Our 5 most useless baby buys

1: The pregnancy pillow

I read reviews raving about various pregnancy support pillows. At around 7 months i started to struggle with sleeping, suffering with back ache and struggling to get comfortable. Thankfully I didn't need to buy one as my aunt let me borrow hers. For me though, it wasn't helpful at all, in fact it just made me feel really warm and just got in the way. Considering they come in at around £50 from Mothercare, i just don't think its worth the money. You could probably get the same sort of support with a few pillows.

2: Breast feeding pillow

Again, another highly reviewed and recommended product by many mums. I, like everyone else, had to have one and saw one on offer in Mothercare for £30.00, so decided to get it. However in the last 4 months i have used it at most 2 or 3 times. I had a c-section and initially felt that the pillow actually felt really uncomfortable when it was resting on me. I didn't completely right it of at this stage and waited till my scare healed a little before trying again. But once I did, i still didn't find it to be wholly comfy and found that if I was on the sofa i had to sit in a very upright position to use the pillow, when in fact i was much comfier with my legs crossed on the sofa, with a cushion under my arm to rest on. I know a lot of family and friends swear by it and it makes breastfeeding much more comfortable for them, but i wouldn't buy another and will probably just pass mine on to a friend. Maybe i just haven't got the hang of using it correctly.

3: Baby Bath support

We got a very simply sponge bath support, it was pretty cheap from Home bargains, around £4.00 i think. We are still using it, but im not sure about how much support it actually provides, as we still have to hold baby with one hand, we cant actually have both hands free and he cant really just lay in the bath with the support without us holding him. We're still using it just as I feel it's probably a little more comfortable for baby to be laying on a spongy warm surface, rather than straight on to plastic. I think I'm going to have to have a look at other bath supports for when he is a little older and I can move him in to the big bath.

4: Swaddling blanket

This is one of those items a lot of people swear by... including my mum, who encouraged me to swaddle. However baby Hamzah hated being swaddled, and wanted his arms to be free. So it just didn't work for us. I guess maybe if we persisted a little longer, he would have just got used to it.

5:  Baby shoes

I don't even feel like putting these on the useless list, because there so cute! but that's pretty much the only purpose they serve, they look cute. They can be a pain to put on and a even bigger pain to keep on. Our baby is constantly kicking his off. I have found it much easier to use the 'shoe' socks, which are pretty cute too, but actually stay on babies feet. Its probably best just to save baby shoes for special occasions or when there a little older when the shoes actually stay on.

Our 5 most useful baby buys

1: Baby grows/sleep suits:

These are amazing, an all in one outfit for baby to wear during the day or to sleep in. There comfy, light and normally come in a cotton material.  You can also get them in a fleecy material or velour for the colder months which i love! You don't need to spend a lot of money on them, and can get them relatively cheaply from any of the super markets, I've found the best ones in Asda and Tesco. Even though i must say I do love the quality of the ones from mamas and papas.

2: Muslin cloths:

We can not have enough muslin cloths for our little one! Baby Hamzah has suffered with reflux which means he is constantly bringing up his milk, so these cloths have really come in handy to mop up anything which his bib cant handle. Initially i only bought one pack of them, thinking we would never really need them. But now i have an endless supply, so we never run out! They come in all sorts of funky colours, and can be picked up from all supermarkets and obviously the baby shops. They're not always cheap though. I think I found the cheapest at Primark.

3: Bibs:

Again, these have been used on a daily basis. I have read reviews where people say there useless until baby actually starts to eat. But if your little one is like ours and constantly bringing up some milk after a feed, its always best to have a bib on. Especially if you are on the way out and baby is wearing a nice outfit.

4: Colic free bottles:

Even though i am predominantly breastfeeding, i have also used formula on days when were out. However, baby Hamzah suffered with pretty bad colic in the evenings and we found that using a colic free bottle, we chose Dr Browns, really did help him on the days we gave him formula.

5: Moses Basket:

The moses basket has been great for us. I know a lot of parents say that their newborns don't like them, or they hardly use them and before they know it the baby has outgrown the basket. Hamzah is nearly 4 months now, and has only recently outgrown his. We have got so much use out of our basket, its light and easy for me to carry down to our living room for his day time naps and was just as easy to take back up in the evenings. Its not as big as a cot or cot bed and our baby was really comfy in it. I wasn't so keen on the mattress that came with out kinder valley moses basket from Asda, so we got a new mattress and I also added a blanket on top,  just to make it all cozy for him. At only £40 plus £20 for the stand, its one of our best buys for sure!

