Lufflump's Birth Story

Today brings us to the end of the wonderful guest posts. A big thank you to all the bloggers who were kind enough to share their stories during my blog break. I hope you enjoyed the posts as much as I did. Today, I thought I'd share lufflump's birth story. 

I wrote this when lufflump was a month old and posted it on my old, dead blog. This was the moment that changed the mister and my lives forever. The worst and best day of our life.

After a very easy pregnancy with no complications (the roughest thing was aching legs and tiredness but nothing) I didn't know what to expect with labour, I think I expected the worse as I didn't think my luck would continue to labour and birth.

I woke up at 7am on the 12th May 2009 with what felt like period pain. I called my mum who said I was in labour and to time the pain. They were coming every couple of minutes so I called the hospital who told me to call back when they were three to four minutes apart and I couldn't talk through them. I lazed around watching TV, reading and a movie.

Around 2pm I went to the toilet and had a bloody show so called the hospital. The contractions were more painful but I could still talk through them and walk around. The hospital said I could come in or wait till the contractions were closer together and more painful. I decided to go in so the mister got everything in the car for me and we headed in. On the way the contractions got more painful and closer together. I got lost when I got into the hospital (my brain was definitely not working) but made it to the pregnancy assessment area. I had a further three contractions before I was seen and kept feeling like I needed to sit on the toilet so was running between the bathroom and my labour room.

The midwife who examined me told me not to feel bad if I was only four or six centimetres dilated but was surprised when she felt I was eight or nine centimetres and his head was very close but the waters hadn't broken.

About half an hour later I was taken up to the birth suite where the contractions got more painful and closer together. I had an extreme urge to go to the toilet where I had a massive contraction with my first urge to push and my waters broke. It sounded like a massive water balloon hitting a brick wall - it was at such a force that it came out the top of the toilet bowl onto the floor.

I had some nitro gas which made me feel out of control so I stopped taking that and it was too late for any other pain relief so I was on my own. The poor mister had to watch me in pain and asked if I could be given anything to which the stupid midwife told him if he couldn’t handle it to leave. I would have killed her if she had kicked him out, stupid cow. I’m glad she left and didn’t actually deliver lufflump. I had the nicest midwife actually deliver him. I only had the gas again when the midwife had to move my cervix over his head during a contraction which was a strange feeling.

I had two and a half hours of pushing in which I only swore twice (I actually apologised once which is extremely strange as I have quite a potty mouth). I think the worse thing about labour and birth for me was being so out of control, I didn’t find it overly painful apart from the burning sensation as his head began coming out.

Lufflump’s head was on the side which made the birth more complicated and I had to have an episiotomy which I wanted at that stage because his heart rate dropped to 50bpms so I was freaking. Once his head came out he just flew out! I couldn’t believe how big he was so just stared with an extremely shocked look on my face. His head was distorted with a huge egg on one side from how he had been laying so the mister freaked a bit but it’s normal now.

He ended up being born at 7:33pm, after 12 and half hours labour with 2 hours 45 minutes of pushing, weighing 3292g and 53cms long. 

He is the best baby, hardly ever cries and loves people and cuddles. 

I am smitten.

Welcome Sesame!

Sesame is here!
Thank you so much for your well wishes, blessings, congratulations and love. I am so grateful to everyone who sent the above. I cannot begin to explain it, words just aren't enough. Soppy to start with... great!

Tiny!

Lucy arrived at 11:21am on February 29th 2012.

Nothing fit her, this is a 00 top

We thought she was coming on the 28th. I woke to pains low around my back, bum and pelvis. As the day progressed the pains got worse. They were never regular and we know now it was sesame getting into position.

Getting ready to walk around the shops

My mum came up to look after lufflump and the mister called in sick to work just in case. We had a pretty lazy day with family naps but included a long walk in the shopping centre to try and move things along.

Family naps

Nothing happened so mum and lufflump went back down to the Gold Coast while the mister and I chilled watching movies. I went to bed around 10ish and had a relatively good sleep, only waking up a couple of times during the night.

For some stupid reason 5:30am seemed a good time to wake and get up. I told the mister that it looked like it was all a false alarm as I wasn't feeling any pains. 6:06am I recorded the first contraction. It went for thirty-two seconds but wasn't very strong. Contractions started coming every seven minutes for about thirty seconds each time.

