DECLEOR MUM TO BE TREATMENT

Hey Lovelies and thank you for logging on to my latest blog.

Its December and Christmas is only 5 sleeps away!! I am currently 32 weeks pregnant, I can't believe I have only 8 weeks left! This weeks blog I am featuring and telling you all about my recent beauty treatment at alwalton hall called the Radiant Mum to Be treatment using the gorgeous spa products Decleor. 

This wasn't the first time I had, had the treatment. I had it the same time in my pregnancy at one of the Aqua Sana Spa's with my son Harry and it is pure luxury for any expecting mummy to be!

The treatment lasts 75 minutes which is spread out across different areas of the body. All mummies will lay on their side with a pillow in between their legs, the therapist will work on a back massage using aromatherapy decleor oils. The pressure isn't overly strong understandably but you can feel tension release in the shoulders and lower back so great if having back pain.

Once she has covered that section which I would say is around 20 minutes, the therapist moves to your legs, working from the thigh down to your ankles using massage techniques to completely relax and relieve tension in each leg. Once legs are done she moves up to your tummy, massaging your tummy area using products to help sooth your bump, hydrate your skin and generally promote a healthier tummy area. A mask is applied and left on, the therapist will cover this with a cling film type material to help the penetration the product into the skin. 

Whilst your mask is on the tummy your therapist will work on a cleanse tone, mask and hydrate facial with some slight massage techniques. Whilst your facial mask if left on, she will remove your tummy mask and finish by applying a cooling energising gel to your arms and legs - You are literally hydrated from head to toe and on cloud 9!

I am definitely hoping to have another treatment before baby number 2 arrives, it is pure heaven for those achy legs, swollen ankles, heavy tummy or just a general mummy to be pamper!

I have also started using with my current regime their ultimate body pack which contains the energising gel which delivers that up lifting, cooling and hydrating feeling a woman wants on her skin when she's pregnant! I am going to feature in my next blog all my other beauty essentials and supplements when pregnant so stay tuned, I can't wait to share it with you. 

4D Baby Bond Scan - 28 weeks!

Hey Huns..

Hope your all well; Mid way through November so I've finally made a start on my Xmas shopping and feeling good as I really don't know how I'm going to feel closer to the time being in my third trimester.

I'm now 28 weeks pregnant and we had our 4D baby bond scan on Monday; it was amazing! We had it with our first baby at the same stage of my pregnancy so knew we would more than likely get a good clear image on the baby. We stuck to our original plans of staying team yellow, for those that have been reading my blogs will know how much we love the surprise and why we opted to go for it again a second time round so for us we just couldn't wait to see the baby again on screen and 4D gives a peak of their beautiful little features and face up close. We loved it! 

Baby looked just harry from what we could see and when we compared images it confirmed it... Same lips and nose! Superrrr cute. 

If you haven't had a 4D before and thinking about it I highly recommend. It is such a beautiful moment to experience seeing your baby close up on screen and I imagine if struggling with your pregnancy due to sickness or generally finding it hard then I honestly think the scan will give any mummy to be a boost and lift in that final trimester - It did me, I have found second time much more tiring.

What to expect?

On booking your private 4D baby bond scan you'll be given options of a suitable date and time (that will last usually around 15 minutes!) You'll be on count down till that day arrives with excitement regardless whether your finding out the gender or not. It is named a bonding scan for a reason so it isn't just about finding out about the gender, there is so much more too it so if like us do not worry if you want to have a surprise!

We arrived and you'll be asked to lay down on the couch where the sonographer will ask for your due date and whether you wish to find out boy or girl. She'll place Gel on your tummy just like your NHS scans and if not finding out like us because she doesn't know the placement of the baby you'll be asked to look away in case anything appears giving it all away!

Once found placement of baby she'll tell you how baby is sitting/laying what he or she's placement is within your tummy and at the moment our little one was laying horizontal across my tummy so no wonder I had been feeling a bit uncomfortable the last few days! I'm not overly concerned I have 12 weeks to go till baby engages and gets where he or she should be. 

She really zoomed in on the face where we got to see the baby yawning, and drinking, smiling, arms up in the air and crossed in one photo which my hubby was delighted as he is a hammers fan!!! Lol.  

