November 5, 2013

Baby Groups

When I had my first baby I was the first out of my friends to have a baby so I didn’t have any other Mom’s that I knew so I decided to go to baby groups. And I really enjoyed them – well most, some were ridiculously clique-y – but on the whole I liked going to allow Charlie time with other kids but also to get advice and help. Charlie has even started school with some kids we met at these groups so it was really nice to have some familiar faces.

So armed with positive experience I’ve taken the girls a few times. But this time round it’s rather different. For a start – I have two babies. This causes a lot of fuss and answering the same questions every week. I have to admit I’m totally used to being asked these same questions everyone I leave the house so I don’t mind it so much. The thing I’ve found the most interesting though is “first child syndrome”
I sat at one group and listened to one Mom tell a story with sheer horror that someone had suggested her 10 month old eat a chip & all the other Moms agreeing. It’s all very competitive too – mine is almost crawling, mine eats this much, mine sleeps forever. And then it hit me. God. I was like this with Charlie!
He was never going to eat anything that was bad for him, never watch tv, spoke really early… Fast forward 5 years. Uh oh. It’s mad how with your first child you are willing your child on to leap from milestone to milestone – this time I don’t even want P1 to roll over (p2 has already mastered it!)
I found myself sitting very quietly in the group and smiling to myself thinking that all the good intentions will slowly fade into the background. Try taking your 4 year old to a kids party and tell them they can’t eat the sweets from the party bag or the cake… Righto!
It’s mad how relaxed you are the second (and third) time around. I’ve come to realise that your child eating a chip or watching tv isn’t the worse thing in the world. After all – THEY ARE KIDS! Let them be kids and stop thinking they need to live by some baby expert who would have you believe sugar is the devil and kids tv will addle their brain. Just let them have fun!
B x
November 4, 2013

To Share or Not To Share

 

Random question – do you freely give family and friends your blog link? Do you want those closest to you reading your personal thoughts and feelings?

What about acquaintances that you know but don’t -really- know? Is it weird that you could be standing infront of them and they’ve read your innermost thoughts?
I’ve had a locked twitter pretty much since I joined. Partially due to work and policies on social networking but also because twitter opposed to Facebook is somewhere where when you’re having a crap day – you can say it. And no one (hopefully!) will scrutinise and go and blab it to the world and its wife
Then we come onto photos. Are you comfortable with sharing snaps of your precious darlings with the world? My husband has point blank refused to put or let anyone share any on Facebook!
But what do you think – how have you chosen to do it?
Let me know! 
B x
November 4, 2013

Bye Bye Boobies

So it happened. I knew it wasn’t far off but it well and truly has. P1 refused my boob. So with a heavy heart I have to admit that It’s time to call time on my breast feeding days. Not quite sure how to feel about it if I’m honest.

I’d always wanted to give it a go and see how we got on. When I told people I may as well have had a third head – but the way I saw it – two babies – two boobs!
In hospital I had struggled to feed. On day 2 I was really poorly post section so didn’t really attempt to feed then on day 3 agonising nipples meant no feeding so I tried a breast pump which left me feeling like crap as after 15 minutes I didn’t draw so much as one tiny dot
Day 5 weigh in brought P2 losing 10.1% of her birth weight and the bitch from hell midwife who made me cry making me feel so useless that I couldn’t feed my babies. But day 6 – that burning feeling kicked in and my boobs finally filled and seeing milk stained lips lifted my mood and made me feel like I really could do this.
I was lucky enough to be able to exclusively breast feed my son so had always wanted to give twin feeding a go and I soon got the hang of tandem feeding. I’d also point out we were also doing top ups with formula as the six weeks holidays meant I had Charlie on my own with the girls in the week and I couldn’t demand feed both of them and look after him but a lot of bottle top ups with expressed milk. After my day 3 meltdown the first time I filled two bottles to the top I felt like going and proudly shoving them under that midwife’s nose who implied I’d have to formula feed the girls
However come September and Charlie starting school, days got shorter and I had to be more organised and time efficient so the expressing (which id previously done early morning) seemed to take a back seat. Then my left nipple developed this huge sore which meant I could not use it as it was pure agony.
I can’t quite remember when but P2 started to become very fussy when on the boob and about a month ago she stopped breast feeding and was fully formula. And now at almost 5 months P1 too has decided it’s too much like hard work plus they’re taking 8-9ml of formula so I cannot compete.
I feel so lucky I was able to feed the girls myself and don’t get me wrong it’s not been without its ups and downs but I feel a part of me is very sad as I probably won’t ever get to feed and share that experience again.
(I know how emotive and how people get offended about breast feeding – this post is not intended in any way to make anyone feel bad about formula feeding. This is purely my personal experience and I don’t have an opinion on any one else’s methods of feeding their baby(ies) you are all ace & your babies think that too!)
B x