Tears, Tantrums and Tiredness - Coping With Sleep Deprivation As A First-Time Mum

Being tired is par for the course when it comes to having a baby, but you probably didn’t realise just how tired you would be. Babies can be
unpredictable, and despite your best efforts, their routine will not run like clockwork. When you’re tired, you can find it difficult to function,
leaving you irritable and miserable. When extreme tiredness sets in, it’s time to reevaluate your routine and make some changes to help you
get some precious sleep.

Elliot at 4 weeks old 

Take a look at some tips for getting more sleep as a first-time mum.

Sleep when your baby sleeps

This is often said to new mums, and while you’ve probably got a million things on your to-do list to tackle when baby is asleep - it’s good to
be selfish and take the time to get those zs. You’ll feel much more energised if you sleep, leaving you better able to juggle looking after the
baby and yourself.

Not my best look but you have to take a nap when you can!

Ask for some relief

It’s not a weakness to ask for some help. Having someone watch the baby for a few hours while you get some much-needed shut-eye
can really help you out. Tell a friend or relative that you're struggling and ask them to come over - make sure you thank them and
ensure that there’s plenty of tea and biscuits in the house!

Share the night feeds

If you can, sharing the night feeds with your partner could make a big difference. This is trickier when you’re breastfeeding, but feeding
from a bottle with Bubbahood can allow both you and your partner to split the work. You’ll get a longer sleep at night and your partner
will get the chance to bond with the baby.

Get an early night

Once baby’s gone to bed for the night, you could be tempted to stay up catching up on your favourite box sets and watching late night telly.
However, doing the sensible thing and having an early night now and then will do you the world of good. If you find it difficult to switch off,
there are some great tips for getting to bed earlier at night that will help you. Even going to bed early a couple of nights a week will make a
difference, leaving you feel like a new woman.

Try sleep training

Sleep training is something you could try from around the 4 - 4.5 months mark, and is an excellent way to help your baby sleep through the
night. It’s not for everyone, but it is something worth considering to help you and your partner get a better night’s sleep. You can read
sleep training stories to see how other mums coped with it, and it might inspire you to give it a try.

Get to know your baby’s sleeping patterns

Babies can adapt to a routine pretty quickly, and once you work out what their sleeping pattern is, you’ll be better able to plan your own
routine around it. Want to know how much sleep your baby should be getting? The NHS Choices website has some excellent resources to
help you get your baby to sleep and other useful tips for parents. Remember that your baby will become a better sleeper over time, sleeping
for longer stretches and waking up far less during the night.

Relax

Even if you’re not always able to nap or get to bed on time, doing some relaxing activities can help you to restore your energy, and prepare
you for sleep. Taking a nice warm bath will easily help to relax you, while a bit of yoga or meditation can also help relax your mind. Try chilling
out in a dimly-lit room with some calming fragrances and simply take a step back for a bit. This is a good chance for you to relax with your
partner while baby’s asleep.

Get active

While exercise might be the furthest thing from your mind, it can be something that helps you get to sleep, as well as helping you to stay
healthy. When you’ve got a baby in tow, walking is a fantastic exercise. Wrap the baby up and take all of the essentials with you so that
you can enjoy a nice long walk and up that step count. It will do you good to get out of the house and can form an enjoyable part of your
daily routine.

The lack of sleep can be one of the least enjoyable parts of being a new mum - but it’s something that most mothers go through. As much

as people can be annoying when you’re pregnant or have just had a baby, it’s worth listening to what they have to say - you never
know when a nugget of information could help! Always do what’s best for you and your baby and try to get those precious moments
of sleep when you can - you’ll feel better for it.

*Collaborative post

Erin at 9 Months Old

I had good intentions of blogging baby updates for Erin but the I only managed one at 5 weeks old - how slack is that! She's 9 months now so things have moved on alot since those early newborn days!

I'm never sure of the best way to do these baby updates but I've taken inspiration from The Mummy Stylist and used some of her headers to make for easier reading!

So here we go...

How is Erin....

Weight/Size - I haven't had her weighed at the clinic in a few weeks but I popped her on our scales the other day and she was just over 20lb. She certainly feels a lot heavier when I'm lugging her around in the carseat!

Clothes wise she's still in her 6-9 month outfits but she has so many lovely things in 9-12 months so I'm looking forward to putting her in those. Lots of cat and bunny prints!

