Utilising a 3 Hour Nap

This afternoon baby B had a rare 3 hour nap.
This allowed me to have a good stretch of quality time with C and I was determined to make the most of it.
First we got out the playdough.  I had been intending just playing with the shape cutters however C immediately ran to get her plastic animals... the result of a previous activity making footprints in the dough.
The animals walked along train tracks, up hills and over bridges.
C is really in to imaginative play at the moment and was in her element.

A Day in My Life with Two Under Two

Our day began at 7am.  Baby B had been unsettled since 4:30 but didn't wake for feed until 6:45.  C had been stirring since 6:30 but was happy talking to her cuddly toys until I went in for her.

Today was the start of my second day this week looking after both my children on my own, and the only day we didn't have anything pre-planned.  It is also possibly the last day I will be looking after 2 children under 2 on my own as C turns 2 next week.  At which point everything gets miraculously easier right?

Advice Wanted: Being a Mummy of Two

I am finding being a Mummy of 2 hard going.
I did not expect it to be any other way.
I am beginning to understand where the problems lie.
I do not however know how to solve them.

Birth Story Mark II

Monday 2nd December had been an emotional day.  C seemed to be being more hard work than normal, however in reality I expect it was just my ability to deal with her which had altered.  I was overdue, tired and uncomfortable.  I had been having lower back pain all morning which I took to mean the baby had moved further into my pelvis, a positive sign!

In the afternoon I had my 2^nd acupuncture appointment. This seemed to temporarily make the back pain worse however by the time I went to bed everything was back to normal again.  I woke up at 12am feeling uncomfortable.  I got up and went to the toilet and felt better.  I returned to bed only to wake again at 1am in similar pain.  This time after going to the loo I stayed up to monitor and assess the pain I was in.  Could I be in the early stages of labour?  It was too soon to tell.

39 Weeks - Fear and Anxiety

I went to bed on Sunday night with the feeling I might be coming down with a cold.  I therefore was not surprised on Monday morning when I woke at 5am with a sore throat and unable to breathe.  Not what I needed when I could go into labour anytime!

The combination of being heavily pregnant, being ill and looking after a toddler is gruelling.  I am ashamed to say Monday and Tuesday were spend mostly sat on the sofa watching DVDs.  I tried to make in slightly more interactive by sitting with our Thomas book while watching Thomas the Tank Engine, finding and pointing out the various characters as they appeared on the screen.

Feeling ill has not really helped my anxiety levels. I am worried about the next few weeks. I am worried that having come all this way something could still happen to blue bump and I won't get to take him home. If I do get to take him home, I am worried how I am going to cope with a newborn again, let alone a mum of 2!  I am also worried about going through labour with a supposedly large baby and about going overdue and not being allowed my water birth.

Part of me wants the next few weeks over and done with so i can stop worrying about them. Part of me wants to bury my head in the sand and hope they never arrive. 

Stupid? Maybe

Real? Very

Pre-Natal Anxiety - Coping With Being a Mummy of 2

I am getting increasingly anxious about blue bumps arrival.
Only 7/8 weeks to go officially.... or as little as 3 if C is anything to go by!
At 32 weeks pregnant I am starting to find days at home with a young toddler a challenge.
The fault is not hers, I am just not as mobile as I want to be and I tire easily.
Getting out of my seat to help her with a task takes effort.
Sitting on the floor to play is uncomfortable.
Simple tasks like preparing meals and washing clothes are exhausting
and keeping my eyes open past 2pm is a struggle.
I find myself hoping the last few weeks of this pregnancy pass quickly...
...but then I think about the new challenges that will bring and I am terrified.

16 Weeks Pregnant

This week I am 16 weeks pregnant.  I always consider this a bit of mini milestone being half way between the 12 and 20 weeks scans, and, if you believe the week by week pregnancy guides, this week baby puts on a growth spurt meaning you actually start to look and feel properly pregnant (if you didn’t already).  Also, in my case it is the week I am beginning to feel the first flutterings of movement.  A very reassuring feeling!

