Category: Women’s Health and Wellbeing

#happymamaproject

My Birth Story

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When you look back at those days when you gave life to your first child, it becomes emotional.

Over 5 years ago, I was just about to become a mum for the first time. I was scared, confused and quiet fed up of the process of pregnancy. It just lasts too long and is so uncomfortable. 

The worst part of it was that I didn’t enjoy the whole process at all. It was all so alien to me. We didn’t know the baby’s gender and that was for me the hardest part. I couldn’t look at my belly and imagine a little baby inside as that would immediately connect with a gender. And because we didn’t want to find out the gender, I just felt so disconnected. I wish I had gone for another scan to find out was it a boy or a girl, but at that time I just felt I could wait and find out at the birth.

My birth was quite smooth. I was overdue by 12 days and on the 13th day I was induced.

I went to hospital with full make up on, hair done, not even knowing what I am going to look like in few hours! Lol.

I got a bed in the Rosie Hospital in Cambridge and cannot remember how long we had to wait for the first set of fingers in my vagina! Probably 2 hours.

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My mum came with me and she literally said “I can’t cope! I want to go home and I cannot watch you being in pain!” So my mum left me in there, waiting for news of a new arrival.

I was induced, got some gel on my cervix and within 20 min I became so uncomfortable. I felt I needed to sit on toilet. My bits were on FIRE!!!

We went to some separate room where I kept bouncing on the ball where everything just seemed to be worse! My husband (Neil) kept laughing and saying “you are so funny! It can’t be working already!” I obviously wanted to kill him at this point as I was soooo uncomfortable.

Fast forward 2 hours later, I was screaming in pain, going from bed to toilet where nothing happened and then one nurse said I should go and lay in the bath that they had on the ward. I spent probably 30 mins in the water and the pain just got worse. When I got up from the bath I was literally hammered to the floor from pain! I think it was a contraction!

I could barely walk! Neil took me to the bed where I kept screaming (I was like those loud women haha) and I said to Neil “These contractions are so intense!” And he kept going to the midwives telling that I am in pain and my contractions were at that time 1 min long with 1 min rest!!!!!!

Midwives kept telling him “It is still early. Give her water.” Without even checking me.

After an hour, one of the midwives finally came and I was 6 cm dilated.

They took me straight to the delivery ward. I really felt like I was going to pass out from the pain! I loved gas and air though! I felt on a high and I saw myself dancing in the Beach Club, drunk as hell! But I was actually just giving birth. Doh.

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Back to reality, my labour lasted around 5 hours. Baby’s heart rate kept dropping and every time I saw his heart rate drop, my heart sank. And it kept going down and back to normal. They kept changing my positions and I just was in so much pain that I had no idea how to cope anymore. Still on gas and air though.

It came to the moment when the midwife said “baby is not happy. We are just going to put a heart rate monitor on top of his head. Is that ok?” I stopped caring about my body, I just want baby to be out and safe. Of course I said it was ok. Do what you need to do.

It came the moment where baby’s heart rate kept dropping and finally I was fully dilated and they told me to push. I was petrified as it was nothing in my control and all I remember was that the buzzer was pressed and the room was full of people. Suddenly time had stopped and I had faith that I am in safe hands.

I had a doctor shouting to me “I have to cut you to get the baby out. Ok?”. I had NO IDEA what cutting (episiotomy) meant, but I just didn’t care. Next few minutes of fear, my vagina was chopped, my little baby was taken out by suction cap and my baby was a boy. Big boy. He didn’t even feel tiny. We called him Hugo. I started crying and holding my little bundle on my chest. Suddenly realising who was growing under my heart for long 9 months.

It was emotional as it can be. He was just perfect. He slept on my chest for hours. I love that in the UK baby stays with you all the time. He was just next to me. What was strange, I had no idea what I was doing. Giving him my breast to keep him fed was just a strange experience. But the whole concept of becoming a mum is (for myself) a real, stressful event, filled with incredible joy of creating a little mini version of you and your soulmate.

The birth in total lasted 5 hours and I only had gas and air for pain relief.

If I cut out from the story the ending joy from having Hugo, and just focus on my physical discomfort post birth, I wish I have been informed more…

Squashy tummy and being sick post birth, after the first standing up to have a shower, putting the first “nappy” on me and to accept granny pants for few months post birth, severe constipation, piles, SORE boobs (this is omg), not being able to sit due to episiotomy for 3 months and I wish I had a list of things “just in case if happens and its solutions”.

