Candyfloss & Dreams

Category: Lifestyle

lifestyle blog posts focusing on home, lifestyle, parenting, pregnancy, family life and home and style. Home decor and working at home, working at home as a self employed freelancer and blogger. Family lifestyle blog posts including family reviews, family products and saving money as a family. Being a more eco friendly family.

How To Naturally Induce Labour

Thinking of ways to induce labour? I’m currently pregnant for the second time and I am just weeks away from having my second baby. I wanted to share some of the things I will be doing to hopefully induce labour at home and help me have a positive birth experience. If you are currently pregnant and want to induce labour it is important to talk to your midwife about this and discuss ways that will be safe for you. There is little scientific research on whether naturally inducing labour works. It is important to note that some forms of induction of labour can lead to higher rates of assisted deliveries and c-sections. Did you try to induce labour at home? I would love to know if any of these worked for you!

Why Induce Labour?

Many women when they reach full time are both excited about meeting their baby and anxious about the birth. Usually they’re feeling a bit fed up, especially as things start going over the due date. You might find having a due month easier to deal with. It is important to note that only around 5% of babies are born on their due date and most babies are born in week 41 of pregnancy. Your baby will arrive in perfect time on their own schedule. There might be things you can try to help bring labour on at home and avoid going overdue. You don’t have to do any of these things and can simply wait. If you are offered medical intervention or induction and there are no known risks or complications you are within your rights to refuse induction of labour.

Why Do I Want to Induce Labour?

I want to induce labour myself, at home, because I want to avoid having another c-section. I had a lot of problems getting over about 4cm dilated during my last labour and I think one of the big issues for me is fear. This time I am doing a lot more to eliminate fear by planning a home birth and hypnobirthing. Hiring a doula is really helping me prepare for labour and birth too. My enviornment is completely different now. I’m in a happy, loving relationship too and that has made a huge difference to how I am feeling now we are approaching birth.

The Benefits of Oxytocin: The Love Hormone

The main hormone needed for your uterus to contract well and for labour to start at home is Oxytocin. When pregnant women are induced medically they can be given synthetic forms of Oxytocin. However, there are plenty of ways you can naturally allow Oxytocin levels to rise which then bring on contractions.

1. Educate Yourself – learn about how your body works to birth your baby. We know how they come out but often we don’t know what type of environment we need, how our uterus contracts and that in itself can lead to fear. Fear is the enemy of oxytocin and can get you trapped in the fear, tension, pain cycle. This doesn’t need to be from NHS antenatal classes. In fact, I actually recommend The Positive Birth channel on YouTube or a Hypnobirthing class. If you want to induce labour learning on how to increase oxytocin is an amazing place to start.

2. Learn to relax – Again, Hypnobirthing can really help with this. There are plenty of guided hypnobirthing sessions on YouTube that can be really beneficial. Listen to this before you go to sleep, drift off to it. I’ve heard that 16 times is the magic number for your subconscious to start listening so if you can listen to a video for 16 times to help you get in a relaxed state this will massively benefit you during labour. It will help to eliminate fear, get you into the labour land zone and can make inducing labour at home a very relaxing experience. I recommend Mindful Hypnobirthing which includes some free hypnobirthing recordings and creating a playlist on YouTube of your favourite hypnobirthing videos so you can plug in and listen when in labour.

Natural Ways to Induce Labour at Home

Firstly, it’s worth considering that they only way to really induce labour is to relax and wait. Try and eliminate as much stress as possible. I say this because if you’re trying to bring labour it’s still not exactly natural. This is because you’re not waiting for it to begin spontaneously but in fact trying to rush and encourage things. Induction of labour is a completely personal choice. However, if you want to try to induce labour at home without medical intervention there are a few things that are usually safe for you to try. As always, discuss with your midwife first to make sure it’s suitable for you, your body and pregnancy.

Sex

The most talked about way to get labour going is sex. A lot of people say what got the baby in will help get the baby out and this is because sex raises your level of Oxytocin, the love hormone, and this can start contractions. You might find in the second or early stages of the third trimester that sex or an orgasm can lead to Braxton Hicks contractions. This is because your body is producing that hormone and, if you think about it, its a pretty natural thing to happen. It seems that three times is the magic number. Lets face it, if you’re feeling up to it why not enjoy yourselves a bit as a couple before your baby is born anyway. Sex is usually completely safe in pregnancy unless you have a medical reason not to or your waters have broken.

