CatchMyPain App Review

Helpful Ramblings / 8 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple
Areas

I came across this amazing app called CatchMyPain thanks to a member from a facebook group I am on. It is available on both the Google Play Store and the Itunes store by searching ‘CatchMyPain’. The app allows anyone with Chronic pain to track and log their pain. It even lets you send it via email making it really easy to share with Dr’s etc!

Catch My Pain

When you use create a pain entry there are 7 pages to complete. On the first page you are presented with a picture of the body and 5 colours to use. Mild pain – Yellow going all the way up to Dark red – Unbearable.

Using these colours you can colour in the area’s which are painful. You can then use colour to specify how intense the pain is in that area. I love this as I find it hard to explain why I am in so much pain. This way I can show people where and how much it hurts so they can get a better idea.

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Pain Intensity options

The body rotates allowing you to colour wherever on the body you need to and theres an eraser if you want to start again.

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On the following page are you are given the option to edit the time frame of your entry. This means you can log exactly when the pain started and for how long it lasted.

I find this handy if you have a particularly bad day and don’t feel up to making an entry until you are feeling better. Allowing you to track your pain accurately as you can enter earlier dates and times too!

Pain Intensity

Next up is the overall ‘Pain Intensity’ which you are given a slider to move. The slider starts from No pain up to Worst pain imaginable.

On the fourth screen, you are given a list of ‘Descriptions’ you can select. These describe the types of pain and you can even add your own. Perfect if you can’t find the right description in the list. You can add as many as you like too which is ideal.

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Condition

‘Condition’ is the 5th screen where you are asked how you felt during the time frame selected on the second screen. You do this by choosing a face to represent ‘Happiness’, from a crying sad face to a smiley face.

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As I have found this app so useful I chose to add on the Stress and Fatigue sliders too for only £0.65! I don’t tend to pay for in-app add ons but this seems a great feature.

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The sixth page is the weather here you can adjust time or date and sync it with your location. You can also enter it manually and it will log the temperature which you can adjust if needed.

Extras

As you can see on the sixth page there is also the option to buy the full weather feature for £1.96. I am currently earning Google Play Store credit using the Google Opinion Rewards app! (Thank me later haha!)

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On the final screen you have the options to add in any comments you wish.

Pain Chart

Having filled out several Pain entries I visited the Pain Chart to see what it showed. I was impressed that it had literally logged everything including the percentage of the body affected by pain!

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I like how it shows Happiness, Stress and Fatigue on here as it also gives people an idea of how the pain affects me. Using this chart I can also work out what actually helps me calm down and relax too. Blogging and Knitting are definitely helping me this week!

Medications

Another part of this app is ‘My Meds’ where it enables you to add any medications you take. You can edit the details of the drug as seen below and you can set the frequency they are taken too.

Again I decided to pay £1.14 so I could add on the Drug intake reminder as I am absolutely awful with remembering to take my tablets at the right time!

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There is also a built-in community, so you can chat with others, when you do this you are asked to set up a username and your display picture becomes the body from your last pain entry showing where and how intense the pain was/is.

Having had a look around the Google Play Store for a similar app several times before I was really happy and impressed when I tried this one out.

What more could you want? It helps you track everything, its an easier way to show friends, family and Dr’s if like me you are very forgetful and forget how to ‘word’ at times and all the data can be saved and emailed to anyone you want! This is a great app for a lot of #spoonies and I just had to share for those that hadn’t come across something like this before.

*This post is in no way affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by any of the companies mentioned in this post.

Ups And Downs

Rambles / 8 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple
Izzy's Knitted blanket

This past week has been full of ups & downs for me. My pain levels have become unbearable across the week. I’m suffering majorly, in more ways than one because of it.

Ups And Downs

That’s the problem with Chronic pain, it isn’t just the pain the gets to you. Anxiety is a huge problem for me right now, as is depression. I’ve recently discovered the term brain fog. This is what I feel when my pain heightens, I becoming confused, dizzy, anxious, struggling with my short-term memory etc.

When I get like this it’s extremely hard for me to ‘word’ (talk) as I call it. If I am asked something, even if I know what I want to say, it comes out all jumbled up. This leaves both myself and the person im trying to talk to extremely confused. I get frustrated with myself very easily at the moment and have become quite emotional.