We could see the shape of the babies lips and eyes, it was soooo cute. 

It is recommended to scan at 28 weeks for a good clear view bonding scan as if baby isn't in a good placement you can come back within that 2 week window taking you to a max of 30 weeks. Any later than that there isn't much room left for baby so view isn't always that great and any earlier than 26 weeks features aren't as prominent, so my advice would be to follow as recommended and stick to the 28 week mark!

If lucky enough to get some moving images on USB depending what package you pick they are included; they're fab for a keep sake to link up to your tv and watch with family and friends and you'll also get some prints to take home. We got around 8-9 and all of them were brilliant.

Highly recommend the baby bond scan for any expecting parents! It's a real treat in that last trimester and we are even more excited to welcome baby brown number 2!!! 

toddlers snacks and dinner ideas

Hey Lovelies,

I hope your well and thank you for logging on to my latest blog. This weeks is all about my top snacks for any toddlers who if anything like mine; snackers, grazers, basically one who eats little and often!

Snacks through out the day for Harry will vary from;

Philadelphia on ryvita plain cracker bread

Babybels 

Dairylea dunkers

Cucumber sticks

Chicken pieces from the chilled fresh meat section in supermarkets

Chopped pieces of fruits such a peaches, nectarines, or plums

Apples and blueberries are always a favourite

Yogurts

Organix carrot wafers

Kiddylicious smoothie melts he still loves at 2 years old!

I always have to make sure I have plenty of the above in the list in the cupboards as he is a big snacker and I do my best to keep it varied and not complete rubbish!

Quick Dinner Meals!

Fresh fish or Chicken from the supermarkets, packet of bread crumbs once they have been dipped into some egg, and pop in the oven!

Alternatively we do buy boxed fish fingers but I will always check the % on the back of the box to ensure it does contain a high amount of fish or meat for protein benefits.

Pre made mash, with fish from the fish counter, steamed broccoli (10 mins in the steamer) once all cooked put together with a sprinkle of cheese and you have a home made fish pie!

Uncle bens rice 2 minute microwave rice, with grilled chicken pieces and Little Dish have launched their new sauce pots for little ones, these have been a big hit for Harry for Pasta dishes or a chicken curry with rice!

Sausage and Baked Bean Casserole, add in onions, carrots and a some cheese!

Bolognese is always a good one to bulk cook and freeze, include chopped onions, mushrooms etc we just cook the pasta fresh! 

Jacket potato and beans

After a long day at work I can always count on Harry eating the meals from the Little Dish Range! They are £2.50 a go BUT for speed, and that I know he will eat them, they are super handy for us on days when you cannot be bothered to prep or cook. 

Little Dish ones in particular that are his faves are the Chicken and Risotto, the Chicken Curry and Rice, Chilli beef and Rice and also the fish pie. 

I am not going to lie, meal times for me as a parent have always been up and down. Harry eats like a king for his breakfast, and still loves his milk before bed time but lunch time and dinner time can be really hit and miss!! The above are what we know he will eat so we try our best to keep a variety going and will change it up but I will also admit I take the easiest option and stick to what he knows because I just want him to eat!!

 I have some mummy friends who their kids eat everything and anything and I have others than eat far from their 3 meals a day.. You are not alone. I have come to the conclusion kids are kids, and the fact is some adults don't even eat 3 meals a day so rather then get stressed over meal times, I now just go with the flow. 

I have never followed the if you don't eat your dinner you won't have dessert because I don't want meal times or food to associated in being an unhappy time, if Harry eats what he can then thats good enough for us! I also thought I would share that it isn't so much about what a child eats in one meal sitting its what they have had in a 24 hour period so do NOT beat yourself up over them missing a meal! Some day's Harry eats better than others. 

If your little one has been poorly recently and they have point blank refused food all together head over to my other blog ''WinterBlues'' to see what we find works for us when Harry has been under the weather.

I can't not include Puddings in this blog as I am a massive pudding lover!!! So it just wouldnt right not include!!! 

