"It smells of science!" a toddler sensory activity

Today we have been exploring all five of our senses with a simple, cheap but very cool activity.

I have done bicarbonate of soda 'volcanoes' in the past, but have found it to be quite a short-lived activity for my 2.5 and 3.5 year olds.

Today I had the idea of doing something with the bicarbonate of soda and vinegar that would engage them for a little longer.

I got out our sensory trays (aka plastic cat litter trays from a one pound discount shop!) and sprinkled the bottom with a fine layer of bicarbonate of soda. I then mixed a couple of bowls with a mixture of vinegar and paste food colouring to make a vinegar 'paint'.

I gave them a spoon each and showed them how to gently pour a small amount of the coloured liquid onto the bed of bicarbonate of soda.

They noticed the fizzing straight away

Doing a bit of stirring 

Without prompting my 3.5 year old declared "it smells of science!" - this is because when we have played with vinegar volcanoes in the past I have described it as science, so this goes to show that sensory stimulation causes incredible cognitive development in toddlers.

"Its making circle patterns, Mummy!"

Watching the girls play with this set up was fascinating. I hadn't considered that the spoons being used again to scoop up more liquid would leave small amounts of bicarbonate of soda behind in the bowls. My 2.5 year old said "my red water is making a noise!" - she was referring to the big bubbles she was popping with her spoon that were creating a fizz.

Small amounts of bicarbonate of soda created big bubbles
 in the red vinegar mix

"I've got fizzy monster hands!"

As far as messy activities go, this one is a pretty simple clean up, providing you cover your main surface with an easy wipe cloth. Dunking their hands in the warm soapy washing up bowl to help me wash the containers afterwards was another sensory bonus!

Helping to clear the activity away

Self-directed craft fun

Wherever possible, I like to allow my little people to lead the way and as a result I take a baby-lead approach to most things in my life as a parent. I firmly believe that children learn best when a supportive adult is present and engaging with the activity, but yet not actively involved in the process. I try to ask guiding questions, show interest and enthusiasm for their 'product' but allow them to own the experience themselves.

My three and a half year old is very keen to craft, she loves seeing a 'thing' she has made and adores giving her 'things' to anyone who happens to pop into the house (including the meter reader people!). I had been thinking of ways to make the creative process for making collages (her absolute favourite activity) a little more Olivia lead. So I came up with this!



I got these little drawers from a one pound discount shop and filled them with small amounts of our collage 'bits and bobs'. Liv is very fond of them and calls them her doodle drawers!

During this session, she decided to make rainbows with her glitter glue and pile some of her sparkly sequins on top. I asked her what she thought would happen if she used a brush to spread the glue out and she was thrilled to notice the sparkle of the glitter all over her page.

Sadly, she appears to have drown a little Easter chick in the glitter glue. Poor little guy.

A sneak peek of spring on a snowy day

My beautiful eldest daughter has her very first Easter bonnet parade at her Forest School on Tuesday. She is positively thrilled about the idea so I've been working away at a very special handmade bonnet.

Originally inspired by the beautiful felt crowns I see a lot of on Pinterest, I decided to make her a felt Easter headband.

Here are some sneak peeks before the big reveal once it is in it's rightful place atop her perfect little bonce.

While playing around with my box of felty I noted my sheer frustration at my embroidery floss being tangled. I decided I use some clothes pegs to help with the storage of it, and I think it worked really well. OCD porn anyone?

And this little guy says peepooo too!

Baby's Homebirth Story

Home Birth Story of Baby

The night before

I was having serious, irregular ‘niggles’, but I rolled my eyes at them since I had been there so many times before and at 40+3 I was bored of exciting myself!  I carried on and fetched some washing in and sat sewing PP CSP on the sewing machine.  I then had a telltale ‘show’ and had a very good feeling that this finally was it.  My OH was asleep on the sofa with a RUBBISH Paddy McGuinness stand-up show playing to itself so I decided to leave him and carry on nesting around him.  I woke him and we went up to bed together at around 11pm. 

The big day

At 2am I turned over in bed and felt what I thought was my waters breaking with a pop.  It turns out that it wasn’t my membranes….but my word I still have no idea what clicked and felt so odd inside me at this point!  I then became very aware of the niggles becoming more noticeable and I woke OH and we went down to do some bouncing on the ball and make a plan for Birth Day.

