• baby - pregnancy

    Reflecting on my last pregnancy (my daughter is nearly 1!)

    I’m feeling sad today as we’ve been having a clear out ahead of putting our house on the market. Yes, I’ve banged on before about moving but we’re finally doing it. A couple of weeks ago we were called in to the toddlers’ school as he was ready to move up a stage. For complicated reasons he can’t continue there so we’re moving. Hopefully we will be able to find a bigger house with better schools in a nicer part of London. Anyway, the last two weeks we’ve had the builders in. Remember we had a plan for sub-dividing our…

  • post-pregnancy

    Discharged too early?

    My community midwife had mentioned that North Middlesex University Hospital were keen to discharge patients the day after the section if they and their baby were fine. She warned me that this could cause problems and not to leave if I wasn’t ready so I went into hospital with an open mind. I was surprised when my midwife suggested it to me but I felt fine, was on top of the pain and really wanted to be at home with Edward. We were back at home 32 hours after we walked into the Labour ward. Our first night at home…

  • baby - Cath Kidston - pregnancy - third trimester

    What do I need for a c-section?

    Last night I packed my hospital bag. I’ve been getting really strange tummy pains and just want to be ready in case anything happens. I know I’ll be having a c-section but what do I need to take into hospital? a new nightdress and dressing gown clothes to go home in maternity towels and pants toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant camera and charged battery phone and charger maternity notes notebook and pen so I can write down everything that happened (I did this last time and it was great to look back on after my morphine haze ended) towel antibacterial wipes plastic…

  • Cath Kidston - handmade - Patchwork & Quilting

    I love patchwork …. I just need to finish a project!

    I’ve had a long standing relationship with patchwork. I made my first patchwork quilt when I was 16 using the traditional method known as English paper piecing. There’s something really satisfying about cutting out paper templates, choosing fabrics and watching it all come together. I’ve started lots of patchwork projects since then but I haven’t finished many! These medium sized hexagons look great when sewn together. I love making these smaller hexagons but they are so time consuming! They look good made into pincushions too. I was thinking of sewing my patchwork pieces into some kind of crawling blanket for…

  • pregnancy - reviews

    Too posh to push and other myths

    Last week I was invited to The Portland Hospital for a look behind the scenes. I’ve lived in London for a long time and regularly see pictures of celebrities being papped outside The Portland with their new arrivals. As I’m currently pregnant I was interested in the maternity services at The Portland and they offer an impressive service including 14+ antenatal appointments, all routine blood tests, 3 scans, active birth workshops and hypnobirthing classes and access to complimentary therapies. I met a couple of the midwives and they were lovely, doing a job they clearly enjoyed in a wonderful environment.…

  • baby - daddy

    2011 a new me?

    I’m so excited about what 2011 will bring. 2010 has had its’ highs with the arrival of Edward as well as the lows with my husband being hospitalised twice. We’ve spent a large part of the year away from home due to his illness which put a dampener on my maternity leave. However we have a lot to look forward to with planning for baby number two and I need to decide whether to return to work or not in a couple of months. I HAVE to learn to drive this year. Every year I promise myself I will take…

  • Christmas - daddy - Quinny Caster - Quinny Zapp Xtra - reviews

    Quinny Zapp Xtra meets its ultimate challenge!

    …the snow finally came. I’d been watching the news about the snow fall and feeling left out until last night. About 10pm the snow started falling and barely stopped all day. Fortunately my husband was discharged from hospital today so we decided to take Edward for a walk so he could see his first snow. This was also our first opportunity to see how the Quinny coped in the snow. So we bundled ourselves up in layers of clothing and off we went. The Quinny handled well in the snow. I had to push it quite hard to get it…

  • Christmas

    Cyber Monday

    I hate to admit it but being married to a true IT geek means I am currently sitting in the hospital with my MacBook Air and MiFi card. My husband is asleep (and still no news when he will be discharged) so I am taking the opportunity to do a little online shopping. Apparently yesterday was Cyber Monday which sees a big boom in internet shopping and lasts for eight days. I’m still searching for a birthday present for my mum who is 70 on Thursday and I really like the look of some of the casual boots from Next.…

  • baby - daddy

    Separation anxiety

    Right now I feel torn in two. Edward and I spend every day together but my husband has been in hospital since Tuesday evening for his planned stoma reversal surgery. We’ve been staying with my mum so she can look after Edward and I can visit my husband. It’s so hard leaving Edward in the morning, especially when my mum tells he spends the day looking for me! The NCT website has some really helpful advice on responding to separation anxiety. I know that at 8 months Edward can tell when I’m not around but has no concept of time…