Struggling

The hard part for me is being aware of all these symptoms. Knowing it is  my body’s way of saying ‘help, I’m struggling!’ yet not knowing how to change that. I just can’t get my mind and body to cope and ride it out.

After hoovering just a small corner of the girls room, whilst the Mr did all the heavy work, I managed to hurt myself. I did this without realising, I thought I was being careful. I guess a walk into town afterwards tipped me over the edge.

To top it off the following day I managed to trip over our cat, Batgirl and fell into the doorway. I banged my hip on the frame as I fell and landed awkwardly on my right side. I instantly vomited from the pain and ended up passing out. When I woke I was instantly in tears because of the head splitting migraine. I also felt pain all over my body from the fall. 2 & 1/2 day’s later and I am still paying for it, but it is gradually easing again.

Being A Spoonie Mum

I need to learn my limits but I am struggling with this greatly. I’m only 25 & I have 2 daughters that I wish I could get down on the floor with more. Being a bit of a lunatic I hate being unable to do so much. I had a huge meltdown at my Mr this week. I ended up crying that I couldn’t do such a simple task most mothers do weekly. Tidying and sorting through your children’s toys should be something I dread doing! Instead, it’s something I wish I could do more.

I spent a good half an hour telling my Mr all the thing’s I find frustrating. It’s so hard because its stuff I SHOULD be able to do. He sat and listened for a while. Then said this to me, ‘If you saw someone in a wheelchair would you tell them to get up and walk because they should be able to?’. Of course, I said no. He told me that as much as I am finding it hard and frustrating, I need to stop judging myself and beating myself up constantly over what I ‘should’ be able to do. I need to accept that I have limits but there are things I can do and I should be proud of that.

Feeling Better

That calmed me down and got me thinking. Eventually I realised how right he is and decided to sit and finish off Izzy’s blanket since I find it quite a calming hobby. I was in agony but still managed to complete it. Once I had done it I felt so much better, I had achieved something at last! I have made a few mistakes, there are 2 small button holes. They are barely noticeable, so I decided just this once I’d leave it. Afterall, it is my first big project. Luckily the fluffyness hid it well and Izzy had already been demanding I hurry up and hand over her blanket!

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Over the last few weeks, knitting has helped me stay a bit more focused. It has helped me calm down a lot when I am feeling anxious. I concentrate on the next stitch, instead of sitting with a ton of thoughts racing through my head, over-analysing anything and everything possible.

Knitting that blanket has given me such a boost. Seeing Izzy’s face the following morning, watching her carry it all over the place and snuggling with it on her daddy’s lap, made me feel amazing. Such a boost after such an awful few days.

Becoming More Sociable

Some of you may have noticed I have been a little more active on twitter over the last week or so. I’ve had a few chat’s with some lovely blogger’s which has also cheered me up quite a bit. Some of my posts have been shared quite a lot surprisingly. Also, I have recieved several lovely comments which always seem to come through at a low moment and cheers me up.

As much as I have had some majorly down points this week, I have also had several good ones too. I definitely need to focus more on the good than the bad though.

Christmas

On that note, tomorrow we are putting up our christmas tree. I’m getting excited for that, I’m going to cut out a few cardboard shapes, stars, stockings etc for the girls. They can pretty them up with paint and glitter and hang them around the flat.

I have made a small start on christmas presents and we have almost built up enough amazon credit to buy the girls beds. So this week when we get paid, we can buy their smaller presents. We wont struggle as much to make christmas happen, even after out money screwing up several times throughout the year. I’m so grateful for that right now, I know its your presence not presents that children need, but at the same time I’d like to make sure they have a magical christmas. Focusing on tons of food and lots of decorations to brighten the place up and getting the girls into the christmas spirit!

Feeling Grateful

I am grateful for what I am able to do and know I need to give myself a break every now and then. I need to continue to help myself by busying myself with crafts, blogging and doing what I can with the girls. Im aware that anxiety and depression is part of the vicious cycle of chronic pain and thing’s will get worse a lot sooner, if I allow everything to get to me. So I plan to stay as positive as I can, distract myself as much as possible, judge myself less and try to accept my limits more.

