My First 6 Months with Baby Carly

I have been meaning to write an update on baby Carly for awhile now and what better time than on the eve of her turning 6 months old (so scary how fast time is flying by these days!).

Brother and Sister

I can't quite believe that six months ago I was calmly ignoring the fact that I was in labour whilst picking Cameron up from nursery, cooking dinner for everyone and watching the new series of The Big Bang Theory. I was three days overdue and, due to awful migraines and high fluid levels, booked in for an induction in four days. Tim had bought me a session of reflexology after I had told him it was meant to help bring on labour and it had actually worked, my contractions began during the treatment and slowly intensified throughout the evening. I refused to believe I was actually in labour until 10pm due to a lot of annoying false starts over the past couple of weeks. It was only, after going for a walk around the block and barely being able to stand up straight for the pain, that I admitted defeat and called the maternity ward who told me to make my way in. When we arrived I was examined and told I was 3cm but that I could stay in and try out the pool etc to get things going a bit more. Everything went quite quickly after that and soon I was 4cm and in established labour. Once my waters were broken (and I subsequentally flooded the room), things went extremely fast and I was pushing just 45 minutes later.

Just after birth

At 4:34am on Friday 16th November 2012 my beautiful baby daughter was born and placed into my arms. Carly weighed just half an ounce under 8 pounds and I immediately felt such an overwhelming love for her. Due to Carly's birth being straightforward I was able to go home just 4 hours later and Cameron loved having his little sister in front of him rather than stuck in mummy's tummy.

Cameron helping bath a newborn Carly

I won't lie, it has not been smooth sailing going from one to two children and anyone who says it is must be either really lucky or be lying... but I am thankful everyday for my two amazing children and I can't wait for them to be a bit older so that they can play properly together (as opposed to Cameron trying to play with Carly by pulling her by her legs....).

Cuddles with mummy after a bath

I struggled a fair bit after Carly was born with breastfeeding, which didn't work properly to begin with as we weren't latching right and my nipples bled and were so sore I felt like ripping my boobs off (yes, it was THAT bad). I also had after pains that felt like I was back in established labour. I even vividly remember asking Tim for gas and air in the middle of the night a couple of days after Carly was born. I felt exhausted most of the time as I couldn't sleep when the baby slept as everyone kept telling me to as I still had a lively toddler running circles around me.

I was diagnosed with PND a few months after having Carly, something which didn't surprise me as I had PND with Cameron as well as having prenatal depression during his pregnancy and depression throughout my teeens. I have still yet to see a counsellor. I was given tablets straight away despite telling the doctor I did not feel comfortable taking antidepressants (which is why they are sat unopened in my drawer). I will beat this depression, as I have beat it in the past, and working has helped me a lot.

Her first photoshoot at 5 days old

I learnt with my first child to trust my own instincts and so when Carly reached four months, despite the governmnet guidelines now saying six months for solids (they change their mind all the time!!) I started her on pureed food which she loved. She is a very hungry baby and I knew she was ready for more. I am excited now that she is at the six month stage to try out baby led weaning, she tries to grab everything I eat so I think she will love the independence of it.

At her happiest, with food all round her mouth!

Enjoying a rusk

As for breastfeeding, I have managed to hang on in there until this week when I gave in and bought Carly her first tub of formula. When Carly was around four months, we started giving her a bottle of formula before bed and she slept through from 8pm to 7am every day which was amazing, but I have been buying the ready made cartons for the past two months so as not to stop breastfeeding her completely. I said to myself I wanted to reach six months and I am proud to have got here as it hasn't always been easy!

Laughing!

Carly has started to really show her personality now and I think I am in for a tough time as she is quite the little madam! She has big tantrums when I finish feeding her (even when she has had more than she technically should have) and if I don't give her milk on time she will scream the house down. Most of the time she is such a lovely baby though and she puts up with so much from Cameron who is so over the top with her always hugging her and kissing her and pulling her hands or feet. She just sits and watches him most of the time and I know she will love it when she can move around more and play with him.

In her bumbo watching tv

Carly loves television (though I try and limit how much she watches) and could quite happily sit and watch it in her bumbo for ages if I let her. I have taken Carly to swimming classes for the past six weeks and she has loved being in the water. I probably won't be able to carry on the classes due to time and cost restraints but I will definitely keep taking her in the pool as she enjoys the water, even with bath time she beams at me and kicks her legs around. I am so proud of her already being able to swim underwater at six months! I am looking into classes for when Carly is a little older and will be taking her to baby ballet as I wish I had had more hobbies as a child.

