Not another slippery dip

Embracing the messy, mundane & momentous

5 tips for a good night’s sleep

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Protectabed Quilted lifestyle shot

A good night’s sleep is every mum’s fantasy!

Here is a funny (read: cruel) fact: The more sleep I need, the less I seem to get! And I can’t blame this entirely on my baby, though she certainly wreaked havoc with it in the early months. It’s more my mind that is to blame. That, and my latest Nordic noir binge on Netflix!

When I collapse into bed at night, my mind goes into overdrive right when I want it to shut down. Have you ever seen that meme “My brain has too many tabs open”? Well, that is me, to a tee. I feel bone tired at the end of the day, but my brain is wired. Tired and wired – that’s probably the default position for a lot of mums.

Over the years I have made a conscious effort to prioritise sleep. Sleep is vital to our overall well-being and mums don’t seem to get enough of it. I know many mums plan to go to bed earlier, but it’s too enticing to spend some quiet time alone without the kids. So we stay up later than we should. But insufficient sleep can play havoc with your mind your body and your soul. You know that, right? Here are a few things that I have noticed help me get a good night’s sleep. I hope they help you too.

Natural sleep aids for a good night's sleep

Magnesium and lavender are natural sleep remedies

5 tips for a good night’s sleep

  1. Create a gentle bedtime routine

One trigger for sleep is a slight drop in core body temperature, so have a nice warm bath or shower at night. As your body cools, you will naturally begin to feel drowsy and more relaxed (works for kids too). You may also like to try adding half a cup of Epsom salts to your bath – the magnesium from the Epsom salts will be absorbed into your body and help you relax.

  1. Social Media Curfew

Prepare your sleep environment: switch off screens an hour before bed – and banish them from the bedroom. The light from devices and computer screens affects the brain’s production of melatonin, your natural sleep-inducing hormone. I have a strict 9.30pm social media curfew. Instead of scrolling mindlessly through my Facebook feed, I go to bed with a book and read for at least half and hour.

  1. Adopt a mindfulness practice.

It’s important to wind down at the end of a busy day, and quieten that mummy brain stream of consciousness of all the ‘to dos’ that race through our heads. Stress will inhibit sleep, but this is a hard one when you’ve got a lot on your mind. Meditation, yoga and simple breathing exercises in the evening can help. There are loads of apps that can assist if you need some guidance

  1. Natural sleep aids

There are many natural sleeping tablets on the market such as valerian and melatonin. Lately I’ve been trying to eat foods rich in magnesium (bananas, almonds). I also use a magnesium spray at night before going to bed. If your kids have trouble sleeping, you might try something like this for them as well. Essential oils can also help. Lavender is known to aid sleep, and each night I sit quietly breathing in the scent of lavender from my oil diffuser.

  1. A clean, inviting, bed.

Is there anything more inviting than a beautiful, well-made bed with clean, fresh linen, beckoning you to get in? Well, possibly, but it’s pretty darn good. But there’s more to a clean bed than freshly laundered linen. Did you know that stains and spills, bacteria and mould, dust mites, yellowing, bed bugs and allergens lurk in an unprotected mattress? Not to mention the fact that humans sweat up to 1L of body fluid per night and lose thousands of skin flakes! Now I am no germ phobe, but this is yuk! Let me introduce you to a product that ensures my bed is clean and inviting:

The Protect-A-Bed mattress protector

This mattress protector is traditional quilted style and best for everyday comfort. It has all the advantages of cotton, plus the added benefit of extra support and padding, thanks to the natural cotton filling. Protect-A-Bed’s®  Miracle Layer™ is soft and comfortable yet waterproof and breathable. Plus, it’s machine washable and you can tumble dry, which is a huge tick in my world. Approved by the National Asthma Council Australia Sensitive Choice Program and Red Nose (Sids and Kids) a quality assured Protect-A- Bed® mattress protector is like an insurance policy for your mattress.

Thanks to Protect-A-Bed my bed now is clean, inviting and tidy and I can sleep safe and sound. If only it could free my mind from the clutter lurking in there….

Cotton Protectabed

A clean, well-made bed is one of life’s greatest pleasures.

Did you know?

  1. SWEAT: Humans sweat up to 1L of body fluid per night and lose millions of skin flakes each night. After 5 years, half the weight of a mattress can be made up of our own body fluids, skin cells, mould and bacteria. Yuck!
  2. DUST MITES: Dust mites lurk in an unprotected mattress and are a major cause of asthma and allergies. Despite their tiny size, dust mites produce 10-20 waste particles per day!
  3. SLEEP: We spend 1 third of our life sleeping. New parents lose between 450-700 hours of sleep in the first year of their child’s life!