Do you suffer chronic pain, anxiety or depression? How do you cope and stay positive? Drop me a comment or head over to my Get in touch page to find other ways of contacting me if you prefer. Thank you for popping by and reading my post x

Ambi Pur 3Volution Review

Product Reviews / 8 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple
Ambi Pur Insiders kit

I recently signed up to SuperSavvyMe and applied to test the Ambi Pur 3Volution Vanilla latte plugin. Out of over 15,000 applicants, 5000 were chosen to take part and I was one of them!

Approved

I was quite excited when I got my email confirming I would be receiving my delivery soon. There was even more excitement when literally a few hours later the parcel arrived!

Inside the box, I found a SavvyCircle bag. This was instantly swiped by Izzy to carry her toys around in. Safe to say I wont be seeing that again any time soon!

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Contents

Inside the bag, was the Ambi Pur 3Volution Vanilla Latte Plug in & my welcome pack. This contained a guide to the project packed full of tips to spread the word, a booklet of research sheets. Inside, there was also a booklet containing 15x £2 Off Ambi Pur 3Volution plugin vouchers and 10x £1 Off Ambi Our 3Volution Refills.

Ambi Pur 3Volution

Of course, I excitedly opened up the packet straight away. I unscrewed the caps on the refills and pushed them in first. Then, I plugged it into my hallway socket straight away! Yes, I genuinely do get excited about trying out new things. I squeal like a child and HAVE to play with them instantly. I started off on minimum, wanting to see how it worked and how strong the scent was for each setting.

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It’s not the ugliest plug in out there but it is quite plain. After a few hours on minimum which was quite pleasant I tried it on maximum but found it far too strong. The Vanilla Latte aroma definately beats the mixed smells from neighbouring flats and any scent the cats have decided to leave by the door!

Pleasant Scent

Ive left it plugged in for over the christmas period and hopefully as it is near my front door anyone that visits will notice the pleasant scent of Vanilla latte or spot the plug in itself. Either way I will make sure to bring it up and see what people think about it.

To spread the word, I’ve already told my friend Charlotte about it. She loves stuff like this. She is first in line for a voucher or 2 to test one out! I have to say after just a day its made my flat smell gorgeous! I cant wait to see what our friends think of it and I’m quite tempted to get one for each room!

Any other SavvyCircle members blogging about their Ambi Pur 3volution?

Calming Hobbies For Anxiety

Anxiety / 8 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple
Knittting a blanket

I’m focusing on calmig hobbies after I wrote about anxiety last week and how I’ve really been struggling. It is really affecting me, along with depression mostly because I suffer from chronic pain.

Calming Hobbies For Anxiety

I asked readers for tips to help me feel less anxious constantly. One tip I recieved was to write down every thing I want to get off my chest at night and the other was to find a hobby to keep my mind focused.

I have managed to pick up the yarn I needed to finish my knitting project and half way through knitting a scarf too. I have been making an effort to knit a few rows every few hours.

CBD Oil

While not a hobby, per se, since we’re on the topic of anxiety, I felt like CBD was worth a mention as something that you could take alongside doing these hobbies to give you a little extra help, since CBD Oil can also be extremely helpful for anxiety, among other things. There are so many companies that sell a variety of products containing CBD oil including gummies, creams, and capsules, such as Blessed CBD. Having tried them myself I can safely say they do provide some health benefits, however dosage may need playing around with to find the perfect dose for you and your individual needs

Writing And Knitting

Every night on my notes I write down everything that has been frustrating me. Knitting, along with writing whats on my mind each night, does feel like its helping. As I write, it feels like a weight is being lifted. With knitting, I think about less and less with every stitch focusing only on the next stitch.

I noticed a lot of my writing each night is about how my pain has limited me throughout the day. It makes me feel useless as I tend to end up sat on the sofa, trying to focus on not moaning too much. However, over the last day or so, I’ve been focusing on my knitting whenever I’m on the sofa. Doing this, I at least feel like I am achieving something, watching my projects grow.