Going swimming!

Carly can roll over from front to back and back to front, she still isn't sitting up unaided but she can sit for around thirty seconds before slowly falling forward- I am putting it down to laziness from her daddy's side... She has been trying to crawl for ages now but hasn't the strength to get herself going properly, I think it won't be too much longer though before she becomes unstoppable!

trying to crawl!

Carly loves toys but prefers her brother's toy cars to her pink and fluffy stuff (I am thinking she might be a tom boy, nooooo!). I take the kids for walks around the area we live in and Carly loves to look around and always wants to know what is going on. Carly has been making noises that sound like hi for a few weeks, I looked it up and she could be saying it but obviously doesn't know what she is saying yet!

Eating jelly!

I am so excited to see what the next six months has in store for us and how Carly will have developed in that time. It is crazy to think how fast the past six months have gone by and that in just nine months time she will be celebrating our wedding day with us, most likely walking and talking!

Baby Carly Olivia Moore is Finally Here!

It's been just over a week since my last pregnancy update and I am so pleased to be able to finally say that baby Carly is now here!

I went into labour last Thursday 15th during a reflexology treatment. My contractions slowly got closer and closer together and I finally allowed my mum to persuade me to go into the maternity hospital at 10:30pm by which point my contractions were 3/4 minutes apart and I was 3cm dilated.

I had the gas and air after about half an hour and tried out the birth pool, although I had to get out quite quickly after the baby's heart rate slowed and I needed to be attached to a monitor for awhile. At around 3am I was examined and had my waters broken (I definitely still had high fluid levels as it went EVERYWHERE!) which really sped things up.

On gas and air

I was in a lot of pain and had a shot of pethidene to help me cope. I went from 4cm to 10cm dilated in around an hour and the midwife didn't believe me when I told her I was feeling pressure and needed to push. I had to stop using the gas and air as the pain was so intense and I needed to concentrate on getting my daughter our. After she eventually examined me it was time to push and within ten minutes I had my baby girl in my arms!

She was born at 4:34am weighing 7 pounds 15 and a half oz. It all went by in such a blur that I was pretty overwhelmed and couldn't quite believe I finally had my baby girl! Tim and my mum were amazing birth partners throughout and so encouraging. Tim cut his daughter's cord and got very emotional. I had a bath and got changed and we left the hospital at 9am, it was all very straightforward.

Our perfect little family <3

Since she has arrived I have been settling into being a mummy to two children. Cameron is loving being a big brother and keeps giving baby Carly lots of kisses and cuddles. I am so happy to have my little family complete and am looking forward to our first Christmas all together as well as finishing planning our wedding (just got to slim down before dress shopping!).

10 Day Life Experience Challenge: Day 01. Tell about the best day of your life.

The best day of my life would have to also be the worst in some respects.... it is the day I gave birth to Cameron.

Me meeting my baby son for the first time!

It is best because I finally met my gorgeous amazing little man for the first time, but it was also the worst because of the pain of labour!! Wouldn't change anything though, I am so glad I had Cameron. He has made my life totally amazing. If you would like to read all about it, I wrote a post last year about it here.

Ten Steps to Yummy Mummy: My Guide to Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond

1. Often pregnant women complain that there is little out there that is fashionable and affordable. Keep your cool (and save those all important pennies) by buying normal clothes in a size or two above for things like tops, dresses and skirts but invest in some comfortable maternity jeans, a maternity bra and depending on the season, a maxi dress that will skim all the right places.

Heavily pregnant and wearing an empire line long length top and cropped leggings at a meal

2. It can be a little daunting going from carefree to mummy all in one go. In order to stay sane, make a list of all the things you need to buy and do before the birth and tick them off one by one over the months. Most important purchases such as a pram, something for baby to sleep in, and the car seat (if you are planning on travelling anywhere by car) should be prioritised and budgeted well for, clothes are less important as people love buying baby clothes as gifts for the new arrival.

A hospital is legally not allowed to let you leave without a car seat for your newborn if you plan on travelling by car

3. A baby shower can be an excellent thing for the (slowly getting fed up) mum-to-be. It provides a time to share the joys of becoming a parent with (usually) female friends and family. Traditionally a friend arranges the shower for you (though I helped with mine because of my degree in events), and the shower usually includes fun party games, some snacks, and sometimes gifts for the baby and mum to be.

