Don’t tell me I’m too young to be a good mother

June 9, 2017.Reading time 7 minutes.

With a pink blanket under her head and her seatbelt nicely fastened I walked through our local supermarket collecting our groceries for the week with my daughter in the baby seat of my trolley. This particular week I decided to start purchasing foods for my daughter to try, now I’m not really about those premade baby foods (but if you are then you do you! nothing against it, just a personal choice) so I was putting things in my trolley like organic sweet potato, pumpkin and avocado. Unbeknownst to me the truth of societies still prehistoric views on parenthood was about to rear it’s ugly head.

As I turned the corner I very nearly bumped into a woman’s trolley which she had left in the middle of the refrigerated isle. I veered pretty sharply in order to miss the trolley, which of course startled my daughter, no more then running into the other trolley would have anyway. She cried, like babies do, so I stopped momentarily to talk to her and comfort her out of her fright. Whilst I paused I unknowingly had blocked the woman from her stranded trolley, so she approached me with a louder than necessary “Excuse me!”. I pardoned myself and moved my trolley aside, my daughter still crying and myself completely in my own mum world deliberating whether to pick her up to stop her crying or to try and distract her with the dummy she had lost interest in five minutes ago. So it took me by surprise when the woman turned to me for a second time as said “she’s not yours is she?”

Now I’ve had my fair share of questions in public, mostly regarding my daughter being my sister and my own mother looking too young to be a grandmother which are all usually met with a bit of a laugh and then me explaining that she’s actually mine. This time I felt a sting of judgement coming through. I smiled at my daughter and looked at the lady and said “she sure is! isn’t she beautiful, she’s four months old”. She peered at me down her pointed nose and said “Well I don’t think children should be having children, but she is quite cute. Bit of a shame” A SHAME. If you know me you would know I hate confrontation, unless I know you well enough to pull you up on something I generally let it slide for the sake of saving an argument. This is my family though and I’ll be damned if I let someone tell me that it was a shame that my beautiful daughter existed as my daughter.

“Thanks for your opinion, although I didn’t ask for it. Not sure how many children you know but not many of them are in 5 year relationships with the person they want to spend the rest of their life with. Guess I’m just lucky hey? Have a nice day” my heart was pounding and I was out of there as quick as I could go, neglecting to pick up the butter I was in the refrigeration isle for! I pushed the conversation to the depths of my brain hoping never to think about it again but after seeing a few fellow “young parents” attacked on social media recently for their age and their apparent inability to care and love their own children I figured now would be a good time to think about it, and god forbid, talk about it because it is 100% not okay.

All parents, regardless of their age, love their children, they want the best for their children and they will do anything they can to help them grow into wonderful, compassionate and loving adults. Regardless of the house they live in, the clothes they wear, whether they are married, how much they spent on their car, if they’re homosexual OR if they’re still what you would consider teenagers. If they were mature enough to make the decision to bring a child into the world then they should be admired for doing so, and for doing the best they can for that child.

The love you have for your child can’t be measured by how many toys you’re able to buy them, whether you could afford to send them to an expensive school or buy them all of the latest gadgets. Love is measured by the smiles, the hugs, the kisses and most importantly the empowering conversations you can have with them about becoming the greatest person they can possibly be. To care for the people around them, to love unconditionally and be accepting of everyone regardless of their differences.

I might not be 25 with a mountain of savings in the bank reserved specifically for having in children, my partner and I might not be married but we sure love each other like we are and we’ll give our daughter every ounce of love we have to give before we will ever let her feel unwanted or unloved. Young parents, don’t let anyone ever discourage you, your baby thinks you’re the greatest mummies and daddies in the world, and without you, they wouldn’t exist. You’re doing an amazing job, and if anyone thinks any less then maybe they should take a look at what’s missing in their lives before they make any negative comments about how beautifully full of love your life is.

xx Emily

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You Matter Too, Mumma

May 28, 2017.Reading time 3 minutes.

