What Did The Caterpillar Eat? Sensory Bag

One of our favorite books to read to Blake is The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Its a book that I think most children have had read to them, and one that i can vaguely remember being read to when I was little. Its one of Blake's first books that we purchased for him and he loves it. 

So when I was looking through the fab resources for newborn- two years from Twinkl and came across some The Very Hungry Caterpillar activities, one of them I knew I had to do was the What did the Caterpillar  eat? Sensory bag. 

Its so easy to make and Blake has had lots of fun with it too. 

You can find the resources and how to make this activity here. 


Blake still is at an age where he can still have fun with activities like this but as he gets older he will start to understand and engage more so this activity will really help with is learning. 

I am going to also do this activity again with him when he is a little older as at the moment its all about the sensory aspect rather than learning about food names etc. 



As a parent, sometimes messy activities can be a pain to do. This activity is non messy and and because its easy to make and do its not time consuming either. The only thing is that you will need a laminater which in my opinion is an investment to have if you love doing loads of activities at home. Because the items are laminated you can clean them and resuse them  so that you wont have to print them off again. Once you have finished the activity all you have to do is remove the laminated bits and pop the ziplock bag straight in the bin. 

What do you think of this sensory bag activity do you think your little one would love to do this? 

InfaCare Night Time Baby Bath


Hi everyone, back at the end of February I shared with you our bedtime tips and routine for Blake. My main tip is to make sure you have a good routine which also includes giving Blake a bath every two nights.  

I have recently been asked to try out the new InfaCare Night Time Baby Bath with Blake. 
InfaCare's bubbly bath time treats are formulated to be as natural and gentle as possible for babies delicate skin. Both the InfaCare Baby Bath and InfaCare Night Time Baby Bath are ulta mild and PH balanced with long lasting bubbles which make it popular among parents and kids alike.

Recommended by hospital midwives and healthcare professionals, the Infacare bubble baths have been clinically tested and developed to promote natural levels of acidity and alkalinity in skin and hair. Reassuringly, each is designed to prevent irritation, and mums say it helps with allergies. Recently launched, Night Time Baby Bath is fast becoming a favourite with mums across the country; with up to 70% describing it as ‘ideal’ for their bedtime routine.  

I have been using the InfacCare Night Time Baby Bath with Blake for a week now and we are very impressed. First of all a little goes along way and it makes loads of bubbles which Blake loves. The scent is also such a gentle powdery fragrance which to me smells a tad bit like violets.  I definitely can say that it is such a relaxing fragrance and I am tempted to use this in my own bath.  I'm unable to say from an allergies point of view how this works as in generally Blake hasn't had any issues with his skin. We really do love the new InfaCare Night Time Baby Bath and it's definitely going to be my new go to bubble bath for Blake. 

Now I just need them to come out with a matching body lotion in this relaxing fragrance.

RRP –  InfaCare Baby Bath £2.15 for 400ml / £3.19 for 750ml and Infacare Night Time Baby Bath £3.49 for 750 ml


Have you tried Infacare before? If not what do you tend to use? Are you tempted to try out the New InfaCare Night Time Baby Bath? 

Drinks & Supplements To Aid Health


Recently I've been struggling to be more healthy and to loose weight and I'm wanting to 
at least loose a bit of weight before we go away to Cape Verde in November. 

I have been sent a few drinks and a supplement which are aimed at being healthy and to help aid that. 


James White Drinks’ unique Organic Ginger Zinger
Premiium freshly pressed juice brand, James White Drinks, has answered the prayers of ginger drink fans everywhere with the launch of its unique Organic Ginger Zinger Shot, which is guaranteed to revitalise the senses with its fiery zing!
 A 7cl shot,  made with 26% crushed ginger juice, 57% apple juice and 17% water and absolutely nothing else. This a great alternative to caffeine loaded coffees and energy drinks that I drink far too much of. Apart from the taste, another factor that makes James White Drinks’ latest development so interesting is the use of pressed ginger juice, rather than ginger flavourings. The benefits of ginger date back thousands of years and are widely known and published to include relief from nausea and arthritis, along with the immune system boosting benefits.

