nursery with crib at night

Who’s the dummy now? Wean wean wean..

We did it… made it through 8 months without a dummy AAANNNDDD regret? Is it regret? It is when he’s teething and wakes up a thousand times throughout the night (ok more like 5). Or when I’m trying desperately to remember how the hell I actually night wean. My daughter had a dummy so bit of a different scenario.

Seriously though, how do I do this again? First time she self weaned around this time at least in the day from memory. This little boy though, he loooovveess his food and loves the boob. My husband keeps reminding him that they are only on loan :o) .

Wean Plan A

We were going to change to a bottle before bedtime to make sure he was filling up enough… FAIL. It worked one night out of 4. And we discovered the little turd has become all fussy about only wanting the liquid gold and no formula (our fault for not giving it to him after the premmie episode I guess). So now we are stuck with a selective palette vampire…

Plan B

Cut down gradually.. just like you do when you realise you are drinking a bottle of wine to yourself with dinner. It’s now night 5 coming up. I’m down to two feeds through the night. One usually between 11 and 12:30 and the other between 3 and 4. I don’t count the 5-6am as night to make myself feel better as well as the fact that it is technically morning and I’m usually up.

I’ve progressed to phase 2 which is only feeding one side when I go in. It’s worked every night but last night when the teeth monsters were having a party.

Tonight, we are going to attempt to forego feed number one by sending in the boobless parent which may move feed number 2 up to a new timeslot. Wish us luck!

woman exercising inside

HIIT that!

Seems like an appropriate time to write this workout post with the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, and everyone trying to stay active at home. I was going to the gym 4 times a week up until the day prior to having my second , but gave up my membership while on maternity leave to do home workouts. You could say I’ve become quite well versed at stalking the online personal trainers over the last 8 months!

In saying that, I thought I would share some of my favourite workouts that I have been doing (from post natal recovery to now). Some are programs which you pay for, others are just videos on YouTube.

  1. The Bod – Sophie Guidolin
    This has now been turned into an app but I bought the Maintenance and Pro editions a few years back when losing weight from my first pregnancy. It’s good as it also has meal plans, and gives you gym and home options for each day.
  2. Centr – Chris Hemsworth
    Did I get sucked in thinking I’d get to work out with Thor every day? Maybe, but I’d actually heard good things about the app from a friend. I just finished week 1 of the Centr 6 program and am feeling the burn! Each workout is no longer than 30 mins and includes warm up and cool downs. There are things I haven’t even yet touched such as recipes, mindfulness, yoga and 100’s of workouts so looking forward to sticking with this one.
  3. Yoga with Adriene
    I love this channel. All free, but such good yoga that will leave you feeling refreshed and woosa. She also has a 30 day challenge if you can commit to daily practice, and her cute dog is featured every now and again 🙂 .
  4. Bodyfit by Amy
    I liked using Amy’s videos for my postnatal workouts while I was getting back into things slowly. She also has some good 15 minute kettlebell workouts.
  5. Sydney Cummings
    The best but and legs workout I have found.. for those who have no weights and just a resistance band. Sore for days! Sydney also has some great HIIT workouts that you can do in even 10 minutes for when you are short on time.
  6. SWEAT Summer series – Kelsey Wells
    4 weeks of postnatal exercises (mostly using body weight) to strengthen your core etc.
  7. HIIT workouts by Heather Robertson
    Quick, high intensity workouts for when you’re short on time. You only need your mat and some space inside.
  8. Boxing with Nate Bower
    If you have a boxing bag and gloves, these videos are awesome to work up a sweat. Just takes a few mins to get your head around the moves if you’re not a boxer as he refers to them as numbers rather than the actual punch (hook etc.)

Feel free to add any other recommendations in the comments!

sleeping like a baby

Sleeping like a baby

I don’t know about you, but when I think of the “sleeping like a baby” saying, I don’t see a restful night ahead. Passed out and undisturbed is the exact opposite of how they sleep. Babies wake up… A LOT. It may be more accurate to say ” slept like a drunk” but probably wouldn’t have the same ring to it.

Yeah ok, I have friends who have had the dream baby that has slept through at night at 6 or 8 weeks. It’s definitely not the norm though. I can also confirm formula feed or putting rice cereal in the milk for a breastfed baby will also not make this magic happen. I tried it already.

The unicorn

Both of my kids haven’t slept through at 8 weeks or similar. The first was such a cat napper through the day that we ended up at QEII Family Centre . Although the advice and help was great, we still didn’t manage to extend day sleep past 40 mins without being held by the time we left.

