Birthing at Home

Our second precious little boy, Benjamin was born just over two months ago and it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Back in my pre mummy days I could never of dreamed that child birth could be such a liberating and empowering experience. Before the birth of my first son, Jonah  I was pretty scared of labour. Fortunately I stumbled across hypnobirthing in my third trimester. Although we didn't have the time or finances to go on the course I followed the relaxation exercises and practised the breathing techniques as best as I could. Jonah surprised us and came 5 days early, but we were prepared thanks to the exercises we had done and I was excited to be finally meeting our baby. Jonah was born without too much fuss (albeit A LOT of noise!) in a local hospital. The birth was fine but I felt it could of been a lot better without the interference from the midwives, who were very keen on me birthing on my back and harrased me into very forceful pushing. Thanks to my stubborn nature I managed to ignore them for the most part but still felt it could of been better. As with most first time mums I struggled to feed Jonah and they immediately told me he had to have formula and being pretty out of it I went with it. It took me a good 4 months of struggle and hard work to get Jonah completely off formula and solely breastfeeding. I am now proud to say he had good old mamas milk until he was well over one, before he chose to wean himself.

Becoming pregnant again I was determined to do things my own way and to make sure I had the birth I wanted. Birthing my baby in my own home seemed to me the best way of ensuring this and just felt so right. Having heard so many good things about water births we decided to go for a home water birth. Again I practised all my relaxation and breathing techniques that had helped me so much first time round. Benjamin decided to make his grand entrance in to the world very promptly on his due date. My husband was amazing, taking total control in getting the pool sorted and creating the perfect setting for me to birth in. We worked together breathing through each contraction and after only a couple of hours my contractions suddenly changed and I knew baby would be born any minute. Without the interference I had last time I felt in total control and in tune with my body, it was quite incredible. At some deep level I knew I was working with my baby and the whole experince was very bonding for all three of us. Just as the midwife got to us I could feel baby's head emerge and told her that baby was about to come, which he did with one more big birth breath. Poor thing slipped under my legs and ended up bobbing in the water for a second while I scrambled to pick him up! I was so overcome with joy and disbelief that it had gone so well that it took me an hour to stop crying. Although the midwives that came were really helpful, we were pleased to be left on our own, which we were after a couple of hours. What a difference to the post natal experince I had in hospital. What a joy to be sitting on my own sofa, with my own cup of tea and my own three boys by my side.

Whenever I told people we were planning a home birth we undoubtedly got the usual exclamation of surprise and "your brave" response. Most times I shrugged this off and kept my confidence that I was doing the right thing for me and my baby, but I did have wobbles and thoughts of irresponsibility rang through my head especially as D day approached. But having now come out the other side I can honestly say the birth of my second child was one of the most empowering and awesome experiences I am sure I will ever have.

Home Made Laundry Detergent

It may seem like a big faf when you can pop down to the shops and buy some, but a little bit of time and effort will save you a lot of money and you can be safe in the knowledge no nasty chemicals are lurking in your laundry detergent. Out of everything that I have made (or attempted too) this has been the biggest money saver so far, as having a little boy in terry nappies and a big boy chucking lots of smelly clothes on the floor means lots of washing for mummy. The amount that you will get from the recipe below will make enough detergent for around 3 months and costs no more than a pound.

2oz (50g) natural soap - I use Dr. Bonners castille soap, which I get from Amazon
1/2 cup sodium carbonate (aka washing soda/soda crystals)
1/2 cup of borax substitute (borax is banned over here so we don't want that) again I get it from Amazon. Its also great for washing the bath and sink out
3 pints water
1 bucket hot water
container and lids ( I got people to save some old detergent bottles)

1. Grate the soap and place the shavings in a saucepan and add the tap water. Mix until the soap melts.
2. Toss in the sodium carbonate and borax substitute and stir.
3. Once the mixture has thickened a little bit, remove from hob and let it cool for a while.
4. Fill the bucket with a quarter of hot water, pour in the solution and mix. Once mixed pour in the rest.
5. Mix thoroughly then let it settle for around 24 hours.
6. Pour the detergent into containers, making sure they are covered when not in use.
It's as simple as that!