How well do you sleep at night? Do you get enough sleep?

*This post was brought to you by Protect-A-Bed. All views are my own. 

World of Style: Selecting colours and fittings for our home

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Paint colours at World of Style

World of Style offers a World of Choice!

One of the reasons we chose to build our home with Porter Davis was due to World of Style. Having never renovated on any scale, I was pretty daunted by the prospect of choosing fixtures and fittings for an entire house. If you’re an over thinker, like me, choosing a cushion can be a daunting process, so making choices for an entire home is a recipe for insomnia. Plus, I wasn’t particularly keen on driving all across Melbourne to look at taps and tiles with four kids in tow. World Of style offered the convenience of having all options in the one place. Tick!

World of Style is a world of CHOICE. It is one of Australia’s largest interior design showrooms in the heart of South Melbourne, which is open for everybody to visit. You don’t have to be building a Porter Davis home to visit the showroom. We found the experience pretty good overall, although my enthusiasm waned at decision number 346! 

World of Style by Porter Davis

My first trip to World of Style!

World of Style: Selecting colours and fittings for our home

  1. Style Quiz

Once we signed with Porter Davis we were encouraged to take the “What’s Your Style?” quiz. Essentially it’s a set of lifestyle questions that helps you to establish which one of the four main themes encapsulates you best: Classic, Contemporary, Designer or Resort. It then matches you with World of Style interiors that best reflect your tastes and personality. My style was a mix of Classic and Contemporary with Berlin, Melbourne and Scandinavian themes.

World of style mood boards

What interior style are you? World of Style mood board inspo!

  1. Visiting the showroom

We were advised to visit the showroom 2-3 times before our selections appointment. I think we went four times in total. Bear in mind, however, that my attention was distracted at each appointment. My first piece of advice would be to NOT have a 6-week old baby when you are trying to make decisions involved money and permanence!

I was lucky to have a friend come with me on a reccie, as well as Suzanne from One girl Interiors. Mr NASD came a couple of times too. He asked questions about price, while I asked questions about style. Yes, we come at it from very different places 🙂

The best thing about the showroom is you get to see full size kitchens and bathrooms – one for each main World of Style theme. They also have interior designers available to assist with styling tips and suggestions.

A kitchen on display at World of Style

A kitchen on display at World of Style

Overall, I found World of Style to be a fun and helpful experience. It took a lot of the stress out of choosing fixtures and fittings. But, it was very hard to get prices ahead of our selections appointment. Almost everything I wanted was an upgrade (no surprises there) but considering we are building a house from the Prestige range, we thought more upgrades would be included.

It also seemed impossible for the staff to tell us exactly how much more a Category upgrade would be. This made it impossible to budget accordingly and we only got exact prices at our selections appointment. And guess what? We went over budget, so we had to go back and downgrade.

Kitchen Design World of Style

Bubba visited World of Style many times.

  1. Selections Appointment

Our selections appointment (where we chose all colours, fixtures, fittings etc.) went for two full days. Given we are building a big house, we had a lot of decisions. OMG, SO MANY DECISIONS!!!!

My head hurt from all the decisions by the d of the first day. Admittedly, it was extra hard as I was breastfeeding my reflux baby and she was very unsettled. Although in some ways, this put pressure on us to make quick decisions. I didn’t have time to linger over 50 shades of white, and yes, there really are that many shades of white.

By the end of the two days our brains were fried. And our budget was blown. Our last appointment was with the window furnishing company. I basically instructed the lady to choose the blinds for me. I couldn’t make another decision. Not one more. And we left some of our windows unfurnished as I couldn’t decide between roman blinds and curtains.

Kitchen choices at World of Style

Kitchen choices at World of Style. Note the “Fox” grey!

  1. Decision anxiety

Naturally, decision anxiety hit me a few weeks later. Did I make the right decision about the cabinetry finish? Should I have upgraded the tiles instead of the carpet? Was subway the right choice for our splashback? Even now, months later, I am questioning some of my kitchen choices. It’s so hard to visualise an entire kitchen when you are working from tiny samples. I hope that we made the right selections, as we are in this for the long haul. I can’t move in and tell Mr NASD I made the chose the wrong bench top or he will divorce me!

Have you ever done a reno or built a house? How did you find the experience? If you’re interested in our selections let me know and I’ll write a post on our colours and fittings.