I called the midwife unit at 3am, and I asked if it would be ok to ‘ready’ the midwife but leave us for another couple of hours.  I remember watching some different but equally as rubbish comedy on the TV and asking OH to put some music on – we chose Beach House (spotify them) and they became the soundtrack to the labour.  We never stopped listening to the albums on repeat all the way through.  I called the unit back at 4:30 and the midwife was ‘dispatched’, I called my Doula and let my mum know to get the first train to come and help look after the toddlers.  I felt completely blissed out that my birth team were slowly assembling around me as people arrived.  I alternated between bouncing on the ball and walking around the house to keep the surges going.  The initial midwife was a little demanding, and kept trying to tell me to get up and move, but my Doula and OH quickly stopped her and knew that I knew exactly what I was doing.  Aside from this, she was really great and monitored me visually only aside from a sonicaid when she arrived and one when she left. 

Between 7am and 8am, the house went totally crazy!  The toddlers woke up so I went up to get them and got them dressed, cleared up breakfast as usual.  All the time buzzing my TENS when necessary but not paying too much attention to the surges.  My mum arrived and the midwives did a swap over.  Now this is the best part – the midwife who swapped was the AMAZING midwife who I had met three times antenatally and seemed to totally ‘get’ me and my confidence in my ability to birth naturally at home.  She adored my girls (they picked her some lavender before an antenatal appointment once and she said she had never forgotten how sweet a thing it was). As soon as she walked in I felt all shreds of anxiety disappear and I knew that this birth was going to be incredible.  She did her own set of observations and without noticing it the surges had really picked up with all the moving around with the girls and everyone being in place. 

Before I was aware it was 9am on a normal day, but my house was full of birth junkies and I was in labour.  Properly cool.  This is where I loose time awareness, but within the next hour mum took the girls to the park and we started setting up and filling the pool.  I very definitely started to ‘crack on’ when the girls had left and everything was getting organised.  All the time everything was very normal apart from me zoning in and silently stopping for surges and buzzing on the TENS.  My birth plan was being respected and I was in a completely blissed out, calm state.  I love being in labour. 

I then had a chat to my OH and Doula and after a little while I decided I would like a VE at this point before entering the pool.  I can’t really explain why I wanted it looking back now…something just made me have a burning desire…odd, unlike me but hey.  I can honestly say I didn’t feel her do a thing.  Walking up the stairs to bed was by far more uncomfortable!  And being lay on my back was just urgh….I couldn’t labour on my back…the thought makes me shudder.  She found that my membranes were still intact (what the heck was that unearthly pop then?) and that I appeared to be around 7cm. 

All the time my Doula was downstairs on pool duty frantically trying to sort the temperature out because I had made it very clear that I was getting in as soon as I got downstairs (the top was cold and the bottom was hot making the thermometer go a bit bonkers!) Once that was sorted with a few buckets being removed to make room for more cold water, at 11:30am I plunged in and oh my word it was amazing.  Just as I remember from my last two babies, that blissful weightless feeling is indescribable. Just amazing.

The last two surges before I got in were getting a little bit sharper, with a definite ‘downwards’ feeling to them.  These carried on beautifully in the pool and the downwards feelings were increasing with each.  Now I felt the need to have someone physically touching me and holding me all the time during a surge.  My doula was mainly doing this, but OH and the midwife took their turns too while everyone moved around and readied themselves for the birth.  I will never be able to thank my doula enough for doing this for me – she knew exactly what I needed and her presence and strength was just wow.  I had been in the pool about half an hour (I found this out later!) and I told OH that I will have given birth before the second midwife arrives because I was getting a lot of pressure and was actively breathing ‘upwards’ to avoid creating any grunty pushy pressure. 

I had had two previous third degree tears and had spent so much time antenatally going through this point in labour so as to avoid not getting a third third! Not giving any huge pushes, keeping everything very calm and relaxed even though my whole body wanted to bear down and just push the baby out was the hardest thing I have ever done. But with the help of my doula and OH being either side of me breathing in time with me I somehow, unbelievably managed it.   I remember allowing myself a little tiny push and feeling my waters break (still the most bizarre feeling ever, even though exactly the same thing happened with my second baby!).  With the next surge I felt tingly, but not the stinging burning feeling I felt with my other two.  Almost an awareness of ‘numb’ like pins and needles.  I remember then an overwhelming urge to push, but my birth prep was flowing through my mind in a calming chant-like manner, telling myself to breathe ‘up’.  Then I made the first noise I had for the entire time which was a very long, gurgling gasp in and I heard the midwives and my doula say ‘oh wow well done’ – this was his head being born.  I then tuned in to everyone else and heard them cooing over him and how amazing it was.  I felt the next surge and the rest of his body and shoulders slid out very easily.  I turned over like a lightning bolt and scooped him up between my legs (nobody was touching my boy before me!).  The next bit is a blur of squishy oxytocin loved up mush, but my placenta arrived in the pool physiologically after 30 minutes.

