Florence's 2 Month Update

This month, Florence met some of her family from Greece; her Gigi, and two of my cousins. 

We also celebrated her big brother's birthday and Mother's day too! 

Being the 2nd child, we often spend a lot of time doing things for Jackson, but every Friday my mum now looks after Jackson for me, so it has become a day with full focus on Florrie - this month, we have started a weekly baby massage course. 

Milestones

A few times this month, she has slept through the night, which has been amazing!!! She normally goes to sleep by about 12:30am and then doesn't wake until 6:30/7:00am. This isn't happening every night but she is now throwing them in more and more regularly. 

She is exclusively breastfed at the moment and is feeding soooooo much better than she was at first.

She is having more alert periods of time during the day and is really starting to give lots of smiles. 

She also had her 2 month jabs - she was quite upset afterwards and it left quite a lump in her little leg!! 

Routine

I am not forcing any routine yet but she is starting to fall into a loose one herself... 

6:00-8:00am - She normally wakes between 6 and 8am and has a feed. She then falls asleep again.

9:30am - I'll wake her to get her dressed before we head out. I also give her a top up of milk. 

1:00-1:30pm - She'll have another feed.

4:00pm - Another feed.

6:00pm - Every other night she has a bath.

Then, after the bath, she on and off cluster feeds. 

Weight

Last time I had her weighed, she was 10lbs 8oz and she is still in 0-3 month clothes. 

Love Sophia xxx

4 Week Update

Here is mine and Florence's 4 week update...

This is the last week that I'll be doing a weekly update, as I will start doing monthly ones from now on, just like I did with Jackson. It's such a lovely thing to look back on (I still like looking back at Jackson's ones). 

Mama

Recovery:

Same as last week. 

Body: 

Lost a bit more weight but similar to last week really - I will focus more on this next month!

Mood: 

I have been feeling a lot more stable this week, a few things still play with my emotions but they are mainly happy tears, like when Jackson wants to cuddle or kiss Florrie.  

Florence

She still has her cold, but it does seem to be getting much better. We had the prolonged Jaundice clinic appointment too, where they took bloods and a urine sample. We have had the first sets of bloods back already and she was fine. Waiting for the rest of the bloods and urine sample to see if there is any infection.

Milestones:

Florence has had a few more awake moments where she is really focuses on things (she is mainly drawn to light at the moment). We have even had a few good nights sleep too!!!!

I also think that we may have had a cheeky little smile this week!!!

Routine:

Due to her cold, she only feeds for a few minutes each time and then she gets hungry again very quickly. She defiantly prefers to be held too.

Weight: 

We haven't got her weighed recently but I do feel that she's put weight on. She is fitting more into her 0-3 month clothes now.

Love Sophia xxx

DITL- So many kisses

Here's our most recent day in the life, first one as a family of 4!

Enjoy...

Love Sophia xxx

Week 2 Update

Here is mine and Florence's week 2 update...

We both had our 10 day check, which went brilliantly and we both have now been discharged. 

Mama

Recovery:

I feel almost back to normal, my below area is still a bit on the painful side but that will get better soon I am sure.

My milk is starting to get better too but I am still producing too much for Florrie! 

Body: 

I haven’t weighed myself yet but am still not able to fit into pre-pregnancy jeans easily.

I want to buy a few new bits, preferably nursing clothes, so if anyone has any recommendations, please let me know.

Mood: 

My mood has changed this week and I have been so up and down. I think that it’s a combination of the count down to Chris going back to work and the fact that Florrie is already growing too fast. I know that it's mainly to do with my hormones settling but it still doesn’t help.

Florence

She has just been so easy this week and she has fitted into our family as though she’s been here for years. Her colour has got better but I still think there is a bit of jaundice in there, so hopefully that will be gone soon.

Milestones:

She has become a bit more alert this week, spending more of the day awake and looking around. Jackson loves this time at the moment, he finds it funny to copy her facial expressions! 

Routine:

Generally its about 2-4 hours between feeds but she then cluster feeds from about 10pm–12'ish, which is not ideal but she’s still so little so I forgive her! At night, it’s really hard to get her to sleep in her bed too, so we have just ordered a 'Sleepyhead' to see if that will help. I have heard great reviews on them so hopefully it will help us! 

Weight: 

She is back over her birth weight, weighing 8lbs 13oz.

Jackson just loves his little sister!!!

Love Sophia xxx

Week 1 Update

Here is mine and Florence's one week update...

Mama

Recovery:

My recovery is so much easier this time. After having Jackson, I felt like I had been hit by about 10 buses, whereas this time it just feels like a car or 2! Not sure if this is due to the natural birth element, the fact that it was a quick labour or that it happened during the day, rather than in the middle of the night. Maybe it is even a combination of all of the above. We managed to leave the hospital the next day after having Florence too, which was an amazing feeling to be at home so quickly. 

Going to the loo hurts this time due to the stitches I had, which doesn't make it a pleasant experience. Also, my boobs are just massive!!!! I am pretty sure my body thinks I've had twins or something.

