Real Mums – BloodSugarEcmoMagik

This feature is all about celebrating real mums. Mums are amazing and come in all shapes and sizes but sometimes we can feel alone, we can feel as though we are the only ones struggling to keep on top of things. I want to lift the lid on motherhood so we can all feel part of a sisterhood, to feel proud about our own achievements and know that we are doing the best we can!

Without further a do let me hand over to Gianna!

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your family.

I’m Gianna, mum to a one year old ECMO star and sugar baby (please see blog), she’s our miracle! And, baby Laurence born last month. I blog about life after NICU, dealing with rare as well as regular pregnancy and baby things.

Describe a typical day in your life

A typical day in my life… There is no such thing as typical! It varies so much day to day. Penelope has a rare condition called Hyperinsulism which can cause fatally low blood sugars so we spend some of the day checking blood sugars and there are lots of hospital appointments. She’s also a lively one year old (13 months to be precise) and I can just about keep up with her, as well as a new baby!

What is the best thing about being a mum?

I love being a mum maybe even a teeny bit more than normal because we very nearly lost our little girl when she was born. And, it took us over six weeks to get her home, she was in NICU for a long time, so I have to admit I snuggle her that little bit tighter. And, that’s probably my favourite thing about being a mum, the precious snuggles I feel so lucky to have.

What have you found hardest about motherhood?

The hardest thing about being a mum, aside from the obvious worries that come from having a baby with a life threatening rare condition, is that time goes too fast. I can’t believe my teeny tiny baby is now a walking, almost talking, gigantic one year old. I’ve enjoyed every single minute, even the hard ones in hospital and the sleepless nights but I can’t help but think that it has just gone too fast!

How has your body changed?

By August I had spent 18 months of the past 2 years pregnant! I can’t remember what it feels like not to be huge!

Do you wear makeup? If so what does your routine look like? 

I still wear make up if we are going somewhere nice, but my kids doesn’t mind how I look without it so it’s not an everyday thing.

What’s in your handbag? 

Ah, my lovely, lovely handbags have been replaced with a waterproof Minions backpack, sigh. In there you can find all the usual suspects… Wipes, nappies, sun cream (I remain hopeful), Milkybar Buttons (for the blood sugars of course!), a change of clothes for Penelope, water and somewhere at the bottom- my belongings, or at least my phone and purse!

What is your relationship with housework?

I am very fortunate that I have a husband who likes things neat and tidy so he takes on 99% of the housework, allowing me to play with Penelope!

How do you relax?

Can’t remember the last time I felt ‘relaxed’ per se. I don’t think I will, at least not for the next seven years and the scans and blood tests stop. That is when the increased risk of childhood tumour completely diminishes in children with Beckwith Weidemann, the second super rare condition that Penelope has. I told you, she is our miracle!

What’s the best parenting advice you have ever been given?

The best advice I have been given is also the best advice I can pass on to any new mum… ‘Expect the unexpected’, this is especially relevant to first time mums. Life is unpredictable. I had a lovely pregnancy with number one, and had envisioned a nice, natural birth with minimum pain relief. It didn’t quite go to plan, at all. I had an emergency section and all the pain relief under the sun. We hadn’t expected to spend so long in NICU, so we were not prepared at all, but handled what was thrown at us the best we could! Needless to say, I didn’t have a birth plan for number two, although it was a planned section, so maybe a little planning.

What makes you happy?

9pm makes me happy. Husband makes me a brew and life doesn’t get much better.

And finally, complete this sentence:

I am a great mum because….. I am a great mum because I am 100% dedicated to my babies 🙂

I cannot imagine what it is like to have to worry about that every single day. Little G has toddler hypoglycemia so I know what low blood sugars look like and I would not want to see it on a regular basis! I hope you are recovering after having baby Laurence and settling well into life as a family of 4 xxx

You can find out more about Gianna and her world over at her blog, BloodSugarEcmoMagik.

 She is also on Twitter so go say hi!

If you would like to take part in my Real Mums series then email me at katy@whatkatysaid.com. x