Tuesday 29 April 2014

The Things They Don't Tell You About Pregnancy and Parenthood

I'm sure when you were pregnant everyone had a horror story about their horrific pregnancy or birth. However there are many things noone tells you about pregnancy or parenthood. Below are the things I was not aware of in both pregnancy and parenthood.

Pregnancy:

- You will start to judge your partner differently because they are not just your partner they are now the father of your child, so you expect so much more from them! You will also probably resent them because their body is not changing, they are not having to watch what they eat and they get to sleep the whole night feeling comfortable!!
- You will argue with your partner about everything baby related because you both have different views/opinions. You will start thinking 'maybe we aren't that compatible after all!' For example, baby names. You will like one name and your partner won't. You will then start thinking they are just doing it to annoy you!! You will eventually agree on a name though, you may just have to compromise.
- However you will feel closer to them because you now have a child that will bond you together for life, so you begin day dreaming about your perfect little family!
- SPD and other pregnancy related problems! I had never even heard of this until I went to the doctors with a pain in my lower back that was worse when I sat/laid/stood in certain positions. Now I know of it, everyone seems to have had it! Why did they not worn me?!
- People will always put you down on your choices. I followed all guidelines throughout my pregnancy in relation to foods to avoid etc. Everyone would constantly say, "oh for goodness sake, they never told my Nan that when she was pregnant and my Mum is still here!" "They change the guidelines all the time!" BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH!!
- Pregnancy becomes your new identity! No-one asks you how you are, its always how are you and the bump/baby. People will also feel it is now acceptable to touch your tummy when they would never have done that before!! It is one of my pet peeves. People will also treat you as if you have a disability! I am pregnant, not incapable.
- You will have the most horrible and upsetting dreams!! Apparently it is very common and you will dream of your biggest fears. There were many of nights James had to wake me because I was crying and shouting in my sleep!
- People who have NEVER bothered with you, or haven't in a while, will crawl out of the woodwork and want to be involved and want to tell you what you should or shouldn't do! Go away, I have all the people I need, I do not need anyone else!!
- No matter how scared you are of the labour, you have to go through with it!!

35 + 5 weeks pregnant
Parenthood:

- Again you will resent your partner as they haven't had to give up their job, their identity, their sleep etc. Even though you don't mind and you knew what you were giving up, you still resent their practically normal life!!
-  Time flies by. Yes everyone tells you "enjoy them whilst their young - they grow so quick" but you wake up in the morning but after feeds, winding and nappy changes, it's bedtime again!! So don't think what will I do with all my time once the baby is here. They answer that question for you!
- There is such a huge pressure for new Mums to breastfeed. That was my every intention but Scarlett did not take to it and did not feed for the first 12 hours (after much trying!) and we ended up in A&E the day she was born as she had low blood glucose levels! It was there the nurse suggested formula milk. I still to this day, 8 weeks later, feel bad about not being able to breast feed her!
- People will soon forget about you and all their attention will be on the new baby! They won't ask to see you, they will ask to see your baby.
- You will lose friends (well supposed friends) as you do not have the time to see them all the time like you used to.
- Everyone has different methods of parenting and will probably comment on the way you are doing it or will compare your baby to theirs! This makes it very hard to be proud of your baby, because their baby did that too!
- The weight does not fall off of everyone after having a baby and the stretchmarks do not disappear. I am really struggling to lose my baby weight and often get comments such as "are you pregnant again?" or "did you buy that dress when you were pregnant!"
- People will ask you, "is it a girl or a boy?" when it is pretty obvious based on the pink hat she is wearing and the pink blanket she is wrapped in!!

Scarlett Jane, born 02/03/2014 at 7:08am weighing 7lb 10oz
However everyone tells you, "becoming a parent is the most amazing thing ever!" "you do not know what love is until you have a child!" and believe me it is true!

Monday 28 April 2014

My Weekend

Weekends are normally a really busy time, rushing here there and everywhere to see people we do not see during the week - due to James working. So this weekend was relatively quiet.

On Saturday we went to pick up our new car, a black Vauxhall Astra. Now usually I'd be uber excited but I just wasn't getting the bubbly giddy feeling! Maybe it was because I worry about spending large amounts of money! Or maybe it was because it was something else that wasn't going to be mine. On a positive note we now have a 5 door car so outings are alot easier and Scarlett has a lot more room!


In the evening, James and I went out together for the first time since having Scarlett 8 weeks ago. Scarlett spent the evening with Nana and her two aunties, Ellen and Charlotte. I never realised being without Scarlett would be so hard, I just wanted to get back to her! She obviously wasn't as bothered about being away from me as she was fast asleep when we got back and slept until the next morning (apart from feeds)!!

Scarlett relaxing in Auntie Charlotte's bed!!
Then on Sunday we spent the morning relaxing before doing a mini food shop and cooking a yummy roast dinner!
Hope you all had a lovely weekend :)



Check back tomorrow for 'The Things They Don't Tell You About Pregnancy and Parenthood"

Saturday 26 April 2014

Eyebrows

I have non-existent eyebrows, due to having fair hair (even though my actual hair is not actually that fair anymore!) so I usually get them tinted and waxed and pencil them on in between tints.

