Guest writers wanted: “The Shit No One Tells You About” series
Being a parent is a role that comes with a lot of 'on-the-job' learning, and there's a whole host of things you have no idea how to deal with until they come up. Everyone's parenting experience is different, but it can be difficult to get others to understand that. I've written a couple of blogs now on experiences I've had as a Mum and I've shared them amongst others in order to raise some...
Wonky heads and wacky helmets: Our difficult but definitely worth it plagiocephaly journey
One of the most noticeable things about my son was, for a long time, that he wore a corrective helmet. The helmet was for plagiocephaly (flat head syndrome/a wonky head!). Now that he’s no longer wearing it, it feels like the right time for me to write about our treatment journey. This blog contains my experiences and includes medical themes. This is purely based on medical information supplied...
The Absolute Shite People Say To You When You’re Pregnant
I've made no secret that I got pissed off with people making comment on my pregnancy - and hell, I only had a few weeks for them to chat shit through! This is a collection of all the stupid comments made to me and my Instagram Followers during our pregnancies. Some are light-hearted, some are funny, some are misguided, some are cruel. Some of these I've probably said myself; but all I'll...
Finding Fitness Post Partum
I was one of those twats who said that I didn't want kids because having babies would "ruin my body". I was wrong. Pregnancy and birth hasn't ruined my body, but it has changed it - and it would be stupid to think that my physique, and my fitness, could 'bounce back' quickly to the way it was before. My body's done a lot since then! I'm not a Personal Trainer and wouldn't dream of offering...
Becoming Penny-Pinching Parents
Being a parent is no cheap deal, and I've moaned before (and well, every shitting day since I had a positive pregnancy test) about how quickly I found myself in unchartered seriously skint territory. That said, being dropped in the deep end meant that my baby-daddy and I had to quickly pick up some money-saving hacks to stay afloat; and this blog details some of the tricks and tactics we...
Being skint and being sociable… struggling to find the balance
When I was pregnant, I was told that when the baby arrived, I'd save loads of money by "not going out drinking". I don't know how much people thought I used to drink, but I can assure you, exactly the opposite happened with my financial situation. I'm not here to give financial advice and this blog is purely based on my own experience. Speak to a professional if you need help with your finances,...
A Newfound Appreciation for my Mum.
Now that I'm a parent, I look at others doing the same thing in awe. I try to take and recreate some trait or attitude from anyone or everyone I meet, even if it's a vow to do things differently to the way they do. Having now experienced the physical and emotional labour of being a mum firsthand, I find myself in the position of having developed a much greater understanding - and appreciation -...
My experience with Birth Reflections counselling
My experience giving birth seemed to fly by in a blur of hyper-emotion, dull physical pain and still-scenes from my hospital bed playing back in my mind. Looking back on it afterward, I had questions, so I attended Birth Reflections counselling to try and fill in the blanks. Please note this is my personal experience and the info given on the practicalities of the counselling was correct when I...
Post-natal PTSD… and me
For me, the initials 'PTSD' conjure up mental images of injured servicemen and older people who have been through vastly traumatic historical experiences needing help to work through them mentally at a later date. I'm neither of those things, so somehow I'd never expected to be diagnosed with it myself. Yet, here we are, and I've just finished my first (and hey, hopefully only, right?) course of...
Pump, pump, pump it up!
Hell hath no fury like a breast vs bottle debate... and nothing can quicker make a Mum feel like shit than deliberating the way in which they keep their baby alive, because, DUH, it's pretty fucking important. Whatever anyone tells you about feeding, just do what's right for you and your family. What was right for me wasn't atypical, so after a few requests, I'm sharing my story here. I...