Side note, the ‘Love to dream’ swaddles are so worth the $. If you have a baby that hates being restrained, give up on the wrapping and just buy a few of these.

A bit of silver lining

My son was actually a huge improvement. I partly also attribute this to not being an absolute rookie anymore and missing tired signs etc. Now at 4 months, we generally get 5 hours from bedtime and then the early morning is up and down depending on the day. Day wise, I can get at least 3 x 45 min naps, and if it’s a good day we will get a 2-3 hour stretch. I just need to become smarter and actually go to bed when he does.

Routine

Oh I was obsessed with this first time round. Dr Google, friend’s advice, Save our Sleep and Sleeping like a baby books. You name it, I tried it. After all, I only had 3 months to get this baby sorted before I returned to full time work. Did it work? Nope. And the worst thing was, that the books didn’t really have a “What to do if your whole routine craps itself” section for dummies.

Going with the flow

This time round, I’ve embraced not following a routine. I’ve got time up my sleeve, and I take my cues from him. And man is it so much nicer, and stressless! You’re always going to have regressions, always going to have a sick kid, and life generally will throw curve balls. I think both ways have their pluses, but given I’ve still got a preschooler running around, this works better for us.

Toddler and baby surrounded by love heart of flowers

Baby round 2, mum the wiser

Are we really that much wiser with the second baby? Here I am at the 8 week mark, and it’s probably more accurate to say “none the wiser”. 

Amnesia

First tip.. no matter how good your memory is, you will NOT remember things from your firstborn that well. Yep, I’ve once again relied on Dr Google’s sage advice, forgot how long breast milk can be stored for, re learned tired signs for babies and the list goes on. A little part of me wishes I’d now written some things down.

In saying that, there is a kind of calm in dealing with certain situations now. I no longer hear ghost babies crying while in the shower washing my hair, and I’m actually ok with letting him cry for the 20 seconds it takes to pee (rather than trying not to drink anything until someone arrives home 3 hours later so I can finally go). I don’t practise my ‘light as a feather’ tip toe into the room while he is sleeping in fear of him waking up either. 

Mum hacks

One perk of being 4 years into motherhood is that as your confidence grows, your tolerance for crappy situations decreases. You start looking for smarter ways to get by. Here are some things I’ve found helpful along the way:

Disposable undies

Yep, I’m talking about those attractive incontinence beauties in the supermarket aisle. These are great for the first few days of recovery. I found them pretty useful when I had an emergency caesarean first time round as you can just rip them off and throw them out when done.

Baby washers for breastfeeding

If you’re lucky to have a baby like me that may get distracted while feeding just as you have the let down, a wash cloth tucked into the bra has been a lifesaver. Saves your clothes, stops the flow, and I also sometimes use it as a bib for the bub as well (in case they feel like a vomit halfway through). I usually just buy a few bulk packs from Target.

Night-time nursing pads

There’s nothing I love more than waking up for a feed partway through the night and discovering that my top is drenched in breast milk. I sleep in maternity tops with the built in bras. So if I know it will be a while in between feeds, I cut a nappy in half and use that instead of nursing pads.

Vomit catchers

Otherwise known as a traditional hand towel or those nifty burpy bibs you throw over your shoulder. I always put one of these down in the bassinet or cot where little man’s head will be in case he vomits. Saves changing the sheets every time.

Ice cube trays for milk storage

If you prefer to section breast milk in smaller quantities, bigger ice cube trays are perfect for this. I buy ones with a lid that fit 60mls in each square.

Pool noodle for bed bumpers

When your little one is a bit bigger and it’s time to take the side of a cot down. Instead of buying the bumpers, buy a pool noodle (cut it in half if going in a toddler bed) and place it under the sheet. Works a treat with stopping your little one from falling out.

Apps

Last but not least, there are some great apps out there. The ones I am currently using are below:

Baby connect – For keeping track of feeds, sleep, nappy changes etc. This was great when I had to report all these things for our premature baby to the midwifes instead of having to write it down or remember.

Sleepy sounds – For all your lullaby and white noise needs, ranging from nature sounds to vacuums.

HomeDoctor – The easiest way to book an after hours home visit from a doctor.. and it’s also free of charge.

The Wonder Weeks – Based on the book, this app will be like a magic crystal ball into why your baby is being a turd at certain times.

BabyCenter – This amazing website/app will give you week by week updates on your baby’s development as well as suggesting activities. A baby bible of sorts.

Feed Safe – A countdown timer of when you are safe to breastfeed again if you have had an alcoholic drink

Kegel Exercises – You no longer have to remind yourself to do these, or even count as this app will do it all for you.