Baby J is one month old. He now weighs 9lb 10oz and is 56cm long.

baby j is one month old

My first month as a mother of two has gone surprisingly well. I was discharged from the hospital two hours after J was born, although we hung about for a couple more hours so we could take our time and enjoy lots of skin-to-skin. We got home around 9pm and ordered a massive Chinese takeaway. It felt very surreal to be eating chow mein while a 6 hour old baby slept next to me!

J has taken to breastfeeding like a pro; he latched on soon after birth and there have been no issues at all. I didn’t need the stash of colostrum that I’d expressed ante-natally after all! I forgot how much of a shock it is the first time your baby latches on; it’s not a horrible feeling, it’s just a bit strange. My milk came in a lot quicker this time round which my midwife had said would probably happen. With Little N it came in on day 4 and this time it came in on day 2. I guess the c-section delayed it last time, along with the breastfeeding difficulties.

I had a first-degree tear during the birth but it seems to have healed well. I haven’t experienced any pain or discomfort. Apart from feeling like I had a bruised tailbone the day after the birth, I just didn’t feel like I’d had a baby at all! The total opposite to how I felt after Little N’s birth. J is sleeping a lot, so even though he is feeding a lot at night he just falls straight to sleep after so I’m getting a lot of rest. Recently he has started to cluster feed in the evenings so he must be going through a growth spurt.

J’s first month has been super busy. In order for us to be discharged so quickly it meant that none of his newborn checks were done at the hospital, so we have had an extra visit from the community midwives as well as having to visit a health centre in the next town to get them done. I asked the midwife to come out a further time because J’s eyes got really gunky. We’ve also registered his birth and made him official.

Little N came home from my Dad’s the day after the birth. He has been the most amazing big brother. I am SO proud of him. He immediately wanted to hold J and cuddle and kiss him. He is so gentle and tender and wants to help. I am so lucky that they have a great bond already.

My Dad has wanted to visit A LOT. To the point that I haven’t really been able to see anyone else because my Dad is always here and it would just be too much to have other people over as well. Aside from my Dad, we’ve seen Ian’s parents, Ian’s sister and one of my friends. Hopefully J will get to meet other friends and family members soon, if my Dad lets them get a look in!

I’ve been really aware that Little N’s whole world has been turned upside down, so I have been keen to resume our regular activities as soon as possible. We ventured back out to our toddler groups when J was 6 days old, the day that Ian went back to work. That raised a lot of eyebrows from other mums who thought I was mad to be out so soon. I think I have still been riding the hormone high because I have had bags of energy! I’m hoping it will last, but I know that’s probably wishful thinking!


Missed my birth stories? Catch up here: The Emergency C-Section and The VBAC


Baby J is One Month Old

Baby J is one month old. He now weighs 9lb 10oz and is 56cm long.

baby j is one month old

My first month as a mother of two has gone surprisingly well. I was discharged from the hospital two hours after J was born, although we hung about for a couple more hours so we could take our time and enjoy lots of skin-to-skin. We got home around 9pm and ordered a massive Chinese takeaway. It felt very surreal to be eating chow mein while a 6 hour old baby slept next to me!

J has taken to breastfeeding like a pro; he latched on soon after birth and there have been no issues at all. I didn’t need the stash of colostrum that I’d expressed ante-natally after all! I forgot how much of a shock it is the first time your baby latches on; it’s not a horrible feeling, it’s just a bit strange. My milk came in a lot quicker this time round which my midwife had said would probably happen. With Little N it came in on day 4 and this time it came in on day 2. I guess the c-section delayed it last time, along with the breastfeeding difficulties.

I had a first-degree tear during the birth but it seems to have healed well. I haven’t experienced any pain or discomfort. Apart from feeling like I had a bruised tailbone the day after the birth, I just didn’t feel like I’d had a baby at all! The total opposite to how I felt after Little N’s birth. J is sleeping a lot, so even though he is feeding a lot at night he just falls straight to sleep after so I’m getting a lot of rest. Recently he has started to cluster feed in the evenings so he must be going through a growth spurt.