How to cope with a high needs baby

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High needs baby

Early on I knew that she was going to be a “handful”

I knew early on that my baby was going to be a “handful”. While no baby is “good” or “bad” some babies are more difficult than others. And I had a difficult one on my hands from the get-go.

Being my fourth baby I mistakenly assumed she would be chilled. After all, the fourth child just fits in, right? Wrong. She is more work and extracts more energy than the other three combined. There’s nothing Zen about this one. “Intense” best sums her up.

Seeking answers

We had breast-feeding troubles from day one. She writhed, wailed and arched her back in distress. She must have colic, I reasoned. I bought every colic and wind potion available in a desperate bid to calm her. They didn’t work….

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Thinking of upgrading the family car?

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Thinking of upgrading the family car?

We upgraded our car to the Honda Odyssey!

*Sponsored Post*

Do you remember what car you drove before you had kids? I bet it was different to the car you drive now. When I was pregnant with my first baby, I was driving a Saab convertible. We leased it through my hubby’s work. I loved it. It was perfect for zipping around the inner city where we lived.  We joked about keeping it when bubba was born, but having only two doors made it slightly impractical. “Couldn’t we lift the baby in an out via the sunroof?” my hubby joked!

Fast-forward eight years and our car couldn’t be more different. We are now the proud owners of a 7-seater!!! How things have changed. But then again, our needs have changed, too. The addition of each child has seen us go from a coupe, to a station wagon, to a bus (well almost!) Last year when we found out bubba no. 4 was coming we knew it was time to upgrade our family car….

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My baby is 6 months old

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6 months old

Hooray! I am 6 months old today.

Have you ever wondered what life is like for a 6-month-old baby? Well, I am here to tell you, although my interpretation of events might differ from my mama’s. What I find fun, she seems to find frustrating. My hobbies include cluster feeding, nipple biting, putting Lego pieces in my mouth, and, my personal favourite – waking up after an 18-minute nap. It’s a hoot! Mum doesn’t seem to find it funny though.

Apparently I didn’t get the memo about being a chilled out fourth bubba. I hear my mum mention this “memo” a lot. She appears to be joking but I get the feeling she wishes I were more chilled out. What exactly is chilled out, anyway?…

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7 ways I have helped my child with anxiety

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Helping my child with anxiety

There are things you can do to help your child manage their anxiety

As parents we naturally want our children to be happy. It is our job to protect them, so it can be incredibly distressing to see your child struggle with anxiety. But there are things you can do to help minimise their anxiety, and equip them with effective coping skills.

My six-year-old daughter has struggled on and off with anxiety. She was an intense and frustrated baby, and she became a clingy, anxious and contrary toddler. We wrestled with multiple meltdowns on a daily basis. She was highly sensitive to temperature, sound and touch. If it rained and we were outside, she bellowed. If we saw a dog in the street, she leapt into my arms. If we saw a digger nearby she was convinced it was coming to dig her up. Even the innocent postman arriving on his bike terrified her.

Her anxieties interfered with daily life and family harmony. For a long time I lived in a state of anxiety myself so we sought professional help. With time, patience and compassion my beautiful daughter underwent a behavioural transformation. I urge you to read about it here. By the time Miss J started school she was a different kid. She had a quiet confidence about her, and her anxieties had all but disappeared….

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Our long journey to get tongue-tie diagnosis

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Baby tongue-tie assessment

Miss I’s tongue-tie assessment post-release.

The moment I laid eyes on my daughter, I was filled with a joy so powerful it took my breath away. Having had three miscarriages before my “rainbow” baby, I was overcome with love, relief and joy – absolute joy. Her routine newborn check was performed and everything looked good. There was no tongue-tie diagnosis. 

My desire to breastfeed her was so strong I saw my first lactation consultant when she was just 48 hours old. I knew that early support and assistance is crucial in establishing successful breastfeeding. Already I had blistered nipples and poor attachment, but I was told my technique was fine and there was nothing wrong. But issues persisted.

We persevered, but my baby never drained my boobs. She would arch her back, pull off and on, lose suction, and she was grizzly and unsettled almost all of the time. I asked my MCHN to check her for tongue-ties, as she exhibited many of the symptoms. She gave the all clear….

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5 unexpected parenting perks

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Parenting perks

Child’s play is a perk of parenthood

Kid wrangling is hard. It’s hard full time; it’s hard part-time. It’s hard, well, pretty much all the time. Ah yes, those little “bundles” of joy cost you physically, emotionally and financially. So, what are these little ankle biters actually good for? I’ve been a full-time mother for over eight years now, and I confess I sometimes contribute to the chorus of mothering complaints. But parenthood has some unexpected (and helpful) perks. Admittedly they may not be quite as exciting as the perks of my previous job (corporate travel, salary bonuses and after work drinks) but useful nonetheless.