Pudding shopping list

Fresh fruit

Ambrosia Mini Custards

Ambrosia Mini Rice Pudding 

Yogurt with a drizzle of honey

Jelly 

Strawberry chocolate chop small mufins 

Frozen yogurt banana bites

Hope you found the read helpful and any tips from other mummies comment or message me on Instagram - @thehappybalancemum - Would love to hear from you!

And remember you can also email subscribe for all my future blogs 

Lots of Love x

MAM - EASY START ANTI COLIC BABY BOTTLES

Hey lovely people 

Well this weeks blog is a super duper exciting one! I recently received a lovely delivery from MAM UK which contained the NEW design for their Easy Start Anti Colic Bottles and I am delighted to be doing a collaboration with MAMUK as these were fab for my first baby so I can't wait to use them again a second time round!

MAM bottles were great for me and my baby as I breast fed my little boy for the first 7 months so once he was onto solids at 6 months I started to slowly transition to formula. Harry took expressed milk and formula from the easy start bottles with no fuss or upset. Initially when we first gave him expressed milk I didn't realise the temp of the breast milk was too cool, so my husband suggested we warm it up and since then he was a dream to feed via the bottle, it also allowed daddy to have some feeding time too as I done a mixture of breast and bottle from 8 weeks old, it goes by no surprise MAM have a 94% teat acceptance*! I have always been honest since I have started blogging and bottles was an area I was dreading and worrying about as I had heard stories and experienced with my own family members babies not taking the bottle and completely refusing which was stressful for all parties, with the skin soft teats and simple self sterilising in 3 easy steps I am so glad I found MAM.

MAM Easy Start Anti Colic Bottles have a unique vented base which has a range of different effects;

80% of mums said their babies had less colic

relaxed drinking, as the base allows baby to drink at their own pace

reduction of wind 

I absolutely LOVE the new designs especially as we haven't found out the gender of the baby! As you an see from the photos featured, the grey and soft lemon is just adorable for newborns and the perfect start for any new born baby.

Happy Baby - Happy Mummy!

You can purchase MAM products from 

http://www.mamonlineshop.com

Harry can't wait to help mummy and daddy feed his new baby brother or sister!

With Love

The Happy Balance Mum x

If you like what your reading remember you email subscribe to be kept to date with all my blogs & follow me on Instagram - @thehappybalancemum

how to get through the winter blues - Infant snuffles

Evening all,

I hope your well and thank for you logging onto my latest blog. For those that don't know me I am a mummy of one boy Harry who is two years old, and currently expecting with baby number 2 which is due in February! I am wife to Chris and a working mummy, so if you like what your reading please. subscribe with your email to follow my blogs and top tips for my motherhood journey so far!

I blog all things beauty, baby and motherhood, and I am a mummy of one boy who's 2 and also currently expecting baby number 2 in February. 

This weeks blog is all about those horrible winter blues and all the germs our littles ones end up facing :( snotty noses, and chesty coughs!

My top tips to comfort your little ones are below!

Calpol Plug In's

Oh my good these are amazing for stuffy noses and general congestion nose or chest. I have used them with my little one in his first winter and have recently purchased the re fills for this winter season as well as he picked up a horrible cough from nursery. Initially you purchase the plug and it comes with 2x refills, from there you then just purchase the refills which I think come in  a box of 5x. They last 8 hours, and can be left on over night if need be. 

The product itself its based around aromatherapy oils, chamomile, menthol and allows your little one to breathe easier for a more peaceful sleep - They make such a difference and are a life saver for parents wanting a good nights sleep. They are safety tested and sold in all high stores such as Tesco, Asda, Boots etc 

We usually turned on 1 hour before Harry's bed time and depending how congested he is, we will turn off once he is in bed or leave it on over night but will leave the door open slightly and do not put directly near the cot. 

Steamy Showers

Turn your showers on, leave them on and hot enough for the room to steam up, once at this stage, take your little one into the shower room for 10-15 minutes as this will really help loosen up any mucus or stuffy noses.

Foods

Soft foods such a pears, bananas, peaches to keep them hydrated and soft for them to eat. Lots of water or milk, and do not stress if they aren't wanting to eat their meals. As long as their passing urine, and drinking that's what is important. 

