n cheese lover. He absolutely lapped this up, sucking the cheesey sauce off the fusilli pasta and chewing the spinach Jon added to make it seem healthier! I also blitzed some of it up into a rough chopped mixture so he could experience the full flavour of the added tomatoes and spinach and he could not get enough of it. That’s my boy.

He also seems fine with cow’s milk cheese. It just seems to be cow’s milk in his porridge and natural yoghurt made from cow’s milk that have made him sick so far. I have heard that oaty milk can be a good substitute for cow’s milk to use in cooking, though it doesn’t have enough calories or protein for it to be his main drink once he turns one and will start needing to drink milk, which cow’s milk does. But we’ll see if it is just an early intolerance and he may be ok with it by then as some babies are.

I tried some oaty milk in his beloved Ready Brek with crushed raspberries and he really liked it, plus no sick afterwards so it seems like a winner so far. It is also rather delicious, tasting not unlike Ready Brek does anyway.

Salmon, pesto and gnocchi. I gave him pieces of this to hold and explore as well as a bit pureed up, and he liked it. The salmon was a bit too crumbly for him to hold for long but he definitely ate a bit and he likes pesto for sure. The gnocchi was mainly for mashing in his paws but he gave it a good go!

Steak and broccoli stir fry with cherry tomatoes all cooked in garlic, ginger, spring onion and chilli. Well, this was a bit of a tester to see just how adventurous my boy could be and he didn’t disappoint me. He loved holding a big strip of lean sirloin steak and sucking the flavour and juices from it. We all know he is big into broccoli by now, and he ate the whole floret this time and really eagerly too. Tomatoes are a new taste and he made a face at first as they were probably quite a sharp, acidy flavour which he won’t be used to. All in all, a great success, especially the meat!

Couscous. This is a really useful ingredient actually as I am mixing it with his veggie purees to make them more exciting and have more texture and it’s got to be the same as, if not better, than buying baby pasta, as we can all eat cous cous. He seems to like it too and it’s nice and soft and easy for him to eat.

Weetabix. Boy oh boy is Weetabix messy! It literally gets everywhere and dries like cement. I reckon we could’ve used it to repoint the walls in the cottage. I used some water to just make the biscuit a bit soggy but still holdable, but I think I went too far, as when I handed it over to Pads he just tore it into shreds that he then dropped all over and around his floor mat and smeared all over himself. He did try and eat a few bits but didn’t look overly impressed. Dry, yet soggy Weetabix is not the tastiest sensation. Perhaps I will use his new Oaty milk next time and not wet it as much.

Satsuma segments. After an initial, ‘what on earth do I do with this?!’ face, I broke the skin away to reveal the juicy little diamonds underneath and he started sucking away at once, his little legs jigging back and forth in excitement. He sucked the first segment dry with an adorable dribble of juice slipping down his chin, so I gave him the 2nd slice but only split the skin on one side. Big mistake, because he tried to suck the flesh out as he did with the one before but inevitably couldn’t because the skin was getting in the way, so he put the whole segment in his mouth and choked on it which resulted in the the whole piece being propelled out of his mouth along with a pile of sticky orangey sick. Poor guy. Totally my fault for not thinking that through and a bit scary to see him choke for a second. So note to self, always de-skin the segments first and keep a really beady eye on him as he eats it. Shame, as he really enjoyed the first piece.

Ratatouille. This was a veritable vegetable delight with courgettes, aubergines, yellow peppers, carrots, tomatoes, onion, garlic and oregano. I chopped the veg into a variety of different shapes so he could practice holding long strips as well as round slices and chunks. As I prepped the veg I gave him a piece of yellow pepper to hold and he really wasn’t very sure about it at all. He didn’t seem to think it was food oddly and just tapped it on his tray mainly then dropped it to the floor when he lost interest. The cooked version went down much better though and he seemed to enjoy all the different shapes and sizes of food to choose from.

Apple slice. This was a new one for Pads as apple is slightly tart and sweet at the same time. He kept sucking at it though and seemed to enjoy getting the juice off the slice and gnashing off some bits of the flesh. He is so good with his hand to eye co-ordination now and has improved so quickly. He seems to love the independence of holding his own food and choosing when to put pieces in his mouth and whether to just suck them or try to nibble a bit. That’s down to the baby led weaning I reckon so am very pleased we decided to do it, alongside a bit of spoon feeding too so he really is getting the best of both worlds.

5. Nappy Olympics.

The problem with a super mobile, super strong and super inquisitive baby arises when it comes to nappy changes. Especially of the number 2 variety. Not only is it enough of a struggle to get him to just lie down on his back to remove the nappy in the first place, he then wants to roll onto his knees as soon as he feels the air on his nethers, and this has resulted in a couple of ‘poo on knee’ or ‘poo on leg’ incidents when I haven’t been able to whip the offending nappy away quick enough. I am then, quite literally, faced with a poopy bum and poppy limbs that I have to try and wipe clean as their owner wriggles about and tries to crawl around the changing mat/floor. It’s a feat of dexterity and speed that’s for sure, but oddly satisfying once I have managed to get him poo free and squeaky clean.

Then, trying to get him into a new nappy is a whole new game of fun and fiddling about. From trying to fit a nappy on him whilst he is on his knees to failing at that as he just won’t keep still for long enough, to then trying to flip him back onto his back which he keeps resisting with a lot of force, and then I nearly get the nappy in place and am about to get the first tape fastened, when he will pull away and roll over so we are back to square one. I have been trying the sign for ‘no’ from our Sing and sign classes, accompanied with a firm verbal ‘no’ as well, which does make him pause for a second which can sometimes be just about enough time to get that bloody nappy back into position and get one side fastened up, otherwise I am just chasing him around trying to get his bottom contained before another solid poo arrives! (The constipation seems to have cleared up for now which is good, and we are getting 1-2 big old thick brown poops a day and they are getting more and more adult like, which is delightful.)

Don’t even get me started on the fun we have trying to get Pads dressed of a morning and into his sleepysuit and sleepbag of an evening. Oh how we laugh as he constantly wriggles his legs and arms out of the clothes we have just spent ages getting him into, before we have a chance to do up his poppers or pull up his trousers. It’s a game of wits and wills, and so far I’d say Paddington is winning!

6. Doidy cup defence

I have been asked why I am choosing to use a Doidy cup (a slanted rimmed open cup – other brands are presumably available!) to give Pads water in, and not just a bottle with a teat or a beaker with a spout, which would be easier for him to drink out of and get more water from. Yes, at first, it probably would be, but drinks flow slowly through a teat, so babies spend more time sucking on them when trying to learn to drink themselves, which doesn’t advance their skills and can lead to bad habits when they start drinking other drinks such as fruit juices with sugar in them later on. He is drinking a bit of water each time from his Doidy, with a few spillages and dropped water along the way of course, but he will get there – he is only 4 weeks in! – and at this stage he doesn’t need to be drinking vast amounts of water anyway as he is still getting most of his hydration from my milk. And isn’t the whole point of weaning to learn the skills to eat and drink like an adult and to enjoy the experience as well as to eat solid food and drink water, right?

My reasons for choosing an open cup approach to his drinking are very simple:

• The natural mouth action used to drink from an open cup is the same sucking jaw and tongue action used in breast feeding so as Pads is a breast fed baby, the transition should be easier for him and not cause any nipple/teat confusion. If he was a bottle fed baby, then it wouldn’t be as important for him to have an open cup straight away, but he isn’t, and so I think it is important.
• I want him to be able to drink from a regular cup rather than a teated bottle or spout as weaning isn’t just about food and drink, it’s also about learning to use cutlery and cups etc…so why not start him off drinking from an open cup and by pass the need for an extra stage of drink training in between? Plus baby health professionals and the Nhs recommend babies stop using a teat or spout by the age of 1 anyway, so what is the point in starting Pads off with those for just a few months and then having to get him to re-learn how to drink from an open cup anyway?!
• Both my lactation consultant and midwife recommended using this cup to help develop Pads swallowing skills and it teaches him to sip rather than suck water, improve hand and eye co-ordination and as a more natural way to wean him into drinking and holding a cup himself, and it has also been recommended by my Baby acorns group leaders who run the government funded Nhs flying start health programme, (they even recommended not using a teat or spout as it can lead to tooth decay and speech problems with prolonged use), so I figure all of these experts know what they are talking about too.