Not long before we left for the hospital

I called the midwife who said to call her back when a really strong, long contraction came that felt different from the rest. I had a shower and made sure we had everything. The mister and I hung around listening to music and checking the road reports before a strong fifty second contraction hit. The midwife was called and just after 9am we started heading into the hospital.

I was petrified of the car trip because you are just stuck and can't move around when a contraction hits. I'd decided to try and use music as my focus point to get through the contractions. I didn't know whether it would work but anything was worth a try. The car trip wasn't very bad at all. I listened to the 500 Days of Summer soundtrack and Regina Spektor while we were held up in traffic. I remember three contractions being very painful but focusing on the music, singing and rocking my head definitely helped.

Of course we couldn't get a car park easily and I had two contractions while walking from there to the birth centre but nothing too bad. We got into our room at 9:30am and immediately got settled, the mister with TV and me with my music, by this stage I was onto Florence and the Machine. She actually arrived to Florence's 'Drumming Song' live version.

Birthing room - RBWH Birth Centre

I tried many different positions while contracting but the best was on all fours with my head buried in the beanbag. I had entered a different world. My midwife, Carolanne, wanted me to move around to try and pop the waters but there was no way I was moving for anyone.

The mister began tickling my back and I had a sudden urge to push. We hadn't checked to see how dilated I was so had no idea whether it was time or not. It was decided that hopping into the bath was the best way to go just in case.

OMG the water was AMAZING! At first I thought that it had slowed down the contractions as I couldn't really feel them any longer but when the next one burst my waters I knew it was time. The next contraction 10 cent piece of her head showed. The pressure on my bum was intense. Next contraction her head came out. Next her arm then her. It was so quick.

There was no burning sensation as such. It hurt of course but it was more pressure than anything. I don't know what factors contributed to that but I'm definitely not complaining.

She was perfect from the very start. Her perfect little features and SO tiny! I couldn't stop staring at her amazed that her birth was so quick and easy. She also took to breastfeeding like a little pro. Damn cracked nipples though - she won't stop feeding! I'm not complaining though, I'm so grateful she's doing so well.

Just out of the water

My last blood test had shown I had low iron levels so we couldn't stay in the bath for long just in case I bled too much. Also because I'd previously had an episiotomy they needed to check whether I had a tear and needed stitches again. Thankfully, I only have a minor tear that didn't need stitches.

Happy!!

They sat me down on the floor and my placenta popped out spontaneously, no pushing or anything. We had delayed cord clamping which I highly recommend. It means that they don't clamp or cut the cord until it has stopped pulsating reducing wastage of such important blood for the baby. The cord doesn't appear as gross as lufflump's did who didn't have delayed cord clamping (I wish we had choice back then for him too).

Cutting the cord

After I got up and dressed, which included the sexiest fishnet undies with a big nappy underneath, we had visitors. Lufflump, my mum and the mister's mum came to see sesame and lufflump was ADORABLE! He was so excited shown off sesame and his baby. Sesame got lovely kisses and cuddles straight away. The grandparents were, of course, smitten.

Family time

After they left we had a little nap before more tests. The paediatrician was very pleased with sesame especially the big poo she did just for her. The physio pretty much just ran through what is in the booklet and we discussed what exercises are best to get me on track to training for roller derby. We were then discharged.

Car ride home. Everything's so big!

We got home at 4:30pm. Almost a typical work day - in at 9:30am, out at 4pm. It was lovely coming home straight away, we could settle in and relax with no worries. Go to bed, eat, laze around, watch TV - all at our own pace. The mister did have to go to work so his mum and my dad came to visit.

I highly recommend the birth centre. Not only are the midwives lovely, it was the best experience I could imagine and my recovery is bliss. It honestly doesn't feel like I have given birth a couple of days ago. Yesterday, we even went shopping as we had no clothes to fit her.

Daddy's little princess

For the next couple of weeks while I get used to having a toddler and a newborn (not yet experienced as lufflump has been away or at daycare) I'll be featuring some wonderful bloggers and their baby stories. I'm so excited and have really enjoyed reading these posts. I hope you will too.

