Week 15 ~ Pregnancy Update

Thought it was time I did a quick update, although there is not much to update.

I am still struggling with the gestational diabetes and am now taking medication morning and evening. I have a feeling I may have to take medication at lunch too and the medication will be increased, but will see what the diabetic team say when I phone in with my results next week.

I am struggling as to what to eat and am planning to go to the library this weekend and get a cookbook. 

In all honesty it IS getting me down (which is partly why I haven't been visiting your blogs as much and commenting). I had a bit more spotting this week which also panicked me.

My fingers are sore, I can't eat what I fancy and in all honesty I am not enjoying this pregnancy one bit. But Alhamdulillah. 

I doubt I will have any more after this baby arrives inshAllah.

I have quite a few appointments in April:

Midwife

Dietician

Pregnancy Consultant

Diabetic Consultant

Hopefully the diabetes team can give me food suggestions as I am getting sick of eating the same things over and over again! I got angry with my salad at work and was muttering away to myself. My work colleagues are all very sympathetic so they leave me to it when I start raving like a mad woman!!

WINNER of Modest Sea Giveaway and discount code

The winner, of a gorgeous swimsuit, picked used Random.org, is:

 Blueberry!!

Congratulations and I hope you love your new swimsuit!

Image from Modest Sea

You now have 48 hours in which to contact me with your address and confirm which swimsuit you would like and of course the size!

If the winner does not contact me in 48 hours I will redraw the giveaway.

If you didn't win, then don't despair!!

I am lucky enough to be able to offer all my readers a generous 20% discount. But be quick - this offer lasts for 2 weeks ONLY!

To benefit from the discount, after choosing your swimwear, add it to your 'bag' and then proceed to the checkout. At this stage you will need to create a user account. After logging in and choosing shipping and payment methods you will arrive at this screen: 

Enter the following code in the coupon code box: 507090.

Then press the update subtotal key and your discount should be granted!

Enjoy shopping at the Modest Sea website!!!

Friday Wisdom 30/03/2012

I came across this video on YouTube and had to share it. It contains inspirational words from both the Quran and Holy Bible.

Enjoy.

(For those who don't listen to music, you may want to mute the volume)

 

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Sending sick children to school

I had to do it today. 

Something I said I would never do.

But I felt pressurized into doing it.

I turned into one of those parents who annoy the life out of me.

I sent my child to school when she was not fully fit.

And I felt rotten about it all day. So much so that I almost cried when I left her as she looked totally miserable.

I had to do it because of the COW of the attendance officer at the school. I think she doesn't like me as I took munchkin out of school for 2 weeks without permission in October. 

Now every time munchkin is sick I am sure she thinks I am lying. I have done a post about this before here.

Munchkin was ill just less than 2 weeks ago and spent 3 days off school. They would have definitely thought I was lying if I hadn't sent her today as she has gotten sick again so quickly.

She was fine Saturday but before bed she said she wasn't feeling well. I heard her moaning during the night and at 4am noticed she was burning up so gave her some medication. In the morning her temp was 40.1C. She spent all day Sunday in bed and hardly ate anything. But I managed to get her temperature down.

This morning her temperature had come down but she looked so miserable. I managed to get some breakfast down her and got her ready for school. I told her if she doesn't feel well to tell the teacher. I even told the teacher that she hasn't been well but I felt I had to send her due to the attendance officer hassling me. My thinking was that they would see she was not well and send her home.

She came out of school looking worse. Anyone could see she wasn't well. WHY did they not ring me?? Why FORCE a child to get through the day due to their stupid attendance rules and it will make them look bad if attendance is low.

I have now given her some more medication and she's lying on the sofa sapped of energy.

I am not happy.

I now stick my fingers up to the attendance rates rule at the school. So call me in to question me when my child's attendance drops below 85%. I am ready for you.

Silent Sunday 25/03/2012

Moon Sand Pet Shop Review

We were really excited to be sent some Moon Sand to review as munchkin is a big fan of Moon Sand. We have already purchased a few packs ourselves but jumped at the chance to review the new Pet Shop Moon Sand.

As soon as it arrived we couldn't wait to get it opened and have a go. 

Yes I was just as keen as munchkin!

You get two packs of sand, one purple and one orange and plenty of mould's which include cats, dogs, rabbits, carrots, bones and much more. 

My particular favourites were one of the dogs and the rabbit!

The only downside that I personally found was that some of the smaller animals can get a bit fiddly. Even I was struggling with the small cat and dog as I kept breaking the tail! After a few tries we managed to get it right:

Munchkin now asks to play with it everyday as she loved it so much. It will continue to keep her entertained and it is certainly family fun as I can get involved too - I just love sand aswell!

