running shoes on for Bliss

Why I am Digging Out My Running Shoes to Raise Money For Bliss

Exercise has always been a big part of my life. I enjoyed it throughout school and have always had active, physical jobs. I have loved classes such as Pilates, step aerobics, Zumba and Hiit as well as running. I even lifted kettlebells and Bulgarian bags during my second pregnancy! Safely, of course, under the watch of an experienced fitness instructor. I wanted to be strong, fit and healthy in order to get the natural birth I so eagerly wanted after experiencing a traumatic emergency c-section with my first baby. And I was doing really well. My fitness levels were probably the best they had ever been, I was strong, I loved working out and it gave me focus.

Continue reading “Why I am Digging Out My Running Shoes to Raise Money For Bliss”
Related Posts:
Simba Hybrid Kids Mattress Review
the kids Simba Hybrid mattress on a single bed in a girls' bedroom

*PR Product & Affiliate Links As parents, we all want our kids to sleep well for both their well-being and Read more

The Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Right Car Seat for Your Family
a family car seat shopping

A car seat is one of those rare purchases that can stay with your family for years. From your baby’s Read more

What’s it Like to have a Baby with Reflux?
newborn baby reflux

Reflux. It's a word I'd heard of previously, just as I had done with Colic but when your first child Read more

The Benefits of Owning a Car
car by the sea

*Collaborative Post A car is a massive expense. If you don’t already drive, the costs of taking lessons and passing Read more

London little lights walk, 5 lanterns walking across London

Support World Prematurity Day with Bliss London Little Lights Walk

World Prematurity Day is a global movement to raise awareness of premature birth and the sometimes devastating impact it can have on families. On 17 November, Bliss comes together with partners from around the world to talk about premature birth in their countries and to try and take action on behalf of the 15 million babies born early every year.

This year Bliss will be marking this day with their London Little Lights Walk but before I get into that I’d like to share my own story of prematurity with you and explain why this charity is so important…

Continue reading “Support World Prematurity Day with Bliss London Little Lights Walk”
Related Posts:
Parent’s Top Tips For Choosing a Secondary School
books

It feels like it was only the other year that I was looking around infant schools and weighing up which Read more

Raising A Privacy-Savvy Child: How To Teach Kids To Share Responsibly Online
a child under a duvet looking at a tablet

Introduction In today's digital world, children are growing up surrounded by technology, making it essential to teach them how to Read more

A Parent’s Guide to Buying the First Car for Their Teen
Proud father taking his son out for a drive in a newly bought car

Getting your first car is always an exciting experience for anyone who is a teenager. But parents usually add some Read more

Review: Taking Our First Steps With Dotty Fish
Taking our first steps with Dotty Fish, a review

*Ad As an ex-shoe shop manager, I have a thing about shoes. For starters, I love them! I have always Read more

preemie baby in an incubator

The Bittersweet Side of Becoming a Preemie Parent

I have held off writing this for a quite a while for a couple of reasons really. 1 I felt that I had covered quite a bit on prematurity and sometimes it really can sound like you are always being quite negative (without meaning to but until you’ve been in these shoes it can be difficult to understand where it is all coming from) and 2 because it is still painful to think about certain aspects and to reflect on how those moments made me feel.

Continue reading “The Bittersweet Side of Becoming a Preemie Parent”
Related Posts:
Breastfeeding and Prematurity
breastfeeding and prematurity- me sat feeding william for the first time in NICU

One thing I always knew I wanted to do as a Mother was to be able to breastfeed my babies. Read more

An Eventful Birth Story: PPROM, VBAC and Prematurity
new baby- my birth story

If you have been following my blog you will know that I have been openly documenting my pregnancy journey and Read more

What To Expect If Your Waters Break Early
waters break early

At 30 weeks pregnant, the last thing I expected to happen was to have my waters breaking this early. The Read more

C-Section Versus VBAC
C-Section versus VBAC black and white photo of baby's foot in hospital after birth

This is a post I have been meaning to write for so long now. Having had an emergency c-section with Read more

Jake with baby

How to Help Your Child Cope with Having a Sibling in NICU

I was recently contacted by a Mother asking me if I had written a post on how to help your child cope with having a sibling in NICU. I hadn’t even thought about this as a blog topic but also couldn’t believe I had overlooked it! Through the emotions, the tiredness, the back and forth to the hospital, I had constantly thought about our baby and writing about his journey yet the other superstar hasn’t had a mention, and he definitely deserves one. 

