Settling In

So I'm due to return to work in just over a week's time throwing me back into the adult world.  This is not just a period of extreme change for me but also my son who will have to learn to be without any family members for almost 12 hours one day a week.  He will also be without his mummy longer than he has ever been before but I honestly don't think he's too bothered as long as he is with one of the family members.  

 

At his chosen nursery they carry out a period of what they call "settling in".  This is a gradual process of two weeks slowly increasing my son's exposure to the nursery environment.  Yesterday was one hour without me, today is two hours without me, tomorrow will be two hours but at a different time of day, the next day will be three hours etc etc.  Today is Day 2 and I am sitting in a café trying not to cry as I write and clock watching till I can go and collect my baby.  His first day he fell asleep on his way there and being nosey, he was woken up by the sound of other children the moment we got there.  Tired baby and disorientation means he was not crying for a total of 10 minutes.  When we got home, he was so affectionate (not like him at all) but enjoyed a little snuggle to get to sleep.  My heart is breaking.  And now I'm crying.  In public.  

The thing is that yesterday, although I had to count to 40 to calm down when I left my son, once I had done all of my errands and sat down in a coffee shop to my peppermint tea and bacon butty, I couldn't help but think... this is nice! No rushing to get somewhere on time, no needing to worry about anything in that moment, no wondering if I had forgotten to pack something for just an hour trip out of the house.  The last time I could do that was when I was pregnant.  I enjoyed the eating out at restaurants, going for a tea in a shop, sitting down to read, just me and my bump alone, no cares in the world.  Then immediately after I thought that, I felt guilty then concerned.  Because of course a mother is not a mother without mother's guilt.  How dare I enjoy myself, my son is probably crying his eyes out, I've left my poor baby with a bunch of strangers and I'm enjoying my tea, what kind of mother does that? Crazy right? Not only because he was literally out of my sight for not even an hour but he was with trained professionals who know babies better than I could.  Why beat myself up when I'm only having a break of what ended up as only 20mins in the end?  Mothers give themselves such a hard time.  When they are given free time how could they have the audacity to relax when there's so much they could be doing instead?

I know it will get easier for the both of us but on the positive side, much better that this is happening now than two years down the line when I am all my son truly knows and the separation anxiety for both of us, particularly him is even more unbearable.  I'm doing the right thing, right? 

~AB~

Our baby booty - pros and cons

When you find out you're expecting, everyone wants to offer you advice especially other new parents.  A lot of the comments from our friends were that people ended up buying a lot of things they didn't need and in hindsight wished they didn't.  Thankfully everything we have and have bought has been used but we had taken heed of a lot of advice and also used common sense as to what is a rip off (baby food blenders and flasks) and what isn't.  Every set of parents work differently and have a different routine which works for them.  I am lucky to have a very hands on husband who helps out with the nappy changes, the feeds, the entertainment etc so what works for us might not work for someone whose partner is not so hands on or works all of the hours god sends to provide for the family. 

Here is a list of stuff that really worked for us and still continues to: 

Withings Smart Baby Monitor
Pros - you get to see your baby actually breathing and the app even works outside of the house. Also great for babies who are a little dramatic and cry for attention as you can see them crying and know what they're about.  Tells you the room temperature and humidity too without need for a room thermometer.
Cons - you need a good internet connection, if you don't or your connection is intermittent you cannot use it at all.  The price.  App is not great with Android phones which I have but I use our tablet instead. 

Tommee Tippee Perfect Prep Machine
Pros - If you have a baby who is absolutely insatiable at night and will not calm down like our son when he was a little younger this is amazing especially when used with a formula dispenser.  You can comfort your child and you literally just need to shake the bottle twice and press a button twice.  You say lazy, I say multi-tasking at its finest. 
Cons - not great in the Summer as the water in the dispenser gets too warm and it won't work (we don't have air conditioning).  The current models beep way too loud and there is no way to turn it down or mute it without using padding and tape.  Only works with Tommee Tippee bottles.