A reminder for even the toughest of mummies, to care for yourself just as well as you care for your beautiful children

When it’s 3am and your partner is fast asleep while you’re heavy eyed and nursing, remember Mumma, you matter too, and he knows that. He just doesn’t have the boobs or the perfect sleep inducing snuggles you do.

When it’s been hours since you’ve stopped to breathe and your housework is up to your knees, remember Mumma, you matter too. And the dirty dishes can wait until you’ve napped, they’re not going anywhere.

When the babies washing is a mile high and she has a poop explosion for the third time, remember Mumma, you matter too. And no matter how much poop you get on your clothes, in your hair and on your arms, you’re still a hero.

When the scales seem broken and the loose skin on your tummy makes you feel that you’ll never be the woman you used to be, remember Mumma, you matter too. Your body is a temple that grew life, it will always be amazing.

When people judge you for breastfeeding/not breastfeeding/cuddling too much/letting baby cry… basically everything, remember Mumma, you matter too. And your parenting will always be what’s best for your baby.

When it’s been months since you’ve slept through the entire night and your baby wakes with aching gums for the 6th time since midnight, remember Mumma, you matter too. This chapter of your life is so very tough, but also so very short and so tremendously filled with love, treasure even the toughest of times.

motherhood is filled with ups and downs, things that make you yearn for your days that were filled with nothing but yourself and the TV remote, but at the same time you couldn’t ever imagine being as happy as you are without them. Taking a breather every now and then to remind yourself of just how important you are is such an underestimated thing. Light a candle, run a hot bath, read that book you’ve always wanted to read, get your nails done or your hair washed and blow dried, call your mum, or your dad, or your best friend, take a nap, heck take two if you can. Of course we all feel like there isn’t any time for these things but there really is, we’ve just got to make it. I’m breastfeeding as I write this if thats any indication.

We’ll move mountains for our kids, we’ve got to remember to soak in it’s beautiful springs on the way up.

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Parenthood and Mental Health: Becoming the best version of you, for them

May 16, 2017.Reading time 5 minutes.

The following contains discussion about mental health, if the topic may lead you to feeling upset or ‘triggered’ please refrain from reading. Remember that there is always support around you, never be afraid to reach out

mum & yawn

Something about my personal life I’ve never really delved into is mental health. Mostly because of the stigma around it all, and also because for some people, it’s a difficult topic to stomach. But here I am opening up, because if you know anything about me, I think outdated stigmas stink.

I have dealt with different difficulties to do with mental health for a long time. I’m not worse off than anyone else, I don’t glorify it, but I certainly believe that everyone, to some extent, deals with some kind of mental barrier, large or small. For me, for a long time it has been anxiety. It has affected my schoolwork, my performance as a young elite squash player, my relationships, my career choices and the paths I have to take to reach my goals. It’s not sad, I’m not asking for sympathy, it’s just an aspect of my life that I have learnt to live with and even at times, embrace. I certainly feel like it is something that needs to be talked about more though, especially when it comes to parenthood.

Becoming a parent is a mammoth journey of emotion, personal growth and empowerment, it’s a given that you will be tested to your brink, beyond and back again. Here you are, two (or maybe even just one) individual people, suddenly given an entire new life that is now fully your responsibility, a tiny little person who relies solely on you and you only to survive. If thats not enough to scare the pants off you then clearly you should be having 20. It’s a huge task, and incredibly daunting and it is 100% okay to feel completely and utterly petrified.

I’m not a professional and I can’t give any professional advice but I can share my own experience in hopes to provide some kind of reassurance that no one is truly alone. For me talking about my emotions has been an incredible influence on my mental health. Finding someone I trusted in the early stages of pregnancy to express my concerns about my choices and the impact that those choices would have on my life was so important. And having or finding a support network to support your choices positively is worth every single person involved’s weight in gold.

“finding a support network to support your choices positively is worth every single person involved’s weight in gold”

After pregnancy into the first few weeks can be full of extremely complex emotions, for both mum and dad. And baby blues, as well as full on postnatal depression is something that I truly believe can happen to both women and men.

