Becoming a Mum of 2

Before I became a Mother of two I used to always ask people ‘What is it like with 2?’ I am sure you have all asked this question before. This being one of the many questions asked to other mums with more than one.

Before I had Adem none of my friends had children and still don’t so I found myself making a few lovely mummy friends from Adems classes. As a Mother it’s so important to have other Mummy friends even if its just 1 or 2 and so the children can play together or to be an ear for someone and to just have simple mummy chat. A lot of amazing Mummy’s I have met via my Instagram page or in person always voice to me what a lonely place it can be sometimes so I always like to connect with other Mums who I have lots of things in common with, especially ones which also work from home like me. It’s very important to have quality good people around you especially when you are becoming a Mother for the first time. It’s all about uplifting each other and supporting each other.

To be honest once I became a mother of 2 it simply just flowed and everything just works out. It’s so easy to over think things sometimes. I wanted Adem to be roughly 3 years old when I was due to have Sami as he would be starting Nursery after he turned 3 so I would get the quality time with the new baby too.

Our 1st proper family photo as a family of 4 at Adems 3rd Birthday – Sami was 8 weeks old

As I gave birth during COVID-19 its was a very tough time for most, especially if you were a first time mum at the time of birth. I actually wrote Sami’s birth story as a blog – see the link below.

https://aliceshealthylifestyle.com/2020/08/23/samis-birth-story-giving-birth-during-covid-19/

When we came home with Sami from the hospital Adem fell in love with his little baby brother instantly and totally adores him. Sami fits so well into our little family and its almost like he has always been here.

I feel that I have been very fortunate as Sami is an absolute dream which has made my transition from a mum of 1 to a mum of 2 super easy and stress free. It’s much easier the 2nd time around as I feel when you have your first baby you over think everything and want everything to be simply perfect all the time and the routines are more strict but after having my dreamy Sami I find he just goes with the flow and puts him self to sleep etc where as Adem used to have to be rocked to sleep or in the pram when he was that age and even though he is now 3 he still likes me to be next to him when he goes to sleep, most likely because I co slept with him a lot. So totally different experiences with both children.

I always thought Adem was so good etc which he was and is but Sami is just too good to be true! I know he will go through different leaps and development stages so I have just embraced him wanting to sleep for 10 hours at night time uninterrupted since he was 3 weeks old as it may not last. keeping positive though!! I never like to compare the 2 children but its good to be able to look at both experiences. I am doing exactly the same things I did with Adem but ofcourse Sami is different to Adem. I love being a Mum of 2 and Adem is besotted by with him he is like a little toy for him. Sami Always watches Adem and laughs and giggles at him. I love the little moments they have. I will never wish away time but I look forward to seeing them both when Sami is older and they can talk to each other. It will be the cutest thing.

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Lots of Love xxx

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Our Trip to London Zoo

So this was our 2nd day out as a family of 4 since Sami was born. We chose to celebrate my birthday at London Zoo as I love to go to places that Adem would also love and to make all those special memories. The last time we went to London Zoo it was actually when Adem was 7 weeks old and was also for my birthday and now he is 3 years old. It was so special to show him the Penguins again, its our favourite part of the zoo. Sami slept the whole visit to the Zoo, this baby loves to sleep!

Check out our fun reel on instagram with the Penguins.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CFteEkxASoP/

Adem 7 weeks old
Adem 3 years old

I was so impressed with all of the Covid safety measures in place to ensure everyone was following the protocols. There was a lovely one way system around the whole zoo which was perfect as its such a big zoo that it can be confusing at times with which direction to go in, especially when we are running around with a Toddler now! The Zoo staff were wearing masks at all times and making sure that everyone was also wearing them in all of the indoor areas which was very reassuring.

We had such a wonderful day, one of the highlights was going to see the butterflies, we were lucky enough to have one of them land on my husbands hand and then it moved onto Adems hand and then mine, such a magical moment. Adem and I have always loved spotting butterflies so this was such an amazing experience.

As we live on the outskirts of London this is our nearest Zoo to visit. Its super easy to get to and parking is very easy on a Sunday. We were very lucky and parked right outside the entrance.

