A mama moment

This is a sponsored post for Tommee Tippee.

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Something happens when you have a baby. Well, for me anyway. I must have a filter that decides pretty much after things happen whether I’ll store them in my memory. I think it’s called selective memory, or something like that. Even the birth. I remember after giving birth, which was a dramatic experience for me, Hubby said, “We’re never EVER doing this again.”

I responded with, “It’s not that bad. I think I could.” And all the gory details were filtered out {and locked up into a little storage area of my brain} and only the beautiful ones were kept.
It’s only now being pregnant that I’m starting to remember things that happened, pregnancy must have unlocked that little store of memories up there in my head.

I’m remembering those very early days, transitioning into being a mama. We were like the rebel parents in the hospital. Hubby would stay over, and we weren’t really mastering parenthood that well. Early one morning a midwife came in, after Lacey had screamed non-stop for an extended period of time. Let me paint the scene for you: Hubby was on the bed holding the baby, I was on the floor trying to get some desperately needed sleep and the room was a mess {just our bag lying in the middle of the small room, taking up space}. Usually when staying somewhere we keep things neat and tidy, but this was no holiday. The midwife marched in, saw the scene and got cranky. She ordered us around, told us to clean things up and tried to calm the baby. Not that we hadn’t been trying to do all that ourselves. Being new parents was hard.

Adding to the difficult times was that I didn’t have enough milk and after persisting for so many days a kind midwife came in and suggested that I might like to try supplement feeding. You know, breastfeeding and bottle-feeding. At first Lacey wasn’t a fan, but we persisted offering her small amounts of milk from a tiny little cup and dropper.

I took home a tin of formula, a stack of tiny little cups and a few droppers and kept trying to feed her for that first month. It wasn’t easy, but she was clearly hungry. As she adjusted to the taste I decided to try bottles. So I went to the store, bought a bottle and gave it to her. Of course, it wasn’t that easy. So we persisted with the little cups, and tried to introduce that bottle regularly.

Back when I was nannying we had a similar situation. I had a little newborn on my hands, and everyday I’d take her into my employer for a few breastfeeds. As the baby grew my boss would express a few bottles and I’d offer them to the baby, but she wasn’t interested. It seemed like such a waste of milk. One day I headed to the shop, bought a few different bottles and over time I tried her on them to see if she would take any, and then one day she did. I cheered and danced and rejoiced. Our lives just got easier.

The same thing happened with Lacey. I went to the shop, bought an array of bottles and kept persisting, with expressed milk and formula too. I was determined to do whatever it would take to make my little girl content, and one of the best ways to do that is with a full tummy.

And then it happened. One day I found the perfect bottle and she took it. She drank it. It was like a miracle. And she slept. Total miracle. I may have cried. Tears of joy, of course.

That bottle was like a saving grace for us. I managed to breastfeed for another 14 months, as well as bottle-feeding. That saving grace bottle way back then, was from the Tommee Tippee range. When I look back it’s like it’s surrounded by a glowing light with singing angels all around {you know like when a miracle happens in the movies?}. It was that big of a deal.

Last year Lacey and I were invited to an event with Tommee Tippee to launch their new range, Tommee Tippee Miomee {it’s like a graduation from their range we used when Lacey was a baby, developed by all the big guys – biomedical engineers, paediatricians, midwives and mothers}. It was like coming home, it was where our lives really began, well our more contented lives.

Over lunch we listened as the team passionately explained how the range was created, and how it all works, mimicking a mother’s own breast {yes, boys you can tune out now} whether you’re bottle-feeding, breastfeeding {and expressing} or a bit of both . Knowing that I was going to try for a baby soon, it was all very interesting to me and totally on my radar. Plus I was a little nostalgic having Lacey sitting next to me.

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I’m excited today to be offering up a beautiful array of Tommee Tippee® Miomee® goodies that I’ve personally selected and packaged up for one lucky person. The selection includes bottles from the Tommee Tippee® Miomee® range including this 2-pack and this 2-pack, milk storage containers and lids, an insulated bottle bag and an electric breast pump. To be in the running, just leave a comment below answering the following question: Where are you at in your parenting journey? Trying for a baby? Pregnant? Or already a mama?

