Nappy Happy!

One of the big considerations for me before Holly was born was which type of nappies we would use. Disposable or cloth?  There are lots of pros and cons for both.  One of the big considerations for us was the question of expense.  Do you know how much it will cost to keep your baby in disposable nappies up until the age of 2?  Well here is a little example to give you an idea...

Coping with crying...

So lets face facts....If you have a baby, your baby will cry.  That is what babies do after all!

However, if you are very lucky you might have a baby who cries very little.  Lucky you!  Yet this simply isn't the case for all of us.

You may have a baby who is colicky, or simply goes through stages of crying.

Terrible, inconsolable crying, for hours on end.  Crying that no amount of  nursing, swaddling, rocking, singing, shushing or soothing will help.

Now if you have a baby like this, seeing their little face twisted in what looks like agony, purple, lips quivering and letting out the most unearthly scream you have ever heard, it is heart wrenching.  It is soul destroying and exhausting and probably feels like the worst moment of your entire life.

I've taken my daughter to the GP, the Health Visitor and even to A & E. We've tried gaviscon and multiple prescriptions but NOTHING has worked. In fact, I've been told by more than one doctor;

"Some babies are just like that. You just have to wait it out."

So I've held my own  daughter as she cried, after hours of trying to soothe her without success with tears of anguish rolling down my face.  I don't pretend to be an expert on this type of crying (my own daughter is only 7 weeks old), and I can't tell you any miracle solution to it either.  There is one thing I do know though, if you have tried everything you possibly can, sometimes your only option is to ride it out...Now if this is your only option, you need to find a way to make it more bearable for you.  So here it is, my way of coping with crying.  The things I tell myself to make it alright.  My coping with crying mantra.

Labour of Love

I suppose it might be about time to tell you the story of my labour....

My baby girl was fashionably late....12 days late to be exact!  Even then she didn't come out of her own free will, I was induced.  My little angel was perfectly happy inside my tummy, and to tell you the truth I was in no great rush to get her out!  Don't get me wrong, I desperately wanted to meet her, but having unexpectedly enjoyed the whole pregnancy experience I really didn't want it to end!  So induction day arrives and off we went to the hospital.

I had my birth plan all set. If the induction was successful at the first attempt, I had decided to try out the birthing pool and stick to breathing techniques and possibly gas and air.  In the event that it became too painful I said I would consider other methods of pain relief.  I didn't really see that as being likely, I have a very high pain threshold and was pretty confident I would be able to cope.

Motivation and Inspiration?

Q:  Why did I start this blog?

A:  Since having my beautiful daughter Holly I have truly come to realise what a wonderful thing it is to be a parent.  Yet at the same time it is one of the most challenging and exhausting things I have ever done.  People tell you how tired you will be, warn you of the sleepless nights etc.  Yet there are some things I've come across which are never spoken about, some situations and emotions that I simply wasn't prepared for.  So I wanted, and needed a place to get it all out in the open, not just for my sanity, but for any other parents out there who might be having the same ups and downs and might need to know they aren't alone, or that maybe things aren't as bad as they thought.  So be prepared, I plan to tell my parenting story here, warts and all.  The good, the bad and the down right ugly truth of it all. 

Attitude change!

Well here we are...Holly will be exactly a month old in 5 days time, and for the life of me I have absolutely no idea where the time has gone.  I mean, I actually cannot believe I have managed to look after a newborn baby for nearly a whole month.  ME - the formerly reluctant mum.  Perhaps I should explain exactly what I mean by that...