The tray is ideal as it keeps the majority of the sand in it and off the floor. However, we still managed to get some on the floor but that can easily be hoovered up. So no need to panic! And when you are finished playing you can just close the box up - so no need to spend ages tidying everything up or pushing a reluctant child to tidy! 

I was also pleasantly surprised to learn that you can actually bake the moon sand once you have shaped it and then paint it as you wish! We haven't tried that yet as we are having too much fun just moulding the shapes and playing with the sand, but we will definitely try it soon!

NEW Moon Sand Pet Shop

£14.99 SRP

Moon Sand gives you the most adorable Pet Shop imaginable! Easily mould a variety of cute animals in a matter of seconds. Enjoy the company of cats, turtles, dogs and bunnies - the Moon Sand Pet Shop lets you create them all! And with the easy-to-use sandbox container, you’ll always have a quick and simple clean up. Moon Sand never dries out, letting you repeatedly mould and play with your favourite animals. Mould your way into the perfect Pet Shop with Moon Sand! Includes Pet Shop, 13 moulds, 2-in1 tool & 2 colours of Moon Sand. Contents vary. For ages 3 years and over.

Friday Wisdom 23/03/2012

Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life - think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success, that is way great spiritual giants are produced.

Swami Vivekananda

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Silent Sunday 18/03/2012

Week 13 - Pregnancy Update

A lot has been happening this week and in all honesty am feeling a bit down and stressed.

I have developed gestational diabetes already.

I went to see the diabetes team on Monday. They said my booking in blood test had been 'wonderful' (her exact words) but because I had developed GD later on in my first pregnancy, they wanted to start monitoring my blood sugar levels immediately. I was slightly annoyed because if my sugar levels were fine I saw no reason to have to prick myself 3 times a day to check my sugar levels in my blood - I have to do it 1 hour after each meal.

I am now glad they made me do it.

My sugar levels are very high.

One hour after a meal the maximum they should be is 7.8. I was hitting 8's, 9's and even 10's. I tried varying my diet. In the morning I stopped eating white bread and went on to weetabix. I only had 2 weetabix and it was still high. Diabetes nurse suggested I just have one and I thought do you want to me to starve????

Even chapattis and curry make the levels shoot sky high. Apparently rice isn't even good for you and I LOVE biryani and rice.........WHAT DO I EAT??

If I have a simple fish piece and say some sweetcorn with it then sugar levels come to an acceptable level. I have started having a salad at work which keeps my levels normal - but I still feel hungry.

I told the nurse and she has now given me medication to take in the morning to see if that helps as my levels are highest in the morning. Going to start that tomorrow. She is going to refer me to the diabetes team at the hospital. I am hoping to see a dietitian as I am so stressed right now - I could just go and sit in a darkened room and cry. I don't know what to eat and frankly I am scared of eating - I am just feeling hungry all the time as I am not having fulfilling meals as I am new to this and still learning what is ok to eat and what isn't.

I just had a chapatti today and an omelette earlier on at my mums - that made my levels shoot up to the highest yet. Then I got too scared to eat anything afterwards and just had some crackers and cheese! (I am assuming cheese is ok).

So I am now spending a lot of time on the internet researching into GD and trying to work out what foods my body can cope with.

On the plus side, had another scan on Wednesday and all is good so far alhamdulillah. My official due date is 22 September inshAllah. Bubs was very chilled out during the scan, wasn't in an ideal position for measurements, but was so comfortable wouldn't shift into a better position. We eventually did get the measurements we needed!

PS Any advice re GD would be gratefully received!

Friday Wisdom 16/03/2012

Let me say this loud and clear. There is a world of difference between terrorist acts and the Islamic Shari'a. Islam is not only a religion, but a way of life. And at its heart lie the sacred principles of tolerance and dialogue.

King Hussein I

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CLOSED: Modest Sea - Swimwear Giveaway

I was recently contacted by Modest Sea who wanted to introduce me to their swimwear. Not being able to swim and obviously not being able to wear the usual swimwear for modesty reasons I almost ignored the email.

However their claims that they are offering a modest collection in which any woman can find a suitable swimsuit got me interested enough to check out their website and I am glad I did.

The website is so stylish that I was immediately drawn into it and had to have a good look around. I was told that they offer modest, high quality, beautiful looking swimwear.

I completely agree!

They cater for a wide range of women who are looking for modest swimwear, including those who wear hijab. Their collection ranges from full cover swimwear to mix and match options.

My favourite out of the full cover swimwear has to be the style called 'Emma':

For those who are looking for moderate cover swimwear, I like the look of 'Angelica'

And of course if none of the styles take your fancy, you can mix and match!