I am exclusively breastfeeding and this time round it's a lot easier - no waiting for bottles to warm up or expressing etc. 

Body: 

I have lost a fair amount of weight already, due to Florence being so big but I just feel very squishy now!!! I am also in that awkward stage where maternity clothes fall down but there is no chance pre-pregnancy clothes will fit!

Mood: 

My mood has been really good; we are currently in the 'baby bubble', which I just love, I don't want it to end!

Florence

We had to keep checking her blood as she was diagnosed with jaundice (which wasn't hard to tell since she looked like she had been given a bad spray tan) but she just kept falling below the line, meaning she never had to go under the lights. We got the all-clear on day 6, which I am so glad for, as we can finally start bonding as a family of 4 without the constant hospital visits.

Milestones:

Nothing at the moment, she is still getting a grip on being on the outside! 

Routine:

Again no routine yet, I feed her on demand. Sometimes we are lucky and get 3 hours straight of sleep, other times she is on the boob for 3 hours straight!  

Weight: 

She is doing really well, only lost about 2% of her birth weight at the 5 day check, making her weight 8lbs 8oz. 

Love Sophia xxx

Birth and Labour story

After my false labour (not sure if that's what it's actually called), we came home expecting to be rushing back to hospital by the next day, however, I only felt a few twinges over the following day or so and they were nothing too write home about. That was until Tuesday, 3 days later, when I woke up and went down for breakfast with Jackson and Chris (he has Tuesdays off work). Quickly after eating, I ended up going for a bath, as I just didn't feel right.

At around 11:30am, I was having my second bath and I was now definitely feeling contractions. They weren't very regular though and due to the discomfort they were causing, I was unable to time them. I called downstairs to Chris to see if anyone could come around and look after Jackson, so that he could focus on helping me, although I was still unsure if this was actually the real thing (my 'false labour' had started in a very similar way a few days beforehand). Chris' parents were originally coming over at 1:30pm anyway, as we had a VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean) appointment, during which I was planning on telling the Consultant that I now wanted to have a C-Section, as I was tired, fed up and worried that if we wait any longer, I will end up in the same situation as last time - an emergency C-Section after a long labour. 

Therefore, Chris called them and by 12:30pm, both his Mum and his Dad had arrived and Chris was now able to focus on timing my contractions. At that stage, they were about 4 & 1/2 minutes apart and lasting a minute each. We called the place of our VBAC appointment to ask if we should come in to the appointment still or stay at home (now looking back, what a pointless phone call that was - I was in labour, why would I go to the appointment!!!!) and the lady obviously said not to come to the appointment and to ring the labour ward in an hour or so if things are carrying on the way they currently were. 

Within 20 minutes, my contractions had suddenly gone to 2 & 1/2 minutes apart, if not closer at some points, so Chris rang the labour ward and off we went. As the hospital is 45 minutes away, Chris and his mum decided that it would be best if she followed us, just incase anything were to happen on the way. I was having very strong contractions at this stage but I remember thinking that they were massively over reacting (in hind-sight, maybe they weren't)!!!

After probably the worst car journey of my life, we had finally arrived at the hospital, however, we still had to walk to the ward which seemed to take ages as I was having so many contractions. Apparently, in the car park during one of them, I said 'wowzer', a word I don't think I have ever said before! At the time, Chris joked 'if that's as bad as its going to get, you'll be fine!', words that do not help when you are in labour, ha!!! Needless to say, I apparently gave him a very stern look after that comment!

When we eventually got into the hospital, we were taken to the examining room, where one of the midwives asked me to do a urine test, as they always do when someone first comes in. I asked Chris to help as I was in a lot of pain by this point but when in the loo, we noticed fresh blood, which prompted Chris to race and get a midwife. She assured me that it was fine and not to worry about it but when she was telling me this (still in the loo) I suddenly got a really strong urge to push! Off she ran to get me a wheelchair and they took me straight to the labour room, with me mentioning quite a few times on the way that 'I want to have my epidural now'!!! 

Once we were in the room, they finally managed to examine me and I was 7cm dilated, which was fantastic although, again, all I had to say was 'can I have an epidural please'! Everyone kept asking me, 'are you sure? You are already at 7cm and doing really well' but there was no changing my mind! They offered me gas and air numerous times too but for some reason, I had in my head that if I said yes to that, they wouldn't be able to give me the epidural (which is not at all true and I don't have a clue as to why I thought that). 

The anaesthetist came in and was talking me through everything and all I remember thinking was, 'if you don't hurry up it will be too late!'. Mid-explanation, my waters suddenly broke, which is such a bizarre feeling, just like a water balloon going off in between your legs. A couple of weeks beforehand, I had watched 'Call the Midwife', in which one of the ladies had meconium in her waters and for some reason that had stuck in my head and was the first thing that came to mind when mine broke. Unfortunately, when I looked down, I noticed that the water definitely had meconium in it, so in a panicked voice, I called to the midwife who in turn, pressed the buzzer to get some extra help. It wasn't long after that when I embarrassingly said to Chris that I was pooing! However, the midwife checked and said that it was in fact the babies head coming out and that we didn't have time for the epidural!!! She turned and said 'Mr Anaesthetist, we don't need you anymore, we can see the head!' 

