Our next adventure🏠

Since having Elijah I’ve experienced lots of things many people my age haven’t, I’ve got bigger responsibility’s I couldn’t have even imagined, someone who relies on me and providing everything that makes sure he’s got a fun, happy and healthy life. I wouldn’t change it for the world, it’s what makes me whole❤️

However, I’ve lived with my mum my whole life, she’s always supported me (amazingly). Since Elijah has been born she’s helped me out so much and I’m so grateful, from taking him in the night so I could sleep or cuddling both me and Elijah when we’re poorly✨ she’s taught me everything there is to know about being a wonderful mother❗️ and I cannot beginning to express what an admirable nanny she is, Elijah couldn’t get anything better🌹

But it’s time to move out and be completely independent (to an extent – she’ll only be down the road😉) but this is a huge step for me, and my responsibilities are about to shoot up! Me, running my own household..who’d have ever imagined this? Not me😂

I’m so excited yet also scared, what will I do when a huge spider creeps up on me? 🕷 guess I’ll be leaving a cup on it and calling mother😉 but finally it’s somewhere I can call mine, it’s our home and I’m so happy i can decorate it😁

Nobody prepares you for the amount of stuff you don’t realize you’ll need but you’ll definitely need. All the way from a can opener to a Hoover, but I’m slowly gathering everything I need and piling it into my bedroom at my mums (looks like a junk yard right now). It’s been my dream to decorate my own place, I finally get too!! I know so many of my friends and family will help me make it perfect, I’m just counting down the days.. (slowest 6 weeks since pregnancy)😂

Elijah will have a garden, to run around in and cause trouble😉 and I can burn things on a bbq all summer😁 it’s exciting times for me, finally things are looking up for me and elijah❗️ It’s all up from here❤️

Pros and cons of being a young mum🦋

I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t any cons to being a young mum, even if I wasn’t young there’s things that every mother would tell you about (when do we sleep?) that couldn’t be considered a advantage. But let’s not get anything twisted, no matter how many cons there could be nothing would ever make me want to not be a mother❤️

Let’s start with the pros:

I get to watch someone grow from a tiny little bean all the way into a full grown man, someone who I can tell you I carried for 9 months, and have loved more and more each day since the beginning. Watching Elijah grow is amazing, from his first smile, and his first step to his first day at school I get to be there each step of the way and that is the most special thing you could ever give someone.
When I was pregnant people moved out their seat on the bus to let me sit down😉
When I’m 34 Elijah will be 18, I’m still young enough then to go out and enjoy myself without having to worry about my son. Also hopefully if Elijah thinks I’m cool enough I’ll be able to go out with him😂.
It’s a reason for me to want to do better, I’m more motivated to get further in my future because I’m not doing it for just me I’m doing it for Elijah. I want to be able to give him whatever he needs and have the best life for us, this means working extra hard at college so I can become the engineer I want to be❗️
Getting to hear a little mini me call me mummy is probably one of the most special heart warming feelings you’ll ever get to experience❤️
Since I’m young I feel like I will be able to relate to Elijah when he’s older, things like social media, friendships, schools, as there’s a closer age gap between us. I’ll be able to give him the advise my mum couldn’t always give to me because she didn’t grow up with the same things as me (although my mum does give amazing advice that I will share with Elijah too)
I’ve made new friendships with other young mums and our children will grow old together❤️

There’s so many more pros I could write pages and pages❗️

Cons:

Getting no sleep is probably the most draining thing about being a mother, I don’t remember the last time that I slept through the night without waking up, or the last time I slept for more than 6 hours😭
Most cons are the same for all mothers, however one that only young mums would understand is the judgement from everyone, I didn’t receive many ‘congratulations’ instead when I told people I was pregnant they’d be like ‘really’ or another comment similar. Since I was pregnant I have been getting funny looks of members of the public or even some peers which is sad, people have less belief in a young mum as there’s a high stereotype over it yet most young mums I know are the best mothers ever and have completely changed their life around to support their child❤️ we’re all in this together girls❤️
I don’t get much time to myself, I think it’s really important to still have a social life while being a mum because even though your life now revolves around your baby, you need to have fun too girl❤️ this can sometimes be hard especially if you don’t have the support there but don’t forget about yourself❗️
Nothing is safe at ground level, unfortunately sometimes I forget this and will leave something like my makeup box on the floor and if Elijah sees he’s straight there🤣 most of my eyeshadow pallets have finger marks all over and look as if I have been trying to mix colours, my lip sticks are nonexistent and have been all over my carpet🤣

But you learn to over come everything and find a way round it, I mean I depend on coffee most days (didn’t drink it until I became a mum)😂

It’s all worth it, I wouldn’t change Elijah for the world❤️

My birth story💙

It all started at about 7am on the 27th of September 2017, one day before my due date. I didn’t have a clue I was in labour, in fact I was so sure I wasn’t🤷🏻‍♀️ but I guess I was wrong, because 11 hours later I was holding a tiny screaming baby in my arms💙

I woke up that morning feeling slightly different, almost like I was having mild period pains, it wasn’t unusual to have different pains towards the end of my pregnancy as I was huge and highly uncomfortable all the time.