I am not a baby expert and I haven’t done this parenting thing before, but I am the expert on my baby, and I do know how to do my research, trust my own instincts and find the best options for my baby. I think I have been doing pretty well so far, so trust me on this one.

7. Vitamin D

After careful consideration and some great advice from some of you lovely lot, I have decided to give Pads Vitamin D drops. No multi vits at the moment, as I am hopeful that if he continues eating as well as he has so far, when we are up to 3 meals a day and he starts eating more, he will be getting all the nutrients he needs through his food. We already do mostly 3 meals a day and I am making sure he gets a balanced, varied diet. Luckily he takes the drops fine, they are just given via a mouth syringe and I do it after his lunch feed usually, and I made sure the drops are just pure vit D in oil, no salt, sugar or anything else added!

 

8. Getting personal.

This is one for the ladies. Fellas, dad, etc… perhaps skip to the next point eh?!

When I gave birth to Padster, I had to have an episiotomy, which I really didn’t want to have, but needs must at the time and all that. It healed well apparently, however it has left me feeling very, shall we say ‘tight’ downstairs, and not like my old self if you catch my drift. Well, I went to have a smear test, joy of all joys, and I couldn’t have it because it was just too painful and the nurse wouldn’t put me through it as I was clearly so uncomfortable! I felt utterly ridiculous having birthed a bloody baby down there and had three sweeps to coax Pads out, both of which are pretty painful and uncomfortable experiences and here I was unable to do a routine medical exam that I have had done loads of times before.

The nurse suggested I needed to try and ‘loosen up’ more down there so to speak, so to go and have more sex when I felt ready, as that is apparently the most effective way of getting things back to ‘normal’, though scar tissue will always be inflexible, there are special moisturiser creams meant for the lady garden that can help apparently, then to re-book and try again in a couple of months!

Also, I stopped doing my pelvic floor exercises a while ago just because I forgot really and I have become slack with my Pilates too but think I may need to return to them both to help the cause. Anything that can help relax the muscles and heal the scar tissue I am up for trying! Who would have thought I would still not be myself down there months after giving birth? Not I that’s for sure! This is one of the reasons I really didn’t want an episiotomy so I hope I can work on getting back into shape and that this isn’t just the way things are down there now.

 

9. Caught red handed.

The other morning I caught Paddington basically pulling himself up onto his legs by grasping the top cot rail and trying to peer over the edge. He is so strong and had no problem holding himself up, it was just his balance that caused him to wobble and not quite be able to stand upright but he is so close. We already adjusted the cot by bringing the bars up and the base down when he started rolling around but it looks like we need to adjust it again to the lowest setting as Pads is on a mission to stand and pull himself up. Got to try and stay one step ahead of this kid somehow!

 

Week 30 – The Game Changer

Week 30 – 18/02/16

So big news in Paddington’s baby journey…we have a crawler!!!!! Now the fun really begins, right?! This week Paddington seems to have gone from being a fairly containable baby who really wants to be on the move, to a suddenly completely mobile and able little guy who is moving around like he has been doing it all his life! He is confident, inquisitive, fast, adapting super quickly to his new found freedom and movement and thoroughly pleased with himself for opening up his world to a whole host of new adventures and areas to explore.

He is really enjoying crawling on different textures as he has mainly spent his play time on a variety of soft mats and blankets so far, now he is a mobile baby, I have put the foam squares out on the floor which he loves the feel of, and he has ventured on to the hard wood floors and the carpet and the rug, all of which are a sensory delight.
He is so happy to be able to get around now and can cover some good ground, so its eyes in the back of our heads time! No more sedentary, immobile baby, we have entered the world of mobility, and boy is it fun!

This week was a week of milestone that have changed our lives, and Padster’s too, for the better!

1. The Game Changer.

Our little man has been putting in the legwork, so to speak, over the past couple of weeks, desperate to get moving, and I have admired his tenacity and perseverance, thinking it would take at least another month or so until I needed to worry too much about baby proofing etc… well, my boy only went and started crawling on Friday didn’t he, like the absolute trooper and legend he is. His hard work trying and experimenting with movement has paid off and he is a confident little crawler too. My pal Laura knew he would be crawling soon when we visited her a couple of weeks ago and she saw Pads doing his press-up yoga pose. She said ‘now, he can do that, he’ll be crawling within a couple of weeks I bet’, and she was spot on!

He first crawled on the bed in the morning when we were having some lazy play, then he didn’t bother again in the day so I thought it was a fluke. That evening, on his play area he just rolled on to his front and rather nonchalantly started crawling forward towards me with super cute splayed fingers and very precise placing of his hands and knees. I was so excited I gave him a huge round of applause and lots of praise, and he gave me such a happy and satisfied grin as if to say, ‘look, mum! I did it! Crawling rocks!’.

I wanted to see if he could do it again, and of course try and capture it on camera for his dad, so I scooped him up and put him back where he started, on his front, then I sat in front of him at the other end of the play area and put his beloved Sophie la giraffe in front of me. With lots of encouraging ‘come on good boy!’ and ‘you can do it’ style cheering on from me, he just began crawling quickly forward again, like it is something he had always been able to do. I had it on film and he was just as happy as before to have mastered this new, exciting skill. Suddenly, Pads whole world has just opened up and is full of possibility and ripe for the exploring!

I have now had to begin baby proofing pretty sharpish, starting with putting his foam squares down on the floor surrounding his padded blanket area as the lovely cushion border I had been using to contain him, just won’t cut it now he can crawl past or over them! (He has also figured out how to basically army commando roll over cushions and obstacles so nowhere is safe from him!). This really is a game changer, as now he knows he can crawl, that is all he wants to do and each time he wants to go further and explore new surfaces and parts of the room he hasn’t been before.

It is pretty cute to see the joy and wonder on his face as he crawls around and surprises himself with how far he can go, and he looks up at me for encouragement and reassurance still, which is so rewarding. It takes quite a bit of effort to crawl so we are still getting a lot of effort farts and it tires him out too, so often he will just stop with his head on the floor for a little rest mid crawl or start rubbing his eyes or getting frustrated and grizzling.

Watch out world, Paddington the destroyer is on the move and he is coming for your toys/mobile phones and remotes mainly! (I think its time to set up his travel cot play pen methinks!)

2. Bassinet be gone.

This has been a real week of milestones, and proof that my once little baby boy, is growing up FAST! Pads has now upgraded his carry cot pram to a sportier parent facing seat model, in keeping with his new, grown up crawling baby status. I was quite sad to dismantle the bassinet as its been a big part of Pads little life so far, and means that he just isn’t a small baby anymore.

Luckily, our buggy comes with a parent facing seat option which is what we have gone for whilst he still wants to see me when we are out for a walk, and luckily, he still falls asleep easily in it, which was a concern of switching from the cosy bassinet! We have had quite a few lovely walks in the new pram set-up already this week, including a gorgeous sunny meander along the river Wye that then turned into a wet and miserable trot back to the car through puddles and mud (for me anyway, Pads had no idea of the sudden weather change as he was fast asleep under his rain cover, which he is totally fine with in the new seat position thankfully!). He loves the new more upright position as he can see out and look around more easily, but he can also still see me and when he is ready to see more of the world, and fed up with my face, we can upgrade again to the front facing seat.