Maybe I just didn’t want to know and I felt unprepared. All I know now is I am so happy to have 2 amazing kids and I would do it all again for them. They often ask me if I can give them a brother or sister and I am so happy I told them “No more!”. Only if it happens. Hope not! Ha! :)))

What was your birth story? How long did your labour last? It is amazing how we are all so different and how we all have different stories. I would love to hear from you 🙂

Lots of love,

Adrijana x

#happymamaproject

Happy Mama Project – Testimonial

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Before I got pregnant with my little boy, I was always activate. It had taken a good few years to get fit, which mainly happened due to finding yoga. However just before I got pregnant, I had knee surgery which meant during my pregnancy I was unable to be as active as I’d liked and therefore gained nearly 5 stone during the pregnancy. After giving birth I’d gone from a size 8 to a size 14, had huge milky boobs, was unable to do yoga due to my knee and didn’t have a clue where to start with post natal exercise. Then thankfully I came across Adrijana.

Adrijana was local and specialised in post natal exercise. Not only was she there to show me what I could and couldn’t do within the limits of just having a baby but was also there to give advice. I started attending her Friday class after I had passed my 6 weeks postnatal doctors appointment. It took a while at first, but I started to feel my fitness coming back. She was able to help me during the class with alternative variations of the exercises if my knee was struggling. I was also able to build up the strength in my leg to support my knee which in turn helped that get better. After 6 months, I was down 3.5 stone and feeling so much better in myself, which made me a better mum to my little boy feeling less tired looking after him.

Then Adrijana started the fat killer class, which was the push I needed to get the final 1.5 stone off. Because I’d taken my time in the first class building my fitness, I was prepared to step it up. I was also getting married in 5 months so had a goal in mind. I continued to attend the Friday class and then eventually reached my goal in time for the wedding.

Not only does Adrijana give great motivation and advice during the class, she is there at home with me via Facebook. I was able to continue quick workouts at home during the week as she is always posting great short workouts to fit in your day.

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Now she has moved into nutrition and female health as well, therefore going from strength to strength. I felt lost and confused with what I could do after giving birth, so couldn’t be more thankful for her providing this in Newmarket. My sister has now joined after having her little boy and seeing the benefits of a local mum and baby fitness class.

Congratulations on all your achievements Adrijana. Whether you are a new mum or your kids are older, it’s never to late to build your fitness up and get nutrition advice. You will find a fitness expert, nutritional special and a friend joining Adrijana on her and your journey. I couldn’t be more thankful to her for making me the best mum for Ralph, and if we decide to do it all again you will be my first call.

#happymamaproject





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Women's Health and Wellbeing

Obsession With Weight Loss & Tips On How To Start Gaining Control

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Seeing the list of forbidden foods when you decide to follow even your own diet, leaves your mind in a total fear “what if I can’t stick with it and I fail?”.

This is one of the reasons why you can’t stick with your own or purchased plan.

It is too restrictive, takes so much out of the life you enjoy and, as soon as you realise, you say to yourself “nah, what’s the point! Life is too short!”. And then you go backwards returning to the world of endless foods you had missed in previous few days.

Obsessions with weight loss are spread throughout all layers of society and weight gain/loss has become a part of our lives, slowly chipping away the real joy for life.

We feel guilty when we have great time with friends.

We feel guilty when we even desire to eat or drink our favourites, because we know if we have it, we’ll lose control.

Then the obsession and battle begin, because we are simply prioritising the wrong things and focusing on things that are making our life more difficult.

We have one, just ONE, LIFE and there is no need for suffering.

We need to work on our discipline & mindfulness. We have lost a feeling for it completely.

You don’t need to have everything and you don’t need to eat every single thing your brain desires.

You don’t need to go to extreme diets and you don’t need to go to the gym 6 days a week.

You don’t need to fight through life thinking weight loss will make you happy, because it will give temporary pleasure, but you will also have to learn how to keep the weight off as well.

Here are few tips you can do to include mindfulness in your life.

* Be present in moment.

* Be aware how you really feel before taking a first mouthful. Are you eating because you are bored, stressed or you are really hungry?

* When you eat food – sit down. Eating and rushing around will disconnect your brain and stomach.

