The result of a bad back

After the result of speed shopping at Laines, I just have to blog about the result of a bad back. Mums-to-be, mums-already-be, watch out!! After giving birth, our bodies are severely weakened by the traumatic process. Our bodies are weak and we need to take really good care, not only during the confinement months, but for the next 8 months. Especially when you are fully breastfeeding your baby, like me.
The body produces some kind of muscle relaxant when we are pregnant, to allow for the baby to grow and then to be born. This chemical stays in our body for some time following birth. If we don't do a good job of taking care of our spine, the result is a severe muscle pull. That is what happened to me.
On Sunday morning, when I bent down to pick Bri up( i was in the correct bending position some more), I heard and felt a loud crack and something shifting in my back. I felt a severe pain shoot through my back and immediately I put Bri back down. I tried to sit and realized that I could not move at all! Imagine my shock and fear! I yelled for S to come. Poor guy had just fallen asleep for only 45 minutes. I could not sit down and I could not stand up! I was in a half squat position and crying in pain. S took a mattress and tried to help me to lie down. I tried to but the pain just kept shooting through. For the longest 10 minutes of my life, I tried to lie on the floor. Finally, I managed to get myself onto the mattress with S's help. I had to lie only on my side as I could not shift at all. It was a nightmare! Luckily I could still move my legs and wriggle my toes. We were thinking slipped disc! Horrified by the consequences of slipped disc, I nearly panicked again. As usual, my cool and calm hubby decided that I had to go hospital. My MIL called then and wanted to ask me to go and have lunch. I told her that I was lying prone on the floor and could not move at all. She, too, panicked and asked my bro in law to drive her over to see me. Brought the maid and all and lucky too. Cos with all the help, it only took us 1 hour to pack up and rush me to the hospital.
I was finally admitted cos the doctor suspected prolasped slipped disc. The pain was unbearable and even a slight jolt of the wheelchair sent me into spasms of pain. When the orthopedic specialist came, he took a look at my x-ray and pronounced that it wasn't slipped disc, prolasped or not. We all heaved a huge sigh of relief as he went on to explain that it was a very severe muscle pull or tear. The spine was in position and so were all the discs. Hahaha! Said doc. So very enthusiastic and happy. Of course it wasn't him in pain! But then, we were happy also cos the worst did not happen.
I was on traction the whole day and night. On Monday morning, I felt so much better that I could even get up and walk. But then that was all I could do. Walk and lie down. Sitting in a lying down position was painful, bending was impossible, carrying the baby.... don't even think of that! So the doc asked if I wanted to stay another day, but I told him no. I would rather go home and rest. So, I went for physio therapy before being discharged. It was there that I learnt that my muscles at the back was very weak due to "post natal birth" something. Plus I have been breastfeeding and not taking enough calcium and viatmins. Thus, the muscles there were so weak that a tear or pull was just waiting to happen. For the past few weeks, I have already had signs that something was not right. Each time I bent down to do something, I had difficulty getting up and straightening my spine. It then led to this.
So all mothers out there, please please please take care of yourself or else if this happens, life becomes very difficult. Especially if you're a SAHM and all the housework, care giving, cooking, washing falls on your shoulders. Right now, I still have to try to do some stuff cos husb really doesn't know and whoever comes to help me cant do it either.
Sigh...........

The result of speed shopping at Laines

It's really amazing how much we are tempted to buy when "forced" to speed shop! Especially when there is a time limit of only 3 minutes. And unbelivably, in 3 minutes, I managed to chalk up a whooping SGD$160!! And that is the amount AFTER DISCOUNT!!!
Ooooo!! How not to buy out the whole range of Doodlebug's glittered flower papers??
Jenny Bowlin's shaped CS Paper. I have no idea how or why I ended up with 2 pieces of this. When Nancy (Laines) asked if I wanted to put it back (she was so nice!) I told her never to mind. Course if my hands took 2 pieces, then it must be because I will need 2 pieces! She could not stop laughing at my pathetic excuse for getting 2 of the same thing!
So tweet! They have the same berries as my K&CO Berry Sweet papers!
Who needs more ink? Not me for sure! So how did I end up with 3 more ink pads? Must be the scrapbook muse that put it in my basket!

This is Lou's gorgeous Prima Crystals. I had wanted the same set for myself too, but luckily or unluckily, I forgot to put an extra set in my basket! Hee hee! So I only had the black swirls.
Here's the stash of MMBI stickers of which I grabbed 6!! And since each cost $9.90 before discount, that added to the bulk of my cost. But I just could not resist it la!! Then there was the Prima flowers which I could have done without, but of course which I still bought...... The sweet and lovely DaisyDs tags, the irresistable Thickers (miraculously I only grabbed 2!!) and the MUST HAVE Maya Road Chipboard Birds and Blossoms.
Close ups of my MMBI stickers and Maya Road Chipboard ....... I must have been MAD!!
Papers!! How could I not get them?! The gorgeously flocked Anna Griffin papers. I cant even begin to describe how lovingly I ran my hands through the papers. I ended up getting 2! Anyone wanna share??!!
Then there was the Hambly transparencies. I began a love affair with them when I did a full Hambly transparency album in black and white. Sigh......

So, have I justified my SGD$160 purchase??!! I hope I have, cos I think I'll be going down again with J on Monday.........

Genuine You

This may look like little Bri, but it's actually her big bro almost 7 years ago! Brandon was and still is the most handsome and adorable boy ever! I developed quite a number of this particular photo and have scrapped about 3 of them already. Recently, I found this photo again and I could not resist scrapping it again. So here, enjoy little Brandon 7 years ago!



Under that group of flowers is actually hidden journalling. Thought it would be fun to hide some journalling under all that flowers!

Now we are Frenz By Choice

J & I met each other 1st. I had admired her gorgeous work on Scrappers Loft. So I PMed her and she was so estatic that someone actually liked her work! From there, we chatted and then progressed to cropping together. Then, she was still preggie with Sky.
I decided to subscribe to a kit, Scarlet Lime. L was the organiser. I collected the kit from her place and stood outside her house and chatted like old friends for nearly 15mins while poor DH waited down below for me. Then I was preggie with Bri. I organised a crop for SL kitters and we went to L's hse for the 1st time. Subsequently, I persuaded J to join us for crops and that was how the 3 of us became fast and close friends!
Journalling reads : When we met, it was by chance. But now, 2 years later, we are frenz by choice.

The result of our crop party at Lou's place

Our four gorgeous princesses! It was such a Kodak moment then! I just had to scrap it. Lou was such a sweetie! She printed for J & I a whole stack of photos! On the spot, in about 15mins, I came up with this LO. Stuck on the main stuff and brought the rest home to complete.