Grace Aloe Refresh

Grace Aloe Refresh are just bringing out their Zero Sugar soft drink with real aloe vera pieces. Not only is this drink a great way to stay slim and refreshed in the coming warmer months, but the aloe vera within is proven to benefit hair and scalp repair to give you the summer body and the shimmering locks.Grace Aloe Refresh is a great tasting and refreshing, made from real aloe vera juice with zero sugar. 
The drink contains: 
- 30% real aloe vera juice
- more than 100% of your recommended daily intake of vitamin C per bottle to help reduce tiredness and fatigue. 
- No artificial colors, flavors or preservatives.

Tom Oliver Omega 3
Research findings demonstrate that Omega-3 oil extracted from herring caviar, is 80% better absorbed into the body over a twelve hour period than Omega 3 produced from standard fish oil. This is the first evidence that some forms of Omega 3 are superior to others.Omega-3 extracted from herring caviar has a high rate of efficacy compared to standard fish oil and the easy to swallow gel capsule is achieved without synthetic enhancers or preservatives. And all this comes with minimal cost to our precious natural environment. 
Tom Oliver Omega 3 Herring Caviar has many benefits:·     

-     Proven high intensity bioavailability compared to standard fish oil
-       Harvested from the pristine waters of the Norwegian Fjords
-      Ethically sourced - sustainably produced
-      Once a day formula
-      No fishy burps
-    Small easy-to-swallow soft gel capsules
-     Your perfect health and fitness partner


Are you trying to be more healthy? 

Oats & Water Sensory Mash

Quite a few months ago now I purchased a tuff tray so that Blake and I can have lots of fun at home doing sensory/messy play. This will be the second time I've used it for that though as I have also been using it for letting him play with his Mega Bloks in.

In my last post I mentioned that I have been reviewing Twinkl, which is a learning resource site for teachers, childminders and parents. One of the sections I'm loving in the birth to twos resource pack is the sensory activities to aid learning. 

I chose to begin by doing one that was only slightly messy so that Blake can get used to doing this kind of thing. The Oats and Water Sensory Mash looked like a fab one to try out. 

I like that it's edible as at this age children love to put everything in their mouth. 
It's also very simple to do too. 

All you need is: 
- A large container or like me a Tuff tray 
- Oats
- Water
- Kitchen Utensils ( we used a whisk and some of Blake's snack pots) 
- Cinnamon, nutmeg or brown sugar ( we used a small amount of cinnamon) 



To begin with I let Blake play with the oats on just its own with the utensils. I was very proud of him for touching it on his own as usually he doesn't like to touch stuff like this especially as he hates porridge. As you can see below he liked spreading it out in the tuff tray with his hands. 



I then gradually added more water letting him explore each time I added more. 
I did have to encourage him once the oats were wet to actually touch them, but after awhile he was fine and he started to copy me using the whisk and playing with the gooey mixture. 
I added the cinnamon and encouraged him to mix it into the oats which he loved doing.

I love how simple it is to do too although I'm glad that Stuart was around to help with bath time afterwards. I'm looking forward to doing more of the activities with Blake that are in the pack and also coming up with my own ideas too. 



Does your little one love messy/sensory play? 


Twinkl: Learning Resources



I love doing activities at home with Blake, quite a few months ago now I purchased a tuff tray so that I can do activities at home with Blake that are fun, enjoyable and some times messy. I was asked by Twinkl to review their site recently especially their birth to two years range of educational resources. 

I'd not heard of Twinkl prior to this and was excited to check out their site and see what kind of thing they did. Twinkl is a website with a huge quantity of educational resources for teachers, parents, childminders and for those that home educate their children. 

As I have a 16 month old I have been looking at the birth to two's section for fun ideas to do with Blake. I love that there is such a wide selection of activities including: 

- Busy Bags
- Playdough recipes
- Edible play recipes
- Sensory Play 

I did  a sensory based activity the other day which I found on the website using Oats, water and spices. Blake had lots of fun and you can read all about it in my next post. 

I love sensory play and occasionally we take Blake to a messy play session local to us that runs on a Saturday morning. So I was glad to see loads of ideas on Twinkl as it's given me lots of ideas for sensory play at home as well as loads of other ideas.

Twinkl is free to register and use a lot of their resources, however there are different levels of membership giving you access to extra resources. It is £29.95 for gold membership and their top membership platinum is £44.95 for a year. 

