Live life on the wild side

(contains amazon associates link)  Hey guys, it's been a while!  My last post was a little before my return to work, were are now half way through  2025!  So where are we? Well little man isn't so little, at 16 months he is in full blown toddler hood, we walk, run, climb, scream, babble, and have super sass (gets that from me), we get frustrated at not being able to do things but want to be into doing everything! He has been at nursery for about 7 months now and has fully settled in found his confidence and loves every day! We have had our fair share of illnesses, accidents and art work and we are currently preparing for the transition to the next room.  As for me, I've settled into being a Mama and a Teacher, I've reflected on my life and started making adjustments, I have also had my fair share of illnesses (though not as many as the boy) and I'm surviving, not quite thriving, but getting closer to the threshold.  What have we been up to? Lately? trying t...

 Hey guys its Jess here,  Today I just want to share a little about where we are now!  We are nearly nine months old! This is very exciting, but very daunting as it also means it's nearly time to go back to work, I am excited as I am stepping into a new role, but also a little anxious, I've been out of the game for a little while, wrapped up in the cosy bubble of being a Mama, and now i need to tackle the challenge of learning to be a Mama AND a teacher.  This week we have been doing settles at nursery, he has done so well, of course there were tears, its to be expected, its very different settling in to nursery, even if they have been to lots of play groups, spent time with family without you present or been around lots of new people. It can be a little overwhelming to be in a new place with new faces, smells and sounds and then to realise your Mama or Da isn't there? I would cry too!  Saying that though, early years educators work really hard to help new littl...

(Contains amazon associate links)  Hey guys!  I'm still here! Quick update, we are currently a day off being 8 months, we have 6 teeth one of which has come in really early, we are a decent way through weaning, sleep is apparently for the weak (or so my child thinks) and my pelvic floor is shot! (Take this as a reminder to do your pelvic floor exercises!) Today I just want to share a quick update on what I have learned on our weaning journey, because lets face it weaning is not just a learning curve for babies its also a challenge for the parents, and I naively thought I had it sussed with having worked in childcare most my adult life-Oh how wrong I was!  Okay first thing, it is very different doing solid food with your own child compared to someone else's, when you prep food for a child that belongs to another human its easy! yes you still have to watch for choking and support them however they need to be supported, but they have done the hard bit! They have tried the ne...

 Just a short post today, Life has been busy!  We are now 7 months old! Where has the time gone! We have 2 sets of teeth, we roll and spin around to get into everything, we have started eating real food and I don't think it will be long before we have a crawler!  The reality of him growing older too quick isn't just in how fast it has gone in a blink of and eye but also how little time I have left before I have to return to work and I won't get my long lay ins with him, my fun days out and being able to enjoy my time with him rather than cram it all in during an evening.  Saying that the last seven months hasn't been smooth sailing, babies are hard! You get over one thing and BAM another swings in and smacks you in the gut. Constant feeds, sleep regression, teething, rolling, sitting (sort of), weaning, crawling the list never ends! Each one a challenge and a reward in its own right!  As for me? we I'm running sort of, Halloween week has been a busy one so runni...

 Hey guys,  Jess here with a short blog around parent groups!  Before becoming a mum I was never really sure around going to a parent group or mum and baby group as most are named but during the first few weeks I checked in with the Abingdon Breastfeeding cafe to get some support around breast feeding, particularly around latching and my concerns around feeding, since then I have been going weekly, sometimes for additional support but mostly just to catch up, have coffee and cake and meet other parents.  This importance around parent groups really came to me as hubby returned to work and I had my first few days home alone, it takes time to re-adjust to a new routine of being on your own, suddenly the extra hands are gone, you have to rethink how your taking time to shower, you get use to taking your newborn with you to pee and your pretty much doing all the changing and feeding, throw in a few days of bad reflux and not napping and you end up with one very emotional ...

 Hey Guys,  Jess here and today I want to chat to you about Perinatal Mental Health. This week (29th April -5th May 2024) is Maternal Mental Health week where a week long campaign is running to raise awareness around mental health before, during and after birth. You can find out more about the campaign here: Maternal Mental Health Alliance Perinatal mental health is all around advocating for and recognising symptoms of mental health around pregnancy, this could be feelings of uncertainty or anxiousness around the pregnancy itself,  being worried or concerned about the birthing process or feelings of low mood and depression post birth. Perinatal mental health most commonly affects the pregnant partner however they are not the only ones who are affected as the non pregnant partner can also go through mental health issues. Whilst the pregnant partner has to carry birth and feed (if exclusively breastfed) the baby the non pregnant partner has to watch the whole birth process,...

 Hey guys, Jess here, Today I want to share  a short advice blog with you following 3 weeks post birth, well just over 3 weeks, we were 3 weeks Wednesday just gone, although it doesn't really feel like it because it does feel like we lost a week whilst we were in hospital!  Those of you who have been following the blog will have probably already read the birth experience and some of my other tips, if you haven't, go check them out.  Okay so today I want to share some thought's advice and tips for 3 weeks post birth.  Firstly the thoughts: Initially my thought is how on earth has it already been 3 weeks! What felt like really long nights, long days and difficult times are 'mostly' behind me-though I know I still have many more sleepless nights to go-however they also feel like they went too quickly, He's no longer my little baby boy, though he still has the scrunch but its not fully noticeable till I look back over photos, however he is getting heavier.  My ...

(Contains amazon associates links)   Hey guys Jess here and today I'm going to share with you a brief put together of some of the things that have helped me post birth, this is not an exhaustive list of what works, but things that you might want to try and see if they help you.  First lets share a little of my journey, induced, mass blood loss, 6 days in hospital, feeding issues, jaundice baby, 2nd degree tear, low blood haemoglobin levels, stitches, haemorrhoids, constipation, several different pain meds, other meds and blood thinners. For the full birth story you can head here: https://livelifeonthewildside.blogspot.com/2024/04/the-birth-experience.html Yes I know this is going on the internet for all to see but 1. These are all parts of being human and pushing a child out of you, if your lucky you won't get these but there is always a possibility 2. once you have had several midwives, doctors, etc looking at various different body parts and constantly talked to th...

 Hi guys,  Jess here, and today I am 2 weeks post birth, little man is 2 weeks old and I want to talk a little about my Journey so far. Those of you who have read the last blog will know that my pregnancy ended in a bit of a birth 'experience', followed by 6 days in hospital before we were finally discharged, once we were home I was more at ease and glad to be back with hubby, the nights didn't seem so lonely and I was just glad to be back in my own bed and not living out of a bag. Tuesday we had a visit from the community midwife, she came to do a check on little one, check in around feeding, cord, jaundice, and check in on me, she checked my stitches and asked about my well being, and after 6 days stuck in hospital and finally being back home my well being was great, I was tired but that was to be expected, things hurt and ached still but I was ready to get back into a routine that I had control over, this was, it turns out going to be my biggest challenge.  The first 2...