Bog hopping on Causey Farm

As a farmer’s daughter the idea of going to a farm for a party, holiday or day out is slightly strange to me. I understand how the idea could be fun for city folk - but for me, it's a bit like returning home!

But never one to say no to a trip, I packed my wellies and headed off for a friend’s hen party to Causey Farm in Co Meath, Ireland.

This is no ordinary farm, it is a fun filled, educational and entertaining experience that really do cater for everyone’s tastes, young and old. I was surprised to see we didn’t have the farm to ourselves, there were school tours, youth groups, international students and other hens running around the place enjoying the facility.

The farm is family owned by the Murtaghs who find time to run a fully functional  300 acre farm in between all the bog hopping.

Bog hopping at Causey Farm, Co Meath

Bog what? Bog hopping! The bog has many nicknames such as 'child slave labour camp' amongst those who had to help “win the turf” as children - so to see the fun side of the bog was really amusing. Bascially wet bog is a little like quick sand, if you get stuck in it it is impossible to get out - but you can also fling bits of bog and push your dear friends face down in it! Bog is also good for your skin. It was so much fun to get out and experience the bog in this new way.

My beautiful brown soda bread ready for the oven

We also got to roll up our sleeves and make brown soda bread - which was delicious with some jam. We par took in some ceili dancing, cow milking and to top it off our own clucking hen jumped on top of a large pig - which had never been achieve before!

Usually a hen party is all about the glamour, so it was great fun to let our hair down and forget about our looks - and some of us finally got to see the fun side of the farm away from the stress of daily activites at home.

The 'hen' milking a Causey Cow

After having a look around the websites, Causey farm hoosts Pooka Spooka for Halloween and The Causey Christmas Experience which even Santa Claus takes the time to visit!

Would I return?

Yes. I really want to go back to try A Victwardian Escapade at Clonard House. I love Downton Abbey and this experience allows you to dress up as the downstair servants and the lords and ladies upstairs! Get me there now! http://www.victorianescapade.com/

www.causey.ie

Bringing Home Baby

I was excited, scared, anxious, relieved and overwhelmed when we were allowed to bring our baby home. Our tiny little premature hero had spent two long weeks in the Special Care Baby Unit, she had been pumped with caffeine with antibiotics and had wires covering her body and had been watched every day for 24 hours be professionals.

I wanted her home, I wanted to be alone with her, I wanted to be her mother without supervision, but I was also daunted by the task. I had no experience with any babies, let alone a tiny 4.9lb premature newborn and neither did my husband.

Abbey in the incubator in SCBU

The drive home was slowest, bumpiest journey ever. How had I not noticed all the bumps, all the dangerous obstacles on the road, before now? My hubby felt a little overwhelmed having to safely deliver us home and  keep an eye on baby in the mirror. I probably should have sat in the back with her, as I was almost permanently looking behind me. But this was our first journey home and I wanted to share it with my husband up front.

When we arrived home and had safely brought Abbey inside to the sitting room, where a cosy fire was burning, she woke up for a good look around. It was all a little surreal - what do we do now?

Cup of tea, change her nappy, does she need more sleep, maybe I should try and feed her or should we just sit here and enjoy the moment? The lack of routine, the quiet chaos buzzed in my head.

Of course everyone wanted to meet the new addition to our family, but we had kindly asked that only grandparents visit on the first day, just to get her and ourselves settled in. The afternoon passed in a blur, a happy fog. She was feeding every 2.5 hours during the day but I quickly discovered the first night at home that she wanted to feed every hour.

But who needed sleep - I had my baby and we were home, we were a family and it was the most amazing feeling.

Here are my tips for bringing home baby, I will do a post on newborn essentials soon.

Bringing home baby

Abbey's first car ride home

The Must Haves

Yes babies need lots of stuff, but lets simplify the first few days at home - you will NEED a car seat, baby blankets, baby clothes, burp cloths, nappies, milk (boobs or bottles & steriliser) and a crib. Thats it for now.

Food

Get some family or friends to cook or leave in some food for you, you do not have the energy to even think about cooking for at least the first week. If you are a very organised person, freeze some meals in advance of your due date.

Visitors

Everyone wants to meet your new baby and they also want to congratulate the new parents and hear the war stories. This is exciting and fun, but my advise would be to limit visitors for the first few days. You need to get to know your baby, s/he needs to get to know you in this strange outside world. There is plenty of time to meet everyone - keep it limited to immediate family and friends for the first week.