I have been given the platinum membership for 6 months, giving me full access for the whole site. I wanted to do this review sooner but I've been looking through all the resources and having fun deciding what activities I want to try with Blake. I've downloaded the whole birth to two years resource pack as I know I'm going to get so much use out of it. I've also had a look through the site to see what they do for older children and I'm impressed. Twinkl is going to be so helpful to us for years to come as their learning resources are for children up to 11 years.

One feature I'm yet to try is the create section where you can use their templates to create your own learning items which you can share on Twinkl after for others to use. Once I've given it a go I'll have to give you an update on how I've got on. 

Real Nappy Week 2016


In the last year or so we moved Blake onto cloth nappies we chose to do this when he was just over 6 months old. We originally had wanted to do this from birth but he was so small for the nappies that we had that he just peed out of them. 

I've done a few posts before on cloth/real nappies before: 


But today in aid of Real Nappy week 2016 I wanted to share with you some of our favorite nappies and products. If you are new to cloth nappies you may want to read some of the posts above before continuing to read this one.



Above is a selection of our Bambino Miosolo (AIO) nappies we have 10 of these types of nappies in total in different prints and we love them! Not only are they pretty but they are also so good at keeping everything to contained and simple to use. We use these nappies for when we are out and about and also at night. The below ones are my favorite prints from Bambino Mio. 


All in one nappies like Bambino Miosolos are pretty simple to use.These nappies have  an absorbent inner with an attached waterproof outer layer. This means you don't need a separate wrap.  They are a bit slower to dry than other types of nappies however I've never had an issue with this. 


We also use prefolds and a wrap which are the nappies I use when around the house or if we are just nipping somewhere not too far away like to the nearest park which is 5 mins away from home. I love these as they are good at keeping everything contained the only downside I find with them is that as your child gets more older and are wiggly than you have the issue of the nappy moving everywhere. I personally have started to use these less now although I still will use them but the Miosolos are our go to at the moment. 
They will definitely come handy in the future though for when we have another child.  They are the best for drying the fastest which is another reason we love them so much. 





Another type of nappy we have recently tried out is a Hybrid nappy. Admittedly we brought this as an impulse buy as Stuart is a huge sonic the hedgehog fan. However I am glad we have purchased it as it works rather well with a Bambino Mio wrap over the top. 
         
                 

Accessories Needed: 

- Nappy Bucket : We have the Bambino Mio one which has a lockable lid but any will do. 

- Laundry Bags: These are what go in bucket so you don't have to touch the nappies when you put them in the wash. 

- Mioboosts: This is to give cloth nappies more absorbency

- Liners: We use the Bambino Mio ones which go in the nappy to catch poo. 

- Miofresh: Not essential but we like to use this nappy cleanser with our usual non bio. 

- Wet Bag: To put your clean and dirty nappies in when going out and about. We have one which has two compartments to keep clean and dirty ones separate. 

- Vest extenders: A recent purchase for us which we wish we had brought sooner. 

- Cloth wipes: We use cloth wipes as well which are great at cleaning bums and we make our own nappy wipe solution so we know what is going on Blake's bum. 







I hope this post and/or any of my other cloth nappy posts have been helpful to you. 
I'd love to know your thoughts on cloth nappies. 
Do you use them? have you used them? 
If not why you have chosen not to use them?

10 Ways to Save Money On Kids Clothing And Toys





When it comes to clothing and toys for children it can be hard not to get too carried away when it comes to buying for them. I know from time to time I can be really bad at impulse buying especially when it comes to things for Blake. Now I'm starting to think more about saving any money where I can as one day we want to have another child and will have to think about moving to a bigger place. One of the ways to save money is on what I buy for Blake.  So here are some ways on which you can save money on clothing and toys for your little one.



Budget
When it comes to Blake needing new clothes, shoes or toys then I try and do a budget. 
I look at what he needs and then decided how much I can spend. Most of Blake's clothing are second hand and I do a budget for what to spend on second hand clothing and new clothing. I also do this with toys, I've not had to purchase many toys recently as he got loads for Christmas and his Birthday which are pretty close together. I have however purchased books for him as he loves for me or Stuart to read to him. 

Buy Second Hand
As children grow out of clothing so quickly most stuff are in Excellent condition so buying second hand is a great way to save money. I use Ebay a lot to buy clothing for Blake and charity shops and boots sales are also great places to find bargains. 

