Tag Archives: Coughs and Colds

Feb 24 2014

The Co-Sleeping Plan for Mini Madam - NCT Bednest Introduction

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A few months ago I was unfortunate enough to see yet another Katie Hopkins VS The World interview on This Morning. This time she was up against Peaches Geldof and raising some quite valid objections to the attachment parenting craze, then losing the point entirely and transgressing into a bile-frothing pantomime baddie in her usual unattractive style.

Image Source: The Daily Mail

I have always stood by the idea that mums and dads should be free to parent their children in whichever style suits them best but I can’t help but agree that some AP principles are a little over the top. Although each of the ideas sound fine in theory, whether it is all 100% achievable at all times without mum and dad burning out is another thing entirely. Take, for example - “A parent’s role in tantrums is to comfort the child, not to get angry or punish her” - and it seems to suggest we should reward bad behaviour with love and affection. This smacks of fire-fighting rather than prevention and doesn’t sit too well with me. I’m also looking forward to getting my body back when Mini Madam vacates it, and I’m unsure whether I could cope with her being strapped to me by swathes of fabric all day as per the whole baby-wearing thing.

That said, I can definitely see the merits of co-sleeping. Although I’m loathe to have Mini Madam physically in bed with Craig and I, the idea of having her close to me is one I can definitely get on-board with.

When Dexter was weeny he slept beside us in a Moses Basket on a stand. When he cried in the night, despite my c-section stitches, I’d jump out of bed and whisk his basket downstairs into the lounge for a nightfeed so as not to disturb Craig (he works from 6am to 6pm as a courier and I don’t want him falling asleep at the wheel). I’d end up popping on the tv at 3am, getting engrossed in a box set of The Wire or The West Wing and not making it back to bed.

This time around, I’m determined not to repeat the same mistakes. I was exhausted from the hours spent in front of the tv and really struggled throughout the day to keep on top of my early parenting responsibilities. On more than a few occasions I’d catch myself popping his bottles in the washing machine or folding dirty babygrows to put into his drawers, and eventually had to concede I wasn’t getting enough sleep.

So here’s my plan of attack with Mini Madam:

  • Nightfeeds will take place in bed, next to Craig
  • Strictly no television during the night, I have a Kindle if I’m worried about falling asleep on duty
  • She’ll be (fingers crossed) exclusively breastfed (not least) to avoid fuzzy-headed formula mixing in the middle of the night
  • She’ll sleep in an NCT Bednest within arms reach of me as I sleep

Yep, having seen these co-sleepers up close and personal at The Baby Show, I’m ditching the Moses Basket and going for it. I never fully trusted my Moses Basket to hold Dexter’s weight when going up and down the stairs anyway, and given it’s been in the loft for over a year, I’ll leave it for the spiders who have no doubt taken up residence on the folds of plastic that have been protecting it. I’ve heard countless stories from distraught parents who have had their babies take a tumble due to faulty straps, or found their babies face first in mounds of decorative fabric. Like all parents, I just want the safest option for Mini Madam.

The Bednest is a little bit genius. Fully height adjustable, it’ll sit right next to me as I lie in bed, in line with our own mattress (this affixes to your bed to ensure no gaps). The advantages are obvious. As she drifts off to sleep, the Bednest allows her space of her own to sleep in - without risk of me rolling over and squashing her. When she needs reassurance or feeding, the side panel can be dropped down to form a bridge between her mattress and my own. This flat surface means I can slide her towards me and onto my chest for a feed or cuddle in one continuous movement.

One thing I hadn’t realised until yesterday’s demo, is that there’s also the option of slanting the Bednest’s stand so baby can sleep with her head raised. This is a perfectly safe way of helping a baby deal with reflux, colic and head colds that may be causing them discomfort throughout the night. When Dexter was suffering, we’d pop a few books under his mattress to achieve the same thing, but I often used to think how uncomfortable this must have been given how thin baby mattresses are. This is a massive bonus for me as I’m sure we’re bound to have a few hiccups on our breastfeeding journey.

They’re £299 to own, but also available to rent (£99 for 6 month’s rental). Given co-sleepers are notoriously expensive (trust me, I’ve looked around!) this is the most cost-effective way of achieving safe co-sleeping I’ve found.

This is my NCT Bednest Introduction. I’m going to be blogging all about Bednest in a series of posts about safe co-sleeping as part of an extended review with the brand. There’ll be videos, pictures, and reports about how it has (hopefully) been the ideal solution for our family. So get ready for lots of seriously cute ‘sleeping baby’ pics.

 

 

 

Nov 19 2013

Stocking Up the Medicine Cabinet… Hello Cold and Flu Season!

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Not for the first time during this pregnancy, I’m ill. Last night I woke up at 1.30am, ran to the bathroom, tossed a bath towel on the cold tiles, and prepared myself for a half hour camp-out wedged between the bath and the toilet. Somehow I managed to wake up Craig and Dexter and now we’re all feeling very groggy today. I’m beginning to think that my hometown has been sent across a very dodgy batch of vaccinations as part of some strange NHS conspiracy - my Facebook timeline is full of statuses with people reporting to be ill as a result of a flu jab (I had one a month ago). I’m almost thankful that at 18 months, Dexter is just below the recommended age for a nasal vaccine.

