Wednesday 31 August 2016

R is 7 Weeks Old





How did this happen? My tiny little newborn baby is now 7 weeks old and soon to be outgrowing 0-3 clothes! 
We're still waiting for the appointment letter through about her hip scan. 

R has taken to a dummy this week. It really calms her down on a night time. The doctor told me that it wasn't common for a breastfed baby to take to a dummy, although R will only take to one type of dummy, it's not even hard for her to get to grips.

I just adore the bond these girls have between them already! 
L is a little less involved but I think that's just because she's only 1 so doesn't fully understand this new baby thing yet but she is smitten with her big sister and still tries to put the dummy in R's mouth if she spits it out. 

They're all growing up so fast and with such a lovely sisterly love between them! 

Monday 29 August 2016

Mummy's recipe for relaxing


Every so often, I need some me time. Something that comes very sparse, more so now with 3 children in tow. Finding time to wind down usually consists of a 5 shower while my OH is telling me through the door that R is hungry and wants booby! Not very relaxing. 

I decided recently that I want to be able to have just an hour to relax and have a much needed pamper session and this is the recipe of how I am going to manage that!


Ingredients:


  • 1 x cup of bubble bath - and some more thrown in for good measure
  • 4 x medium candles - just to set the mood a little bit
  • 2 x drops of lavender oil - to help with the relaxing
  • 1 x pot of nail varnish - might I reccomend a lovely purple shade
  • 1 x face mask - the muddier the better
  • 1 x pair of cosy pyjamas, fluffy dressing gown and comfy slippers - the icing on the cake!

Method:


  1. Run a nice warm bath for you to get in to. Remember to add your bubble bath while it is still running for a frothier bath!
  2. Light all 4 candles and place strategically around the bathroom
  3. Add your lavender drops and then get ready to get into the bath
  4. Place one step into the bath, you should hear a cry when this happens. Retreat from the bathroom and find the source of the cry - tend to.
  5. Repeat step 4 however this time you should hear a knock at the door requesting to use the bathroom.
  6. Repeat step 4 for a 3rd time. By this point, the warm water should have turned lukewarm and the bubbles should have settles and mixed into the bath leaving nothing but a shiny layer on the water.
  7. Once you have sat down in the bath, apply face mask and ready pot of nail varnish.
  8. You should hear the doorbell telling you it's time to get out of the bath. 
  9. Put your pyjamas on and go to open the door. You should have forgotten you are still wearing a thick layer of mud mask and whoever is on the other side of the door vastly retreats without a word.
  10. Go upstairs to unplug the nice relaxing bath. You should find a small child stood by the sink covered in a lovely layer of purple nail varnish. Rectify this issue by quickly plugging the bath back in and placing the small child in the bath to scrub.
  11. Now the hour should nearly be finished and your OH is sat in the bedroom expectantly waiting his turn for his nice relaxing bath at which point you should refrain from letting the small children disturb him during his him time.

Sunday 28 August 2016

A Blog Makeover


So over the last couple of days I've been creating a complete new look for 3 Girls Mummy. 
I wanted something that was colourful, fun and represented me and my 3 babies and this is what I came up with! 

In addition to a new cover photo and logo, I've added a couple of pages for you to have a look at, including About Me, Contact Me and a Disclosure page as well as a BlogLovin' follow link on the home page.

Would love to hear from you on the Contact Me page and tell me what you think! 



Saturday 27 August 2016

A visit to Tropical World


 We went to visit Tropical World in Leeds. It has been such a fun day out! Really interesting to see all the different animals and insects.

The butterflies were really pretty and we even got to see them cocooning which was really cool to see!

T loved seeing all the vibrant coloured birds and pretty coloured butterflies.
 They have a beautiful waterfall in
 the area with the butterflies and crocodile. It's amazing having birds and butterflies flying around your head. Thankfully the crocodile was in its own enclosure so couldn't get to us otherwise that would have been more than we paid for!


 There is also a reptile area which has lots of interesting lizards and snakes and even a dragon or two!

T wasn't as fond of the snakes as she was the lizards but she still really seemed to enjoy watching them eat and walk along the branches.
They have lots of tropical fish for you to see too. I have to say, my personal favourite was "Nemo and Dory" fish who lived with a starfish!