Fisher Price Rainforest Jumperoo
Pros - I haven't heard of parents yet who don't have one and whose baby didn't love it.  Entertains baby for ages and you can get stuff done. 
Cons - Quite large so you need room for it.  The retail price. 

Angelcare Bath Seat 
Pros - a lifesaver on your back when baby starts putting on serious weight.  You also feel like your baby is a little safer especially for me worrying that my son would wriggle or slip out of my arms while I was washing him. 
Cons - not good for when your baby is a fidgeter but is under 6 months and not sitting up unaided so you cannot use another type of seat as the fear of baby jumping out is too real - take it from first hand experience.

Bumbo Seat 
Pros - encourages your baby to sit up straight and earlier. 
Cons - nothing really except my son managed to almost twist himself out of it and it was a nightmare to feed him in it - I have not heard this from any other parent.  If you have one, you will know how difficult it is to get out of but he is a special little baby and likes to scare his mother.  

Bababing Deluxe Paternity Changing Bag 
Pros - it has a compartment for everything including dirty clothes at the bottom and each compartment is labelled.  It also has a thermal pocket in the side and comes with a detachable thermal bag which when both are used together keeps bottles warm for ages.  Oh and a travel fold out changing mat. 
Cons - has a fabric outer so in rainy weather if you can't/forget to cover it it gets soaked although it does have a plastic inner so nothing inside the bag will get wet.

A small washing up bowl
Pros - makes an excellent newborn bath tub, is quick to fill and easy to transport if like us you didn't bath baby in the bathroom as it was too cold even with heating.  It also costs practically nothing. 
Cons - absolutely none

Braun Thermoscan In-Ear Thermometer 
Pros - is very accurate and easy to use (make sure you check the same ear each time), plus they use it at our local hospital 
Cons - costs more than other thermometers but we thought it was worth the extra money and it was on our baby shower list so we didn't pay.

I'm sure there are more but I will think of those in due course.  Here are a list of things we bought which we would substitute for other things/didn't need: 

Tommee Tippee Sangenic Nappy Bin
Pros - keeps away the smell of poopy nappies 
Solution - so does any other bin with a lid and the refills for the bags cost too much.  We only use this bin at night and it was a hand-me-down.  During the day we use a bin with a lid and supermarket basic nappy bags for poopy nappies and have done for many months which works just as well. 

Chicco Polly Magic High Chair 
Pros - the seat reclines when the baby is newborn so you can use it for your baby to sleep in before you put it away till weaning time. 
Solution - our son hated it so we never used it from birth.  It's perfect if you have pets and you need to get your newborn up higher away from them but we don't have pets.  We were originally going to get the IKEA Antiliop cheap and cheerful jobby and wished we did as it does the same job for a fraction of the price but this was a gift so was free.  

Electric Bottle Steriliser 
Pros - no need for a microwave and does exactly the same job. 
Solution - we had a microwave and therefore use a microwave steriliser.  We didn't need both but this was a hand-me-down and the other was a gift and this has never been used and remains in the bag it was handed to us in.  It probably also helps that we have so many bottles they are coming out of our ears so we only need to sterilise once a day. 

I hope this is as helpful for you as it was for us when our friends recommended a lot of it.  Please feel free to ask for advice on anything I haven't covered above, as like any other parent, I am more than happy to help! 

~AB~

Getting resourceful

I have always enjoyed value for money.  I am not tight but I hate paying full price for something if I think it is extortionately priced or I can't afford it. Since finding out I was pregnant this has become even more the case. 

I know everyone loves a bargain but I really love a bargain.  I have tried many different ways to save this household money particularly on baby things.  I know lots of mums who try to do the same including getting stuff second hand via: 

• Local mum Facebook groups 
• Local mum forums 
• Car boot sales 
• eBay 
• Gumtree 
• Other mums 

We haven't done any of this yet although our stair gates were sourced on our behalf by my sister in law who used one of her local mum Facebook groups and bagged us a bargain.  I am not opposed to second hand things but some things I believe should be brand new especially as my son eats everything.  This includes his developmental toys and books mostly as there is no amount of Dettol which will get saliva from another child off of things.  Dirt fine, sharing saliva with a stranger before the age of 18, a no no. 