I can’t begin to stress how important it is to realise, for everyone to realise, that struggling mentally is something that deserves your attention, much the same way a broken wrist or leg would. And tending to your mental health isn’t something anyone should be ashamed of, when you have a little person relying on you it’s something you should prioritise. If your baby had a serious cold or needed medical attention you wouldn’t put it off, and much the same as your physical health impacts them, your mental health does too. If something doesn’t feel right, seek help, you and your baby deserve to know the best version of you ever to exist.

There are various places to reach out to including;

beyondblue.org.au

mindsuatralia.org.au

cope.org.au

wayahead.org.au

as well as various mental health hotlines that you can call no matter the time of day

BeyondBlue – 1300 22 4636

LifeLine – 13 11 14

PANDA (Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia) – 1300 726 306

And my email, facebook inbox, and blog are always open to anyone who feels as though they can find someone to open up to in me. Even if you aren’t a parent, everyone deserves to be the best version of themselves, you aren’t hindering anyone by expressing your feelings, and there will always be someone who cares.

Breastfeeding Without a Cover (gasp)

April 25, 2017.Reading time 3 minutes.

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I honestly find it hard to believe that now, in 2017, breastfeeding is still taboo. Society as a whole has grown so much in so many ways, yet here we are still chucking little tanties about babies suckling from nipples in public.

As natural as it is, it still makes people uncomfortable… The same way women talking about childbirth makes people cringe. It must be something to do with the fact that they produce milk, making them large, because last time I checked males have nipples too and even the ones who aren’t dads run around with theirs hanging out.

I’m not really talking about the instances of covered feeding, because thats pretty widely accepted. Because the little muslin wrap somehow makes everyone forget that theres a nipple underneath with a baby attached. I’m talking about uncovered, in the open feeding; no fiddling to get yourself covered, no baby pulling it off half the time. Just baby and nipple, out in the sunshine.

I breastfeed. Exclusively. Not because I am against pumping or formula but because it’s just damn easier. As difficult as childbirth was made for women, the gift of being able to breastfeed truly makes up for it a little. There is no cost, no need for heating (or keeping it cool in storing), no washing up and the best part, it’s always readily available. I currently take the ‘all-guns-ablazing’ approach. If I’m going to feed in public I’m going to do it my way, comfortably without a cover. And for some reason (well beyond my knowledge) a lot of people think that this gift, of feeding my child whenever and wherever they become hungry is, wait for the grown-up word… gross.

Because nourishing a newly growing human being from the organs made to do exactly that is somehow right up there with the gross things of the world like picking your nose and godforbid eating it in public.

So gross that you’ll be judged with an updown glare from a 14 year old in a crop top smaller than your maternity bra while her mother suggests you “cover up because there are children around who don’t need to see it”. Children. Lady, you do realise children are fed this way right?

Freedom of speech is all good and well but freedom to feed comfortably also relevant. Just as relevant as every other pressing issue of the 21st century from misogyny to racism. Insecurity around feeding only leads to added stress and greater difficulty in completing the task in the first place, and insecurity comes from unnecessary glares and comments. We’ve got a right to have our boob out, just as you have a right to look away. Don’t make something natural and beautiful difficult and uncomfortable when it doesn’t need to be.

Dear Violet: Letter 1 – The greatest 10 weeks of my life (so far)

April 17, 2017.Reading time 4 minutes.

The beginning of a series of letters to my daughter Violet Rae, who today turns 10 weeks old.

Dear Violet,

Today you are 10 weeks old. I’m sitting here staring at that sentence and finding myself unable to truly believe it. Ten weeks ago today you entered the world, beautifully and loudly. I remember the instant you took your first breath and filled my ears with your cry, and your lungs with air for the very first time.

Already, in ten weeks you have taught me so much. To trust my instincts; motherhood comes naturally. To be patient; everything will happen when it is meant to, even your naps (no matter how badly I wish you’d close your eyes so I can sleep for 5 more minutes). To enjoy the early hours of the morning; There’s no point in wishing to be back in bed when your smile lights up the world, even while the sun still sleeps at 4am. To treasure every moment; you grow at the speed of light and I’ll be darned if I miss a single second of it. And that there is always more room for love; Before you I didn’t think it was possible to love anyone as much as I love your daddy, now as my love grows for you both every single day I truly see just how infinite and unconditional it can be.

