-
Mind Your Own T*ts
When Theo was born via caesarean, I felt like a failure. The terminology thrown around whilst I tried to “push” didn’t help. I was told I’d “failed to progress” in labour, and that I’d “failed” to push the half a centimetre of cervix back to allow Theo to be born (after almost twenty hours of labour, I’d dilated to nine and a half centimetres – so close yet so far from the birthing experience I’d envisioned). So, the distinct feeling of failure was instilled in me before I was even taken to theatre. Then came breastfeeding. Two hours after Theo was born, he was finally placed on my bare chest…
-
DIY: Mermaid/Galactic rice for messy play
I will always be a mum who likes to get stuck right into messy play with Theo, and I am always looking for new, creative ideas to keep him entertained. Juggling a full-time job and also finding time to be a cool, fun mum is not without its challenges, particularly when you’re living through a global pandemic. So, I was incredibly excited when a five-minute experiment whilst making a cuppa in between virtual client meetings turned out brilliantly. To begin with, I spooned uncooked basmati rice into a clean ice cube tray. Quantity doesn’t really matter – use as much or as little as you like! I bought this multipack…
-
Talking Point: 10 Things Nobody Tells You About Breastfeeding
When I was roughly 28 weeks pregnant, my midwife told me that whilst I should make a birth plan, it wasn’t often that what a woman hopes for comes to fruition. In my case, I wanted as natural a birth as possible and my biggest fear was a csection. I will be writing about Teddy’s birth in more depth soon, but for now I will say that my labour and his birth were nothing like I’d hoped. I desperately wanted a natural birth, specifically a water birth, if a pool had been available. Yet after almost 20 hours in labour and finally making it to the pushing stage, I ended…
-
My Pregnancy: What I Packed In Our Hospital Bags
When it comes to organisation, I’m a bit of a psychopath. Everything has to be perfectly placed otherwise I lose. the. plot. So, when it came to packing a hospital bag for me and Baby Lamb, I gave myself a good 15 weeks to make sure everything was perfectly in order. You’d think that would be more than enough time. And, if we were talking about any other expectant mummy, you’d probably be absolutely right. But in actual fact, the very same morning that I was due to go into hospital to be induced, I’d unpacked and re-packed ALL OF THE BAGS twice. And then I checked them again for…
-
My Pregnancy: The Third Trimester and ‘The Big Baby’ Trial
The first and second trimesters of my pregnancy passed by beautifully. The knowledge that my little baby was safely tucked up in my tummy warmed my heart and it was so lovely to know that wherever I went, my little cherub went too. I felt like I was a member of the most special group – the mummy squad. From the moment I finally got my positive pregnancy test result, I was on an absolute high. When I was 26 weeks pregnant, Michael and I travelled to Greece for our annual fortnight in paradise – cue me dancing around thinking I’m part of the cast of Mamma Mia. I was…
-
I’m Back and I’m a Mummy!
As I write this post, my beautiful son Theo (aka Teddy) is fast asleep beside me with his little clasped fist resting on my leg. It feels so surreal to type those words – my son. It feels even more surreal to say them out loud. I. Am. A. Mummy. Surreal, but the most magical feeling in the entire world. Nothing and nobody will ever convince me otherwise. I started blogging when I was 19 and although I loved writing (and it’s just as well, since my writing pays my share of the bills) I never really knew what to write about. Nine-to-five, seven days a week, I had it…