J’s first month has been super busy. In order for us to be discharged so quickly it meant that none of his newborn checks were done at the hospital, so we have had an extra visit from the community midwives as well as having to visit a health centre in the next town to get them done. I asked the midwife to come out a further time because J’s eyes got really gunky. We’ve also registered his birth and made him official.

Little N came home from my Dad’s the day after the birth. He has been the most amazing big brother. I am SO proud of him. He immediately wanted to hold J and cuddle and kiss him. He is so gentle and tender and wants to help. I am so lucky that they have a great bond already.

My Dad has wanted to visit A LOT. To the point that I haven’t really been able to see anyone else because my Dad is always here and it would just be too much to have other people over as well. Aside from my Dad, we’ve seen Ian’s parents, Ian’s sister and one of my friends. Hopefully J will get to meet other friends and family members soon, if my Dad lets them get a look in!

I’ve been really aware that Little N’s whole world has been turned upside down, so I have been keen to resume our regular activities as soon as possible. We ventured back out to our toddler groups when J was 6 days old, the day that Ian went back to work. That raised a lot of eyebrows from other mums who thought I was mad to be out so soon. I think I have still been riding the hormone high because I have had bags of energy! I’m hoping it will last, but I know that’s probably wishful thinking!


Missed my birth stories? Catch up here: The Emergency C-Section and The VBAC


Clarins HydraQuench Cream-Mask Mask

My mother-in-law gave me this deluxe sample tube of Clarins HydraQuench Cream-Mask earlier this year and like most beauty products I get it went into the drawers of doom until I was recently rummaging through, looking for something to sooth the dry skin I’ve been suffering with.

Clarins say this mask provides intense comfort for dehydrated skin and will restore freshness and radiance within 5 to 10 minutes. Its key ingredients are hyaluronic acid to restore the skin's water reserves, katafray extract to reinforce the barrier effect of the outer layer of the skin, and extracts of rowan tree buds to boost the skin's radiance.

I applied a layer of the creamy white mask to my face and neck and left it to work for the full 10 minutes. It has a rather clinical smell to it, it reminds me of Savlon! Not unpleasant, just surprising. After 10 minutes I removed the excess mask with some toner-soaked cotton wool as the instructions suggest, then applied my usual moisturiser.

I can’t say that I have experienced any of the benefits that were promised, even with subsequent use, which is disappointing to say the least. It’s quite an expensive mask, normally costing £33.00 for a 75ml tube, so I did expect better especially from a brand like Clarins as their products are normally really good.

You can buy Clarins HydraQuench Cream-Mask from retailers such as John Lewis and Escentual as well as from Clarins directly.

Have you tried this mask? What did you think?



Clarins HydraQuench Cream-Mask

Clarins HydraQuench Cream-Mask Mask

My mother-in-law gave me this deluxe sample tube of Clarins HydraQuench Cream-Mask earlier this year and like most beauty products I get it went into the drawers of doom until I was recently rummaging through, looking for something to sooth the dry skin I’ve been suffering with.

Clarins say this mask provides intense comfort for dehydrated skin and will restore freshness and radiance within 5 to 10 minutes. Its key ingredients are hyaluronic acid to restore the skin's water reserves, katafray extract to reinforce the barrier effect of the outer layer of the skin, and extracts of rowan tree buds to boost the skin's radiance.

I applied a layer of the creamy white mask to my face and neck and left it to work for the full 10 minutes. It has a rather clinical smell to it, it reminds me of Savlon! Not unpleasant, just surprising. After 10 minutes I removed the excess mask with some toner-soaked cotton wool as the instructions suggest, then applied my usual moisturiser.

I can’t say that I have experienced any of the benefits that were promised, even with subsequent use, which is disappointing to say the least. It’s quite an expensive mask, normally costing £33.00 for a 75ml tube, so I did expect better especially from a brand like Clarins as their products are normally really good.

You can buy Clarins HydraQuench Cream-Mask from retailers such as John Lewis and Escentual as well as from Clarins directly.

Have you tried this mask? What did you think?



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