Competition closes June 1st at 11:59pm
Winner will be announced in this post, and will be notified by email.
One entry per person.
Open to Australian residents only.

The winner of this competition is Debbie H. Congratulations.

88 thoughts on “A mama moment”

  1. I’m due with my first on the 4th August. I want to try to get my baby on/familiar with the bottle as soon as I can as I have seen how much my sister has struggled to get her daughter to take the bottle. Coincidentally, this giveaway closes the day of my baby shower.

  2. I’m blessed with a beautiful three year old boy! Up until just recently we were content just being the three of us, actually we couldnt imagine it anything but! We were an awesome little team. Then out of the blue that urge / feeling hit me smack in the face! We were all ready to add another little life to our little team, we have so much love to give! And, so it begins, the rollercoaster that is trying and conceiving baby number 2 ~

  3. I’m mama to a little girl who just turned one and as soon as she sleeps for more than a two hour stretch I’m going to try for the next one.
    Little miss NEVER took a bottle. Not from lack of trying either. Only now that she is eating and drinking from a cup have I stopped breast feeding her every two hours night and day.
    I was so worried about the “nipple confusion” she would get, so my midwife told me.
    Next baby will get a bottle as soon as breast feeding is established.
    I’ve heard so many good things about this range of bottles. We use their sippy cups and love them.
    Thanks for sharing your story Chantelle.

  4. I’m due on the 8th of June!! I had trouble with milk supply when I had my first child. I was unwell and it didn’t matter what I did I couldn’t get my milk supply to increase. So I had to top him up (much too the discuss of our family health nurse). The tommee tippee bottles were a life saver. The only bottle he would take and never caused nipple confusion. So I managed to continue to breast feed and top him up and have a happy contented sleeping baby. Best brand there is.

  5. I’m due with my first on the 21st of August – and hoping to introduce a bottle as early as possible! (EMB hopefully) Although I am the first to admin I am pretty much clueless! Thankyou for sharing your story Chantelle – It’s so nice to hear REAL stories in preparation for having a bubba of my very own.

  6. I am finally a mum and I have a beautiful two week old son. I’m very excited about the electric breast pump in this pack! I currently have a manual pump by another brand and I’m not full satisfied with it.

  7. We’ve just given birth to our much awaited little boy on 2nd May (2 weeks today). This prize would be fantastic to continue our breastfeeding journey. Would love to give our little guy the best start in life!

  8. We are due with our first baby in 4 weeks and are very excited. It was a long road for us to get here. Because of some medical issues and complications I’ve recently had, I’m not sure how I will go exclusively bf. This prize would be a great start to inducing EBM for our little girl and supplement feeding if needed. I have been worried about switching between bottles and bf, so this seems like it could be the perfect solution. Thanks for sharing your story 🙂

  9. Great post, Chantelle. I’ve just had my third and am in the process of trying to get him to take a bottle at least once a week in order to ‘keep up the skill’. I don’t really need the prize as, like Lacey, it took my two older girls so long to take a bottle, that I think I have purchased every available product on the market, so better to give it to someone who needs it more (besides, I won one of your previous lego prizes, which I’ve been meaning to thank you for – so thanks so much for that).
    I did want to say to you, however (and this isn’t advice, just an observation), that it doesn’t matter if you don’t remember so much about the pain, etc, of the last birth. This one is pretty much guaranteed to be different. I had my first, which gave a normal amount of birthin’ pain and a steep learning curve and all that comes with first time motherhood, so, of course I thought I knew all about this child-birth malarkey when we went back for number two. I naively expected the same birth story.
    But oh my! Two more different pregnancies and two more different births you could not have thought of as having been generated out of the same person. Without going into the gory details, I really shouldn’t have been so complacent that I ‘knew it all’.
    Apart from their birth stories, my two girls are chalk and cheese too – it was amazing that my skinny, tall (long) blonde-haired, green-eyed daughter and my chubby (at birth, not now), red-haired, hazel-eyed daughter came from the genes of the same two people.
    Mind you, we went back for a third (I always say we went back for the brunette, not the boy… and we got what we wanted): his birth story was somewhere in the middle – but again, nothing like either of the others.
    As you seem to have had a fairly traumatic first time, I hope this one is better for you (they can be – in hindsight, my first was a dream).

