What's In My Changing Bag?

Michael Kors Jet Set Tote - Selfridges

After getting a little bored of using my BabyMel Ella Changing Bag I went in search of a new Changing Bag. Whilst in John Lewis I fell in love with the BabyBeau Ellie Leather Changing Bag. I resisted temptation, as hard as it was, and walked away from it. When I got home I logged onto the BabyBeau website to have another little look at it. The more I looked, the more the Ellie Leather Changing Bag looked just like my Michael Kors Jet Tote bag, which I absolutely love but haven't used since Florence has been born, all of my belongings just get thrown in with her things nowadays! 

I decided to start using the Michael Kors bag as my Changing Bag. The colour suited our pram, it was large enough to house both of our belongings, and it meant that I didn't have to buy a new bag - perfect! The only problem with the Michael Kors bag is it doesn't have as many compartments and sections as the BabyMel Ella Changing  Bag. Whilst on their website I came across the BabyBeau Changing Mat Organiser. It's a cleverly designed three-fold leather wallet that has space for nappies and wipes, whilst having a changing mat attached. The organiser is reasonably priced, matches the colour of my Michael Kors Tote perfectly, and means I have a place to keep everything!

Changing Mat Organiser - BabyBeau

Changing

We have used Pampers New Baby and Water Wipes with Florence from birth and have never experienced any problems with them. She has never suffered from Nappy Rash which is pretty good going seeing as she's 16 weeks old! I always over pack the Changing Bag and take more nappies than I know I'll need - just in case!

I carry a small Sudocream tube with me in case a rash does appear.

Feeding

We use Dr Brown's Wide Neck Bottles. I usually calculate how many I'll need for the duration of our outing and then add one more - just in case! Do you see where this is going?! I used to take boiled water and power pots out with me, but the powder never really dissolved into cooled water, resulting in blocked teats. I now take the ready made Aptamil Bottles with me. They are so much easier!

I pack my bag high with Tommee Tippee Baby Milk Feeding Bibs and Muslins, Florence gets through so many!!!

 Medicines

As you can probably tell by now I am most definitely a "Just In Case!" type of person. That's why I always carry with me Nelsons Teetha Granules, Anbesol Liquid, Dentinox Teething Gel, Infacol, Calpol, and Hand Sanitiser. You never know when teething, wind, or a fever will strike!

Spare Clothes

I learnt the hard way to always pack spare clothes. I now pack two spare sets of vests and sleepsuits. Florence has started to wear "proper" clothes now but I still find it easier to pack sleepsuits. It also means I don't have to pick an entire outfit to pack!

And that's about it! 
Have you blogged about your Change Bag?
Post the link below so I can have a read!

Q&A - Your Questions Answered

Were you trying for long before you fell pregnant?

Chris and I weren’t trying to fall pregnant. Florence was a very very unexpected surprise!  

   When did you start taking Folic Acid and Pregnancy Supplements? 

It is recommended that you start taking Folic Acid or Pregnancy Supplements as soon as you decide to start trying to conceive. Seeing as this wasn’t the case for us I started taking Pregnacare Plus with Omega 3 the day after we found out. I took them once a day right up until Florence was born!

When did you announce your pregnancy?

We told both of our Parents the day after we found out, not by my choice but Chris wanted to. We then told my Sisters, other Family members, and close friends after our 11 week scan. The rest of the World found out through Social Media when I was 17 Weeks Pregnant after our Gender Scan, once we had announced to our Family.

How did your friends, family, and work colleagues react when you announced that you were expecting?

Chris’s Parents were less than thrilled when we told them, and lets leave it at that! (Of course, they came around to the idea eventually and started to get excited.) My Parents, our friends, and our work colleagues were really excited for us and went out baby shopping straight away.

How did you cope with morning sickness and tiredness?

All of the anti morning sickness remedies that are recommended never worked for me. I tried everything! From ginger biscuits, to ice cubes. Nothing worked! Chris’s Mother then suggested that I should try Travel Bands, and they worked. I pretty much wore a pair right up until I was 22 Weeks Pregnant when my sickness subsided.