You’re smiling more than ever now and showing us the things you love (and love to dislike). Booping your nose and talking to you, tickling you and bouncing you makes you so happy, as well as bath time just before bed and your play mat in the early hours of the morning when sleep seems to be the furthest thing from your mind. Nappy changes and sitting in traffic seem to be your least favorite things in the world, as well as that nasty runny nose you had two weeks ago that kept you up all night for so many nights in a row.You keep us on our toes thats for sure. You seem to know the exact instant that I sit down to eat dinner, because the second I do you decide that lying on your play mat or in your rocker is not at all where you want to be and you’ll just die unless I pick you up for cuddles again.

I’ve got to tell you a secret though Vi, even though you’ve only been around ten weeks I’m pretty sure your daddy has fallen head over heels for you. You should see how much he does for you, how hard he works. Up working late, and still waking up for cuddles with you in the early hours of the morning, even if it is only briefly. You’re his world and your smile makes his whole day, every day. So never stop giving him those, okay?

For ten weeks you’ve been the centre of my entire world, my every waking moment and every dream. But really you’ve been that for so much longer, and will be for the rest of my life. I can’t wait for every single moment.

All of the love in my heart is for you my darling, I love you now and always will.

Love, Mummy xx

Newborn Madness: 10 things I wish someone had told me about parenthood

April 15, 2017.Reading time 12 minutes.

If you’re a parent, by the time your baby turned ten weeks old you most likely, at some point, sat and thought to yourself “well why the heck didn’t anyone say anything about this BEFORE the baby got here?!” at least once, right? And you come to realise at some point, that no matter how prepared you thought you were, no matter how many books you read, how many classes you attended, nothing really prepared you for the mammoth task that was and is parenthood.

So, for all you newbies out there; here’s my top 10 things I didn’t know before I became a mum, that in a few months time you’ll be thankful you now know . And for everyone else, here’s a bit of a giggle, because honestly, I really should have guessed.

It’s okay to get poop on things

No matter how great you think you’ll be, there will be at least one sh*tty nappy change (pun intended). Whether it’s that first tarry black post apocalyptic looking poop, or the runny after-immunisations sludgy yellow slop. It’ll happen. It’ll get on your carpet, it’ll get in your hair, it’ll get on bubs face too! And it’s TOTALLY OKAY. Because unlike those embarrassing posts you made on facebook when you were 13 that are now stuck on the internet forever to haunt your present self, it’ll come off with the quick swipe of a nappy wipe.

2. Getting poop on yourself without realising until you’re in public is also okay

It’s honestly inevitable. If the poop can get on the carpet and the walls then yep, it’ll get on you too. And at least once you won’t see it until it’s too late, and everyone in k-mart will know you spend your hours wiping someone else’s bum. And it’s fine because you don’t know those people and they don’t know you. And if you do know them then just pretend its mustard, trust me, same colour, they won’t even know. And if they do know they won’t say anything because they feel sorry for you, you’re a sleep deprived mess.

3. You will forget your new child’s name

Let’s be real, unless you’ve been set on one name your entire pregnancy, you probably spent many hours deciding which name would be best for your unborn little cutie. You’ll see and contemplate a LOT of names. And in the midst of being sleep deprived and a little all over the place you may have to think once or twice in those early hours of the morning if Violet really was the name you picked or if you dreamed it up and literally have forgotten their real name entirely. Trust me, it’ll only be momentary but it’ll happen. Don’t beat yourself up about it, just don’t do it when you’re registering them for their birth certificate yeah?

4. Keeping track of nighttime feeds is never a good idea

Remember the days when child-less you would wake up before your alarm, look at the clock at 2am and smile because you still had another 4-5 hours left to stay in your pillow kingdom of warmth. Well looking at the clock at 2am when you’re feeding, changing nappies and sometimes also sheets (because accidents happen) will not make you relieved nor anywhere near somewhat happy. You’ll be sad. Tired and sad because god only knows when this child will let you rest again, and for how long. Don’t look at the clock, stay blissfully unaware. In fact, pretend it’s 5pm, put a movie on, have a cup of tea. Time is utterly irrelevant. Trust me, you’ll be happier for it.