Yogurts, Ice Cream and rices cake for him to just snack on are always popular for our little one when he been under the weather. 

Fresh Air

Do not feel if your little one in under the weather you shouldn't  leave the house, we recently attended a family festival for a couple of hours to get some fresh air for Harry. He wasn't himself but he was in fairly good spirits and it was good for him to get some fresh air.

Staying indoors won't necessarily make babies/children get better quicker, its good to even have a walk round the block. Please know I am not encouraging attending children play area's or soft plays I am encouraging a walk round the block :-) 

Spoonful of Honey

It may be one of your Nans tales but I honestly feel it makes a difference in keeping cough's at bay at bedtime which helps improve sleep. Its a natural alternative instead of cough medicine and there has been studies carried out to on children over the age of 2 who had upper respiratory infections and it showed to be just as effective as over the counter medication!

Comfort and encourage sleep 

Bring their favourites bears, pillow and quilt down stairs onto your sofa. Let them rest else where away from their bed room. Our toddler would not be prepared to sit in his bed all day after just sleeping in there, but will happily chill on the sofa with his favourite tv programme on. Every now and again he would doze off and wake up again which really allowed his body to rest. 

Hope the above helps all you mummy and daddies this winter

Love the happy balance mum

 x

BOYS RULE - life being a mum to a boy

 THE FUNNY TRUTHS ABOUT BEING A MUMMY TO A BOY!!

Well our little handsome cheeky firecracker has been in our lives since July 2015; and what a journey it's been. Because Harry is only 2; I wasn't completely sure whether to put this blog together because as I say, he is still only so small but with what seems (to me) a big personality I thought the hell with it! I'm really excited to share with expecting mummies what life is like being a mummy to a boy, I hope you enjoy the read.

• The possible desire to be naked; as soon as we walk through the door at home Harry cant wait to get his clothes off! Doesn't matter what time of the day, freedom is always his chosen option. Legging it to open the front door to the post man before him and his naked bum follows me is always a challenge I am hoping to win!

• The no fear factor; boys have NO fear what so ever! No matter how much you try and pre warn them of the dangers, their curiousness will always take over. 

• Jump jump, forever jumping; Sofa's, trampolines, cushions, and beds are always on Harry's agenda, I actually quiver inside at the thought of him sofa diving but a threat to turn off paw patrol ensures I win the battle of NO DONT DO THAT! - Well for the moment anyways. 

• Ants in their pants; dinner times in particular unless Harry's favorite meal is on the menu every single night which it isn't going be because that would be super duper boring, I find I keep repeating my self saying sit down, sit down, sit down & eat your dinner. I have now just accepted that he eats like a king at breakfast and lunch and will just take it or leave it at dinner time!

• Passing wind; *hands over eyes* I know we all do it but to Harry he finds himself, or daddy in particular absolutely hilarious and will want to inform the world he has just trumped! I have to laugh... because honestly I literally don't know what else to do!!!

• Loves the woman attention; yes even at just 2 years old. No matter where we are, my son loves to capture the woman attention and will do so by saying hiya continuously until he gets it. Its then I catch him going all giggly with a cheeky smile appearing across his face - Wish me luck for years to come!

 ON A SERIOUS NOTE, ALL THINGS YOU WILL LOVE YOUR LITTLE BOY 

JUST THAT LITTLE BIT MORE FOR

     

• The super duper cute spontaneous cuddles and kisses that come from no where; your little boy if anything like mine will be so affectionate and will embrace love and affection. He throws his arms round me and who knew those little tiny arms round my neck could make my heart so full. 

• You will watch how much satisfaction and happiness they get from their ''boy's toys'' and even the most girly mums (me being one of them) will start to notice yourself getting roped into the imaginative play of wrestling, train tracks, cars and all else that takes over their toy room - I would just love to have a moment in side Harry's head whilst he plays with them all to know what he is thinking.

• Physical emotions and how often you will use them; I don't actually ever think I high fived any one in my adult life before having Harry, and lets not even mention ''knuckles'' ... Yet these are now a part of my every day life; the smile on Harry's face is just price less when he comes running into the living room & greets all those there with a high 5! He gets so excited and I now embrace those type of physical emotions so much more since I have had him.

