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:
An Honest Review of The New Adventure Play at Windsor Great Park
Adventure Play Review

As a family with 2 very active boys, we are always on the lookout for new places to visit and Read more

Get Better at Protecting Your Child’s Health and Fitness By Reading This
child in bed- childrens health

*Collaborative Post As a parent, you’ll know that nothing is more important than the general well being of your child. Read more

World Book Day: Our Top Ten Children’s Books
our top ten children's books writing across an image of books

*Amazon Affiliate Links It's World Book Day and to mark this, myself and Jake have put our heads together to Read more

Foot Care for Kids: A Step Ahead
kids feet on sand

Parents always want the best for their children. They start life needing constant support, and in the blink of an 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:
Exploring Gratitude With Your Child
child hugging a mum

As parents, it is a common desire to want to provide your child with every opportunity, luxury and happiness life Read more

When Your Boy Really Turns into a Boy!
my boy

We've gradually made our way through the stages. The terrible two's weren't too bad and I would have to say Read more

Respecting The Memory Of A Departed Loved One
a graveyard

*Collaborative Post One of the most difficult facts of life to deal with is that it’s temporary for all of Read more

13 Natural Teething Remedies to Help Your Baby
teething baby with finger in his mouth

Are you in the throes of teething? I am, for the second time... sigh. He only has 2 at the 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:
Choosing the Right Bed for Your Baby
a nursery with a baby bed

Selecting the perfect baby bed for your newborn is an important decision for parents. A baby bed is where your Read more

How Many Cloth Nappies Do I Need?
cloth nappies in a basket

When you first start looking into using cloth nappies, it can feel a little overwhelming but one of the most Read more

5 Great Reasons Why You Should Give Reusable Nappies a Go!
a baby in a green reusable nappy

As a Mum who has used both single-use nappies and reusable nappies, I can hand on heart say that reusables Read more

Tips on Teaching Your Child Basic Life Skills
man and child

As parents, we all want to see our children grow up to be confident, successful, and independent individuals. One of Read more

family in nicu

How Can You Support A Family With A Baby In NICU?

It can be difficult for people to know what the right things to say or do when a family welcome a baby prematurely. I must admit that before we had William I was pretty clueless about the ins and outs of NICU life and even though I have known of couples who have had a baby pre-term it felt as though if I asked lots of questions I may have seemed as though I was prying and I didn’t want to offend by asking the wrong thing. Now I have been in those shoes I know what a scary, lonely time it can be and for me, I found talking helped. I think we can all be a little too polite at times and perhaps if we spoke about situations a little more we could all offer and receive more help and support.

So, what does a family with a baby in NICU need and how can you provide that support?

Continue reading “How Can You Support A Family With A Baby In NICU?” →
Related Posts:
Our NICU Journey- Week One
our nicu journey

So, you arrived early. I expected it, I just knew my body hadn't felt right, I'd been saying this since Read more

Our NICU Journey- Week Two
our nicu journey week two

One week has passed in NICU and so much happened that it was all a whirlwind. We had the elation Read more

Our NICU Journey- Week Three (part one)
nicu journey week three

Another week, more hospital NICU visits to come and I begin to notice the toll it's having on all of Read more

Our NICU Journey- Week Three (part two)
our NICU journey week three part two

Our NICU journey continues: That night in NICU... I was told about prem baby's and their little noises but wow, Read more

our NICU journey week three part two

Our NICU Journey- Week Three (part two)

Our NICU journey continues:

That night in NICU…

I was told about prem baby’s and their little noises but wow, I wasn’t prepared for quite so many groans, grunts, snuffles and squeaks! I wasn’t sure if I was going to get any sleep but you settle after a 2am feed and you go through until 4:30am then wake again at 6:30am. You show me that you can breastfeed on demand and wake for it ok. Your temperature seemed ok throughout the night– I checked the back of your neck, your chest and your back just to be on the safe side… I may have also checked your breathing a little too much!! I can see how I am going to be once you are home.

Continue reading “Our NICU Journey- Week Three (part two)” →
Related Posts:
From Maternity To Postpartum Clothing: How To Transition Your Wardrobe Accordingly
maternity

Pregnancy, indeed, brings about a lot of changes – primarily to your body and whole wellbeing. But did you know Read more

The Importance of Getting Kids Gardening
child gardening

Gardening, for me, has developed into a big hobby over the last 5 years or so. Once you get the Read more

4 Self-Care Tips for New Moms
a mum wtith 2 kids laying a on bed

As the new mom of a beautiful bundle of joy, it can often seem as if every waking second of Read more

3 Simple Ways To Save For Your Kid’s Future
little girl counting money

*Collaborative Post Things are a lot harder for young people than they were for you when you were their age. Read more

nicu journey week three

Our NICU Journey- Week Three (part one)

Another week, more hospital NICU visits to come and I begin to notice the toll it’s having on all of us. The tiredness, the worry, the stress, the juggling of normal life with hospital life. You can only fully understand all of this if you have been in the same position, it’s a whole other world. Having Jake around is a lovely distraction from the seriousness of it all but trying to balance his needs with yours is a skill I am only just about managing.

Continue reading “Our NICU Journey- Week Three (part one)” →
Related Posts:
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

7 skills I have mastered since becoming a parent!
a mum managing many tasks and skills

I thought that all of the skills I had pre-baby were pretty good (and of course I had all the Read more

Is My Baby Teething?
teething baby

Ahh, one of the most common questions that seems to come up in parenting groups and I'm sure it is Read more

Coping With Reusable Nappy Leaks
baby laying on his back underneath a wooden climber wearing a reusable nappy

Reusable nappy leaks⁣? Ok, so they DO happen. Yes, cloth is better than disposables for this and yep you won’t Read more