Coping Better

My pain levels have escalated throughout the day but im still feeling positive. I havent had an attack in a few days now and I feel a bit more positive in general so I’m going to keep up the writing and knitting and once Ive finished Izzy’s blanket and scarf I plan to attempt learning crochet!

calming hobbies
Almost complete!

Thank you for the tips and keep them coming in if anyone has any others 🙂

Do you craft? Feel free to link up your makes, I love seeing what other people have created!

Chicco Deluxe Rain Cover for Strollers Review

Product Reviews / 8 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple
Zeta Citi Zoom Stroller with Rain Cover

I discovered the Chicco deluxe rain cover for strollers after I bought a cheap second-hand stroller prior to ordering the Zeta Citi Stroller. It didn’t have a rain cover and as I knew the stroller was a temporary one, I didn’t want to buy the matching rain cover. Instead, I opted to buy a universal one.

The Mr and I decided to head to lakeside one day to find one and came across 2 in Boots we liked the look of.

Chicco Deluxe Rain Cover For Strollers

One had no pockets and looked quite thin. The Chicco Deluxe rain cover was thick, had a pocket on the back and mesh sides to let air in. I love this as it stops the rain cover steaming up on the inside when it rains. It also stated that it fits most strollers. Surprisingly the Chicco one was cheaper costing only £10 at the time, it seems the price has gone up to £15 since but I am sure I recall it being on offer at the times and receiving double points too.

Chicco Deluxe Rain Cover for Strollers Review
Covers the changing bag nicely too!

We’ve had the rain cover around 6 months now, it fits both strollers perfectly. Unlike previous rain covers I’ve had, it hasn’t torn even with Izzy repeatedly trying to kick it. Personally, I think even at £15 it is well worth paying out for if you are looking for a really good universal rain cover. Admittedly, the storage bag it came with ripped easily after a few times of use but that has happened with most storage bags I’ve had. Overall the rain cover fits really well on my stroller and the pocket is so handy. Definitely well worth the money in my opinion!

I did attempt to take a few more photo’s for this post but unfortunately, Izzy wouldn’t allow me to. Unfortunately I’m all out of bribes right now, sorry for the inconvenience!

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Buggy love!

#misCOURAGE – My Story

Awareness Campaigns / 8 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

#Miscourage is spreading awareness about miscarriages. I started blogging a few years back. I was struggling with my emotions (as always!) over a variety of problems and blogged about a few. One that was really making me struggle was getting over the miscarriage of my first baby at 18.

#Miscourage – My Story

I never made it to that first scan. Even though I lost the baby at 13 weeks, due to the Christmas holidays, I wasn’t booked in until the new year. I began to miscarry boxing day 2008. After a few tests, I was sent home from A&E and told everything was fine. I woke up around 5am the following morning in excruciating pain as I passed my baby. Seeing my loss was extremely hard for me. Having nothing to prove my baby ever even existed and mattered was even harder.

I wrote a post on my previous blog, on how a few years on, I was still struggling to deal with my miscarriage. The images in my head are hard. The fact I never had a scan to keep or anything to confirm my baby ever existed. There is nothing to remember my angel by, apart from my blood test form and hospital bands from A&E.

Struggling To Grieve

I didn’t feel like I was allowed to grieve or remember my baby at all, to most people my baby wasn’t a ‘baby’ just a foetus. I wasn’t with the psycho sperm donor so I was expected to be ‘happy’ and ‘relieved’. Regardless of the circumstances, that is MY baby.

I felt flutters. My belly had begun to grow and I had constant sickness throughout the 13 weeks my baby grew inside of me. You can’t tell me it wasn’t real and my baby never existed. I may not know if it was a boy or a girl. I never got to hold my angel in my arms or even got to see them on a scan, But my angel existed, if only for a short time and my angel deserves to be remembered. Along with every other angel baby taken from this world far too soon.

It’s hard dealing with the fact you have lost your baby and if it’s your first pregnancy, even though technically you are a mother theres no longer a bump and no baby in your arms to prove you were ever destined to be one.

Your Pain Is Real

To anyone that has lost their baby, you are a mother/father. You have every right to grieve and talk about the loss of your baby just as anyone else who has ever lost a loved one.