Baby buggies bug me!! Review on the Graco Evo

Choosing a pram/buggy for our baby was a real pain!
We started looking around for something quite early on in my pregnancy, but didn't end up buying anything until i was around 36 weeks!

Initially i was completely set on getting a travel system; as a first time mum, i wanted everything, so i could cover every eventuality. I really liked the look of the  bugaboo and stokke pushchairs and loved the idea of having a carry cot. I soon realised though that these options were way to expensive for us, coming in at around £800! plus i knew i would be driving around most of the time, so the main thing we would be using is the actual car seat.

We soon realised that pushchairs/prams/buggies are constantly on different offers and so we waited until we could get a good deal on the graco. In the end we decided not to buy the carry cot, (which would have been another £100.00)but got the push chair, and car seat for £229.00 from mothercare. We also bought the isofix base so we can easily secure the car seat without faffing about with the seat belt. It was another £74.99 but i would definitely recommend it. It just makes the whole process so much easier.

So in our package we got; the pushchair, footmuff, rain cover, car seat + adaptors to fit the car seat on to the pushchair frame.

We haven't actually used the pushchair seat as of yet as our little one has just turned 3 months, we have preferred to leave him in his car seat rather than disturbing him and moving him in to the bigger seat, which i must say is also suitable from birth as it has a lay flat position for new born babies. I was pleased with the fact that once we do use it, we have the option of having baby face us or away.

The car seat itself is fairly heavy for me, but from what i remember when shopping around all car seats are pretty heavy, and I'm just not one for lifting heavy weights! it does however fit very nicely and easily on to the frame with the adaptors.

It is a very easy to use pushchair, the actual frame is really light and i can close it and open it pretty much with one hand. I have in the past pushed my aunts quinny around town and really struggled as it just felt so sluggish and stiff and the wheels were so big. The graco defo is much smoother and just feels nice and light to manoeuvre.

There is also a large basket at the bottom of the of the pushchair, which is great for keeping the babes changing bag as well as my handbag most of the time.

Pros for the Graco evo:
*light weight frame
*easy to open and close (can be done with one hand)
*3 position seat (including laying flat for newborn or sleeping baby)
can face baby towards you or away
*large shopping basket
*has a car seat that can easily be attached to the frame with adaptors

Cons:
*Nowhere to hang extra shopping bags;if like me you have used up the shopping basket. However you can easily get some pram hooks from somewhere like amazon  i got mine from tesco for about £5.00
*It doesn't look as stylish as some of the more popular brands, but the price reflects that.

we haven't really taken the Graco anywhere but in to town really and its been great so far! i will update the post if i have any issues or notice any other advantages as we make more use of it!

Hospital bag essentials

Packing your hospital bag can be quite daunting, you don't want to over pack, but on the other hand you obviously don't want to leave any essentials at home.

This is just my guide to the things i packed in my hospital bag. To start with i had two bags, one for me and for the baby. I used a small trolley case for my items, just from wilkos, and used my babies changing bag to keep his essentials.

My hospital bag: 

• Nightwear: I would say a least x2, as you just don't know how messy you will be or how many days you will spend in hospital, so always better to be on the safe side. 
• A dressing gown: For obvious reasons, its comfy for walking around in, and i found it to be a pretty convenient cover up for when i had family visiting us. 
• Slippers: Something comfortable, and i had some that were suitable to wear in the shower too. 
• Comfortable cotton briefs: At least 2/3 pairs, a lot of other essential check lists also tell you to pack the disposable briefs, which i did, but hated. I would recommend just getting a pack from somewhere like primark, that you can always dispose of if you want to. Mine were really comfy and came in really handy, especially considering i had a a c-section.
• Maternity towels: x48- I got mine from boots, but have heard from friends that they used tesco and Asda own brands too, and they did the job. 
• Nursing bra: I don't think i even bothered wearing one in the hospital, but its something you will need once you get back home.
• Breast pads: You defo need these if you are planning on breast feeding, I'm still using mine! 
• Toiletries: tooth brush/toothpaste; lip balm; hairbrush (i actually forgot mine lol) it was on my list though! light makeup and oh a towel or two!
• Birthing plan and notes
• Coins/money for the car park
• Mobile phone and charger 
• Drinks and snacks 
• Comfortable clothes for going home in. 

