Monday 5 August 2013

Titter Ye Not

Yes my little bosom buddies, I am now a qualified breastfeeding peer supporter! After three months training and learning the most incredible things about breastfeeding and milk production, I am ready to support a bevvy of new mums.

Now I'm pregnant with my third (nearly 22 weeks, where IS the time going!) I see breasts as "vessels of nutrition for babies" (I made that up myself, dead deep, me).

Forget Page 3. Forget FHM and Nuts. There is much more going on in the breasticle area my dears than sexual things, and it's mind boggling.

It's something I am hugely passionate about and am thrilled to have completed the training. I can now turn up at my allocated children and family centre, proudly donning an extremely unflattering hot pink t-shirt, an I.D. lanyard revealing quite possibly the worst photo of me EVER, a brooch pin featuring the logo from the breastfeeding organisation that endorses my support group and hopefully a mind full of all the support a new mum will need.

If anything, she will at least get a laugh because I currently look like Daffyd from Little Britain, squeezed into that pink t-shirt. My growing bump looks like it is either housing quadruplets or one unfeasibly giant baby (in either case, ouch!)

Anyway, fifteen of us graduated last week. We had a few bits and bobs to do, I crocheted a boob hat along with some of the other ladies (the plan was to throw them all at the end like one does at a proper graduation with their mortarboards), we put on a  lush spread and then the Mayor presented us with our certificates.

Both gagging to get cracking on the buffet, truth be known

We were each given a knitted breast for a prop

Modelling the boob hat (AKA bap bonnet)

15 of these were made! LOVE mine.
I've now made a mini one for my baby!
Will look funny when he/she wears it to feed.

In other news, my sister, husband and baby William came to stay for a few nights and it was so lovely.

We cooed over baby William. The Prince was besotted!

We marvelled at men in wetsuits as standard (ok, me more than her)


We are both hooked on this drink. LUSH!

We let William get some Vit D in our little garden
and enjoyed the scent of these beauties

We overdosed on Gavin and Stacey, as standard, and I was sad when she left. There are always tears as we are now three hours apart and find it heartbreaking. Missing her already :-(

The Princess has been loving wearing this cherry tree number which is originally Debenhams, but cost me £2. It looks so pretty on her and was such a bargain.



I also picked up this treasure from a garage sale today. A mere fiver! Originally from Hell Bunny, this rockabilly netted underskirt will have to wait until I've given birth and lost a bit of weight (five years down the line then) but I couldn't walk past and not buy it. It's pink, frothy, marshmallowy and just......well plain nuts really.


And finally, I had my 20 week scan last week. We never find out the sex of our babies, as love a surprise, but I am pleased to report all looks well.

Can't stop gazing at it with wonder.

Showing a bit of leg
 And amazement. I mean, it's practically a miracle and everything. The husband and I are ships passing so this baby was definitely meant to be.

I am feeling pretty tired at the moment but really well and enjoying this LAST pregnancy. Yes, my last......most definitely.

10 comments:

thriftwood said...

Aw Gem, you always make me laugh! Love the hat, very fetching ...

Congratulations on your new qualification, I could have done with someone like you when I had my babes.

You're looking great and not big at all ... I was the size of a large hippo by the time I had my 20 week scan ... good for you not finding out the sex, not enough surprises nowadays!

Have a wonderful week!

Love Claire xx

Castles Crowns and Cottages said...

GEMMMMMMMMMMMM!

You are here! Funny, whenever a blog pal pops into my mind during the day, WHAT DO YOU KNOW but that friend suddenly posts after a while of being off-line. Here you are, here I am so thrilled for you and again enjoying a good laugh and very fond thoughts as I see you progressing! I LOVE THESE HATS!!!!!!!!!!!

You are funny, brilliant, blessed with a great family, and supported by those of us who just adore you. Welcome back to Blogland for now, you have much to do, but we are grateful you are doing well! I just saw a post from a friend who literally posted today, while she was waiting in the waiting room to be admitted; her water broke, and she stopped to tell us about it!

