Mamas and Papas One Four Four

Image courtesy of Mamas and Papas

Last week I was lucky enough to win a spot at a yoga class run by Frame at the opening weekend of the new Mamas and Papas' store in the heart of 'nappy valley' on Northcote Road. 

Maternity Leave for Beginners

A very popular thread on mums forums is what to do during maternity leave when you are waiting for your baby to arrive. I am starting maternity leave for the second time very early. Being a teacher has few perks in life, but having the six weeks holiday before my October due date does give me what feels like an extra long time off.  

So, second time round on the maternity leave wagon and here are my top tips for beginners to this crazy brilliant wonderful time when you're off and before baby arrives.

Hypnobirthing with London Hypnobirthing

In July I attended a one day ladies only Hypnobirthing essentials course with Hollie de Cruz at London Hypnobirthing in Dulwich SE London.

I had toyed with the idea of attending a course since finding out I was pregnant again. I knew I wanted a different perspective on birth after L's birth and the fall out. I had talked to a supervisor or midwives about a new approach and she had mentioned Hypnobirthing. A friend delivered her second daughter in May and found that Hypnobirthing had given her a good mind set for birth. This gave me the final push to book on the course. 

An Art Area in the Home

Inspired by The Imagination Tree, inspired by The Artful Parent and many Pinterest pages I started creating an art area for L about two years ago in our dining/office area just opposite the kitchen. It started with a chalk board table, then I added a set of draws and slowly it's grown and changed as L grew and changed. 

These draws are organised by content so that I can find resources easier. The top now has colouring pencils, felt tips, glue and some small books for note taking. All resources which I am happy now for L to have free access to. You can adjust what is freely accessible based on your childs' age and experience and home!

Bumps and I

Your body changes in pregnancy. A given. Not a surprise. You're growing a new human and it's got to have an impact somewhere. Somewhere mostly means the tummy but also includes the boobs, hips, bum, face. 

Last time with L I embraced the bump. It popped early and I went quickly into a size up clothing. Work and work colleagues new early on due to the slapped cheek infection and so I never really had to hide it away. I grew a sizeable bump and shared regular bump pictures on my personal Facebook page. I only really noticed the other weight gain, mostly around my face, when I looked back at photos post delivery. So wrapped up in the excitement of impending motherhood and never really thinking about the impact of my unhealthy cravings, think maximum sugar minimum vitamins. 

Intuition with Wilkinson

All mums know that time is precious, we count days, weeks months as babies grow, we count minutes asleep and we crave a few more minutes in the day for time for us.

Wilkinson Sword have thought about time pressed mums with their new razor, the Intuition razor has built in time saving, it is built in ease of use and it is perfect for those snatched five minute showers.

Debrief on Birth Grief

I wrote last year about my fears about L's delivery. I wrote about how the scars of her caesarean were more than physical.

After writing that post I had a debrief with a wonderful midwife at the hospital where L was born. This was something I had been thinking of doing for a while and something which I was only ready to do when L was nearly 2 years old. It became more urgent for me to address as I realised my continued fears and anxieties following L's delivery were preventing me from wanting to expand our family, were making me fear pregnancy.