3. Chatter box

Pads has really found his voice as well this week, and is communicating and experimenting with a wealth of new sounds. ‘Ra ra ra ra’ and ‘ya ya ya’ are his favs, and it almost sounds at times like he is taking the mick out of how I speak and very nearly saying ‘bla bla bla’! He has long conversations with himself, and us, with these new half words and gets quite expressive and shouts when he wants attention or wants anything really! He definitely knows what he wants and how to get it!

He is also fond of a ‘ga ga ga’ rant or sometimes it really sounds like he is saying ‘hello’ or ‘yeah’, and I say it back to him for him to repeat and it sounds like he is repeating it, but am sure its just a fluke of similar sounds at this stage. Basically he always wants to have a chat or babble away or practice making new and more sophisticated sounds at the moment and it is adorable. I love to hear him nattering away to himself in the morning or in the back of the car, if this is anything to go by I think he’ll be a chatty little chappy!

He also does this hilarious wide mouthed face when he is really chattering away, that reminds me of a Creature Comforts animal, not quite sure where he has picked that up from but it is very cute!

4. Gone with the Wind.

Solid food is definitely causing some impressive wind from my boy. How such a peachy little bum can produce such loud and long pumps I don’t know, but boy do we know about it now his diet has changed. Stinky bum should be his new nickname and the nappy contents are quite potent these days, often with little specks of evidence in them, such as a bit of broccoli or spinach. Gone is the canary yellow poo of yore that we worked so hard to get, and in its place is a darker, thicker, smellier beast. All part of growing up I guess.

He is also definitely finding it harder to pass solid foods and often sits in his high chair making little straining sounds and pulling really concerned and urgent straining faces, bless him. It can’t be easy going from breast milk to a pile of veggies and fruit and then full blown meals. I am trying to make sure I keep giving him plenty of wind removal massages after each nappy change and before bed to help the little guy out, as quite often he will wake in the night due to wind I think and let out an almighty parp or belch which gives him great relief.

5. The fish hook.

Breast feeding time is now basically just explorative hand play time for Pads and he is freakishly strong. He has been doing the ‘oral hygienist’ as my Daisies baby class teacher brilliantly called it for some time now, where he shoves his whole hand in my mouth and feels and pulls at my teeth and gums. But he has stepped it up a gear and started doing something another friend suggested we call the ‘fish hook’. It is as it sounds, he hooks either a few fingers or his whole hand just below my lower lip and yanks as hard as he can. And it bloody hurts! He is so strong that he can drag my head just with a couple of fingers. That coupled with the boob scratching and pinching which comes as standard makes feeding a bit of a battleground at times.

He also chomped down a few times with his gums on my nip and his teeth look like they are about to cut through finally, so help me when they do! A friend of mine suggested the best way to deal with biting and chomping to nip it in the bud, was to try and have the mind to push my boob further into his mouth when he does this, rather than pull away as is the natural instinct ,so that he is forced to release, to try and teach him that that is not a cool move. My boy is so strong and so inquisitive and so wilful and so into everything that it does become a challenge at times and when he hurts, he really hurts! This baby is a strong one.

6. Weaning adventures continued.

We really stepped up our food explorations this week as Pads is just so interested in food and wants to try everything he sees, which is fab. He has been brilliant with all the vegetable and fruit purees and finger foods I have given him so far, so this week, now he is used to the idea of eating and holding his spoon etc… we went baby led and started cooking from scratch properly again so we could make salt and sugar free meals that our son can share.

Here’s what Pads had on this week’s gourmet menu:

Chicken thigh meat cooked in a little paprika and thyme – he liked sucking this. His first taste of meat and we went baby led giving him a good strip to hold and investigate. He also had a green bean with it and half a potato which was excellent for smushing in his fist.

Mushroom – this was a total surprise hit. It was a warm, cooked sliced mushroom and I think he mainly used it for teething on, squeaking it against his gums, but seemed to also get really excited by the umami taste, kicking his legs excitedly and he wouldn’t let the piece of mushroom go.

Pan fried tenderstem broccoli – clearly a discerning foodie. This was easy for him to hold and keep popping in and out of his mouth so he was happy to play and chew on this for ages whilst we ate our dinner and he ate most of the floret too.
Steamed asparagus spear – another winner because it was fun and easy to hold, though it was a little stringy when he did manage to tear a piece off so he spat those bits out.

Banana pancake sliver with pear purée and a halved strawberry for Pancake Day – he loved this, after an initial surprise at the texture of the pancake, and his first taste of anything with egg in it, he sucked away on it merrily and really loved the sweetness and juiciness of the strawberry and his favourite, the pear.

Homemade hummus – total winner and I had forgotten how easy and yummy it is to make your own. He has had this on toast, bread, cucumber sticks, my finger, a spoon..he is a hummus kind of guy.

Chilli con carne – I puréed some of this to give him and also kept some big chunks of beef and a slightly mashed kidney bean back, so he could do a combo of baby led and spoon fed on this one to get the maximum experience. He enjoyed sucking the beef and the sauce was clearly a taste explosion that my little man relished – that’s cumin, coriander and chilli flakes in there and he went for it so enthusiastically he had a Joker style red sauce smile all over his lower face. So proud!

Porridge with half cows milk half water – He made a face like Gollum for this one. Not sure about the texture of sticky oats I guess. I tried it with some of his beloved pear purée mixed in it and that went down better but still not a fav. He was also a little sick afterwards, so I think that may be the cow’s milk. I also tried natural yoghurt with some stewed plums and again he was sick after this, but the next day I gave him Ready Brek made with water on its own, and then with some stewed plums and he was fine and lapped it up like it was breastmilk, so I am going to give cow’s milk and cow’s milk yoghurt a miss for now.

Porridge fingers – These look like skinny flapjacks and he really seems to like holding them and sucking out little bits of oats. They are jut made with porridge oats and water (I didn’t use milk, see above) cooked on high heat in the microwave and then sliced while warm and left to cool and harden, so not particularly tasty I don’t think, but great finger food and they have really helped him get to grips with his grip.

Spinach and cheese muffins – I also whipped up a batch of really yummy muffins (get me!), using a mature cheddar and fresh spinach leaves. I made big ones for me and Jon and mini ones for Pads, and they have been a huge hit. I wasn’t sure they would go down that well with him as are trickier to hold than a stem or a porridge finger, but he can handle the odd round shape, and mush it up in his hands and nibble small pieces of the eggy muffiny mix off. He has definitely been ingesting the spinach – his nappies have been proof of that, and when I opened the box I had stored them in to get myself one for a snack, he saw it and started reaching out with both hands and making a grizzly ‘give me one mum!’ sound so he definitely likes them.

I am really enjoying setting Pads off on his culinary journey and discovering what foods he likes and watching him really quickly develop new feeding and eating skills. He seems to get real enjoyment from food, from the taste to the whole experience of sitting and eating and taking his time over exploring what I put in front of him, and so far, he has tried everything and mostly, liked everything too. It has given me a revived interest in cooking again too and reignited my passion for food, and it is forcing me to make healthier choices for us as a family as Pads is pretty much just eating what we eat now.

7. The return (sort of) of our evenings.

This week, we reclaimed some of our evenings back after a long time of me just going to bed when Paddington did to just basically survive! We had our first proper evening in a very long time, after putting Pads down after a play, a bath, a feed and a cuddle at around 8.45pm. He woke up twice (once due to wind and then because he had managed to get himself diagonal to the bottom of the cot with his head on the corner and yup, bopped his bonce on the bars again). Jon and I managed to watch Alaska: the last frontier (a guilty pleasure of ours), and snuggle up on the couch like we used to do with a cheeky glass of wine and a chocolate or 10. It was really lovely to have some down time as a couple and just unwind together for a change.