5. Babies smell fear

You finally put bub down for a sleep after a few solid minutes (maybe even hours) of screaming. You’re relieved, but also scared they’ll wake up again as soon as you walk away. THEY WILL. THEY KNOW. THE MINUTE YOU THINK IT THEY WILL WAKE UP. confidence is seriously everything. Believe in your bub, she’ll stay asleep, she’s awesome at this, just look at her. Same goes for non parents who are scared to hold baby because he’ll cry. He knows, even you just thinking it gives him the advantage. fake it till you make it I say, even false confidence is better than none at all.

6. Breastfeeding is just as full time as pregnancy when it comes to what you can eat

Oblivious little me “I can’t wait to have this baby so I can have a glass of wine/soft cheese/salami”. REMEMBER, if bub will be affected by it, and they’re drinking the milk that you make. You can’t have it. It’s obvious, but I really wish someone had reminded me of this before I got all excited about the fact that the end of pregnancy was near and that my freedom of eating and drinking whatever I wanted was near. It wasn’t and still isn’t. I’m not complaining, breastfeeding is incredible. Wine though…

7. People aren’t joking about parenthood being isolating

Seriously. You’ll think we’re over exaggerating about the isolation of parenthood, but it’s real. And it’s there. And it’s probably one of the biggest contributing factors to the baby blues other than the feeling of being overwhelmed by the sudden and new duty of caring for a tiny human being. But it’s totally normal to feel that way, for younger parents and older ones. You’re transitioning into a new lifestyle, especially with your first child. Your friends want to give you space to settle, you may not know many other people with babies, or you may know hundreds. But those first few weeks can feel lonely and asking for help, or even just some company is 100% okay, and in no way a sign of weakness.

8. Realising that no parent is an expert, and every baby is different is a must

This includes realising that not all advice is good advice, and not all good advice is advice you have to take. Every baby adjusts to the world differently, reaches milestones at different times, and reacts to different parenting methods totally differently. If Belinda Opinionista from down the road says you have to rock your baby to sleep every sleep time until 4 months because she did and now her kids sleep perfectly, but that doesn’t suit you or your baby, don’t do it. Just because it worked for someone else, or studies say it should work doesn’t mean it’ll work for you. And you should NEVER feel guilty for not doing something if it doesn’t work for you and your baby.

9. It’s okay to walk away for 5 minutes

When the screaming has been non stop and you can’t seem to solve or soothe them it is 100% okay to put baby in a safe place, like their cot, close the door and walk somewhere where you can’t hear them for five minutes. In fact, I honestly think you’ll go mad if you don’t. I thought you couldn’t, I would rock her and bounce her and hold her while my ears would ring from the endless screaming until I felt like I could break down crying because I didn’t know what I could do to help her. I eventually worked out that walking away, just for those five minutes and recollecting myself was the very best thing I could do for her. You come back with a fresh head and a calm demeanour that your baby will be able to pick up on and in turn will help calm them down.

10. Getting to know your baby takes time

The biggest thing of all. You’re new to being a parent. Your baby is new to being a baby. Everything is a little all over the place for the first few weeks. In the beginning it’s all extremely instinctive, feed, sleep, feed, sleep. You might feel a little overwhelmed, maybe even a little used considering you pour all your hours into feeding and tending to this little humans every need to get nothing much back for a while. But when those smiles start coming, and the personality starts to show that’s when it will all feel worth it. as time goes on you never think you can love your baby more than you do right at that very moment. But every single day that child will prove you wrong by filling your heart with even more love than you ever thought possible.

Violet 4 WM

Above all else, take a deep breath and remember that this gorgeous little human is entirely your own, and you get to love them for the rest of your life and beyond.

Violet Rae Cook: 2 Month Update

April 3, 2017.Reading time 6 minutes.