Breast Massage & Nipple Stimulation

Another way to get Oxytocin flowing is breast massage and nipple stimulation. I believe the idea is to stimulate a baby suckling at the breast. You may find, however, that you’re feeling a bit tender and sensitive. So if you try and it is actually causing discomfort then it may cause more stress and frustration. It is really important to be kind to yourself during these last few weeks. Focus on things that will make you feel good, relaxed and happy.

Walking and Exercise

If you feel up to it, walking and exercise are other ways that might induce labour. Long walks are good for you and they might actually help you through those initial contractions. Apparently, the pressure of babies head on the cervix as you walk can encourage your cervix to ripen and thin. You can also try sitting on a birthing ball at home or even just sitting on the toilet. These also help your baby get in a good position for birth. It is safe to exercise all the way through pregnancy until you feel like you want to stop. You do want to retain some energy for labour and birth but if walking or exercise make you feel good then continue!

Drinking Raspberry Red Leaf Tea

This one is an interesting one there really isn’t a lot to say that drinking this tea can induce labour. However, it’s quite tasty, contains antioxidants and apparently can help with breast milk supply. It’s really just a nutritional tea. You can start drinking raspberry red leaf tea at 32 weeks of pregnancy. You start drinking one cup a day and gradually increase to up to four cups. Supposedly, building up the levels in your body prior to giving birth can help your uterus contract more effectively. This may help shorten the second or pushing phase. If you like herbal teas and you want to drink this then go for it, however, some people do not recommend starting it after 40 weeks as it might make contractions intense. It is also not recommended for women that have had a C-Section because of the risk of scar weakening or rupture.

Eating Pineapple

I remember hearing this when I was pregnant with Evie. Apparently, for enough Bromelain to build up in your system you need to eat 7 fresh pineapples to help induce labour. There is conflicting evidence about pineapple though. Some say it’s the acidity of the fruit reacting with your gut that causes contractions which then might stimulate the uterus. However, Bromelain is there and that can help your cervix dilate. I really like pineapple so I’m happy to add that into my diet in the last few weeks leading up to my due date.

Eating Dates

Now this is a new one for me but again I really like dates so I’m happy to try this one. Apparently, eating dates in the last four weeks leading up to your due date might lead to a quicker first phase of labour, more effective dilation of the cervix and intact membranes after contractions had started. Eating dates might not induce labour but they’re tasty and sweet, easy to add to smoothies and easy to snack on. Apparently, six fresh, medjool dates a day is needed to benefit labour. I’m going to start eating more dates from week 36.

Spicy Food

I think eating spicy food to induce labour is a really popular choice for some people but I’m not sure how nice it is. I personally eat quite a lot of spicy food so I will probably continue to do so until labour begins. The idea is to eat something hot and spicy that will stimulate the bowel and that then leads to possible stimulating the uterus to start contracting. Again, just be kind to yourself. If you don’t like spicy food don’t eat something that’s going to make you feel uncomfortable or unwell, it’s really not worth it.

Forms of Medical Induction

If your Midwife or consultant does advise medical induction it’s really important to do your research. Sometimes scaremongering tactics come into play here but it’s important to note that the alternative to induction is to wait and be closely monitored. If you have had a healthy, risk free pregnancy you can absolutely say no to being induced. If, however, you do want to be induced then there are lots of ways that this can be started.

Cervical & Membrane Sweep

A cervical membrane sweep can be offered at around 41 weeks of pregnancy. You may be offered up to three cervical membrane sweeps to induce labour. Some women swear by them and sometimes they fail. If a membrane sweep is going to work it will usually bring contractions on within 48 hours. This is where a midwife or consultant will use their fingers to feel your cervix and try to sweep the membranes away. As they come back into contact with the cervix, hormones are released which may trigger labour to start.

Cervical Ripening Balloon

Depending on your hospital, the cervical ripening balloon can be offered in place of a hormonal gel. The balloon is inserted by a small, soft, silicone tube and filled with a saline solution. It can put pressure on the cervix to encourage dilation to begin. This is usually for around 24 hours and might be enough to induce labour and for contractions to progress.

