Blake's 5 month Update x

So, my gorgeous baby Blake is now 5 Months old! It has gone quickly but I have loved every hour, minute and second being his mummy. Everyday he does something new and my heart literally bursts with pride. He is so perfect and well behaved (touch wood he stays that way hehe) and I absolutely love it when he looks at me with his sparkly eyes and huge smile.

Obviously things have been difficult for me, having to accept a lot of disgusting things that I never thought would happen to me and my son. Being a single mummy suffering with heartbreak and dealing with anxiety and depression certainly wasn't how I wanted things to be. But it wasn't my choice and I am now accepting what has happened and I do believe I am stronger and I will be happier for my Blake. I am soo thank full to my amazing friends and family who have helped me through this tough time but I don't want to waste anymore time being down, its not fair on my son. And although he doesn't know it or understand I thank my Blake for being my everything and being there (with big smiles and dribbly kisses) to make mummy smile.

But enough about all that..lets talk about the amazing things that have happened over the past 5 months and the amazingness of being a mummy.

Blake was born weighing 6lb 3oz. I got him weighed 2 weeks ago and he is now 15lb. He is now wearing 3-6 month clothes and yes it does make me a little sad looking at all his tiny first size outfits because he was so small when he was born. But i do love kissing his little chubby belly and making him giggle.

He certainly has found his voice. He loves shouting/talking to me, my family and cbeebies. He also likes to really look at people when they are talking to him as if he's really listening and taking everything in. He's a funny one. But also smiling. Blake is a very smiley baby and is starting to smile back at people if they smile at him. But at first he would only smile at people that he recognized. Which leads me to giggling. One of my favorite things at the moment. I will kiss his belly, neck or tickle him and he will giggle like crazy. Which is the most adorable thing.
A not so nice thing that his Grandad (my dad) has taught Blake is how to blow raspberries. He hasn't mastered how to do it with his tongue out yet but he makes the noise and dribble goes everywhere.

Blake first rolled from his front to back but last month he taught himself to roll from his back to front. I think he enjoys rolling and being on his front as he does it a lot when on his playmat on the floor. He also likes laying on his back and  holding his feet. His next thing will be sitting up as he keeps trying to and he likes sitting while being aided by me.

His favorite play thing has to be his Jumperoo. Everyone raves about this product and I can see why. I got Blake a second hand "Jumperoo- discover and grow" from ebay for extremely cheap considering how much they are to buy brand new. But this one was in perfect condition and looked like it hadn't been hardly used. But we did clean it and Blake loves it..although it did take him a few goes before he was actually bouncing. He also loves his Alfie bear by Vtech which I have done a review about. Oh and also "Sophie le giraffe" who gets covered in dribble from being chewed.

Which leads me onto teething. I think Blake has started teething as he constantly chews on his hands and everything else he can get his little hands on But I cant see any signs on teeth coming through yet and he doesnt seem to be suffering to badly yet. I am dreading teething as I hate Blake crying and I don't want him to be in pain.

Blake is now completely bottle fed. I did breastfeed for 3 months but he is now on 6oz of Aptamil and I feed on demand. He is yet to sleep through the night and every night is different but he generally wakes up twice.

Some other info- Blake has been away a few times. Not abroad yet but he has been on a boat when we went to the Isle of White. I always pack so much for him when we go away but it is a necessity. I have also taken him swimming, which he loved and hope to take him more. He has had all his immunisations. He did suffer a bit with the first and 3rd lot of jabs but that is because they include pneumonia. He got a bit grizzly and upset but that was helped by 2.5ml of Calpol.

There is probably soo much more I could fill you in on but I think that's a general update of the past 5 months. Here are some photos for you to look at to see how much Blake has changed..

Words cannot describe how much I am in love with my little Prince. He means the world to me and more.

Thank you soo much for reading this post. Please follow and share.

