Billi Mucklow EXCLUSIVE baby blog: ‘I had a mani, pedi and blow dry the night before Arlo’s C section birth!’

Former The Only Way Is Essex star Billi Mucklow and her footballer fiancé Andy Carroll welcomed their first child together in June. In her exclusive blog for Closer Online, Billi, 27, invites you to share first time motherhood with her – the ups and downs, the highs and the lows and, most importantly, getting to know her little boy.

billi-blog

by Jack White |
Published on

"Welcoming Arlo Thomas Carroll into the world 7 weeks ago was an amazing experience.

I was “Too Posh To Push” - well I didn’t really have a choice, as Arlo was breech from early on in my pregnancy and I was told if he didn’t turn then it would be safer to deliver him by caesarean section.

I was having regular scans until I was 38 weeks checking to see if he turned and after trying all different things to try and help him turn he decided he was staying put so C section it was.

Proper Essex birth – Billi didn't let having a baby get in the way of her usual beauty regime
Proper Essex birth – Billi didn't let having a baby get in the way of her usual beauty regime

Following that scan I was booked in the following week. The day before was spent getting all my regular beauty treatments nails, pedi, wax etc. I slept in my rollers the night before and arrived at Queen's Hospital with a big bouncy blow dry and full face of makeup ready to meet my baby boy. It was all over very quickly - a pain free delivery with a very cute healthy baby.

The negative side of having a C section is the recovery. Having an active lifestyle I found it hard and frustrating not being able to drive or exercise for 6 weeks. I was desperate to get back to my yoga studio Bikram Yoga Essex.

I spent the first 6 weeks of becoming a Mum still eating what I wanted but this week that’s all changed and am back on a strict healthy diet and returned to yoga.

Back to business – Just six weeks after welcoming Arlo via C-section, Billi returned to her Bikram Yoga studio

Night feeds are a killer the first few weeks. The best invention is the Tommee Tippee Perfect Prep Machine which makes the night feeds a lot easier as you don’t have to wait for a bottle to warm up or cool down and when your baby is screaming it feels like a lifetime.

The Prefect Prep Machine makes a fresh bottle at the correct temperature in less than 2 minutes. I keep mine in my bedroom so no need to even leave the room.

Team Carroll – Billi has 26-year-old Andy to support her through first time motherhood

I am really fortunate though that Andy’s been great; we work as a team and sharing the responsibilities helps to make it all a little easier.

Seeing him with Arlo and what an amazing dad he is makes me so proud of our family. Andy’s training hard for the new football season but we were lucky enough to be able to spend a relaxing but fun family weekend at the beautiful country house hotel Chewton Glen in Bournemouth.

Until next week, Billi x"

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