My babies hospital bag: 

http://www.boots.com/en/Koto-Leatherette-Baby-Changing-Bag-Brown_1022162/

Koto Leatherette Baby Changing Bag

• Nappies: I took around 10 with me and was in hospital for three days, so had to send my husband home to pick up some more. You shouldn't really need any more than 10 if you are only in for 1 night though. 
• Newborn gentle wipes: I used the Johnson's baby extra sensitive ones 
• Vests: These can be long or short sleeved with poppers at the bottom to keep the nappy secure
• Sleep suits: x2 
• Baby blanket: x2 
• Hat and mittens x 2 
• Going home outfit: I took 2 
• Pack of muslin's 
• Baby towel
• Baby bath products 
• Baby car seat: Hospitals do not always let you leave the hospital without one now

So that's about everything i packed for me and my baby. I would suggest taking some spare clothes, a tooth brush, and some snacks for your partner too, ( i didn't) but wish i had as we were at the hospital for longer than we had planned and my husband was staying with me. 

It would probably also be a good idea to take your breast feeding pillow with you, and your own pillow, just to make you feel a little more comfortable if you do end up spending more than 1 night at the hospital. 

It does seem like A LOT of stuff, but honestly i think it is defo better to have everything you might need with you, rather than having your other half running around trying to find things while your in hospital. :)

"Its a boy... Its a boy!!!" - Welcome to the world baby Hamzah

DISCLAIMER: I'm going to ramble, and a lot, sorry!! if you just want to see some cute pics, scroll right past! lol 

We had never planned for our baby to arrive on his due date! the night before he made an appearance i had been having mild contractions (which i had assumed were just braxton hicks). On the morning of 28th August i encouraged my husband to go to work as normal as i was convinced that the baby wasn't going to be arriving for at least another few days. I mean, how many babies are really born on their due date anyway right...? lol 

As the day went on, and the intensity of the contractions increased, my family convinced me to go to the hospital and get checked, even though i continued to do the hoover and put the washing out;(i defo had the nesting bug)  i asked my husband to come home.

When he arrived he started to get our hospital bag and the babies car seat in to the car, but i really didn't see why he was bothering as i just assumed we would be sent right back home. little did i know our little bundle was to appear in less than 7 hours!

We finally got to the hospital at around 4.30pm, and made our way to the birth centre, where the midwife checked me and as i had assumed told me that the contractions were not lasting long enough just yet. They were lasting around 30 seconds, but needed to be lasting at least 60 seconds for them to actually take me seriously! We were asked to have a walk around in the hospital to see how i get on.

We decided to venture out on a hunt for food; as normal! We didn't get far though, a few metres from the doors and my waters decided to break, and like people say, when they go, you know they have gone, i knew.. lol So we plodded back to the birth centre and chuckled with the midwifes about my waters going. We assumed everything was fine, until she asked if the waters had been clear, (which they hadn't; i wont go in to the gruesome details) but we were told that the baby had decided to poop inside me, which is apparently pretty dangerous and i would no longer be able to stay in the birth centre!

I was moved to the labour ward pretty quickly and then told that i would be checked and given a sweep to progress the labour, if this wasn't very effective, i would then be put on a drip to be induced. OK, so, the sweep, ugh! was literally the most uncomfortable and painful thing ever! i would say, worse than the pain of a contraction, just simply awful! It did intensify my contractions but when they checked me a few hours later, they found that i hadn't dilated more than 3cm. While all this was going on they had been monitoring the babies heart beat, which had been fluctuating and so they had been keeping an eye on it.  From what i know now, it had apparently dropped worryingly low a few times, and so they really wanted to get me on the drip and induce me to get this baby out asap!

When i heard that the drip was coming, i asked for the epidural, i was always open to the idea, and i didn't see why i should suffer any longer, especially when i knew that this pain was going to get far worse! and oh i refused to take gas and air, it just made me feel all sick and dizzy and it wasn't a feeling i liked! i know a lot of women love it, but it wasn't doing anything for me!

I did finally get the epidural,(which made everything in the world, just fineee) but it was about 2 hours after i had asked for it and i had been in hospital for around 5 or 6 hours by this time. I only had about 20mins of bliss with the epidural, when my little munchkin had decided he had, had enough and got completely distressed, which meant that his heart rate was staying very very low, so they rushed me off to have an emergency cesarean, where i was given a general anaesthetic, and my husband couldn't even be in the room with me! It was the first time i had actually panicked and thought damn, something could seriously go wrong here. I didn't really have much time to worry though, as i was knocked out within seconds.

I came round an hour and half later at 10.56pm to see my beautiful healthy baby boy, Hamzah, weighing 7llbs 2onz( i couldn't actually see him very clearly as i was still pretty out of it and my vision was hazy; but i knew he was beautiful anyway..lol) 

Hamzah: 1 day old
OOTD: Baby blanket from mamas and papas

Baby feeties

Baby shower cupcakes