The next 2 evenings weren’t quite as successful, with Pads taking longer to settle off to sleep. I went up to put him to bed at 7.30pm and didn’t come back down until 9.30pm (man was I hungry for dinner that night!), and the next night I came downstairs at around 8.30pm after settling Pads off, then had to go up and down the stairs another 3 times as he kept waking, and spend a good 15 minutes getting him settled again each time, that I just got too tired myself and toddled off to bed around 9.45pm (which felt REALLY late!), leaving Jon to watch action movies by himself, which he was more than happy to do!

8. The 2nd game changer of the week.

This is huge for us – we are now a 2 car family. And this could not have happened at a better time as our old routine of me having to take Jon to the station every morning for work at 6.45am and pick him up every evening between 6.30-7pm was not only getting really boring and annoying, it was also starting to affect Paddington’s ‘routine’. If he was asleep in the morning when we had to leave, we had to either wake him to bring him in the car with us, or if my mum was around and not working the next day, wake her up and ask her to watch over him for 15 minutes. Not ideal for anyone. And bundling a sleepy/cranky/just woken up baby into a car at stupid o clock in the morning in the cold and the dark, when everyone is tired and a bit cranky, is not fun.

Likewise, in the evenings Jon’s train would always get in just when Paddington was ready to go to bed, so I’d have to ignore his cues and bundle him back in the car which of course, just made him even more tired and start to nod off, only to be woken up again when we got back home, and send him to over tired grizzly town. Well, those days are now over as we are the proud owners of a 13 year old Renault Scenic which we have lovingly, and rather fittingly, named Sophie la scenic, after Padster’s beloved teething toy. Welcome to the family Sophie, you are about to make our lives so much easier.

Week 29 -or the week we were late for EVERYTHING!

Week 29 – 06/02/16

Or the week my brain turned to actual mush.

1. Sleeping bags.

Our little kicker has been kicking his covers off for some time at night now and I have been dutifully replacing them again and again throughout the night, as he had outgrown his newborn sleeping bag. We just upgraded to 2 new super duper cosy sleeping bags for 6 months plus and I wish I had done it sooner, as problem solved instantly, plus it still gives him the movement to kick, move freely and roll around. Jon calls it his ‘little night dress’ but I think he looks very cute in it and they are such a good idea for kickers like mine. I can now cross ‘being too cold’ off the list of possible reasons for night wakings.

2. Sleep sliding.

We have had very disrupted sleep this week after being away at the weekend and frankly, it sucks. The first night back was awful. He just wouldn’t settle then awoke in his cot and kept rolling onto his front and doing press ups to look over the bars, then getting upset. I would turn him onto his back again and try and soothe him then step back and he would then clamber on to the side of the Sleepyhead and roll off into the gap between the sleepyhead and the cot bars and get stuck and start crying. This went on for a while and was quite exhausting.
The following evening was just as bitty and crap, with him crying every hour or so for the first half of the night after waking in his cot seemingly restless and agitated, often due to moving around in it and either bashing his head or ending up in a weird diagonal position with his feet in the bottom corner and his face down.

The next day I made sure we got a lot of fresh air in the hope this would help sleep later, and I started his bed time routine earlier so that we were in bed by 7pm, but it was the worst night we have had in ages with less than 2 hours sleep at a time, and he was up from 2-5am refusing to settle at all and being really really cranky, crying wildly and I couldn’t comfort him as usual with some hugs and kisses and gentle rocking and sshing. He point blank would not stay in his cot without a screaming fit and got really worked up, and then continued screaming after I had lifted him out for cuddles, which is when he has always stopped before. Jon was away as well so it was all down to me to get him to sleep (not that it isn’t when Jon is here as he has to get sleep for work and cottage renovations so is often in the other room anyway, or able to sleep through it, but it’s always nice to know I have back up there if needed).

I nearly broke down at one point as I was so tired and couldn’t see a way through the night. I just kept saying ‘please sleep, I need you to sleep. You need to sleep!’ in a desperate whisper. Eventually just after 5am and another bloody night feed, he dropped off until 7am and I didn’t bother moving him back to the cot so we could both get some sleep. It was an awful, exhausting night and the next day I felt like a total zombie. Sleep has got worse again, and we were doing so well just last week!

After Pads climbing and rolling off the Sleepyhead shenanigans, I realised it was now time to sadly lose the Sleepyhead in the cot, as he just wants to clamber over it when he wakes and then gets himself into awkward positions between it and the cot bars, which can’t be very safe. The Sleepyhead has been an absolute lifesaver, it’s the only reason we started getting any sleep in the beginning and enabled us to safely co-sleep when Pads was very small and then enabled an easy transition into his cot, and it will still come in handy when we travel and for daytime naps, but he is so long that he is hanging off the end of it now anyway and is probably getting too big overall for it. It’s the end of a sleepy era. Thank you for the sleep dear Sleepyhead, I am forever grateful (and to my dad for buying it for us!).

It’s time for Pads to sleep like a big boy just in his cot. we do have a reflux pillow in there to slightly raise his head up, which has been helping reduce nighttime vomiting. It goes under the cot sheet against the mattress so there is still a smooth surface underneath him. It’s only downside is, it’s something else for him to roll off towards those dastardly cot bars but I think that would happen even if the surface was completely flat and he doesn’t sleep as well lying totally flat anyway.

Also, Ewan the (t!$tting) dream sheep ran out of batteries! Already! He has only done 2 weeks work and is already too tired to continue! You try 6.5 months of this Ewan without being able to recharge your batteries! We used him a handful of times only when Pads was a newborn and have only just started using him again this past fortnight so how can he be out of batteries already? I am blaming that sheep for our first crappy night’s sleep this week that sent us into a spiral of shit sleep, as when I first put him on to settle Pads it was working but then the sheep cut out and stopped. Consequentially Pads and I were up for 3 hours in the early morning trying to get him to go back to sleep and we tried everything, including a horrible minute of crying it out which was just distressing for us both. As a result we missed our Daisies Wrigglers class as we were so exhausted and Pads decided to finally get some deep unbroken sleep at 8am so I did not want to wake him up for a baby class. Not cool Ewan. I totally blame you.

The other nights of rubbish sleep? I blame Ewan a bit as well, he has had his batteries replaced since and has been ineffective again, not pulling his weight at all. I also blame the weekend where I disrupted his pattern and I blame myself for still not being able to get my son to sleep, and I blame solid foods for making him really windy and giving him tummy pains with all the new digesting going on. He may be a little constipated too I fear as he keeps makes straining noises, especially at night, and goes a bit red in the face, and if I touch his tum or bum during these strains, I can feel them harden and tighten as if he is struggling plus he is doing a lot of stinky farts. (To anyone who said ‘oh he will sleep better when he is on solids’ – why don’t you take him for a night?! That theory is rubbish!)

I blame his crazy development making him want to roll over and try and crawl all the bloody time when he should be sleeping and causes him to move manically in the cot and then of course, lose balance and bop his head on the bars, which is still a big factor for him waking so much. So I also blame the cot for being too big and too hard and very non-baby friendly frankly. And I blame the fact he has outgrown the Sleepyhead, which has always given him comfort and support at night so he is having to get used to sleeping in a big wide cot as well as digest new foods and want to be on the move all the time. All of this equals shitty sleep.

Feels like we took a huge leap forward the past two weeks with our sleep and now we have taken a massive slide back. Averaging less than 2 hours sleep in a block again and over 6 wakings a night, a mixture of wind related and general restless and bopping his head, and he is taking hours to settle back to sleep. It makes me want to cry, and go and book myself into a hotel for the weekend to run away to just to get some/any sleep. Am struggling not to believe the mum mantra of ‘this too will pass’ on this anymore. We need sleep!