Here are five clear perks of being a parent:

…

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When to introduce solids

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*Sponsored Post

When is the right time to introduce solids

It’s time for the gloriously messy business of solids!

When to introduce solids? It’s the question that has come around far too quickly for my liking this time around. I feel like my baby was only born yesterday. How can she be old enough for this? When did this happen? By “this”, I am referring to a major milestone in a littler person’s life. I am referring to the gloriously messy business of solids! And we have entered this world with great gusto!

When is it time to introduce solids?

Many parents are confused about introducing solids as they get different advice from different authorities and health professionals. And it’s no surprise. It seems every time I have a baby the information around when to start solids has changed. For Miss A it was 6 months, for Miss J it was 4 months and I honestly can’t remember when Miss H started on solids, as that time in my life is a blur. So, what is the current recommendation for introducing solids?

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and Australian Breastfeeding Association (ABA) currently recommend six months of exclusive breastfeeding and then the introduction of solids while breastfeeding continues. Solids during the first year are only meant to complement breastmilk. Remember that guidelines with ages can only ever be approximate as babies develop at different rates. Essentially, it’s time to introduce solids to babies when they show signs they’re ready. These signs tend to occur at around 6 months of age, with some a little earlier and others a little later.

Miss I is one of the “earlier” babies. She has shown signs of being ready for at least a month. Her curious eyes are always watching me put food in my mouth. Even when I am hiding in the pantry munching on chips (so the kids don’t bust me), I can sense I am being watched!

A healthy way to introduce solids

A healthy way to introduce solids

Australian recommendations are to introduce solids at around 6 months of age, but not before 4 months.

In addition to showing signs of readiness, Miss I has not exactly been stacking on the weight, partially due to our breastfeeding troubles. Some experts suggest that starting a baby on solids can improve symptoms of reflux. But like all things parenting, there is conflicting information. After consulting with my paediatric chiropractor and MCHN, we decided to start Miss I at 5 months of age.

What are your options?

There are two main options for introducing solids: parent-fed purees or Baby Led Weaning (BLW). BLW is an approach to introducing solids to babies from the start of weaning. It’s about skipping the purees and weaning spoons in favour of finger “table” food. While I can see the benefits of BLW, we decided to start with purees fist as I felt Miss I wasn’t quite developmentally ready to self-feed.

Bubs Organic meal pouches are a great way to introduce solids

Wholesome, organic meal pouches are a time-saver and nutritious!

What is the best food to start with?

Iron and zinc are two minerals needed from solids. When your baby is ready, start to introduce a variety of solid foods, starting with iron rich foods, while continuing breastfeeding.

Offer food with the most nutrition and limited sugar. Then, gradually introduce a variety of textures and tastes, and a healthy protein. Given I am time-poor (and my blender is in an unpacked box somewhere deep in the garage from moving when I was 38 weeks pregnant) I have been feeding Miss I a range of purees from Bubs Organics. We are only a few weeks in, but my goodness is she loving it!

I started off by mixing some rice cereal with the puree, and now I have moved on from the rice cereal. Honestly, she can’t get enough of it. She is definitely the most enthusiastic for solids out of all my babies. I can’t get the spoon filled fast enough for her.

Introduce solids when your baby is ready

Miss I is LOVING this exciting new world!

All Bubs Organic meals contain no additives, preservatives, GMOs, artificial colouring or flavouring, added salt or sugar, thickeners or other fillers. All meals are made in Australia and are packed with nutrient-rich products sourced from organic growers and suppliers. BIG TICKS!

Many store-bought jars and pouches of baby food are anything but wholesome. Be sure to check the list of ingredients, especially the sugar content. Not only are the Bubs Organic meals nutrient-rich and wholesome, the pouches are incredibly convenient for an easy on-the-go easy meal that does not compromise health. You can purchase Bubs Organic products at your local Coles supermarket, selected pharmacies or online at bubsaustralia.com.  

Is it time to introduce solids

This is what you need to introduce solids

 Follow your baby’s cues

In short, there is no exact science to introducing solids. Just do your best to follow your baby’s cues about when to increase the amount of solids, and take care to ensure that breastmilk remains baby’s primary source of nutrition for the first year. Pretty soon we will move from runny solids to softer solids and then to table food. But I will always have some of these pouches for meals on the go!

