mother/sons

This week marks the start of a fresh new change for me in a bid to improve my general health and really be all that I can for my family aswell. So after many years suffering with Asthma, eczema, dust and cat allergies, and hayfever since childhood. Now well into my adult years, I feel that these are at least moderately under control with the right medication.

Our two boys have also had mild eczema since they were babies, but by using natural organic and skin friendly products, non bio wash powder, natural cotton and bamboo clothes, bedding, towels and so on its much more manageable and I am keen to keep going with the ‘drug & steriod free’ changes as much as we can!

However despite my best efforts, I do have to share that I am having to battle with 4 main health conditions on a daily basis (flare ups are pretty awful in the winter months) including:

• IBS
• SEVERE ENDOMETRIOSIS
• CHRONIC SINUSITIS & ALLERGIES
• POSTERIOR PELVIC PAIN

Now I know that I am not the only one out there and I am sharing this blog post in a bid to raise a little more awareness about these ‘invisible’ illnesses that may not always show on the surface for some people, but behind closed doors and even out of them some days 1000’s of people particularly women are in unbearable discomfort, pain and things need to change! By sharing a little bit about my own life and experiences of what action to take I do hope that this may help others.

I will be visiting my GP soon with hope that I can be referred for more tests especially with the sinusitis as it just seems to not want to go away on its own and I have exhausted every home remedy and over the counter medication that I can so far! So until that day comes I have now decided to start changing my diet to see if this will help ease the symptoms of the above conditions mentioned.

I have researched into following a ‘Low Fodmap diet’ this week and started to try and cut down and switch Gluten/wheat and dairy in food and drinks. So far things are going pretty well and i’m aware that it will take a few months or so to get into the swing of things and for my body to slowly adjust to changes. Here are some really useful links (with printable attachments) which I did for my fridge! If you were interested in finding out just what Low foodmap is and learning more about IBS and Endo see here:

https://www.healthline.com/health/womens-health/endometriosis-and-ibs

FODMAP Diet Chart | IBS Diets

A few friends have recommended various dairy-free milks and given me lots of lovely helpful advice. In my cups of tea now I have a preference for Alpro Oat milk instead of cows milk and I’m looking forward to trying other products in their range and from other shops as there is a lot on offer these days. Please note you should avoid Soya milk products (if you have Endometriosis). Just this one change this week has made my tummy feel less bloated, painful than it normally is and to be saying this at ‘the time of the month’ is really something! As usually the Endometriosis and IBS pains combined make it just flipping awful to be honest! Ive been eating well (not had to miss out on much!) which is great as I love cooking and enjoy eating so much. I was really worried to start with that I would have to cut out loads of the things I like…. BUT I downloaded a ‘Fodmap A-Z app’ to help keep me on track and learn about what foods are good for me and what may trigger a reaction. It has really helped take some of that stress away. I really don’t feel like i’m missing out much at all now and strangely I’m feeling fuller for longer!? Not sure why that is this is all very new to me.

At the moment I have highs and lows every single day at home or when out with the kids, where the energy bursts (love that) right down to ground zero and I have to sit down because my body just cannot keep up. I get dizzy, flushed, short of breath or just feel very fatigued and tired and its a horrible feeling for me and for them! My physical and mental health is suffering and its time I fought back harder!

For the  lower posterior pelvic and back pain (post babies trauma) I do Yoga as and when I can and this can help a little. Also a Chiropractor is worth their weight in gold some months to really sort me out and realign my back etc.

Anyway in nutshell I am trying my best to start self healing more, visit the docs if I need to and rely on tablets less. The inhalers for my asthma are something I cannot live without… it is a life long condition for me, as is the Endometriosis (there is no cure) and it almost completely wiped out our chances of having a family for us because of the damage to my reproductive organs. So I am forever grateful to the NHS GP who referred me years ago for tests, investigations and the consultants who have operated on me and helped us achieve our dreams, after suffering with secondary infertility for some years after we were blessed with our first born son.

I do however know that for the other conditions there is alternative treatments, natural remedies that can really help and who would have thought something simple as changing what you eat! but I now believe it and wish I’d been offered help long a go. Instead of being sent for blood tests which show practically nothing apart from low iron and being prescribed this pill and that pill over the years which now simply do not work for me! For a long time now Ive suffered and it seems from my own experience doctors do not care about allergies as an adult, you are pretty much left to sort things out by yourself.  I hope things can change it really needs to.

My advice for any women out there whether your 16 or 36! Age does not matter when it comes to your health, if you notice any changes or are in pain with your body please DO go and see a doctor and ask for help. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain hopefully!

DO listen to your body

DO see a doctor

DO your research into medication, treatments, alternative therapies and home/natural remedies (pharmacy’s, health food stores can give good advice too)

DO look after yourself

DO ask for help

DO talk to others for support and advice

DON’T be afraid to ask questions

DON’T take no for answer (if your not happy or are unsure get a second opinion)

In particular for anybody who has recently been diagnosed with Endometriosis or hoping to find some good advice and support, live local to the Isle of Wight? Then pop over to Instagram or facebook and join these groups run by the lovely Georgia Day.

In the meantime I will try my best to keep my readers and followers on Instagram/facebook up to date on how its all going and if there is anything new I now discover along the way I will let you know!

I wish you all the best health and love, luck out there! Be strong and don’t give up trying. If anyone has any questions or advice even thats great and feel free to drop me a message soon.

Love Katrina x

 

Did you know that the 9th – 15th October is Baby Loss Awareness Week. I am proud to join thousands of others this week in remembering babies lost too soon and help to raise awareness of the issues that affect those who experience their loss at any stage through pregnancy and birth. I am 1 in 4 women and here I stand proud and strong now feeling brave enough to share my story in the hope that it may help others.

If you would like to find out more information about this year’s campaign or would like some support and advice, you can find their website here https://www.miscarriageassociation.org.uk/ or visit their facebook page  https://www.facebook.com/MiscarriageAssociation/

Pure love … Our Rainbow Baby Story

So let’s roll the clock back a couple of years to 2017 when baby Jackson Steven White was born into the world on the 14th August 2017. This day was literally one of the best but hardest days of our lives so far. After all our little miracle rainbow baby was finally here healthy and well. After coming out of what seemed like a never ending storm for almost 3 years which is a long time and an experience that will stay with you forever.

I will start from the beginning telling you about our journey to having another child.

Back in 2014 we were off to a good start to our year, having just bought our first house together with our then 2 year old son which we moved into in July and things were going great. Not long after we had moved we found out the very exciting news that we were expecting again and baby would have been due soon after my son Brody’s 3rd birthday, May 2015. He’d just started pre school and mastered potty training so this would have been a perfect time so we thought to welcome another little person into our loving home. However sadly what joy and luck had been given to us was quite quickly taken away without even knowing.

After all the hard work of buying a house and moving we went on a little family holiday break to Spain that summer which was great. Just being around other families on holiday and seeing children with their siblings together made us feel happy and really looking forward to things to come. On our arrival back to the U.K. However it was time for our 12week first scan appointment which everyone in all honesty feels nervous about naturally I’m sure. This 2nd time around I had a feeling in my gut however that something wasn’t right. I didn’t feel unwell at all, yet my body was still experiencing the usual symptoms of pregnancy on holiday and back home, but the day before the ultrasound scan I had some brown bleeding which was old blood, but something I never had in my 1st pregnancy and it rang alarm bells. I was in no pain or anything so tried to ignore it but our thoughts and feelings were proved right that next day as nothing could be picked up on the tummy ultrasound so I had to have an internal scan which showed something there but was under-developed. We were given the sad news that our baby had stopped growing early on and of course we were absolutely devastated.

Soon after this news we were taken into a room and choices were handed out did I want to let things progress with the miscarriage naturally? Did I want medication to bring on a miscarriage to clear the body? Or did I want an operation to clear the body that way? Not only were these very difficult questions to answer at such a raw and emotional time but they make you wait a week (the longest of my life!) until they will see you again to help treat you. This time soon came round and I’d opted for the operation to remove what was classed as a missed miscarriage at 12weeks. I was terrified about what would happen, would I wake up from the anaesthetic and see my family again? All sorts ran though my head at that time and I felt so lonely and nervous. Waiting to go down for an op is the worst feeling. Anyway the op was a success and after a good rest and recovery time at home I soon felt back to normal again, well physically anyway. Mentally was another story.

From this very first miscarriage to the last… feelings ran high and it affected my husband and I in many ways testing our strength to its limits. Whilst trying to be ‘normal’ and ‘happy’ as we would normally be for our young son Brody. We both wanted to give him a sibling so badly and nobody could of predicted the battle ahead of us.

Since my early twenties and starting to have smear tests etc I’d always suffered with ‘abnormal cells’ or little cysts and occasionally experienced pain or discomfort in the tummy. Before I’d fallen pregnant with my first son I was told I had Endometriosis and would need treatment so discussed and planned to have a operation for this, as I really wanted some relief from my pain and obviously did not want to damage my fertility in any way at this age. I was told by the consultant then just not to wait 10 years… well little did I know that despite having Endometriosis that required surgery a short time after the operation date arrived I found out I was pregnant! Absolutely overjoyed but a little shocked we were very happy and at 27 years old I felt so ready to have my first child and the whole pregnancy was a healthy success. I gave birth to a little boy on 29th March 2012 weighing 8lbs 7oz! So this is the positive ‘1st miracle’ if you like in our story!

Very little did we know that only 2 years after having our son things would take a turn for the worst. Starting with our missed miscarriage at 12 weeks in 2014, followed with an operation and then it took us well over a year, 18 months to be exact trying to conceive again with no luck. As you can probably imagine we endured so much stress and heartache back then and felt like failures not really knowing what was wrong it wasn’t easy and both had to have various tests done.

Then in early 2016 we decided it was time to see a consultant to get some answers and we did. After another investigative operation on me we were given the bad news that ‘your endometriosis is still there’ and in a terrible state!

I had to have surgery yet again therefore in April 2016 as my left Fallopian tube was completely blocked and damaged and would need removing and I had lots of cysts around and on my ovaries was just heartbreaking to hear especially as I’d only had surgery two years prior to this in the same area! Endometriosis is a condition that can come back or progress. However in all honestly I did not care I was brave! And we were relieved to finally get some answers about what may be causing the issues in our fertility and being able to conceive after two natural pregnancies, we were really baffled why it hadn’t happened much sooner after our first loss but now at least we knew why. The term ‘Secondary infertility’ was used by the consultant, something you just wouldn’t imagine could happen after successfully having our first child quite easily.

So I went ahead with the surgery which was a success, started on a course of the drug Clomid to give my ovaries a boost and only a few months later in July 2016 we fell pregnant naturally again! Woohoo fantastic news! The operation has worked we thought… can you imagine the relief and excitement, for us although we were very nervous about this pregnancy naturally and unfortunately this was not meant to be either and I miscarried again. Only to be followed the following month in Aug 2016 with another positive pregnancy result but miscarried that baby too so this was number 3 of miscarriages now over those 3 years.

We had suffered so much bad luck and at the time life seemed so very unfair and cruel while everyone around me was having babies left right and centre, and my son has started school full time in September 2016 so I was around friends and children everyday. I really wasn’t in a good place at all. Still we never gave up hope and faith that one day it would still possibly happen so we kept trying and we actually ended 2016 on a high note! Having fallen pregnant for the 5th time in total now!! And having a positive pregnancy result in December 2016 we could not of been happier. We were almost about to give up and maybe have an attempt at IVF which is another very difficult process to follow and expensive too because we already had a child we wouldn’t of been eligible for any help with the cost.

Anyway we were under consultant led Care at the start of this pregnancy and I had regular checks and early pregnancy scans to make sure everything was ok and baby was growing as it should be, healthily and it was. We honestly couldn’t of received better care by the NHS at that time and our consultant was so amazing we owe everything to that man as without his help our family life, my own health and our future would not have been the same.

To end this horrible real life experience with a brighter outcome was so fortunate for us and something we will never ever take for granted. As you can imagine we spent years having our hearts filled with happy and sad times over something so simple to most as ‘having another baby’ and it really was a roller coaster of emotions to battle for both of us, not to mention all the strain it took on my body with the operations, the hormones and so on!

We love our new little arrival who’s now 2 years old so dearly and our family now feels complete. I remember feeling a big sense of relief and joy that those long hard 9 months were finally over and we could enjoy holding our little beautiful miracle baby boy after losing 3 dear angels.

My boys are my absolute world and I would do anything for them. People have always asked us both for years questions like will you have any more children, you must have another one and even now I still get comments about the possibility of having a third. To be honest I wouldn’t want to go through any more heartbreak or stress like I have done ever again can you blame me! I’ve also had to battle with back and hip problems for the last 7 years so pregnancy has not been an easy ride for me. All I have ever wanted is a happy life, to be married and have two happy and healthy children was my dream once and I have now achieved that finally!

It is just the way society is! We all say things without thinking first (I am a culprit of this too!) BUT people do not see or talk about what really is happening or has happened to them enough sadly in their own personal life… and it can be really hard and upsetting for some people us included. This is one of the reasons I wanted to share our story and help raise awareness of the struggles of fertility & miscarriage. Life is never easy and big life changes and challenges can hit you at anytime! We have learnt so much from our experience and try to enjoy life and cherish our time spent with family each and every day.

So please be brave, strong and support and love one another. Our world very much needs this and whatever plan life has in store for you just go with it and make the best of things as you just never know when something could change forever. Don’t be afraid to ask for help from others, life should not be lived in regret. Life is so precious and so are you! Please don’t ignore any pains or problems you may be experiencing ladies especially… if I had I may have very well ended up being infertile and my life would be so very different now. I am still living with endometriosis and will find out in the future if it’s come back after having baby I guess. I really hope for no more surgery though! I also have family and close friends who have had Polycystic ovaries, Cysts, Miscarriages, IVF treatment and Fertility issues, Cancer you name it! And from this I have learnt so much. One being LIFE IS TOO SHORT! We all need to talk to each other much more by any means, and offer our support to one another as women. These issues are far more common than we may realise and talking helped me hugely, so if by raising more awareness from sharing our story helps anybody out there than that gives me great comfort.

Love Katrina x

 

 

So we are off on our travels again soon and what would a environmentally conscious & pretty organised, practical mamma take with her you ask? Well the list has grown and changed a little since last years trip abroad, and I’m trying to be even more compact, with a “less is more” vibe with the boys! I would also like to mention that this post is not sponsored by any brands its simply my love for my littleones and sharing some of the best products out there with you all.

Starting off with some new items I’ve recently bought to make our holiday a little easier:

Microfibre towels instead of beach towels as they dry faster and take up far less room in your suit case! Available in many colours and sizes to suit the whole family. We bought two for the grownups as the kids are already sorted with towels. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01N4CA6S4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

A pram organiser with shoulder strap & zip off purse which will be super handy! It also comes with two velcro buggy hooks which are so useful for shopping bags, clipping kids hats or drink bottles to for example. Also somewhere to store drink cups/bottles up high close to parents is a bonus and everything you need will be easier to find and closer to hand such as keys, phones, wallet etc.   https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07BZF69QC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

New One Green Bottle’s x2 I can’t tell you enough how great these water bottles really are. Both our boys were gifted one each a 350ml and 500ml bottle at Christmas time and here we are 5 months later and they are still going strong. Easy to clean, drink from with no spills as long as you flip the spout back down of course and best of all they are made from stainless steel, so they keep nice and cool and are reusable time and time again. For this trip I decided it was time the grownups invested in a bottle each and Amazon UK had some great price offers on with FREE Prime delivery so we snapped this up.

Holiday clothes

The boys needed a few new holiday clothes so where better to buy from than H&M affordable Conscious range! Quality organic cotton clothes that will keep them comfy and cool with style! I especially love the T-shirt, shorts and sun hat set which was only £14.99 for Jackson. The T-shirt’s were only £2.99 each. Their size range is fantastic so it’s one rare time where I can match the boys outfits too. I’d highly recommend popping online or instore to check out their range. If you are a club member to H&M delivery is free and you can earn clubcard points.

I thought it would be a good idea if the kids shared a suitcase case again and their toy Trunki case aswell which is air cabin size approved with most airlines.

Aswell as the above mentioned, we’ve got quite a list below of other great items that will make days out with young ones go a bit smoother, take up less space & very importantly being Eco friendly with our re-usables of course it’s actually really easy to do!

Some of the best things we’ve used abroad and at home have to be the Eco Chic London bags as they fold up so small and are waterproof. You can buy these from various retailers online and also some high street shops. I believe there is a UK Stockist list on the Eco Chic website. https://www.eco-chic.eu

You’ll see from the photo here that we love the Blue puffin print and we have a large reusable shopping bag (seconds as a swim bag), a weekend hold-all bag,  insulated lunch bag (handy for bottles/snacks on days out), a wash bag, document wallet to use for passports etc, and because it all folds down so small its a breeze to take home again.

I also have a Cath Kidston foldaway pushchair bag which is super light weight, roomy and folds compact so I won’t always need a big heavy changing bag with the buggy, this throw it all in bag does the job well. So will the BTR parent organiser pictured above, and if we need to fold the buggy up quick and jump on a bus or in a taxi we only have two light bags to take off and carry on board.

Another brilliant tip is  taking a little washing powder and washing up liquid because let’s face it travelling with kids there could be bottles, dinnerware ,cups to wash in your room and also little accidents do happen with clothes, or if you want to get a few uses out of a garment you can hand wash and dry them outside with warm sunny weather in next to no time! This also applies for cloth nappies and wipes. We may have washing facilities at the hotel but this can’t be guaranteed so I’d rather take a back up or at least know what my kids clothes and nappies are being washed with due to sensitive eczema prone skin. We will be taking Cloth Nappy wrap covers and some Bumgenius Flip disposable inserts for the day time, as this will be the easiest and quickest set up to wash and dry much quicker than some nappies we use at home. Also cotton prefolds, bamboo boosters will be good for nights and take up much less space again than taking our full nappy stash. The disposable inserts are biodegradable, a large size, highly absorbent and can just be thrown away and then reuse the wrap cover a couple of times before washing. Modern day cloth nappies are a wonderful thing and you can throw other laundry in with them to wash perfectly well. All you need is a good size wet bag to store the dirty nappies in whilst away from home and pop it all in the wash when it’s full up.

Lastly I have organised a little goody bag of games, toys and colouring for the boys into a bag to take onboard our flight and use whilst away. Cath Kidston make various cute bags for children and this racing car one is a firm favourite here. I’ve included some cars, Uno Junior, Travel Guess Who, Quadrillion by Smart Games. We are on Holiday Countdown now and the Holiday buddy calendar plus stickers and actual teddy seems to be working well!