  10. As always a wonderful post, I love the way you share Chantelle. I’ve got a 16 week old baby sleeping in the next room and we’ve had a relatively easy road to date. Eddie has always been a good eater and therefore a good sleeper so I’ve been blessed. Even so, breastfeeding was very difficult in the beginning, I really wasn’t prepared for the pain I experienced. But once your breasts get the hang of it I think it becomes quite a nice way to bond and spend time with your new little friend. Some of the things you’ve included in this pack were lifesavers for me, especially the electric pump. I too have been a pretty weak producer of milk and the manual pump I started with did my head in. Electric is the way to go for sure.

    I don’t need to be included in the competition but just wanted to say to all the new mamas and mamas-to-be out there good luck, know that the hard times will pass and never feel that it’s not ok to give your bubba a bottle. You do whatever you need to do to get by and that’s more than enough. xx

  11. I’m a mama to the most energetic 18-month old girl and due to have another girl in about 10 weeks! Life is just a little exhausting at the moment and only going to get worse! But I am loving every minute of it and wouldn’t change a thing. My little Punky wouldn’t take a bottle after the first few weeks which was a shame as my husband was so keen to do some of the night feeds and let me sleep, I really got lucky with him! I never even thought to try some different types of bottles. Definitely gonna remember that for this time!

  12. I’m a mum of three girls, and am so blessed.
    My sister has two daughters aged 2 and under, and they are my ‘other daughters’ 🙂

  13. I am not a mama yet (hopefully sometime in the near future) so i’m not entering the competition but I wanted to post and say I have heard somewhere once before that after birth, your brain intentionally blocks it out because if you actually remembered every little part of it, it would be too traumatic. I’m not entirely sure if it’s true or not, but if it is, how very clever of our brains to do that 🙂

  14. I’m a mama to a handsome baby boy Jake, Jake was 7 mths on Mother’s Day and I must say we have been so blessed to have such a happy & easy going baby, Jake was sleeping though the night at 4 wks and eating solids at 3months he is the best thing that has ever happened to us making us a real little family xx we love you to bit Jake xx

  15. I am due to give birth in a few short weeks to our first child, a little boy, – I have heard the Tommee Tippee products are the best, so this would be a very welcome prize!

  16. Im a mumma of 2 boisterious boys one is almost 4 and the other is 2. I am still breast feeding the 2 yr old but thinking its time to stop soon..

  17. I am mum to a 3 year old little girl who refused any form of bottle until 9 months when she finally accepted a tommee tippee one. I am also 30 weeks pregnant with my 2nd child. i will be trying a tommee tippee from the start this time!

  18. Nice post and very nice story. I know the brand as I am a mum to a 14 months old little girl. I’m enjoying every moment, they grow up soooo fast. Tommee tippee is the only and single one I’ve been trying with her and it works like a charm! Love this brand

  19. I am a mumma to 3 beautiful children and we were recently surprised with the news that we are adding a 4th to our bundle. I struggled with all three of my babies to breast feed and tried everything to make it a success, each time I have had to express and bottle-feed my baby. This pack would be great since I had gotten rid of my pump, and all things bottles not expecting to need them again.

  20. I’m right at the beginning with my 5 month old daughter (it still feels like i had her yesterday). Your experience sounds SO much like mine, i’m still getting into the groove of being a first time mum, and you know what, 5 months on breast feeding still isn’t easy!! (this one doesn’t like feeding from the boob in public, god help me.) This amazing pack would help so much!!

  21. I am already a Mama of 2 beautiful girls, Luca & Piper & am pregnant with my 3rd!!! Everyday is a new journey that I wouldn’t have any other way!!! xx

  22. My journey has been fun…. I have a 4 year old and two year old twins. I want more, if I wasn’t so old or sane I would love to be an Australian equivalent to the Duggars.

  23. Just gave birth to bub#2. She now is 6 months old. I wish she could take bottle like my eldest but she hated it. We now try different brand (formula) but she still doesn’t like the idea of drinking from the bottle. To the point do not know what to do to myself as we are desperate (I am hah). Salute you having so patient trying almost every brand before getting the right bottle. It’s such a dramatic change from having the eldest (3y/o now) was so cruising to a new bub who is doing everything opposite. Really looking forward to a decent sleep..one night..soon.