Baby, Hurry Up!

1. Bored 2. Frustrated - hurry up!
3. Ok ouch 4. Breath

Want to play? Join in the fun - My Little Drummer Boys.


EDIT: Sesame arrived at 11:21 that morning. You can read all about it here.

Sesame - Week Thirty-Eight

Dear sesame,

We first found out about your existence thirty-three weeks ago, approximately 231 days ago. My first blog post about you was back in June. That's a long time especially for someone as impatient as your mother.

There are now only thirteen days until you are due to enter the world. I thought you were ready last night. I've actually been a bit sick all week so I'm expecting you to start the process any day now. I expect it to be quite painful, more than it was with your brother. I expect to not be able to sleep because I'll be too infatuated with you, just like I was and am with your brother.

Got the pregnancy itch!

This pregnancy has been totally different to what I experienced with your brother. Good and bad. With you I've been sick, lethargic, had low iron and blood pressure and a sore pelvis which has been quite unpleasant. On the other hand I've also been able to feel you from twelve weeks and you've given us all such entertainment with your wild and obvious movements. I also gained more weight with your brother which I didn't exactly enjoy.

I cannot wait until you are here. Here in my arms. Here in your daddy's arms. Here getting hugs and kisses from your brother. Your grandparents are aching to meet you too.

A little girl. I know you'll be tough. You can't be in this family and not be a little rough, especially if your brother and father have any say. I think you'll be sensitive but with attitude. It seems that's what is happening already. You definitely have attitude!

I don't care when you arrive or how. All I care is that you arrive healthy and as happy as you can be.

I have hopes and I have dreams for you. I hope you are healthy and I dream that you follow your dreams throughout your life. I hope you will be happy. I hope you will be who you are and ask for help when you aren't. I hope you will feel the love we give you, the three of us and your extended family. I dream of a long future for you full of health, wealth, love and laughter. All the hopes and dreams a mother has for her child I have for you and your brother.

My little girl, I cannot wait until I can't fall asleep because all I want to do is stare at your beautiful face.

Love your mummy
xxx

Sesame - Week Thirty-Seven

I missed last weeks update, oops! Damn illness again, this time it was some sort of cold. Poor lufflump was struck with bronchiolitis which I wrote about here. 

Good news; I've had so much more energy lately. I'm wondering if the Zoloft was making me lethargic as well as lowering my iron levels as I'm feeling amazing off it. In fact this week we went as a family up to Redcliffe and I did more than I've done in a LONG time, the mister even got to relax a bit while I was off playing with lufflump. That sounds terrible but it's true. Whenever we'd go on family outings I'd end up feeling sick or too tired to do anything but sit on my ass and watch the boys play. It sucked. I felt guilty, the mister would be exhausted and lufflump would be upset that I didn't join in. Hopefully this is a good start to change!

I'm actually feeling awesome off the Zoloft. Granted I've been a bit too snappy at the mister and I cry at the drop of a hat (no more Sunday Mail for me) but that could just be pregnancy hormones, right? I will start taking 25mg a day after I give birth with a reassessment at three months with my wonderful GP. 

We are on weekly midwife visits which is exciting! Our last midwife that we saw, Nicole, thinks I'll go early and said if sesame came right now she'd be happy. She also said she'll be a tall baby and was surprised at how big sesame feels. Apparently I feel all baby with not much fluid at the front. Sesame is still measuring two weeks small but so did lufflump and he came out 3.4kgs. She said she doesn't want me to go further than forty weeks, the ideal time would be 39 weeks which means two weeks! I'm getting more used to the fact she'll be here soon but, like with lufflump, I'm not sure I'll ever be ready.

I'm having major pelvic and inner thigh pains especially after walking for long periods. I must remember to tell the midwife that on Monday and also that my pelvic bone has a big crack in it, apparently broken from when I was a child. The mister thinks it's hilarious how I waddle around. I think it looks like I've got a third imaginary leg, I keep getting Rolf Harris' 'Jake the Peg' in my head when I walk like that but damn it's the only way that doesn't hurt. 