Room Temperature

Winter or Summer, you baby needs to be in a neutral room temperature. S/he does not need the heating to be revved up, neither does baby need air conditioning. I do not like much heat at all, so to try and gauge the real temperature I wore just a vest and light trousers around the house, if I felt cold I put the heating up, if I felt very warm I turned it down.You baby needs to get used to their own environment.

Cards from well wishers

Routine

Some people start their newborn into a routine as soon as they get home, I don’t recommend that just yet, but do try to decide on a few things to help the transition. Turn down lights at night and speak softly, decide where the baby will take naps during the day and try to keep it constant. Change nappies in the same place, feed your baby in the same place - these are simple but effective in helping your baby to settle into your new home.

Putting my feet up, while Abbey sleeps on
her father!

Be Organised

You probably got a lot of information leaving the hospital, sort it out into what is important or what is just reading material. Have important phone numbers on hand, as well as your thermometer, put the info on check ups and vaccinations into a safe and accessible place - put reminders in your phone.

Get Comfy

You are home, in your own surroundings, make sure you are comfy. Get into your pyjamas! Try and sleep when the baby sleeps, if you cant sleep at least rest. If your partner or family can tidy up or clean the house, it will go a long way to helping you relax. Snuggle up with your baby, take in every little movement, smell and moment, enjoy this time.

Spread the love
The birth of your baby, bringing your tiny one home, getting settled in can all be very emotional, hectic and sometimes panicked. Your focus is on your baby and making sure they have everything they need, if things don't go as planned, you will get upset, angry and even irrational - This is normal! 
If you have a partner or even a loved one helping you out, try to remember to use the words please and thank you and when you have a quiet moment tell them 'I love you.' They are anxious too, they want everything to be perfect also embrace those around you, don't push them away.

Also check out:
Surviving the Special Car Unit
Premature and Tiny: Abbey Rose

July Beauty Favs and Foes

I love to watch and read people's beauty favourites each month. Sometimes it gives me inspiration to buy stuff, but more often than not I feel it keeps me informed on new products!
But what about those products that did not work for me? I want to let you all know about them too - to warn you, advise you before you purchase.
So here goes, let me know what you think - if you have a similar post leave a link in the comments below please.

Olay Regenerist

I have already written a post about Olay Regenerist serum and moisturiser here. But I wanted to include them in my favs of the month, because I have seen actual results. Now this would be a wonderful opportunity to show before and after pictures .... but I don't have any non make up old and
and wrinkly photos of myself (for a very good reason!). So you will just have to believe me, when I wake up in the morning or take off my make up in the evening, I can see an improvement. My face looks and feels smother, the areas which were really red have been reduced and either my vision has got more blurry or those lines around my eyes have actually reduced.

Matrix Oil Wonders
As a red head, my hair rarely lets a product dominate it. My hair is thick, it is wavy and a lot of the time does what it wants - a free spirit! So when I came across this product I was not expecting much. On first Spritz I noticed my hair instantly brighten, despite still being very damp after a towel dry. When I took to the hair dryer, I was shocked to realise how little hot hair was needed. It had reduced my blow drying time by minutes and my hair felt smooth, shiny and manageable! This has made it onto my list of Favs, because I no longer dry my hair before using this bottle of magic. If you are looking to reduce your 'getting ready' routine by a few minutes - try this!

Vichy Purteté Thermal Range
I was very excited when I was sent Vichy Cleansing Milk Balm and Toner from the new Pureté
Thermale range.
I really wanted to love this, it looked good, there was no smell, it seemed gentle and it had a lot to boast about. But after a few uses, I had to admit defeat.
The Cleansing Milk Balm is very gentle and nourishing, it does not leave any residue and did not cause any irritation, but it is not a good make up remover. The toner is also nice and bubbly, but both failed to impress me in anyway for taking off the day. I have been using both in the morning sometimes and they are hydrating - but then again so is water ...!

So Su polish 24 hours after application

So Su nail polish
I love So Sue (Suzanne Jackson) - fashion blogger, model, fitness inspiration and business lady - what is not to love?
The answer is her nail polish.
I had watched her announcement, read the reviews, stared at the nail polish stands and was only too excited to receive some samples. The colours are beautiful and they look so shiny and gel like on - but none of the colours lasted more than 24 hours without chipping on my finger nails. Maybe it is because my hands are over worked, as the colour did last on my toe nails for almost two weeks, but I get better use out of cheap as chips polish than So Su, which promises at least one week of no chips.

Surviving the Special Care Unit

When your baby is admitted to the Special Care Baby Unit or Neonatal Unit it is difficult, it is confusing and it is upsetting, but you have to figure your way around this new and unexpected world.