They keep all the enclosures separate and each room has a different climate. The Meerkat room had to be the hardest to breathe in because of the lack of humidity but it was still a brilliant room and a brilliant day out in general! I would highly recommending anyone to visit! (As long as you don't mind getting a bit of a sweat on in certain high temperatures!)

Thursday 25 August 2016

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My Top 7 Non-Essentials

There are plenty of lists on the internet of what you need to buy for when baby comes. I decided that I would be honest.
I'm not going to say you need these items, but I will tell you why I bought them and why they have been a brilliant purchase for me.

To start off with, I am going to choose Sophie the Giraffe.

She is well known for being the ultimate teether.
Being over £10 for a single teething toy (that will most likely be thrown out of the pram) means she isn't the cheapest on the market. I was over the moon when someone bought me Sophie the Giraffe for my youngest, L.
This has been such a help towards our teething journey and L enjoys chewing on her long legs. It is easy to hold and has been a brilliant and useful gift. 
There are other items in the Sophie the Giraffe range and we own 3 of the books, the rattle and the original Sophie. 
These are brilliant, that is without a doubt in my opinion... not to mention that the design is just super cute and gender neutral. What more could you ask for in a teether?


Another non essential but big help for our teething journey has been our Baltic Amber Anklet.
I understand some people are apprehensive with jewelry on babies and young children however as long as you get the right size, these stay on very well. They have knots between the stones so for whatever reason, one comes lose, the rest will stay on and safe. 
There are many options for amber teething jewelry. I opted for a unpolished lemon Baltic amber anklet. After much research, unpolished is apparently the best, as well as the lighter the stone, the quicker it works. I went for the anklet as they can be left on during bed time (under the sleepsuit) unlike necklaces that need removing for the obvious hazards.
I didn't have one of these with T (eldest) however decided that I would try one for L. I can definitely see the difference with teething. L has 1 tooth and it hasn't bothered her much since I took the plunge and bought the anklet.


The beloved Nursing pillow
 
Whether you choose to breastfeed or bottlefeed, I would say the nursing pillow is one of my top non essentials!
It can be used for so many different positions, not just breastfeeding!
As the picture shows above, it can help with tummy time, sit up time or even just laying down.
They come in lots of lovely colours and designs too!
Ours came from NursingPillow.com and I adore it!


The Fisherprice Jumparoo



If you ever want housework done, this is the item for you!
A happy jumping baby with lots of musical entertainment and toys. 
I have to admit, since we bought our Jumparoo, it has become one of L's favourite daily activities. We even own the space saver version as this can be folded up and taken to family members houses when we go visiting. 
The only downside to this item is that it is rather bulky and heavy. If you've not got the space, this isn't a need. If you do have the space, this is one of my personal favourites!


With 2 girls that are 2 and under, this next is a brilliant purchase of mine.
The reclining bath seat followed by the sit up bath seat.
The reclining bath seat is brilliant for babies that can't sit up yet. I used our seat up until about 4 and a half months with both of my girls. This meant that they could share a bath from the get go and I didn't have to hurt my back bending over to hold L in the water. It also meant I didn't have the need for a specific baby bath which was a bonus.

The sit up bath seat is now what L is using for her bath times with T. They have sticky grips on the bottom which keeps it safe and a safety indication on the front to tell you how much water you can have with this seat. 

Because of these 2 bath seats, T and L thoroughly enjoy their shared bath time and I can feel calm knowing they are safely playing together in the water. *


Last but not least, the baby swing.
One of my best purchases of all time was our Chicco Polly Swing. 
L adored her swing when she was small enough to use it. It would calm her while waiting for feeds, allow her to be slightly sat up enough that she could see everything happening around her (which is brilliant as she is a VERY nosey baby!) and it rocked and soothed her with the music including the white noise.
This swing got us through some very tough times when she wouldn't let me put her down or hand her to another family member. She settled brilliantly in this swing and I would highly recommend this for any other expectant parents (or grandparents!)



*Despite what I have written in regards to the bath seats, I would never leave a baby or child unattended in the bath using either of these products and both definitely need adult supervision.