Artificial Rupture of Membranes

This is usually done to encourage contractions to progress or for speeding up labour. You can always refuse this method of induction if you are feeling well. You can always refuse any form of medical intervention. It can lead to contractions to become quite intense, increase pain and pressure with the babies head directly on the cervix.

Syntocinon Drip

Syntocinon is a synthetic form of Oxytocin. It can speed up contractions and is often used when women are overdue. I had this alongside an epidural because I was told I would not be able to handle the intense pain of the contractions. You do not have to automatically have an epidural at any point in labour, however, if you do want one, make this very clear if you are going in to hospital to be induced so they can have this administered before they use Syntocinon. Having the drip and an epidural increases your chances of an assisted delivery or even unplanned c-section.

For more pregnancy content please head to my hub post which contains links to all my relevant pregnancy based blog posts. My second High Bmi Pregnancy.

September 13, 2018
Why Parents Should Help Their Child with Essays
Parents should help their child write essays because, in my opinion and experience, essay writing is actually a skill. Like many skills, a formula for successful essay writing can be constructed and taught which will, hopefully, allow children to write essays fluently, coherently and achieve good grades. For some children essay writing might come quite naturally however others may need a push or a step in the right direction. Throughout my education I have had to write essays for many different subjects and now I feel I can confidently help my own children increase their writing ability. It’s something I’ve also been able to offer support and advice to my partner who has just completed an Access course for college and is shortly off to University. Some parents may wish to pay for an essay writing service to help their child learn essay writing skills. I think this is a good idea for parents that might not be confident with their own writing ability or may wish to seek further help or advice. There are plenty of custom essay writing services available which can be an invaluable tool.

Helping a Child Write Essays

I remember writing my first essays was quite intimidating as I didn’t really know where to start. Having a helping hand from a parent can be really beneficial as it opens up the chance for discussion and in depth understanding about a topic you might be unfamiliar with. Different subjects require different essay formats too and some may need to be more academic whilst others have the chance to get really creative. It’s very important to research a topic thoroughly which is something a parent can easily get involved in. This could be trips to the library together to find books on certain topics or perhaps even watching a film that relates to the subject of the essay together. Any further education you can provide to your children will really help them get a good grasp of the subject matter, help them understand different viewpoints and allow them to explore more creative or interesting ways of writing their essays.

As a writer myself I personally enjoy topics where I can talk about personal experience or even write creatively. I always loved writing stories and using my imagination when it came to essay writing at school and as my knowledge and interests developed I soon found I was able to write more analytical pieces and provide reports on different subjects. I particularly enjoyed analysing text and writing book reports because these allowed me to give a more personal opinion on what I was writing about and I hope this is something I can encourage in my own children. I feel that because I personally find writing relatively easy and enjoyable that I should be able to help my own children when it comes to essays they might need to write in the future.

Getting Started with Essay Writing

For many, it’s important to start with a good plan which will enable you to write essays in a structured way. You can be really creative with a plan and helping a child to plan what they want to write about can be really beneficial. Some may like to write a few sentences or key words under headings which will allow their essay to form natural progression whereas others might like to map out their essay with a diagram. The way an essay plan is structured does not really matter as long as the child can pick up relevant points, headings and form a concise essay from the plan. Parents can help with essay planning by helping to word headings that form a good introduction, context and conclusion.

Benefits of Helping a Child Write Essays
1. You are passing on valuable knowledge
2. You can make it fun by showing your child creative ways to plan and write essays
3. It’s time spent together equally learning
4. Helping your child write essays is a great place to open up a discussion about a topic which will help improve their skills and knowledge. It may also help them think slightly differently about a topic giving the essay more balance and structure.
Does your child enjoy writing essays? How do you, as a parent, help to support them?

This is a collaborative post.
September 11, 2018
Setting Up a Baby Changing Unit
When it comes to changing a newborn baby there are only a few things you really need. A mat, clean nappies, something to clean up your baby with and something to store the dirty nappies in so you can dispose or wash them. There are, however, loads of options and a few things you might want to consider when it comes to buying choices.