The lady who usually does my eyebrows got me some tint a while back but I never got round to trying to do it myself. After finding a facial wax that could be used for eyebrows I decided to give it a go! You can find the wax here.

Okay so I started by getting together all the things I needed to do my eyebrows.


I used:
- Vaseline
- Cotton buds
- Cotton wool
- Eyelash/eyebrow tint
- Tint developer
- A pot to mix the tint
- A brush to apply the tint. I used an eyeshadow brush.
- A bowl of warm water
My eyebrow before
I started by applying vaseline to the skin around my eyebrows, to stop the tint staining my skin, using a cotton bud. I then put about 2cm of tint in a pot and added between 8 - 10 drops of tint developer and mixed it together using a brush.
I generously applied it to my eyebrows brushing the same way as hair growth.



I left the tint on for about 5 minutes before wiping it off with a dry cotton wool ball. I then reapplied the tint until it was dark enough (personal choice). Once I was happy with the colour I then wiped over my eyebrows with cotton wool dipped in warm water.

Next I prepared the wax and read through the instructions. I then applied the wax by following the instructions. It was very easy to prepare and apply. It was not great at removing the little stray hairs but it was totally pain free! So I just used tweezers to remove the hairs the wax didnt.

My eyebrows after


It has not made a great difference but my eyebrows are more noticeable and tidier. It is a great (and cheap) way to maintain my eyebrows between getting them done professionally but I think I will continue to get them done professionally every now and then.


Friday 25 April 2014

Yet More Baby Clothes

So since Scarlett has been here, I am constantly browsing and buying baby clothes! Every shop I go in I head straight to the baby section. She is 7 weeks old and already she has a wardrobe FULL (and I mean full) of clothes and 3 draws!! She probably has more clothes than Mumma and Daddy put together!

Well yesterday I popped into town as my Mummy had to return a few things, I had in mind the things I needed and my plan was to just get them! Needless to say, I brought more baby clothes. I just cannot resist!

Now I'm not usually a fan of Primark baby clothes but yesterday I got two of the cutest outfits to add to Scarlett's summer wardrobe! All we need now is a bit of sun.


I saw these outfits and I just had to have them and for £13 for both outfits, you cannot go wrong!

However Next is just the best place for baby clothes. Sometimes it can seem very expensive (especially as babies grow so quick) but you can pick up a bargain and it is good quality.


The sleepsuits were one of the first pink things brought, from Nanna, for Scarlett when she was born (as we kept her sex a surprise). I was so sad when she grew out of them, quite quickly, so I rebrought them in size 0-3 so hopefully she will get more wear out of them! They are quite pricey for sleepsuits, at £16, but there detail is beautiful and make lovely daytime outfits. You can buy these sleepsuits here.


I fell in love with this 2 pack of leggings (you can buy these here) as I love to dress Scarlett up but also want her to be comfortable. They were just £7.50 for 2 pairs and they can be worn with anything. Saying that I HAD to buy tops to complete the outfit and I found this 2 pack of t-shirts (which I already have the matching hairbands, so they were perfect!) for just £10. You can buy them here. Then obviously the frilly socks were just a must have, as she can wear them with her pretty dresses in the summer! They were just £5 for 3 pairs and can be brought here.

So all of this came to £38.50 for 5 outfits (which is not bad), but I only had to pay £13.50 as I had a £25 pre-paid visa, which had been brought for me by one of the parents at work before I went on maternity leave! So all in all an absolute bargain!

Thursday 24 April 2014

All Smiles :)

Scarlett is 8 weeks old on Sunday, where does the time go?! Everyone always says "make the most of it, they grow so quickly!" and you just think seriously how quickly can they grow? But as the saying goes, time flys when your having fun! I cannot believe that 8 weeks ago we started a new chapter in our lives and became a family, but I also feel like she has always been a part of our life.

She gave us her first proper little smile, not caused by wind!, at about 5 weeks old. We tried so hard for weeks to catch it on camera, only to fail miserably :(. Now we cannot stop her from smiling and I'm telling you, she plays up more for the camera!!

When she smiles, it simply makes my day as her whole face lights up and I feel like it is a genuine happy smile! She has even begun gurgling and making her own little noises. This is the reason I take way too many photos and constantly video her (even though I have to admit I was pretty camera happy before now!).

'A daughter is one of the most beautiful gifts this world has to give.' - Laurel Atherton

Hello!

Hello and welcome to Just Another Mumma Blog.

I am a new mumma who loves spending time with my beautiful bundle! My life has changed a great deal and I have started a new chapter in my life, so what better way to start a new chapter than with a new blog!

I had the idea of starting a blog whilst sitting on the sofa watching daytime TV, with Scarlett laid on my chest snoozing away. I wanted to find something to do with my spare time, as trust me there is only so much daytime TV you can watch before you have seen it all!

You will find anything from my learnings of motherhood to my daily life. It is basically a space for me to write about everything in my life, kind of like a diary and something that hopefully I will be able to show Scarlett when she is older.

I am a friendly person so please just drop in to say hello!