Shop in supermarkets
Supermarkets such as Tesco have a fab range in store and/or online and they tend to be much cheaper than shops such as Next for example. This also applies to toys as well. 

Shop around
If your child needs for example a new pair of jeans shop around and see if you can find cheaper ones. If you are shopping online make sure you also factor in postage costs. It's pointless spending £6 on a pair of jeans if the postage is £3,99 and you can buy some in another shop for £8. For toys its a good idea to shop around as prices vary from store to store and sometimes Amazon works out cheaper. 

Accept Cast offs
If you know someone who has a little one who is a little older and are getting rid of their child's clothing or toys and asks if you would like them, accept. I was passed on some clothing for Blake which he has worn and it's saved me a bit of money. 

Buy in the Sales
This is pretty obvious shops have sales on throughout the year ready to get new season items in so why not buy in the sales and save £s in doing so. Toys also go on sale for example I knew I wanted Blake to have the Happy Land Train Set for Christmas and my Mum was going to get it him. I found it on the ELC website down to £22 from £50 and told her so she snapped it up whilst it was on sale. 

Buy out of season
This kind of relates to buying in the sales. For example if after Christmas all the winter clothing goes on sale buy for the next year. 

Stock pile
I like to stock pile when I see a good offer on and I've already got Blake 3 of his presents hidden for Christmas/Birthday. 

Buy only what is needed
If you think your child doesn't really need something he/she probably doesn't. 
Write a list of what is needed when it comes to clothing such as x3 Jeans, x3 joggers etc. 
I also make sure Blake has clothing that he can get messy in as well as the more nicer clothing. 

Buy Unisex Items
If you are planning on having another child it's a good idea to try and buy a few unisex items of clothing and toys. Most of Blake's clothing from when he was newborn are all unisex so ideal for when we have another child. Although Blake has toys such as trains, cars and football; I also plan on buying him dolls etc. If we have a girl one day she will be playing with Blake's toys and I have no problem with girls playing with trains and cars, just like I have no issues with Blake having a doll. 






Creativity Books with Carlton Kids

When it comes to books Blake has quite a collection of different types from general story books, lift and flap books and touch-y feel-y ones. He loves to sit on my lap and listen to me read to him on a daily basis and I make it part of his routine during the day to have story time. He has recently started getting into his sticker book which one of his friends got him for his first birthday so when I was given the option of choosing a few kids books from Carlton Kids I chose some creativity books as they will be ideal for him as he gets older. 

The ones I chose are the monster creativity, dinosaur creativity and the cars, trains and planes creativity books. These are all themes I know that Blake will love. He is especially into cars, trains and planes at the moment. 

The books include: 
  • Drawing Fun 
  • Puzzles and Games
  • Mazes 
  • stencils 
  • reusable stickers
At the moment I feel Blake is too young for most of the activities in them but I feel he will be able to have fun with the stickers and possibly the stencils once he is a little older. 




Carlton Books have a fab range of books that are suitable for boys and girls and I would recommend you check them out.  Do your little ones love books like these? 

What Blake Wore: Rockin Baby Spring/Summer Out of Africa Range


When it comes to clothing brands that Blake wears I have a few main brands I like to go to my favorites being F&F at Tesco, H&M Kids, Zara Kids and Next. Most of the clothing Blake owns are second hand clothing that I purchased on ebay etc but I do love getting him new bits to wear too. 

I also love finding brands that I have never heard of before and Rockin Baby is one of them. For Spring/Summer Rockin Baby have released their "Out of Africa" range that's available this April.  For every piece of clothing sold from the Rockin’ Baby collection,an item will be gifted to a child orphaned by Eboloa in West Africa. With the new spring/summer collection the company commits to continue their charity giving to help more people.

The Out of Africa range offers a range of bright and bold lion print tops and onesies, perfect for a day out or for creating your own safari -style adventures at home. With bright and colorful hues of turquoise, apple green and orange kids will be crazy for this fun fashion!  


I was sent two lovely items from Rockin Baby and my favorite has to be the vest which retails at £14. When it comes to the sizing the fit is just right, Blake has recently moved into size 18-24 months clothing and the vest fits perfectly on him. The vest is also is of good quality and I know this will last him awhile. 

I think the vest will look so cute in the hotter weather paired with denim shorts. For now he will be wearing it underneath clothing  so we can get as much use out of it as possible. 