Wednesday 24 August 2016

R is 6 Weeks Old


Today has been a bit of a whirlwind. It was mine and R's 6 week check. Good news is that R now weighs 11lb 5oz. Bad news is, in 3 weeks she has only gained 5oz. Thats 10oz less than what they expect as a minimum for breastfed babies. They're not hugely concerned as she is content in herself and is still gaining, however small, a gain is still a gain.
R has also been referred for a scan on her hips as she has asymmetrical creases on her legs apparently which can be a sign of clicky hip or dislocating hips. Just waiting on the letter through the post now for the referral.

Other than all of this today, the last week has been lovely! Nice and sunny and R has been rocking some lovely outfit combos and sharing even more big smiles with Mummy and her sisters while her Daddy has been at work!

Monday 22 August 2016

A visit to Swithens Farm




 So yesterday we went to Swithens Farm, Rothwell. I'd never been before however has heard good reviews and I have to say I will be going again!
It was fun for all the family!

Usually, days out can become quite expensive but Swithens Farm is really cheap! It was £3 for me to get in and all the kids went free as they're under 5! It was only 30p for a bag of chopped carrots to feed the animals too.

They have an indoor playgym with a non walkers bit (which many don't so I was really impressed)! They also have a giant sand pit, 2 trampolines, 3 bouncy castles and a large outdoor play area too with fair ground rides (at additional cost for the fairground rides)

You can walk around the full farm and feed all the animals the carrots you purchased. They have sheep, cows, highland cattle, horses, donkeys, goats, emus, pigs, ducks, geese, alpacas and even a turkey! (They probably have more that I just can't remember on this list)

They have guineapigs and rabbits in a petting area and you can view the sheep shearing, alpaca shearing and lamb feeding throughout the day!

Honestly, what more can you expect for £3.30?!

Can you tell I've really liked this day out?




Wednesday 17 August 2016

R is 5 Weeks Old


So time is flying with this little lady! FIVE weeks old already! Soon she'll be 18 and leaving home, but lets not wish time away.

This week she has been a real booby monster and has practically eaten and slept all week! I'm sure she'll be going through a growth spurt soon.

We had our first real smile this week too which was lovely! And she's been all smiles ever since.


Tuesday 16 August 2016

How To Increase Your Milk Supply


I’m currently nursing my 5 week old baby and I’ve always struggled on how to increase milk supply in order to create an "emergency freezer stash". I've had similar problems with all 3 girls and I have tried countless ways to increase my milk supply.

I am not a doctor or lactation consultant. Please talk to your doctor before you begin any supplements or dietary changes while nursing.

1. Drinking Water

I can not stress enough that staying hydrated is a key into increasing your supply! Remember that you need extra water while breastfeeding to support your body. The easiest way I've found to do this is to ALWAYS have a drink on the go. I fill up 3 bottles of water and place them in the fridge so I can have a cold drink on me at all times. I also have a pint glass by the kitchen sink that everytime I walk into to kitchen, will drink and refill. 
I've heard that you should drink 1oz of water for every 1lb of body weight (as a rough guide)

2. Fenugreek

Fenugreek is a dietary supplement that comes in pill form. You can buy it most health food stores such as Holland and Barrett. It's recommended that nursing mothers take 2-4 capsules, 3 times per day. You can also buy a fenugreek herbal tea which doesn't taste too bad and does the same job. Fenugreek usually helps boost your supply within 2 to 3 days which is brilliant if you need to do plenty of stash building pumping!

3. Coconut Water

This one comes highly recommended by lactation consultants as it helps boost hydration while providing plenty of health benefits. Coconut in general is really good during breastfeeding however I've found that the water helps plenty! 

4. Lactation Cookies

One of my favorites! Not only do these help boost your supply, they taste yummy!! 
I shall just leave this here... 

5. Power Pumping

This is basically where once you've fed baby, pump on the same boob for 10 minutes after. It makes your boob think that baby is still feeding and therefore needs to produce more milk than what it has. It'll also drain any milk out that baby didn't get out. You can also pump for 10 minutes, break for 15 minutes, pump for 10 minutes and so on just to increase supply and demand.

6. Lactation Smoothie

I know a lot of what I've said is about drinking but it is such a major role in increasing your supply! And who could say no to a yummy fruit smoothie? 

7. Sleep

Although this may sound completely impossible with a newborn, sleep can be a big part of successfully breastfeeding. Not much advice to give here but get it whenever you can!