I’m pretty certain that the moment your newborn baby looks you dead in the eye and smiles has to be the most beautiful, exciting, eye watering moment of your life. And right now we’re getting more smiles than ever.
Week 7 was a bit of a rough week for little Vi, the side effects of her immunisations kicked in and for 4 or 5 days of the week she was unsettled, grumpy, croaky and tired. She simply wasn’t herself. On Tuesday night we rang 13 health just to check her symptoms and to see if we should take more serious action. Her symptoms weren’t bad but after hearing her somewhat weak and coughy cry through the phone the registered nurse recommended taking her to the Emergency Department. Just to be sure. You never know with little babies as things can get serious very quickly.
It was super busy in the ED when we got there, literally patients from the ambulance waiting in a line on their beds which was pretty crazy to see… who would have thought on a Tuesday night at 8pm right? So we waited at the counter for about 10 minutes, which seemed like a lifetime when you’ve got a sick baby in your arms wailing and the thought in the back of your mind that something could be seriously wrong. Once we were seen though and asked for Violets age we were taken straight through to see a doctor and 3 nurses. A doctor and THREE nurses. At this point I was freaking out a little bit, we were in a Resuss room with lots of big scary looking machines in it. They’d put a few different monitors on her and took her blood pressure which made her scream even more.
Then I tried feeding her, which as always, always calmed her. And it didn’t. She wouldn’t latch and wouldn’t stop screaming. The nurses looked concerned, and I figured she was uncomfortable having her blood pressure taken (and making her arm purple) so I asked them to take it off. After which she latched and started feeding. They let us sit there until she had fed and then moved us into another room to keep an eye on her. They initially thought it may have been whooping cough (holy shit right?) but they tested for it and it wasn’t that. Then they thought she might have something stuck in her throat or chest so we had an X-ray, and nothing showed up on that. By this time it was around 10pm and Vi was sound asleep on my chest. They’d ruled out all the bad possibilities and pinned it down to being a little unwell from her vaccinations, which would eventually pass without seriously harming her. Now we just had to wait for the Pead to come and give her a final once over before we could go home… 3 hours later after an emergency with a newborn up in the maternity ward we were finally seen and sent home at 1:30am.

Even though there was lots of waiting and nothing really wrong I’m still glad we took her. As you Just never really know with babies under a certain age, and their condition can deteriorate super quickly. So I’m incredibly thankful with how prompt the hospital was with getting her seen and ensuring her safety, despite a room full, and hallway full of people waiting to be seen.
The rest of the week we had more sleepless night, and a snotty nose developed. I kissed goodbye any thought of decent sleep for myself for the week and focused purely on making little Vi feel safe and loved while she was experiencing illness for the first time. And I’m sure people are wondering, do you feel bad for vaccinating if it’s made her sick? Absolutely not, because if a little illness means she won’t end up with a life threatening sickness then I’d do it 1000 times over to make sure Vi is protected and healthy.
Now she’s getting better we’re seeing more smiles than ever. Her Nanny Bec and uncles have come down to visit and are giving lots and lots of snuggles to help her get over her little cold. More and more personality is shining through as she is seeing and experiencing more and more of the world every day. She’s loving morning play time on her play mat. Is enjoying her bath time more than ever. And is genuinely a super super happy, loveable little girl.
I still can’t believe it’s been two months already! Some of the toughest, yet most rewarding months of my life. Happy Two Months Little Vi!!

Newborn Must Haves; 5 things that made our first 5 weeks a breeze

March 31, 2017.Reading time 7 minutes.

Now that Violet is about 7 weeks I’ve had a decent amount of time to figure out which newborn items I’ve been absolutely saved by. And there are a few! I’m not going to say you need these things, because cave people had babies and survived without all of this stuff, but hey, they’re nice to have.
1) Manduca Baby Carrier

So this item I can safely say has been a godsend for us. Having a Bub that is a little fussy recently with not wanting to be put down, this gives us the freedom of having not one, but TWO hands again!! It’s adjustable, comfortable and best of all, it’s made so that you’re able to, as Bub grows, wear it to suit the way your baby would prefer to be carried. On your back? You got it. On your side? Yep. Way up front near boob smell? Hell yeah!

