Make it Monday!

Today I have set myself a challenge. Once again it's food related!! I'm making chicken vegetable soup as the weather is finally cooling down (I LOVE the cold), Bacon, cheese and pesto scrolls for Caitlin's school lunch and a dinner we haven't tried before from Jamie Oliver's web site :)


My Chicken soup is made up of anything really. This time I used:
*400 grams chicken breast (can use any chicken, breast was on special!)
*3 celery stalks
*1 swede, skin off
*3 potatoes, skin on
*1/4 pumpkin, skin off
*1 capsicum
* Handful snow peas, cut in half
*1 onion
*2tbsp vegetable stock powder
*400ml can chopped tomatoes (can use crushed if you like)
*3 beans mix

I diced up all the ingredients willy-nilly keeping the pumpkin and potato slightly larger. Put 1tbsp of olive oil in a large pot. Add all the vegetables and let them sweat off for a few minutes. Fill the pot up with water, add vegetable stock powder and can tomatoes.

Let reduce until the vegetables are cooked and the soup is the consistency you like. Meanwhile put chicken into an oven safe dish and cook on 180c for 20mins. Remove from oven, drain fatty liquid and pull chicken pieces apart with fork. Add the beans and chicken to the soup. ENJOY!!

Sorry for my crappy recipe, I'm not very good at writing them lol.

To make into baby food for Mary-Jane (10 months old), I took one scoop of veggies and half a scoop of liquid and gave it a very quick wizz with my stick blender. Wizz more for thinner consistency.

I searched around for good lunch box ideas and this is what I came up with: Bacon, cheese and pesto scrolls. I used:
*1 cup natural or greek yoghurt
*1 1/2 cups self raising flour
*4 rashes short cut bacon diced
*1tbsp sundried tomato pesto
* Handful of grated cheese (i used tasty, can use mozerella)

Mix flour and yoghurt in a bowl until combined. Place on a floured bench and kneed for 5 minutes. If too dry/moist, add more yoghurt/flour as needed. Roll out using a rolling pin into a rectangle roughly 40cms x 20cms. Spread out pesto and sprinkle on bacon and cheese. Roll dough up from the longer side making a long roll. Slice 5cm pieces (making 8 pieces). Stand them up on a tray so that one of the open ends is facing up and bake in a 180c oven for 20mins. ENJOY!

I have run out of ideas for dinner so I decided to have a look around and try something off the internet. Tonight's dinner is one of Jamie Oliver's recipes: Beef kofta curry with fluffy rice, beans and peas

This photo doesn't do it justice. Lets face it, it looks like dog poo. The kofta did not hold together at all! And  I'm no good at presentation, clearly. I didn't add the peas and beans as my partner doesn't eat them and I felt there was enough going on with this recipe already. Honestly, it was good and I'm still full hours later, but it tasted just like the jar curries. So I don't think I will bother next time. I do feel a sense of accomplishment though :)

xxx

Make it Monday!

Today is a public holiday. Which means Caitlin is home from school. Of course the day started off with a few arguments and eventually I decided, its time to bake a cake and get over it!! Caitlin chose chocolate (of course I'm trying to watch my weight, conveniently) so I grabbed a recipe off the internet and we baked it together :) was quite cute!

This is the recipe for anyone who wants to try it. I haven't tasted the cake yet but MAN it smells good!!

hahaha look what M.J was up to

Walah!!

Xxx

Mary-Janes birth story

I started preparing for birth in advance this time. At 32 or so weeks I drank raspberry leaf tea. Unfortunately you needed to drink 5 a day!!! I decided to change over to the tablets but you needed to take a ridiculous 12 or so a day. I also took evening primrose oil tablets towards the end, as well of course as my prenatal vitamins. The aim of these is to help you have a quicker birthing experience, NOT to put you into labour.

22 weeks

Silly me didn't plan this pregnancy very well seeing as my second daughter was due 6 days before Caitlin's birthday! My ob said it was fine to try to self induce at 39 weeks to give my children more of a gap between there birthdays. Walking, jumping, spicy foods, pineapple, and the all important.... sex!!!! Nothing worked :( Late in my 39th week my ob attempted a stretch and sweep but my cervix was so high he could only poke it! He told me to go home and try castor oil.

A few days over due I took his advice. Nothing happened until the middle of the night when "contractions" started. Much like the ones I experienced early on with Caitlin. I went for a walk around the block in the pitch black, timing my contractions. They became more frequent and very long, lasting around a minute or so. My little sister was over so I ended up waking her up and we played Wii for a bit. The contractions very slowly got more intense and I decided it was time to go to hospital. My partner packed up the car, went and got my best friend and suddenly...... it stopped. No more pain. Nothing. Nada. Zilch.

