Wednesday 5 April 2017

My Elective C-Section

There I am. A sweaty, exhausted mess in the happiest moment of my life. The moment I met my son Sid. April is Cesarean Awareness Month so I'm going to share my elective C-section story. 

I make no secret of the fact that I battle with Anxiety. It's something I have had to manage over the years and continue to cope with today. When I fell pregnant, my Anxiety levels increased ten fold. I know that It's very common to experience some levels of Anxiety during pregnancy, but if it's all consuming (to the point of feeling panic stricken most of the time) then i urge you to speak up and seek help and support. That's exactly what I did.
 I have always been fearful of childbirth. It's just not something I ever really had to 'deal with' until of course I was pregnant. Then it became so very real. It might sound crazy to most people, but the fear and worry would keep me up at night. The thought of a natural labour filled me with dread. All the things that could go wrong, all the complications, the length of it all, the pain of it all. The unknown and disorder terrified me. To top it all off, I had a genuine disbelief that i'd be able to do it- Actually push a human out! I hated how these thoughts were beginning to overshadow the pregnancy and I started to feel incredibly guilty. Like i was already failing at motherhood somehow. After all, women have been doing this (quite literally) since the dawn of man. I know that c-sections also come with huge risks and possible complications, but on balance, I still believed that was the right choice for me. The C-section felt controlled. Theres a step by step procedure. Someone else (other than me) is in control, a team of professionals. People I trusted to make sure my son would be delivered as safely as possible. 
      I was lucky and had a fantastic midwife. She listened to all my fears and concerns and I explained that i believed a cesarean truly was the right birth choice for me. I had such dreadful health anxiety over the baby too and even though I'd try and tell myself how irrational I was being, I just couldn't shake my fears. I was referred for cognitive behavioural therapy and this did help to some degree, but ultimately it wasn't going to change my mind on the cesarean. After several thorough discussions with consultants at the hospital, my elective c-section was agreed and we were given a date. Despite battling ongoing anxiety during the pregnancy, I did feel like a huge weight had been lifted. I felt like I could relax more and enjoy the rest of my pregnancy. I was able to look forward to the birth rather than dread it.
    I was booked in for the c-section on the 21st of June. They say the devil laughs at those who make plans, and on the evening of the 19th of June, I started to feel something..... REALLY feel something. It started like period cramps and progressively got more intense as the night went on. By 3am I was experiencing pretty strong contractions sat in my bath tub, whilst Ant was perched on the loo in a panicked state eating a pot noodle. The hospital agreed we should go in. I was monitored, and the contractions were coming every couple of minutes, but when i was examined (cringe!) I hadn't dilated at all. The midwife vanished for a few moments, the reappeared with scrubs for Ant and said "they can take you into theatre now". We were both in shock, we were about to meet our baby! 
      Because the contractions were strong and painful by this point, I had no fears of the spinal. To be honest, I just wanted the pain to stop. The team were amazing, really chatty and helped to put us at ease. The whole thing felt so quick, and suddenly at 6.57 am we heard a scream. Our little boys first cry and we both burst into tears. Sidney Finch Cole was born on the 20th of June, weighing 7lbs 6oz. Ant was the first to hold him whilst they stitched me up. I had already known this would be the case before hand, so I was prepared for it. Seeing our baby in his arms was a feeling like no other. Pure happiness. 

The next morning I had my cannula and catheter removed and stood up VERY SLOWLY. It did feel strange (like I might break in half!) and I was a bit dizzy at first. They removed my bandage, and I was scared to look at the incision but I was so surprised to see a clean, relatively neat stitched up line. How on earth did my baby fit through there?! I shuffled to the shower which was exhausting, but it felt amazing to be clean again. I only stayed in hospital for two nights. By day three, being on the ward felt stressful and I was desperate to get home. I probably did more physical things than I should have done. The adrenalin, painkillers and the way the incision looked, made it easy to forget i'd actually just been through a major operation. Ant was brilliant though, and kept telling me to take it easy. He noticed if I got up too quickly and constantly reminded me to slow down. 

Despite what some people say about Cesarean births, YES I did give birth and yes it was magical. Every mother is different and every birth is different. If you struggle with anxiety, you are not alone. Please speak up because there is so much support out there. I haven't written this to 'promote' c-section births, it's just my story and personal experience. I am in complete awe of any woman who gives birth, natural or otherwise. As long as mothers and their babies are healthy and safe, that's truly all that matters. 