3. Is he left handed?

We are starting to believe so. I know it isn’t determined until they are 2 years old or something, but he more often than not grabs the spoon with his left hand first and tries to feed himself with the left hand predominately. He likes to make a fist with the right hand and not use it as much when playing and exploring his movement so watch this space. Possible leftie I reckon.

He is definitely double jointed (are all babies double jointed?!). His big toe folds almost all the way back on itself on both feet and he can twist his knee back and up much further than I have seen anyone do before! He could be a ballerina or gymnast if he keeps up this level of flexibility. I am rather jealous to be honest.

4. Multi vits – necessary or not?

So now Pads is over 6 months old and still breastfed, our HV recommended we use vitamin drops to make sure Pads gets all the extra nutrients he needs to grow up and big and strong. At first I didn’t question this as I just want to do what is best for my baby of course and she is the health professional and just following the food standards agency recommendations.

So, I went and bought some well baby infant liquid by vitabiotics, for babies 4 months plus, which sounded like the perfect blend of multivits and prides itself on having more vitamins in it than any other brand bla bla bla. It said to mix it in with his milk, water or food so I stirred the recommended dose into his purée and tried a bit. All I could taste was the sugary herbal tasting orange syrup. Yuck! I then read the packet and it contains a lot of sugar. Is this right? Aren’t we told not to give babies sugar and then told to give them sugary vitamin drops?! Confused! I know that baby medicine is full of sugar to get them to take it, but you only give them medicine every once in a while, these drops are supposed to be administered daily. I have since discovered there are drops available that say they don’t contain sugar or sweetener so I should have looked out for those.

I gingerly offered him some up as I had already stirred it into his food and he ate it and seemed to really like it actually but it just masked the taste of the yummy veggies I had lovingly prepared for him, and then I got to thinking, ‘wait a minute, I don’t want to give him sugar or get him used to the taste of this stuff over the taste of food and as breast milk is so nutritious containing great levels of vitamin a especially, and I will be making sure he eats a balanced and varied diet with all the food groups covered to get the rest of the vitamins he requires, does he really actually need food supplements anyway?!’ My gut just said no, and with that, I threw the sugary vitamin riddled food away and gave him a fresh bowl of just veggies instead and made sure we had a lovely long walk in the sun afterwards (the best way to get a dose of vitamin d and it’s free! Admittedly the sun has been a rarity lately though).

I was feeling a bit cautious about this ‘you must give them vitamins’ mantra, especially as formula fed babies aren’t told to take vitamin drops until much older (because formula contains added vitamins and minerals already I know, but breast milk contains even more good stuffs so isn’t that enough?!). It’s a confusing message, and surely babies can get iron from meat and leafy green veg and vitamin c from oranges etc…shouldn’t the message really be to get parents to give their babies a balanced nutritious diet with lots of fruit, veg, meat and cereals, pulses etc.. to ensure they get all the vitamins they need the way nature intended rather than recommending every baby gets supplements regardless of circumstance or health?

I saw my HV again this week so asked her to clarify what vitamins Pads really needs as a full term, healthy and breast fed baby that he won’t be able to get from a good, well balanced diet and she said it is vitamin d that is the important one as we don’t get enough sun to be able to have enough sun exposure and of course there are risks involved with keeping a baby out in the sun uncovered too, which is the best way to top up your vit d supplies, so the vitamin d drops help boost this. Fair enough. I accept that. So I will be getting some sugar and sweetener free vitamin d drops now and putting the multi vit supplement to one side (or perhaps even the bin as it has to be used within 3 months of opening!) for now and see if we can’t get Pads all his other nutrients through my milk and some nutritious home cooked food.

Has anyone else questioned the need for vitamin drops or decided not to use them? I am not saying that I won’t give him multi vits if he needs a boost of iron or vit c or whatever, as I want my baby to be as healthy as possible, I am just not convinced that they are absolutely necessary for every baby (I know some babies and mums are deficient in certain vitamins and not all babies will be given a good, healthy balanced diet so is this just a blanket recommendation to cover all bases when in fact full term, healthy babies who do eat well actually probably don’t need supplementing their diet (other than vitamin d)?). I have definitely learnt to read the labels better on anything I give Pads and to keep asking questions!

5. Weaning highlights.

This week we are combining flavours and being more adventurous with new tastes and baby led feeding. The food journey has taken a step up a gear!

We have had butternut squash and swede – a tasty success that saw him eat the whole bowl; strawberry – he delighted in squishing these between his fingers and enjoyed sucking the sweet juices from the strawberry piece I gave him to hold; unsweetened natural yoghurt – provoked the best facial reactions yet and made him do a little leg dance before diving in for some more so I am guessing the sour flavour excited him (similar to breast milk I wonder?!); cucumber batons – he really wasn’t sure about these but they were pretty cold straight from the fridge and hard to get much out of without any teeth; raspberry – not an instant hit and made him choke a bit which was quite scary so perhaps he isn’t quite ready for something so tart and seedy; and a carrot and cauliflower puree blend – lapped up half a bowl quite happily.

He is so interested in all the food on my plate at meal times too so we will be stepping up the weaning even further next week and perhaps introducing some meat and grains. Exciting foodie times for Pads, and I love that I get to share in his new culinary discoveries and excitement for feeds.

6. Reporting back on air wrap cot bumpers.

So after some consideration, research and advice from friends and fellow mums, thanks to all who commented, we went with the air mesh wraps to put around the cot bars as I just can’t use a traditional cot bumper just incase – Not worth the risk or worry – but wanted a solution to him constantly bumping his head, which is a major contributing factor to our crappy sleep this week. The air wraps are definitely breathable which is a must, and they attach with really strong Velcro so I don’t think he will be able to rip them off, but as for doing the job of being a bumper – they come up short. As they are so thin in order to be breathable and safe, he is still bopping his head on the side bars as they really provide very little in the way of padding or protection. So, we have the same problem basically but I am now £26 worse off, so thinking these may be going back. I just hope that he learns to stop bashing his head at some point as we could do without another bloody reason for broken sleep and frequent night wakings.

7. Groundhog Day.

The actual Groundhog Day was not our best day this week, in fact this week has been a week of being late for everything and forgetting stuff.

We missed our Tuesday morning baby class after a terrible night’s sleep and Pads then deciding to sleep at the time we needed to be getting up. Then another swimming disaster followed that day because he was so tired and cranky.

He cried all the way to the pool, missing out on his usual nap, he cried getting changed and although he did the whole swim session this time and enjoyed some of it, he cried again after one of the underwater swims and before another one so we had to give that a miss, and when he was in the swim position a few times he was not loving it. The teacher was giving her definitive answer on whether we could go to the planned underwater photo shoot this weekend and last week we were all 95% yes, this week she delivered a huge blow to me and Pads after his grizzly behaviour in class and I felt like a big fat parenting failure. She recommended that we didn’t do the shoot (all the other babies in our class were given the OK, including one that is grizzly at the start of every session) and postpone it until the end of his next swimming chapter which will be in May when he should be more confident and older and hopefully easier to time everything right before his swim. I was surprised at how gutted I felt to be told we couldn’t go, even though we can’t afford to buy the extortionately priced photos at the moment anyway and even though I agreed with her.

It felt like I had failed Pads by not getting all of his sleep, naps and feeds accurately timed so he would always be able to enjoy swimming. Silly I know as I can’t control how he feels and why he wakes/doesn’t nap, how much he eats before class etc…and this week we had fed exactly an hour before class which is usually when he is then at his best. I really have no idea what I am doing is what Pads has reminded me this week and we have been winging it rather well, but this week it feels like the wings have fallen off and I’m being exposed as the clueless, fumbling parent that I really am.