I always add 60 drops of lavender oil in  step 4. I might start experimenting with different smells too. Be warned your clothes will not have that strongly fragranced smell you get with brands like persil and ariel (due  to the synthetic fragrances they put in, which are not good for you). Now if I ever wear clothes washed with a fragranced detergent I find the smell really overpowering. If you have a little one, or a big one for that matter, who suffers with eczema switching to a fragrance free detergent will really help. It is very satisfying using something you have made from scratch and leaves lots more pennies for much more exciting things.

Toxic Beauty

As I get older I find myself asking more questions and accepting what people tell me less. Pregnancy opened the door to a whole new world to me and has made me even more conscious in my consumer choices. One of the first things I first discovered was the world of 'toxic beauty'. Having long relied upon make up to cover my outward imperfections I have been horrified to learn that I have, in effect been poisoning and polluting myself for years. Lots of people, me included, try hard to limit the amount of artificial chemicals and toxins in our bodies by choosing organic. But have you ever thought about what you are smothering all over your face and body every day? Nor had I until I read 'The Green Beauty Guide' by Julie Gabriel a well researched and informative book shedding light on the cosmetic industry. Did you know that there are more then 100,000 synthetic chemicals in use in every area of our lives and less than 5% have been tested for their long term impact on human health? It wasn't that long ago that proven toxins such as lead and mercury were considered safe...scary stuff.


Here is an overview of the most toxic chemicals found in most commercial and even some organic products.


1. Sodium Laureth Sulphate (SLS) - Anything with -eth in it's name will almost certainly have the chemical 1,4 Dioxine in it, a by product made in a shortcut to turn the harsh '-eths' into a milder chemical. 1,4 Dioxine is considered a probable human carcinogenic.


2. Phthalates - Found in perfumes, hairspray, nail varnish and anything that is synthetically scented. They are known reproductive toxins, safe in minuscule amounts but scientists are concerned their combined effect will be harmful. They basically tip the hormonal scales, making men more like women and vice versa. Scarily it has been found that baby products contain the highest concentration of phthalates.


3. Aluminium - Found in all antiperspirants and is a known potent neurotoxin and there is evidence that aluminium from deodorants contribute to developing breast cancer and Alzheimer's disease.  


4. Synthetic Fragrances - Found in almost every cosmetic and laundry product you could get. There are more than 5,000 materials available for use in fragrances and only a small number have been tested for their safety. A typical perfume often contains between 50 and 100 natural and synthetic fragrances and while the natural ones may can cause allergies, eczema and irritations, the synthetic ones may be capable of causing cancer and disorders to the central nervous system as all they all get into our skin when we spray them or inhale them. 


5. Parabens - Parabens are preservatives used to give products an extended shelf life. The main area of concerns is it's link to breast cancer, as traces of paraben have been found in breast cancer tumors. They have also been shown to affect hormone levels and are chemicals easily absorbed into the skin. No one is sure of Parabens contribute to getting breast cancer but I think the fact they made it into the breast tissue in the first place and stay ther is pretty scary, especially seeing as no one if and what harm could be caused.

I could go on and on...if any one is  interested I do have a list of the top 100 toxic beauty ingredients that you really don't want to be buying.

I have changed the beauty and laundry products I buy and have even made a few for myself (my laundry detergent saves us around £10 a month, although the washing up liquid was a disaster), but even a few small changes like reading the ingredients list and being aware of what you are exposing yourself to is a good starting place.  

Eve has a lot to answer for ...