All the staff were so friendly, helpful and very knowledgeable. Its such a lovely day out and we were very lucky with the weather too, but just incase it rained while we were there we bought Adem a penguin umbrella as a little souvenir.

(Check out our little fun reel singing in the rain on instagram)

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CFzulMwgc4N?

Adem loves the Lion King and his favourite toy is the Simba soft toy I had as a little girl and i gave it to him when he was little. We loved seeing the King of the jungle, I told Adem he was Simba, he loved that!

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https://www.instagram.com/alices.healthylifestyle

A friend and fellow Mummy blogger https://www.instagram.com/cuddles4breakfast recently visited Colchester Zoo and has also written a blog post on it so if you’re thinking about visiting there go and check it out https://www.cuddles4breakfast.com/blog/colchester-zoo-review

I hope you enjoyed reading. Please subscribe to see what else we get up to.

lots of love xxx

MyBump2Baby Favourite Blogger

We are super excited to announce that we have been selected to be a part of the Mybump2Baby favourite blogger tribe.

They are googles #1 Baby and Toddler directory covering everything from pregnancy – pre school.

Check out their super helpful app called MyBump2Baby Favourite Bloggers

When you use the app you can even favourite your fave blogger by clicking the heart emoji next to my profile – alices healthy lifestyle and you will get a notification when I post blogs! So simple and easy.

https://www.instagram.com/alices.healthylifestyle

Adem’s new adventure ~ Starting at Nursery

A new adventure. On the 9th of September 2020 my first born Son Adem started at nursery. I am so proud of him. He is all grown up and at his Nursery he even wears a uniform.

A couple of days before he started Nursery two of his Nursery teachers came for a home visit but due to COVID-19 they had to do a door step visit to meet Adem and have a chat which was strange but it was only a little visit.

It is such a funny time at the moment with everything going on in the world so the parents at Adems Nursery are not allowed in, even for the ‘weaning in sessions’ which was heart breaking to be told as we had to just wave goodbye at the gate and one parent was allowed to the Nursery door. Literally heart breaking as he has never left me before and I haven’t even been able to visit the nursery before. But I knew he would be fine and he is so sociable, but any parent reading this would totally be able to relate as normally parents are there for the first day or so or nearby at least. I know some Nurserys are allowing it.

When I walked him to the Nursery door he hugged and kissed me then told me he loves me and waved goodbye as he walked into the classroom. Of-course I had a little cry as I walked away.

Such a proud moment to see my son attend the same school that my husband went to, it must be so special for my husband to see that. I always wished we lived where I went to primary school as I loved my little village primary school so much and have all my childhood memories there.

When we picked him up on his first day my husband went to the door to greet him and he was so happy then he saw me at the gate we had the biggest cuddle and he told me he missed me, he had the best time. On the walk home he was telling us what he got up to and that he had lots of fun.

On his first day it was only for an hour, then over the next 2 days it increases slowly so they get used to it.

On day 2 the first thing Adem said when he woke up was “I want to go to school today”

He is totally loving it and in his element. After Nursery we went to the park next door when he finished and we could see him socialising with the new friends he has made.

We are such proud parents and we are super excited to see his development.

Well done Adem!!!

I hope you enjoyed reading, please subscribe to see more of what we get up to.

Lots of Love xxx

Sami’s Birth Story – Giving birth during COVID-19 –

Being pregnant and having a baby in 2020 has been a totally different experience the 2nd time around for baby number 2.

When I was due to have Sami everything was still in lockdown and it was such an uncertain time for everyone with everything going on in the world. To be quite honest it was super scary and it certainly triggered lots of anxiety leading up to the birth.

As I am generally a relaxed – easy going kind of person and with it being my 2nd birth I kept calm and focused on my breathing and just kept saying as it’s the 2nd time around ‘At least I know what I am doing this time’. As most new mums (like my self the first time) it is all very overwhelming as you honestly don’t know what to expect and each birth is totally different so anything can happen.

My husband kept saying it will be fine (which is was) but like I said just because my first birth with Adem was normal it doesn’t mean it will happen again so its always good to be mentally prepared for anything.

The 2nd birth certainly happens a lot faster that’s for sure!