But I knew this day it was different, I believed I was having mini Braxton Hicks (fake contractions) I lay in bed for a bit seeing if these pains settled down, they didn’t. My mum was already awake downstairs so I went and spoke to her without waking my BD up, I explained the pain I was in, she immediately said I was in labour but I insisted that it wasn’t real, after about a hour of the pains not going away no matter the amount I bounced and bounced on my ball they got worse and worse. I argued with my mum telling her I don’t believe I’m in labour even though I’d be screaming in pain, still not in labour😉

Once it got to about 9 I decided maybe a bath was what I needed to settle down my pains (this did help) which while I was waiting for it to run I woke my BD up and told him I thought I was in labour, he thought I was joking (I thought I was too). Me being me, I had to do my hair before going anywhere, in some imaginary world I had also planned to do my makeup (didn’t happen) also made sure I put a fresh Sheet and cover on my bed. I soon decided I couldn’t take the pain anymore and that they actually were real contractions and phoned the hospital, they spoke to me on the phone and said it would be best to come in, at this point everyone was running round like headless chickens, my auntie drove to pick me, my mum and BD up and rushed us to St Michaels hospital. I had everything I needed, including my teddy I’ve had since I was a little girl (he appears in some pictures just after childbirth look out😉)

After arriving at the hospital at about 10, I went straight to the MLU and was seen to my room very quickly (girls if you can request to be in the MLU I’d recommend it so much nicer than the normal delivery rooms) the room I was originally in was small and had a giant bean bag (so comfy) I got examined straight away and unfortunately was only 2cm, which isn’t classed as labour until you are 4cm and if it had been busier in the hospital they’d have sent me home but luckily they didn’t, the midwife left me too it, there’s not much you can do to speed up the rate at which you dilate but believe me the more contractions you get the faster it’ll be, my contractions were consistent and strong for hours. I did get very worked up and angry, spent about 5 hours walking around my room or bouncing on a ball, going to the toilet every 5 minutes but not actually doing anything but sitting there or occasionally a couple drips would come out which was SO satisfying at the time. I tried so hard to eat some food but nothing was staying down, I also had downloaded episodes of the great British bake off to watch specially for the hospital. I wouldn’t be able to tell you anything that happened in the episodes I watched as I was screaming too much to take much notice🤦🏻‍♀️ my BD and me were both sure we’d be getting sent home, and that Elijah wasn’t going to be born that day.

My contractions became more consistent and more painful so the midwife examined me again at about 4:30 I was 5-6 centimeters! Finally!!! I was actually in labour, meaning I was able to have gas and air! I’d been waiting for them to tell me I could have some type of pain relief, but my body disagreed with gas and air and it made me throw up straight away, so there went my pain relief! Looked like I was doing this whole giving birth thing with nothing, so I decided I wanted to get in a birthing pool which we had to change rooms to do so. The pool was running and I was pacing up and down the room waiting to get in when I suddenly decided I needed a poo!!

My mum and my BD both told me it wasn’t a poo I just felt that way because of Elijahs head, but again me being me I didn’t listen and went to sit on the toilet to try and squeeze out a poo💩 the midwife had put a paper tray in the toilet just Incase, but I realized I didn’t need a poo this was something different🙀

So I had a little feel in my downstairs area, I felt was I was sure was a head! I shouted ‘his head’ and the midwife quickly laid me on the bed, but it wasn’t his head at all it was my sack of water ready to burst, they told me to squeeze really hard on my next contraction so I did and my waters burst all over the midwife and my BD (sorry guys) within 10 minutes I was pushing his head out, this was the longest 10 minutes of my whole life, I screamed every swear word you could imagine. But once his head was out I got to relax, I could feel the hair on his head and I sat back to relax! But it wasn’t over I still needed to push his body out, however I’d used all my strength to push just his head out😭 I had no idea how I was going to get the rest of his body out but suddenly his heart rate started dropping and I pushed like I never pushed before and he popped out quite literally! He had the cord wrapped around his neck which they removed immediately and placed him on me!

That moment will be the most significant moment in my whole life, the second he touched my skin I felt love, I felt a sudden feeling to protect❤️

But it doesn’t end there, I had a awful experience with my stitches but that’s a story for another time❗️

Christmas shopping on a budget❄️

So Christmas is around the corner, but to me it doesn’t feel like Christmas until I know I have sorted all my presents. I’ve left it so late this year, but I’m going to blame being a single mum and going to college (excuses). I’m normally very organized, but I do have a few tricks up my sleeve.