My final words of advice; Have fun. Yes, it can be messy. Yes, it’s another thing to squeeze into your day. But a whole new world has opened up for your bub. Make it a happy, healthy and exciting milestone. 

Intoducing solids milestone

Another milestone reached!

*I partnered with Bubs Organic to bring you this post. All opinions are my own. 

Is it time for you to introduce solids? At what age was your baby ready? Did you do spoon feeding, or did you skip the purees in favour of BLW?

Breast refusal: when your baby refuses the boob

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Trying to breastfeed my baby

Trying to breastfeed my baby

As I sit, I close my eyes and breathe in and out slowly. I try to loosen my shoulders, which are tense and like “cement” according to my massage therapist. I remind myself to relax, as I know tension will further thwart my mission. No, I am not sitting down to mediate. I am sitting down to feed my four-month-old baby girl. And this is our pre-feeding ritual. If you’ve ever experienced breast refusal you will understand how upsetting it can be for both baby and mum. 

There is nothing relaxed and enjoyable about it. Even before I have unclipped my bra, she arches her back and turns her distressed, writhing body away from me. I try to coax her gently back by rocking, patting and humming, but she won’t have a bar of it. Her eyes fill with terror and she wails and thrashes as she pulls off my nipple, almost tearing it to shreds. I persist, but she resists – and ultimately we both end up in tears.

This is what it’s like to experience breast refusal. This is what it’s like to have your baby reject you. And it’s awful. At this point I run to the kitchen and frantically fix a bottle of expressed breast milk for her, which she guzzles down in exhausted relief. I am expressing up to six times a day to maintain my supply, but each time I see her gulp from the bottle, part of me weeps. To not be able to feed your baby is as soul destroying as it is stressful.

Bottle feeding my baby

Many feeds are abandoned….

What is breast refusal?

Breast refusal, sometimes referred to as a “nursing strike”, can happen at anytime and last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks – or longer, in my case. There are many possible reasons for it, including illness, teething, immunisations, attachment problems, overtiredness, nipple confusion, and a change in feeding patterns. Sometimes no reason can be found. And sometimes it can all be over as quickly as it began. Or not.

I don’t think there’s anything quite as distressing as watching your (hungry) baby wail and refuse to feed. It is the ultimate rejection. Of course, it’s not personal, but it certainly feels that way, especially when the chorus of “breast is best” echoes everywhere. From the beginning we have struggled with attachment issues, blistered nipples and incomplete feeds. But we have persevered. Though it hasn’t been easy we have managed, until a month ago when she moved from fussy to flat out refusal.

Breast refusal is hell. It is an emotionally complex experience fuelled by self-interrogation. Is it something I’ve eaten? Is my supply dropping? Is my flow too fast? Too slow? Is this position wrong? Why does she hate my boobs? And in the worst moments, why doesn’t my baby like me?

Like everything in parenting, advice is plentiful and conflicting.  “Just switch to the bottle” is a common response, but not particularly helpful when you so passionately want to breastfeed.

What can be done?

I hoped my baby’s breast refusal would pass in a few days, but it got worse. It got so bad that most feeds were abandoned. I tried everything the parenting experts suggested. I got nude, encouraging skin-to-skin contact. I tried feeding lying down. I tried standing up. I tried when she was awake, and when she was asleep. I tried feeding in the bath. And, I tried relaxing; the hardest of all them you’re faced with such trauma.

Aside from the stress of not being able to feed your baby, and hearing those haunting words “failure to thrive”, there is the social isolation that comes with breast refusal. Over the past month I have only left the house when absolutely necessary – to drop my other kids to and from school. There are no outings with other mums and bubs at parks or cafes. I cannot be out in public when it is time to feed. This is not only isolating but stressful, too. I spend my days mentally rehearsing how and when I am going to feed my baby. By the end of the day I am so physically and emotionally drained, I can barely function. But even after the dinner is done, kids are bathed and books are read, I still get out my double pump to express.

Spectra breastpump

My nighttime date with the breastpump…

Perseverance is key

It took my third Lactation Consultant to perform a thorough oral assessment of my baby. And we discovered she has a posterior tongue-tie and upper lip tie, making a comfortable attachment virtually impossible. She has since undergone a frenectomy (surgical revision of the frenum) and we are two weeks post-procedure. Releasing her ties has made a difference to our feeds. It’s still not easy, but she is no longer fighting at my breast. My shoulders have relaxed and she is willing to begin at the breast and be topped up with a bottle. I hope we can get her back to the boob full-time soon. I treasure the feeds that go well, because when she’s relaxed at my breast there really is no greater feeling in the world.

*First published on Babyology. 

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