Lewisham hospital gets the thumbs down

Lewisham Hospital NHS Trust was rated as England's third worst trust for patient safety measures in a report out yesterday. I'm definitely glad I didn't know this before I went in for my Caesarean, or I might have been more nervous! I spent eight nights in Lewisham Hospital and my overall experience wasn't great. There were some fantastic individuals there, but everyone was severely overstretched and I didn't feel that I had any continuity of care. Maybe this recent report will prompt some change for the better.

No tears before bed

Mr A gets the 'best baby of the day' medal today for his exemplary behaviour at bathtime. I can officially announce that he has achieved his first tear-free bath ever! We've come close a number of times in the last few days, when he didn't cry until Young Daddy dressed him but today he didn't shed a single tear. So we're one step closer to swimming classes. Just E to crack now...

My NCT broodsheet (newsletter) arrived today and in it is an advert for underwater photographs. So cool - I'd love to get pics of E and A underwater. But the next photo session is in January and I think it's a bit too soon. I've decided to hold off booking swimming classes (due to start in January as well) as I don't think they'll enjoy them yet. So I'll wait for the next photo session, when I'm sure E and A will be happy water babies.

West End babies

E and A made their first trip up to the West End today to do some Christmas shopping. Young Daddy carried Mr A in the baby bjorn, and I wheeled E in the single buggy, so that we didn't have to try to get the double pushchair round the shops! They were perfectly behaved throughout, and slept for the whole trip.

A has been giving us bigger and bigger smiles everyday and we're loving it. At the moment, the smiles come at slightly random moments, but he definitely treated Young Daddy to some beaming grins today. He's also a really chatter - he natters away to himself, especially after a feed. His favourite word at the moment is 'goo' and I just love it when he says it - it's just so cute!

We bottle-fed A all day to see if he was happier (I usually breastfeed him for a short while and then give him a top-up bottle as soon as he starts fussing,but this often leads to prolonged bouts of crying) and he did seem to be calmer in general. E, on the other hand, has decided that she'll do the fussing instead and hasn't fed well all day. I think my milk supply has been a bit low today (maybe because I'm tired? I hope it's not drying up), so E has had to work extra hard to feed, and she has not been impressed. We picked up some more of my special 'Mother's Helper' tea yesterday (supposed to aid milk production) so hopefully that will help get it going again. I got really emotional when Young Daddy questioned if E is starting to reject the breast like A has. I'm so keen to keep breastfeeding, but it's hard to know if I'm being selfish by keeping going. Would E and A be happier babies if I just switched to bottles? It's the question that goes round and round in my head constantly, but I haven't come up with an answer yet...

Happy 12 week birthday E & A!

Can't believe how quickly 12 weeks have flown past, and how much E and A have changed. They've been little angels today - bless them. xx

A grown-up playmat

I've been looking for a large activity mat for E and A, as in the last couple of days A has seemed to really enjoy lying on his back and having a good kick around. I popped him on a pillow on the floor of the kitchen yesterday evening and it stopped his witching hour (post 4pm) screaming for a while and I even got some smiles out of him (he's been smiling so much more this week).

Having failed to find a mat that I really liked, I thought about buying a rug instead, but decided that it would just get covered in baby sick and would get ruined. Then I came up with the idea of using a bedspread. Cath Kidston immediately sprung to mind and once I'd checked that their bedspreads are machine-washable I was totally sold on the idea. It'll work as a large playmat when A and E are babies, but will still have a use once they've grown up a bit. I think it's a great solution, and I've already had E and A playing on it this evening.

Twins together

This evening, Young Daddy and I held E and A up to each other. A wasn't that interested, but E was absolutely mesmerised and stared at A with a curious smile on her face for ages. It was so cute - I really can't wait until they're properly aware of each other and can start interacting. A chats away to himself, so it will be funny to hear them chat to each other.

The good ol' days of Clothkits

I can remember visiting the Clothkits shop as a child, and it was a firm favourite with my mum, who was really disappointed when it closed. I've just discovered that the company was relaunched last year with a gorgeous collection of outfits to sew at home. Instead of following a paper pattern, the cutting lines are printed directly on the fabric for no-fuss sewing. Plus they do sewing workshops for kids and adults too. I've got to wait a little while until E and A are big enough for the clothes, but I'm looking forward to the day they are. Until then, I can get started with the toys, dolls and fab haberdashery offerings. Oh, and I could make myself something from the adult designs!