Baby Bjorn Carrier - Our Little Lifesaver

My needy little man loves being close to his mummy and has done from day 1.. at first I found this totally overwhelming and quickly realised I couldn't spend my entire day laying on the sofa with his sleeping on my chest or walking around trying to do things one handed. After some extensive research I decided to go for the trusty Baby Bjorn Original Carrier in baby blue.. There are so so many different carriers and slings on the market now but it seems that Baby Bjorn is the most popular and it is a household name that I know and trust

When the carrier arrived I was so excited and immediately set it up. I was incredibly impressed with how easy it is to clip together and use. I did have an old hand me down carrier that was pretty complicated to set up and hard to put Harry in without assistance. The Baby Bjorn carrier however is super simple to assemble and get Harry into unassisted - a huge plus in my books! 

Since finding out that Harry is deaf (see my post here for more info in case you missed it) I have wanted to keep him close more than ever and the Baby Bjorn Carrier has been a lifesaver and really allowed me to have Harry next to me whilst still being able to get on with my day. I can tell he feels really secure when I'm wearing him and he snuggles right into my chest so he can feel the beat of my heart.

I do find that I get a sore back after using the carrier which is such a shame as I would like to use it loads more. I don't know if it's because I am quite a small person and I'm not particularly strong, or is Harry is just a heffa! I hope I can continue to use the carrier right up until H is happier to be up and about and playing by himself.

Thank you so much Baby Bjorn for helping me and my little boy stay close to each other especially at this tough time!!

Do you use a baby carrier or a sling??

The Day We Would Rather Forget..

On Tuesday 21st of January 2014 we heard something no parent ever wants to hear about their child, we found out that our perfect little boy is deaf.

This came as a huge shock to us both as Harry is a very alert and inquisitive baby and rather advanced for his age.

We had noticed he wasn't ever particularly bothered by loud noise around him especially when he was sleeping but we put this down to a lot of babies being quite content with noise.

Harry failed his newborn hearing screening that is given by the health visitor twice - we were told not to be concerned and that it's very common for new baby's to fail as their ears aren't always clear of mucus. We were reffered to the hospital where another screening was carried out which also came back with no clear response.. Again we were told this is quite common and we would just need to see an Audiologist to have a more intensive test.

We waited a whole month for our appointment and during this time Harry started smiling, cooing and making some lovely little noises just like any other baby! He also got into an amazing routine of managing to settle himself at bed time in his own room! We had no need for concern.

The day came for the Audiology appointment and upon stepping into the sound proof room we immediately realised that this test was very intensive and the situation may be more serious that we had previously thought. We had to make sure Harry was completely asleep so his brain activity was minimal to allow them to monitor sound waves. This in itself was a task as Harry is so used too napping in his cot in a dark room, not in a hot and stuffy hospital!

Once asleep the audiologist attached various leads to Harry's head (I HATED this) and tiny plugs into his ears. 

The test lasted around an hour and a half and we spent the entire time nervously watching a lot of numbers and squiggly lines on a screen, not having a clue what we were looking at.

The conversation that followed was a blur, I didn't take in anything at all after the word "deaf", I think I pretty much sat and nodded a thousand times.

We don't yet know Harry's full diagnosis or what his level of hearing will be because he is still so young but it is almost certain that he will need to wear hearing aids for the rest of his life.

The current tests shows that he cannot hear at all and hasn't ever been able to. I think this is the thing that upsets us both the most, the fact he has never heard his mummy and daddy's voice. He didn't hear me talking away to him in my tummy, he didn't hear me sing all my silly "go to sleep Harry" or "give us a burp Harry" songs, and he didn't hear his Ewan the Dream Sheep which we thought was soothing him to sleep.

We spent the next couple of days non stop crying everytime we looked at our smiling little dude and I found it incredibly hard to leave him by himself.  I suddenly started thinking he was lonely, scared and in pain even though he was the exact same baby that we brought home from the hospital. I have to keep reminding myself that he doesn't know any different, he's never heard before so couldn't possibly feel scared and the doctor reassured me that he isn't in any pain.

It's really important that we remain positive and try not to let little H pick up on any bad vibes from us. Babies really do feel it when something's not right so if I'm going to be sad about it I have been trying to do it in my own time. It's also so important that we continue to talk to Harry and hold him close so he can feel it heartbeats and the vibration of our voices. I have used our Baby Bjorn carrier SO much in the last few days to keep H close to my chest, which has been incredible. He absolutely loves being so snug and I can get on with things knowing he is safe and warm next to my skin.