• As their mummy you will always be their first love, daddy will be their super hero; it will always be you who they go to when they're in need of a cuddle, but the relationship from you to their daddy is completely different, different in way's that you see their face light up when daddy comes home from work for some their daddy and son time, you see them admire daddy kicking the football, chasing around the park, lifting high playing aero planes, all these play huge parts in daddy being their hero.

• They will love you their mummy in a special way; already Harry is really loving and caring towards me with his emotions, his appetite for being thoughtful and help full is just beyond what I expected for him only being 2 years old, when in the garden he will pick a flower with daddy and cant wait to come back inside to give me it, I am so lucky to have all these sweet little moments with my little boy.

Being a parent to a boy or girl is such a rewarding job, it is a journey like no other in life and every day I count my blessing's to be the mummy of Harry. Now I am expecting my second baby & I am asked all the time ''Would you like a girl this time?'' the answer simply is... I honestly don't mind either way. I don't have a preference at all, a part of me does feel I would love another boy because I feel it is all I know. However if I am blessed with a daughter, although different I am sure it is as just a equal lovely journey!

x

THE BABY SHOW - LONDON

Evening all,
I hope your well and thanks for heading over to read my latest blog.

October has been a crazy month for me so far, it always is as its my birthday month so plans are always full steam ahead. But this year I thought I would attend something a little different to what I usually do and that was the The Baby Show at London's Olympia exhibition center. I never attended this with my first pregnancy so I wanted to go and check out a few things in particular that I didn't have/need with my first baby that I now feel I may need this time round e.g. a Baby Carrier being one of them. I also wanted to see what else I could find that wasn't high street like some boutique concessions that were perhaps different to what I have locally, and it didn't disappoint.

The show itself is brilliant for all expectant parents, and first time parents in particular who are wanting discounts on their prams and nursery furniture but for us, although we are doing a new nursery up, our son is only 2 years old so our silver cross pram is immaculate and he is also now in a toddler bed so we have transferred the cot into the new nursery. We will be purchasing a new nursery wardrobe and draws but new prams and cot's were not on our agenda but for first time parents this is what seemed really huge big popular purchases.

Every parent walking in had the option of the Made for Mum's bag which was amazing for goodies, I was really impressed with what it contained and the sizes of what was included.

Weaning

I was lucky enough to receive some pouches from company called my first savse and what really caught my interest most is that they are the first company in Europe to produce cold pressed puree's using organic ingredients. All their pouches have to be kept refrigerated meaning they are kept as fresh as possible to deliver the best benefit to your little one! Flavors included Apple, Kiwi, Spinach, Kale, Banana, and our 2 year old was happy to try all the samples which certainly went down a treat!

  

I can't wait to get trying these for our second baby! my first savse can be purchased in Harrods, Morrisons, Ocado, Planet Organic and many more. Just head over to their website for more details.

https://myfirstsavse.com/our-story/

Clothing

We found and fell in love with a company called ''Magnet Mouse'' they are a UK family owned company (a mum of 4 I must add!) who make baby grows and maternity wear with magnets rather than poppers. Their range was absolutely stunning and I can honestly say if I knew BLUE OR PINK I would of brought the whole collection! Instead we went with their neutral gender range and I cannot wait to see our baby number 2 in it.

Not only are their designs beautiful and very prince George style fashion, but the idea behind it is genius, as a new parent you will all agree with me here that the amount of times you change their poo-ey nappies and have to un do all these poppers and re do them all is just tedious. Magnet mouse is literally is a game changer especially for those who like me will have a toddler on their hands.

You wash them on a 30, the quality of material is well made and a gorgeous strong cotton, and you are able to even tumble dry if need be.

See our chosen ones above, you can also find them on instagram @magnetmouse_uk

Infant Carriers

Our demo's of the Ergo and Baby Bjorn infant carriers were great, both Chris and I got to try putting them on and off, and for us we decided that the Ergo 360 was the one for us. We found it had less weight on our shoulders and most weight was round the hips/stomach area which for us was more comfortable. I can't wait for it too arrive!!! I feel it will be a god send for me with having a toddler running about and saves buying a double buggy as my little one to be fair is a good walker so there really is no need for make another investment when I love my silver cross pram. 