Of course, now that I’m ill, Dexter & Craig soon will be too. As neither of them are pregnant, they can obviously raid the medicine cupboard, whereas poor old mummy has to rely on a duvet, a Kool n Sooth patch, and a box of Kleenex to shift any pesky illnesses. Here’s my must-have products and gadgets for keeping your family fighting fit during the cold and flu season (all helpfully available online at Pharmacy at Hand so you don’t have to brave the arctic temperatures to get your mitts on them!):

A Thermometer

Essential if you have a little one in the house. If they can’t talk, they can’t tell you they’re feeling under the weather, and if they can talk, they’re very prone to exaggerating or lying to get a day off school! Remember that any temperature over 37.5°C is classed as a fever and you should act immediately - keep rooms well ventilated, strip them down, and give them plenty of fluids. A child-friendly paracetamol can be used when all else fails, and don’t be shy about ringing your GP or going to A&E if you’re really concerned.

Cold & Flu Medicine

Cold & flu hot drinks (any brand) really do help. The steam will help ease congestion, and most varieties contain paracetamol so will help reduce temperatures. Unfortunately, these aren’t safe for your littlies so make sure you’ve got some infant suspension medicine at the ready too. Most brands now come with handy syringes for easy measuring and administration. They also make fun bath toys when not in use… works on Dexter anyway!

Nasal Sprays

As they are sterile, simple saline sprays are safe to use from birth. They’re great for moistening the nasal lining and unblocking the nose by thinning mucus build-up and rinsing it away. Like most medications, they can be incredibly difficult to administer however. The merest sight of these send Dexter into a blind panic.

Decongestant Oils

My mum swore by this when I was little. Just a few drops on a tissue craftily buried in your child’s pillowcase will help breakdown any snotty build-up throughout the night. You can also hide a tissue in between a vest and a sleep suit during the day for 24 hour coverage. For adults, thankfully brands such as Olbas Oil have come up other ways for us to feel the benefit such as lozenges and bullet-shaped inhalers.

Nasal Aspirators

Okay, okay so these bad boys are unpleasant - for baby and mum and dad - but they do really shift mucus from your little ones nasal passage. As babies can’t blow their noses it beats smearing snot across their cheeks!

Daily Vitamins

Prevention is always better than cure so make sure your child is getting a daily multivitamin tablet. For babies, ensure they are eating healthily and getting plenty of fruit and vegetables.

 

And for mummy? Well, I guess the only thing that works us pregnant folks, is tons of early nights (easier said than done if yesterday’s post is anything to go by!), lots of cuddles and kisses, Radox baths, and a good skin care regime to stop the central heating from drying out our already dehydrated skin. Note to brother / dad / mum I’m a massive fan of Skinceuticals UK if you’re looking for stocking fillers for Christmas!

PR Collaboration

 

Nov 4 2013

17 Weeks Pregnant (Part 1): Overdoing it in Pregnancy

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I’m back to my whingey self for this update. I’ve got a funny feeling this post is going to seem more like a ‘Dear Diary’ than my usual sarcastic offerings…

Here we go.

So I’m now 17 weeks pregnant and I’m not feeling well at all.

Although the morning sickness has abated and I’m physically and emotionally in second trimester territory, I’ve been struck by every single bug and infection my little hometown has to offer. From coughs that hang around for weeks, to colds that plug your ears and make your eyes weep - I’ve had it all.

Last week saw dizzy spells and near faints that were particularly scary given I’m home alone with Dex throughout the day. Blood pressure checks and iron counts followed and it seems I’m a little low on both fronts. Everything can be resolved by medication but it’s still causing migraines that could register on the Richter scale. Every scream, bang, or cry from Dex rattles through my head like fingernails on a chalkboard.

I’m having to concede that some, if not all, of these illnesses, are probably a result of my pushing my body too far. Physically I’ve had a punishing schedule. Dexter is napping less throughout the day making it difficult to find time to relax. He’s also more active and adventurous than ever. Being so young, he’s still very susceptible to any bugs I’m carrying, so my poor little guy has had more than his fair share of tricky-to-shift colds over the last few weeks too. We’re very lucky he’s such a calm and happy toddler or things would have been even harder.

I’ve also had the odd day where I’ve pulled muscles in unthinkable places. At the Baby Show a few weekends ago, I stupidly overdid it and spent hours on my feet. As my bump is very heavy, it tested the ligaments in my upper thighs and pelvis. When we finally got home in the early evening, I was stiff and exhausted and had a mystery pain in my lower abdomen.

Ever the hypochondriac, I took to Facebook and Twitter to have a moan, and was reassured by many that I’d just tweaked a muscle. If not for social media, I’d have probably spent a long (and somewhat embarrassing) night with the drunks in A&E. Like most things it disappeared a few days after so I’d have felt like a right prat wasting time at the hospital.

We’ve also recently been made aware that our landlord’s are due to sell our house (we private rent). This is part and parcel of renting, and we had intended to upgrade to a three-bedroom property when the new baby was a few months old anyway, so it’s not so much of a disappointment as a kick up the bum. The uncertainty is a little a stressful though. Although our landlords are hopeful that we won’t have to leave the house until April, as this is baby’s due date, we’re anxious about having to undergo such upheaval immediately before the birth.

Thankfully we’ve now found a really lovely place and (fingers crossed) we should be able to move at the back end of this month instead. It’s still unconfirmed as regards notice periods at the moment, but I do feel a little better having seen a few suitable places since receiving the news. If we lose the opportunity on this house, I suspect my anxiety levels will creep up again, but right now we’re hopeful all will progress as planned. It will definitely be a relief to move in before Christmas so I can spend my last trimester stress-free (particularly given Dexter surprised us all by arriving at 38 weeks!).

So… I’m after relaxation tips in pregnancy. Thanks to Craig, I’m getting time alone in the evenings for a soak in the bath, but it would be great to grab some me-time throughout the day. Any advice gratefully appreciated.

 

 

pixel 17 Weeks Pregnant (Part 1): Overdoing it in Pregnancy