Georgia x








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Wednesday 18 January 2017

Vienna

New Year adventures! We brightened up our January with a little mini break to Vienna.
This is my third trip to Vienna. Ants Nan lives there, and he has jetted back and forth all his life. She is truly an incredible woman, and it meant the world to us for her to have met Sid. 
We stayed at the Hilton on the Danube river. Stunning location and the staff were very helpful. They made a fuss of Sid and gave him a little duck for his bath. The room was huge too! 
It was BITTER in the city. The sort of cold that feels so sharp, it cuts right through you. Minus 5 to be exact. On the second day we woke up to snow! It was beautiful and even had the good grace to stop in time for our flight home. 

Sid is quite the jet setter already! He's been to Barcelona (at 3 months old) and now this stunning city too! 

Til next time Vienna! 
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Sunday 1 January 2017

Happy New Year!

2016. You were a bit of a fucker really weren't you?

Incredibly depressing in the political climate and there were so many deaths, I'm genuinely struggling to remember who's dead and who's alive.
All that doom and gloom aside, 2016 was the year that our son Sid arrived, so luckily for Ant and I, we can always remember it fondly. Here's to hopes of a brighter, kinder future world for him to grow up in.

I also feel so thankful for everyones support this past year. It's been incredibly difficult at times, juggling a new baby and a business. Having to work to Sid's sleep schedule often means working very early mornings and late into the night. It's also made trips to the post office slightly less frequent and i'm so grateful for the kindness and understanding everyone's shown me. Somehow, I've muddled on through (often by the skin of my teeth!) but I'm still here. 

There are some big changes happening in 2017. I've got so many exciting ideas for Cheap Frills, we have a few adventures planned as a family of three, and Sid will be starting nursery two days a week. I'm already battling the epic mum guilt (oh the mum guilt... They don't tell you about THAT before you have children!). We have chosen the most amazing one for him and I truly believe a little more routine will be great for all of us. If anyone has any advice or words of encouragement, please send them my way! 

Happy 2017 everyone!
Georgia
 x



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Monday 28 December 2015

The Whirlwind Year

2015, you will be missed.

What an incredible journey this year has been. Planning our wedding, and buying our first home has been amazing and I feel so incredibly lucky. It's been a crazy juggling act though, running the business whilst organising these two huge life events. 
Here's a little look back at just a few of my favourite things from 2015... 
I was lucky enough to secure a space working alongside an established jeweller to develop my (basic) silversmithing skills. She taught me so much over the few weeks that I was there, and although I was unable to attend her Autumn sessions (wedding etc) I am keen to join her again in the future. 
A Moonstone ring I made in the Spring. 
The retro Magic 8 Ball necklaces FLEW out within hours of going online. I loved these nostalgic necklaces and i'm so glad you liked them too. 
My friend (and Graphic Designer) Robin Crosby drew up my idea for the new Cheap Frills logo. I wanted it to capture the brand whilst keeping the 'CF' wax stamp a key feature. I chose a hand because it's got a timeless feel, and I also felt it kept things versatile. I am able to alter the design slightly for specific events or times of the year. What do you think of it? 
The most incredible event of 2015 was (of course!) our magical wedding day on the 2nd of October. 
We were so incredibly lucky with the weather; the sun shone all day and it was super warm too! 
That's the trick- Plan for a cold Autumn wedding and you'll get summer sunshine. 

The lovely ladies from Doris Loves provided temporary tattoos to our guests.
The incredibly talented Alison Russell  hand cut cameo silhouette momentos. She's amazing! 
We also enjoyed music (banjos!) from Dan Stewart  and close-up magic from Spencer Wood
Our Cake was made by choccywoccydoodah. I decided on all white to give it more of a 'wedding cake' feel, and orange roses to compliment our theme. 
After our big day, we headed to the New Forest for some much needed relaxation. 
It was then back to business! I worked through all the Halloween orders and caught up on emails etc. I adore October and it's always one of the busiest times of the year for my jewels. Robin drew up a Halloween zombie version of the new logo too. 
And finally, just when we thought things couldn't get any more crazy.....
We are having a baby in June! 
To say that I'm excited for 2016 is an understatement. 
I just cannot wait for the next chapter and what life has to offer next!
Thank you for supporting what I do and for enjoying my jewellery creations. I love being part of this positive growing online community. You guys rule! Wishing you all an amazing 2016. 

Georgia x 

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Saturday 16 May 2015

The Etsy Wedding Fair Preview Evening....

