My breastfeeding experience.

Hey guys,

So i thought i would do a little post about my breastfeeding experience, i tried breastfeeding Albie but never really took to it as he was tongue tied and i had no support from the midwifes/health visitors so i knew i wanted to persevere this time and really give it a go.

When Evalyn was born she was put straight onto skin to skin and latched on perfectly, i had to stay in overnight due to her passing a bowel movement when i was in labour so they wanted to keep a check on us both. Whilst we were in, the midwifes were really supportive and kept coming to check the latch was still okay and that she was feeding enough. We were discharged the next day and they were really pleased with her feeding.

So when we got home, i literally felt like a cow being milked, she was constantly feeding and every time i thought about giving up i remembered how much i wanted to do it and i was always told never give up on a bad day! That always stuck with me and as the months went on their was plenty of times that i just called my husband and said i cant do this shes going on formula and he would always remind me of that sentence so i feel that really helped me.

The right support can really help with breastfeeding and without it i dont think i would of got this far. So i managed to get to six and a half months and i am so proud of myself for getting as far as i have and im so gutted that i have had to give up due to going back to work. I haven't actually stopped feeding her yet, mostly because of me. I am so reluctant to give it up, i feel like its given us such a strong bond and i feel like its my special bond with her that nobody else has so i am completely gutted as i tried expressing but i wouldn't even get half an ounce from an hours pumping session - i used the lansinoh electric pump which was really comfortable, i also tried the lansinoh manual pump too but had no luck with either which i think was down to me rather than the pumps because i have heard so many great things about the pumps.


So overall i really do recommend giving breastfeeding a try even if it doesn't work out at least you can say you've tried and if it does work out, thats even better. Because i hate doing bottles now haha, i find it so time consuming.

Take care
Megan x

6 month update!

Hey guys

Its been a while hasn't it, 6 whole months to be exact! Life has just really taken over, trying to find a balance between working, doing the house up and being a full time mum to two children now, my blog has been on the back burner. But fear not, just because i haven't been here doesn't mean i dont have lots of new ideas and posts coming up but today i'm going to start with Evalyns 6 month update.

6 months!!! How is my baby 6 months old already?! I feel like it was only yesterday i found out i was pregnant and now here she is at 6 months (nearly 7 months). She has really started to get her own little personality now, shes very quiet and chilled out, nothing really phases her at all. The only time she cries is when she wants feeding, which brings me on to another subject - weaning, i do have plans to do a full post on this but oh my life this girl can eat, if you've got food in your hands you can guarantee she will try to get it. Greedy monkey and her growth is really starting to show this as shes now on the 75th percentile and weighs a whopping 17lb 3oz.

We are still breastfeeding but with me going back to work and not being able to express, we are slowly weaning her off of me which i'm so disappointed about but she needs to be fed. She doesn't currently sleep through the night and is waking two to three times which is exhausting but shes so worth it. Shes a very bouncy girl and is always excitable about everything which i just love! She has the craziest hair ever and everybody always comments on her hair.

She can now sit up and roll everywhere, i leave her on the floor playing in one room and the next thing i know shes in the next room with me, shes mastered it to a tee and is fast at it. Crawling - shes now getting herself into the position to crawl and is rocking so i dont think it will be long until she is crawling but for now she finds it easier to just roll everywhere.


So that sums Evalyn up and what shes doing at 6 months and i'm honestly so in love with her. My next post will be a breastfeeding one due up on friday so make sure you come back to check it out.

Take care
Megan x

Meet my daughter!

Hey guys.

Its been a while hasnt it? If you cant tell from the title i have been a bit preoccupied with my new baby daughter! I cant quite believe shes here.

So meet baby Evalyn Ballard,  born on the 12.10.2016, weighing 8lb 11oz after going 12 days overdue. Its fair to say this little princess liked to keep us waiting.