We are so grateful for the newborn hearing screening program as everyday counts for a hearing impaired baby, the earlier it is diagnosed the better chance they have of being able to hear and develop normal language and speech. In the past parents wouldn't find out their child was deaf until 2 or 3 years old which is often too late as their speech and communication skills have already been highly affected.

In a few short weeks we hope to give Harry the gift of hearing with the help of hearing aids. We don't know yet if these will work but the audiologist seemed positive that they will be able to give him some sort of sound. I say a silent prayer every single night for my little boy and we will do whatever it takes to give him the very best chance in life.

I honestly would give that little lad my own ears if I could.

I just want to say thank you to those of you reading this who have sent us messages of support already. We were incredibly touched by the sheer amount of love there is out there for our Harry and we couldn't be more grateful to each and every one of you! We will of course keep you updated with his progress and hope to have more and more good news to post about, please keep your fingers and toes crossed for us!

Beaba Bath Recliner

One of our worries before we had Harry was bathing him! Such a silly thing to worry about really but it's pretty nerve wracking the thought of gripping on to a slippery wet, possibly screaming, baby whilst half submerging them under water! We still hadn't bought a baby bath when Harry arrived as we really weren't sure whether to get one or just stick him in our normal tub. Baby baths can be bulky and we don't have a lot of storage in our bathroom and I always felt like they didn't look like they had much support for the baby's body at all.

We received the Beaba Bath Recliner as a present and it's AMAZING!! It made the first bath sooooo incredibly easy and relaxing for both us and Harry!

It really is such a simple product. The plastic frame is covered by a flannel material which acts as a "chair" for you to lay your little one on. It completely supports their weight so that you wouldn't actually need to hold onto them at all as it grips onto their skin. We do tend to need to hold Harry's hand or legs as he is such a wriggler he ends up almost off of it but we literally have our hands free to wash his body, hair and have a little splash and play with him! I really do think Harry likes his bath times so much because of this bath support as it gives him total freedom to splash his limbs about without us having to really grab into him to stop him from slipping. It's not hard and plastic like the generic baby baths out there and he looks so cosy when he's laid out on it! Oh and the best thing about it is the fact we can use it in our normal bath and it's small enough to store away easily AND the flannel material is washable so is nice and sanitary

You can purchase the Beaba Bath Recliner from Mamas and Papas for £22 which is such a good price for such a fantastic product!

Does your little one enjoy bath times??

Have you tried the Babeo Bath support?

Harry's 6 Week Update

Long time no see blogger buddies.. I do apologise for my lack of posts but life had been a bit of a roller coaster ride lately, as you can imagine! Being parents is harder than Mr H and I ever imagined.. It's completely overwhelming but oh SO rewarding at the same time!

I took a bit of a break from blogging to concentrate on my little family and also Christmas - which now seems a lifetime ago! But I have so many things to post about that I have already learnt about being a mummy, I can't wait to share them with you..

Height/weight: We actually haven't had Harry weighed in a couple of weeks so we don't know! I will find out at our checkup on Monday :-) 

Daily: We had a bit of a meltdown when Harry hit the 1 month mark. He seemed to completely change his likes and dislikes and also the times he wanted to feed. Both of us went down ill with flu which it totally threw us out of sync and we had many a sleepless night with an extremely clingy baby. I was convinced that Harry was too young to be in a proper routine after reading a billion forums and listening to all sorts of advice but after a visit from my god mum (who we shall now be calling super god nanny) we realised that he is totally ready for a routine and that we had already got him in some terrible habits. We were letting our baby dictate our days whereas it should really be the other way around.

I am doing a separate post on Harry's routine as this will become a massive essay otherwise! 

Bedtime: Bedtime is what I dread most about our days together.. Harry has colic  and is really difficult to settle in the evenings without cuddling, rocking or distractions.. His poor tummy always seems to be causing him trouble. We have a GP appointment tomorrow to hopefully get a little bit of releif for him. 

One huge change from my last update is that Harry is now sleeping in his cot in his own room. Now I know this is a really controversial topic and that health professionals recommend your baby sleeps in a cot in your room for 6 months but unfortunately this just didn't work for us at all. He now has some really great nights in his cot and can go up to 5 hours without waking for a feed! He does have little random sleepy cries in between though either for his dummy or because his tummy seems to be causing him trouble 

Eating: Our little man was a pretty good eater in the first weeks and was taking on average 4oz every 3 hours but as he hit that 1 month mark that went totally out the window and he was "snacking", taking 2oz every 2 hours including through the night.