I packed the hospital bag yesterday. I'm only going to add to it now with essentials like pillow, nightie, bra and towels. The mister thinks it's hilarious that I've packed a bag the same size as last time when we are only staying in for six or so hours. My reasoning; I don't know what size she will fit into and I can't for the life of me remember what newborns temperatures are like (apart from frustrating) so I've packed a few outfits for her.

Now we wait. Hopefully she won't be as stubborn as her brother and make an early appearance!

Growth spurt currently in process (apparently)

How many adorable baby outfits did you take to the hospital?

Piquing My Pinterest Nursery Edition

I love looking at anything baby, especially nurseries. We won't be having one as sesame and lufflump will share the same room. Ours more than theirs most likely. We are using a hammock for sesame which will stay in our room until she outgrows it. She'll then (hopefully) sleep in the cot which will be painted from blue to pink.

Just a side note - I love the colour pink. I'm a girly girl so I'm going to most likely raise a girly girl if I can. I was, and still am, into Barbies. Lufflump is a rough boy, but that's just him regardless of how we've raised him (I like cars but never really had an interest in dinosaurs like he does). Lufflump also has pink, purple and other clothes that could be lumped as girl's clothes. He also likes dolls, granted his last Barbie type doll was stripped of her clothes before we got home and was thrown away as her legs no longer came in together but still he has dolls. If sesame doesn't like pink then that's fine, I'll wear it :)

Anyway, here are my favourite nursery pins I've found on Pinterest;

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1. The orange and white with pink accents is just wow. If someone had described this to me I wouldn't be convinced it looked good but wow it does! I love the wall decals, so pretty! Also, I wish the orange walls in our house was this deeper colour than the yellow type orange they are.

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2. More bright walls and gorgeous wall decals. I love this pink. Not to mention the white cot, vase, chair, mosquito net and sheer curtains. Not too sure about that carpet though, it looks like it would get stained easily and show every little bit of dirt. I love having tiles, no need to worry about any of that!

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3. I love how different this room is. The black isn't daunting or somber but rather it makes the colours just pop. Not too sure the wall flowers would withstand a baby or toddler though but they can be moved. How awesome are the framed prints! Everything in this room just screams awesome!

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4. Such a girly room. I love the patchwork and the light wallpaper. Also my dream cot is the sleigh cots - there's something about them that makes me smile. I'd love this room even if it was inside a closet, cosy and adorable. I wish we had closets at our house.

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5. As much as I love the black nursery, this one is my all time favourite. It's perfect! I'm a lover of Montessori nurseries and this one has everything. The hardwood floors would be easy to clean, the rug is adorable and hardy, the floor bed, low mirror and the colours. Wow just wow! 

Dream Hospital Bag

Although the birth centre stay is only short we still need to pack a hospital bag.

I can guarantee my hospital bag and contents are not glamorous. In fact I've bought the largest pairs of undies for a whole $1 to wear after the birth and simply throw out. That's how unglamorous I'm willing to be. Cheap clothes, underwear and anything that can be thrown out if it gets too much lovely gunk on it without feeling guilty.

I'd love to be one of those woman who have a glamorous hospital bag though so I'm going to do a dream hospital bag.

Starting with the all important bag which of course has a skull on it;

Lucky 13 Skull Overnight Bag $34.00

Next some pampering stuff to make the experience a little bit better. They can also be used afterwards by both the mister and me as long as they don't get gross;

Muscle Roller, Bath Pillow, Ultra Soft Wash Cloth from Body Shop

Shower and body essentials from the Body Shop which means quality, safe products;

Coconut Shower Cream, Vanilla Body Butter, DeoDry Deodorant from Body Shop

Massage oil and hair pampering again from the Body Shop;

Massage Oil, Shampoo, Conditioner from Body Shop

A lovely lace number that can be worn while giving birth, a pj set to wear after the birth and a tunic that can be worn to glam up while still at the hospital or on the way home. These are all from Peter Alexander. Quality clothes that look damn good;

Lacey Oversized Top, Daisy PJ Set, Summer Floral Tunic from Peter Alexander

Comfy, good quality clothes to wear home from the hospital. These clothes are light, loose yet look good;

Wrap Cardigan from Witjuti, Lounge Cape from Wellicious, Lounge Pants from Witjuti