Food: 
Oh my god, she certainly loves her food!! Her bottles have decreased rapidly over the last week and she now only has one at around 3pm and one at bedtime. She's on 3 meals a day, plus snacks and has taken to baby led weaning like a duck to water. She loves having a weetabix for brekkie, plus some fruit. Lunchtime is normally a dairylea sandwich or crumpet with some veggie sticks/cheese/breadsticks/fruit. For dinner she generally has the same as us but sometimes I make pizza pinwheels - I found the recipe on Pinterest and she loves them. I like the fact you can put anything in there! I usually put peppers, ham, mushroom and cheese. (The only problem is my husband loves them too so there's never any leftovers!)

Sleep
She's a great little sleeper and has been sleeping through since around 8 weeks. I cut out the night time bottles pretty quickly so if she does wake up, I can normally just sooth her back to sleep. Although I'm not opposed to having her in our bed if she's unsettled - I love the cuddles! Up until recently she was in a crib next to our bed but she got way too big for it and was bashing her head everytime she rolled over. So last week we finally finished clearing the spare room and we dug Elliot's cot out of the garage for her to have. She looks so small in it! Wake up time is usually around 630-7 but it depends if Elliot's up early - he's got an annoying habit of waking her up. Sometimes he doesn't mean to, but him yelling "I need a wee! I'm going for a wee!" and turning all the lights on generally wakes everyone up ;) I just bring her into our bed and have a cuddle before we get up for brekkie around 715am.

Naptimes are a bit hit or miss - it really depends where we are and what we're doing. She usually has a short one around 930am (especially if shes awake early), then another around lunchtime (maybe 45-60mins) and then sometimes another one just before tea around 430pm. She loves falling asleep in the car but I have been known to get the buggy out of the garage to rock her to sleep if she's fighting the nap!

Development
She's almost crawling - she gets up on her knees and does a funny rocking motion! She also does a kind of commando crawl backwards. She certainly gets around though despite not crawling properly, she's super fast at spinning and rolling! Just yesterday she has started to pull herself onto her knees and has finally figured out how to get down on her belly from a sitting position.

She babbles alot and sometimes it sounds alot like dadadada or mumumumumum but it's hard to tell if this is literally just baby babble or her trying to say words! She's very vocal - especially when she's in the trolley in the supermarket, that's her favourite time to shout!!

She has 4 teeth (top and bottom front ones) but I think she has another on the way because there's alot of dribble. She won't let us see though, and I dare anyone to put their fingers near those chompers!

Her hair is growing and seems to be getting darker. Sometimes it sticks up in a little quiff and a few people have called her TinTin!

What We Have Done
I have to admit, I've not been quite as enthusiastic about getting out to baby classes this time around. Sorry Erin, second child syndrome and all that! We do swimming lessons each week though and she really enjoys that. I have also booked us onto a baby music class for the next few weeks. We went to a trial one last month and she loved it!

Aside from the structured baby activity classes, we see our friends regularly. We're off to the farm tomorrow and we have a few playdates lined up with just the younger siblings which will be nice.

How Am I?
Busy....always busy! I'd forgotten how much time a baby can take up and I do struggle to fit everything in sometimes. Blogging has taken a backseat, and I'm a bit behind on my actual work - working at the laptop with a baby is harder than I thought!
Happy in general though, I love being a Mum and we are lucky to have a brilliant close knit group of friends that we see alot :)

What about Elliot? 
 I absolutely adore seeing the bond grow between Elliot and Erin! She loves her big brother and it's so sweet when he makes her laugh. He has never shown any jealousy towards her and just loves being in her company. He can't wait for her to wake up in the mornings!

What Erin Likes at 9 months:

Food - especially those Heinz baby biscuits, she can't get enough of those...
Swimming lessons with Turtle Tots
Her big brother making her laugh
Attention from anyone and everyone - she grins and stares at everybody we see until they notice her!
Teletubbies
Clapping her hands and squealing
Elliot's plastic toolbox - especially the spirit level
Taking things out of a bowl/box...and putting them back in again
Bathtime
Being tickled

What Erin Dislikes at 9 Months:

Having her face wiped
Getting changed, especially when I try and put her arms into things!
Not getting any attention!
Being strapped into her carseat
Running out of food
Waiting for food to cool down
Waiting for bottles to be made

Stay tuned for another update....probably when she's about 15 at the rate I'm going!

Linking up with...

Newborn Essentials - Things We Actually Used!

When you're pregnant you're bombarded with recommendations of things you MUST buy. I fell for this on my first pregnancy and ended up with a ton of stuff I never really used but felt like I had to have just because I'd been told to.