I received tonnes of lovely presents at my babyshower which I had at 8 months pregnant

4. Towards the end of pregnancy, you might start feeling very nervous about the birth. In order to ease your worries it can be a good idea to have a clear idea of what you want the birth to be like (though make sure you realise that often labour doesn’t end up going exactly to plan and you may need to change your plans slightly). Good points to think about is the pain relief you want or are open to having, who you want at the birth, whether you want to be told the sex or find it out yourself (unless you have already found it out at the 20 week scan). You might also want to start attending antenatal classes or talking to other mums or health professionals to get a better idea of what the labour might be like.

5. Packing your birth bag can be an exciting or a daunting time. It might be hard to picture everything you could need when you are in labour. There are some great birth bag templates online to decide what you might want to take with you. Some essentials are something for you to wear during labour (that is either old or cheap as it will most likely get a little dirty), and something to wear in hospital after birth; something to eat and drink in early labour for yourself and your birth partner(s); a phone charger and/or money for the payphone at the hospital, an outfit for the baby to go home in and something for the baby to sleep in at the hospital; big knickers and maternity pads. You might also want to buy or hire a TENs machine for early stages of labour.

Be aware that it could be cold upon leaving the hospital (even in Summer, this is the UK after all!), it could be wise to pack a snowsuit like the one above to keep baby snug and warm.

6. When you reach your due date, don’t be disheartened if nothing happens. Most women don’t go into labour on or before their due date as it is always estimated within a few days anyway. You might wish to try some of the old wives tales that you find on the internet as a way to pass the time, though more often than not these have little success. Some popular ones include eating hot and spicy foods such as curry, having sex, going for a long walk and eating fresh pineapple. I tried all of these and was still 8 days late! Please, whatever you do, do not drink castor oil as it can be very dangerous to the baby and has been known to have fatal effects.

I ate so many curries when I was in late pregnancy that Cameron now loves them, even the spicy ones... I have to wrestle the fork off of him!

7. When the time comes, you may be tempted to just head straight to hospital and get going with everything. Stop and think. Do you really want to get there and be turned away? Or get there, get admitted but then be stuck there not in established labour for hours? Take it from me, as someone who eventually had to be induced and therefore stayed in hospital for 2 days, it is best to avoid going in until absolutely necessary, unless of course you have complications and you need to have hospital care. The best thing to do is to ring the hospital and talk to the maternity ward who will be able to advise you when it is best to come in. Generally if the pain is not lessening and contractions are 3 minutes apart it is time to go in. In early labour at home it may help to have a couple of paracetemol (not ibuprofen) and take a bath to ease the pain and relax you.

Another good idea in early labour is to bounce on a birth ball!

8. Labour often goes by in a blur of pain and pain relief, but when you get that baby in your arms you will forget any of the pain you could remember and everything will have been worth that long and agonising wait. Depending on the birth you had, you may have to stay in the hospital for anything from a couple of hours to a week or more. This can be frustrating when all you want to do is be home with your new baby. To make it as homely as possible take advantage of all visiting times and have friends and family come along to meet the new arrival and give you some much needed company, have a supply of magazines or books on hand for when your baby is sleeping and you might not be able to, and make sure you have some much needed rest while you have all of the support of the hospital staff on hand.

The hospital midwives were great and helped me bath Cameron for the first time as well as giving me plenty of advice and guidance.

9. When you get home you may suddenly feel overwhelmed with the realisation of how much responsibility being a parent entails. From my point of view, as a single mother, I found my own mum’s support invaluable. It is normal to feel emotional and low for the first few days and weeks after birth. It is important to talk to friends, family or even a doctor or health visitor if you feel these feelings are not going away naturally within a few weeks or are overwhelming you.

Feeling emotional after birth is normal, but don't bottle it up.

10. Becoming a mum is an amazing achievement and an incredible feeling. As a mum to a (very nearly) one year old, my best advice right now would be to make every moment last, take as many photos and videos as you can and just enjoy your tiny little baby because before long you will end up with a chunky toddler and will look at photos of that tiny baby and wonder where they went!

A couple of days after birth

At a couple of months old

Learning to crawl

My big grown up boy about to turn one!

10 Day Friend Challenge: Day 9: A lifechanging event a friend shared

This one was easy to do! My best friend Aimee was there at Cameron's birth! That was a pretty lifechanging event I would say! She was an amazing birth partner, alongside my mum, and I wouldn't have been able to do it without her help.

Excuse the face, I was having a contraction at the time!!

She even got to see all the gory detail when the midwife suggested she go down 'that end' as Cameron was born! She is one of Cameron's Godmothers and I hope she will always be in his life as she is a great influence and a great friend. I cannot wait until she has a baby herself and they can be the best of friends!

Such a natural