The next necessity is of course maternity bras and undies;

Maternity Bra from Cake Lingerie, Undies from Bonds, Maternity Bra from Cake Lingerie

Hospital towels are fine and dandy but some extremely soft towels would be lovely as well as a beautiful throw for either the mister and I to use during labour. Lips can get dry quickly while in labour/giving birth so Lucas Papaw cream is a must plus it can be used for almost anything;

Bath Sheet and Throw from Laura Ashley, Lucas Papaw Ointment from Woolies

Can't forget the baby! Sesame would be dressed in light colours because she wouldn't have any exploding poos or spews. She'd look ADORABLE in these clothes;

Jacket, Booties, Dress, Leggings from Pumpkin Patch

Last we need snacks and reading material. iPhone has books, movies, music and social media to keep both the mister and me occupied. You never know how many snacks you need or exactly what you'll feel like on the day so this HUGE picnic pack is awesome as well as Coke. Always need Coke;

iPhone is mine, Picnic pack and Coke from Coles

I'm sure I've forgotten something, I always do. Luckily we live only 15mins away from the hospital and family members can always bring what we've forgotten. I left out the really boring stuff like maternity pads, breast pads, nappies, toothbrush and toothpaste - you know the boring essentials.

What would have been in your dream hospital bag?

Disclaimer: I don't own or have received any of these items from these companies. Oh except my iPhone which I purchased with the mister's money. I would like these products though which is why I'm blogging about them. They are pretty, yummy and smell nice.

Sesame - Week Thirty-Five

Good news - sesame is growing! She's still measuring small but she's grown which means no inducing in sight. I'm so very happy, we aren't quite prepared yet although I'm not too sure I'll ever quite be ready until she is born. 

We had an antenatal appointment yesterday which was a bit of a stuff up. We were told 9:30 but 11:30 was actually our appointment time. Thank goodness I had the piece of paper to prove it wasn't baby brain. We ended up having a different midwife, not in our team, do our check up including blood. She's an awesome lady. She ran one of the birthing classes so we knew who she was before and she knew us as the realists of the class. 

She took my blood which didn't hurt at all but came back with some news we didn't quite expect. My iron levels have dropped one level, down to 106. Nothing bad but I've been taking supplements and changed to a more iron enriched diet so we at least expected it to stay rather than drop. I've upped the dosage and am only having it with orange juice for the vitamin C. Hopefully it'll finally mean more energy. 

I've had bursts of energy where I get into cleaning but the burst doesn't last long enough to do what I'd like. I'm still dreaming of having a cleaner but more is getting done. Washing is currently being dried hanging outside, there's no washing to put away, the kitchen is clean and  I have plans to do more tomorrow. Mind you most of that is thanks to the mister. He's been so fantastic.

I keep having similar dreams. Weird dreams. Dreams about big outside bathrooms that flood and collapse. No idea what it means, maybe something about the waters breaking? It's frustrating and makes me need to pee more. I'm learning to go to sleep earlier rather than stay up reading or watching movies. It's a work in progress but the early mornings are getting easier.

Going to Roger Waters at almost thirty-five weeks wasn't the most comfortable thing. Sesame love it though, she danced all the way through. Unfortunately she also had the hiccups a lot which made it difficult to sit for a long time or what felt like a long time. One thing I know for sure is she'll either love or hate Pink Floyd!

Getting bigger...

What Birth Classes Taught Me

When lufflump was born we had NO idea about babies or birth. We'd kind of read a book and I'd read a few baby and kids magazines but that was it. I hadn't held a baby since my cousin, when I was about eight years old. I'd never fed or dressed a baby or changed a nappy. The mister has younger siblings who he used to help look after so he was a bit more experienced. Because we were late booking into the hospital we missed the free birthing classes and we weren't going to pay for something that would happen naturally.

How naive were we?! Stubborn and like two teenagers in the sense that we thought we knew better. We'd never even been in a birthing room before I gave birth in one. Lufflump's birth was relatively easy with the only complications being him coming out kind of sideways, getting a bit stuck and me having an episiotomy. It wasn't a fun experience, I felt completely out of control and the mister is still traumatised by his inability to help me.