This time round I was abit more savvy and didn't make any unnecessary purchases, instead sticking with the things I'd tried and tested for myself the first time round.

So here's my list of essentials - stuff we actually used!

Asda Little Angels Newborn Nappies - At half the price of Pampers, I really don't think you can beat the Little Angels range of nappies. They are soft on bums and sizes 0-2 even come with a freedom section at the navel to protect the umbilical area which can be extra sensitive in the first few months.
Hayley Westenra - Hushabye CD - This is a bit of a random one but Erin really reacts to music and I found that this CD, which is a collection of gorgeous lullabies, really soothes her if she's tired. Our favourite is Hayley's rendition of Brahms Lullaby!
Kinder Valley Nursing Pillow - This was on offer for £9.99 in Asda so I picked one up thinking I'd use it for feeding Erin. I haven't actually used it for that purpose but we do use it to prop her up in if she's on the bed or playmat. She likes to be able to see everything and it's a bit better for her than being flat on her back! It's also good for practising tummy time.
Silver Cross Isofix - We bought ours when Elliot was a baby and couldn't be without it now. Initially we thought we could just make do without one and save ourselves some money. But after getting drenched one too many times as we faffed about strapping the carseat in we decided to invest...and I'm glad we did! It's so quick and easy, it literally takes a second to pop the seat into the mount and it makes things so much easier when trying to get the carseat in in the dark!
Sudocrem - Love this product! I'd never used it before having kids, now I've always got a pot stashed away for emergencies. It's great that it's multipurpose, for instance it works really well on nappy rash but also, I used it after my c-section which really helped. Also good for sunburn!
Professional Photos - These days most of us have decent cameras on our phones but I think it's lovely to have some professional pics done of baby, especially in the early days when they are so small and squishy. A very talented lady called Samantha Prewett did ours and I'm so pleased, I would never have been able to achieve this using my camera and (lack of) skills! She even wrote about the shoot on her blog.
Babymoov Changing Bag - I initially bought a cheap changing bag on Amazon to use with Erin but you really do get what you pay for as it broke within a few weeks. My husband took pity on me and treated me to a lovely Babymoov bag for Mother's Day and I love it! It's got loads of pockets which I love and I can fit so much in there..which is very important when you have kids. (one pocket is just for snacks alone!)
Neutral 0% Baby Products - We were sent some of these to review for the blog but I really like them and will definitely continue to use on Erin. I like that they are specifically for sensitive skin so I know that her soft delicate newborn skin is having anything too harsh on it.
Tommee Tippee Perfect Prep Machine -  The prep machines have had a lot of bad press recently after some customers found mould in their machine's pipes. We checked ours for mould and it was fine...phew! I love the prep machine, it's so handy for making bottles and a god send in the middle of the night when you have a screaming hungry baby! I only wish we'd had one when Elliot was a baby! I'm a big fan of the Tommee Tippee products and other essentials we use are the bottles and electric steriliser.

What was your number one essential item for a newborn?!

Baby Erin - 5 Weeks Old

It doesn't seem 5 minutes since she was born but Erin is 5 weeks old now, the last few weeks have just gone so so fast. How is it March already?! I thought it would be nice to do some updates on how Erin is doing and how we're getting on as a family of 4. Even if no-one reads them it'll be nice to look back on ;)

Feeding

Erin is formula fed and we have just increased her milk to 5oz which she has every 4 hours or so. I'm not strict on routine so if shes sleepy and it goes past 4 hours I won't wake her, she'll soon tell me if shes hungry! And likewise sometimes it can be less than 4 hours but we generally go with the flow - sometimes she'll guzzle the entire bottle in one go but sometimes she has a bit, then comes back to it 20 minutes later. 

I have to say I am finding the guidelines for formula prep a bit different to when Elliot was a baby. With him I used to pre-fill the bottles in the morning using cooled boiled water and just add the formula as and when we needed, and he always took the milk at room temperature. Apparently now the water has to be a certain temperature to kill the bacteria so I've been relying on my perfect prep machine to make bottles on demand. But I'm still wondering the best way to do bottles if I'm out and about for the day.  I've been using the Cow & Gate pre-made bottles which are really handy but expensive so I need to figure out a routine for milk prep! 

Sleeping

Touchwood we aren't doing too bad with sleep! Erin will have a bottle around midnight and we're usually still up so one of us will do that before bed. And then she goes straight down until her next feeds at 4 and 8ish. Sometimes I struggle to stay awake when I'm doing the 4am feed but I catch up on Facebook or play candy Crush to keep my eyes open! 