Continue reading “How to Help Your Child Cope with Having a Sibling in NICU”
Related Posts:
The National Botanic Garden Of Wales- A Great Day Out
The national botanic garden wales

We have just come back from a lovely break in Wales where we visited so many amazing different places but my Read more

Why A New Puppy Was The Right Choice For Our Family
Tessa sat on a rug

Back in July, we had to say goodbye to my beautiful border terrier, Molly. She had been a huge part Read more

12 Eco-Friendly Must-Haves for University
a person holding a reusable water bottle

*Affiliate Links It's that time of year when uni prep is underway and, as a parent, you don't know whether Read more

DIY: Personalised Gift
personalised gifts for fathers day

Finding the perfect gift can be difficult especially as you get older and also as you become a parent and Read more

preemie parent, 3 pictures of prem baby

The First Six Months as a Preemie Parent

Six months have somehow passed since our little ‘dinks’ arrived prematurely into our world and I cannot believe it. At times it still feels as though it was only last week that I was back and forth to the hospital, having emotional breakdowns, longing for my baby to be able to come home, yet here we are months later, sitting at home with a very happy and healthy little boy who has come on leaps and bounds. Becoming a preemie parent has been an eye-opener and a very different journey to having a full-term baby and I know I am incredibly lucky that my boy is here safe and well…

Continue reading “The First Six Months as a Preemie Parent”
Related Posts:
The Significance of Waterproof Name Labels
girls in school uniform

As parents, we all know the joy and excitement our kids experience while exploring the great outdoors. Whether it's camping, Read more

Why, Why, Whhhhhhyyyy?!
why oh why? questions from kids

Yes, you have guessed it from the title, we have hit the 'why' stage and hit it hard. I am Read more

Why I Was Wrong About Co-Sleeping
why I was wrong about co-sleeping

Before you become a parent you know it all, don't you? I mean, how many times did you look at Read more

Essential Guide to Weaning Your Baby off Breast Milk
baby being bottle fed

Switching from breast milk to formula can be a daunting process. The transitional phase from being fully breastfed to formula-fed Read more

preemie baby in a cot

55 Things a Preemie Parent Doesn’t Want to Hear (and tips on what to say and do)

When you become a preemie parent your entire newborn journey alters. You are thrown into a world that is scary, upsetting, unnerving and completely unpredictable. You lose all those firsts that should experience and you return home without your baby.

Even after your baby does come home, times can be tough and not all stories are straightforward. Whatever the situation is, those parents require support both emotional and physical. They need people to understand what they are going through and, most importantly, they need these people to be saying and asking the right things. Unfortunately, there are a lot of (ahem)

Continue reading “55 Things a Preemie Parent Doesn’t Want to Hear (and tips on what to say and do)”
Related Posts:
The Things You are Never Told about Having a Child
what no one tells you about a child

We all know the cliche's, we hear all the 'advice'  and we read all the relevant books but nothing can Read more

Tips For Breastfeeding In Public With Confidence
breastfeeding in public on a beach

Breastfeeding for me has been a smooth and enjoyable journey for the most part with both of my boys. It Read more

Enjoying (and Surviving) Orlando, Florida
Disney World Castle

As I am off on my holiday to Florida, I wanted to be able to provide relevant content for you Read more

Five Top Tips To Make Your Garden Child Friendly
kids colleting veg in garden play

Our gardens are perfect places for our children to run around and play, but at the same time there are Read more

breastfeeding and prematurity- me sat feeding william for the first time in NICU

Breastfeeding and Prematurity

One thing I always knew I wanted to do as a Mother was to be able to breastfeed my babies. I managed easily with my firstborn and he fed from me for 9 months– until he developed far too many teeth and learnt to bite! This time around, it was a no-brainer, breastfeed again and hopefully for longer. There were for 2 reasons for this, 1 because I loved the connection that breastfeeding brought me and my baby and 2 it’s free and so convenient.

What I didn’t envisage happening was

Continue reading “Breastfeeding and Prematurity”
Related Posts:
Making Learning Fun with Little House of Science
little house of science

*Collaborative Post Back in the day, when I was at school, you were there to learn and this meant the Read more

7 Ways to Encourage Inclusivity in Your Child’s School
child with painted hand up with red, green and blue

Children are some of the most open-minded people you'll ever encounter. All you need to do is expose them to Read more

How to Raise Happy, Healthy, and Active Children
kids hands

In this era of technology, almost every other child is attached to their gadgets. And so, raising a child who Read more

Amazing Things You Can Do With Your Kids This Summer
a child dancing around outside in the summer sun

*Collaborative Post Okay, so the global pandemic might have put the kibosh on your holiday plans for at least a Read more