Kimi

x

Pregnancy Yoga..x

While I was coming to the end of my pregnancy I went to a few pregnancy yoga classes. I absolutely loved the lessons. At the start of the lessons each lady would tell the group how many weeks pregnant she was and then any news or complaints she'd had that week. It was nice to hear other pregnancy stories and listen to the women who were further along than me and what they were experiencing. 

We would then start the lesson doing different stretching positions and breathing exercises. We would end the lessons laying on our mats with our eyes closed listening to the teacher. It was soo calming. What with everything I was going through it was good to get away for an hour, relax and concentrate on the now. Not worrying about what was going on and not thinking about the future but concentrating on the moment and focusing on my breathing. It was also good to meet other pregnant ladies.

I would highly recommend pregnancy yoga for any mummy to be. I have a dance background but obviously being pregnant, my flexibility wasn't as good and my balance was horrendous..hehe..but that didn't matter. Pregnancy Yoga is adapted for your new changing body and your not made to feel like you have to do every position if your unable. 

The teacher who took the class was lovely and made you feel very welcome. She also had a very calming voice which was so easy to listen to and made you feel extremely relaxed. I'm quite shy and find it difficult to walk into places I've never been before but as soon as I entered the yoga class I was warmly greeted by the teacher and made to feel welcome.

Benefits of pregnancy yoga:

• Boost your energy levels
• Keeps the body strong and supple
• Connect with your breath and become more physically aware of your body
• Relieve tension promote relaxation
• Discover birthing positions for a healthy labour
• Relieve minor ailments (e.g heartburn, swollen joints, PSD, sciatica)
• Help you relax and promote restful sleep (www.sallysyoga.co.uk/pregnancy)

I started pregancy yoga classes quite late on in my pregnancy but wish I had started sooner. You can start the lessons from 12+ weeks(second trimester)

Here is the link to classes I went to www.sallysyoga.co.uk

My lessons were in Isleworth and they cost me £12 a lesson. I found the classes as they were advertised on www.netmums.co.uk.

Many thanks for reading,

Kimi

x

VTech Little Singing Alfie!

While on a random trip to Tesco, I took Blake on a little wander round the toy aisle when we got to the baby section. I don't know what made me pick this little bear up but I am soo glad I did. 

So, this is Alfie...

He is a bear with soft arms, legs and head and a plastic body with chunky light up buttons.

The heart button in the middle is an on and off switch and the other buttons when pressed makes english speaking Alfie sing, talk and play well known tunes.

He also has a velcro-effect strap so can be attached to a cot, toy bar or car seat etc..

Alfie is advertised at being a toy for 3-18 month olds and he also comes with batteries included.

So, why am I reviewing this toy?

Well its simply because of the way my 4 month old baby boys little face lights up when I hold Alfie in front of him. And the way he reaches out for him and his little legs kick with excitement.

I love seeing how happy and smiley he gets.

Alfie is described as an ideal first toy and I would completely agree and he only cost £6.50!!

Here is a link to the tesco website- http://www.tesco.com/direct/vtech-little-singing-alfie-red/205-2054.prd

I've also looked online and seen this little bear comes in pink and blue also.

Here is a photo of my Blake having cuddles with Alfie..before trying to chew his ear..hehe..

Thank you for reading this post,

Kimi

x

The Smile Mom App!!

I have a few mummy and baby apps on my iphone but this app is by far the best!

'Smile mom' is a community of mummys and mummys-to-be where you can post pictures, ask questions, sell stuff that your children have outgrown but most importantly talk and make friends with other mums.

Its a place I've found extremely helpful. 

I've had a couple of moments when I've been so upset and angry with whats going on in my life and I've wrote a post on this app and within minutes I've had amazing women sharing their experiences, reassuring me and genuinely trying to help. Its lovely to think that they have taken time out to write to me to help me and make me feel better. I cant thank the ladies enough or explain how much it means to me when they reply.

Its also nice to read other peoples posts and questions and offer help.

I would highly recommend this FREE app to any pregnant ladies or mums out there. I just wish I had got it sooner.