Not long later at all (not sure exactly how long but it was very quick) and after a few big pushes, my baby was born!!! It all happened within about 40 minutes of arriving at the hospital and, to be honest, I was in a bit of shock. I was just looking down at my baby, who took what seemed like forever to cry, when Chris looked up and said 'it's a girl!'. I hadn't even thought about what sex it might be but I think hearing that made me suddenly realise what had just happened and I immediately started to cry. One thing that I missed with Jackson was skin to skin contact straight after the birth, due to the fact he arrived via C-Section, so this time I started ripping off my robe straight away and was asking for skin to skin, after ensuring she was ok due to the meconium. Needless to say, they handed her straight to me and I got that all important first time skin to skin moment. 

She was just perfect, and she was a she!!! 

With an overwhelming feeling of accomplishment, I thought that was it - I had done it. But no, next was the passing of the placenta; I had that injection to speed it all up but it still seemed to take ages and was quite painful too. Therefore, it was at this stage that I opted for the gas and air (I have no idea why I didn't want it before, it was brilliant!). 

Once again, after the placenta was out, I thought that was me finished for the day. However, unfortunatly I was bleeding a lot, so in came some more staff to assist. It turns out that I had some blood clots forming in my Uterus, which they told me was probably due to the quick labour and my body basically being worn out, meaning my Uterus wouldn't contract properly. One of the doctors was pushing on my stomach to try to get it contract, while another was scraping the blood clots out, which were both really painful. The main consultant told me, whilst doing this, that I may have to go into surgery if the pain got too much for me but I remember thinking, 'HELL NO', I wasn't going to go through a natural birth only to then have to go and have surgery anyway! 

Finally, after all of that, came what I think was the worst bit of it all - the stitches (down below). All I kept thinking was, 'can everyone just leave me alone so I can be with my baby!!!!'. The pain and discomfort of this seemed more intense than anything else I had just been through. However, once they were finished, we were finally left alone and they brought in some tea and toast, which everyone always tells me is the best meal they have ever had and it really was an amazing comfort after all of that!!! 

We were both on cloud nine and just couldn't believe it. Deep down I thought I would almost certainly end up with another C-Section and I always thought she would be another he (not that I really minded either way though). 

One of my main reasons for wanting to do it naturally this time was that I always felt a little bit like I hadn't done it 'correctly' with Jackson. However, now having been through two completely different births, I can safely say that I felt incredibly and equally proud both times!!! 

I would like to introduce the world to Florence Lucy Corbitt, born 2:36pm Tuesday 7th February 2017 and weighing a healthy 8lbs 11oz. 

Love Sophia xxx

Baby Hospital Bag

As you will know from one of my previous blogs, I have packed my bag for all of the essentials needed for our upcoming BIG day, click here to see! However, I decided it would be a good idea to  have a separate bag packed for the baby, as this will make it easier for Chris so that all of the bits are together in their own areas.

The first things in baby's bag are 3 x babygrows - Jackson was a big boy when he was born so I have only brought 0-3 month ones this time, incase we have another chubster!

The rainbow one is from JoJo Maman Bebe.

The grey one is from John Lewis.

The plain one is also from John Lewis.

To go with these, I have also included 3 x vests. They are 'first' size from Next and they are ones that we used for Jackson. I have also washed 0-3 months vests and have them ready in the nursery drawers so that, if they don't fit, Chris knows exactly where they are. I also threw in the long sleeved one incase it's a bit cold.

He/She is going to be a winter baby, so I had to buy a pram-suit and a hat for the way home, which will also be good for when we are out and about during the first few weeks of being at home. These are both from Gap and I bought the booties separately.
Pram-suit- Gap
Booties- Gap (I think they have sold out)
Hat and Mittens- Asda

When I had my C-section with Jackson, they told us to bring a hat to put on him once he was born, so we've packed this one just in case things go the same way.

Hat and Bib Set- Next 

Another item I have thrown in is this gorgeous blanket from John Lewis. It's not too big so will be perfect for hospital and it's one we got for Jackson but we didn't use it that much (he had a blue star one that was very similar).

Jackson didn't like to be swaddled but this baby might, if not I can just use this as a blanket (or to mop up sick!). I haven't got it yet but this is the one I have ordered - Jojo Maman Bebe. 

Muslins are a real must when you have babies - they can be used to protect things or just to mop up sick (seems to be a common situation!).

Nappies; we all know what they do and what they look like. I actually can't believe that Jackson ever fitted into ones this small!!!

Professionals seem to recommend cotton wool and water for newborns but I was told about these wipes when I was pregnant with Jackson and they were brilliant. Therefore, thought we would pack some for this time around.

Finally, Chris bought the baby this really cute dinosaur teddy. He did the same for Jackson and we have a lovely photo of him with it in hospital, so I want to do the same with this bubba!

I think that I have everything but let me know if you think I have missed anything.

Love Sophia xxx