After reading advice for sleep-deprived parents on the entire internet, (including Ten Ways To Tell You Are Sleep Deprived – duh, I am not getting any sleep?!) it seems that all I need to do to feel better is to eat nuts, do yoga and sleep when the baby sleeps.
Well, I have no time (or energy) for yoga, my baby doesn’t sleep and the only nuts I consume are in a Snickers bar – so I came up with my own list… Continue reading
When I came home from hospital with my first baby I became obsessed with everything being ‘normal.’ Is what my baby doing normal? Am I normal? Is this normal, is that normal?
I did everything I could to check that my newborn was progressing normally. I studied developmental charts in the What To Expect books and signed up for those monthly ‘Why The Hell Is My Baby Not Doing This Yet?’ emails that list all the things your little one really should be doing by now.
If you are a brand-new parent, a quick word of advice… Continue reading
My eyes are bloodshot and my head is throbbing. There is sick in my hair and my throat is sore from singing half the night.
I swear that this is the last time.
I promise myself I will do something about it.
But myself has heard it all before.
And she knows I am full of shit.
The latest instalment in the Survivor Stories is by formerly sleep-deprived mother-of-two Leila Boukarim. On discovering her son was a Highly Sensitive Child (HSC) she decided to change the world…starting with a series of children’s books!
LEILA’S STORY:
“Prolonged sleep deprivation is a miserable, unnatural phenomenon that will drive anyone to the brink of total insanity. At times, I was convinced it might even kill me. And no matter how many books you read or what people will tell you, nothing can really prepare you for the nightmare that is sleep deprivation.
The second in the series of stories by parents who have achieved success against the odds. Having children inspired and motivated them to accomplish great things!
Rachel Phillips’ experience as the sleep-deprived mother of a child with severe Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GORD), inspired her to set up an advice website and online specialist retail store. While the website has become a lifeline for many worried parents, the retail side of the venture has developed into a flourishing business, turning Rachel’s negative experience into a positive.
Continue reading
It’s that time of year when many of us will be sending our little ones off to school for the very first time…
When I say preparing, I mean, lying awake at night worrying about the best way to get your child ready for this important milestone.
How can I help my child do well at school? What if she hates it? What if she cries at the school gates? What if I cry at the school gates? Will she eat her lunch? Continue reading
WE walked to the beach singing, “Oh I do like to be beside the seaside.” The baby was smiling in her pram as the toddler skipped along beside her. She spotted the sea, grabbed her bucket and ran down to the shore laughing…
I ran after my daughter in a designer tankini that had absolutely no nipple leak stains on it whatsoever (you could practically hear the Baywatch music) and joined her for a paddle.
The baby giggled as daddy dipped her tiny toes in the water. We looked just like a family out of a holiday brochure, we were that bloody happy….Oh no.. my mistake, that wasn’t us… Continue reading
Our latest sleep thief survivor is formerly exhausted mother-of-two Nicole Johnson.
She talks about how her experience of parenthood inspired her to set up her business The Baby Sleep Site and why she has made it her mission to help other tired parents ‘find their child’s sleep’.
Continue reading
WHEN you have children, regular date nights with your partner are key to maintaining a happy, healthy relationship…(according to a magazine I read in the doctor’s surgery).
Forget communication, respect and not being a dick to each other; apparently the secret to a successful relationship is to go on a date. At NIGHT.
But according to me this is rubbish. Here is why: Continue reading
EVERY week another celebrity mum is pictured ‘stepping out’ looking fabulous just three months/weeks/days/hours after giving birth…
I am never surprised by this ‘news’.
I am usually more surprised that, with a newborn to look after, they have the energy to ‘step out’ anywhere, looking anything other than like crap. Continue reading