Kimi

x

My Birth Story! x

While I was pregnant I would religiously watch "One born every minute" and I would constantly read and watch birth stories. I was OBSESSED! So, here is my birth story...

My life changed on the 27th April 2014 at 16.04 pm at West Middlesex Hospital.
But my birthing story starts a few days before, so lets start at the beginning..
I was 38 weeks pregnant and a couple of weeks before I had to stay in hospital over night because I had a little bleed and babys movements had slowed down. Everything was fine and perfect but because of my diabetes the midwifes wanted to see me twice a week for the remainder of my pregnancy to be strapped to a machine and have my baby's heart monitored. It was lovely, I would go with my mum or my friend Demi and we'd sit chatting listening to my baby's heart. I'd had other appointments for my diabetes and by now was on Metphormin tablets and the Insulin injection.
So yeah, It was a Tuesday, I was exactly 38 weeks pregnant and I had a heart monitor appointment. This time I went alone. I was talking to the midwifes and they looked at my daily blood record book and noticed how erratic my blood readings were and that I'd had to inject myself with insulin. I then heard them talking and I heard the word "Induced" mentioned.
That was it, I freaked. I knew with diabetes most women get induced. But i'd only gone to the hospital to get my baby's heart monitored and I was on my own. Luckily, my mum only works at a school near the hospital so I text her and she was with me within minutes. So, while I was sat having my baby's heart rate monitored the midwifes got a consultant (who I had met before) to speak to me about being induced. She then went off to book my induce date and I had to wait in a different room. When she came back I was told I would be being induced on the Thursday and I was given a sweep. It didn't hurt but was very uncomfortable. This could have started labour off as this is when a doctor or midwife sweeps their finger across your cervix, separating the membranes of the amniotic sac. Releasing a hormone to kick start labour.

I was excited but upset. My sister was going to New York on Thursday with her college and I really wanted her to be at my sons birth.

I spent the next couple of days getting my hospital bag ready and then Thursday quickly came around.When I got to the hospital I was literally welcomed with open arms by the midwife team. I was shown to my bed and everything was explained to me. Then the inducing process started.

(me on induction day outside the hospital!)

Firstly I was given an internal examination and a sweep. A pessary was then inserted and then the wait started. If contractions hadn't started then in 24 hours I would have another pessary.
24 hours came and went and nothing happened. The other girl in the room had been screaming all night in labour and it was so scary. So the next day I was given another sweep and pessary and then had to wait all over again. Blake's dad stayed with me that night and we kept getting told different things witch was a bit frustrating.We got told at one point that my waters would be broken but it got later and later and the maternity ward was so busy that it didn't happen. They ideally wanted my waters to break on their own and the midwifes were all really lovely. But the unknown was scary. So after another night with little sleep and being woken up to have my blood pressure taken I was then given another examination (I think also another sweep) and a gel was inserted. Then another wait began. But after a few hours I thought I began to feel something. It wasn't painful, just little twinges. But they turned out to be nothing.
I forgot to write that throughout my days I would be strapped up to the machine to monitor babys heart. I also was never bored as I constantly had visitors. My mum and dad came straight from work. My nan had come up from Chichester. Blakes dad woud come and my auntie, uncle and Blakes god mother all came to see me too. I would go for walks round the hospital and bounce on the birthing ball to start my labour. Also the food was lovely and the midwifes were amazing.

So it was the early hours of Sunday morning when my contractions started. My mum stayed with me that night and I managed to fall asleep. I woke up at 5.30am and was in a lot of pain. The hours quickly went by and the pain got worse. My Nan turned up and I was given pain killers and gas and air. But I still screamed the place down. I'm not even joking I was terrible. I even started crying because my mum laughed at me because at one point I sounded like I was singing. I cant describe the pain. All i remember was getting this overwhelming feeling to scream! What really helped at the beginning was my Nan rubbing my lower back.
The lady next to me was speaking to a doctor about her next step of being induced and I was screaming away. I even, during a contraction, apologized for interrupting their conversation by being to loud. But the doctor heard how much pain I was in and told me he would be moving me asap to have an epidural. I hadn't even told anyone I wanted the epidural but within minutes I was being taken down to the labour room where I would be having my baby. By this time Blakes dad turned up and he held my hand as we went to the room.