The weather was really warm when I was experiencing morning sickness, which made care journeys a nightmare, especially when I was driving to and from work every day. I learnt the hard way to always take a plastic carrier in the car with me for the times when I had to pull into a lay by to throw up... In the end I was able to recognise the signs when I was going to be sick which meant that I could take myself away and get it over with.

Regarding tiredness, I never really experienced it until the later weeks. This was around the time where Chris would be at work until Midnight, the perfect excuse to get into bed as soon as I was home from work at around 7.00pm! I worked as a Nanny meaning I didn’t start work until 3.30pm, unless it was the school holidays, so I was able to sleep in until late too.

What were your cravings?

I didn’t crave “bad” foods such as Chocolate, Ice Cream, Sweets etc, but I did always crave ice cold fruit such as Pineapple and Apples. I also craved Fruit Juices which I tried to ration because I didn’t want my sugar intake to be through the roof. In the later stages of Pregnancy I started to drink full fat Coke, which is completely unlike me as I only ever drink sugar free drinks or water. I’m not sure if it was because I “needed” the sugar. 

Have you ever struggled with becoming a Mother?

I have never struggled with becoming a Mother. I did, however, experience feelings of guilt when Florence was very young. Having a caesarean made it difficult to jump up and comfort Florence when she cried. I felt completely inadequate and a failure of a Mother. I also felt that I couldn’t make Florence happy, and that she was always sad. Whenever Florence was screaming in pain because of bad wind I used to become distressed and upset because I didn’t know how I could help her and make her feel better. As Florence has gotten older, and I have become more confident as a Mother these
feelings have subsided. 

Do you plan on having any more children? If so, what age gap would you like?

Should we be so lucky, I would absolutely love a household full of children! We need to buy a house first before anymore pitter patter of  little Baby Newbert feet. I think that I would like Florence to be in full time School before we have another baby.
 
What made you choose the name Florence?

Since I was little, I have loved the name Florence. Whilst sitting in the waiting room after finding out that I was carrying a girl Chris and I started talking names. I told Chris that I loved the name Florence, and he loved it too. And that was that, we would call our Daughter Florence. We didn’t tell anyone else her name until she born.

What other baby names did you have? And if you had another child what would be on your list?

Chris's favourite girl names were Florence, Holly, Leah, and Gabriella. His favourite boy names were Noah, Edward, and James. My top boy name was also Noah, alongside Henry and Oliver. Florence was really the only girl name I loved. We won't be having Baby Newbert number 2 for some time so it's difficult to say what we'll have on the name list!
 

What are your favourite things to do at home with Florence?

Florence absolutely loves her Bright Starts Spots And Stripes Safari Gym. She really enjoys lying under the lights and listening to the music, especially with her legs out! She hasn’t started grabbing at the toys yet but I still try and change them around every so often so that she has something new to look at.

We have recently bought Florence the Fisher Price Rainforest Jumperoo. Again, she can’t quite jump herself yet so I bounce her whilst she sits in it and looks around.

We also go for lots of walks by the Sea, sing songs, and snuggle up under the duvet.

What is your favourite thing about being a Mother?

There are far too many things – I love everything about being a Mother! I especially love watching Florence grow and develop. It never fails to amaze me when she learns something new or does something for the first time.

How long were you and Chris together for before you got engaged and started a family?

Chris and I have been together for two and a half years now. I fell pregnant after 18 months and Chris proposed after 22 months!

Are you going back to work? If so, what are your plans for childcare?

I will be going back to University in September to finish my Teacher Training, full time eek. My Mother will care for Florence once a week and the other four days she will spend either with a Child Minder or at a Nursery. Chris and I are still looking into our options and weighing up the pros and cons of each type of Child Care. Chris’s parents live in London so they unfortunately can’t help care for Florence, not that I would expect them to but I’d rather her be with Family than with a Child Minder or Nursery. It’s something that makes me cry every time I think about it but it is something that I need to do to ensure a secure future for our family. I guess that I should consider myself lucky that I’ll get to spend all of the School Holidays with her?