Leading up to the birth we had the midwife checks like normal so I was kept up to date with everything happening in the hospitals with regards to Covid-19 and if the birth partners are allowed in the room during the birth etc. This was a big worry for us as my husband was so upset to the thought that he might not be allowed to even be in the hospital during the birth and doing it alone certainly wasn’t how I wanted it to happen.

When I attended my 40 week midwife check we got the update that at our hospital the partners were allowed to be in the room only if it’s a natural birth and this is what I opted for as I had a totally natural birth with no pain relief with Adem so I wanted the same again and as I was low risk we just hoped for the best as this is totally out of our hands.

On the 7th of June 2020 I went into labour, I was 2 days over due. The contractions started about 11am and I had the classic lower back pains in the morning which usually indicates labour is starting. By the afternoon the contractions had rapidly increased and were getting super close together.

My husband came home from his office in the afternoon to help with Adem so I could focus on the contractions and timing them too.

My Mum was on stand by to come and look after Adem when we went to the hospital.

Just after my Mum arrived my waters broke at 8.10pm – for my first birth my waters broke in the hospital in the water bath so this was definitely an experience that’s for sure, it literally felt like a water balloon popped in between my legs which made me scream, in pain and in shock!

As soon as I sorted my self out we got out the door as fast as we could, squeezing Adem goodbye saying we will bring home his little brother for him.

We arrived at the hospital at 8.50pm, I was having contractions about 1.5 mins apart at this point so super close and very painful. My husband wasn’t allowed into the birthing section so I had to go the the reception myself and give in all of my paperwork which having numerous contractions then being made to pee in a bottle too. It was all very stressful and wearing a mask and gloves the whole time too. I was then taken to a private section to be checked over to see how many centimetres I was and to have the Covid-19 test. I was 5cm and ready to go into the room.

Once I got into my private birthing suite with the water bath my husband was then allowed to be escorted to our room. I knew it was going to happen very soon so my midwife got the bath ready for me to get into. Immediately after getting into the bath I was instantly relieved and it reduced the pain dramatically. I would highly recommend a water birth! I tried to have one for my first birth but it sadly didn’t happen with Adem.

After being in the birthing suite for 1 hour I delivered Baby Sami at 10.25pm on the 7th on June weighing a very healthy 8 pounds 4 ounces. I had the amazing experience of being able to deliver Sami myself which was truly magical and my husband filmed the whole thing. I had the skin to skin and then I delivered the placenta which in all honestly is like a stingray!!!

I didn’t have hardly any photos after Adem was born so I’m super glad my husband remembered this time. The first birth was much longer so we were both exhausted.

We were able to have a few hours together before my husband was asked to leave and return back to the hospital once I was discharged in the morning.

This was super emotional for him to have to leave us both in the hospital. But as this was my 2nd baby I felt ok to be by myself and it was 3am so we just rested. I didn’t sleep as my adrenaline was still high.

At 10.30 am my husband was able to come and collect us and we were reunited. We couldn’t wait to get home to Adem for him to meet his little Brother Sami.

My overall experience of having a baby during this global pandemic was generally positive and the midwife was amazing we actually had a giggle even during labour but that’s totally my personality.

I just want to say a massive thankyou to all the amazing NHS staff they have done such amazing job and made me feel so at ease well minus the pain haha.

We are now a family of 4 and Sami has fit perfectly into our little world. Such a dream baby.

I hope you have enjoyed reading our birth story. Xxx

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lots of love xxx

keeping Sterilised – Mum life

#AD #MUNCHKINMOMENTS – I am working in a paid relationship with BritMums & Munchkin promoting its Nursery Steriliser

As a mother it’s so important to keep everything clean and sterilised all the time, but sometimes this is easier said than done. But after discovering the BRAND NEW Munchkin 59S Nursery Steriliser, my life has totally changed.

Its perfect for sterilising things both for my new baby and for my toddler, who has suddenly gone from being a baby to an independent little man. My toddler is only 3 but he wants to do everything himself. That means it’s gotten more challenging keeping things like toys and stuffed animals clean.

Can you relate to the challenge of making things stay clean for your baby or toddler? Leave a comment down below.

My baby is 9 weeks old now. In the current climate it is imperative more than ever to keep everything squeaky clean, especially as he is still so young.