HAVE FUN; you are now a breast-feeding pro! teehehehehhehe

LOVE IT! Anita

Sarah Jane said...

Ha ha, I loved this post. I wish I'd had you as a support worker when I had my weeun. Instead I had an old Irish Nurse Ratchet style lady visiting me. She's infamous in Liverpool. Just ask anyone who's given birth at the Womens Hospital! I love the boob hats, such a great idea. Congrats on the 20 weeks (I don't know how anyone can resist the urge to find out the sex though) and that fluffy marshmallow pink netskirt is just awesome! xxxx

kmmms said...

That top pic! I dunno, you look dead cute!! Sorry to sound so surprised but I guess you preceded it with a duff description and you look so sweet and everything...

Love that dress from Debenhams, what a find. And Carrie Bradshaw eat your heart out with the pink skirt!

22 weeks already, cor blimey guv. Sending big bump hugs and strokes from London. Come and visit soon sweetness xx

Jay said...

So funny, and what a great booby bonnet - looking forward to seeing baby wearing his/hers! Well done for passing the course, I really could have done with this kind of support with my 1st - the breast feeding was pretty disastrous 1st time around - I did get the hang of it by my 3rd!
Good luck for the final stretch!

sandiart said...

Hello gorgeous, congrats 22 weeks.....and passing your course, well done, tis going so quickly (for me anyway) Love your frothy pink underskirt. And I can imagine how cute the princess looks in her dress and oh my look at the Prince, he does look besotted, you may have to stand in line when the babs comes! Know how you feel about your sister, my brother lives up the top of Australia in Townsville and I live down the bottom in Melbourne Victoria, hours away in an aeroplane, but I am seeing him this weekend as it is my aunties 70th birthday and we are going to party..yahoo
Take care
Sandi xoxo

honeycat said...

Oh Gem, this is such a fab post. My little Coco baby is eleven months now and I'm still loving breast feeding. I attend a breast feeding support group and its thanks to the counsellor and peer support workers that I'm still going strong. Best thing I ever did but gosh those first few months are hard. Those booby hats have brought back happy memories of antenatal classes haha.
Hope your feeling well and managing to get some rest.

Melanie
Xx

Unknown said...

Huge huge respect for you becoming a peer supporter. I am sooo passionate about the whole feeding thing and know so many women who could have done with some decent help. Think you will be FAB. I know there is a decent amount of work to do in order to 'qualify' too so full credit to you for fitting that in.
Wanting to see a picture of this 'big' baby of yours popping out of a pink t-shirt...?
(and those nipples made my night, you weren't joking!)
Nelly x

Castles Crowns and Cottages said...

How I loved and still love this POST! And you have been quite busy I suppose, with your duties not only as a mum, but as an ambassador for.....well......breast-feeding!!!!!

Gem my dear, thank you for coming to visit! All is well here; talk about BREASTS....those 2D mammography machines sometimes don't pick up everything so I had a scare with the doctor that read my results; they called me back to go in the next day to have a 3D imagining done and that revealed HEALTHY tissue. YIPEEE! Whew....having to wait in the office to get results is a time that I can only think of in "poetry" terms, to deal with the stress!

I hope you are well and that your summer holiday is going wonderfully! The children will be in school SOON!

Wishing you fun, health and rest. Post soon, OK? I love to read your life. Anita

Missy said...

Hurrah for you!
If I'd had someone like you trying to show me the ropes on breastfeeding, I'm sure I would have had a lot more success with it.
Sadly, (or maybe not...) I'm well past the age of my boobs being vessels for whatever it was you said. I'm now at the age where I have to go to the caravan in the library car park to have my tits squashed in a machine. Luckily this is only a once every few years event, although it didn't hurt. I don't think the woman doing the squashing of said tits was all that keen on me chatting and trying to having a laugh with her while she was trying to do it.
You have this all to come, luv!

Still not managed to squeeze out a blog post but I'm taking a run up to it.

You're looking great and glowy and all the things pregnant women should be, mrs, so good on you.
xx