The other item we were sent is the orange lion print poncho the sizing is correct and Blake has it in size 12-24 months. The quality is also great like the vest , however I feel we personally wont get much use out of it as I'm not too keen on the print myself and not too sure on how well it suits Blake.  


So what do you think about Rockin Baby's Out of Africa range for Spring/Summer? 
Have you heard of this brand before?  Let me know in the comments below. 

Win A Grit 2016 Atom Complete Scooter


Today I am giving away A Grit 2016 Atom Complete Scooter in Red as shown above from Skates. The new 2016 Grit Scooters range has seen a load of improvements and tweaks added to all the models to make this year the best year for Grit! The new Atom model is no exception featuring a new light weight 6061 heat treated alloy deck, 100mm Nycore wheels with ABEC7 bearings and a hi tensile steel fork.

I used to love playing outside on my scooter when I was younger so I am sure who ever wins this prize your child or whoever you give it to is going to love it! 

HOW TO ENTER:
- Enter via the rafflecopter below
- Leave a comment below anwsering the question in the rafflecopter 
- The more entries you complete the better the chance of winning

T&C
- This competition will close on 20th April 2016 at 12.00am GMT 
- The winner will be chosen at random and notified via email, twitter or facebook
- Open to UK residents ONLY
- You must be a UK resident and over 18



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Controlled crying



Today I am writing a very controversial topic about Controlled Crying. 
I recently came across a video on Channel Mum about Controlled Crying and wanted to give my opinion on the topic. 

There are a couple of things I wanted to mention, first being I won't be allowing any negative and "bullying" comments on this post so they won't be published. You are however welcome to give your own opinion as long as you aren't "bullying" others on their opinions (including mine). 

I would also like to mention that controlled crying is completely different from Crying it out. 
Crying it out is leaving your baby to cry without going to see them until they eventually fall asleep. This is something we would never do and something we don't agree on. Controlled crying is basically letting your child cry for a set period of time and then going in seeing to them and comforting them. You then gradually increase the periods of time before being comforted until they fall asleep. 

This is something we have done with Blake. Blake in general is a good sleeper and has been from 6 weeks old. Controlled Crying shouldn't be done under the age of 6 months by the way as at that age they will generally need something. Although Blake is a good sleeper there have been a few occasions when he wakes in the night. We do go and see to him and make sure he isn't ill or hungry (if I know he hasn't eaten much during the day) or has wet through. If its none of these things which is very rare than it is usually him wanting attention but if after a cuddle he is still upset than we will do controlled crying. Now when it comes to controlled crying most times that we have done it Blake has stopped after 10 minutes and gone to sleep. I know this is going to have mixed views and opinions on this but Blake is such a happy and cheeky little boy and he is much less grumpy if he has had a good nights sleep. 


This is something that has just worked for us and I'd do it again with the next child too and see if it works but if it don't then I'm not going to force it. 



 Have you tried controlled crying? Do share your experiences in the comments below.



Q pootle 5 DVD Competition


Blake loves watching a few cartoons over on Cbeebies he has a few favorites that I let him watch near enough everyday. I was recently contacted and asked if I would love a copy of Q Pootle 5's new DVD, Pootle the Explorer. Now I've never heard of Q Pootle 5 and Blake had never watched it before. I thought it would be something a little different for him to watch whilst I am doing the chores to keep him entertained for a bit. 

Join Q Pootle 5 and his friends Oopsy, Eddi, Stella, Ray, Groobie, Bud-D and Planet Dave who love to have fun in space, as they tackle everyday problems in 7 episodes. Adventures include: 

1. The Cosmic Whipple
2. Pootle The Explorer
3. The Groobie Woogie
4. A Friend For Ray 
5. Rocking Not Rolling
6. Beat Box Bud-D
7. Planet Dave In A Spin 






Q Pootle 5 is based on the best-selling books by the hugely popular children’s author and illustrator Nick Butterworth and the series features an outstanding voice cast including: Ed Gaughan, Joanna Page,  Steven Kynman, Richard Ridings, and Ella Kenion. 

Blake seemed to like the DVD as when I put it on he was straight to the TV standing up watching the episodes. Q Pootle 5 is a series that will spark imaginations and raise a smile from children and parents alike. 