As I walked into the room, I wanted to cry. Just seeing this tiny cot that in a few hours my baby would be laying in. When I got there I was introduced to my main midwife and a student doctor. My lovely, amazing student midwife (I will do another post on her as I literally owe her everything) had just got back from visiting her home in Scotland and it was her day off but came in as I wanted her to deliver my baby. Also in the room was my mum, Nan, Blake's dad and another midwife kept coming in and out so I had defo an audience.

I was 4cm dilated when I got to the labour room. I had to then wee in a cardboard bowl and the midwifes were quite concerned as I had blood in my urine. While I was in the toilet I had such a massive contraction I tried to climb up the wall and I kept telling the midwives that I didn't want a c-section. I was in ridiculous pain and contractions were coming really frequently.
The antithesis then came to do my epidural. He was very blunt told me everything and then told me if he didn't do my epidural now I'd have to wait half an hour. I automatically didnt like him (even said that while high on gas and air having my cannula fitted hehe) But there was noo way I was having any more painful contractions so even though I had a contraction while the needle was going in  my back I managed to stay still. I hate needles but I don't remember the epidural being painful. I think I was too busy concentrating on not moving.
After having the epidural I could still feel little twinge contractions but the pain had gone away. I was then told to wait an hour and then I'd be given another examination to see how far I was. As I was laying on my side, strapped up to a monitor my waters broke. I thought everyone had heard it so I just said "Oh so my waters have broke" but silly me, no one else had heard. The area down there was then cleaned and I was examined. I was then told I was fully dilated! Even the midwifes were shocked. I had gone from 4cm to 10cm in no time.
The bed I was laying on was then rearranged into a chair and I was ready to push.

So the midwife would watch the monitor and tell me when a contraction was coming, I could also feel. So when the contraction came I had to push. There was no way I wanted to be pushing for hours so I did 3 or 4 big pushes to every contraction. I had Blakes dad on one side holding my hand and my mum on the other side. My nan was at the front watching the birth like a film. Inbetween pushes and contractions we'd all discuss and take bets at what time we thought Blake would be born. After a few more pushes Blakes head was nearly out and I was soo worried about tearing that I went into panick mode and could feel pain. The midwifes kept me sane by telling me what to do and suddenly with one last push Blake was born.
It all happened very quickly and I cant describe the incredible moment you push for the last time and see your baby. I would do that last push over and over again.
Blake was quite blue and he had to have his cord cut extremely quickly by my student midwife and then was rushed over to the side to be suctioned. It was all a bit of a crazy blur but it was over quickly and Blake started crying and was passed back to me. It was overwhelming. I was crying with happiness and Blakes dad was in tears being comforted by my nan. I couldnt believe after 9 months my beautiful miracle was finally here.

I had a second degree tear and was being stitched up but I had my newborn baby in my arms. I couldn't stop looking at his beautiful little face and I couldn't stop telling him how much I loved him. So tiny and so perfect. Mine



Here are some newborn photos of my prince...

Thank you for reading this long post about the most amazing day of my life. I hope this has helped someone out there. If you have any questions about being induced, labour, pain relief, diabetes or anything then don't hesitate to leave a comment or message me at littlelondonmummy@hotmail.com

Believe me, If i can have a baby anyone can...hehe..

Lots of love

Kimi

xxx

Diabetes in Pregnancy :(

Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that affects women during pregnancy. Diabetes is a condition where there is too much glucose (sugar) in the blood.