* Chew food properly. If you are swallowing big chunks of food, your stomach with struggle to digest.

* Family time – eat together with your family, sit down and don’t allow any gadgets ruining your time to connect.

* Stop scrolling when you eat – social media and internet has taken over our lives and we feel we have no life without it. Let your brain have a true sense of when you’ve eaten enough food, do you enjoy food you eat or you eat just for the sake of it?

* You don’t have to eat everything that is on your plate. Think about your portions. Are they too big? Buy a smaller plate. Take 5 min longer then you did yesterday to complete your meal. Enjoy every single mouthful.

* Make a choice. You have a choice to buy/serve yourself healthier food. Start with one meal a day and over time you will feel it is much easier then you thought and you will start taking more control and be more guilt free.

Food is a need and we have to consume it every single day.

Why don’t you make your journey much much enjoyable by just being aware of what you are doing and find more joy eating tasty, nutritious food and have on the odd occasions food you like?

Put yourself and your health first.

Have a great day and enjoy your meal by sitting down and being present 🙂

Adrijana x

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If you are interested in learning how you can change your behaviour and habits, you are fed up with yo yo dieting and you are looking for long term solution? Let me teach you how you can have sustainable results for a lifetime with my Online coaching. Book your free consultation today.





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Women's Health and Wellbeing

When You Feel Like You Failed Yourself

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There are so many of us who feel that we failed ourselves and we all share different situations that made us feel this way. Some of those situations we could avoid and, in some of them, we just fell in that trap. I will explain in this blog why that is totally ok.

For most of our life we can hold things together. We can keep up with the challenges and obstacles, but one time will come in our life (maybe more then one) when we will feel like we totally failed ourselves. We failed what we believed we should do, we haven’t handled a situation a certain way, we didn’t deliver as well as we thought we could have or life has just thrown at us a challenge that we can’t cope with.

Seeing the picture above, instead of feeling happy, I feel sad. This is because for a very long time I felt ashamed of the weight gain I had to show all my clients and people I knew at that time. I thought that it showed I had failed – even with all my knowledge and experience to look like a perfect example of fit and healthy mum. I am sad that this picture will always remind me on how I felt and if I would turn back time I probably wouldn’t change a thing, EXCEPT how I felt about myself.

I would give myself a break of feeling that pressure to be PERFECT. Because I am a human and I am ALLOWED to make mistakes as life still goes on with all the glory of daily imperfections. I just wish I could see this picture and feel pride of delivering 9lb 5 baby that came out of my vagina and still have it in one piece! And to be proud that I am capable of making this little human, who now makes my life a total joy with his funny faces and wriggle bums while he is dancing. What do we worry about? How irrational we are and how unkind we are to ourselves? We will tell every single stranger we see suffering “Be kind to yourself” and what do we say when we feel just like them? We probably say “I am a total failure” while you know deep inside “You are absolutely NOT a failure”.

If you can relate to those feelings all I can say ‘No, you haven’t failed yourself’. You just reached the time in your life when you are changing, your life is changing, everything around you might have a completely different meaning now than it had before. You might need some time to get your strength back, to make those little changes that will be kind to your body, mind and soul and to focus on healing, rather then battering yourself with guilt and pressure to change RIGHT NOW.

If you live in a negative environment who remind you daily on how you feel, it is probably time for you to change that environment with more positive one. Also, it is very important to talk how you feel. Talk, talk, talk is what helps you feel better, talking about your emotions you will be able to hear what you are going through and then your current situation might sound much easier to cope.

When you are the most vulnerable and you feel you are at your lowest. The great advice I’ve heard was in 3 words JUST KEEP STANDING. And it will come a day when you will be stronger then ever before and richer for the experience that thought you how to help and comfort others when you recognise what they are going through.

 

Here is a little homework that you can do now and you might get some answer for you to maybe see how you feel to make that little difference to your life. I would like to ask you if you could take your pen and paper and just write down the answer to these questions:

  1. What is the thing you would like to change in your life?
  2. Why would you want to make this change?
  3. If you decided to make this change, how might you go about it in order to succeed?
  4. What are the 3 best reasons for you to do this?
  5. How important is it for you to make this change on a scale from 0 to 10? ( 0 = not at all; 10 = very important)
  6. So what do you think you will do?

​Sending you big love and again. Be Kind To yourself and Just Keep Standing!

Adrijana x