The actual carrier I was given as a gift from my wonderful Gran, and the cute little zippy colourful accessory you see on the front is actually a new born accessory. You’ll see that it makes the carrier curvier, meaning it fits a newborns spine better than if it was straight without it. I find that when I’m using it with the accessory I feel less need to put my hand on her back to support her.

A massive thanks to the peeps at Fertile Mind Australia for sending us the newborn accessories to try out! I can say with all honesty, they really do make the carrier safer for a littler baby and make it so much more comfortable to wear. If you’re looking for the Manduca carrier for your own Bub you’ll find it at their website! https://www.fertilemind.com.au/category-manduca-baby-carriers-slings-and-accessories-159.aspx
2) Strider Compact, Duluxe Edition

We hunted around for ages to find a stroller that we really truly liked, and here it is. We splurged a little and got the deluxe edition because it was just that little bit more, and we honestly couldn’t have made a better choice. The pram itself is extremely diverse as you can purchase the capsule that can fit to it, the bassinet and even a second seat (yay for when Bub #2 comes along, eventually!). It’s super smooth to drive, has an awesome warranty, a huge space underneath for all the sh*t you need to carry around as a parent, and, my favourite, the brake, it’s not one that you have to flick back up with your foot, you simply push the pedal down to put the brake on and push it again to take it off (EASY TO USE WEARING THONGS! lol if you’re a parent that used older strollers you’ll get it).

It’s also super airy, I found that the other pram (using the capsule with) got really quite hot, and poor Violet always seemed to be covered in sweat on her back when we took her out. It also came with a range of accessories like a rain cover, bug and wind cover and an awesome pocket insert to keep all your stuff organised.

It’s been a quite a few outings with us, and I haven’t found a fault yet! Best of all, it’s easy to fold and lightweight (weak little me can easily get it in and out of the car within about 30 seconds. We purchased ours online at Baby Bounce (and it’s currently on sale!)
3) Serina Joie rocker

Totally something from the space age right? This thing was our saviour in the first few weeks. When Bub is still super sleepy and super small. It rocks, gently or super quickly if you want, and keeps Bub happy when you’re not holding them. It’s also adjustable so when baby is bigger they can sit up and see more.

This was a gift from Nan-ma (Dans mum) and though it would be pretty costly to buy yourself if you can suggest it to a few people to put in to get you one for your baby shower or something of the like you definitely won’t regret it. Violet loves hers and spends a lot of the day time in it while I am getting housework done. Not to mention, how beautiful is it? Made very well and very good quality. You can purchase this at Baby Bounce!
4) Collette by Collette Hayman Nappy Bag

After that Mimco bag look without the $300 price tag? Look no further than Collette. Stylish, affordable and best of all, practical. Super happy with the quality and the size. Can’t go wrong really. This one was a gift from my mum!
5) Natural Rubber Soother

I honestly think that anyone who chooses not to give their child a dummy is a damn hero! How?! Violet is the kind of baby that sucks for comfort, so naturally a dummy was our only solution (unless I wanted her on my boob 24/7, which I did not)

The natural rubber soother is exactly what it says it is. It’s got a super long nub, which Vi loves because it’s more like a nipple than most dummies. And we can rest easy that there are not as many nasties in it as there could be in other brands, because it’s all natural! We for hers from our local organic store

Violet Rae Cook: 6 Week Update

March 25, 2017.Reading time 4 minutes.

Don’t ask me how we are already at 6, nearly 7 weeks… I simply can’t answer it, and it makes me quite anxious to think just how damn quickly time is passing.

Every day that passes we see more and more of Violet’s personality shine through, and god, it only makes us love her more. She’s curious, happy, and bloody strong! I didn’t think it was possible but for such a small baby she can pack a kick, and a head butt, that’s for sure.

At 4 and a half weeks she ROLLED! Which initiated the transition from her cradle to her cot, like a big girl in her very own room. Of course, she’s not slept through yet, but is adjusting impressively well to self settling and waking up in her own room by herself.