About the Munchkin Nursery Steriliser

I placed the Nursery Steriliser in the nursery so it’s easily accessible for me when we’re upstairs. We can pop things into it when needed and all we need to do is press the button. Its portable too, so we can take it with us on outings or trips.

The Munchkin Nursery Steriliser is super lightweight and kills 99% of bacteria and viruses on toys, plush animals and other baby items in only 5 minute! This is every mother’s dream item — especially when we get to the stage where my baby Sami will want to put everything in his mouth. (At the moment its just his hands.)

You can even sterilise mobile phones, headphones, iPads, remote controls, keys and glasses– just to name a few!

I also love that it is super easy and quick to pack down and has a rechargeable battery. This has given me peace of mind. It fits simply into our day-to-day routines and now i’m saving so much time. Totally winning as a mother of two!

A mini steriliser for days out

Another piece of must-have sterilising equipment is the Munchkin 59S Mini Steriliser. It sterilises dummies and bottle teats and is portable so is perfect for days out. Sami hasn’t taken a dummy so we have used this for bottle teats after expressing. It is super fast and kills 99% of bacteria and visuses in 59 seconds! WOW!

I remember when Adem was a baby and he would always drop his dummy. I had to carry so many with me all the time. Now how times have changed! To be able to carry something so small and convenient at all times is perfect. It uses UV-C LIGHT and a rechargeable battery or batteries. The child-safe UV light auto shuts off when the lid is opened.

And finally i have been using the Munchkin microwave steriliser bags. You put bottles or breast pump parts in with water, seal the bag then microwave for two minutes for easy sterilising. These are super convenient too as each bag can be used 30 times and there is even a place on the bag to mark off so you can easily keep a track of the number of times it’s been used .

They are so simple for travelling or on holiday as long as you have access to a microwave. There is even a part of it which is ‘cool touch’ technology so you can pick it up after it’s been in the microwave without burning yourself.

As I am a Mum I feel totally kitted out. Its been a tough time and i now feel i have got all the tools needed whilst we are at home and out to keep sterilised and safe.

See below the link for the Munchkin Sterilisers.

I hope you enjoyed reading. Please comment down below if you have any questions and please subscribe if you want to read more.

https://www.munchkin.co.uk

https://www.instagram.com/p/CD3khtwlf2S/?igshid=1ymtu2zhzbg1

First day out as a family of 4

First big day out since Before Covid. 🥳

It was a big occasion as it was our first “family day out” as a family of 4.
With everything going on in the world life hasn’t been normal and having a baby during this time has been a totally different experience to when I had Adem.
We decided to go to Paradise Wildlife Park, as its all outside and totally a safe environment for the kids. All the staff were wearing masks and wiping down surfaces constantly, if was good to see, even after each train ride the train man wipes down each little carriage too. Also any inside area it was compulsory to wear a mask, so a big thumbs up from me for hygiene.

Being a family of 4 now is definitely a lot harder when on a day out as Adem wanted to see everything but then Sami needs to feed etc at the same time but the best thing to do is just be chilled and play the day by ear and enjoy every moment as a family. I got to enjoy time with Adem when Sami had naps too. As it was such a hot day he had lots of little naps and kept hydrated by breast feeding him regularly when needed. As he is only 9 weeks old its so important to keep him in the shade and well protected.

I feel as I am now a mum of two I am much more relaxed this time and feeding in public didn’t bother me as I had my cover too. This again was the first time feeding in public with Sami as I have only really been around my close circle and family after having Sami.

I love visiting Paradise Wildlife Park and it was nice to take Sami this time. We will for sure be back when he is older so he can enjoy the day too.

Thankyou for reading

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Lots of love xxx

https://www.instagram.com/aliceshealthylifestyle

Adem goes to Nursery soon

All Mothers go through this emotional time when their baby is due to start Nursery. As Adem is my first born Son I feel with him turning 3 a few days ago and we are now on the count down to his start date its all so emotional.

Its been such a crazy few months with Covid-19 and being on lock-down as well as all of his classes etc being cancelled until further notice its been an interesting time and having to find new ways to burn off some of his energy as he is a little ball of energy all the time!