  24. Great post Chantelle and good on you for managing to tandem feed breast and bottle! My frist daughter would never ever take a bottle so she was stuck to me – literally, but I look back on it fondly! I’m due with bubba #2 in August and hoping they will take to a bottle, but every baby is different and I’m happy to go along for the joy ride 🙂

  25. I’m booked in for a caesar on the 31st of may for my first. I am both very excited and extremely anxious. Breastfeeding falls into the extremely anxious portion!

    • Breastfeeding is one of those things I’m most looking forward to with this next baby. I just loved it, even though it wasn’t easy for me.

      There is so much help in the hospitals. I did a half day class when Lacey was a week old, but most people don’t even need that.

      I am so excited for you. Make sure you come back and share the exciting news!

    • Is there La Leche League in Australia? They helped me with our colicky first so that I was able to breastfeed him for nearly 2 years. It also helped with my sore nipples a touch of sunlight and fresh air. No, not in the mall or the shops, just a quick 15 minutes in a private area out the back door but a tanning bed or booth would probably work too. Fewer police come if you’re topless there.

  26. I am 7 weeks away from giving birth to our second daughter, and I swear by Tommee Tippee! The closer to nature range was a godsend when I was unsuccessful in breast feeding. I must have spent about $100 buying an array of bottles and when one from the closer to nature range worked and she slept 6 hours straight, O..M..G.

  27. Ahhh the memories. I was 17 and hubby was 18 when we had our first ( that’s a whole blog on its own , but were still together 35 years later) Anyway, I had our son at the Royal Women’s in Melbourne which was ruled by the Breast Feeding Nazi Nurses! I was ‘encouraged’ to breast feed and regaled with tales of how he would most likely grow to be the next Ted Bundy or at the least an armed robber or assassin if I DIDN’T persevere! ( possibly not in those words, but that’s what I took away from it) Back in those days you stayed in hospital a little while after giving birth, but due to complications I was there three weeks! Putting together said complications, our tender age and the Mammary Police, I was overwhelmed and terrified!! As soon as I left the hospital and got home I put Adam on the bottle and never looked back! ( No murders or robberies on his résumé either ) After that experience I refused to even try with my 2nd ( mostly out of stubbornness) and then with my 3rd and final I knew I wouldn’t get another chance, so I tried, loved it and fed him for nine months. We are all in the same boat with the first sweetheart and a nurse with a tiny bit of compassion can make all the difference!

  28. I am already a mumma to 5 beautiful living children and one resident of heaven. We are looking forward to welcoming our second daughter and 6th child in late August. Every child is a unique blessing! (mamashell79@gmail.com)

  29. I have a 5 year boy and a 3 year old girl and I am now 39 weeks pregnant expecting a boy. My first two were over 9lbs/ 4kgs and i am expecting this baby to be just as big, I also suffer with low milk supply so had to supplement feed too! 🙂

  30. im a mum of 4 boys 27,25,23,21 and i used tommy tippee mwith my second as breast feeding just didnt work for us..Brillant now im about to become a proud great auntie and would love to share the range with my niece

  31. I had my third son 6 weeks ago & while breastfeeding is going well, I know we’ll be needing some bottles at some stage. I have only used Tommy Tippie bottles in the past & both my older boys loved then straight away.

  32. I’m currently trying hard to get my 4 month old boy to take a bottle so I can have a break and return part time to work in a few months.. The miomee ones seem to be working the best but it can be so hard to get them used to bottles.

  33. Great blog post!! I am pregnant with my first baby with 2 1/2 weeks to go! My plan is to breastfeed if I can but am hopefully content enough (now I am, hope I will be if I can’t) if I can’t. I have bought Tommee Tippee bottles with the plan to breast feed and express so hubby can feed and bond too. I’m also with the thought that I would like baby to take the breast and bottle and believe that I need to introduce the bottle from early on to stand a chance!! I look forward to using Tommee Tippee bottles.

  34. Im already a mama, Hugh 2, Edith 7 months and hopefully at least 2 to go…….Edie is flat out refusing a bottle….All in good time..Who knows this prize may be a blessing in disguise…..