My son has had a few hand-me-downs from family like his activity table and walker (he can't really eat either of those) and my friend has kindly let us share other things like his Jumperoo and Bumbo seat which we will pass back and forth till neither of us has more children/the stuff gets worn out.  The things I have bought brand new, let's just say none of which I have paid full price.  Our travel system and the only one we wanted I may add, was bought with a voucher code and also on promotion so we got a car seat, car seat isofix base, pushchair attachment, adapters, frame, raincover and footmuff for less than half the price (a saving of £500).  Our boxes of nappies were bought on promotion while I was still pregnant so we ended up getting boxes of size 1s, 2s and 3s for around £6 a box if we paid for them as I generally used vouchers which I will get back to in a moment.  The high chair was an extravagant gift - hindsight is a wonderful thing and we should have gone with a cheap one but that is another post for another time. I could go on and on.  I hope you don't think I'm bragging but I'm proud of how much I have managed to save us so far.  This was mostly with the help of online surveys. 

If you have a look online there are many online survey sites you could join but I had carefully chosen two based on their reward schemes when I was pregnant - I am now a member of four.  Of the two, I had been a member of one of them for years but didn't get the full benefit of it till I realised I was expected and made sure I did as many surveys as I physically could.  I'm not going to lie, some of these surveys are tedious and long but if you really just need 50p more to be able to redeem your next £10 gift voucher, you endure it.  Giving your opinion is definitely more in need than you would think and we ended up getting endless batches of Amazon £10 gift vouchers from all of the surveys.  Many of our boxes of nappies were free, as were the majority of my son's toys and books.  Our biggest saving had to be off of our baby monitor.  We have a Withings Smart Baby which retails for around £200, and we ended up paying £75 thanks to all of the vouchers we accumulated.  What I would say is, Amazon sell absolutely everything.  Some of it is amazing value for money, some of it is equal to or sometimes slightly more than other places but if you're getting it for free what's an extra £2 here and there. 

If you are expecting and you have a lot of time on your hands in the evenings or even if you need to save money, please consider this as an option as it has worked wonders for us it also means you have more money for other things that you can't get for free, like food (although one site does offer Sainsburys vouchers as a reward, so maybe not true).  

On a separate note, don't forget to sign up to all of the baby brand mailing lists like Cow & Gate, Aptamil, HiPP, Heinz, Ella's Kitchen, Pampers, Bounty and Emma's Diary.  They send useful information about your baby's development month on month, discounts, advanced notice about sales and usually money off vouchers.  They also send you free samples from time to time and charts to help you with your baby's development and the food ones have great recipes for when you're weaning. 

I hope this helps you and please let me know how you have saved money and what you managed to get on the cheap. 

~AB~

Customer Service Rant

I rely predominantly on public transport to get around due to the fact my husband and I no longer have a car.  We have been using public transport only for almost two years now and in London this is made extremely simple by the fact there are London Underground stations everywhere or trams or buses.  I rely on buses to get around as I find them much more convenient than getting onto platforms with my pushchair and having the poor public help me up and down stairs. 

For those of you who live in London or have visited London, it is renowned for its transport system.  Its efficiency (most of the time) and mostly its convenience but definitely not for value for money.  This is where my rant begins. 

Since having my son, every penny of mine is precious and taking buses costs money but I need buses to get to places.  There is one bus in particular which serves my area and indeed it stops at the end of my road which is the ultimate in convenience.  This bus is a single decker and unfortunately my travel system although light and easy to use, is wide at the back.  This makes aisles difficult to pass through and on this bus an impossibility requiring me to get on at the back.  When my son was quite young and I had literally just found the confidence to leave the house, I was berated by a bus driver (a different number bus) for getting on the back and not "asking permission first" as people are not allowed to do that.  Firstly, I thought, why isn't it clearly marked/signposted anywhere that a parent with a pushchair must ask first to be able to get on at the back? Secondly, she could have been more polite about telling me that's what needs to happen before I board a bus instead of telling me off.  Nevertheless I shrugged it off as London bus drivers have never been known for their politeness. 