In false labour

We arrived at the hospital, I got checked and I was 2cms with no signs of labour :( I got back in the car, went home, and felt sorry for myself. I got yelled at by the midwife for attempting to go into labour using castor oil. I didn't have any nasty side effects except for being in false labour for 9hours. But no vomiting, out of either end! The due date came, and went, so I was booked in for an induction on the 10th day past my due date.

So the day before my induction came and I was asked to come in to have the gel put on my cervix. Little did I know once you have the gel put in, they want you to stay in the hospital until the drip is put in the next day. Lucky I had my bags. Once she told me this news, I was so excited. I know it's silly but staying in the hospital made it all that more real and exciting.  I was checked and I was now 3cms!!!!! Well hold the (!) Because now I'm told that I can't have the gel put on my cervix  or it may put me into hyperactive labour. So I need to go home and come back at 6am for the drip. Now there was almost no chance for me to go into labour myself :( How the hell was I meant to sleep? I told the midwife about my ob`s failed attempt at a stretch and sweep so she decided to give it a go. She pushed and pushed until she reached my cervix and performed the all famous "stretch and sweep!" She then told me my cervix wasn't in a favourable "birthing" position so she pulled my cervix to the front. I can say for me, that that's the only part that hurt and it only hurt for a second (tough as nails :p)

31 weeks

We left the hospital and stopped off to get some take away for dinner. When we got home I sat down in my recliner and started to have really strong Braxton hicks. Which wasn't unusual as I had been having a lot of strong ones, especially when I sat in this position. I had a mouth full of my pasta and suddenly I wasn't hungry. My partner scoffed his food as we hadn't eaten all day and then he noticed I wasn't eating mine so he asked if he could have mine too. Well... I CRACKED it!! I was going off my head saying how much of a pig he was and I felt like crap etc etc. Eventually I calmed down, had a few more mouth fulls, handed him my dinner and settled down.

I decided to go to bed at 9.30pm as we had to be at the hospital at 6am but my partner was busy playing a video game and this was really upsetting me. I just couldn't sleep without him and I wanted him to have some rest before the big day, so I was up every half an hour begging him to come to bed and complaining about the stupid Braxton hicks I was having. I was so restless! Around 11pm I noticed that these Braxton hicks were actually getting quite strong and FINALLY at 11:30pm my partner came to bed. Which is when I had a very painful contraction and it clicked. I'm in labour. I had one more strong one, sat up off the edge of the bed, had another, lent back and POP. Water exploded everywhere!! Isn't that how it happens in the movies? Haha well what actually happened was as I lent back, I squirted. I thought I had just pee'd like a fountain! I went to the toilet and pushed and out came more. I always thought that if it was your waters that you could not control it. I must just be clever lol :) I could see we're it was coming from (dah) so I just assumed it was my waters and I woke up my best friend who was asleep on my couch. We called the hospital and they told us to come in!

12am I woke up my partner, gathered my bags in between some very butt kicking contractions and jumped into the car. We arrived at 1am and I was put straight into a labouring room. Apparently by the look of me, I didn't need an assessment. This was it! I was about to meet my baby girl!!!

41 weeks 3 days. Last pregnant photo taken!

I was checked and told I was 4cms to which I replied "epidural time?" I didn't mind having one this time. I just wanted to be comfortable lol. But my midwife said no. She didn't know what stage of labour I was in yet so she monitored me for a bit while I paced up and down my room like a mad man, WIDE awake yelling at her! She asked me if I would like a bath so I gave up and agreed to that. I forgot it takes half an hour to fill :( The only comfortable position I found was on my knees leaning forward onto the bed. So I was up and down like a yoyo, pacing in between contractions.

The midwife finally came in and told me if I was still below 6cms dilated that she would grant my wish of having an epidural. So she checked... I was 8cms. Turns out I was in transition since I got to the hospital! Hence pacing and swearing like a mad man lol. Also turns out that after 8cms you have to stay out of the bath unless you have a certified water birthing midwife. Which she wasn't.

Ouch!!

3:30am came along and suddenly I wanted to push. I was getting quite antsy and agitated. Nothing like my first labour experience. I tried on my back but MAN that hurt. And nothing at all was happening. So back down on my knees I went and suddenly my body started to push all on its own. I gave a few little pushes and then out of no where I gave this huge push like my body was saying "put some effort in woman!" And half her head popped out. No seriously. It did. The midwife was shouting at me "stop! Stop!" Then she told my partner to quickly push the emergency button. I guess she wasn't ready for me to give birth! A few other midwives came to the rescue and my best friend started taking photos and a few seconds later my baby popped out between my legs and I was the first person to touch her! I think I may have even caught her. So amazing!

Mary-Jane Maree Venturin was born at 3:59am on the 3rd of May 2012. Begging a huge 9pound 12ounces and 55cms long. And I didn't even tear at all! Gravity is defiantly my friend! I wonder if all those tablets I took in preparation for labour actually worked? I must say that fast labour isn't always the best. Both of my Labour's were good in there own way :) Maybe I'll get my epidural next time? Maybe...

