Live life on the wild side

 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...

 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!  Welcome back to the blog! Today I want to chat to you to build confidence in getting out post birth. Getting out for the first time can be a bit daunting, thinking about everything you are going to need, planning around feeds, expressing, fitting pushchairs etc.  I'm here today to share a bit of insight and some tips!  First of all, you just have to do it, plan as best you can and just get out, and whatever happens find a way to deal with it, it won't always go to plan, but the sooner you do it the quicker you will build confidence.  Top tips to get you out the door.  -Have a baby go bag- This can have everything in that you might ever need, mine contains the following; Nappies, wipes, change of clothes, muslin clothes, blanket, cardigan, hats, mittens, socks, bibs, ready made formula feeds and a bottle (this is added just before we leave so it can be sterilised). All these items live in there (except the bottle) and are replaced once we return home i...

  Hey Guys,  Jess here with a short chat about newborn feeding.  I am up to 4 weeks with a little one and have spent about 12 years in childcare. I have seen a  range of feeding and with my own nearly 1 month old I am combi feeding, this is a mix of bottle and breast feeding. Some people breastfeed, some bottle and some combi feed, and people will feed in different ways for different times, I know people who stop breastfeeding quite early and others who will keep breast feeding for many years.  Ultimately however you choose to feed is up to you and no one should be able to tell you otherwise because you have to find what works best for you and your family. #FedIsBest There still seems to be a bit of a stigma around bottle feeding babies, and you still see and hear things around Breast is best, there are rules around advertising initial formula for newborns in order to encourage breastfeeding and most commonly you will find people are being encouraged or advised ...

 Hi guys Jess here with a little blog.  Those of you who are parents and have been through the act or raising a child will have heard this phrase a lot.  "It gets easier." This is in response to several areas of a child's life, new born, teething, sleep regression, toddlers, threen-ager (age of 3 attitude of 13), fearsome 4 year old's, teen years, school years, puberty....you get it the list goes on.  But my though process today is does it get easier? Or does it just change. Instead why don't we just say,  This is a phase, no body has the one answer to cure all, we are all just winging it 90% of the time and you have to do what works for you.  Because let's face it that is more accurate!  I am still in the very early stages of parenting in the new born stage with a 2 and a half week old, but I have also worked in childcare with children from 4 months to 12 years for over a decade, I've told parents, it gets easier, this is just a phase, it will pass, w...

 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...