Silent Sunday 130609

I Want One Of These

It surprised me how helpful my Pushchair Ponderings post was in collecting my thoughts for what I most needed from a double pushchair and what type of pushchair most suited that.  I originally assumed I wanted a tandem pushchair as I needed something narrow enough to fit on the pavements along the country roads where I live.  However the impractical arrangements of the front and back seats for a newborn and a toddler meant that I could not find a solution that really worked for me.

I therefore concluded that a narrow, all terrain, side by side like the Bugaboo Donkey was the best solution. However at over £1000 new, I had huge concerns about the price and whether I would get my money’s worth.

It was then I came across a post on a pushchair forum where someone posted asking what double pushchair was most suitable for getting on and off public transport.  The first response was from a mum highly recommending a Mountain Buggy Duet.  I had never heard of this brand before and went off to do some research.

On the 20^th May 2013 the Mountain Buggy Duet was awarded a Which? Best Buy.

The Mountain Buggy Duet is only 63cm (25in) wide and therefore the same size as many single pushchairs.  It is also, importantly, suitable for newborns, even without purchasing the additional carrycot attachment.  Additional key points for me are it is suitable for multiple terrains and it is compatible with Maxi Cosi car seats, our car seat of choice.  Surprisingly, it retails for approximately half the price of the Bugaboo Donkey...  A huge consideration when you have 2 small children!

I am hugely impressed by what I have seen of this pushchair on paper.  I now intend to visit our local retailer to look at it in more detail, test the weight, how easy it is to put up and down, and finally (and probably most importantly) whether once folded it fits in the back of our Kia Sportage.

Pushchair Ponderings

When the new baby arrives at the end of November, Celeste will be 21 months old. 

Although she is a brilliant little walker with plenty of stamina, I think it would be unrealistic to think we could get away without buying a double buggy.  Currently when we are out and about she has our undivided attention and we can follow her wherever she goes. This will be less practical with a second baby to look after therefore having them both in a buggy is as much for safety reasons as practicality.

I have looked into buggy boards and I think this is definitely something worth investing in; however I am sure there will be some occasions when Celeste would prefer to sit down or maybe even sleep.  I also am willing to consider having the new baby in a sling and Celeste in a single pushchair however I am sure there will be scenarios where this is not practical either.

Currently we have 3 single pushchairs

• A Graco QuattroTour Deluxe. This was given to us second hand from a relative.  It’s a lovely buggy to push around but quite heavy to lift in and out of the car and does not fit in one of our cars (a Vauxhall Corsa) due to its size. This pushchair currently stays at my parents house as a spare.
• A Bugaboo Bee.  This is the only pushchair we have bought new.  We initially bought it as we needed to take Celeste on an aeroplane when she was 10 weeks old and needed a lightweight buggy suitable for a newborn to take with us.  It is also great for around town and easily fits into both our cars.
• A Quinny Speedi SX. I bought this second hand as my husband was keen to try out running with the buggy. To be honest Celeste wasn’t a fan of high speed travel however I find this an excellent all terrain buggy and use if regularly for country walks around where we live.

I currently use a pushchair for 3 main scenarios:

• Buggy walks.  In an attempt to shake off the baby weight, I currently go on a weekly buggy walk with friends. The terrain of these walks can vary tremendously, from tarmac paths to muddy and uneven woodland trails. Currently I use my Quinny Speedi for these.
• Walking into the village.  We live in the Kent countryside, about 1 mile from our village centre.  It is usually 50/50 whether we walk to the village or drive, depending on the weather and the time I have available.  The walk to the village is on narrow uneven pavements and again we use the Quinny Speedi for this.
• Shopping.  When around town and in larger shopping centres like Bluewater the Quinny Speedi is a little bulky.  It also takes up a lot of room in the car.  We therefore use our Bugaboo Bee for this.