  35. I am already a mama 3 times over with my youngest being 21!! Tommee Tippee was around when I was having babies but not as advanced as it is now. I have one grandchild aged 6 who I had big input into his early days as he was a non sleeper and my daughter was a single mum and yes Tommee Tippee saved the day as she wasn’t able to breastfeed past 6 weeks. My eldest daughter is now pregnant with another bubba (Due August 20 or thereabouts) as she lives in Cobar ( her partner is in the mines) and she will not only be a long way away from family and friends for support she has very little available in the way of choice of things to buy in such a small town…if I was lucky enough to win the package I could give it to her and have some peace of mind if things weren’t going well she would have the items needed to help her along.

  36. I am on the journey with a five year old and now a toddler who has just started walking and yelling ‘MUM, MUM, MUM”. Fun filled days!!

  37. We also use Tommee Tippee. And all of my children both breasted and bottle fed. I’m starting over at 33 with a 5 month old, 5 year old, 9 year old and 15 year old. It’s not easy having and infant and a teenager!!!

  38. I’m 41 and have been trying to conceive for years. After a miscarriage and my husband being diagnosed with lung cancer (which he has survived) I am convinced this has to be our year. We both want a child so much.

  39. I am a mom to a little boy and a little girl. They’re past the bottle stage, but my tiny nephew is trying to learn how to use a bottle and it has been difficult. This would be for him. My girl never took a bottle. She went from breast to sippy cup, but my husband tried for so long to get her to feed with him. My son, he loved his bottle.

  40. I’m a Mumma to one little man and have one arriving in approx 6 weeks!! Exciting times around here. x

  41. I’m a mama to Mr 2 and Mr 6 weeks. You’re so very right about only remembering things when it’s time to do them again.

  42. I have this prize in mind for my sister who is 18 weeks preggo right now after many years of trying. My own bf journey with my daughter was a bit ridonculous with her having tongue tie and the closest shop stocking bottles being an hours drive away. and not being able to drive after a c-section and my husband never being in mobile phone range as we were living in a tiny village in Wales and he was farming.
    But. We all survived and I still have that single bottle that saw her through those many days of waiting for a hospital consultation to sort her tongue out before getting her back on the boob. Thank goodness she went for that first one we tried .
    Needless to say, I would do anything to make my sisters parenting journey smooth and manageable and give her a sleep now and then.

  43. Thats really interesting, and slightly scary as my husband and I are just starting to try for our 1st!

  44. I have an almost 2 year old and the only bottle he would take is tommee tippee too. We also just found out this week that we are pregnant again!

  45. I have two small ones (3 and 1). But I have a friend who had breast cancer when she was 19. She lost one of here breasts, and was told that due to her treatment she would never conceive…. and now she is pregnant! She is planning to breastfeed with her remaining breast, but is going to need a really good bottle and pump so I would love to win this for her!

  46. A usually happy mumma to 3 kiddies….. I just had to laugh at Shane’s comment about “we are not doing that again” as I said exactly the same thing when mason was born. mark may even have it on video but I just said the other day mason’s birth really wasn’t that bad……hmmmm seems I maybe forgetting the bad bits too.

  47. 2 girls and 2 boys with another girl on the way in 3 weeks! gah i have that same selective memory and for the past 2 weeks i’ve been freaking out about the labour and breastfeeding. tomme tippee has saved me with the older 4 when breastfeeding just wasn’t happening for me 🙁 i will try to breastfeed again with this little baby on her way soon but i will definitely have my tommee tippee bottles waiting in the kitchen just in case.

  48. 34 weeks today with number 1 and I’m starting to get EXTRA excited (and nervous) about meeting our little boy or girl! So many questions… labour, feeding, sleeping and more… so any help from a trusted brand like Tommee Tippee would be amazing!

  49. Not entering, but just telling Abby’s bottle story – Tommee Tippee was the only one she would take. It took three months and a lot of EBM down the drain, until finally she got it, the day before she was due to start at day care!

  50. Trying very hard for our second Bubba! Loved these bottles with our little girl, the best by far 🙂

  51. I’m entering as I am a breastfeeding mama to a two year old little girl and to a 5 week old baby boy! My first labour was awful (it took her 36h to come out after I was induced..) but my second one was almost a walk in the park (3h after they broke my water) so keep blocking those bad memories, it will be much better this time around!