The attitudes of London bus drivers has never affected me so much until I started taking this particular number bus.  To be clear, I am not tarnishing all of the drivers of this particular route with the same brush, there is one solitary driver who has been polite and helpful and disgustingly is probably the youngest of all of the drivers I have encountered (I think 5 so far).  

There have been so many "incidents" I will have to summarise them but these are the most common:

• Tutting when I ask to get on the back and refusing to lower the bus (not a request of mine but other bus drivers have done it voluntarily as a courtesy)
• Stopping the bus so far from the kerb I have to carry my pushchair on and getting annoyed that I'm taking so long getting on

One driver, before I realised my pushchair wouldn't go down the aisles, asked me to try harder to get it through the bus.  Then asked my husband to try harder and then that I should lift it up as he didn't want us to get off and get on at the back.  I had to actually calm my husband down he was seething with anger at this driver's ignorance and inability to help.  Today though, it really took the biscuit.  Maybe I'm extra sensitive as I'm returning to work soon and my baby is turning 8 months but I was so angry and embarrassed I actually cried getting off of this bus. 

It started at the stop I was due to embark at where I tried unsuccessfully to get the attention of the driver who refused to look in my direction and kept looking straight ahead to ask if I could get on at the back.  He looked like the steering wheel was his prop and he wanted to be somewhere else.  His response was, "well if you get out of the way and let others get off then yes you can".  Granted I was in the way however if I hadn't been trying to get his attention for so long, I would have had the chance to move.  Also, it has been known that if you don't actually make it obvious you're getting on that drivers shut the doors and drive off before you have a chance to do anything.  I got on the bus, shook my head and tried to forget about it.  Then we left the stop before mine so I press the request button.  He drives past my stop.  I press the button another two times, he drives past the next stop so I keep pressing the button till he acknowledges that I want to get off and he finally stops.  This would be fine however he had now stopped in a road where there is heavy parked traffic along the bus stop side and conveniently he had stopped so close to a car something would have to get scratched for me to get the pushchair out.  I struggled to get the pushchair off of the bus because he didn't think to lower it despite being nowhere near a kerb and an elderly woman took pity on me and had to help me get it off of the bus.  Yes, read that again.  AN ELDERLY WOMAN HAD TO HELP ME so I didn't scratch the car where he had stopped.  I was so angry at his attitude and embarrassed that I had to have a woman who should be taking it easy help me I burst into tears.  Thankfully the sun cover was over my son's pushchair so he couldn't see me cry but I couldn't stop myself. 

I wish I had a Twitter account to actually complain to TfL as I know nothing would be done if I emailed/wrote a letter complaint.  I am not one to write complaints to any company as I have never had anything worth complaining about but this is one incident too far.  It feels as though I am being penalised for having a pushchair and being a mother simultaneously.  That I am both an inconvenience and an irritation for all bus drivers on this route and that I am the one being difficult which brings me back to my title.  

If you are a worker within the customer service industry, do not work in that industry if you hate yourself and other people.  No one wants to encounter a complete a-hole when they are travelling somewhere especially when we are the ones paying your salary by using your service in the first place.  There is nothing worse than anyone in customer service who has no concept of what customer service actually is and blaming it on having a bad day is inexcusable.  Everyone has a bad day, suck it up, take responsibility and do your job properly or don't work in the service industry.  If I was having a bad day and let my son fall from something I should have been supervising him on, the onus would be on me.  There are millions of people out there looking for jobs who would be ten times more polite and more worthy of the money some people in the service industry are paid especially the bus drivers on old contracts who are paid a mint.  I can accept that this probably means they are seeing out their years till retirement but please find something to be pleasant about when doing your job other than driving away when people run for the bus, refusing entry onto a bus when the bus is half empty by driving past a stop people have flagged you down at and talking to people like they are dirt on your shoe.  

