I’m pregnant!

So here I am, knocked up again! Knocked up; it feels so naughty when I put it like that. Should I say I am with child? Perhaps impregnated, or the good old fashioned bun in the oven? Well, poo to the formalities because I’m having a baby! These 19 months with Myla have been so damn fun, crazy, challenging, educational, tiring AF and rewarding…so why wouldn’t I want to do it all over again?! When I was pregnant the first time around I found it so much more helpful to follow the journeys of real mums rather than read the staple ‘What to Expect When You’re Expecting’. So, I thought I would return the favour and document my pregnancy journey with baby number 2. Here it goes, the first 12 weeks. Read on if you dare…

Travelling with a toddler

This November we went on our second family vacay to Hamilton Island. The last holiday we went on was when Myla was 6 months old. The difference between travelling with an infant and a toddler is substantial therefore I thought I’d share some tips for any future travellers…if you dare!

Meet Stella…the perfect nappy bag

Finding the perfect baby bag can be a difficult task. With so many options on the market these days from Claudine and Ash to OiOi to Storksak, it can be a bit overwhelming. This bag is going to carry all your essential items for when (or should I say IF) you are brave enough to leave the house. It needs to be functional, roomy and cute AF, but with a price tag ranging from $200-$400 which one do you choose? I have had my fair share of baby bags in a short time. I started with the Oroton Origins nappy bag, then switched to the Mimco Lucid nappy bag, and finally found my perfect match in Alf the Labels ‘Stella’ nappy bag. Third times lucky indeed…

Gift Ideas For The Expectant Mother

 

There must be something in the water because the pregnancy train has come to town. With those pregnancy announcement comes baby showers, baby sprinkles and everything in between…this means baby gifts! If you haven’t got a clue what to buy an expectant mother, I have put together a list of my favourites that will surely please mama and babe. These are the items that she doesn’t necessarily need, but wishes she could buy. Boy, girl or no idea – I have you sorted.

Q & A with Mel the Paramedic

My best friend Mel is not only one of my favourite human beings in the world, she is also a paramedic (and a damn good one). She completed her Bachelor of Nursing and Paramedics at the Queensland University of Technology and has since been working full time. I sat down with her to ask a few questions about health and babies.

8 Things I Said I Will Not Do As A Mama…HA!

1) I will not cuddle my baby every time she cries.

I was so bloody certain before Myla was born that I wouldn’t spoil her with cuddles every time she cried. Well, I can tell you right now that I cuddle the crap out of my girl and I am not even sorry. Okay maybe SOMETIMES I am sorry but those times are minimal and usually occur at 2am when she wakes up begging for her mama. Even then I feel so bloody special that only I am wanted that it completely trumps any regret.

7 Things I Have Learnt Since Becoming A Mum

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Wow. I cannot believe Myla will be 1 on Sunday. This time last year I was heavily pregnant (9 days overdue to be exact) and doing anything and everything to get that baby out. Long walks, eating endless amounts of pineapple, lugging my 80KG plus butt up hills, drinking Red Rasberry Leaf Tea, the hanky panky, and eating as much hot food as possible to no avail. Myla was induced on the 6th of May at 9am and born on the 7th May at 8.20am. One minute I’m pregnant and thinking about life with a baby, the next I am doing life with a baby. So, what have I learnt since becoming a mama?

10 Things A New Parent Needs To Know

1. Forget the Birth Plan

Now I don’t mean to offend anyone, but the idea of having a birth plan baffles me. Even if this is your second, third or forth time in the ring, you will never know what will happen and how your body or baby is going to react. My pregnancy was honestly perfect. I wasn’t sick, I wasn’t uncomfortable (until I got to 10 days past my due date) and I had no health issues, therefore assuming I would have zero complications during labour. Well…Myla had episodes of bradycardia through every contraction and my cervix did not dilate past 4cm. My so called “birth plan” went flying out the window just as quickly as I was pushed down hallways to my unplanned emergency C-section. How’s that for a birth plan?