When I wrote the post on my previous blog I had already had my daughter Eva and everyone kept telling me I should be grateful I went on to give birth to a beautiful healthy baby and had become a mother at last.

THAT HURT.

Of course, I will always be grateful for being able to give birth Eva (2010) & Izzy (2014). Both my pregnancies were rough though. Eva was prematurely delivered via c-section 4 weeks & 1 day early. Izzy was naturally born but came out back to back on my due date. I’ve had severe ‘morning sickness’ throughout both pregnancies and I was in agony with my back. Through all that, I wouldn’t change it for the world! I’m more than aware they are miracles. I’m honoured to see them grow (even if they drive me crazy at times!) but that doesn’t stop the pain or the what ifs.

Kindness

An extremely lovely blogger got in touch with me after having read my post. Asking if I would allow her to order me a gift, something special I can look at and hold when I want to as I don’t have a scan photo. Every time I look at my keepsakes I remember her kindness. She didn’t know me at all but she went out of her way to help me cope better with my loss.

#misCOURAGE

I have a beautiful engraved heart and a plaque to think about my angel for a moment or so. I do this when I feel the need and every single time I am overwhelmed by the kindness Kate. For a while, I disappeared from the blogging world, struggling with life. However, I always remember what she did for me and I appreciate it greatly. The last few anniversaries of my angels passing became easier for me to deal with & even talk about. Every year, when we put up our Christmas tree and I hang the bag these keepsakes on our tree along with the girl’s special decorations. If I am asked, I now show them and talk to them about my loss instead of keeping it to myself. Several people have confessed they have lost a baby too and shared their story and I believe everyone should.

#Miscourage Campaign

When I saw the #misCOURAGE campaign run by Tommy’s I had to join in. To help break the silence about miscarriage, raise awareness and share my story. At the same time, I felt it only appropriate to mention Kate since she helped me break my silence. She gave me such a thoughtful, special gift that allowed me to grieve and remember yy Angel baby. I will cherish my keepsakes forever.

Kate if you read this, Thank you so much for being such an amazing and beautiful person and helping me in such a thoughtful way xx

World Prematurity day – My story

Awareness Campaigns / 8 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple
Little Super hero

For World Prematurity day, I’m sharing my story. Lots of babies are born prematurely for all sorts of reasons. It can be a long, tough and scary ride having your baby early.

World Prematurity Day

World Prematurity day - My story

My Story

Small premature babies are very common in my side of the family. Because of this, I kind of expected my babies to be a little early, by a week or two maybe. I definitely wasn’t ready when my oldest daughter Eva was born prematurely at 4 weeks and 1 day early.

I was in hospital already with an infection alongside a friend I had at the time. This friend went into labour so we met outside to take her mind off it. Whilest we were outside, I began to have what I thought were braxton hicks. I had awful braxton hicks over the last few months of my pregnancy and it semed no different. When I went back to my room I had a very strong ‘braxton hick’ and a midwife came to check me. I was left hooked up to the monitor for a while.

After a while the midwife came back, checked the results and ran off again. She quickly returned with a Dr who checked me over and told me I was in fact in early labour. I was already 3cm dialated. As I had an infection, I was advised an emergency c-section would be best. This was to prevent passing on the infection to a premature baby who may not be able to fight it off.

Emergency C-Section At 35+6 Weeks

I was terrified at the news. Whilst I was only 19, I knew I had to take the safest and best option to bring my baby into this world. I signed the forms and tried my best to fight the panic.

At first, I was told I’d be taken down around 6/7pm that evening. Due to my labour progressing rapidl, by 4pm, I was down in theatre having my spinal. The Mr had to rush back from town when I told him the c-section was going to happen sooner. He was still getting himself changed and ready to enter the operating theatre when I had the spinal done. Feeling scared, I was in tears. Having a needle phobia, that was the worst part for me at the time. Not having the Mr there to hold my hand had me in a state.

Feeling Scared

Im not going to lie, throughout the procedure I cried at my Mr telling him I was so scared. I didn’t feel much though and after what felt like someone pushing down on my rib cage, I suddenly heard a small cry. That had me sobbing for a whole different reason! It’s not always this easy for others but it is still terrifying.