So many friends and fellow mummy bloggers recommended them!

Nursery Decor 

We found a stand full of the most gorgeous nursery items to decorate and accessorize the babies room. The colors we are going for are grey and white and we purchased 2 wooden handmade rabbits to sit on a shelf along with some wooden block bunting in ''DREAM'' I just think they are so adorable, and cute! 

 Will post some more photos once the nursery has been completed but here is sneak peak until then!

Newborn Must Have - Snuggle Bundl

So this item is called the Snuggle Bundl and it was invented by a dad who struggled to put his baby down or move them from one area to another with out the crying and waking I.e. Arms to moses basket, car seat to pram etc you get my drift.

The idea behind it is that the baby gets full neck support whilst being maneuvered with out being woken up meaning you literally put the baby in the blanket which has handles as shown in the photo below, so if holding the baby it can be used a blanket and can then be placed in cot, or moses basket or car seat with ease and quickness. 

It is the ideal item for a mum who has a clingy baby and who needs to get stuff done in the house or more importantly needs to get some sleep! I can see exactly where this will work for us with our second baby! We went for the mink with white star design and  I will upload some photos of it in use once baby has arrived, it can also be used as a breast feeding cover up!

You can follow them on instagram on @snugglebundl

It has been up for many awards!

Bottles

I breast fed my first baby for 7 months and then moved him over to formula once we was well into the weaning process so I really hope to breast feed the same with my second but the reality of it is, I am going to have a toddler to also to attend too whilst doing on demand feeds and boy I remember how demanding they actually were. SO I am preparing myself IN CASE I need to feed formula earlier than expected we invested in the amazing MAM bottles. 

At the show there was a midwife on the stand giving advice on why MAM are such a fantastic bottle for new borns and babies. These bottles are actually used within the premature birthing unit in hospitals and are highly recommend for their self sterilizing USP and also for their anti colic benefits. The bottles itself ensures the feed flows smoothly and the baby doesn't swallow any air and colic is reduced. There were 3 packs offered at the show and we decided to go for the middle size which included both small and medium sizes bottles! My son took really well to these. 

 

Dribble Bibs 

Just as I am a huge fan of muslin cloths,  I am huge fan of dribble bibs. You can never have to many of these and I am crazy for white and grey at the moment!

I would also like to feature the food shop ''Lidl'' as until attending the show I didn't realise how big their baby range was. I got to spend some time with one of their team members and she informed me of the awards they've won from nappies, to bath products to weaning products! I came away with a goody bags of their dried snacks for toddlers, so watch this space for more updates on baby and toddler weaning tips where I can let you know how my 2 year old got on with these snacks!

          

Hope you all found the read helpful and if you want to attend next year it will also be held again in May in Birmingham - For more details go on the website.

My TOP TIPS 

 sign up to Emma's Baby Diarys for up to 35% off tickets!

Try and get a baby sitter for the day, lots of parents there with children and babies but it got very busy! There is a however a free creche.

Pizza express outside for lunch (London) go and download your vouchers for 50% off

PRE Book your car parking otherwise travel by tube!

  Enjoy - hope you enjoyed the read.

Please note: I have huge passion in sharing what has worked for me and my motherhood journey so far. so all views are my own.

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mothercare expecting parent event

Hi lovelies,

This weeks blog I am featuring the Mothercare Expecting Parent event, I went with my lovely friend Tasha who is also expecting her baby number 2. She invited me along as I wasn't able to make it for my first pregnancy, and as things often change, Harry was 2 years ago now I thought why not.There was a range of outside businesses that was giving advice to parents to be from 4D scans, baby swim classes, hypno birthing, mattress suppliers, etc

The event was hosted by mothercare in store staff who delivered talks on car seat safety, pushchair pram advice, nursery furniture, sleep safety, breast feeding equipment. Each mama was gifted with a goody bag - See below what mine included!

Below I am featuring what were my favorites on the night and what caught my interest most; hope you enjoy the read!