Thank you for all of your questions - I thoroughly enjoyed answering them!

Our Weekly Baby Classes

Back in January, Romeca from Beauty, Bump, And Me blogged about her Son’s Baby Class Menu. It was an enjoyable read as I love knowing what others get up to with their Children, and sometimes it gives me inspiration for activities to do with Florence. 

Inspired by Romeca’s blog post I have decided to write about Florence’s weekly Baby Classes. As soon as Florence was born I was eager to enrol us in some Baby Classes so that both of us could spend some special time together, as well as socialising with other Mother’s and their babies. 

Chris and I took Florence to a Baby Group at our local Children’s Centre when she was a couple of weeks old. We then started our first Baby Sensory class when Chris went back to work, Florence was 4 weeks old. 

I’m a very reserved and shy person so the thought of walking into a room of strangers was very daunting. However, I’ve met some lovely ladies through our Baby Classes and we also arrange play dates outside of our Classes. It’s great to be able to talk to Mothers with Children of the same age, especially for advice!

Here is what we get up to!

Monday

We started our Swimming Lessons today! Chris and I have taken Florence swimming a couple of times but I was keen to start lessons alongside fun swims. Florence has an Umbilical Hernia, and since using her Baby Neck Float in the bath and going swimming regularly it has really helped as she is using both her stomach and leg muscles. Swimming Lessons provide some fun time to splash around in the pool, as well as introducing Florence to basic swimming skills. During the lesson we play games, sing songs, and learn how to safety submerge Florence underwater, something that I am not confident doing without the support of a skilled Swimming Instructor.  Once Florence is competent enough swimming underwater there is an opportunity to take part in an underwater photo shoot which I am so excited about! 

 

Tuesday 

 On Tuesdays we go to a HartBeeps Baby Bells class. It’s a lovely, gentle class that combines Baby Yoga, Baby Massage, Baby Sensory, and Nursery Rhymes. Repetition is one of HartBeep’s main philosophies; each session starts and ends the same, and the middle part of the session is the same for every two consecutive weeks, allowing the babies to become familiar with the class. It’s a beautiful class that really allows you to develop a special bond with your baby. There is a lot of touch, cuddles, and kisses involved, we also hum songs that replicate the sound of our heartbeat while our baby was growing within the womb. 

Wednesday

  

We have just started a new class called Discovery Tots for babies from 8 weeks old to crawling. Each session starts with a Welcome Song, and another song where we say hello to all of the babies. Discovery Tots includes elements of Baby Yoga, Baby Massage, Baby Sign Language, and Sensory Play. Just like HartBeeps Baby Bells, parts of Discovery Tots are repeated each week so that the babies start to recognise and respond to the Class. 

 

 Thursday

On Thursdays we attend Jo Jingles with Florence’s little friend, Gabriella and her Mother Leah. Jo Jingles is our only solely Music based class. Each week the babies are introduced to a different theme such as colours, shapes, and numbers through Jo Jingle’s twist on well known Nursery Rhymes. The babies are able to play with musical instruments such as bells, tambourines, and drums. When Florence started Jo Jingles she wasn’t able to grab or hold any of the instruments, but I am now starting to see her change and she’ll often hold the little bells! Again, each session follows a similar format. We start the class by singing the “Hello Song,” and end the class with the “Goodbye Song.” The classes are very small, meaning the lady that runs each session knows each baby by their name which I just love! 

Friday

On Fridays we attend Baby Sensory which is our favourite class. This is the first class that I took Florence to when she was just four weeks old, and we are now on our second half term! It is such a wonderful class and Florence really enjoys it each week. We start the session by singing “Say Hello To The Sun.” The song is just lovely, and it uses sign language which we are able to use at home. We then spend 30 minutes doing carefully planned and structured sensory activities that change on a weekly basis. Once the 30 minutes is up we have a 15 minute “play” session where the babies can play with the mats, inflatables, and baby toys. We then end the session with another 15 minutes of sensory play, ending with our “Goodbye” song. I’ve met many wonderful Mothers and Babies at Baby Sensory, all of which I hope to stay in contact with away from the class. 

