Giveaway

Pretty girl fabric giveaway at Cherri - berri's blog, have a look!

Post caesarian section recovery tips

My dear fellow surprised me with an early birthday present yesterday - he couldn't wait! I've always wanted a mixmaster so I think he was pleased with my reaction.

Having just given birth to my fourth child by caesarian section I thought I'd offer some recovery tips that have helped me over the years.

IN HOSPITAL

1. Try not to think of your c- section as merely a surgical procedure. It is a medically assisted birth. Focus on the birth, not the surgery.
2. After the birth start by wriggling your toes as soon as the spinal anaesthetic begins to wear off. As more feeling returns in your legs move them gently about, rotating ankles, slowly bending your knees. Continue these gentle exercises while you're confined to bed.
3. Get as much help as you can at this point, ask someone to pass the baby to you for feeding etc, don't try to do too much.
4. When it is time to get out of bed for the first time, once again, ask for assistance if you need it to sit up. Roll onto one side, place your legs over the side of the bed. Push yourself up from the bed using the strength of your arms. Sit on the bed until you feel ready to stand, sometimes you may be dizzy. When you stand make sure you shuffle, don't take big steps. You will feel much better after a good shower. The midwives always recommend to me to urinate standing up (if you need to) in the shower rather than sitting on the toilet for the first time.
5. To alleviate any wind pain you may experience I have found peppermint tea to be effective.
6. To assist your bowels to start moving again naturally, without medication I have a bag of soft licorice and nibble a few pieces each day, I've found it really helpful.
7. Once you're up and about take regular short, shuffling walks. Spend most of your hospital stay resting, actually lying down with your legs up.

AT HOME
1. This is the time that you need as much help as possible, particularly if you have other children.
Hopefully you have a supportive husband or partner, but if not, enlist the help of anyone who is willing. If no one offers to help, ask. If you are not comfortable asking for help, offer to make up for it somehow at a later date. I can't stress how important it is that you receive help.
2. Even if you feel well you need regular rest (lying down) to alleviate the stress on your body and allow it to readjust. Your recovery will be so much faster if you give your body time to rest.
3. Do not lift anything heavier than your baby. Really important. You can introduce strategies eg. I get my toddler to climb onto a chair, then into her cot so I don't lift her.
4. Drink lots of water, eat nutritious food. I usually feel ravenous the first couple of weeks, this is a normal effect of breastfeeding, don't worry about how much you eat, just try to make it healthy and keep the fluids up high.
5. Find a comfortable position for breastfeeding, use pillows to support baby and your back.
6. Start pelvic floor exercises (you can do this a few days after birth)
7. Don't commence any exercise regime (walking, sports etc.) until you have the approval of your obstetrician or GP.
8. When walking around the house, continue to keep your steps small to prevent strain on your softened and weakened ligaments. Avoid bending over to pick things up. Get in and out of bed carefully, rolling on your side and using your arms instead of abdominal muscles.

Please contact me if you have any questions I may be able to help you with. Please note, I am not a medical professional, just an experience mother.

Etsy shop re opened

Just to let you know my Etsy shop is open for business once again, hopefully I'll have some new things in there before too long. Remember, anything you see on my blog that is an original design can be custom ordered!

Anna Grace

Anna Grace has safely arrived! She was born on Monday morning weighing 3.29kg (7 pounds, 4 oz.) and she is beautifully perfect. The operation went very well and this is my best recovery yet.

The children all love her so she has received a warm welcome into our family. She feeds well and is, so far, a very contented baby.
Thankyou dear God for another beautiful blessing. We are so grateful to have her.

Saturday

I rarely buy magazines, however, a hospital stay is a worthy excuse for buying not one, but three of your favourite magazines! I've had these sitting and waiting, so very tempting to peep, but no! I loooove craft and lifestyle magazines, every visit to the library sees me with at least a handful, but naturally, competition for new editions is fierce.
Check out the cover of this months Homespun, wouldn't you be tempted to peep?!


Grass Roots - essential reading for suburbanites craving the country life!

I couldn't go past Handmade, especially when I spied the "triple pack". Who says clever marketing doesn't work?

I'm signing off for a little while now, those of you who visit here regularly will know our new baby is arriving on Monday. I'll be back as soon as I can manage (with baby pics of course!)

God bless you all and thanks for reading :)

On my walls

Are you the sort of person who walks into a house and wants to look at everything? I find it fascinating visiting homes I haven't been to, maybe I'm just a nosy old stickybeak, but when someone visits me I love it if they want to look around. So, today I'm sharing with you some of the pictures that hang on the walls of our home.

The picture above was an op shop find that is in my bedroom, I practiced ballet from the time I was very young until my teenage years, when I found the discipline of point shoes too hard on my feet.


Our ten year wedding anniversary is in September this year. My, how life has changed since that lovely day, and how our marriage has grown!

This picture was given to me by my mother in law, it has been with her for a long time and is very beautiful.

This one has belonged to my husband for as long as he can remember, its small and cute and lovely.

Today I'm making hospital preparations and am making my first pair of rosary beads. I've repaired plenty of broken sets but never made some from scratch, its going well but is quite hard on your hands and fingers (mine are swollen at the moment too, another pregnancy side effect).

Hope you have a wonderful day!

Hand embroidered card

A visitor to our home was admiring some of my craft work recently and asked whether I make cards. I have been known to paint cards or, in more pressing circumstances, cut and paste. But for some reason, I'm just not that into papercrafts. Give me a scrap of fabric over a scrap of paper anyday!

So... my Nanna's 82nd birthday is coming up. What else can you do when waiting for a baby to arrive but put hours into a gift for someone?



A fabric card is not difficult to make, but be prepared for the time it will take!
I do so love hand embroidering though, so relaxing, and even better when the children are in bed and you have a husband handy to chat to.


The photo isn't good, but those are suffolk puffs (yo - yos) on the front. This is a great way to showcase a special fabric that you may only have a small amount of.
If you would like to have a go at making one but aren't sure how to start, I'd be happy to put up a tutorial, just ask!

Yesterday was a happy one, I made my first sale through Madeit and my study grant was approved. Busy times ahead!!