Had we had birthing classes beforehand the birth may have been a bit better. Maybe I wouldn't have spent most of the time on the toilet thinking I was going to shit myself. Maybe I wouldn't have felt so out of control. Maybe the mister wouldn't have felt so helpless.

Maybe. What if.

The outcome was damn good anyway so I don't regret not having the classes. I am glad, however, that we decided to do them this time around. Although we've experienced birth before we learned a lot and lufflump's birth made a lot more sense. 

Here is what I learned from birth classes;

Stages of Labour

I thought there were three stages of labour - stage one, active labour and stage three. Stage one being the pain of labour but not quite ready to push, active the pushing and birthing stage and stage three when the placenta is born. We had no idea about the transition stage or the fact that I was pretty much in it from the time we got into the hospital until when lufflump flew out. I think when the transition stage hits this time it will be calming knowing that it's just a part of it.

Watching birth videos makes me cry

We were fortunate enough to watch the below video of a water birth which happened at the birth centre. If you can watch this without crying I take my hat off to you.

The mister and I are on the same page

We had an exercise which split the rooms into two, men in one and women in the other. Both groups had to say what they expected the support partner to do. The mister and I had the same contribution - 'don't leave the room'. When I was giving birth to lufflump the poor guy was thirsty and needed a bit of a break so left for about five minutes thinking I wouldn't notice. Oh but I did. He'll never live it down. We also were going to both write 'don't hog the gas' but didn't know how it would be received.

All bellies are different and beautiful

Self explanatory.

Ping pong balls aren't just for drinking games or strippers

The funnest exercise during the classes involved a balloon and ping pong ball. I'm sure everyone's mind went straight into a Thai brothel when the ping pong balls came out but it wasn't quite like that. Sure it still involved vaginas, kind of. We had to use the balloon and ping pong to show the baby coming through the cervix. It was fun and a tad scary at the same time.

The epidural doesn't look as scary as I thought it would

A needle in the back sounds scary, VERY scary. Especially one that they leave in while you give birth. It actually isn't this big scary looking contraption. It looks quite boring really.

Formula doesn't exist

I'm all for advocating breastfeeding and I'm so glad midwives see it as what it is; the best for you and your baby. What I'm not happy about is the pressure this puts on mothers. When the midwives were asked about sterilising bottles for expressing, their response was 'we advocate breastfeeding not expressing'. At the end of the day if your baby is being fed, you are both happy then who cares whether you're feeding your baby by breastfeeding, expressing or formula? I would have been ecstatic to hear 'Breastfeeding is the best option for your baby but if you have tried every avenue and it's not working for you, that's ok'. 

The bitch midwife at the Mater lied

When I got to the hospital I was eight centimetres already, apparently too late for any pain medication or so they told us. According to the birth centre midwives that is bullshit. We had two wonderful midwives at the Mater but we also had a horrible, stressed out bitch. The mister asked a couple of times if there was any pain relief I could have, she replied by telling him that if he couldn't handle it he could leave. If I hadn't had a contraction at that moment she would have heard the following 'no bitch, if anyone is leaving here it'll be you. You may have been through this before but we haven't.' Can you tell I'm still pissed off about this?

Second time parents are different

We know that birth plans don't always go to plan and that's ok as long as the outcome is a healthy baby and mother.

We know not to ask or expect too much from our support partner as they aren't exactly having a party either.

We know that co-sleeping will most likely occur especially if you want to sleep.

We know that napping becomes a luxury that should be taken advantage of, if you don't you'll regret it when they start dropping the naps.

We know that feeling of being on top of the universe when the baby is born. 

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What did you learn from birth classes?

Sesame - Week Thirty-Four

We had an antenatal check up on Monday which was interesting. 

Not only is my blood pressure still low but now I'm also measuring two weeks small when I wasn't before. I have another appointment in two weeks time where I'll be measured again. If I'm measuring smaller than two weeks then I'll have to have a scan to make sure sesame is thriving adequately. I had the same problem with lufflump, measuring small, but the midwife is concerned because at twenty-eight weeks I was measuring normal. I'm trying not to stress about it but I honestly don't want to be induced, not in two weeks anyway.