How many of you haven’t even started yet? Because I know my mum probably hasn’t, how many of you will rush around on the last week before Christmas trying to find everything you need, soon realizing trying to walk through down quickly doesn’t happen because there are awful people everywhere walking 1mph stopping to look at EVERYTHING. Walking with the buggy because nearly impossible I find myself beeping, maybe it’s time to invest in a bell for the buggy?

Anyway, despite my lack of organization this year I have got lots done. What you have to remember is Christmas isn’t just about presents and not everyone can afford to buy expensive things, I personally like to buy gifts that I have thought about and that would mean something to the person or would benefit them.

This year, along with basically every other Christmas I don’t have loads of money but I love giving presents. I also do save up my change throughout the year and cash it in at the beginning of December so if you know you struggle with money this is always a good way to allow you to have more spending money at Christmas time.

Anywayyy

A couple gift ideas:

1. For Elijah this year, I’ve been buying presents since his birthday but little tip for all the mummies, asda have great presents on offer at the moment, as do b&m.

2. A Christmas box🎄

You can buy Christmas various different places however poundland do them, small ones are £1 & bigger ones £2 you can also get ones that you have to construct yourself for £5.

This is the one I have gone for which was £2 from pound land, they have similar ones in asda for £2 also.

I then filled it with cute gifts (ones that are appropriate for the receiver) such as:

• Hair products (boots, poundland, b&m)

• lush bath bombs/melts/shower gel anything from lush is amazing and will make the box smell incredible (however can be a bit pricey, Wilko also does nice bath bombs)

• Fluffy socks (primark £1.90 cheapest I found)

• A candle (primark home, poundland, b&m)

• face mask (the lush ones are amazing😍 but cost £6-8, 7th heaven can be brought anywhere but are 90p in primark, superdrug own brand face masks are also good)

• body spray/perfume/body mist (can be brought anywhere, the ‘so’ body mists are nice and are £1.90 in b&m, hollister spray is 😍😍 and the mini ones are only £5)

• anything else personal that you could find, or a mini bottle of alcohol/wine, chocolates.

The good thing about a box is, you can see that thoughts gone into it but also you can spend as much or as little money as you want, you can also make it appropriate for any gender or ages. You also don’t have to wrap everything inside the box you can just wrap the outside❄️

You also don’t have to buy a box, you can buy any of these gifts without combining them together.

3. Print photos, you can do this in boots, tesco or you can download an app called ‘free prints’ which all you have to do is pay for postage. With the photos you can either make a photo album, they sell nice ones in wilko & the works they also sell nice scrap books which are nice to add your own personal touch to and will show how much love you put into the gift.

You could also buy nice photo frames, again wilko has nice ones, as does ikea and asda.

4. Gift sets, where can you go wrong with a gift set? Everywhere sells them, however places like b&m, home bargains, asda sell cheap ones. If you feel as if you have put much thought into it how about combine it with a picture in a frame?

4. Sometimes there are just some people you never know what to buy, chocolate is always the answer! Who doesn’t love chocolate?

Now I love wrapping presents, every year I get excited and go a bit overboard but I do think presentation shows how much thought you have put into something despite what is inside.

Anywayyy, elijahs just woke up so that’s it for today sorry lovers. But I hope you all manage to get your Christmas shopping done and have a lovely Christmas❤️

-Bigwood.

Getting to know me!

I guess I should start somewhat from the beginning, however this blog isn’t just about me. I want to give my advice to anyone that would benefit from it, I also will be sharing some of my stories (with Elijah, day to day life, my birth, etc) how I cope with my anxiety and stress. I also have good money saving tips, quick life hacks, being a makeup type of girl on a budget, also if you ever wanted me to discuss something I’m happy to receive suggestions.

A bit about me:

I am Megan a 17 year old single mum, got pregnant at 15 and gave birth at 16 to my beautiful baby boy Elijah. I originally lived in Devon before moving to Bristol in 2011. I haven’t always been confident and have regularly struggled with stress and anxiety but there is so many ways to over come it. I am studying level 2 engineering at city of Bristol college, as I wanna make moneeeyyyyy in my future (I also love engineering). Make up is a big passion of mine but I don’t get much time to spend on it since becoming a mum, it also seems to be one of Elijah’s favourite things to make a mess with and destroy my lipsticks and eyeshadows (which I regularly have to scrub out my carpet thanks bubs)

About Elijah:

Elijah Ky is the most precious little bear there ever was, although he is a very cheeky little bear that loves to cause trouble. He was born a day before the due date weighing 6lb 13oz on the 27/09/17 and that’s the moment I knew love at first sight was a thing. He is now walking and shouting words rather than sentences, but we do get the odd ‘oh dear’ especially when he’s done something he shouldn’t have or ‘what’s that’ constantly while walking around shops. Watching him grow has been the best part of being a parent, and I have learnt to cherish every moment you get.

Anyway i’ll keep this one short and sweet, however they won’t always be. Lots of love – Bigwood x