To make things easier for us when changing a newborn we have purchased a changing unit which is set up in our bathroom. It has a top layer which snugly fits a changing mat and two storage layers. I really like changing units because they keep everything together nicely. It’s also ideal if you have had a c-section as bending up and down all the time can be quite uncomfortable. Babies should never be left unattended on a changing unit and you should check the age or weight restrictions. In my experience they can usually be used up until 12 months. The changing mat can be moved around the flat if needed, particularly when Baby F is no longer a tiny baby, but as we are on one level I thought keeping everything together in one room would be best. Even in an emergency change situation getting to our bathroom from our living room, bedroom or front door is no distance at all. We also have a changing bag with a portable, folding changing mat too when we are out and about.

Changing a newborn is simple. It’s a case of removing the dirty nappy, cleaning up your baby and getting them clean and fresh. I’m pretty sure you already know that however there are things that you can have in your home that you might not have considered picking up for your newborn baby changing unit. Babies need changing frequently throughout the day so having a changing unit or area in place with all the essentials is going to be helpful. Some parents choose to have disposable or, in some cases, flushable wipes but we have opted to use reusable wipes at home.

Ive talked about making more eco friendly changes and nappies are one way we are doing this. Thanks to Eco by Naty we were sent a few packs of eco friendly nappies, wipes and baby bath products. The nappies we have go up to 13lbs and will be great for those newborn days where we are all trying to get into a bit of a routine and used to the constant changes and feeds. I’ll be reviewing the nappies in full once Baby F is here, hopefully in the next few weeks!

Cloth Nappies

We also have a few cloth nappies which we are really looking forward to trying out so that we can be more eco-friendly and reduce our use of single use plastic as much as possible. We have a set of the TeenyFit STAR Tots Bots all in one nappies which are better sized from birth and babies from 5lb upwards.

Things you will want to keep on your changing unit:
- Wipes – this could be cotton wool and water, disposable baby wipes, biodegradable disposable baby wipes or reusable wipes.
- Nappies – this could be regular disposable nappies, eco friendly disposable nappies like Eco by Naty or reusable cloth nappies of which there are many different types.
- Barrier oil or cream to prevent or get rid of nappy rash. A layer of coconut oil after a clean change can really help rid meconium when changing a newborn too, that stuff can be stubborn to remove! Sudocream or alternatives can help to prevent and soothe nappy rash.
- Nappy Bags or Nappy Bucket – Eco by Naty have biodegradable nappy bags and a nappy bucket has a laundry mesh bag so that you can pop the bag of dirty nappies in the wash.
- Flushable liners if you’re using cloth nappies. It’s not recommended you actually flush these however and so you may still want nappy disposable nappy bags to be able to get rid of these.
Our Baby Changing Unit Set Up

One of the biggest benefits of a changing unit for us is the extra storage and being able to keep everything together nicely. This is how we have set things up.

At the top – soft squishy changing mat for baby to lie on comfortably whilst having a nappy change. The baby bath can go on here too if you are struggling to bend over the bath.

Second shelf – Everything we need for changing a newborn in those first few weeks including eco friendly disposables as we will use those first, biodegradable wipes and creams. At the other end of the second shelf, closer to the bath is our Childs Farm Baby toiletries.

Third Shelf – Our own toiletries are kept tucked away here as well as all of our clean reusable nappies and liners for when we have finished with the disposables. I will move these up when I need them and we have a nappy bucket and laundry mesh bag ready to use for the dirty nappies too.

Disclaimer: We received the Eco by Naty products in exchange for featuring them on this blog. All opinions remain my own.
September 10, 2018
Slush Puppie Maker Review

Having a Slush Puppie maker at home over the summer has been so good. Especially for Evie who loves these cold drinks and they have helped keep me cool throughout the extra hot heatwave during my pregnancy. We were kindly sent the Slush Puppie maker and red cherry syrup in the summer holidays and have been giving it a good test. It is exactly like what you get in the shops and you have slushies within about 30 minutes or so.

You will need a lot of ice, I recommend buying a bag rather than constantly filling up ice cube trays, salt, slush puppies syrup and water. Best results happen if you can freeze the metal canister first to keep the ice cool as it’s mixing. The slush puppie maker is easy to set up. You simply switch it on to mix, half fill with ice, add some salt, add more ice, more salt – following the instructions and then add a litre of syrup mixture. Its then just a case of keeping an eye on the maker until the mixture forms icy peaks and adding more ice and salt as and when you need to. This takes about twenty minutes or so of mixing. You then flip the switch to dispense and pour!