Obviously I would rather only buy one double/tandem pushchair that would cover all of these scenarios.  The key features I feel it needs to have are:

• Multi terrain. It does not have to be able to cope with extreme conditions but has to be able to cope with a multitude of surfaces.
• Size.  It has to be able to fit in the boot of my Kia Sportage.
• Liftable.  I have to be able to lift it in and out of the car.
• Car seat compatible.  I have to be able to use as a travel system and attached an ISO-FIX car seat.

From the research I have done so far the following pushchairs have been recommended to me:

• Bugaboo Donkey. I have heard great things about this pushchair and one of my Buggy Walk friends has one therefore I often get to see it in action.  I like that it is narrower than a lot of double buggies and therefore more suitable for narrow pavements.  I have also been reliably informed that folded down it will fit in the back of not only my Kia Sportage but also my Vauxhall Corsa.  If true, this would be a huge advantage.  I also like that it can easily transfer to a single if Celeste wanted to walk or travel on the buggy board.  Finally I have seen that it is able to cope with a variety of terrains and would feel confident taking it out and about locally.  I do have a slight concern that any side by side double may be too wide for our narrow pavements.  I guess I will need to go up the road with a tape measure and measure the narrowest points :-).
• iCandy Peach Blossom. Everyone I have come across who has one of these pushchairs, loves it.  I like that it is no wider than a single and that there is flexibility in the seating arrangements.  My reservations are my preferred seating arrangement would be to have the carrycot closest to me and facing me, and the toddler seat furthest away and facing forward.  This scenario isn’t shown on any of the pictures I have seen therefore I am not sure if it is possible.  Also I am also not sure how suitable the wheels would be on a variety of terrains.
• iCandy Pear - The iCandy alternative to the Peach Blossom in the Pear.  I like that the wheels look more suitable to a variety of terrains and as with the Peach Blossom , I like that it is no wider than a single.  However, as with the Peach Blossom, I am not sure if I can have the seating configuration how I would prefer.
• Britax B-Dual. I do not know anyone that currently has this pushchair but my husband is particularly keen on it from what he has seen online. I like that I can already see I could use it in the configuration I would most prefer, with the carrycot or car seat at the top facing me and the lower seat underneath facing forward.  My concerns are I am not sure how Celeste would feel about riding in a seat so low in the ground, and how suitable the wheels would be on a variety of terrains.

The next stage of my investigations is to visit a local pushchair retailer and test drive some of these out.  I need to check how comfortable they are for me to push but also for Celeste to ride in.  I also need to have a good look at the wheels and see if they are up to the job.

If anyone has any other double or tandem pushchair suggestions I’d be delighted to hear them.

9 week pregnant

I am now 9 weeks pregnant. 12 weeks is really not far off now.  That hasn't stopped me panicking though.  I had a few days last week where my symptoms all but disappeared, and generally I have been feeling much more human. I was desperate for another scan for reassurance but felt I couldn't justify the cost of yet another private scan.  I had a look on Google and to my surprise found a local company offering a special offer on pregnancy scans for only £50. I didn't need any more persuading and I booked the appointment.  It was going to be a busy Tuesday: Midwife appointment in the morning and scan in the afternoon.

Midwife visit
I was pretty certain I knew what to expect from this initial visit. After all, it wasn't that long ago that I was at this stage of my pregnancy with C. It was pretty much going to be a form filling exercise so they could get my details and medical history on the system, as well as booking me in for my 12 week scan and blood tests.
I was wrong!!!
Yes there was plenty of form filling and the obvious chat about C who had no choice but to tag along with Mummy, but they wanted to take blood! Luckily I do not have a problem with needles, however if I did, then this would have come as an unwelcome shock.  Apparently they have moved some of the 12 week blood tests to 9 weeks as they are shown to be more informative at this earlier stage. C looked quite concerned that Mummy was having needles stuck in her arm!