I went into hospital at 9am that morning to be induced to find that i was already 6cm dilated and had been for a week and was now having regular contractions. The midwife decided not to induce me so sent me round to the birthing centre for a water birth but once i got there my contractions stopped. I went for a long walk and my contractions were then coming every 2 minutes but when the midwife checked me o hadnt dilated any firther so she broke my waters to find that little miss had pooped so i couldnt have a water birth after all. :(

I was gutted. But all i wanted was to hold her in my arms. I was then taken round to my delivery room where my contractions were coming thick and fast and i was in agony. I started on the has and air but was screaming for an epidural but i was ready to push so it was too late. Within 6 minutes my beautiful baby girl was in my arms and this whole rush of love filled my body and i couldnt believe how beautiful she was.

Life with Evalyn has been amazing, Albie is incredible with her and has shown no signs of jealousy and just wants to cuddle her all the time which completley melts my heart.

Hope you enjoyed reading
Take care
Megan x

Third trimester.

Hey guys

So i thought it was about time i did my third trimester post, i cant believe im already writing this and that i only have 5 weeks left until she is due. Where has the time gone? Anyway let me get on.

A lot has changed in terms of symptoms this trimester, I am currently suffering with extreme PGP which if some of you dont know is Pelvic girdle pain and with a two year old this is agonising, my doctor has put me on bed rest but that is just impossible so i try not to walk to much but still get around as much as i can. Some days are worse than others, some days i can barely move and then some days I feel like its disappearing (if only). They cant actually do much for this so its a grin and bear it until she arrives. I have also been having a lot of braxton hicks, especially at night time, one night i nearly made Hayden take me into hospital. I am the worst pain bearer EVER! Lastly, heartburn - OH MY GOD, i have never experience something so painful in all my life but whenever i get heartburn i also get really bad trapped wind in my chest so i genuinely feel like i am having a heart attack or something and nothing gets rid of it for me.


Baby is growing very well and because i get extra scans i get to see exactly how she is doing, she currently has a big head and stomach and small legs just like her brother did which turned out correct when he was born haha, she is just perfect. We had a 4d scan done when i was 29 weeks and i just cant believe how similar her and Albie look so i cant wait to see what she looks like when she is here.

That is all i really have to update you all with and i think my next updating blog post will be my birth story - how exciting, but in the mean time i have plenty of other posts coming your way including a favourites of what we have brought for her and a baby shower post.

Hope you enjoyed this post.

Take care
Megan x

Preparing Albie for the baby!

Hey guys,

So ever since we even thought about having another baby i have been worrying about how Albie is going to take and adapt to the fact he will no longer be an only child. He has always had mine and Hayden's constant attention and it has always been about him so bringing another child in to the equation is a big deal.

Anyway i have expressed my concerns to Hayden and to other family members and all of them have given me some tips on how to help him get prepared for the baby when she arrives and what to do when she is here so i thought i would share with you some tips.

1: Make him feel included in the build up
     - By this i mean, we have taken him to scans, let him help pick clothes for the baby, taken him to midwife appointments and listened to her heartbeat and let him talk to my bump and feel her kicking away.

2: Make the baby known
    - First of all when we found out we were expecting i tried not to speak to him to much about the baby because i thought it would make him feel sad and pushed out but i was so wrong. After our second scan when we found out the gender we told him hes going to have a baby sister, we told him her name, we showed him where she would be sleeping and sitting in the car just to make him aware that she will be around him when she arrives and so that a baby didn't just arrive in the car seat and bedroom next to him.

3: Let him help
   - This one works for both before the baby is here and after but more so afterwards, let him help pack the hospital bag, let him help get the nappies and feed the baby, just letting them help in general will make them feel so included and like they are not being left out and the attention is on them too.

4: A gift from the baby
    -  When you have a new baby you get a lot of guests that want to meet them and i didn't want Albie to feel its all about her so i am going to be making him a little gift bag of things from her that i know he will love for example, ive brought him some little motorbikes and dinosaurs and i am going to get him a few more bits to go inside just to make him feel that bit more special.