When you go into early labour your head goes into overdrive thinking about all the ‘What if’s’. Hearing that tiny cry brought relief knowing my baby had made it into this world alive. Having previously miscarried with my first pregnancy at 18 my biggest fear was that my baby wouldn’t survive.

I had a very rough pregnancy being sick constantly. Suffering from anemia and continuously having water infections, made me think my baby may not be as healthy as I had hoped.

A Touch Of Luck

When I was shown my tiny 4lb 14oz baby breathing fine and appearing very healthy, I knew I was extremely lucky. She did have a touch of jaundice though. We didn’t know the sex of our baby as they had their legs crossed during scans. I was anxious to find out and when the staff congratulated us on the birth of our beautiful little girl, I broke down again.

I remember being wheeled into the recovery room after being stitched up twice where I had split open again rolling over. Finally, being given my tiny baby to hold in my arms at last. It was one of the most emotional and amazing moments of my life. I had all these names in my head, trying to think what suited her best. The Mr suggested his mum’s middle name which had been passed on through the women in his family. We agreed to call her Eva-Raye, somehow it just suited her straight away.

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I fed her and kept her warm inside my hospital gown while the Mr headed home to bring in some clothes for us. Being so early, we had been unprepared. I remember staring at our beautiful little miracle the whole time he was gone. I was amazed she had made it through this far. We were taken back up to the ward eventualy.

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Life With a Preemie

The Mr returned with the newborn clothes. They were all huge on her making her look even tinier especially with the Mr dressing her. She just looked so small and fragile.

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After everyone had left, the nurses came round to check on us both. Needing to make sure I could get up and walk and check Eva’s blood test results. There was a bit of panic over Eva’s blood test results and the fact she had dropped from her birth weight of 4lb 14oz down to 4lb 4oz. She was rushed down to NICU for more testing.

Another Panic

Honestly I freaked. My baby brother had been born very early 9 days before my 5th birthday and had spent months in NICU. Walking back through those doors brought back all the memories and I begun to freak out. I couldn’t stop panicking something was about to go very wrong. It was so hard, panicking that after everything I may still lose my precious baby.

I handed over some bottles of milk I had pumped and left Eva to be tested. Then I went outside with the Mr where I broke down. The Mr was amazingly strong throughout all of this, even though I know it was hard and terrifying for him too. It’s just as hard for men to deal with.

A Relief

After about an hour of talking we headed back to my room and after a little while some nurses appeared with Eva. She began telling me the previous results were wrong and although Eva did have jaundice, she should be ok after a bit of phototherapy. Next, they wheeled in all the equipment for it and showed me how it worked.

Eva was given a biliband to cover her eyes and we settled her in the crib under the light to begin treatment. I was only allowed to pick up my baby and cuddle her once every 2 hours whilst I fed her. Then I had to put her back under the light.

Unfortunately, even with all the complications we had, the staff forgot about us and we ended up staying in for 5 days. Eva spent most of her time ‘sunbathing’, whilst myself and my Mr could only watch and try to comfort her as best as we could. Trying to make sure she got enough milk to begin gaining weight, instead of losing it.

Finally Going Home

We were eventually allowed home on the 5th day and we were beyoned relieved our tiny baby girl had made it home at last. 2 days later Eva still hadn’t gained weight though and still showing signs of jaundice. We were admitted to the pediatrics ward so Eva could continue light therapy. Luckily, by the next evening, Eva was recovering well from jaundice. Once again we were allowed home.

Our tiny baby girl was a strong little fighter and didnt let prematurity get the better of her. Seeing my brother go in an incubator in NICU for months as a child and seeing the other babies on the ward added to my worries. Witnessing babies gaining their wings at the age of 5, I am well aware we are ridiculously lucky Eva only had jaundice and recovered so quickly.

Growing Up

At the age of 5 she is a clever, funny, crazy little girl who you wouldn’t guess was a preemie. She has slight problems with her fine motor skills which we are working on. Often she does struggle to stay focused, but she is otherwise very healthy and keeping up with her peers.