Giveaway - open internationally! 

I am lucky enough to be able to offer one of my lucky readers the chance of winning a swimsuit of their choice.

To be in with a chance of winning a swimsuit all you have to do is visit Modest Sea. Then come back here and let me know which swimsuit you like and why. Don't forget to say why you like it! Simple!! (Remember to leave a way for me to contact you should you win.)

Additional entries - these will only be counted if you have done the above first.

• Follow me on twitter and tweet: 'I want to win a modest swimsuit from Modest Sea with @muslimmummies. http://bit.ly/xqQju3
• Share the link to the competition which is on my Facebook Wall with your friends. (There is a share link under the post).
• Follow me via Google Friends Connect or Networked Blogs
• If you are a blogger you can get 3 extra entries if you blog about this competition, linking back to this post and to Modest Sea.

Competition Closes 29th March 2012 at 9pm UK time.

Winner will be chosen using Random.org

Once the winner is announced they will have 48 hours to contact me before another winner is drawn.

Good Luck!!

Oh and don't worry if you do not win. When the competition ends in 2 weeks there will be a special treat for all my readers. Check back in 2 weeks when I announce the winner!

Wednesday Photo Inspiration 14/03/2012

This is one of my favourite pictures that I took last summer. 

The caterpillar does all the work but the butterfly gets all the publicity.  ~Attributed to George Carlin 

We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.  ~Author Unknown 

Join in with Dana for Wednesday Photo Inspiration. 

Bounty Mum to be Pack

This post is specially for Marie from Diary of a Heart in Transit who had asked what we get in our 'Mum to Be Pack' in my post here.

I recently got my pack from Superdrug and this is what it contained: 

A few samples: Ovaltine, Fairy and Sudocreme and then a number of vouchers and offers.

The Newborn Essentials Pack contained the following:

Hope this answers your question Marie! 

Bullying

Bullying is every parents nightmare and something that does concern me. My munchkin is a pretty sensitive soul and not one to fight back; she will take things to heart.

Last week while having breakfast she turned to me with tears in her eyes and said she wanted to change school. This is not normal for her so I gently questioned her. Apparently a boy had threatened to chop off her head and her friends heads. She hadn't told the teacher but told the boy she was going to tell her mum. She then only found the courage to tell me in the morning, (or maybe it had slipped her mind).

In all honesty I was in shock that 5/6 year olds are going round saying this. Where has he picked it up from? TV? Violent games? His parents?

I questioned munchkin as I thought it may have been part of a game the children were playing at break time. However, she said it was during class.

I decided that this time I would have to speak to the teacher. She had complained before about another boy poking her in assembly but that to me seemed like just boy behaviour and told her if he carried on to tell the teacher and not sit near him.

I spoke to the teacher who wasn't surprised by it as apparently the child says things like this without thinking. So she said she would speak to the child during the day.

I am sorry but is it just me that thinks that she should speak to the parents? I do not believe that this is targeted bullying, but if a child is constantly going round threatening to chop off others heads should not the parents be spoken to? So that they can drum it into this kids head that it is wrong to say things like this and scare other children? Why is he even saying things like this in the first place?? 

Yeah it may just be kids being kids but my child does not go around threatening to hurt others and if she did I would stamp on that kind of behaviour immediately.

It scares me to think what other things munchkin will come across and I hope she never experiences full on bullying.

Silent Sunday 11/03/2012

Week 12 - Pregnancy Update

This has been one roller coaster of emotions week and I am glad that I have finally got to week 12 alhamdulillah. 

Over a week ago I had some slight spotting. I tried not to panic as in my first pregnancy I bled alot but baby was still ok. The spotting stopped after just a day but in all honesty I couldn't relax as that is what had happened in my first pregnancy before the major bleeds started. So everyday I was feeling nervous, expecting to start bleeding; every morning I would rush to the toilet to check.

So really it shouldn't have been a major shock when the bleeding started on Wednesday at work. I was feeling pretty fragile anyway due to a slight cold and the insensitive comment that was made which you can read about here. So when I saw the blood I just ended up in tears. My work colleague offered to drive me home but I had to pick up munchkin so needed my car. I rang the midwife and got her answerphone. As I was at work I didn't have my notes with me so didn't have the number for the maternity unit - I have since saved it in my phone. So I rang the GP and the receptionist told me to ring the hospital on the switchboard. 

I went home and got the proper number from my notes and rang the midwives. They booked me in for an emergency scan the following day. My own midwife then rang me 2 hours later by which time I had sorted it all myself. 

I was trying not to panic as the blood I had experienced in my first pregnancy was double that which I was experiencing now. But for some reason it felt different and something didn't feel right to me. I phoned hubby and he immediately came home as he could tell I was quite emotional.

