There are many moments when motherhood can feel overwhelming – the exhaustion of chronic sleep deprivation, the weight of the responsibility of caring for and nurturing a little one and the mundaneness that often comes with the everyday. There are moments when it can feel lonely and moments when it feels like bedtime cannot come… Read More
Two big blue eyes peek from a cot A soft, sweet voice is cooing Two little arms are lifted up Beautiful, fleeting moments Chubby arms around my neck Small head upon my shoulder My baby snuggling close to me Beautiful, fleeting moments Raspberries blown on a bare tum Tickles, squeals of laughter Row, row your… Read More
The term “natural caesarean” seems like an oxymoron – after all, the standard environment for this kind of birth – an operating theatre, with surgical team in sterile scrubs and baby being removed from its mother’s womb via an abdominal incision before being taken to a rescuscitaire to be checked over and often then weighed… Read More
Congenital heart defects (CHDs) affect approximately 1% of all babies. Around a third of these are detected during pregnancy and another third during the standard newborn checks that are carried out in babies born in hospital before they go home. This means however that around 1 in 3 babies with a CHD will go home… Read More
February – a month that is all about hearts. Hearts, flowers, chocolates, Valentine’s cards. For me as a mummy to a child with a complex congenital heart defect (CHD), February also has added significance with regards to hearts as it is National Heart Month, with Heart Week taking place from 7th-14th February. Since my daughter… Read More
There’s been a lot of comments and activity in my social media feeds over the last couple of days about the new NICE guidelines on intrapartum care (care during the birth of a baby) which have been reported as home birth being ‘best’ for many mothers. The NICE guidelines advising women that giving birth at… Read More
I had hoped for a home waterbirth when I was expecting my first daughter, Jessica, in 2011 but when she was diagnosed antenatally with a complex heart condition, our plans changed and I chose to birth her in hospital as she needed heart surgery very soon after birth. Although Jessica’s birth (with the help of… Read More