I still have no concept of time at this point. But he was born at 12:30pm – an hour after getting in to the pool, completely naturally with no pain relief.

I remember the feeling of dread when the midwife was readying herself to check me for a tear, but the feeling of relief when she said I had a very slight second was overwhelming.  Tears sprang to my eyes and I was just completely overwhelmed – I had done it.  I had got my perfect birth to the letter and I felt like an amazing, powerful birthing goddess.  She quickly stitched me up while I had him latched on and I got off my face on gas and air while she did it.  She told me afterwards that hadn’t she done the VE she would have been less confident to assess the tear to be a second, given my scar tissue.  I like to think the universe helped me out there and gave me a nudge to get the VE when I did. 

We were then left to bond with our gorgeous boy in our own home, with no transfer for a tear repair and no need to go to the hospital.  His sisters came home and were totally smitten with him.  A month on I am still walking around in a bliss-like state.  Birth is beyond words amazing.

Mummy Fluff

My free time this week has mostly been spent turning my newly organised fabric stash....

....and a delicious bag of minky Weenotions nappy offcuts into some yummy soft and comfortable goodies for myself after the birth of Baby.  

I started off making a rough, freehand pattern for each and tweaked it as I went along.  I have made my own cloth sanitary protection (CSP) before and already had a pattern for regular size, so I mainly just added some length and layers of absorbency to accommodate for heavy post partum bleeding and extra comfort for potential stitching (lets cross our fingers for no stitching this time though, please?).  I'm really pleased with these, and I can see them being really useful as night pads when my cycle returns after the birth too.  I think I need to aim to make a few more in this size.

Then I whizzed around a few in regular size too.

I also sewed up a stack of super cute breast pads for those gushing moments, especially in the first 8 or so weeks of feeding.  I made these in a slight teardrop shape to make them easier to turn and topstitch, because I am still dreaming of the day I can afford an overlocker.  When I tried them in my bra the teardrop shape was really handy because I could wedge it slightly under my bra at the bottom, which should help prevent them moving around.  I swooned and stroked them for a very long time when I had finished.  Just how cute do they look in this little rainbow stack.  Can't wait to have a need for these now :)

Yours Fluffily, until next time x

Small's Birth Story

Background:

Two weeks before (37 weeks) I had been told that I was in ‘slow labour’ and contractions were showing up on a trace when I went into hospital due to the midwife hearing an audible decel in her heartbeat. All was fine, but we were expecting her MUCH sooner than she arrived. 

I had planned a homebirth and was totally determined to get it! Luckily I had a very supportive antenatal midwife who was hoping it would be her who delivered me! I ordered my pool and got it set up in the living room at 37 weeks and spent the rest of the time looking after Liv, getting some bits and pieces together for my birth box and generally nesting!

The night before:

OH and I spent a long time talking about her name as we hadn’t really decided on anything by this point…then all of a sudden we came up with two great names in the space of 10 minutes. One weight off my mind. I then went online and had an incredible emotional debrief with a very good friend (she knows who she is!) about various things, including my previous 3rd degree tear. I remember telling her I was terrified of it happening again, but eventually for the first time I felt confident that I knew exactly what I was doing, I was in control of my labour and birth and the worst that could happen was that I tore again and I would go in to be stitched. I think it was a weight off my mind.

The big day

I woke up having been dreaming about having contractions (as usual!!) and felt the odd twinge here and there, but carried on with the morning without saying anything to Rick or wising too hard that this was it. After breakfast, I was becoming more aware of the tightenings, I decided this was definitely ‘it’ after I had a show. I remember popping on to tinternet and then I decided to ring my mum to come round to be a spare pair of hands for Big (14 months old at the time) and put my TENS machine on.

I had been doing lots of hypnobirthing practice beforehand, but when the time came, my body told me that carrying on as normal was the best thing to do. We watched television, played with Big and had lunch all as normal. I took Big upstairs, and breastfed her to sleep for her nap as usual.  Mum arrived and I decided to ring to inform the midwifery team since by this point I was getting tightenings every 3 minutes. She arrived to have a little check on me and I couldn’t believe it but was the same lady who had birthed with me up until 8cm with Big! Her departure was the beginning of the cascade of intervention that lead to my 3rd degree tear.  We had lots of cups of tea (raspberry leaf, naturally!), I bounced on the ball and OH watched the football since it was the first day of the season and he had been on a football drought for 3 months.... The midwife was there making observations and writing (she did a LOT of writing!), but was very happy for me to carry on as normal. She nipped to make a few house calls and came back at about 5pm when I asked her to examine me, I wanted to be sure that I was entering the pool for the final stretch of the labour and I didn't want to be in there for hours and hours.  I was 7cm and if I'm honest I couldn't believe it, I had barely been in any discomfort and was having a great time pottering around the house, playing with Big and chatting to the family.