5: Albie and me time
    - Last but not least, although i now spend every minute of every day with Albie i have made sure there is an hour in the afternoons where it is just me and him and he picks an activity for us to do of his choice. I plan to continue this when the baby is born when she is napping just so that he still gets some one on one time with me.


So far Albie is really enjoying the fact he is soon going to be a big brother and is loving helping get the baby's stuff ready with us for her arrival. He is so loving towards my ever growing bump and throughout the day will just randomly pull my top up and kiss my tummy and talk to her. Just a few days ago we went out on a little mummy and Albie lunch date and i let him pick a cake and he said to the shop assistant my baby sister would like the pink cake. I had to explain she wasn't born yet but it truly melted my heart and has shown me that he is just going to be the most amazing big brother and i cannot wait for them to meet.

I really hope this post helps some of you guys if you are thinking about having any more children or are currently expecting.

Take care,
Megan x

Second trimester!

Hey guys,

I know this post is so overdue as i am now well into my third trimester but i thought i would let you all know how i found my second trimester and just little updates.

I had what felt like the most awful first trimester ever! It was so much more awful than Albies, now dont get me wrong i feel very lucky to be able to carry children and to be in the position i am in but i was so exhausted and drained that i just felt like i couldnt function and with a toddler i just hated feeling like that. It wasnt just me that was suffering it was Albie too because as much as i tried to be the energetic mum i was worn out by midday.

The sickness was awful too but thankfully both the exhaustion and sickness had eased off as i entered into my second trimester which i was so pleased about, although they hadn't fully gone i was feeling so much more myself and more like i could relax and enjoy being pregnant again.

A bump update (my bump with Evalyn and my bump with Albie, both at 21 weeks)

The best part of my second trimester was we found out the gender of our baby and if you read my last post you will know we are expecting a baby girl! We are so over the moon and cannot wait for her to be here.

Overall, i really enjoyed the second trimester of my pregnancy, so much so that it just absolutley flew by and i am now in my third trimester. I cant quite believe it and am so lucky that so far everything has gone plain sailing and she is growing perfectly and is measuring exactly as she should be.

I will be doing a third and final trimester update soon so keep an eye out for that!

Take care,
Megan x

The gender reveal!

Hey guys,

So on May 12th, we had our 20 week scan to check that the baby was growing and developing well and thankfully everything was perfect which we are so pleased about and at the end of the scan we had been asked if we wanted to know the gender, which of course we said yes! Some people prefer not to find out but we found out with Albie and i am terrible with surprises so we had both agreed if they asked then we would.

I was convinced i was having another boy all throughout my first trimester and early second trimester just because my gut was telling me 'its a boy' so when the sonographer said we were expecting A LITTLE GIRL i couldn't quite believe it, in fact i didn't. I asked her to triple check and asked for a second opinion ha, it was just a shock. Now dont get me wrong i would of loved another little boy but i was so excited to buy for a baby girl as it was something i had never done before what with having 3 brothers so it was a whole new thing for me. Hayden said he knew it was a girl although every time i had asked him prior to the scan his reply was 'how am i supposed to know', typical bloke response but he is delighted at the fact we have been blessed with a child of each gender.


So we have decided on the name 'Evalyn' for her and we had decided on this before we even knew the gender, we just love how pretty it sounds and that its a name that sounds perfect for any age.We announced the gender to our family at a gender reveal party that Haydens family hosted for us and we had made little picture cards of blue and pink baby boots and which ever we had the most of was the correct gender, they was all so confused at first as we had made it an even number and hid Albies and then said 'Albies turn' and he revealed the pink baby boots with her name written on.

We feel so grateful to be able to have children and are beyond excited for our baby girl to make her appearance into the world. 10 weeks and counting!

Hope you liked this post, take care!
Megan x