Scan
The scan was made more complicated by the fact that DH was working away therefore I had to take C along on my own. We entered the room armed with her favourite stacking beakers and a toy train she had "borrowed" from the toy box in the waiting room and I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.
It didn't start well as I got a ticking off from the sonographer as my bladder was not full enough. As many of you know there is a delicate balance between having a full bladder and being so desperate for a pee you can hardly walk into the room. On this occasion I got it wrong!  Also, apparently my uterus was tilting backwards which made it doubly difficult to get a good look at what was going on inside.  We swapped to an internal scan which gave us a much clearer picture. 

One baby shaped baby, measuring bang on his/her dates of 9 weeks 2 days and one lovely heartbeat. 

Phew!
My symptoms are obviously just lessening as the pregnancy progresses. I will therefore enjoy my nausea free days from now on rather than panicking about them!

TTC Baby Number 2

This month was the first month DH and I started actively trying for baby number two. When i say "trying", i mean actually thinking about what date i would ovulate. We had not been using any protection since C was born as the odds of getting pregnant will our fertility issues were so slim.

I bought myself some cheap ovulation and pregnancy tests from the interent and prepared myself for the long haul. After all, the gynacologist had said that the combination of my PCOS and DH's fertility issues meant we had a 1 in 1000 chance of conceiving naturally. To date we had defied the odds and conceived twice. The first, in September 2010, ended in a chemical pregnancy at only 4 weeks, the 2nd, in July 2011, of course resulted in the birth of C in February 2012. We were therefore aware that conceiving naturally a 3rd time might be one miracle too far.

For the past 2 months my cycle had been 36 days long which would put ovulation around day 21.
Unfortunately DH went down with a cold the day i got my positive OPK therefore we only managed to BD once a couple of days earlier. I was therefore prepared to write this cycle off.

At 10dpo i decided i might as well take a pregancy test as i had plenty of internet cheapies. There were no instructions but after no line appeared after a minute or so, i came to the conclusion it was negative. I tested again at 14dpo to confirm. Again, negative.

15dpo came and went and still no AF. This surprised me as i knew i had ovulated. 16dpo, 17dpo, nothing. At 18dpo i decided to test again. Instantly a 2nd pink line appeared, and not that faint either! I was sceptical. Why hadn't this shown at 14dpo. We had only BDd once so i knew the dates wouldn't have added up for late ovulation. Either the test was lying and i wasn't pregnant, the test wasn't good enough to show at 14dpo, or this was a result of late implantation.

I bought a Clearblue test to check again properly the next morning. There it was in black and white. Pregnant! 2-3. Wow! I waved it in front of DH.
"Impressive!", he said.
It was! How we managed to conceive in our first month of trying and only BDing once, i will never know. We had been here before though and knew things could literally change overnight. I decided i would test again a week later with another Clearblue test to check that the estimated weeks since ovulation had increased to 3+.

I tested at 24dpo. Crossing everything that this wasn't going to be another chemical pregnancy. Pregnant 3+. Phew! Then... OMG! This is really happening! Very mixed feeling began to wash over me. Obviously i was HAPPY to be pregnant, RELIEVED the latest test was still showing good numbers and AMAZED we had managed it at all. However i was also SCARED. Scared of going through another stressful pregnancy while also juggling a young toddler, and most important scared of having 2 children under 2! Assuming this pregnancy progresses sucessfully, C will be 21 months when the new baby arrives. 3 months before her 2nd birthday. This terrifies me! C has never been an easy baby. I still consider it a good day if i have been allowed enough spare time to brush my hair in a day. How on earth am i supposed to have time to look after another baby???
I keep reminding myself that plenty of women have done it before me, and how wonderful it will be for C to have a sibling so close in age, a real playmate. Their is no denying it though... It will be tough!

Currently i am feeling more confident about this pregnancy than i was at this stage will C. I know that my body is (almost) capable of carrying a baby to term (C arrived 5 weeks early), and my PCOS seems reasonably under control as i only stopped breastfeeding a few weeks ago. The progression therefore lies more with this being a viable embryo than with my own hormones.

My next step is to make my initial apointment with the midwife. Then it really will start to feel real!