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My teeny tiny preemie all grown up

World Prematurity Day – Raising Awareness

Many babies are born early and have all sorts of complications. It’s a very tough time for those tiny babies and their families. Some babies dont make it, others take a very long time to recover. Some are lucky enough to make it through with few complications. Every family with a premature baby needs as much love and support as they can get to make it through such a tough time.

Please remember if you are going through a rough time after having a premature baby, it is not your fault your baby arrived earlier than planned. I know I blamed myself for quite some time but I have since realised nothing could have been prevented. I did everything I could to ensure my baby arrived as safely as possible.

If you know someone who has had a premature baby, take a few minutes out of your day to check in on them. Make sure they have a shoulder to cry on and an ear to offload to if needed. It can be a very difficult and lonely time for new parents.

Thank you for taking the time to read about my premature baby on world prematurity day. Please feel free to share your own links and stories in the comments. Apologies for the poor photo’s, camera quality on phones weren’t as good back in 2010!

Struggling with Anxiety

Rambles / 8 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple
Anxiety

Struggling with Anxiety

Struggling with Anxiety is one of those things that come and go as they please making it very difficult to avoid an attack.

Recently due to the fact I suffer from chronic pain and have struggled for 5 years to get a referral for pain management, having had to swap to Esa because of this (which as a result left us with no money for almost a month!) amongst other things, anxiety has been getting the better of me.

I am quite an anxious person in general I worry about anything and everything and find it very hard to switch off but I’ve definately been struggling a lot more recently.

Its making it very difficult for me to go out and do things even when im having a fairly good day because I panic I wont make it there and back, I freak over the fact I look funny when I walk because of the pain, the more pain im in the more I visibly struggle to walk which makes me panic that people will stare at me.

Im trying to put together a video for the Samsung SmartThings campaign but Im struggling to do it, every time I attempt to record what I’m doing and talk about it as I go I begin to panic and hyperventilate, start shaking & sweating and feel extremely nauseous and like the walls are closing in on me. It’s seriously depressing me that such a simple task feels like climbing the worlds tallest mountain to me right now.

Making calls is a huge issue for me again, anyone other than the Mr on the other end of the phone and I struggle to answer or make the call. Having thought I’d got over making and recieving calls it feels like I’ve taken a huge leap backwards again.

I really need to find a way around this but I haven’t a clue what to do.. So Im asking you, My readers if any of you suffer or know someone that suffers anxiety that may have some tips on how to get around it?

I’ve tried breathing exercises but these just seem to make things worse.. what else can I try?

All comments are welcome, if you’d like to contact me privately please visit my Get in touch page to find a suitable way to contact me. All help is very much appreciated!

Zeta Citi Stroller Review

Product Reviews / 8 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple
Sleeping in her stroller

Earlier this year I began looking for a new stroller for my 16 month old daughter (Izzy). Ideally I wanted something light weight with an umbrella fold that could be put away in a cupboard if we needed hallway space as we live in a flat.

I wasn’t happy with the stroller i had for tons of reasons and my main one being Izzy just wasn’t comfortable or happy in it which made going out stressful , so I started googling purple strollers, prams buggy’s etc in the hope of finding something comfortable for the little one and easy to push that i could fit a few bits underneath, could handle a few bags of shopping on the handles too and purple.. Of course!

I spent months researching different strollers but i found most were well out of our budget even second hand. I wanted something around the £60 mark whether new or used. Preferably in purple. I spent a good few months googling purple strollers/buggy’s/prams/pushchairs.

I came across the Zeta citi stroller on Amazon. I had seen one or two go past in town and loved the extended hood. Sunlight in Izzy’s eyes make a quick trip to town seem like a very longggg trip to hell and back.

Zeta citi stroller review

That pretty much sold it to me but the fact it came in purple! Amazing! I decided to give it a go as the price wasn’t bad at all at £29.95 & £10.59 delivery. I showed Izzy and she shook her head.. And pointed to the RED one!! :'( Of course I tried bribery but after a few tantrums (from me) I gave in and agreed she could have the red one.

I opted to buy the stroller without a rain cover as I already had a universal one ill blog about later. I did choose to add on the black & red foot muff for £7.95 from the same seller so I only paid one delivery fee, still under my limit of £60! At least there was a win for me even if it wasn’t purple.

