Yesterday I ventured to our local NCT playgroup for the first time. I’ve been meaning to go for ages but never got round to it. The playgroup was held in a lovely building with plenty of outdoor space. Indoors, the room was split into different play zones with space for soft play, art and crafts, musical toys, a pretend kitchen, a jigsaw table and dressing up clothes. We paid £1.50 for the play session which lasted 90 minutes and ended up with a singing session. I was really disappointed with it. It was our first time there and no-one spoke…
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The topic of poo must surely rank at the top of new parents conversations. Childless, poo was taboo. As a new mum I could talk about poo with friends, family and strangers on the bus, in a shop or at the park. A year on I still have poo stories to tell my husband when he comes home from the office. Occasionally I even shout for help if two hands just aren’t enough to change Edward and I’m always happy to let my mum or sister change Edward when we’re visiting them. My first thoughts on poo were formed when…
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Whilst I love spending time with my little boy my maternity pay recently came to an end. I’ve been trying to save my pennies until I returning to work in a few weeks. I thought I’d share my 10 top tips for saving money whilst on maternity leave: Buy second hand toys Little ones go through toys quickly so buy second hand where possible. Ebay, NCT sales, charity shops and toy swaps are great places to find new to you toys. The toys are usually in great condition and your little one doesn’t care where they’ve come from. Make your…
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Edward slept through the night on Sunday from midnight to six am 🙂 After a bit of googling I discovered that our hungry/sleepy baby may be experiencing another growth spurt. Growth spurts occur at ten days, six weeks, three months, six months and nine months. I learned that cluster feeding, where the baby is feeding more often, is the first sign of this. Just when I think we are settling into a routine Edward won’t go to bed easily or will be really hungry more often than normal. I’m glad to know there is some kind of reason for it…
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I’m sure I’m not alone as a new mum feeling exceptionally tired at the moment. A recent holiday and the unsettled weather means the routine Edward and I had is out of the window. He seems constantly hungry and has taken to sleeping for long periods during the day and shorter periods during the night. We have tried to instill a routine where he naps during the day in a light, noisy room. During the night he sleeps in his nursery, or his moses basket in our room, which are both kept dark and quiet. I love Edward dearly but…
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Here’s the parcel of goodies I’ve prepared for my partner as part of the Spring colours swap on swap-bot. We had to send 5 items in green, light blue and pink colours so I’ve chosen felt squares, stickers, buttons, beads and some handmade items too. I hope she likes them! We met up with our NCT ante-natal class for a delicious lunch at the Junction Tavern today. It was so nice to see everyone although it felt very strange telling them our baby will be born on Thursday. I still haven’t got my head round the fact I’m going to…
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Today was the second day of our NCT ante natal class. It was much better than last week and we discussed pain relief, how to wash a baby, how to change a baby’s nappy and how to put a baby to bed and how many layers to use. I especially liked the part where we split into two groups after lunch. We discussed what to pack in our hospital bags, leaking, cutting, tearing and whether we should purchase sieves and mirrors for childbirth, whilst the men discussed post natal depression. There was a great moment when one of the men…
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I noticed some recent discussions about ante natal classes today so it seems like a good opportunity to think about the first NCT ante natal class we went to on Monday. We always wanted to attend the NCT classes. Some of our closest friends rave about the friends they met on the course they did in Southampton. They meet at least once a week for coffee, attend each others birthday parties and have been providing a rota of cooked meals for the families who are having their second children! So after our booking-in appointment at the local hospital we were…