I say surviving the Special Care Baby Unit, because that is all you can do. You can’t plan for tomorrow or next week, you must survive the day. You must push through the set backs, the continuous tests, the temporary diagnosis, the daily weigh ins and all the foreign bodies poking into your baby. 
Because this is the best place for your baby.

Abbey in the incubator

Your baby

I am sure for any first time mother, it is difficult to comprehend that this perfect being in your arms is your baby. But if you are forced to look in at your tiny bundle, to stand by when they are crying or upset when all you want to do is cuddle, to hold, to care for your baby, but you can’t, then you really do feel detached.

She is my baby, despite the wires and monitors, the drip and the feeding tube, she is mine.

Ask - ask what you can do, ask if you can help. The nurses in Cavan General Hospital SCBU were angels, they had so much patience and kindness for my questions, for my requests for skin to skin and for my distress. Take control of what ever you can - for me it was to provide breast milk, that was my "job." More on breastfeeding soon.

Get Support

Like with any new born baby, you need the support of everyone around you, family, friends and neighbours. For me it was getting lifts to and from the hospital, getting nappies, clothes, having meals cooked at home etc. Delegate some one to answer all the well meaning questions, and to inform well wishers to keep their distance.You do not need to hear the question “When is she getting home” 

twenty times a day when you just don’t know.

Visiting times

The visiting rule in Cavan SCBU allowed only for parents and I have to say I was happy with that. I got to spend so little time in contact with my baby, I really didn't need to be sharing that time with anyone other than my husband. If your hospital doesn't have this rule, work out short visiting times for immediate family.

Your Partner

I can’t imagine what the experience of SCBU was like for my husband. I didn't have time to think about him, but looking back now I realise it must have been hell. At least I could provide breast milk - I could do something. The majority of the time she was handed to me for skin to skin, as he was left looking on. I know when I was discharged from hospital, he was delighted to have me home, and all I could do was cry. It is only now I see how soul destroying that was for him. The only thing I can advise is talk, save all your thoughts and news for him. Talk about the news, pictures on Facebook, about the hospital car park - just talk!

Our little glow bug - the wires were monitoring her breathing

Get Out
After the first week in SCBU, I took an hour and a half every day to have lunch and walk around the hospital. Sometimes I called my friends during that walk or I just enjoyed walking - without being in pain (I had suffered pelvic pain). Fresh air does help to clear your mind.

Go Home

The hardest and best decision I made was to leave the hospital after I was discharged. If I had pushed hard enough and kicked up a fuss, I could have got special accommodation beside the SCBU, but at that time we didn't know when she would get home, we had been warned it could be a month and the nurses advised that a month in hospital would drive me nuts. I went home each night and actually got some rest in my own bed, in my Pyjamas with my husband. I needed it so I could be 100% when I was with our baby. Before she came home I spent a weekend with abbey in the hospital accommodation.

You

It was amazing to finally put clothes on our little baby

I remember taking pain killers every day, but that is my only recollection of my post-partum body. I was too busy pumping milk, calling the ward, driving to and from the hospital and pacing the ward. I did make sure to walk outside every day, to eat lunch and to sleep at night. To be honest I could have rested more, it might have helped with bringing her home. But all new mothers are victims of not resting enough.

Items of distraction

I would have called them entertainment, but when your baby is in an incubator wired up, you will not be entertained. Music, a book, magazine, internet and portable games can keep you distracted though.

Focus on your baby

This is obvious right? Well as you search for a distraction from your own situation, sometimes parents can get talking to other parents in SCBU. You ask about other babies and this can have a negative effect. If other babies are doing better than yours, it can put added weight to your situation, visa versa a positive step for your little one can be overshadowed by a set back for another baby you have gotten to know. The advice is cruel, but stick to your own baby’s welfare. Be nice and talk to other parents, but keep it general.

Free from wires and tubes and heading home

Stay informed

A week into our SCBU experience after numerous tests and diagnosis we learned that Abbey had sleep apnea, which was caused by her premature birth. She just needed time to catch up, she needed to grow bigger and stronger, her mind needed to focus on the art of breathing. We were assured that once the caffeine started to work and she got a few incident free nights under her belt, it would not be a reoccurring issue.  We knew what to focus on - she had to store as much energy as possible to grow stronger and put on weight. She needed the feeding tube as bottle and breastfeeding was taking too much energy from her frail little body. Putting clothes on her would also take up energy, over cleaning took up energy. We understood this and so it was easier to see her with the tube, the wires which monitored her breathing, the drip for the caffeine and just a nappy on. Make sure the medical team explain simply the procedures and diagnosis for your baby.