Watch Mary-Jane's birth story here.

xxx

Caitlins birth story

It was Thursday and I was 13 Days over due with my baby girl. This was my first pregnancy and I was becoming very impatient. I was due to be induced the next day but was asked to come into hospital the day before to have the gel put on my cervix. At around 2pm I received a phone call. This wasn't a good phone call :( It was a midwife from the hospital calling to tell me that they had a high volume of women in labour and didn't have enough room for me so I would have to wait until Monday!! That was FOUR days away! I began to get very upset as I explained that I had my 2 birthing partners all organised with work off and I was so far overdue and it just wasn't fair!!! Of course it was a bit dramatic but if you've been in this situation before, you will understand! Unfortunately there was nothing that could be done and I was just going to have to wait. I was asked to come in for monitoring seeing as I was so far over. From then on I just felt so uncomfortable and was getting tummy crams and I felt just plain shit house!

It was when these cramps became painful that I thought, something's going on! I called my sister and told her to come over to my parents house where I was living at the time. We went to the hospital together for my appointment to be monitored and sure enough, the monitor showed small contractions. This ment nothing to the nurses as labour can stop at this point so an hour later I was sent home.

I don't really remember most of the nite except the ridiculously intense heart burn that I was suffering. It SUCKED! I couldn't lay flat so I propped myself up in my bed and my sister fell asleep at my feet at around 10pm. Did I get any sleep? Of course not. Eventually around 2am I gave into this horrible back pain, took myself down stairs and sat infront of the heater with my back facing the vent. I put the coffee table infront of me, slumped against it and passed out in between, what had now turned into, CONTRACTIONS!!!

6am came along and the only sleep I had gotten was the 4 or so minutes between contractions. My dad walked in to what must have looked so funny, and asked me what the hell I was doing. Were a power saving family so I immediately jumped out of my "zone" and shouted "I'M SO SORRY!! I didn't realise it had been 4hours!" My dad was just like "it's fine! But what are you doing?" To which I replied "oh... I'm in labour." The look on my dad's face was priceless, "why didn't you wake me!!!!!!!" There was nothing he could do and I didn't want to disturb anyone so I just let them sleep. I really enjoyed the time by myself anyway now looking back. It was peacefull and allowed me to get into "full labour" without the hype of excitement.

We started to time contractions which were still irregular but no further apart than 6 or so minutes. I jumped in the bath around 10am, made a call to my other birthing partner (who still had the day off work conveniently) and at around 11:30am I jumped back out, got dressed and headed into the lounge room for some support off my family as the contractions were now very painful. My mum gave me a massage because my back was KILLING now but when I started to cry, she told my sister and birthing partner that it was time to take me to hospital

The drive was a blur. All I remember was sitting in the back seat leaning on the front passenger seat. It was a 30minute drive. The next thing I remember is being dropped off out the front. We arrived at 12pm and they put me into a bath. I really didn't enjoy this as I couldn't sit up or lean forward so I just ended up floating and was very uncomfortable. I couldn't get out of the bath as every movement I made resulted in a contraction. So.... I was craned out lol! I was then wheel chaired back to my room, which was in the next room, because I just couldn't move. I did ask for an epidural a few times but I was determined my whole pregnancy not to have one so my sister pulled aside the midwife and explained this to her. The midwife then explained to me that all the doctors were busy and I would have to wait. Silly me didn't realise that there was never any doctors "available" lol.

At around 7pm I needed to do number 2's, or so I thought! I was put on the toilet with a catcher of some sort in the bottom incase baby fell out into the toilet! When I realised I needed to push I freaked out and said I wanted to go back to the bed!  They set me up a mattress on the floor but there was NO way I was birthing my baby on the toilet floor! So with a little persistence and a lot of contractions later and I made it to the bed.

My best friend held my hand while my sister watched me push Caitlin out. They put a mirror down there for me to watch and I have to say it was AMAZING! defiantly watch if you can. It really helps you to push, like a motivator :(  they used wet pads to stop the burning down stairs and after 15 minutes of pushing.....

Caitlin maree Louise Tate was born!! At 7:18pm on the 28th of April 2006. Weighing 7pounds 11 ounces and 52cms long!!

I now know that Caitlin was posterior which is why I had so much back pain, back to back contractions when I moved and why she took so long to birth. But all in all I had a great birthing experience, no drugs at all, only a small tear which didn't need stitches and a fast recovery. For the rest of the night though, I couldn't stand up or I would vomit. Not sure why, maybe the balance difference? I'm so glad I didn't get induced!! It most probably would have ended in an epidural and a cesarean because she was posterior so thank god that didn't happen!! Her heart did drop a few times but it came back up and her cord was wrapped twice around her neck so she was very blue. Talk about scary!

I really enjoyed my time in the hospital. It was so peaceful and such a lovely experience bonding with my baby :)

Xxx