Category Archives: Well being

The A-Z of Post-Birth Recovery

24 Friday Oct 2014

Posted by in Baby and toddler products, Breastfeeding, Motherhood, Pregnancy, Well being

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Post Birth Recovery

Just over two weeks ago I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. She’s my second baby, so you’d think I’d be familiar with the tender post-birth recovery period by now, having gone through it all before. Well you’d be wrong.

What I remember from last time around appears to have been filtered through a rose-tinted memory box in my head. It’s all newborn cuddles, quiet naps, endless bouquets of flowers and snuggles on the sofa. The actual body bits – the rather gross bits – have all been blanked out.

So in the interests of keeping it real, I’m sharing my A-Z of post-birth recovery symptoms with you. Be warned, much of this is TMI, but if you think we all bounce of bed looking like super-model Gisele Bundchen after having a baby then you’re in for a shock.

A is for… After-birth pains

Newsflash: contractions don’t end the moment you’ve had your baby. Annoying but true, the uterus has to shrink back to its pre-baby size. This means after-birth pains which feel like a cross between a contraction and an intense period pain. They get worse the more babies you have, so this time around I was shocked by how uncomfortable they were compared to with my first baby.  Continue reading »

Keeping in touch with old friends

12 Wednesday Mar 2014

Posted by in Relationships, Well being

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When we first moved to Devon last summer, I remember being worried about losing touch with all the friends we’d made in Berkshire. Frog had plenty of little friends she’d regularly go on play dates with and I’d made new friends in our village too. The (self-proclaimed) Northern Love Machine had his own mates from teacher training days, work and the pub, so we were leaving quite a few people behind.

The truth is though, that since the age of eighteen, I’ve never lived in one place for very long. I went to university in Cardiff, then spent a year working and travelling, before doing my journalism training for a year in Falmouth in Cornwall and then heading over to Brighton and then up to Hull for respective jobs. I arrived in Reading a year later, before moving to the countryside a couple of years after that. Continue reading »

Are we being ruled by our phones?

17 Friday Jan 2014

Posted by in Motherhood, Well being, Work

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Phubbing

When my daughter was a baby I didn’t have a fancy phone. Just three years ago, I survived with a brick that had limited internet access. Back then, my time was devoured by a beautiful baby who cried for milk on-demand and constant entertainment. My phone just lived on the kitchen counter, occasionally ringing when someone wanted to talk to me. Some days I didn’t even answer it.

But then, in 2012, I got a new iPhone. It was a revelation. Finally, I could check my emails on the go! Log into Facebook whenever I pleased! I even joined Instagram, eagerly taking snaps of cups of tea and putting trendy filters on them before sharing them with the world. I started to see my phone as a lifeline to the outside world, wondering how I had never lived without it before.

Fast-forward two years and I’m starting to loathe my phone. It’s like having a newborn baby in the colic phase, forever. The baby needs supervision, reassurance, attention. Lots and lots of attention. I even find myself taking my baby phone to the toilet, lest it gets lonely without me.  Continue reading »

Time waits for no mum (or dad)

20 Thursday Jun 2013

Posted by in Well being, Work

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Sticker blackboardThis is just one of the boards that adorns my walls, full of scribbles of tasks, reminders and jobs. Some are work-related, some are parent-related, some are just plain old boring admin-related. Either way, the board is ALWAYS full, no matter how many jobs I’ve managed to get through on any given day.

The thing is, I don’t think it’s possible to NOT be busy when you have kids. The life of a parent tends to involve constant multi-tasking, as we rush from one place to the other, often trying to remember the next collection time / kids’ party / form that needs to be handed in. Whether you are a working parent or a stay-at-home parent, time always seems to be against you. Or maybe that’s just me. Continue reading »

The Sunrise Festival: a family friendly choice

04 Tuesday Jun 2013

Posted by in Family, Seasonal, Travel, Well being

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The Sunrise Festival - slideNestled into the peaceful countryside, on the Wiltshire / Somerset border, we had our first taste of a family friendly festival last weekend.

As the flags fluttered in the breeze and the sound of drums carried through the air, I immediately felt at home at The Sunrise Festival.

We’d survived the Battle of the Tent (note to self: read instructions carefully before attempting to put up a borrowed tent). We’d got through a last-minute trip to the supermarket to hastily stock up on supplies. We’d even made the entire journey without an argument.

We had arrived. And my, it felt good.

Walking into The Sunrise Festival is like stepping into another world. Continue reading »

A little piece of happy

01 Wednesday May 2013

Posted by in Seasonal, Well being

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Flowers in bloom

Doesn’t the sunshine just make everything better?

I found myself feeling properly relaxed for the first time in what seems like ages today. I’m pretty sure it’s mainly down to the weather and the fact I spent a couple of hours pottering in the garden. Then again, it could also be attributed to the small matter of my toddler’s mammoth two hour nap this afternoon.

The last couple of days have been productive, tinged with moments of indulgence. Mornings in the gardens, fields and woods at nursery have tired my almost-three year old out, leaving her snoring on the sofa within five minutes of arriving home.

With a bonus couple of hours that weren’t planned for, I’ve been able to clear the laundry (I’m one of those weird people that actually gets a sense of satisfaction at hanging out the washing and seeing it dry in the breeze), potter around the garden, clear some work deadlines and – yesterday – have a tiny nap. Continue reading »