I realise it sounds like I am being pretty negative this week, which is not my style, and like it all went a bit ‘toop’, but not entirely no.

On Wednesday we again completely missed our baby class as I had written the wrong time in my phone. When I realised we had turned up to class just as it was ending, and I was walking away feeling embarrassed and silly, I had a choice: Let that define and ruin our day and get upset about it which was my first instinct, or, get over it and make the most of the day regardless.

It was a gorgeous sunny Winter’s day (rare around these parts at the moment) and we had travelled further afield, to a gorgeous village called Newland especially for the class so were in a new place and also near an old place I knew very well (Monmouth). I chose to get over it thankfully and took us on a little drive around the new area first, after a feed in the car of course, and it was absolutely gorgeous countryside and just what I needed to take my mind off the shitty bitty week so far. Pads had a little nap too so it was win win.

I then decided we would make the day an adventure and the day we did lots of fun stuff rather than the day I cocked up again. So, we went up to the Kymin, a stunning high look out point where you can see all across Monmouth and beyond where I used to go a lot as a youngster, and took a nice walk in the woods there and around the pleasure grounds of the site. Then, we went to Monmouth Castle as part of our ongoing extended Welsh Castles Challenge, and I don’t think I ever really went there before despite living in the town for several years. Then we did a big walk around Monmouth itself taking in the old bridge and the cobbled streets, before stopping for a well earned slice of cake and tea with soy milk (me) and a good breastfeed and nap (for Pads). We were in the cafe for 2 hours just chilling and watching ski and snowboard videos that were playing on a loop and it was lovely. So we ended up having a really brilliant day making the most of the sunshine and getting lots of fresh air, and not letting a blunder get us down. That was how we turned a potentially bad day, right back around.

8. My brain has actually turned to mush.

I have found myself making a lot of silly mistakes this week, like getting the time of the baby class wrong, taking the wrong turning in the car and knowing it was wrong but not reacting in time, putting my leftover dinner in the microwave overnight instead of in the fridge which was what I meant to do, writing down the wrong postcode for a location despite being told the right one twice (I am not dyslexic but I had basically gotten all the letters and numbers in the wrong order), and leaving Pads on the changing table for 5 seconds to wash my hands in which time he had managed to flip into his front and whack his cheek on the hard wooden bar on the edge of the table giving him a shock and his first little bruise (I am so sorry little man! I know better than to ever leave you unattended so I don’t know what I was thinking – I wasn’t and I guess that is the point here).

I feel like I am really scatty, forgetful, disorganised and not exactly functioning properly and I really think that is down to the sleep deprivation. Its been over 6 months now of functioning on little to no sleep 24/7 and it has started to take its toll. I must get more rest in the days and not always pack so much in (its my worst habit I fear, trying to do everything all at once), to give myself a chance to refuel and reboot in place of an actual decent night’s sleep which is clearly never going to happen ever again (I know it will, one day, it just feels unbelievable at the moment!), and also Paddington probably needs a few more calm days at home, where we aren’t rushing around to get to class or an appointment or to meet someone, so he can get more peace and rest too.

9. Show and tell.

We went along to Ystrad Mynach Hospital at the end of this week to demonstrate and talk about our experiences with biological/laid back feeding as part of a health professionals training day to bring local health visitors up to date with breastfeeding positioning alternatives and the benefits of this particular position above others (increased bonding with easier eye to eye contact, perfect for skin to skin contact feeding, relaxed and natural for baby to be so tight and close to the mother, easier to do once you get the hang of it as less to remember than with cradle and gravity works with mum and the baby for optimum milk flow, better for the baby to digest the milk as it flows down so good for babies with reflux and strengthens babies head and neck muscles as the head is left free from any hold so the baby controls when they come off better too), in the hope that they can encourage mums to keep on boobing for longer!

We had been asked to get involved by the lovely lady who ran our breastfeeding peer support group and you know how passionate I am about boobies and the biological position so of course I said yes.

We arrived late, of course (that is the theme of this week it would seem!), after I took a wrong turn at the start of our car journey and knew I was about to take a wrong turn and yet still did it anyway! Really annoying. Anyway, we arrived only 5 minutes late in the end which I am classing as a success, and located the education centre in what is actually a really lovely, modern hospital. Have never been there before but was impressed.

We walked into the lecture theatre where the training was taking place to find 15 lady health visitors semi-circled around 2 seats, one that was occupied by the course leader and one that was obviously intended for me and Pads. I suddenly felt quite daunted as I was basically on stage and about to ‘perform’ with my baby in front of actual medically trained professionals, including my very own HV who hadn’t hugely helped me with my breastfeeding concerns in the early days to be honest, and I know this is largely to do with the fact that they are soooo busy and have so much to cover in a short time so I have no hard feelings about it, it just goes to show that the matter of breastfeeding is quite a specialist field that requires a lot of time and support to get right, and the role of the HV is a much more general and busier role.

“Oh well, here goes I thought, let’s do this together Pads!”. It was actually lovely to be able to sit up there and tell my story about how I began, struggled with, reached out for help with and now love breastfeeding. The emphasis was of course on discovering the biological/laid back feeding position and how I got on with it at first (not well) but learned to not overthink it until it has become our natural, default position. Less than a minute into me talking, Pads (who had already melted the crowd with his extreme cuteness – good work buddy!), decided he would like to demo the position immediately.

So there I was with a slightly red flushed face, which I always get when public speaking (and because the room was sooo hot and stuffy! Why are hospitals always so stuffy?!) , a dry mouth, because I had foolishly forgotten/not had time to pack any water for the car journey, getting my boob out in front of 16 intensely concentrating faces. Standard. Pads latched on well and although our positioning wasn’t exactly textbook (as I just wanted to get Pads on quickly so I could continue talking and felt quite under pressure with everyone looking intently at me, I didn’t sit that upright or check that he was low enough down but I reckon I was doing well enough just being there in the first place) it was still a good representation of biological/laid back feeding and definitely a real mum’s interpretation of the position which is important for the health visitors to see.

I told my story rather quickly as I suddenly got a bit nervous and flustered as Pads was fussing a bit on the boob being hot as well in that stuffy room and probably picking up on some of my anxieties, then it was question time, where I moved Pads over to the other boob to try and stop his fussing, which worked for a little bit. I relaxed a bit more now the pressure was off me to just speak and answered all the questions directed me. It was great to hear the ladies so interested in the position and I was quite surprised that none of them really knew very much about it at all and thought it must be harder to do than the cradle position, which actually, it isn’t, after a little practice and some confidence of course.

One lovely lady asked me how old I was as she thought it was mainly only youngsters that wanted to try out different feeding positions and when I said I was 34, she was actually genuinely shocked and said ‘gosh, well you certainly don’t look it. I thought you were much younger”. Thank you lady, I will take that and treasure that comment! Another kind lady said I was very brave for coming to talk to them and breastfeeding at the same time which was also lovely to hear and know my time was appreciated.

After the ‘show and tell’, the ladies broke for lunch and I joined them in the staff canteen. My HV held Pads while I ate and it was really interesting to hear from the other side as all the health visitors chatted about the ever increasing demands of their role and their frustrations. They said that offering the kind of support I had to seek from Carol the lactation consultant, is why a lot of them got into the job in the first place, however as they are so stretched seeing a wealth of new mums at any one time and also because they all have a disproportionate amount of special cases (mums with serious medical concerns after childbirth such as PND or mums under the watch of social services) assigned to them that sadly have to take priority over really being able to be there for every mum, and these cases come with so much paper work and red tape that they take up the majority of their time meaning they miss out on either spotting or being told about issues like mine and thus being able to help and support non special case mums who deserve help as well. It’s a sad state of affairs that those people trained and assigned to help all mums, are actually tied up in other administrative areas and so swamped with special cases that they are unable to do their jobs as effectively as they would like and provide the same level of care and support for all which is what they all want to be able to do.

I was proud to be able to meet with these lovely hard working ladies and give them my point of view and raise more awareness and understanding of biological/laid back feeding within the health profession, so that more new mums may be offered it as an alternative to other positions that may not be working out for them, which could encourage them to keep breastfeeding rather than give up if it isn’t working out one way, as is still sadly the case with a lot of cases.

This week has been a really busy one, and a challenging one, and I realised that I am perhaps cramming too much into our weeks as we haven’t had a down day just chilling at home without having to be somewhere at a certain time for ages. With the lack of sleep and super fun and stimulating activities we do everyday, it’s no wonder we are both exhausted and in my case, on the edge of burning out soon I think, so I have decided to reclaim our ‘down day’ to just try and stay in bed a little longer, have more cuddles and lazy, relaxed feeds and skin to skin and watch a little crap on the tv. I think it will be good for both of us as we are alway on the go!

Week 28 – breastfeeding, bumps and beaches

Week 28 – 02/02/16

1. Sing and Sign.

We started a new baby class that was recommended to us by lots of other mums, and I was looking for something that involved a bit of music and singing. And we found what we were looking for.

Sing and sign is great fun! It is just what it says on the tin but the lady that runs it is really engaging and charismatic so Pads was engrossed throughout all the little songs, which of course all have signs that go with them to encourage mum and baby to communicate better. We learnt the signs for ‘more’ and ‘eat’ and ‘all finished’ and ‘no’ and a few animal ones too. Then Paddington got to play with a tambourine and shaker and had a really fun time bashing his instruments and shaking them when told to (probably just a fluke but it made him look super skilled!) and stopping shaking when commanded too (again I think more of a fluke but I will take it!). We have been trying out some of the signs at home so hoping a few will sink in for both of us and aid our communication. Either way, the class is fun and there are a few other mums there from our other classes too so it’s a friendly crowd. Plus he slept for nearly 2 hours after the first class so anything that achieves that result is a winner for me!

2. Countdown to crawling.

I really don’t think we can be far away from crawling now. The manic rolling is at its peak and the shuffling, pivoting and grabbing his way forwards and backwards is incredible to watch. He puts so much effort into moving around and is desperate to crawl. He has done a few little backwards crawls already – just a couple of pushes, but not very far or for very long and has just started going on all fours and pressing himself up into a sort of bridge position, then rocking back and forth really quickly as if trying to propel himself forward. It takes such intense concentration and effort and often results in a few tears of utter frustration – or a fart. He could not be trying any harder and I think he will get there soon. I believe he can do anything frankly and deserves to succeed just for trying so hard. That’s my boy.

3. Sense of humour.

Our boy loves a laugh and a smile and is displaying a very fun and cheeky sense of humour already. He knows when he has splashed really hard and wet us when he is in the bath by our reactions and thinks this is hilarious. He loves a little game of peek-a-boo, chuckling away at the surprise element. He loves being held upside down or with his belly resting on my head when I am standing and giggles away at this new sensation of height and weightlessness. And when he has dropped something off the high chair onto the floor and I have to keep going to get it, he knows that is funny and gives me a super cheeky grin before he drops whatever it is.

The other day we went to visit my gorgeous pal Cathy and her mum Rita came into the room and stood by the doorway, quite far away from Pads, and started making raspberry blowing noises at him and funny faces. He thought this was the funniest thing ever and chortled out loud over and again. Then when she wiggled her glasses up and down he was almost thigh slapping, he was so entertained. Ah, the simple things in life! He loves to laugh and finds joy in so many things, it’s a real inspiration and a great outlook to have on life. Plus his laugh is simply adorable. It does funny things to my ovaries….(watch out Jon!)

4. Sleeves are the enemy.

All of a sudden, every time we have to change little man’s clothes, he freaks out when it comes to putting his sleeves on. This is a recent development and it makes dressing him really slow and complicated as he makes little fists or spreads out his fingers to make putting any sleeves over his hands really taxing. He also doesn’t like things going over his head much either so change time is just a wrestling match accompanied with him crying and wriggling at the moment. Great fun.

5. Breastfeeding photo shoot. #normalisebreastfeeding

Pads and I took part in a fab photo shoot this week, all to promote the normalisation of breastfeeding. It’s the brainchild of a lovely local photographer, Hannah Merrett, and has the backing of the midwife team who took care of me and my boy and I think it’s such a great idea.

Hannah is basically taking pics of breastfeeding mums at home or out and about just feeding their babies as they would normally do, to create a real life style photo campaign which she kicked off with a Facebook page called The Beauty of Mummy’s Milk: Hannah Merrett Photography this week and Pads and I had a starring role as the first mummy and baby duo featured! (please like and share to help us gain more exposure – pardon the pun!) #normalisebreastfeeding

She is also going to put up some of the photographs as posters in local cafes, hospitals and gp surgeries, and hopefully, if further funding is received, to reach out further across Wales perhaps, to normalise breastfeeding.

It will also show people how different breastfeeding is for every mother and baby and that it isn’t just about one position, the cradle, which is all most people are ever shown or aware of – I know I wasn’t aware of other positions at the start, so hopefully it will also give people the option to try another position if one isn’t working for them, and to let them know that there are lots of different ways to feed your baby. This is such a worthwhile cause and the more people that see breastfeeding as a normal, natural, everyday thing, the more likely they are to try it, keep at it, accept it, support it and encourage it, and importantly for this country, the more likely the stigma that still shockingly surrounds breastfeeding, will be removed.

The rates for breastfeeding in Wales are awful, we have one of the lowest rates in the world – only 46% of women even try breastfeeding and this drops by half within the first 6 weeks, largely because of lack of support, lack of easily accessable information and guidance because of a stretched Nhs, and lack of peer encouragement. (If your mum/Aunty/sister/friends didn’t breastfeed and you have no breastfeeding groups to turn to, then who do you go to for help and advice?) In rural Wales and the valleys the figures are even lower – and something needs to be done about that. The message that breast milk is the perfect ‘first food’ for babies perhaps still isn’t getting heard loud enough or more than likely, it is being heard but mums aren’t getting the support and help they need to really give it their best shot and stick with it when it inevitably gets hard or when problems arise and are spotted or sorted out.

‘Breast is best’ is a well known phrase and I think people are starting to understand why but they need support to do what is often perceived as a really natural, easy thing (I thought it would be easy to pick up as its instinct and Mother Nature right?! How wrong I was!). There are SOOOO many reasons that breastfeeding support needs to be given greater priority of importance by health professionals and more funding by the government, as not only is breast milk free, convenient, portable and always at the correct temperature and always sterile, it also and most importantly, contains all the nutrients a baby needs for 6 whole months! Its a complete whole food. It’s incredible stuff! On top of that, it is packed with immune boosting properties and puts both mum and baby at a significantly lower risk of diabetes, breast and ovarian cancer, a host of infections, bugs and more – it literally saves lives and saves money (for mums because it’s free food for your baby and for the Nhs because it keeps mum and baby healthier so less doctors and hospital visits all round).

There was an article out this week about the most recent findings by The Lancet, a U.K medical journal, that if every mum who could breastfeed did, it would save around 800,000 children’s lives (from various diseases and infections) and 20,000 mum’s lives (from breast cancer) so anything that can be done to support, help and encourage breastfeeding mums and remove any unnecessary barriers, such as the stigma that is still shamefully attached to breastfeeding, should be applauded. “Powerful political commitment and financial investment is needed to protect, promote and support breastfeeding at all levels: family, community, workplace and government” (The Lancet).