I am not a monster, I am not difficult, I am not impolite to any TfL staff.  I appreciate I take a little longer to board a bus but I thank all drivers when I board and tap my Oyster and I always try and smile when I do.  That is a ton more than I can say they do in return.  Rant over! 

~AB~

House P*rn

When I bought my house there were a ton of sites I could not get enough of, some of which were used for inspiration and some were simply for sharing with friends and swooning over.  I am by no means an interior designer but I would like to think my construction experience has helped mould what I have managed to achieve in the house so far.

We opened up and adapted spaces people thought shouldn't be and have decorated reusing a lot of things that weren't supposed to work but just for some reason do.  These sites include: 

•  http://www.designsponge.com/category/interiors
•  http://www.housetohome.co.uk/
•  http://ana-white.com/bragboard (this woman is AH-mazing)

I also used these sites for items of furniture I had in my head that I needed and always managed to find something similar:

•  http://furnish.co.uk/
•  http://www.archiexpo.com/cat/interior-accessories-BD.html 

The quirks of the house include our bathroom basin table which I have included a picture of in a previous post made from a Singer sewing table and a slab of granite, the teacup pendant lights hanging over out little breakfast bar made from repurposed IKEA teacups and saucers and I am working on some others which may or may not ever be completed!  I loved designing our house and the little details but now that everything has been painted, I'm loving the accessorising.  I have become so handy at using spray paint and upcycling everything I don't quite know where it has spouted from.  I'm sure I never used to be this creative! Part of me is looking forward to going to work to be able to afford some of the things which I really want to furnish my house, a girl can dream! I hope these sites are as useful to you and your moodboards as they were to me, I could not get off of them and they never seemed to update their sites enough in a week for me to get my interiors "fix"! 

~AB~

DIY updates

This week I have been quiet as my son now no longer sleeps well (during the day or at night) so not only have I been prioritising naptime for both of us to actually be able to function until daddy gets home.  This becomes quite difficult if you have booked to see people or have classes which we do during a normal week.  As one mum put it, "it's not all cleaning and bouncing my daughter on my knee all day long".  I seem to have been inundated with ironing these past couple of weeks and I don't know where it's all come from as I have been keeping up with laundry I think.  Finally though, the majority of the ironing was done at the start of the week to make way for other things. 

My husband and I both had lists of stuff to complete at the weekend and my husband managed to complete all of his.  I unfortunately have still not and it is almost the weekend again.  I did however manage to do the following: 

• Make the dining room voiles more baby proof
• Cut down two more trees in the garden and then trim the branches down to fit into recycling bags 
• Install the rest of the cork to the study 
• Mash some more fruit for my son to eat

 I have also decided what art goes where in my mind and how I will do it which doesn't sound important or necessary but we have barely any mirrors in the house and just bare walls everywhere which to me is boring. 

My husband I are fans of superheros, as you may have seen from a previous post with my embroidered alphabet so we will be having superhero-ish art in the study from Andry Rajoelina's Super Families series which are available to buy at Geekstore (link attached to the photo). 

Family Assemble (Avengers)

I have also managed to do this to my son's light switch with electrical tape, but I need to move the ears further out.  

I was inspired by this site if you would prefer to buy them: http://www.gadgetsandgear.com/mood-lighting-light-switch-stickers.html.  My study photo will follow in another update once I have painted the cork, also my son is awake again so I'm off to be an entertainer. 

~AB~

Law unto myself

Today I experienced something I haven't for quite a while, a mummy snub.  

The first time it happened it was a woman who I was trying to make a conversation with and she just was not interested in me or anything i had to say.  Later in the class, my son was holding her son's hand (he holds/rests his hand on everyone/thing) and she pulled her son's hand away like she was a complete homophobe.  It makes me disgusted that people like that are still breeding in an open society as we are today.  I won't go into my full feelings on the matter but if my son or any of his friends choose to be someone they're not currently or have different sexual preferences to someone else, that's their choice and we should love and support them.  Unless it's a criminal, I will definitely not support being that.  Anyway I digress...

