11 months old

I have been meaning to post for awhile. But, being a Mummy of a very inquisitive and active baby makes it a little big challenging haha!

Daisy is now 11 months old. I can’t quite believe it. It seems like every day Daisy changes, grows and learns something new. Daisy is such a character. She is cheeky, funny and incredibly nosy.

Daisy sleeps through the night and has been for, I would say, the past three months. She has three teeth, loves her food, has been crawling for two months and is pulling herself up. Daisy waves, claps and points.

Daisy adores books and singing. She loves being around people and is incredibly sociable. Daisy tends to be the noisiest baby at the baby groups we go to and likes to make her presence known!

In terms of my anxiety and depression, I am managing it well. I take Daisy out to some sort of group or activity each day. When I do feel anxious or low, it is not to the extremes that it was a few years ago. My worries tend to do with Daisy; is she ok, am I a good enough Mum etc.

There was a time I would refuse to acknowledge the mental health difficulties I experience to anyone. I am the total opposite now. I speak openly to those around me. I no longer feel any sense of shame or embarrassment.

Being Daisy’s Mummy is the most amazing job in the world. She is the best thing to have happened to me. I get emotional when I think about how much love, joy and happiness she has brought to my life.

If you would like to see any updates on Daisy, I regularly post photos on my instagram account @originalgemskibob. Feel free to add me and just drop me a message letting me know who you are.

It’s been too long

I have missed blogging. I’ve struggled to find the time for it though.

So Daisy is 4 months old now. 4 months!!! At times, I find it hard to believe. She has more than doubled her birth weight, is so close to rolling over and has such a cheeky personality. We are having proper belly laughs from her now, which are just the best.

At times, Daisy is teething. Thankfully, it comes in short bursts. I really feel for her when it’s bad. All she wants is to cuddle.

Being a Mum brings new challenges in terms of my mental health. Sometimes I get stuck in a cycle of worrying about something about Daisy. Other times, I feel overwhelmed and I am filled with self doubt. I know that I put a lot of pressure on myself. I try to talk to Dave whenever I am struggling like this. He is really good at helping me think more logically.

Regardless of the struggles I do experience at times, I truly love being a Mum. It is a joy and a privilege to get to experience motherhood. It is indescribable how amazing it is to get to watch Daisy grow and change.

Looking to the year ahead

I hope everyone had a nice Christmas. We decided not to do presents this year except for the children we know. It actually made the build up to Christmas more enjoyable. I wasn’t worrying about what to buy people. Dave and I didn’t buy Daisy anything either. She was just over 9 weeks and oblivious to the fact it was Christmas. We agreed we would rather buy Daisy thing as and when she needs them while she is so little. Daisy did get presents from our family and close friends including a play mat that she adores.

Daisy will be 11 weeks old on Friday. She is so much more alert now and smiles a lot. Daisy makes a lot of different sounds too. She had her first jabs the week before Christmas. We were fortunate that she didn’t seem to have any adverse reaction besides being more sleepy and cuddly than normal. We have got Daisy into a nice routine and for the most part she goes to sleep relatively quickly after her evening bath and bottle.

Yesterday I went back to the gym. Last time I went was 6 weeks before I gave birth. I was highly anxious beforehand. But I was glad I went. I did a Bodycombat class and really enjoyed it. It was hard but not as much as I anticipated. It was nice to catch up with people. I am aching a bit today but I was expecting to.

Dave and I have never done anything big for New Year’s Eve. This year will be no exception especially as we are now parents. We plan on our usual tradition of getting a Chinese takeaway and chilling out in front of the telly.

I am really looking forward to the year ahead. I am taking Daisy to a 6 week sensory class at a local soft play centre. My best friend teaches a sweaty mama class. It is an exercise class that you can take your babies to. I am planning on finding some sort of music based class for Daisy as she loves music and I want to do a baby massage class. I am looking forward to seeing Daisy grow and develop. I love being her Mummy.

I hope everyone enjoys bringing in the New Year. Here’s to a fantastic 2018!!!

6 weeks already!

Tomorrow Daisy will be 6 weeks old. It has flown by! She now fits in newborn and 0 – 3 month clothes after being in tiny baby clothes from birth.

Daisy enjoys cuddles, music and singing. She loves having her cheeks stroked and her hands rubbed. Daisy is making lots of different noises and likes to grab your hands.

I can’t remember life before being a Mum. I have never experienced tiredness like it but I wouldn’t change it for the world. I don’t know what sleep is anymore but I am so used to being sleep deprived now. Being a Mum is extremely hard but it is the most rewarding and amazing thing.

When Daisy was first born, I definitely experienced the baby blues. I was crying over everything and anything, good and bad. I did have concerns that it was post natal depression, but it was definitely due to all the hormones from being pregnant and giving birth. I feel confident and at ease being a Mum. My confidence has grown over these past 6 weeks and I am not afraid to talk to people if I am feeling overwhelmed or unsure.

A week of discovery

Daisy and I survived our first week on our own as Dave went back to work on Monday.

This week I have discovered that you are constantly busy when looking after a newborn. When Dave was on paternity leave, there was someone else to help out with changing, feeds, sterilising bottles etc. I am the master of doing things one handed now. We have managed two short walks with Walter too!

Early on in the week I had so much self doubt and anxiety. I felt overwhelmed and thought I wouldn’t be able to be a good Mum. There were tears in the middle of the night when Daisy just wouldn’t settle regardless of what I did. But my family, particularly Dave, have been so supportive.

As this week has gone on, I have gained more confidence. Being a Mum is incredibly tiring. But it is also incredibly rewarding. Daisy has changed so much in 3 weeks. She is awake and alert more each day. I can’t describe how it makes me feel when she is looking up at me.