As you may have noticed my blogging has been non existent for a while now due to a horrible dose of morning sickness, which is while we are on the subject a completely useless term obviously thought of by a man, if you are like me and many other women you fill sick in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening and when you get up to go to the toilet for the tenth time you realise you feel sick in the night too. Sadly the computer has been a no go area for me as has all of my other lovely crafty habits, all replaced with lying on the sofa watching telly trying not to be sick or moan again about feeling sick. At least I have been cured of my inability to go to bed before midnight, if I'm still up at 10 pm it's a miracle. Thankfully the darkness is passing and I can see light at the end of the tunnel and I am now almost back to normal daily living and starting to get excited (or should that be scared) at the thought of number 2 ... as my husband says "in for a penny in for a pound!"

Vintage Button Heart

Since getting into all things 'crafty' I have fallen in love with two things: fabric and buttons. Unfortunately beautiful fabrics tend to be expensive, but you can pick up buttons very cheaply. Hobbycraft do tubs of buttons in all sorts of shapes, colours and sizes. Buttons may have been designed for a specific purpose but there are hundreds of cute ways to use them, the only limit is your imagination. So far I have used them in card making and embroideries.

Recently I was researching craft projects online and came across a gorgeous little button heart. I had to give it a try so after buying some craft wire and chosing some buttons I was ready. I have now made a few as I love them so much. I thought I would attempt a tutorial as the button hearts were so easy to make and they look so pretty.

Here's what to do to make your own button heart.

Gather all the buttons you have chosen and lay them out in a heart shape. Ideally use around a 24 gauge craft wire (the wire I bought was too thin so I had to twist two strands together, which worked fine but was very fiddly) and measure out the length needed plus a bit more. It is easiest to start with the button at the bottom of your heart and continue stringing the buttons on in a clockwise direction. It can be a bit fiddly but persevere the end result is worth it. Once you have got all the buttons on to the wire stretch it out in a line. Find the button in the top centre of the heart and bend the wires on both sides up to make a 'v'. Now bend the wire into the heart shape and twist the wires together to join the sides. Congratulations you have your very own button heart.

Less haste more speed

Thought I would carry on the theme of 'making stuff' and share this little fabric number book I made for my nephew's first Christmas present. I started back in October, which was a good thing as I finished it just in the nick of time. One tip if you are inclined to make Christmas presents for all your family and you have no idea what you are doing don't leave it until the last minute. My deadline was Christmas Eve so that I would be able to buy everyone presents if it all went totally wrong.

I love working with felt because it is so cheap and easy, no fraying or hemming necessary. As a total sewing beginner I have used felt to make lots of things. The great thing is if it looks naf you can throw it away and it will have hardly cost you a thing. If you are like me and totally uncreative the internet is a wealth of ideas you can copy from, which is what I did for all the little pictures in this book. After making, sewing and gluing all the pictures and numbers together I sewed them onto the cream felt squares. Then cut up a long piece of blue felt into 6 parts and sewed the cream squares in the right places. Well not quite in the right places as number 2 ended up between 9 and 10! I also managed to glue 10 raindrops onto the number 9 page. Luckily I spotted my ridiculously stupid mistakes before it was too late. I was pretty pleased with the outcome (although page 4 is a bit wonky!). I just hope my lovely nephew will learn to count in spite of it.

Make me, Make me, Make me

Ever since I had my first baby last year I have been obsessed with making things, absolutely anything and everything, from shampoo (disaster) to chutneys (yummy). I  don't know where this need comes from all I know is that it is there and if I don't have at least 5 projects on the go I am twitchy! And I wonder why I am exhausted.

My latest triumph, which nearly killed me, was making Christmas presents. I must admit my motivation also came from being rather strapped for cash, what with being on maternity leave. I decided upon Christmas hampers as I had already made a large batch of chutneys from surplus fruit and veg we had back in the Autumn and figured one hamper will do for each couple. Although they did take time I was really pleased with the end result. I tried to put a mix of mainly home made stuff in them, which included: lavender bath salts, hazelnut and baileys truffles, vanilla fudge, hot chocolate pack, chutneys and of course wine and beers and focussed on a rustic decoration theme.

You can sort of see the finished product in the photos above. And I worked out that each box cost me just over eight pounds. So I would definitely recommend hampers if you want a lovely home made present and you're on a tight budget.