We have now started to give Harry Aptamil Comfort Milk still in his Dr Brown bottles and some Gripe Water in every feed which we don't know if it's helping relieve his tummy or not right now.  We have got a great feeding routine in place now that Harry has taken to like a dream! We feed him every 4 hours and he takes 4oz every time and now and again will drain a 5oz! We have learnt how to distract him away from wanting feeds earlier and he now will usually wait patiently for a bottle during the daytime

Clothing: Our little dude is now just starting to fit into his 0-3 month clothing! It's so scary how fast he's growing! I'm kind of excited though for him growing up to 3-6 month as we have some lovely outfits for him to wear as he gets bigger!! He has got a teeny little waist though just like his daddy so trousers all seem really big round the middle!

Milestones: 

Harry now smiles!!!! The cutest smiles ever! At first we weren't sure if they were real as he was just over 3 weeks old but then he didn't stop doing them at his Nanna one day and hasn't stopped since! I also had a FaceTime call with him and he have me a HUGE grin!!! It melts my heart every single time and makes all those sleepless nights totally worth it

Sleeping in his cot during the day and the night is a huge milestone for a 6 week old baby!

He can now have a little bit of playtime and has started to notice toys when you out them near his face.. I love that and can't wait till we can have loads of fun with all the heaps of toys I'm sure he will have!

I would love to hear from any parents of baby's with colic who have some advice!

Pacapod Mirano Changing Bag

After 4 weeks of using it, I got sick and tired of rooting through my Cath Kidston changing bag to try and find bum cream, nappies or my lip balm.. It was full to the brim and I could barely fit my purse in. I was ready to rip it up to be quite honest!

After a teeny bit of research online I found Pacapod - a range of ultra stylish changing bags with a 3 in 1 storage system - and I fell I love with this little beaut, the Mirano bag

I desperately needed some organisation in my old changing bag as things were all over the place. Nappies were mixed up with bottles, muslins and spare clothing and it was quickly driving me insane. The Pacapod Mirano bag answers all my prayers with its 3 separate compartments for 3 different uses. The first 'pod' is for feeding and easily fits 3 of my quite bulky Dr Browns bottles, a muslin, Infacol and bibs.

The 2nd is purely for nappy changing equipment and has space for plenty of nappies, wipes, creams, cotton wool etc etc.

The pods are completely removable which I LOVE as when out and about you don't need to lug an entire bag over to the changing station you can just whip your pod out and everything you would need is visible and easily accessible.

Included in the package is a cute and comfy changing mat, a bottle insulator and a little drawstring bag for baby's spare clothing.

The main compartment of the bag is purely all for me! If I wanted to I could fit a laptop or iPad in there, purse, makeup, spare tshirt (I have found this quite important after wandering around the shops with puke stains on my top!).

The quality of the Mirano is beautiful and I can see it lasting me years which is great because it doesn't come cheap at £99. 

I am head over heels for mine and Harry's new arm candy and I think it's well worth the investment!

Have you tried any bags from the Pacapod range??

Harry & I - 3 Week Update

Wow what a mad few weeks it has been!! Harry is 3 weeks old today and it feels like we have been living in a baby bubble full of milk, cuddles and poop!! Having a newborn baby is massively overwhelming and bloody hard but it's also absolutely amazing and so so rewarding!

I am part way through writing my birth story but it's long and I don't remember everything properly so I'm taking my time as I don't want to miss anything out! So for now here is our 3 week update 

Height/weight: Harry was born weighing 7lb 14oz and dropped to 7lb 4oz a few days after. By day 10 he had put back on his birth weight and more and weighed 8lb 4oz!!! At his 2 week weigh in, he was weighing a whopping 8lb 9oz - he loves his milk!

Daily: We aren't in a particularly strict routine yet but we are starting to get into a sort of pattern of feeds every 3 hours and a bath before going to bed. Haribo still likes to take random amounts of milk so now and again we need to feed him more often and sometimes he can go a little longer than the 3 hours. We let him be our guide and we never wake him for a feed, I really don't think it is necessary!

When he wakes up for his morning bottle we will get up and go downstairs to start getting him used to the difference between daytime and night time. Harry will then usually have a morning nap until his next feed time.

I'm looking forward to being in a much more structured routine with our little man but for now I'm pretty happy with how we are getting on during the day time!

Bedtime: Bed time isn't Harry's favourite!! In fact we really struggled to get him to sleep in his Moses basket until around day 5 and he still isn't keen on it now. At first we had to swaddle him which is something I didn't think I would do, but it seemed to really help him settle and feel nice and safe! Now though he is perfectly happy to have his arms and legs free to wiggle about.

We have been trying to put him up to bed between 7 and 8 after his feed and bath with the baby monitor on. He has done really well moser evenings and will sleep for a good couple of hours. Other nights he refuses to settle from 7 until about 11 or 12pm which can really test our patience!