We are currently waiting for Dave to come home from work and to spend the weekend together as a family. I cannot wait.

Being a Mum

Daisy is now 8 days old. I can’t remember life before her. It is hard to put into words how much I love her.

It is crazy the impact a baby has on you. There are times that have been hard. We found out that Daisy was tongue tied. This made feeding traumatic for all of us. But we were lucky enough to get it sorted when Daisy was 4 days old. I can’t remember what it feels like to have a decent night’s sleep, the house is a mess and I feel clueless at times.

But despite all of the hard times they make the good times feel even more amazing. I love giving Daisy cuddles and kisses. Sometimes I look at her and can’t believe that I am a Mum and I have this amazing little girl. I love waking up to her lying in her moses basket next to me. I love how she looks at me.

Walter has adapted well to Daisy. Dave and I had concerns how Walter would react to Daisy. But he is so sweet with her. He likes to make sure she is ok. He is completely used to her crying when she needs changing or feeding.

I am not comfortable posting photos of Daisy on here. However, I have been posting photos on my closed instagram which is @originalgemskibob if you want to follow me. If you could send me a message saying who you are I would appreciate it.

Welcome to the world Daisy Georgia

On 20th October at 2.02pm, our little girl Daisy Georgia made a whirlwind entrance to the world weighing 6lb 1oz.

At 5am on 20th October, I woke up in bed to discover my waters had broken. I went to the hospital to confirm this. By 10.30am, I was having strong and consistent contractions. I only know this now as when we get to hospital at 1pm, I was fully dilated and ready to push. I completely surprised myself by giving birth without pain relief. The hospital told me that I had done all the hard work at home.

Daisy came 19 days early. She was born a day before what would have been my Grandad George’s birthday. Although she is in tiny baby clothes, she is doing well.

Although we are already sleep deprived, Dave and I are completely in love with Daisy.

( Nearly) 37 weeks

The last few weeks have gone past in the blink of an eye. Even though I am at the point in my pregnancy where I feel uncomfortable most of the time.

Up until the past few days, Jellybean felt like she lived in my ribs. It was virtually impossible to ever feel comfortable. Towards the end of last week, Jellybean moved down. For the first time in my pregnancy, I actually had an appetite!

During my 36 week midwife appointment, my bump was measuring big yet again. I went for a growth scan the following day. Jellybean is absolutely fine. She isn’t measuring big and is actually spot on in terms of her weight.

New symptoms I am experiencing are waking up completely drenched in sweat. I feel like I have done a 45 minutes Bodycombat class! I have been having some intense pressure in my bump at times too. Last night, I woke up feeling nauseous and ended up throwing up. Dave is convinced I will go into labour before my due date.

Dave and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary last week. It was nice to spend some time together before Jellybean arrives. We went out for a Chinese which was delicious.

I will end the post with another photo of Walter. We got him a new harness. It looks super comfy and looks great on him

34 Weeks

We are less than 6 weeks until Jellybean’s due date. Part of me thinks it has flown by. Another part feels like it is dragging.

I saw a physio about my hands and hips. She was amazing. I do have carpal tunnel syndrome. I now wear splints on my hands at night when I am sleeping. It is nice to not be woken up in the night with sore wrists and pins and needles in my hands. I also have pelvic girdle pain. I have a support belt to wear under my bump during the day. This is helping alleviate my hip pain.

Jellybean has had a huge growth spurt. She is considered big at the moment. I am now seeing the midwife every two weeks as I am so close to my due date. She has said that if she is still measuring as big at my next appointment she will send me for a scan. I have been reassured that her growth might level out.

Walter has been diagnosed with dermatitis. We changed his food to grain free after noticing in between his toes were red and sore. We also bought some paw butter to help. Initially, this seemed to help. But it became clear that his skin wasn’t right. He was itchy loads and we noticed sore parts on his fur.

In the past, we have been fobbed off at the vets about Walter’s skin. Dave and I have both felt for awhile that he has a skin condition. We saw a new vet and he was amazing. He was extremely thorough and took some scrapings from different parts of Walter’s fur and skin.

For a week Walter was on a course of steroids, having a supplement in his food and two baths with a special shampoo. The difference has been amazing. His fur and skin look and feel so much better, he doesn’t scratch loads and he just seems happier.

Normally when we go the vets, Walter tries his best to escape and we end up carrying him in to the consultation room. He would shake as he was nervous and bury his head in us and refuse to acknowledge the vet. So when we went back yesterday so the vet, we were shocked that he willingly walked into the consultation room, wasn’t shaking and wasn’t burying his head in us. The vet was pleased with Walter. He wants us to continue with the supplement in the food each day and to bath him once a week with his shampoo for the next few weeks then reduce it to every other week, every month etc.

I haven’t shared any photos of Walter for awhile so I thought I would. He has his own instagram if you want to follow him – instagram.com/walterthesausagedog

Walter playing with his mate Harlow after a dachshund walk last week

Snuggles with Lola. She came over and settled on Walter like this.

32 weeks

Today marks my 32nd week of pregnancy. It is hard to believe that Jellybean is due in 8 weeks!

I really feel pregnant now. I regularly experience sore hips and pressure in my lower pelvis. Last week when I was nearly 31 weeks pregnant, I had to stop going to the gym. I am proud I managed to keep going until I was nearly 31 weeks. I am continuing to walk Walter each day. I am struggling to sleep a lot now. I am frequently having to switch sides in bed or get up to pee.

It was found during my 28 week blood test that it was found that I am slightly anaemic. I am now on iron tablets. The past week I have developed what I think is carpal tunnel syndrome. I have a physio appointment next week so hoping this will help with this and my hips.

My bump is now huge. This was taken on Sunday: