Welcome to What Katie Says....
Apologies for any inconsistencies we are working on this page!
Here you will find lots of valuable information from real mums with children of all ages.
One thing we were unanimous about was that throughout pregnancy, babyhood and toddlerdom we all valued a good friend who had been there and done it but who didn’t preach! People mean well, but when you are pregnant you suddenly find out that everyone has an opinion! Between us we’ve had over fifteen babies, so have a fantastically balanced view on being parents. We accept that what works for one doesn't necessarily work for another.
This section of our site is intended to give ideas and suppport and to let you know that your questions and worries are all perfectly normal! Katie has been selected as she currently has her hands full with a baby and a toddler! She is still there very much in the thick of it! Initially we will be covering the challenges and questions that we are regularly confronted with as new mums, but we would love to hear from you too - ideas, comments and feedback are all gratefully received at whatkatiesays@huddleandbliss.com.
I am a big fan of swaddling and I always recommend trying it to friends with new babies, particularly restless babies who like to be held a lot!
Swaddling is an age-old practice of wrapping infants snugly in swaddling cloths, swaddle blankets or similar cotton cloth so that they feel secure and protected. Some believe that it makes the transition from womb to the outside world easier. The slight pressure that swaddling provides is similar to that experienced by the baby whilst they are still in your tummy.
Also, babies are born with a natural ‘Startle Reflex’. This is similar to that feeling you get when you are just drifting off to sleep and you suddenly feel like you are falling off a swing which causes you to physically jolt. A baby experiences this reflex if they hear a loud noise, they change position or if you walk past and accidentally knock the moses basket - which lets face it we have all done when we have gone in to check on our darling newborn's breathing! This reflex causes the baby to put their arms out to the sides as if they are trying to grab on to something which can wake them from a deep sleep - and you! They usually grow out of this by about 6 months. Lets be honest, as a new mum we will take any sleep we can get, so anything that can possibly help achieve that is worth trying! A number of our babies loved to be swaddled and it really helped to settle them for sleep.
There are lots of new-fangled swaddling aids on the market, with velco tabs and made of fleece, but frankly I and a lot of midwives I have spoken to, think a pure cotton blanket is best for this. The fabric is natural and breathable and does allow baby movement. Swaddling blankets are approximately 1 tog.
This is how to swaddle:
• Place a baby swaddling blanket on a flat surface and fold down the top right corner about 15cm / 6 inches.
• Place your baby on his back with his head on the fold.
• Pull the corner near your baby's left hand across his body, and tuck the leading edge under his right arm and around under his back.
• Pull the bottom corner up under your baby's chin .
• Bring the right-hand corner over and tuck it under his back on the left side, and you have a swaddled baby.
The huddle & bliss baby swaddling blanket is perfect for the job. Made in the UK from 100% pure cotton, it is beautifully soft and kind to babies skin – so much so that my seven month old daughter who has grown out of the swaddling stage now uses it as a comforter!
If you have any suggestions or comments on what worked for you then please let us know by emailing us at whatkatiesays@huddleandbliss.com.
Anyone who has a baby who suffers from Colic will tell you what a difficult and stressful time it can be!
Colic is a broad term which refers to episodes of uncontrollable, extended crying in a baby who is otherwise healthy and well fed. It usually starts a few weeks after the birth, just as you are starting to recover (Mother Nature has a sick sense of humour sometimes) and can last for about 3 months. Medical professionals can’t really say for definite what causes colic but they think it may be where your baby is swallowing too much air without burping causing their tummy to fill and stretch with wind which is quite painful. At huddle & bliss we have breast-fed and bottle-fed our babies and done a mixture of both. Some of the breast-fed babies did also get colic, but it does seem to be a little more common with the babies that were bottle fed.
In my house it happened like this: My babies would have a pretty normal day of sleeping, eating and pooing then at around 5 o’clock(just when my husband goes to work, how typical!) the colic would kick in. They cry, bring their knees up, clench their fists and are generally cross and inconsolable. It can also be stressful if it starts as your partner walks in from a busy day too, but at least there are more hands on deck!
It will make you feel better to know that colicky babies do not have any lasting problems once the colic stops, but it can be very hard to deal with the persistent periods of crying every day.
Here’s what you can try…This is a trial and error situation I’m afraid. Try putting baby over your shoulder and give them a good wind to try and move the trapped air. Holding them close across your chest or middle will warm their tummy which can sometimes help. Many babies like you to pace and rock them in a repetitive motion. A number of the mums here eventually found a specific position that gave their baby comfort. A warm bath can occasionally help as can a drink of warm boiled water. You just have to be patient and try lots of things until you find something that works for you and your baby. There are various colic drops on the market which apparently work by encouraging all the little bubbles of air in baby’s tummy to form into one big bubble which can help with winding. Be prepared that baby may bring up some milk as well so a burp cloth is essential! Muslins can be a bit too rough on my baby’s cheeks but a huddle & bliss burp cloth is pure soft cotton and washes beautifully.
It can be a very trying time, particularly at the end of an already long day. As a new mum it is upsetting to find that you cannot stop your baby crying. If your baby does develop colic (and remember not all do!) then it is very predictable, so plan your day accordingly and this will ease the pressure a little.
Take all the help that is offered to you and remember that it does eventually go away!
If you have any suggestions or comments on what worked for you then please let us know by emailing us at whatkatiesays@huddleandbliss.com.
Sitting at my desk one day my colleague who was seven and a half months pregnant suddenly called for my attention. She thought she had felt a contraction. She had gone slightly pale at the thought that her little one wanted to make an early arrival, but not as pale as the rest of the office (especially the men) who were busy boiling the kettle and trying to find sheets to tear up. The women eventually managed to get everyone to calm down by explaining she was probably experiencing a ‘Braxton Hicks’ Contraction.
Braxton Hicks contractions are a tightening of the muscles of your uterus (womb). This can happen for anywhere from 30 to 60 seconds. This may happen to you several times an hour, several times a day, and can start mid way through your pregnancy, possibly earlier for some people. There is still debate as to whether these contractions play any part in preparing the uterus. Books tell us that these usually painless contractions were discovered by John Braxton Hicks, an English doctor who first described them in 1872. We shall gloss over the fact that the women who do experience them would like to go back in time and kick this man in his uterus as some of us do indeed find them uncomfortable and ‘conversation stopping’ as a friend of mine used to describe them.
All pregnant women spend time imagining how labour will start and what it will feel like. Labour can start in so many different ways and having to decipher Braxton Hicks from the real thing can make us feel even more anxious.
Just over half of my mummy girlfriends suffered from Braxton Hicks Contractions. I had them with my second baby but not with the first. We all agree that the main way to tell your having a Braxton Hicks is to get up and move about and the sensation will subside. A real contraction will keep going no matter what you do but a Braxton Hicks contraction can be almost walked off. True labour contractions are noticeably longer, as well as more regular, frequent, and more painful than Braxton Hicks contractions. Also, labour pains are persistent, and will increase in frequency, duration, and intensity as time goes on, while Braxton Hicks contractions remain unpredictable and non-rhythmic. A friend of mine who is pregnant with her fourth baby says that you just know when it is the real thing and if there is any doubt in your mind it is probably Braxton Hicks. That being said you should look out for any watery or bloody vaginal discharge, or lower back pain or cramping particularly if you are less than 37 weeks. It is always best to err on the side of caution and if you are at all worried or uneasy seek advice from your health care provider, they will not think you are silly or worrying to much. With my first I went to the hospital three times before it was the real thing. On the plus side when it was ‘time’ I knew most of the midwives names and my husband was familiar with where he could buy a newspaper and a coffee!
If you have any suggestions or comments on what worked for you then please let us know by emailing us at whatkatiesays@huddleandbliss.com.
I attended a friends little one’s second birthday party the other day and as we were having coffee and watching the children play in the garden the subject of breastfeeding came up. It was a pretty mixed group of new mothers, mothers with older children, grandmothers and single women and I was surprised at what a strong debate ensued. Everyone had an opinion on the subject!
I sit in the ‘go with the flow’ camp having not managed to feed my first myself, despite 10 days of screaming baby, crying Mummy and very sore nipples, but having no problem at all feeding my second. We have all heard the government stance on the subject ‘Breast is Best’ etc but I think we should focus more on what is best on an individual basis. You will have enough to do and worry about with a newborn so if it works fantastic, but if it doesn’t don’t beat yourself up. You will still have a happy baby if you bottle feed, especially if you are happy.
If you do get on with feeding yourself, you will inevitably come to a time where junior decides he is starving when you are in the middle of the supermarket or in a coffee shop. Now some of us think nothing of popping a boob out anywhere if little one requires it and power to them. I on the other hand was a little more self-conscious. At one point I had to abandon a trolley load of shopping and dash back to the car with screaming baby to feed her. Of course I came back to find my trolley gone and had to start all over again. A friend of mine, a seasoned pro with three breastfed babies, suggested I simply keep a feeding wrap in my change bag. This worked brilliantly. The next time I was caught on the hop I put the wrap on and felt comfortable and discreet. No one even gave me a second glance. Huddle & bliss do a fantastic Mama Breastfeeding wrap which is somewhere between a poncho and a pashmina so it won’t slip down and reveal anything! It is lightweight and gorgeously soft and is available singularly or in a twin pack. Available in organic cotton too.
If you have any suggestions or comments on what worked for you then please let us know by emailing us at whatkatiesays@huddleandbliss.com.
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There is nothing worse than being out with your newborn and realising you have forgotten an essential piece of kit as I discovered the first time I took my son out for lunch with my Ante Natal group. We were in our local Pizzeria, and my little one needed changing so off I marched to the baby changing room armed with my changing bag. I smiled at the other diners as I walked past in an ‘I’m not getting flustered even though my baby is screaming and turning red and I know you are all looking at me’ kind of way. It was a poo of unprecedented proportion. After the tenth wipe I discovered to my horror that the packet was empty and looked down to see my son still pooing!! About half a roll of loo roll moistened in the sink and twenty minutes later we emerged. Needless to say after this experience I always run a mental checklist and restock my bag before I leave the house so this doesn’t happen again.
Now, there are many change bags on the market as you will no doubt have discovered. My husband objects to carrying a ‘girly bag’ so I have two options. Separate change bags, which would just mean I had to keep two bags stocked. Or having to carry a Nike rucksack….not quite the look I want to go for. We went with a huddle & bliss change bag in black leather, practical yet stylish and suitable for both men and women.
Now to stock it - I do vary it according to season, but these are what I consider the basic essentials year round for a trip out for a couple of hours with a young baby.
4 x nappies
1 packet of wipes
Cream for babies bottom
Nappy sacks
Change of clothes for baby
1 x burp cloths
1 x bib
1 x cotton blanket - extra layer for baby
Breastfeeding wrap and spare breast pads (If you are feeding yourself)
2 prepared Bottles (if you are bottle feeding)
Spare Tee Shirt for me – so nice to be able to change if baby is sick on you
If you have any suggestions or comments on what worked for you then please let us know by emailing us at whatkatiesays@huddleandbliss.com.
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