As I have said before, we were very lucky that Abbey only had to spend two weeks in SCBU, before she was discharged. She has been thriving since.

Also check out:

Premature and tiny: Abbey Rose

Five weeks Early - My scary funny birth story

What a pain in the pelvis!

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Premature and Tiny: Abbey Rose

Abbey Rose was born on October 7, 2014 at 18.27 - five weeks early.

She weighed 4lbs 9oz, with a tiny head, tiny body, tiny everything with some red hair on top to add colour to her pale, fragile body.

She cried seconds after she was born, dispelling any worry about her lungs.

Abbey was taken to the Special Care Baby Unit to be checked out and was tube fed that night while I recovered from the Emergency Section. 

In the middle of the night, she held her breath and set off the alarm on the incubator. She did not have to be resuscitated, but it happened a few times afterwards so the doctors started to treat her for an infection, as they waited for her blood results to be analysed.

They first thought she might have an infection, which was why she was born five weeks early, but that was soon ruled out - she was born so early because she did not have enough room to grow.

Her bloods came back with no infection, so they decided she a form of infant sleep apnea- which is very common in premature babies.

Abbey spent two weeks in SCBU. Suffice to say it was tough - read more about surviving the SCBU here. It was heartbreaking being discharged from hospital, but leaving my baby behind. I thought it would get easier every day I visited, but the more I saw her and held her, the harder it got.

In those two weeks she lost weight and regained it, she was put on caffeine to stimulate her brain, and it worked, the apnea seizures, which only ever happened at night started to become less frequent and then stopped altogether.

My breastfeeding journey will need a separate post, if not a few, but short story is she was too small and weak to feed from the breast initially, so I pumped milk and she was partly tube fed, partly bottle fed for the first two weeks in hospital.

She was in an incubator for the first 10 days, she had a drip for the first week and was attached to an apnea monitor which meant she had a few wires on her. She was a week old, before she had her first babygrow on - size premature.

She also had issues with her hips, the first few days her heels were up at her head, so it was obvious that they were 'dislocatable.' She was later found to have a dislocated right hip and a shallow/clicking left hip which needed correction.

But at two weeks old, she was breastfeeding from the boob, had gained weight and had got over her apnea, we got to bring her home and that was one of the best feelings in the world, as well as overwhelmingly terrifying!

Also check out: Five weeks early - My funny scary birth story
Surviving the Special Care Baby unit
The last leg: The Third Trimester

Face time - serum and moisturiser

Almost nine months after giving birth, it is time to try and resume some normality. Going back to work has made me realise I may have been slacking in a number of areas like my skin/beauty/body/wardrobe/diet ....etc! 

So let's start with the most important - The Face. 

Sleep deprivation, night feeds and worry has added depth to the existing and growing lines. Now I know I can't get rid of them, or even stop them (I blame my father's DNA) without cosmetic work, but I certainly want to slow them down and if I can at all - fill them in!
Without a big budget to work with, I decided to use a brand that has been around the block and is popular. Enter Olay.

Olay Regenerist Serum

As soon as I sampled this at home, I feel in love with the luxurious feel. It feels silky and is like a lightweight gel, that slides across my face and instantly makes it feel smoother, filling in a few lines along the way. The "advanced amino peptide complex" claims to regenerate surface skin cells, making skin look smoother and softer. I don't know about the regeneration but the smoother and softer part is completely true.I could almost skip the moisturising step after this, as this serum makes my skin feel so good. It does not clog pores and absorbs instantly. There is a very light smell from it and one pump covers all of my face.
RRP €27.99 on offer in Boots at the moment for €18.66

Olay Regenerist Serum swatch on my freckled hand

Olay Regenerist SPF 30 Moisturiser

I need this, I have fair sensitive skin and I am not getting any younger. The high SPF does means that this is thick, it looks and smells like suncream - well because it essentially is. I don't really believe SFP15 is giving any kind of protection.
As soon as I spread this around my face, it absorbs quickly, making it feel more luxurious than its price tag would suggest. One pump produces too much product for me, about half a pump gets neck and face lathered to perfection. The product claims to have an anti ageing formula to restore firmness and give a more youthful appearance, while blocking damaging rays - here's hoping!

RRP €39.99 on offer in Boots at the moment for €26.66

Olay Regenerist SPF 30 Moisturiser swatch

For an update on my experience with Olay Regenerist see here.