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Student biologist, modern hippie, lover of everything ‘home’, creating a family and a career in fertility.

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New Parents get FREE £500

As usual, I’ve been trawling the internet in the free time between snuggles, feeds and nappy changes, for anything useful to myself, my partner and now little one. From being on the council list (fingers crossed), to receiving Universal Credit due to the appalling amount of ‘pay’ for…

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Grants for Parents who Study

Parents Learning Allowance and the Childcare Grant are two wonderful pots of money for those, like myself since the birth of A, who are both parents and trying to study for a degree at a Welsh university (Open University counts, it’s base in Cardiff I believe, because it’s…

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Baby A’s Birth

Here’s hoping you don’t mind a little anonymity, but I refer to my partner as J and now my baby as A. I’m a firm believer in you can not be too careful online, but also in privacy of the individual and so this is how I choose…

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@sh.arnie on Instagram
I don’t want to lie 🤷🏼‍♀️ this is documenting my life so here goes. I’m still bleeding 10 weeks postpartum, which I now have an appointment for the doctor for. Possibly a fibroid still making trouble, so we will see. Self-advocate ladies if anything feels off or it goes on super long! I’m also so stressed about university funding as it’s not yet approved and I start on 2 Oct (wtf!), a heart checkup coming up in Liverpool, a wedding to attend this Saturday (I get to dress up!) and so much more going on. Life won’t slow down! Stressed but happy. 😅 #stress #newborn #10weekspostpartum #postpartumbleeding #lochia #postpartumbleed #postpartum #baby #newbornbaby 2 weeks postpartum vs. 2 months 🤔 - no dieting or purposeful exercise (except walking)!! 😬 My body shape is changing from rounded to loose, squishy, soft and mum-like. My stretch marks are flames all over and I feel pretty ok about my body! I survived a lot and went on to have a healthy baby girl with this body. Isn’t that amazing? 🤷🏼‍♀️ My size UK 14-16 self is wanting to tone and be healthy but this body is ok. It did things. I should be kind to it. #2weekspostpartum #2monthspostpartum #bodypositivity #bodypositive #stretchmarks #baby #pregnancy #pregnant #postpartum #comparison #versus #postpartumbody #postpartumweightloss #postpartumbelly It’s finally over! 😩 Clexane from week 10 of pregnancy all the way until 7 weeks postpartum. That little needle has devastated my tummy with dots, bruises and sensitivity for so long. I know one day I might be back on it again (baby 2, one can hope!) but for now it’s such a relief not to have to self-medicate with a needle again. That 9pm alarm will haunt me no more! #clexane #clexanebaby #pregnancy #plussize #plussizepregnancy #enoxaparinsodium #needle #medication #bloodthinner #highriskpregnancy I may not be the perfect mum who has bounced back fully into my jeans (I had to buy new ones 🤭), nor am I acing this early morning routine and unsettled nights. And trust me when I say we’ve had “oops” moments of getting baby things wrong or realising we’ve been doing it wrong all along! However, I love my little girl, and the man who made her with me, with all my soul. I can’t wait for all the milestones! I’m not a yummy mummy but I’m your mum and I will always love you. It’s a privilege to get to have children, and I will treat it as such. ♥️ Photo and editing 📸: @fzeropaul & @heidiiiamandaaa. Reach for your dreams little one 😂 My partner and I are adamant that although i adore pink and girly for myself, we don’t mind what our daughter wears and we’ve taken in a lot of secondhand boys, neutral and girls clothes because of this. She may be mistaken for a boy if she’s in these, but who cares 🤷🏼‍♀️ she’s just a baby! I don’t think anyone needs to know what genitals a baby has, do they? I will still have her in girly cute clothes a lot of days, but why worry about something so silly? When she’s old enough she can choose whatever she wants to wear, as long as it’s practical for the day/weather/etc. #baby #babyclothes #cute #cutebaby #gender #boyorgirl #genderneutral #parenting #neutral #secondhand #handmedowns #recycle #reuse Is it okay not to breastfeed? 😣 Can I bottle feed only? Is formula bad? Am I a bad mum if I can’t breastfeed or don’t want to? 😖 I wrestled with all of these emotions and more when I had Baby A. She’s wonderful, but she has a habit of pushing her tongue out constantly, to the point that breastfeeding was impossible. 😭 She would push out the nipple with her tongue and work herself up into a crying fit because she wasn’t getting any milk. I hated her tears. 😮‍💨 I tried several midwives at the ward before going home, the classic hold, rugby hold, front facing, lying down, both breasts multiple ways and yet… it was no good. They all reassured me it wasn’t me, it was her. 😔 They said she wasn’t tongue tied, she just has a silly habit of pushing out with her tongue (see photos of her!). This didn’t make me feel much better. I wanted to breastfeed and still do. 😕 But I want you to know it’s okay not to. Formula won’t be bad. Your sanity is on the line, and let’s face it, a fed baby is better than an unfed one. 👶🏼🍼 In the end A had lots of colostrum, breast milk I expressed up to 3 weeks postpartum, and then formula. Now it’s just formula. Next time (if there is one) I’ll try again. But this time, I can’t. 😥 I’m still grieving that idea of breastfeeding. One day…