Our Holiday list

• Baby Jogger city tour stroller (comes with backpack storage bag & cabin approved by most airlines)
• Set of Eco chic London bags
• Nom nom kids reusable pouches
• Easy wash/quick dry Cloth nappies inc a swim Nappy!
• Cloth wipes & wet bags
• Non bio Laundry powder & Ecover washing up liquid
• Reusable One Green Bottle steel water bottles
• Stainless steel straws
• Easymat mini
• Skip hop lunchie bag
• Doddl Cutlery set
• Close pop in coverall bib
• Trunki paddlepak (see blue bag in pic above)
• Trunki case
• Trunki Toddlepak reins
• Eco hydra hand sanitiser (alcohol free! Great for sensitive hands)
• Moo goo tail swat spray (insect repellent no chemicals!)
• Microfibre towels
• BTR pram organiser (comes with two Velcro buggy hooks!)

I have included a few photos of some items mentioned in this blog post and provided some web links. However please feel free to pop me a message with any questions or ideas of what your travel essentials are that may just inspire me more!

Happy travels!

Love Katrina x

Mothersons

 

So Christmas 2018 is now behind us and it means that I can finally share with you how we chose to do ‘Gifting’ slightly differently in our house for our two young boys, Jackson being just 15 months & Brody who is 6 years old.

Last year for our youngest’s first Christmas I had a good sort out of toys so that each toy box had age appropriate, a safe selection of things in it for both of them. Especially important in our house as they very much share their play space together.

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In our family we are big food fans and fresh and home-made is not only a money saver when it comes to Baby weaning, but it’s also much better for them nutritionally and it really needn’t be hard work.

In all honesty I guess I am one of the lucky ones who has been brought up to enjoy and experience new foods & flavours from different cultures (whether i liked them or not! It does not matter and taste buds change over time). It is only now as an adult with my own family, that I can look back and appreciate those who taught me to cook from a young age including my mother, grand mother and teachers at school. Most of us have fond memories of baking fairy cakes, licking the wooden spoon & bowl I’m sure! This is a value in life that I see as being most important. I want my children to know where food comes from, how precious food can be, learn how to cook and enjoy food and to experience and try new tastes when we travel with them or even when they eventually fly the nest and make their own way in life.

Sadly we do live in a world of convenience with fast foods, take-aways & shops at every corner and I know that even for some families with babies and young children, its all too easy to give them the wrong foods without really thinking about it. However as parents we are responsible for encouraging healthy eating, healthy growing bodies, and hopefully less illnesses or medical conditions later on in life. Not only is healthy eating for the benefit of your children, but this applies to us all as adults aswell so I hope this blog post may inspire a few out there to make changes and try more.

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Newborn Car seats & laying flat!

This is a topic that isn’t new but it has been highlighted a lot recently. In particular this recent news story caught my eye and it just shows how crucially important it is to keep a newborn in a car seat for the least amount of time possible in any form.

Or ideally use a car seat designed to lay flat to prevent Oxygen desaturation. If you haven’t already read the Daily Mail article below, very interesting but real life story!

I have also included some more brilliantly useful info links below whether your a new parent or not, it includes information you may wish to know.

Plus… re-sharing my own review previously posted on the Matrix Light 2 car seat here on the Mothersons blog! See below ?

Mother’s stark warning after her newborn baby stopped breathing and was left foaming at the mouth when a two-hour journey in a car seat caused oxygen deprivation

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5593715/Mothers-warning-newborn-stopped-breathing-following-long-car-seat-journey.html

https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/child-car-seats/article/best-baby-car-seats/baby-car-seats-vs-child-car-seats

http://www.bestbuggy.co.uk/2015/01/lie-flat-infant-carriers/

Jané Matrix Light 2

It is also worth mentioning that Jane now offer the iMatrix (i-size) car seat which is also a great car seat for an infant and highly safety tested. For full details on this please see here …. https://www.jane-uk.com/en/Jane-iMatrix-i-Size–iPlatform-Base/m-3304.aspx

Any questions please feel free to ask.

Love Katrina x

Mothersons