We don't have a bedtime routine yet and to be honest I can't really remember how we got into a routine when Elliot was a baby so this will be something that sorts itself out over the coming weeks. At the moment Erin has her milk in the evening and will sleep on one of us or in her moses basket while we watch tv - I haven't got a monitor set up on her crib yet so I don't really want to put her in our bedroom whilst we are in the other room. 

Erin's favourite sleeping position - on Mummy!

Erin has plenty of naps in the daytime and really likes snoozing in her carseat, either when I'm out walking with the pram or in the car. We've just bought another buggy too and she slept for hours in that last week! 

Development

Erin is so much more alert now when she's awake and she has really started to look at things. She is fascinated by looking outside so sometimes I sit her in her bouncer when I'm getting things done and she is mesmerised by the trees. She recognises my voice now if I call her and her eyes will follow me if I put her down! 

One of my favourite milestones happened this week - smiles!! I've been looking forward to this as it's so lovely when you get something back from them and she has definitely started giving us smiles. I thought it might be wind at first but there's a real difference between windy smiles and real smiles! I now can't wait til she starts giggling :) 

We went to the baby clinic last week to get Erin weighed and she was 9lb 6oz - she still seems so dinky though compared to Elliot. When he was 5 weeks old he was already about 13lb so he was much much bigger! She is starting to fit her clothes better now and the 0-3 sleepsuits aren't as baggy. 

Out and About

I'm back behind the wheel now after a few weeks break after my c-section so it's been nice to get out and about again! We went to our first baby class this week and I had a bit of deja vu as it was the same class I attended with Elliot! It's my local under ones and the lady who runs it is absolutely lovely and so I couldn't wait to go back. As predicted, Erin slept most of the time we were there but she did wake up for the singing! 

Dressed all pretty for her first Under One's :)

We went for a little trip to our local Morrison's this week as I wanted to look at the baby clothes and Erin was cooed over by several older ladies. It did make me laugh though as two of them asked how old she was and when I said 5 weeks, they couldn't believe I was out! "Oh, 5 weeks! You should be at home!". Is this a generation thing?! Did new Mums not leave the house in the olden days?! One lady did say I looked very well and fit though so I'll take that ;) 

Big Brother Elliot

Elliot is still loving having a baby sister and is so sweet with Erin. He just wants to kiss and cuddle her all the time and the other day he said "she's got sparkles in her eyes!" - cute!! He pops her dummy back in if she's crying but there's not a chance in hell he'll go near her if she's done a poo ;)

How Many Outfits?!

Erin spends the majority of her life in sleepsuits as they are comfy and easy to put on but she also has so many nice little outfits that I try and put her in at least once. I am finding it a bit weird dressing her in girly outfits though! I'm so not girly and I've spent the last 4 years dressing a boy who loves nothing more than wearing jeans and a tshirt so it's been odd getting her in a dress! Here's just a few of her outfits she's worn recently: 

What about me?

I've been feeling really well actually and my c-section scar isn't giving me any problems. I still have to be a bit careful when I hoover but generally I'm back doing everything I did before. 

Erin has just slotted into our lives and routines so I have been out meeting friends and doing my shopping as normal, albeit with a pram in tow! I'm also back at choir which is amazing, I really really missed it in the 4 weeks I didn't go. I'm lucky that my husband is very hands on so he has no issues in dealing with two children while I swan off to choir every wednesday evening ;) 

 I've had it quite easy over the last few weeks because my husband has been working from home and has been taking Elliot to pre-school in the mornings so I've not had to rush around too much. He's back at work next week though so I'm sure it's going to be a struggle getting everyone ready to get out of the house for 830am - gulp! 

Tommee Tippee Newborn Products (Electric Steam Steriliser, bottles, thermometer) - Review

In my first pregnancy I was pretty overwhelmed with the amount of brands and products out there catering for baby needs. However one brand stuck out, Tommee Tippee and it's one I've continued to use into my second pregnancy and also now baby Erin is here.

I was recently sent some Tommee Tippee products to review and we couldn't wait to put them to the test.

Tommee Tippe Electric Steam Steriliser (Special Edition)

I was quite excited to receive the electric steriliser as we only had a microwave one last time and this was a step up from that! There are several different versions but we tested out the Special Edition - I don't think there is any difference other than the colour, the standard sterilisers are white and transparent but our one had a sleek black design.