All toddlers go through the ‘terrible 3’ stage but it definitely came at the worse time as I was heavily pregnant and then having our little Sami 8 weeks ago. But i am honestly so proud of him and he has dealt with all of the changes so well. He is such a good older brother. He has a lot of love to give.

He says he doesn’t want to ‘leave me’ but he is absolutely going to love school so much. He will be in his element as he is such a social butterfly and such a people person and loves to talk…not sure who he gets that from hehe.

On his 3rd Birthday I was so emotional and teared up more than a few times as even though this might not seem like a big deal to some but as I have been with Adem 24/7 since he was born this is the mark of big changes in our life and with having a new little brother. All positive changes but very monumental for us.

We are going to embrace the last few weeks before he starts school as little does he realise he will be going to school till he is in his 20s. Now this makes me so emotional…he is only 3! Time is just going so fast and I have especially noticed this since becoming a Mum.

Tonight we are going to be ordering his nursery uniform, I will have the tissues at the ready thats for sure.

I hope you have enjoyed reading our latest update.

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Lots of Love x x

https://www.instagram.com/aliceshealthylifestyle.com

Potty Training

I thought I would write about our experience with potty training – the highs and the lows. This was my first time with the whole potty training thing and to be honest at first when I was planning to start training Adem I found it quite daunting at the thought of it, but these things have got to be done I totally got stuck in with it… and it wasn’t half as bad as I thought it might be. phewwww a big sigh of relief.

I was lucky it didn’t take my son long to get the hang of it but at the start he really really didn’t like it and even worse he didn’t like having the ‘accidents’. I don’t think he knew which one was worse at the beginning.

When he was about 14 months old I got a couple of potties and had them in the bathrooms so he would get use to seeing them and I would sit him on the potty when I went to the toilet. This is a really good tip. There is no specific age to start the training process but 2 years old is a good age to officially start as they seem more ready and willing. We were on our holiday when he turned 2 and got him used to wearing the big boy pants in the hotel room in the evenings while we got ready which he really liked. So once we returned home I started the process gradually.

I have a few friends who have older toddlers so I was able to ask for some tips and advise as they were ahead of me in the stages of potty training. A great idea which I also saw online was potty training charts. This is a great way to reward them as soon as they have used the potty and washed their hands. We used stickers for the chart…. which Adem loves! And he would also be allowed a treat. This works a dream for most I think as it gives them 1 or 2 incentives to use their potty as they get the rewards…they always remember the rewards!!! This makes it into a more positive experience and this is when they start to communicate better with you that they need to use the potty.

Communication is key! Expressing to them the process and making it fun, checking with them if they need to go regularly is so important. I found that after a week of potty training he got the hang of it but he would sometimes forget to tell me whilst he was playing and suddenly he would go quiet. At this stage I would constantly be looking out for his body language that would signal to me that he needed to go – he is good at holding it in by this point. Big tip is to try not to make a big deal of the accidents and keep the whole process positive. Just say to them – ‘Never mind, don’t worry’ then pop their clean clothes on. Always have spare clothes for them in different changing stations of the house and in your bag for when you go out. At the start there is always going to be lots of ‘mess’ to clean up so have lots of toilet roll handy dotted around the house. Adem didn’t like seeing the little puddles so he would want to help me clean and say ‘Dont worry Mummy Adem clean’ which totally melted my heart. He is a tidy boy and likes to help me clean the house so I am lucky there.

During this whole process I have also been weaning him off the boob also so a double whammy – see my previous blog post – So he has grown up a lot during this process. Currently he only has his milk before his nap – sometimes he falls asleep in the car and will go 2 days without milk.

After about 2 weeks of potty training i started napping him in his big boy pant and he has not once (fingers crossed) had an accident in his bed. which i am so proud of and i am sure he is too. So when he wakes from him nap i put him straight on the toilet and he goes then and he gets 2 stickers – one for using the potty and the other for napping in his pants – I make sure to tell him that too which he loves and gets excited about. The next stage is to put him to sleep in his pants at night time – this stage i am a little more wary about but as he doesn’t have milk before bedtimes and he hasn’t for about a month now he should be fine and he hasn’t had any nap time accidents. Also every morning he wakes up he has a dry nappy and uses the toilet straight away…so I am going to implement this asap and see how we go.