Today was another buggy fit class and the snub was instead of a conversation as part of our warm up, a power walk away from me.  This happened a couple of times and it's a mum I go out with regularly in a group with which is awkward.  I wasn't sure whether to be hurt or to laugh or maybe tell myself I was imagining things.  I then thought back to all of the things I could have said and done.  I know I am a very anxious mum and I tend to worry a bit too much but better that than not care, right?  I do know that can be a bit intense to some people and I was brought up by pessimists and a hypochondriac so to say that has rubbed off on me is a bit of an understatement.  I called up my husband and I said something I never thought I ever would, "oh well, it's not like I can change who I am".  I have been playing this line back in my head (something I also have a habit of doing) and analysing it.  On the one hand, it could mean I am admitting I'm not easy to get along with and I don't want to change so people should change if they want to get along with me.  On the other hand and this is the hand I am accepting, I am saying I have finally accepted myself for who I am, which has been a long and arduous journey for me.  I have been working on myself for a long time but maybe now things have finally clicked for me.  I know I have never insulted this mum, I have never spoken badly about her behind her back and I value her advice when it comes to developing our children.  Our sons learn from each other and neither of us have ever upset each others' child.  I think that's pretty polite and sociable. 

So I believe the moral of this story is, you cannot please everyone and you're not brought into this world to be friends with everyone.  Stop trying so hard and just embrace yourself figuratively speaking and if you really need it then literally too.   This may all sound like common sense to anyone else, but it has been many many years of getting to this point of acceptance so I think I will too will physically embrace myself. 

~AB~

Spanner in the works

This week has mostly been me trying to get things done and has been wholly unproductive. 

I am starting to come down with something and my son has been mega-teething so both of us are tired, in pain and ready for some r&r.  Luckily for my son, I bailed out of everything we had planned yesterday and he got to catch up on some seriously well needed Z's while I... did housework.  It now appears I have insomnia having tossed and turned for most of last night and then woke up to feed my son at 3am to be wide awake and not able to go to sleep again.  This does not a happy mummy make. 

The things I did get done this week: 

• Daily washing up 
• Most of the laundry 
• My last two weeks worth of backed up ironing... except I now have a pile of more ironing 
• Finished my menu chalkboard - I just need to think of things to make which are dairy free
• Installed two of the three panels worth of cork board to our study
• Spray painted our starburst mirror ready for installation this weekend 
• Finished my wedding album again and bought it 
• Made it through my buggy fit class without stopping
• Baked a dairy free chocolate and almond cake to curb my cravings 
• Watched the first episode of the newest Great British Bake Off (no I will not give spoilers)

 Obviously this was all around looking after my son, our classes/playdates and trying to stay awake.  I realise a lot of these things most stay at home parents do regularly so I'm not expecting a medal but my point is it's hard to get odd things you really want done, done between all of the juggling.  

What I failed at this week was my full length mirror upcycle which I started and unfortunately abruptly had to end as I cracked the mirror, by leaning on it.  Instead of upcyling anything my husband has suggested I just buy something I really want that will fit the space.  This is difficult however without it costing the earth or me needing to do something to it.  I just want a distressed white/cream full length mirror, I don't think that's too much to ask for except that it is unless I have hundreds of pounds to throw at it.  I don't know if it's just me but I resent paying money for something that is supposed to look aged when a similar product which doesn't look aged costs half the

price.  There is not much more work going into distressing something than there is creating something from new and no I am not going to do it myself to save money.  Someone will be selling their mirror or upcycle project at a reasonable price soon enough and I will then buy it but until then our slightly cracked, half upcycled mirror can stay where it is and has been for the last year and a half.

I'm off to do more washing up and then the ironing.  Hopefully this weekend which be much more productive! 

~AB~

Buggy Fit

In an attempt to lose some of my son's previous home I intended to sign myself up with a number of classes since being able to exercise as well as walking and trying to go swimming when I can.  So far this has consisted of... one 10 week course of yoga. 