At 6 weeks we got our first real social smile. And let me tell you, that brings tears of happiness to any new parents eyes. After weeks on end of changing nappies, feeding all hours of the day and soothing a screaming baby, to finally see their little smile, it wells your heart. Somehow making everything you’ve been through so much more worth it. And I’m probably a bit biased but that smile is absolutely gorgeous. I’m living for the cute little gurgling baby sounds she makes as she watches our faces intently, taking all of the world in.
And great news! She’s absolutely loving her baths now, if you’ll remember in my last post I said she hated them and would scream bloody murder every time we tried to get her in there. But I can happily say she had about a half hr bath with me tonight and loved every minute of it.

It’s safe to say that we’re adjusting a lot better to this whole parenting gig. You don’t believe it in the beginning when they tell you that you’ll get used to not having enough sleep, but you really truly do. I feel fully functional on 6 hrs of broken sleep a night, and I’m damn proud of myself for it. Nappy changes happen in under 2 minutes these days, and we haven’t had a poo-splosion in weeks, which I nail down to the fact that we can actually put a nappy on properly!

On Monday we had her 6 week immunisations, and if you’re a parent you’ll share my pain, I honestly think it hurts more to watch than it actually is painful for Bub. But it’s comforting to know that she’s more better equipped to deal with all different types of bugs the world could throw at her. And that she can now socialise with other babies! Which I’m hoping to get happening in the next few weeks by attending lactation groups and mothers groups.

I feel like she’s very easy on us, I mean obviously she has her moments but every baby does. She’s settling in so well to being a little human. And god, I never knew how much love you could hold in your heart until now, and I tell you what, it just keeps growing and growing.

Violet Rae: One Month Old

March 6, 2017.Reading time 4 minutes.

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I’m actually 100% in denial. It seriously cannot have been a whole month since Violet was born… But at the same time it feels like she has been in our lives for a lifetime. The past month has been one of the hardest, but most rewarding months of my life. Who’d have known 10 months ago we’d be on this journey together here right now.

These first four weeks have certainly been a massive learning curve. Learning to change nappies (lots of them), learning to breastfeed (and all the fun that comes with it) and also learning to let go of our once very-well rested life and to welcome a new life of a lot less sleep, but a lot more love.

I want to say that Vi is a relatively easy baby, but then again I’ve never had a baby before so I don’t really have much to compare her to. Her first two weeks she didn’t really cry much at all, she just ate and slept and pooped. And then of course when my mum left at the two week mark was when she started being a little bit more cheeky. I can’t say she’s been anywhere near a handful though. She’s easy to sooth, sleeps in relatively regular stints (meaning we have somewhat a pattern to our small amount of sleep) and hasn’t had any issues with breastfeeding besides occasionally overeating and then spewing it all down my front, you know, as babies do.

I must say I’ve never known a baby to grunt as much as this little one… and headbutt peoples shoulders to the point where she looks like she’ll give herself a concussion. Babies are certainly interesting little creatures… But we see more and more personality within her every single day, and fall more and more in love with her because of it.Currently she’s gained almost a whole kilo since she was born, and we haven’t measured her length recently but I feel like she’s certainly grown a whole lot that way as well.

We’ve also done a lovely little trip up to visit my family in Gladstone and Dan’s family in Bundaberg. And while we were there we had the privilege of getting some beautiful photography done (I’ll attach some sneak peeks below), thanks to my mum and dad for the gift of capturing those precious moments while she is still so little. (the photography is Dream Capture by Clarissa if anyone is interested, and she is just as lovely as her photography so I’d highly recommend her!)

Having a newborn is tricky for a number of reasons. Tricky because if you’re a new parent and you have no idea what you’re doing. But can take solace in the fact that everyone out there was a new parent once, and you’re probably not the only mum to get poop on your hand and not realise until an hour later, or, in your sleep deprivation mistake your pillow for your baby. Every single day we learn new things along with Vi, and it’s been such a blessing watching her become the happy, beautiful little girl she is. It’s so daunting how quickly this month has flown by, I guess people really mean it when they say that they grow up fast…

Happy One Month beautiful little girl