That evening went so slowly but due to the emotions and crying I feel into an unsettled sleep at around 10pm. The scan was at 11.15am the next morning. 

By the morning the blood had reduced to slight spotting which slightly eased my fears, that and the fact that I was in no pain. But I was still so nervous going for the scan. 

There were 2 sonographers in the room, one was a student who was doing the scanning. They initially kept the screen away from me and the moment it took them to scan and then laugh in delight (as baby was active) was the longest moment of my life. They then showed me bubs on the screen and s/he was VERY active and it looked like s/he had the hiccups. I was so happy that bubs was ok I was in tears.

I fear that this is the first of many bleeds if my first pregnancy is anything to go by. I just need to try not to panic each time it happens, easier said than done though.

Things seem to be moving quickly now. I have my appointment with the diabetes team on Monday and then I have my proper dating scan on Wednesday - I get another chance to check up on bubs to make sure all is still ok. 

Friday Wisdom 09-03-2012

Those with strong will-power and good, sound character will not lose anything of their virtuous essence, even if they are made to suffer thousands of kinds of pains and sorrows and forced to change their views and ways. What shall we say about those weak ones who, without provocation, change their thoughts and ways every day?

Author :

M. Fethullah Gülen

Book Reference :

Pearls of Wisdom

Comments :

Translated by: Ali Ãœnal Taken from here

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Pregnancy is not an illness

I know pregnancy is not an illness, but when someone says it to you without even knowing how you feel, it can really annoy you.

Yes pregnancy is not an illness as such, but every woman is different. One of my closest friends ended up hospitalised due to severe 'morning' sickness. So it may not be an illness but the first trimester can sure as hell make you feel ill.

I am one of the few lucky ones that does not experience severe morning sickness. I can feel a bit queasy now and then but nothing that stops me getting on with my work. The only issue I have had this time is extreme tiredness which does seem to be easing up.

I got very angry yesterday at work. As I work on the second floor, (we have ground floor, first floor and second floor), I am always up and down the stairs. I see clients on the ground floor and then the photocopiers are on the ground and first floor. Yesterday I was feeling a bit rough as it was because I am coming down with a cold. After seeing a client I got to the top floor and the receptionist rang saying I was needed downstairs again. I moaned a bit about having to go back down again as I still sometimes get breathless coming up the stairs and one of my colleagues turned round and said pregnancy is not an illness.

I literally had to bite my tongue not to snap at her.

Yes it not an illness but at the moment it is sapping my energy that stairs seem to be a mission. And it didn't help that I was getting a cold.

I am not one to use my pregnancy as an excuse. I have been getting on with my work, going on courses to London and seeing clients with stinking colds who then pass them on to me. I even have another course to go on in  two weeks which I really don't want to go to but will because 'pregnancy is not an illness'.

Well I  am sure that colleague probably felt a bit guilty when I started bleeding and had to go home. (Am ok and will do an update about that on Saturday, lots to fill you all in on). 

Wednesday Photo Inspiration 07/03/2012

I saw this while browsing online and had to share it (sorry for being a day late again).

Join in with Dana for Wednesday Photo Inspiration

Sponsored Video: My Pelvic Floor Fitness - Pregnancy

When pregnant, you have a lot to think about. One thing that often slips my mind is my pelvic floor exercises. In all honesty I had no idea about these exercises until my first pregnancy (I was reading anything and everything to get mentally prepared!)

The pelvic floor is basically composed of muscles and it supports your bladder, bowel and uterus. In pregnancy, more pressure is placed on the the pelvic floor and can weaken it, leading to light bladder weakness. However, if the exercises are done properly and regularly then they can help prevent leaking urine. 

After my first pregnancy I did try to keep up with my pelvic floor exercises but after a while I forgot. With a new baby and feeling tired all the time, the exercises took a back seat. But they are so simple, you can do them at any time. It would have helped if I had had something to remind me to do them.

Now with smartphones becoming so popular, there are many apps for various things. Lights by TENA have launched a brand NEW app, available via the Apple App store and Android Market, called 'my pff' - my pelvic floor fitness.

So if you need help with your pelvic floor exercises, you can download for free now via: http://unr.ly/xEWtYS

Discreet and informative, it will expertly guide you through when, where and how to do your pelvic floor exercises without anyone else needing to know. 'my pff' is the perfect application to guide you through your pelvic floor training. The app is free and it also has video classes, frequently asked questions and tracks your progress.

No excuse now for me to forget to do my exercises!

Disclaimer: This post has been sponsored by TENA but all thoughts and opinions are my own.