Then the most memorable moment of the whole labour happened.  My OH and Mum set up the pool. Mum asked OH for the thermometer and he passed her the 'poo sieve'. He then looked at it again and said "actually, no.  I don't think that's it.  I think I know what that is for!" and then he preceded to turn a glorious shade of beetroot.  The ladies in the room all burst out with loud and wonderful fits of laughter, and Big also joined in with the giggles.  I will never ever forget the feeling of warmth and energy in the room at this moment.


Mum popped out with Big to the supermarket cafe to give her some tea and get some cake for us all, and I got in the pool. Bliss. All the aches and pains of the last few weeks disappeared and with my birthing playlist on in the background, I really went into myself and things picked up very quickly. I remember feeling horrendously sick and shouting for the sick bowl. I wasn’t actually sick, and it passed very quickly but I remember thinking ‘this can’t be transition, surely?? I’ve barely felt a contraction yet!’

The next contraction made me go ‘oooohhh’ which was the first time I had made any sort of labour related noise then I realised that OH and the MW both for some reason had left the room.  I felt incredibly alone and vulnerable in the pool and as soon as I found my voice to ask where they were, OH returned telling me he had gone for a wee because “this might be my last chance” he said!   Afterwards I learnt that the MW had gone to call her backup.  It seemed the out of character 'oooh' has sent everyone into a bit of a frenzy!  Another couple of surges come rather quickly and I say I’m feeling a bit pushy, I see the MW grab her phone and send a quick text….I find out later it read ‘bloody hurry up’ and was sent to the other MW!

The next contraction came and I felt myself pushing incredibly, extraordinarily and involuntarily.  It felt like some unknown force had taken over my entire body and I was outside looking in on what was happening. My waters went with a pop and I remember thinking that Small had exploded inside me.  Such a truly bizarre feeling when your waters go in water! The next contraction came with just as much force as the previous and despite my best attempts to breath through it and not give in to the feeling to push (I could feel the burning crowning feeling at this point too) and ….pop! Small's head was born, followed very quickly by her body in the same contraction.  At this point I knew I had torn again, I had felt that same *thud* feeling I did with Big.  

Small swam straight to my boob and latched within seconds. We had lovely skin to skin in the water and waited 30 minutes for a physiological placenta delivery.  Only then was the cord cut by Daddy.

At this point, I was bleeding a reasonable amount, so after getting out of the pool I chatted with the Midwives and we agreed that I would have the injection to help prevent a hemorrhage, even though I was very confident that that wasn't going to happen, I saw no harm now that Small was out and I was well. After the most uncomfortable examination to determine the severity of the tear (I had to have some g&a for this, after a completely drug free labour!) I had to go in to hospital to be stitched with a spinal again, because the big and quick 8lb 13oz lump caused another third degree tear.

Bye bye Bounty...

During my 'booking in' appointment prior to the birth of my third baby due in August, I was dutifully handed a doorstep sized Bounty Pregnancy Information Pack.  Let's just get it out there right now - I despise Bounty.  I despise their infiltration of maternity and antenatal wards, I despise their shameless targeting of vulnerable women, I despise their business of selling details and most of all I despise their godlike status among maternity staff.  

So, this blog is focused on my final point - their godlike status among maternity staff.  During the appointment the Midwife trundled out to a giant cupboard which was taking up a huge amount of space in the antenatal department, and returned with the pack.  Along with the pack came the following instructions "Here is your Bounty pack, this is full of  information about your pregnancy including a list of foods to avoid, and a booklet on antenatal screening that you need to read." When I got home, I saw that an 'in house' foods to avoid leaflet had been added to the pack as well as a tests for you and your baby booklet.  

The next part was the part that sent rage deep down to my core, she said "It is vitally important that you put your hand held maternity notes into the Bounty folder so that they stay safe, clean and recognisable" ....

.... Woah woah woahhh.  Back up a bit there, is is "vitally important" that I become a waddling, talking, pregnant advertising machine for Bounty, is it?  THIS is exactly my issue - two things could be happening here, either the Midwife actually believes this nonsense herself and feels safe in the knowledge that she is passing on accurate information, OR she is told to say this to mothers by someone her senior who is involved with the finanacial gain from being a host hospital for the packs.

Either way, I don't subscribe to this.  I will not be a walking taking cash cow for such a vile company, so this weekend fired up by the suggestion that this environmentally damaging non-recyclable plastic wallet is "vitally important" I got my sew on and made myself this little wallet for the notes.  I am really pleased with it, and feel in a tiny little way that I have indeed *won*.