The box contained one of the Closer to Nature feeding bottles - the Tommee Tippee bottles come in several different sizes but this one was the small 150ml variety which is perfect for our newborn needs. Also enclosed in the box was a dummy and plastic tongs for holding the just sterilised items.

What I love about this steriliser is that it is SO simple to use. And not just simple but really quick too. Very important for those times when you run out of bottles and you need one, right now!

All you need to do is fill the steriliser base with 80ml of water - this is very straightforward as this amount is marked on all the Tommee Tippee bottles so you know exactly how much you need. Once you have added the water, load the steriliser up with your bottles - it will hold up to 6 bottles which is really handy when your baby is feeding lots in the early days.

There is room on the bottom layer of the steriliser for the bottles and the top shelf is for your teats and lids. When you're all loaded up, you simply just press the on button on the front of the steriliser (this will turn orange to let you know it's working) and 5 minutes later it's done! The steriliser will kill 99.9% of household bacteria which is great and is 100% natural using no chemicals.

I'm really impressed with this piece of kit, as mentioned before it is so easy to use and super quick. It is also really quiet so whilst it is sterilising, it barely makes a noise so won't interrupt naptime!

My only criticism is the power button doesn't feel very sturdy and sometimes you do have to press several times before it stays orange but that is just a small niggle, overall I think the electric steriliser is a great product and I know we will be using it  alot over the next 12 months!

Closer to Nature 150ml Bottles 

Tommee Tippee have designed these bottles to mimic a Mum's breast, with an easy to latch on teat shape. This is to ensure the switch from breast to bottle is as easy as possible. Breast feeding didn't work out for us but we had absolutely no issues getting Erin to take one of these bottles from the moment we got home from hospital.

I find the bottles very comfortable to hold and I'm able to feed one handed with no issues....quite important for night time feeds when I'm scrolling through social media to stay awake!

I like the fact that the bottles all have the Easi-vent valve - this eliminates excessive air flow so baby can ingest more milk and less air. The teats are a good shape - they gently elongate and flex during feeding to mimic a breastfeeding action. I have noticed that Erin doesn't really have any excess milk around her mouth when she is feeding so I assume she is getting a good latch on!

The bottles are sturdy and well made and we haven't had any leaking issues. They are also very easy to clean with our Tommee Tippee bottle brush.

Anytime Soothers

We never used a dummy when Elliot was a baby - I wasn't against them, he just never really took to it. (I think he was so greedy that he quickly realised the teat didn't disperse milk!)

I assumed it would be a similar story with Erin but I popped these Anytime Soothers into my hospital bag and didn't think anymore of it....until night 2 when she screamed and screamed! She wasn't hungry, she didn't need a clean nappy so I thought I'd give her a go with a dummy. And it worked!! She very quickly settled down and soothed herself to sleep by sucking on the dummy. 

Now two weeks later I am still using the soothers with her and they do come in very handy. She doesn't have one at night time but she can get a bit distressed when we change her bum (especially if she's hungry!) so it's good to be able to pop one in her mouth and know she will be instantly soothed. 

The Tommee Tippee soothers come in a range of designs with teats available in ages 0-6mths and 6-18mths. 

Bath & Room Thermometer

This is a nifty little gadget that we have used lots since bringing Erin home. Not only does it tell you the temperature of the room but also the temperature of baby's bath. The water should be between 36.5C and 38C and if it's too hot, the LED light on the display with illuminate red as a warning. It also couldn't be easier to use - a little tap on the display is all that's needed! The thermometer also floats in the bath too. 

My husband has been on bath duty over the past two weeks and he said this product is really easy to use - he likes the simple display which makes it very clear to see what the temperature is and it saves guess work when running the bath! 

Baby Milestone Cards #ParentOn

The last thing I want to talk about is these fab baby milestone cards that Tommee Tippee have produced. Milestone cards seem to be a recent fad, I'm sure I don't remember them being so popular when Elliot was a baby! These ones are great because they feature some of the realer moments of parenthood....such as "I was sick on Mummy today!" and not just the standard "I rolled over today" that you get on general milestone cards. 

I am really impressed with all the products we were sent from Tommee Tippee - it's great to find a brand that you completely trust and I have no doubt I will continue to be a fan / loyal customer as my children grow up!

*Disclaimer - We were sent these items in return for an honest review. As always, all thoughts are my own and I am a genuine fan of the Tommee Tippee brand! We were also sent the Ultra bottle and the Baby Nail Clippers - we've not tested these out yet but will be doing so over the next few weeks