My iron levels will be checked at the next appointment too. I'm taking Spate which is WAY better than any iron tablets. Rather than upsetting my stomach and causing me to be hold up in the bathroom or bed, I actually have energy. I'm not sleeping as much, I'm getting more stuff done in and out of the house, on the net and with the family. It's wonderful feeling more alive.

I am still peeing every half hour to hour even during the middle of the night. Sleeping is very hard when you're getting up to go to the toilet constantly or have a toddler still waking during the night. Add strange dreams into the mix as well and you've got my night. If it's humid, like last night, lufflump's bed looks fine to sleep in until I need to pee again. It's a cycle. One that I'm not enjoying.

Our birth classes have finished and I learned so much that a blog post is necessary. The last labour makes more sense now and hopefully this labour will make sense from what we've learnt.

One thing I need to stop doing is reading anything scary especially zombie stories before bed. The nightmares are horrific and feel so real. From now on I'll be reading light romance or Buddhist books before I drift off. Anything to help me sleep a little bit better.

Australia Day

Last photo I saw the size of my ass, not impressed.

Style Challenge Update - Pregnancy Style

Wow it's been quite a while since I last posted about the $5 Style Challenge. What a fail on my behalf.

Here's the lowdown. I have failed the $5 Challenge. When we found out I was pregnant I bought clothes. Shirts, pants, bras, undies, dresses and shoes. I love a bargain so still tried to keep the prices down to a minimum but sometimes when buying specially labelled maternity clothes that can be tricky. We did dig out the clothes I wore last time I was pregnant so that helped challenge wise.

Here's a collection of some of what I've worn since July. On another note I definitely need to start making the bed before taking photos. Goes to show the wonderful housewife I am not.

Awesome t-shirts

I love t-shirts and will wear them with anything. We love shopping at Threadless which usually have sales on with each shirt averaging $10. 

The Jim Morrison t-shirt is actually a men's t-shirt from Jeans West (on sale for $10!). It fits so well and I love having Mr Mojo Rising so close to me. The swan note singlet was from Threadless for $5 so that fit in with the challenge nicely! Zombie at Tiffany's was on sale from Threadless for $10 but is now back up to $20. The stripe tee was from Big W's new Emerson range for something like $12. So comfy!

Skirts

I pulled a lot of skirts out of storage to wear during my pregnancy. They are all either wrap around or elastic waisted meaning I can wear them from start to finish and then after pregnancy. 

All these outfits were already in my wardrobe so no new purchases here! All skirts apart from the middle floral skirt are from Tree of Life. The middle skirt was from City Beach back in 2008. The shirts are from Big W, Threadless and Tree of Life.

Dresses

The easiest way to dress up or down is with dresses. I love maxi's, although the mister just informed me a few weeks ago that he HATES maxi's. Too bad for him as I love them!

The first dress was from Tree of Life for $5! Perfect for the challenge and such a comfy dress. The top dress was from Cotton On for $10 (discount thanks to my cousin). It no longer fits me at this stage during my pregnancy as it's too tight around the boobs. Not complaining! Middle dress is a wonderful wrap dress sent to me by Witjuti for a review for Kidspot. Bottom dress is an old dress from Cotton On that is definitely too short now!

Casual pants and shirts

As much as I love funky t-shirts, I love comfy funky pants even more! Harem pants are my type of pants and I live in them. 

The stripe pants were from the Southbank markets for $10. Maybe I should have made the challenge a $10 one as that would have been so much easier! Here I've paired them with a Supre singlet. Their basics are a must. Top photo is another Supre singlet, a vest I 'borrowed' from mum and black skinny maternity jeans from Target. They were definitely over the price allowed for the challenge but a necessity. Middle photo is a white Supre shirt, black Supre singlet and black Target maternity jeans. Both tops were already in my wardrobe. Bottom photo is my black harem pants and a light t-shirt from Tree of Life. The shirt was new at 2 for $30.

Dresses

More dresses! The red muumuu is an old purchase from the Valley markets and the tan shoes are from Sportsgirl that my MIL bought me. So both fit in the challenge. The bottom dress is an old dress from Tree of Life (damn I love that store!). The top dress, however, was on sale for $60 from Jeans West. It's comfy and such a good purchase though.