Q Pootle 5, Pootle the Explorer is released today (11th April 2016) and retails at £7.99. 
Inside the DVD box you will also find a free poster. 


Now, how would you like to win a copy of Q Pootle 5: Pootle the Explorer on DVD? 

HOW TO ENTER:
- Enter via the rafflecopter below
- Leave a comment below anwsering the question in the rafflecopter 
- The more entries you complete the better the chance of winning

T&C
- This competition will close on 18th April 2016 at 12.00am GMT 
- The winner will be chosen at random and notified via email, twitter or facebook
- Open to UK residents ONLY
- You must be a UK resident and over 18

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My C-section Experience


Did you know that it is C-section Awareness Month? I didn't until very recently. 
It's got me thinking about Blake's birth where I had to have an emergency C-section and about what people actually know about C-sections. 

When I had Blake back in December 2014 I wrote his birth story  but I haven't really wrote about my experience of having an Emergency C-section. Like what happens before, during and after having one. 


Why I had a C-section:
 C-sections are normally had for many reasons such as complications during labor,  a multiple birth, the baby is too large, HIV, if you've had a previous c section ( however this isn't always the case) etc. 

For me it was because my labor wasn't progressing I had been in labor for almost 23 hours when the decision was made to have an emergency c-section. 
Blake was stuck and in fact I split when they got his head out during the C-section. 


What a C-section Involves:
A C-section birth involves major abdominal surgery where an incision is made just above your pubic bone on the bikini line area, several cuts are made through skin, tissue and muscle to get to the baby. This is usually be done with a type anaesthetic such as an epidural or spinal block which allows you to remain awake if you want to.The baby is then delivered safely and you get stitched back up. 


Before my C-section
Everyone's experiences are of course different. 
For me the first step when they made the decision was for me to sign a consent form. 
At the time I was so exhausted that I didn't really read it as I just wanted to get my baby 
here safely and that was all that mattered. 

I was then sent down to theater where was prepped for surgery whilst Stuart was getting into scrubs in another room. As I had already had an Epidural all I needed was to be topped up with a higher dosage and then  they used a cold spray to make sure that I was numb enough. A small catheter was then inserted into my urethra, this is to help drain any urine during the procedure and also for the 12 hours after/ until the numbness has gone.

Because I was already on a drip to be induced and to also prevent dehydration, I already had an IV drip which was then used to administer antibiotics after my c-section. 



After My C-section 
After the c-section I was sent to recovery and was able to have some toast. 
At this point even though I had our little boy with us all I wanted to do was sleep. 
I had a nurse check up on me every so often during the night but one of the things 
that bothered me the most was that it was such a long time after giving birth that 
I was given the option to try and breastfeed. So Blake hadn't had anything from when he was born at 12:16 am until just before lunch time when I asked to be able to try and have help in doing so. This was approx 12 hours after he was born so he must have been so hungry  and I do believe this may have been why we struggled so much with latching. 

After attempting to breastfeed and having difficulty I was sent up to the ward where I
was given some compression stockings to prevent blood clots which Stuart helped me into. 
After having visitors I was told that I needed to try and get up and walk about. 
I can still remember the pain and thinking about it makes me wince. 
But I am glad I tried and walked a little bit around the room we were in. 

The nurses throughout my stay kept checks on me and gave me pain meds when I needed them. Another thing was I was given an injection for the first 7 days to help prevent any blood clots. When I went home after 3 days after I had to do the injection myself which wasn't too bad after the first few days of doing it. 

C-section Tips: 

-Pack large comfy knickers you will need them to prevent your scar from rubbing. 
Plus they are better than the horrible knickers they give you in hospital to wear. 

-  Make sure you pack comfy clothing maternity jeans and leggings were 
a staple for me for making feel comfortable and not rub on the scar. 

- Air your scar, this is important I made sure that I did this for 5 to 10 minutes to prevent infection a few times a day. 

- Try and rest I was lucky to have Stuart do a lot for me afterwards as I was in so much pain. 

- I have heard that its a great idea to get a c-section belt as they can keep the tummy lifted. 
I never tried one after having Blake but probably would if we have anymore children. 



I hope some of this information is helpful to anyone who maybe want's to know
more about C-sections in case they have to have one. 
Remember though that each person's experiences maybe different. 

Did you have a C-section? 
If so was it planned? or like me an Emergency? 

As I always I love to read your comments.