Last Thursday, my pal Gemma and I headed up to the Oui 2 Rooms in London for the The Etsy Wedding Fair Preview Evening. It's open to the public this weekend (May 16th and 17th) so be sure to swing by if you're local. 
We were both given a cute goodie tote bag on arrival, containing beautiful treats from a few of the sellers at the event. The venue and stalls looked fantastic! It was a great opportunity to speak to the makers themselves and brainstorm ideas for my wedding in October. Gin cocktails were continually flowing from the Travelling Gin Company and the flower workshop was super busy! I fell head-over-heels with the jewellery by the lovely Ivy Nixon (coolest name ever!) particularly the King Edward VII coronation cameo necklace
After the event, we headed to Mildreds Restaurant to soak up the booze. Awesome atmosphere and food! You can't book a table though, so we waited for an hour, fitting in a couple more cocktails before our meal. 

Thank you to Kat, Rock n Roll Bride for the tickets. We had a fabulous evening... admittedly feeling a little fuzzy the next day.

Georgia x
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Wednesday 29 April 2015

Life Lately...

*Disclaimer*
I accidentally deleted the last blog post 'making silver jewellery' (duhhhhh!!!!) So thought i'd do a little life update post including more info on the silver jewels.



In march, Gemma and I went to Hastings to Two Snakes Tattoo. I'd wanted to get tattooed by Cassandra Frances for a while, so I was pleased to hear that she'd moved to a studio closer by. 


The studio is new this year (owned by the lovely Alexis Camburn). It's a pristine, bright airy space with punchy art work on the walls. Not a stuffed animal in sight which makes a nice change. 
Gemma had a beautiful compass tattoo on her lower arm, is't it beaut?! 
I got this shell pendant design on my leg. Love how the chain creeps round onto my shin.
Despite the fact that Hastings is under an hours drive away from Brighton, we decided to make a little trip out of it, have a few drinks and stay at the Bannatyne hotel
It's a beautiful country estate hotel and I so wanted to steal the eye bar stools!

A couple of weeks later, we headed back to Five Magics Tattoo in Sheffield with our friend Matty for another little tattoo trip.
Kelly Smith did my foot tattoo  back in October. We had such a laugh, were really pleased with our tattoos, so decided to pay another visit. 
I got this Horseshoe on the back of my lower leg/ankle.

In the evening we headed to the Harley for drinks and burgers.
It was perfect because we managed to get meat, Veggie and Vegan meals for the three of us!  
The food tasted sooooo good- The 'children of the korn' on the cob blew my head off! I do like spicy foods but that was insanely hot.... That'll teach me for scoffing down five huge bites, only to feel my mouth catch fire moments later. 
After The Harley, we went back to Revolution De Cuba for cocktails. 
The rest is a blur. 

One of my aims this year is to work on making more silver jewellery and further my skills in this area. The process can be quite involved, so finding the time to do it (alongside running Cheap Frills) has been pretty tricky. I'm constantly getting ideas and inspiration though for things i'd like to make, frantically jotting them down in my notebook. 
I'm totally obsessed with the warm citrine and amber gemstones. 
I recently discovered Sunstone (swooooon!) and made some rings using silver wire and bezel cup settings. 
I've fallen pretty hard for grey and peach moonstone too!

Recently, it's been a harder task to find the time to make jewellery, than actually doing it. If I don't specifically make time to do things these days, they can easily get pushed aside. 
But, i've come up with a plan! I'm going to be working alongside an established jeweller near where I live in Sussex in her amazing studio. We have scheduled in a few hours a week, so i'll be making some of my designs.  I can't wait to get started!
These sterling silver Labradorite & Peach Moonstone rings I made, are available to buy online now. 

 I had a sudden realisation that our wedding in October is going to come around very quickly!
In April, Ant and I went to our wedding venue to meet up with our photographer Emma Moore. I used to work with Emma a few years ago when we were both studio Photographers. She's the loveliest lady and I'm so honoured that she's going to be capturing our day. 

There's still so much to get done. I've made a huge to do list and my task for May is to get cracking. 
It's been a great past few months. Life feels a little crazy right now, running Cheap Frills, planning our wedding and we are in the process of buying our first home! 
But it's all super exciting. If anyones got any tips for time management and diary planning, let me know (I need all the organisation skills I can get right now).

Georgia x



















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Thursday 19 March 2015

Brighton Style Magazine: Women In Business

An email arrived in my inbox last week from the fabulous Brighton Style Magazine, asking if I'd like to be featured as their 'Woman in Business' for March (ummmmm yes please!). I wouldn't usually blog about being featured on a website as such, but if you're interested in finding out more about me and  my jewellery creations, be sure to check out the interview...

There's loads of great posts on there if you live in Brighton or are planning a day trip.



Click HERE to read more.


Georgia x





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