**Of course, not every mum can breastfeed successfully and not every mum wants to breastfeed either, and I by no means judge any mum for how they feed their baby and do not ever want any mum to feel bad about not choosing to breastfeed or having to stop breastfeeding as there are so many circumstances that make it so hard to do or to continue to do. I am just passionate about breastfeeding personally and passionate about ensuring mums have all the information and support they can possibly have about it to make an informed choice about how to feed their baby in the first instance and then ongoing support to keep breastfeeding if that is the path they chose.

I really enjoyed taking part in the shoot and Pads was a little star just happily feeding away and giving some lovely smilies to camera when he was finished too! We did a variety of shots doing biological feeding in the rocking chair and armchair and then doing lying down feeding in bed, and I was totally happy to have my boob out feeding my son while Hannah snapped away, because it’s just normal to us. Breastfeeding is just that. Just feeding, using a breast. The photos are beautiful and something we will treasure forever as a reminder of such a special time between me and my boy. I am proud to be involved in this campaign, and hope it gets the further funding it needs to roll out across Wales.

6. Adventures in weaning part 2.

Paddington’s culinary introduction continues and this week has seen a huge leap in the way he eats and anticipates food already. He gets really excited when I put his bib on and when he sees the orange bowl and opens out his arms as if to say ‘give me whatever you’ve got in there now!’. I think he is enjoying food and exploring new tastes and textures and we have had some serious winners this week. Here’s the tasting menu so far:

Parsnip. He ate the whole bowl! He loved it and kept wanting more, reaching out for the spoon and looking really happy when I gave him another bit. He was sucking it off the spoon and swallowing with some vigour. I have been a bit disorganised on the baby led part of the weaning this week and didn’t cook up whole parsnips to go with the purée, but am not sure he cares, so we will get back on the baby led now we have done our little intro to flavours fortnight.

Carrot. He grinned and laughed out loud while eating this and ate the whole bowl again. Loved it. He really delighted in smearing carrot streaks across the high chair tray and just looked like he was having so much fun.

Peas. New texture sensation – this was quite a chunky, thick purée with bigger lumps in than any of the others he has had so far, and it was so cute to see him pressing bits against the roof of his mouth with his tongue to sort of chew it before swallowing. He really liked it and again, ate almost the whole bowl. I think I may have fed him too quickly though as he was so excited by it, as about 45 minutes later, after he had done some energetic play on his mat, he did some rather large pea-speckled sicks, so I think I need to slow down the pace when feeding and try and make sure he has finished what is in his mouth before giving him more. Not always easy to tell as sometimes he hides a little food stash behind his tongue. Also, I probably need to try and keep him upright and still (ha! Good luck with that!) for longer after a feed, like I would after a breast feed.

Peas really do get everywhere though. During the feed he was shaking the spoon and bowl – standard – and bits of pea were literally flying all over the kitchen. I found some on the wall and the skirting as well as all over the mat and of course, all over the floor beyond the mat. It was the worst food clean up yet and seemed to take forever. I am still finding little green flecks now!

Avocado. Well this was a fun one. We went baby led on this one mainly and he really enjoyed picking up the slices of avocado and sucking on them and trying to chew bits. He loved feeding himself and ate a fair amount considering he doesn’t have any teeth! He did bite off a bit more than he could chew a few times and I had to help him spit some large chunks out but then he would try again and suck a little piece off instead. I only offered him the mashed up avo on the spoon a couple of times as wanted him to feed himself more, and he lapped it up each time. A total winner and a total mess! Avo spreads far and wide!

Pear. This might have taken the number 1 spot from parsnips or be a close 2nd at least. He couldn’t get enough and loved holding the pieces of cooked parsnips I cut up for him as much as, if not, more than the puree.

Banana. He was really unsure about this one and made some pretty disgusted looking faces. I also hated bananas when I was little and only started eating them in pregnancy as they are so good for you. I think Pads my have inherited my initial dislike for this weirdly textured fruit. He seemed to be much sicker in the day following his banana breakfast too, bringing up a LOT of watery sick – around 4 or 5 times after each feed and sometimes over an hour later, and the next day he had some diarrhoea bless him so I am extra wary about the banana as it may have contributed to that.

7. Cot training continued.

Our ‘routine’ was a bit broken this week as we stayed at our cottage last weekend where there is no cot so we had to revert back to co-sleeping and the sleep wasn’t great again to be honest. Then when we were back to the cot, the first night was not a success and really broken sleep again. And we were doing so well!

However, the next evening was good again with a 4 hour stretch of sleep and Ewan the dream sheep doing his bit to help soothe Padster back to sleep. All in all sleep is much better at night now we are putting him in the cot as much as possible with an average of 3.5-4 hours straight sleep a night now (such a big improvement I can’t tell you!), and around 3-4 wakings instead of double that, as we were doing.

Day sleep is good, with us pretty much hitting our 3 hours in a day target everyday this week which is fab. The only way is up right! We are definitely all feeling better for some more sleep finally and I just hope it continues! (Please!)

This weekend we stayed at my aunty’s in the Gower for a couple of nights, so again no cot and the bed was really small and dipped in the middle so it wasnt possible to use the sleepyhead in the bed as I had planned as it kept tilting towards the middle and was too close to the edge of the bed so didn’t feel very safe either, so I ended up putting it on the floor where he slept for a bit! But because it was a new environment he didn’t sleep well, so we did some co-sleeping again with him resting on me tummy down, just to get a few more zzzzz’s.

I decided to buy a travel cot to make it easier (hopefully!) to sleep in new and different places with the little bear, and Asda have a good baby sale on at the moment so we got one for just over £20, plus we picked up a spare cot in a gorgeous navy blue for the cottage, which will then be a spare cot for the grandparents once we move, for under £40. Bargains. Hope he likes them!

8. Bumps versus bumpers.

Now he is back sleeping in his cot mostly, we have a problem and it goes bump in the night.

Whenever he wakes up, he wants to move about as his first instinct, but in the cot this inevitably means he will roll to one side and end up bumping his head on the side bars bless him. This happens a couple of times a night love him and usually makes him cry – not a lot but enough to properly wake him and make settling him via Ewan or soothing in the cot virtually impossible.

Now, I know that cot bumpers are deemed unsafe and we are told not to use them because of the dangers of suffocation (we do own some lovely ones that were given to us as a gift and I used them as decoration in the cot at the opposite end to where he was, up until he started moving around basically and have since removed them) but can a bump on his head several times a night be any good for him either and is there anything I can do to help him? He pretty much has a little red mark on his head most mornings now where he has bashed his bonce on the bars and I feel so sorry for him.

He is inevitably going to move about and roll, and the bars are hard so it doesn’t take a genius to do the maths and see why it keeps happening. Has anyone else had this problem and what did you do about it? I was recommended some small bumpers to just go over a few bars where he regularly bumps his head by a pal, but he has started to regularly bump it in a few different places now as well as start sticking his arm through the bars to reach out so am concerned he is going to get himself stuck soon. I was also told about air wraps, which are breathable mesh like cot bumpers that won’t cause suffocation and are ideal for stopping limbs being poked out of cots and getting caught apparently so am thinking of trying those out, but have also been told they can encourage the little ones to try and use them to climb out of the cot too. Its a mine field! Will report back!

9. First beach trip!

This weekend just gone we went to visit family in the Gower and Pads saw the sea for the first time! He loved it. It was very windy and fresh out but he chattered away to me the whole way along the Langland to Caswell bay path, excitedly shouting at things we passed such as surfers running down the beach into the sea, trees with the leaves blowing wildly, flocks of seagulls overhead and the waves crashing on the ocean. He had gorgeous red ruddy cheeks and an expression of wonder and joy. I think my boy may be an ocean babe which is excellent news as Jon and I are massive fans of the sea.