I think that the biggest tip is to not force potty training on them and to let it happen more organically because when you force it they get upset and wont go. Let it become part of the routines like brushing the teeth and washing the hands etc.

I hope you have enjoyed reading about our experiences.

check out my Instagram page https://www.instagram.com/aliceshealthylifestyle

I also have all of my recommended potties etc on my Amazon Influencer page under the section ‘Potty Training’ https://www.amazon.co.uk/shop/aliceshealthylifestyle

Lots of love

Alice x

Weaning a Toddler off Breastfeeding

I thought i should start with a blog about something which i am currently doing adding all the tips and any obstacles i have come across along the way.

Adem turned 2 on the 2nd of august this year but as we were on our holiday so i started the process of slowly weaning him off the boob once we returned home and were settled into a routine again.

We started the process 16 days ago – I have always done baby led everything so i decided to go with my motherly instincts and just go with my gut as no one knows their child better than the mother in most cases and all children are different. I wanted to share my experiences with you all as this might be super helpful to some.

Phase 1 – So to start with i cut out letting him have boob as soon as he woke up – of course he wasn’t happy at the beginning as he LOVES his morning (pre-breakfast milk) but he soon noticed that he was eating more at breakfast time and he didn’t miss it at all. So far so good. I was pleasantly surprised and after a couple of days he stopped asking for it. He still occasionally tells me to get back into bed and then giggles and says boobie… he is very smart. So my top tip here is to always get up and get ready before your little one and hubby. I usually get half a peaceful shower before i hear ‘MUMMY COME HERE!!’

Phase 2 – So for this phase i decided to cut out the ‘mid morning’ feed – To be honest this only really happened if we are at home so this one was easy to cut out as he didn’t need it as he is now 2. It was more of a comfort thing and i replaced it with snack time of an apple or healthy snack if we were at home during this time. I like to be out and about from early and get back for nap times so he can sleep in the car or in his bed. In this phase i also cut out evening feeds pre bed time!!! this i will talk about in phase 3

Phase 3 – I thought this would be the hardest thing in this whole weaning process… but funnily enough it wasn’t!! So a little bit of background info… during Adems 2 years of life he has co slept with us quite a bit as he didn’t like his cot or being alone, but when he turned 18 months old we got him a toddler bed which helped massively…but not for my back as i ended up falling asleep after feeding him quite a bit (yes laying in the toddler bed haha) Everyone does things differently but as i enjoy breast feeding and love all the cuddles i honestly didn’t mind the co sleeping. I then did sleep training with him but after a few weeks of sleepless nights he was eventually sleeping right through the night in his own bed without waking up asking for milk!! Hallelujah!! So getting back to the weaning side of things…during the process of saying no to pre bedtime milk he was fine after the 2nd night but he has to hold my hair (I think the hair holding thing is quite common when breast feeding, but now he is 2 its just as obsession!) Even when we are reading etc he has to hold my hair, he wont settle for just anyones hair, it has to be Mummies hair. So this is where i have struggled because from birth he has only ever had me at bed times and nap times, he is happy with no milk but to make life easier i just lay with him in our bed with him holding my hair until he falls asleep but normally doesn’t take long when he is in our bed as he prefers it. A few times in the last 2 weeks he has asked to go in his bed to sleep and i laid with him until he fell asleep, this was great progress and as i do everything baby led and it showed to me that he was ready to go back to his bed and he knows he isn’t getting any milk anyway. So even though i have struggled with weaning him off ‘mummies hair’ at least along side co-sleeping with us he is happy and we can transfer him into his bed once he falls asleep.

Phase 4 – So if Adem falls asleep whilst in the car (without having boobie) he would wake up and want it desperately so for the first 2 days so i let him have milk once he woke up as he slept whilst we were out. After that i was then making sure we got home in time for his naps to get him into a good routine. So after 2-3 days from starting the weaning-off process he wasn’t having milk for 12 hours at a time. This was great progress and i am so proud of him. During this whole process we have also been potty training so he has developed so much in the last 2 weeks. I will follow up this blog post with a potty training update.

Lots of Love x

https://www.instagram.com/aliceshealthylifestyle

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