Normally, the amount of glucose in the blood is controlled by a hormone called insulin. However, during pregnancy, some women have higher than normal levels of glucose in their blood and their body cannot produce enough insulin to transport it all into the cells. This means that the level of glucose in the blood rises. http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/gestational-diabetes/Pages/Introduction.aspx

Like all pregnant ladies I was tested for gestational diabetes at 28 weeks. I hate needles and during this blood test I nearly fainted 3 times! It was soo embarrassing!!! I had to keep laying down and then I'd feel ok so would sit back up and then go all faint again so would have to lay back down again. All I kept thinking was.. I was wearing the most uncomfortable bra, that needed to come off coz it would make me feel better. (I managed to take the bra off when the midwife went to get me a glass of water but it didnt make me feel any better hehe) Luckily I was the last person to be seen that day because what was supposed to be a quick blood test and chat went on for ages.

So yeah. After that horrific, dramatic blood test I received a letter telling me my blood sugar levels were high and I needed to go to the hospital to have a "Glucose screening test." 

This test basically means you go to the hospital and have your blood taken, your then given a large glass of lucozade to drink and then sent away.

After 2 hours (on the dot) you come back to the hospital and have another lot of blood taken.

The next day after my glucose screen test I received a phone call telling me I had Gestational Diabetes. 

Around this time I had just split from my baby's dad and I had also been diagnosed with anemia. So, It was just another problem to add to the list! Another lot of stress!!

Anyway, I had to go back to the hospital the following week with a completed food diary of everything I'd eaten that week and to learn about gestational diabetes and how to use a machine to test my blood.

To keep this post short and sweet I shall tell you the basics..

So.. Basically I struggled controlling my blood sugar levels. They were so erratic. Firstly, we tried to control them by food and diet. But I got so obsessed with what I ate the doctors told me "I was starving myself" and that obviously wasn't good for baby. So I was told I can eat whatever I want in moderation and I was put on Metphormin tablets. Lastly I was put on the insulin injection. This was so scary as I hate injections (even though I was used to needles, having to test my blood myself 3 times a day) but luckily it depended on my morning blood reading if I had to inject myself and this only happened 3 time.

Having Gestational diabetes lead me to being induced at 38 weeks pregnant.

I was told that women with diabetes in pregnancy are supposed to have big babies. That is why many women are induced early. This wasn't the case for me as my baby boy was born weighing 6lb 3oz.

Also, as soon as Blake was born my diabetes went away. I did have to go back for another glucose screen test to make sure but all my results came back normal :)

Luckily having diabetes didn't effect my baby and the day after he was born his blood was tested and was perfect. But if diabetes is not detected or not controlled during pregnancy it can cause problems for mummy and baby.

Gestational diabetes may increase the risk of:

• placental abruption – the placenta (the organ that links the pregnant woman’s blood supply to her unborn baby’s) starts to come away from the wall of the womb (uterus). This may cause vaginal bleeding and/or constant abdominal pain
• needing to induce labour – when medication is used to start labour artificially (read about inducing labour for more information)
• premature birth 
• macrosomia (Large babies for their gestational age)
• trauma during the birth – to yourself and your baby
• neonatal hypoglycaemia – your newborn baby has low blood glucose, which can cause poor feeding, blue-tinged skin and irritability 
• perinatal death – the death of your baby around the time of the birth
• development of obesity and/or diabetes later in the baby's life 

I hope this post was helpful and gave a better understanding of gestational diabetes..

Lots of love,

Kimi xxx 

Welcome!

Hello Everyone and Welcome to A Little London Mummy Blog!

So, I've been reading and following blogs for a few years now and was always scared to start one of my own. But I've finally taken the plunge and pushed myself. 

SO, lets get things started...

I'm Kimi

I'm 22, from London

and

I'm a single Mummy to my perfect baby boy Blake... who is currently 4 months old.

Anyone who knows me knows there is always a drama in my life..So, in this blog, along with beauty and baby reviews I will share some of my "dramas" in hope to help at least one person.

Anyway, thank you for taking a look at my first post...Keep a look out for more

Lots of love

Kimi xxx