  52. Hi Chantelle, I’m 12.5 weeks pregnant with my first baby. Unfortunately not my first pregnancy, but fingers crossed for a smooth 6 months and a healthy bubba in November 🙂

  53. I’m a mama to a beautiful little 13 week old boy. I can’t get him to take a bottle though – I must try this brand!

  54. I have a 3 year old girly girl and a 5 month old baby boy. These bottles look great and could be my saviour as my 5 month old has two teeth, refuses the bottle and now treats my breast as a RUSK! Ouchy ouch and helpy HELP!

  55. I have 3 children aged 12, 10, 1 and am currently 20 weeks pregnant, I love being pregnant it’s such a magical time and I find it amazing what is happening inside me, I have used Tommee Tippee for all the children and will be for this bub, I cannot wait for her to arrive.

  56. I am a devoted mother of three of the most gorgeous children. Our little family unit is encompassed with love, sharing, togetherness and bonding. Our endeavour as parents is to ride the road of life with our children, allowing them to experience all it can offer – love, hope, loss, family – but with us always there by their side or watching from afar. My family is ‘my life ‘and what a blessed life I have.

  57. I’m already a mummy to a 2.5 year old little girl and I’m expecting a little boy any day now… I’m so ready, but it seems like he is having too much fun in there!! Tommee Tippee was great for my little girl which made it easier for Daddy to take on some of the feeding times as well 😉

  58. I am a mum to a 1 year old girl. Love being a mum to see my girl who gives us lots of surprises, she makes me and husband happy all the time. I do hope that when she see a new baby is born, she will be even happier than before.

  59. Currently 26weeks 4 days pregnant with twins!! YAY Due to meet my baby girls 23
    August (or sooner) and I cannot be happier.

  60. I am a mum to one very lovely 8 month old boy. We had to supplement in the early days too and it was a life saver! My milk was slow to come in so it kept Benji satisfied, dad was involved in all feeds and sometimes he’d keep the baby out in the lounge and feed him alone so I could get some rest. It was a frantic and exhausting time but I can’t wait to do it all again. The tommee tippee bottle and teat with one hole was like the holy grail of the bottles we tried.

  61. For my niece & her hubby & their bub due Aug Sep highly excited being a mum with heaps of aunties uncles her parents to give her much needed support but she’ll learn that it’s all trial & error. She’ll love Tommee Tippee® Miomee® prize pack as other family members along with her friends have used them. 🙂 <3

    Many thanks to Tommee Tippee® Miomee® & Fat Mum Slim giving my niece the opportunity to win no such more finer gifts for a first time mum to be given. <3 <3 … Cheers! 🙂

  62. Im already a mum, but becoming a grandmother for the very first time, my oldest daughter is having a baby girl, im rather excited

  63. I have 2 beautiful boys, Tylar is 3 and Lucas just turned 2 and we are currently trying for a girl to complete our family

  64. Already a mummy to an angel in heaven, a four year old boy, and our third boy due in 4 weeks 🙂

    • And, I’m in your boat. Forgot about all the pain, and bad stuff until now, when we’re so close to going through it again.. But it’s all worth it in the end 🙂

  65. I am a mama to a 3 yr old lil boy. He lights up my life and I never in a million years thought I’d ever be able to love another human being as much as I love him… Until I found out we were pregnant with our second. We are due end of September and can’t wait to welcome our lil bundle into our lives. I already know I love baby #2 as much as our baby boy and know he/she will fit right in.

  66. I’m already a Mumma of two older girls who got clucky later in life so along came my Lil dude and he might not be the last cause I’m still clucky 😉

  67. I have a 4yo, 2yo and due with number 3 tomorrow (eeek!). I have to go back to work when bub is 7mo but I want to continue to breastfeed for as long as possible so will need to express this time around….

  68. I am a very proud mumma to my 2+year old princess whom I was breastfeeding till 26 months as she will not take the bottle at all! Wish I had looked into the Tommee Tippee range then – they sound like a life saver! This pack will come in so handy as I am now 22 weeks pregnant with bubba no 2 – another pink bundle due to arrive in October! Definitely gonna have to give the bottles a go some time – they sound like they will come in really useful especially in times of need!
    Thanks for hosting this amazing giveaway!

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