I'm not a runner/walker/exerciser of any sort BUT we did walk to the park one day so this is my exercise outfit. The top is from Bonds and so comfy. This is a size 14 (I'm usually a 8-10) and is tight. It was a lot more than $5 but worth it. The shorts are old as are the Nike runners which KILL my feet and I hate wearing them.

Casual

I'm a singlet and pants casual kind of girl. The first photo is a Supre tank, harems from the West End markets that I love! The pants were $20 so over my Challenge budget. I wear them everywhere though so they've definitely been worth it! Second photo was Christmas Day, a Kmart singlet for $5 (yay!) and pants I bought from City Beach years ago. That one made the challenge, yay! The third photo is a bamboo yoga singlet and pants from Witjuti that, again, were sent to me for a review. So comfy and highly recommended.

So I didn't completely fail the $5 challenge but I didn't exactly get an A either. After pregnancy, hopefully, I'll be back on track. I've, hopefully, got all the maternity/feeding bras I need so I shouldn't need to fork out that expense. I think I'll continue to take photos and be aware of the price I am paying for clothes but not beat myself up over buying new things.

Do you recommend any awesome shops or designers?

Sorry for the super long post. I was going to break it up into two but I'm so swamped with blog ideas that I just don't know when I would post the second half. Also, I bought all clothes myself (or the mister did) apart from the Witjuti clothes which I have stated I was sent for a review outside of this blog. No company has asked me to blog about their products. I just like to share my good finds.

Sesame - Week Thirty-Three

I'm slack. This will be a collective post of week thirty-two and thirty-three.

Last week we started birthing classes, two down one to go. That's a whole different post though, they're that interesting!

Last week also saw me retake the glucose test (GTT). Thankfully I didn't spew this time and I had a reading of normal. A huge thank you to Troy from Maternity Outpatients Pathology at the Royal Brisbane. He gave me confidence, remained positive when I struggled and allowed me to lay down between needles.

I've tried to cut down on sugar as I definitely do have a high sugar diet. So far that's meant having Coke Zero and the mister confiscating my Nutella stash (lesson learned - hide it better). Neither of which I've enjoyed. I am eating better though, more nuts, juice, yoghurt, salads and meat. My new favourite breakfast is toast with Philly cheese, avocado and either fresh or sundried tomatoes. Yummy, healthy and so simple.

Added coffee

Tomorrow I'm starting liquid iron supplements and raspberry leaf tablets. Hopefully I'll have more energy and feel more comfortable.

This week the sleeping troubles really began. Not only do I now have to pee every two hours at least I also have had to deal with a foot firmly in between my ribs. Apparently this is the time when my abdomen begins to stretch as well. Great timing, sesame. I tried sleeping every which way even with bum in the air - nothing worked. I stretched sitting down, laying down, standing up, leaning against stuff and on all fours. Nothing. Then yesterday morning it felt like she'd rolled around so now I'm a lot more comfortable. Thank goodness too as I was over being bedridden again as I'm sure the boys were too.

Bedridden with my little angel

I'm feeling massive as well. I'm sure I was close to being this big when lufflump was born. My tummy is so tight, it's uncomfy. When we've gone to the birthing classes I feel small and silly for complaining about my size as there are some ladies who look a lot more uncomfy than me! A lady at the Wedding Expo said I was carrying like a boy. It's true, I carried similar to lufflump but I know I've put more weight on other areas this time around. Here I am busting another old wives tale! I feel like a witch ;)

Today the mister and I went shopping at the Target baby sale. I love sales, especially baby and kids sales. So much adorableness! We bought a small electric swing, baby clothes, a gorgeous soft pram blanket, muslin wraps, dummies, bibs and maternity stuff (bras and belly belt). Mostly pink! Also snagged some cheap undies that can be thrown away and pjs for the hospital bag.

I have no idea what to pack for the hospital bag! I'm sure I saw a list in the Birth Centre book somewhere. I do know that nappies and maternity pads are a definite must as I ran out of both last time. It's so odd to be packing a bag for just a few hours. I'll be over packing for sure! 

Thirty-three weeks

What were your hospital bag essentials?