Deb's Beautiful Birth

Deborah is a midwife with over 30 years experience, so I found my time with her really interesting as I didn't really know much about hyponobirthing before this event as didn't look into this with Harry. 

I never realised how much it can prepare you for a positive and relaxed confident birth. I found out about all the hormones we release during labour and I was really surprised to hear that Oxytocin (the love hormone) is the hormone in particular that keeps us pregnant mummies calm and during labour we are encouraged to hold that breath (exhale) for a longer period of time, for example if attended Yoga in the past you will know it is the inhale that you are told to hold longer. This hormone helps with uterine contractions, birth placenta and milk ejection.

I was really lucky with my first labour/birth and loved my water birth so much so that I am now scared I won't get it a second time!! The maternity unit where I live only has one birthing pool which makes me feel anxious because I found the warm water really helped me through out my labour and delivery of Harry. I had no pain relief other than gas and air and I kept calm and relaxed the whole way through (I wont lie it was bloody painful) but I kept telling myself woman in countries such as africa who aren't as lucky as we are to have the NHS, they don't have accessible hospitals and deliver babies all the time, alone by themselves and drug free - I just kept telling my self that over and over again. I only attended 3 out the 6 antenatal classes that are offered by the NHS as I found the literature alone was scare mongering never mind attending a class, I wanted to keep a positive mind set the whole way through my pregnancy and I think it really helped me for the birth, hence why you can now probably understand my new found interest in hypno birthing! I really want a home birth this time round but hubby is not having any of it, hospital round 2 I think it is.

If any mummies reading this has had sessions or know a friend who has please comment or message me as I would love to hear about it. 

I cant wait to get started reading The Positive Birth Book by Milli Hill!!!

 

http://debsbeautifulbirth.com/

If you live in cambridgeshire area then go and visit Deborah's page above for more info on hypno birthing. 

Baby Bond private scanning

So this isnt new to me as I had this with my first baby around 28-30 weeks pregnant. For those who have been following my journey will know we like the gender surprise so the good thing about this scan I still couldn't tell boy or girl, but I was absolutely delighted how clear and detailed it is. I would suggest to any expecting parent to leave this scan for as long as you can so you can get a clear image of the baby. 30 weeks I believe is the max, so this time round we are booked in for 20th November and I will be approx 28 weeks pregnant. I am so excited, we have booked the 4D simply bonding scan and the offer on the evening was £59 (vs £99 we paid previously) and includes black and white images, colour on a USB and also a dvd clip of the baby. 

For me in particular I love the bonding scans because going 20 weeks till babies due date is just too long to see their little face - We can't wait to see baby again!

 

Sensory Experience

I took Harry to lots of baby groups, and musical groups as a newborn and was lucky and fortunate enough to meet some lovely mummies and have still kept in contact 2 years later. But what I would like to do a bit more of this time round is more Messy Play and also Sensory. I done a couple taster session's of sensory and never ended up going the full term and to be honest it wasn't because I didn't like the session it was more the other groups were better time wise etc I remember Harry loved the bright lights and also the ribbons so with baby number 2 I definitely would like to run the course a little longer, I imagine ages 3-6 months in particular is good for them, by 3 months they are awake a bit more, becoming more aware of their surroundings, wanting to grab items. 

Baby sensory is amazing for visual stimulation, expressive movements, motor skills, and so much more. I love all the type of things for babies and their development.

http://www.babysensory.com/en/classdetails/peterborough

Baby Massage 

I never took Harry to any form of baby massage, so this area is completely new to me and I will definitely be giving it ago this time round. At the event I learnt that not only is baby massage amazing for relaxation, sleep patterns but other area's like growing pains, aiding digestion, improving circulation, teething issues. I am really looking forward to this one.

 

and just too finish, i couldn't resist buying baby brown number 2 their very first outfit! I love babies in white and creams for the first 6 weeks, and closer to the time I will be purchasing a blue hat and a pink ready for when we welcome him or her to the world. I have found this time round Mothercare have some super cute items for babies nurseries so I also got their ABC blocks and ''Baby's Room'' plaque ready for when we do the nursery in December!

  

Its definitely worth going to if your a first time mum.

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