We have loved having a slush puppie maker and now our red cherry flavour is running out we are looking at trying more syrups and flavours. You can only use one syrup per canister so if you’re looking to mix it up you’ll need more than one machine! I’m eager to try blue raspberry next as it’s my favourite!

The slush puppie maker detaches from the habit really easily and is pretty easy to clean. Once set up again it’s good to go! If you find that ice is getting stuck or jammed you can flip the switch from mix to dispense to rotate the opposite way and this usually fixes the problem.

Having an at home slush puppies machine has been brilliant. They’re tasty, cool and refreshing and it’s saved me a few pennies buying them constantly out and about! The Slush Puppie machine is currently available at Menkind for £49.99 (with an RRP of £59.99) You can also purchase Slush Puppie cups and Syrups alongside for £6.99. Current flavours include Red Cherry, Blue Raspberry, Cola or Green Apple. I can’t wait to try more refreshing flavours!

Disclaimer: We received the Slush Puppie Maker in exchange for this feature, all opinions remain my own.

September 10, 2018
Using Birth Affirmations in Pregnancy

As part of my hypnobirthing and hiring a Doula we have talked a lot about Birth Affirmations. I know these aren’t for everyone but having these around me have really helped me feel positive and look forward to birth as well as keeping me focused on a positive experience. The idea behind affirmations is to increase a positive mindset and goes along with what the mind believes the body acheives. I really think that they have helped with my confidence and decisions when it comes to planning my birth and generally keeping me feeling upbeat and positive throughout my pregnancy. I wanted to share a few of these with you that I have around my desk, on my living room wall and even on my fridge notice board. I am hoping that my mind is taking these in throughout the day as I get distracted or cast my glance elsewhere and that subconsciously my mind is taking it all in and this will help me during labour. I can’t say how effective they are as I’m still pregnant a the time of writing this but it has been a nice thing to do and has given me some focus.

“My baby will arrive at the perfect time.” – 3-5% of babies are born on their due date, 85% are born before 43 weeks and the rest might come slightly before or after. Did you know that there is no universal time for when a baby should arrive or when the conversation of induction should start happening? Here in the UK our estimated due date is 40 weeks from estimated conception (I can tell you very confidently that 21st September is not 40 weeks from date of conception for this baby…it’s actually at least a week and a bit off – yes, I really do know!) It’s actually better to think of a due month or period because babies are classed as full term between 37-42 weeks. That’s a five week window in which most babies are estimated to arrive. So my baby will arrive at the perfect time that is exactly right for them and us. For me, that means not discussing induction until 41 weeks and not booking in a planned c-section until 42 weeks. The NICE guidelines recommend babies are born before 43 weeks when the risk of stillbirth begins to increase, however, that risk is very small, but still a risk.

“My baby is the perfect size for my body.” – I think we get caught up with the size of the baby and the size of the pelvis. It’s unlikely your baby will not fit, although it does happen. There is also no exact average size but anywhere from 5lb-11lb is considered pretty normal here in the UK. I’ve also heard that bigger babies are actually easier to birth. Growth scans also have a 10-20% margin for error either side and the further along in your pregnancy the less accurate they are.

“Birth is amazing no matter how it happens.” – This is a big one for me. As much as I want my planned home water VBAC I know that a c-section could still happen and I want to avoid feeling guilty or shamed for the way my second baby is delivered.

“Birth is the ultimate act of love.” – Labour and Birth are designed to feel good releasing high levels of Oxytocin, the love hormone, and natural endorphins – our pain relievers. The more we trust ourselves and our ability the more positive our birth will be. No matter how birth happens you have carried a baby lovingly for nine months and finally you get to have them in your arms.

“My Birth Partner is by my side and on my side.” – Birth partners do not need to be in the background, there is plenty for them to do and the more open you are about birth place and planning, the more your partner can be your advocate in labour and can feel like they are part of the process too.

Here are a few others you might like:

For more pregnancy content please head to my hub post which contains links to all my relevant pregnancy based blog posts. My second High Bmi Pregnancy.

September 9, 2018