Obviously we aren't sleeping through the whole night yet but little H does do really well and wakes every 3 - 4 hours for a feed/nappy change and will go back to sleep afterwards quite quickly.

We have found that when he wakes for his 4am/5am feed it's pretty cold in our house and he will struggles to get himself back to sleep in his Moses so we have occasionally had to co sleep with him next to us.. I really do think it's due to warmth as he drops straight off once he is laid down on our warmer mattress, but this isn't an ideal situation obviously!

Eating: We decided to bottle feed Harry from the start of my pregnancy and it's something I don't regret at all.

He is now taking 3oz, sometimes 4oz of Aptamils First Milk.

We have used infacol since he was 3 days old as he struggled to bring up wind and we find it does help a little so he has it before every feed.

We have recently switched from Tommee Tippee bottles to Doctor Browns bottles which so far have been fantastic! They are specifically designed to help windy babies and since using them Harry's tummy doesn't seem to be causing him so much trouble 

Clothing: I am truly gutted as our little dude has outgrown pretty much all of his newborn clothes!! In fact a couple of things he didn't ever get to wear!! He is now wearing his 0-1 month clothes which are a tad big in the body, but I'm sure he will be outgrowing those too in the next couple of weeks!!

Milestones: A little early for any huge milestones but here are some things that have happened and that we get excited about!!

Harry's cord stump fell off at exactly 1 week old and he has the most perfect little belly button now!

He definitely recognises mummy and daddy now and spends a good half an hour at a time studying our faces and listening to us babble away at him!

He is so strong! Everyone comments on how much he wriggles about and holds his head up and he seems to gain more strength every day!

Postpartum Update:

A quick update on how I am doing.. I haven't weighed myself since giving birth as I don't think it's necessary until I am fully recovered - otherwise I will worry about it and start thinking I need to exercise when I really should be resting! ( plus I am totally going to indulge over Xmas!! )

I am so pleased though as my tummy has shrunk right back down so quickly and I got away with just a couple of little stretch marks on my back!

I did use a belly band after the birth for 2 weeks to help flatten my tummy and I really think it helped so I will be doing a whole post about that when I can!

I am starting to feel more like myself every day but I still think it will be a whole before my body is working normally and fully recovered from birth

I hope to be posting a lot more in the new year and I can't wait to share lots of stories about Harry's progress in the months to come!

The Prince Has Arrived...

After much anticipation and a pretty traumatic labour 12 days over due, Harry Jack Houchin decided to enter the world.. sucking his thumb!!

He was born at 11.48am on Thursday 28th November 2013, after a 12 hour labour, weighing 7lb 14 - how on earth a baby that size fit inside of me I will never know!!

I have been pretty MIA since his arrival as it's been manic and my recovery has taken longer than expected, but I can't tell you now that Harry is absolutely perfect and we are completely besotted with him!!

I'm hoping to write my birth story ASAP, I know some of my readers and friends are dying to hear it!! Hopefully I will be able to do a 1 week baby/postpartum update for you as well

Thank you so much for everyone's lovely lovely messages so far, Harry is one popular little guy 

That is one very very proud Daddy H right there

Still Pregnant.. (41 Week Update)

Oh hi there! Yes, that's right it's Lucie & The Bump - still a bump and not a baby!!!

This will be a very brief 41 week update as 1. I am knackered 2. It's quite pointless telling you things like cravings and symptoms and whether or not I'm in maternity clothes for this week and 3. I am saving the in depth detail for my birth story (if it ever gets here)

So since my last update I have been in and out of early labour and I can safely say that this week has been the hardest and worst week of my life EVER!!

It turns out the sweep I had may have caused me more grief than it was worth.  It could have actually put me in a lot of pain and even kick started contractions but in fact my cervix just wasn't ready enough go the full way yet!

I have spent most nights wide awake with extreme back pain, stomach aches and contractions as well as a couple of trips to the hospital - I promise I will go into more detail when I publish my birth story

So here I am, snuggled up with Mr H with a naughty Harry all cosy and warm still in my belly, where he seems insistent on staying! I'm pain free for now and able to sleep and I am happy to stay that way, so there will be no more sweeps for Lucie!!!

I am booked in to have my waters broken on Thursday 28th November and to be induced if our little boy decides to not make his way out himself before then!

Thank you so much for all the lovely messages, tweets and comments I really appreciate everyone's well wishes and their interest in Harry's arrival!! 

I guess this waiting makes us just even more excited to meet him ourselves, and he will be showered with so much love and affection when we finally get to see his face!!

xxx