8. Brewers Yeast

Yep, this is one of the magic ingredients in the lactation cookies recipe but brewers yeast is also used to make beer not that I'm recommending that. However you could also add it to smoothies and such. Surprisingly, I've recently found out that you can also purchase Brewers Yeast in capsules from health shops however I have never tried these so although I've heard good things, I can't give my honest opinions on them.

9. Eat Your Greens

Sounds simple. During breastfeeding you burn off an extra 300-500kcal a day compared to not breastfeeding. This means generally, your body requires more food while breastfeeding but not empty calories but foods that are healthy and packed with vitamins and minerals. It's also recommended to eat little and often to help.

10. Gatorade/ Powerade

I've heard loads of mothers say that gatorade is a miracle worker for upping their supply and until recently, I'd never tried it but I have to say... I have been converted! Although these are branded as a sports drink, it's more to do with the electrolytes and hydration when it comes to your supply. I've both sipped throughout the day and drank in one go and it has the same effect regardless of the timescale you consume it in. 

How do I know if my breast milk supply has increased?

If you're pumping, it will be much easier to measure the increase. If you are exclusively breast feeding from the boob, you should see and feel a difference in the fullness of your breasts. 
You may need to wear breastpads when trying out the methods above to contain the extra leakage you may experience.
Philips Avent do a breast pad that collects any leakage that you have to store. Check these out here. 


Monday 15 August 2016

Breastfeeding Booby Awards

This is the 3rd time I've breastfed a child and the first time I've heard of the Breastfeeding Booby Awards. 
I find them kinda cool so thought I would share with everyone. 





First feed after birth: Liquid Gold
24 hours: Liquid Platinum
48 hours: Liquid Jade
72 hours: Liquid Diamond
1 week: Starry Boobs
2 week: Confetti Boobs
3 week: Sequin Boobs
1 month: Glitter Boobs
2 months: Brass Boobs
3 months: Bronze Boobs
4 months: Ruby Boobs
5 months: Ruby Boobs with Glitter Nipples
6 months: Silver Boobs
7 months: Silver Boobs with Brass Nipples
8 months: Silver Boobs with Bronze Nipples
9 months: Silver Boobs with Golden Nipples
10 months Silver Boobs with Platinum Nipples
11 months: Silver Boobs with Diamond Nipples
12+ months: Golden Boobs
15+ months: Golden Boobs with Jade Nipples
18+ months: Platinum Boobs
24+ months: Diamond Boobs
30+ months: Diamond Boobs with Jade Crystals 
36+ months: Diamond Boobs with Jade Crystals and Platinum Nipples
48+ months: Diamond Boobs with Jade Crystals and Diamond Nipples
60+ months: Superstar Breastfeeder

I've received Bronze Boobs, Confetti Boobs and I've currently managed Glitter Boobs.

What have you made it to?

Sunday 14 August 2016

A visit to Eureka Children's Science Museum!





 So today we have a lovely time at Eureka! 
It's a brilliant place to go, has lots to do and things for all the family to enjoy! Brings out the kids in all of us while teaching us lots of sciencey things! (So totally a word!)

T loved trying on farm animal masks in the gift shop! There was plenty to buy and it actually wasn't extortionate prices either! 

 R and L looked super comfortable riding around in our new Baby Jogger City Mini Double!


 L enjoyed watching all the screens around her, playing in the leaf cradle (for non walkers) although there wasn't much in the area for her to play with so she soon got bored!

 There are some brilliant interactive games for kids. T and her daddy decided to design a butterfly and then watched it fly away onto the projected screen in front of them. 
She also enjoyed dressing up as a giraffe (as well as many other animals while choosing which she liked the best... the giraffe had a tail!)


Neither of the girls liked being behind bars although L did enjoy walking side to side with them so it was pretty hard to get a picture of her looking at the camera! ;) 



 Don't you just wish this chair was real and completely full of £5 notes! 


You pay for tickets at the door (under 1's are free) but once you've got your tickets, you can enter as many times as you want for the year! Brilliant and well worth the money spent! 
There's also a huge sand pit outside and a lovely little nature trail and picnic tables!

All in all, it was a really lovely day and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a fun day out in the Yorkshire area! 


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