When it arrived we pulled it out of the box, popped the front wheels on and put it up with ease. Izzy instantly went crazy and tried climbing in. She was over the moon bless her!

Izzy climbing in
Izzy loves climbing in by herself

Straight away the frame seemed much sturdier than the hauck stroller we had been using. The seat was deeper making it easier to get her strapped in without me having to wedge my knee between her legs whether the foot rest is up or down.

The seat reclines fully and easily by pushing down the two levers either side underneath the seat and can be adjusted to several angles, the foot rest adjusts too by 2 little levers underneath, meaning no matter how fussy Izzy is being I can move it around until she’s comfortable enough to stop moaning loudly.

Our previous stroller had a drawstring to adjust the recline which isn’t easy to do if you have a ton of shopping and a child screaming at you. Now I can adjust the seat quickly and easily, the adjustments are smooth meaning she doesn’t notice if I lay her back when she falls asleep upright.

One thing my Mr does find annoying is that when the seat is fully reclined you cant get into the shopping basket underneath without popping the seat back up which for some children is likely to wake them, for me its not an issue as Izzy doesn’t notice if she is asleep but I can see his point and know a few people whose little ones wouldn’t tolerate it at all.

Asleep within minutes of getting in

As I mentioned the main reason I was drawn to this stroller was the extending hood which has been extremely handy and one thing I hadn’t noticed on Amazon was that there is a small clear window across the hood allowing you to keep an eye on your little one even though they are world facing. Its the perfect position for me to see Izzy, however my Mr finds it a struggle and he says it would be better if the window was moved up the hood by an inch or so.

Being a shorty at just over 5ft and having a partner who is a good few inches taller we needed handles that weren’t too short making the Mr bend as he pushes and not too high for me, again I absolutely love the height of the handles personally but again the Mr would prefer them to be an inch or so higher and tilted back ever so slightly.

We attached the foot muff to check how it fits the stroller and Izzy as it is a universal foot muff. We found it fits lovely and comes right up to Izzy’s chest meaning on a cold windy day with her foot muff right the way up and the hood right the way down I can keep the majority of the wind and cold away from her without needing to put her rain cover over and making her moody. Since its got colder we are using the foot muff regularly and found it is soft and warm for Izzy and much better than our previous one.

Spot the baby!

We bought the Zeta citi stroller back in September and we’ve put it through its paces over the last 2 months doing shopping & school runs in all kinds of weather and overall I am very pleased with it. The Mr obviously would prefer a few changes because he is taller than me but for us short mums that just want something lightweight, easy to store for nipping around town in that can handle a few bags of shopping on the handles then its almost the perfect stroller. If only I had been allowed to order it in purple…

Knitting projects – Izzy’s Blanket

Crafts / 8 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple
Knitting

When the kids finally go to bed I’m usually on my phone or laptop for the evening doing surveys, product reviews, reading random posts and news articles but every now and then I put it all down and do some knitting instead. I’m still a beginner and only managing a simple scarf and blankets so far but it gives me something different to do, especially on days I’m struggling to move around.

I cam across some lovely yarn in PoundStretcher – Melody baby soft yarn I’m currently halfway through a blanket I started when pregnant with my 1yo.. The idea being it would be done in time for her winter.. However thanks to morning sickness 24/7 I wasn’t always in the mood to knit (Or able to without covering it in my vomit) so unfortunately it dragged on until she was born.

I then had problems finding the same  yarn (I know, I know amateur mistake not buying enough!), of course when it was back in stock i made the mistake of only buying one ball again.. So now I’m stuck again waiting to buy the final 2 balls I need to complete this blanket!

Knitting Projects - Izzy's Blanket

I’m hoping my local Pound Stretcher have a delivery in soon as I would love to finish this in time for Christmas! Its lovely, soft, fluffy and warm perfect for snuggling on the sofa with on a cold day.

I think in the meantime I need to find myself another smaller knitting project to keep me busy. Does anyone have any suggestions for quick and simple knitting projects other than a blanket or a scarf? Feel free to leave a comment, or email me at Relentlesslypurple@gmail.com