I had looked at the summer programme of our local children's centre and seen "Buggy Fit" and thought, my sister in law did it, why shouldn't I give it a go too.  Unfortunately what I had failed to do before one of the mum's I know signed us all up is ask my sister in law about it in detail. 

Firstly, we turned up late due to teething issues where neither my son or I have been sleeping well so ended up sleeping in.  Secondly, and this should have rung alarm bells, the woman taking the class was a slim, clearly very sporty mother of a child who I can only assume must be around the 12 month mark.  This was a bad start.  Needless to say the class started off relatively easy (a walk round a park with our pushchairs as a warm up)... then built up to slow torture in the name of cardio towards the end.  It is the most exercise I have unfortunately done in a very very long time.   I am a swimmer though, which I don't really even constitute as exercise as it is enjoyable.  This was not enjoyable at all.  Days later and my legs, namely my thighs are still burning.  I had no idea when looking after my son I used my knees and thighs so much but it appears I do! This was class 1 of 5 and even though in part I hated it, my mind cannot help but think that I might be one step closer to no longer wobbling. 

I know this is a big topic in the media at the moment.  Articles and trends on twitter of mombods and women feeling under so much pressure to get back to being slim after having a baby.  I haven't read a lot of the articles as I find the news biased but I think this gist is that women are feeling pressure from the media and not themselves, right?  If so the real question is, if the women surveyed were so unhappy with their bodies after their baby and felt celebrities made it worse, how many of those women were comparing themselves to celebrities before they were pregnant and wishing they were slimmer?  I think it is stereotyping all women to provide media coverage solely of those who are so susceptible to the celebrity image and saying all mothers feel this way.  For me it's all about, if you have looked a certain way your entire life and you know what makes you comfortable then why shouldn't you lose weight to try to get back to what you feel comfortable in, provided it isn't making you physically unwell? 

I love my son, I loved being pregnant and I accept my body shape will never again look the way it did pre-baby.  What I don't love is the jiggling, the being two/three sizes bigger than I ever have been (and yes it is all fat) and feeling lethargic doing literally anything.  I am proud of my tiger stripes and I am proud to say I carried a baby human into this world happy and healthy but I also want to feel beautiful when I parade my son around.  I don't want to look like I am carrying his sibling.  Personally I don't think I am under any external pressure to lose weight.  My husband and friends all try to reassure me that I am still a very new mum (sweet but I'm not, it's been 7 months) and deep down I feel a satisfaction that all of the women I know who are "new" mums also feel the same way as me.  I want to stress that I don't feel comfortable looking and feeling the way I do.  I also should stress that I want to try and be as healthy as I can be to take care of my son as long as I can and advocate exercise to him as a means of maintaining weight and a healthy lifestyle.  As I have mentioned before, my son seems to love the outdoors which I'm hoping in the future will mean he won't be a Vitamin D lacking teenage hermit who spends all day on social media/a console gaming.   

I know this post may upset some people but this is just my opinion and I will repeat myself again, I do not feel under any pressure from the media to lose weight.  I also may have mentioned I love Beyonce but I know and accept I am not her and her weight has no bearing on my life (just her being an awesome advocate of girl power has).  BUT she has become more hourglass-y since having Blue Ivy and she's still hot.  Just saying.  

For those mums who want to know a bit more about the classes I have been attending, the post-natal yoga was taught through my local SureStart Centre (UK only) which wasn't free but was heavily subsidised.  You can find your local centre here: http://childrenscentresfinder.direct.gov.uk/childrenscentresfinder

There is also a new initiative in London called "Our Parks" which holds free classes in local parks in every borough for everyone.  They hold a couple of Buggy Fitness classes too but at the moment it appears they are only in East London.  I understand this is a new type of class but the interest is getting stronger so it is likely this will expand and roll out pretty quickly.  Here is the link to look at all of the classes they do and I will say again... for FREE, whether you are a parent or not: http://www.ourparks.org.uk/class-list.  Spread the word about it and if you're feeling generous, please donate as it is an amazing thing they're doing for London. 

Happy exercising and wish me luck on my weight loss and tone up! 

~AB~