Although Florence and I attend Baby Classes on a daily basis they are only 45 minutes to an hour long, meaning that we still spend time going for walks, playing at home, and having friends over for play dates. All of our classes run on a half term schedule meaning that we can trial each class and decide whether we’d like to continue. We are very lucky because there are so many Baby Classes in our area so we always have something to do!

What Classes and Groups do you attend with your baby?

Florence's Three Month Update

Weight

When we went to the Children’s Health Clinic on Monday Florence weighed 12lb 2oz, so she probably weighs around 12lb 5oz – 12lb 8oz now. She is still following her new Centile line which is just under the 50^th Centile. The Health Visitor and I are happy with this as she is still gaining weight and she hasn’t dropped on the chart anymore. 

Daily Routine

During the day Florence still follows the pattern of Bottle, Playtime, Nap, Bottle, Playtime, Nap. Florence started to get really grizzly an hour or so before bed time so Chris and I have moved her bath half an hour earlier. We now start her bath and bedtime routine at 7pm. While her bath is running I give Florence a baby massage using Earth Friendly Baby Moisturising Shea Butter Massage Oil. She really enjoys her massage, it helps her to relax before bed time, and it also helps to take the tension off of her body that has been built up during the day. Once she is dried from her bath and in her clean pyjamas Florence has her last bottle. 

We stopped giving Florence a Dream Feed a couple of weeks ago. She started to only take an ounce or so and I figured that she didn’t really need the feed and was only taking some because it was offered to her. Since we dropped the Dream Feed Florence sleeps from 7.30pm to around 2.30am/3.30am for a quick ten minute feed. She’ll then wake for a feed around 6.00am/6.30am as Chris is waking for work, napping again until around 9.30am-10.00am.

Eating

If you follow me on Instagram you would have seen that I went back to using the smaller Dr Brown’s bottles. I was worried about how little Florence was taking at each feed and sought advice from the Health Visitor. She reassured me that Florence was gaining enough weight week to week, and if she only wanted 3oz at each feed then that is perfectly okay. She also advised me to start making smaller 4oz feeds so that I focused on how much she was taking, rather than worrying about how much she was leaving at each feed.

That was three weeks ago, and we changed back to the bigger Dr Brown’s bottles almost a week ago now. Florence had started to drink 4oz at almost every feed, and occasionally she wanted more. Since we have gone back to making 5oz bottles she is drinking around 4oz – 4.5oz at every feed. During the day she is still feeding every 3 hours, sometimes 4 hours. I don’t mind so much because it seems that Florence prefers to drink little and often.  

Clothing

Florence moved up a clothing size around three weeks ago and she is now wearing 0-3 months. It was a sad day when I packed away all of her tiny little clothes, where has our little baby gone?! I can’t bear to give them away so we plan on turning her first sleepsuits into a special keepsake bear! Hannah from Firsttimemummy uploaded a photo onto her Instagram of a lovely puppy dog bear made from Austin’s first clothing. It was made by a company called “Keepsakes From My Sewing Room” and we’ve got our eye on their adorable Giraffe Keepsake Bear! 

Florence is still in Size 2 nappies but I don’t think that it’ll be long before she moves up a size in those also.

Development

Smiling – After smiling for the first time at 7 weeks, Florence has just not stopped! She has turned into such a happy little girl and it brings tears to my eyes every time she smiles! We’re still waiting for that first little giggle though!

Talking – Florence started coo’ing a couple of weeks ago. She loves to talk back to us and will often copy the sounds that we make. I love our little conversations that we have now!

Waking – Florence used to always wake up from a nap crying which upset me. Recently she has been waking up by herself and happily lays in her Moses Basket until I realise that she’s awake! I often don’t know that she has woken up until I need to go into our bedroom for something and I see her laying there, smiling and coo’ing. It’s the sweetest sight! 

Chewing - Florence has found her hands and is constantly chewing them now! She has also started to use her Dr Brown's Flexees Teether and really bites down on it!