Mummy Madness

I got married and had two children all in 3 years. My son, also my first child, was born with a health condition that required surgery and we spent our first 6 weeks of parenthood in a NICU at a children’s hospital. It was the most difficult time of my life. Even after he came home I struggled with anxiety, depression, fear and anger. I turned to writing and my words slowly allowed me to crawl out of the hole I had dug myself into. I was forever changed. I began to realize that I had the ability to help others who were struggling with their journey in parenthood. As parents, we all have moments where we aren't sure what we are doing. I continue to write and share my experiences in hopes that I can help part the clouds for someone who is struggling.

When you are pregnant with your first child, your mind can go crazy with worry. You worry that you’re not eating enough or that you’re eating too much. You worry that the aches and pains you feel aren’t normal. You wonder if your baby is moving enough. Though a lot of what keeps you up at night are legitimate concerns, so many of the fears you experience as a first time mother are simply due to fear of the unknown. As your pregnancy...

It has been my biggest fear. Since the moment I had children. The dreaded illness. Specifically, stomach bugs. The thought of dealing with sick kids while I was sick myself terrified me. Even though I am perfectly aware that children carry all sorts of germs. I am so fully aware that I am a bit of a germaphobe. The mere thought scared me. Well…it happened. All four of us. One week. Sick…sick and sick some more. It wasn’t pretty,...

Spring is coming. I can feel it. Though I look outside and all I see are mounds of snow, the sun that shines through my back windows all day long tells me that spring is on its way. Though it’s just around the corner, we do still have a few more weeks of cold, snowy winter left. If you’re not careful, it’s in these last few weeks of blustery cold dark weather that you can really start to lose it. If you’re on maternity leave, are a...

So you’re pregnant. You have patiently waited for three long months, 12 whole weeks, to make the announcement to the world. The day finally arrives for you to share your most exciting news! What comes next? Advice, opinions and more advice! Everyone has an opinion. It gets both frustrating and overwhelming to hear everyone and their sister give you their own personal feelings on everything baby. Should you breastfeed or bottle feed?...

Wouldn’t it be great if 2015 could be the year that all women could feel free to feed their children anywhere and everywhere without fear of being chastised, judged, or shamed? I’m hoping this is the year that we stop turning breastfeeding into such a controversial subject and we just leave it as simply feeding an infant. The Pope (yes the Pope!!) has publicly welcomed mothers to breastfeed in the Sistine Chapel. You can find the story...

The holidays have come and gone and once again we were extremely blessed. We celebrated with family, were able to enjoy a delicious Christmas meal and received many lovely and thoughtful gifts. I gave many thanks over this holiday season. I am perfectly aware that there are so many people in this world that don’t have what I have. Many people that aren’t surrounded by people who love them. People who did not overindulge in a feast of...

December is a busy month. Between Christmas shopping, wrapping, addressing cards and baking, I feel as though there is never much down time. Each and every year I promise myself that I will start early and not leave anything until the last minute yet each and every year the days slip away from me and before I know it Christmas day is upon us and I’m feeling burnt out. It’s times like these when I really feel the need to slow down and take...

The holiday season is upon us and that means parties, gatherings and lots of big family meals. While celebrating the season is lots of fun it can cause stress if you are attending all of the festivities with children. It was so easy when it was just you or you and your partner wasn’t it? No naptimes to worry about, no hunger meltdowns or bedtime tears. Okay maybe there was the occasional hunger meltdown, but in my defense I skipped...

Recently, I read Sandy’s blog “The top 10 things I loved about being pregnant” and I have to admit I got a little bit of baby fever. I loved being pregnant. I have never felt as strong and confident as I did when I was pregnant. As I read through Sandy’s list I agreed with everything and ideas of a third baby starting dancing around my mind. I think Mr. C might be getting nervous. In fact I’m getting nervous so to combat those...

As you approach your due date your list of to do’s just seems to grow. 40 weeks flies by and before you know it the big day is here! When putting plans in place for the birth of your baby there is one decision that can sometimes cause expectant mothers some stress. Who will be there as support in the delivery room? First things first, check with your hospital as to what their policy is. Many hospitals have a limit to the amount of people...

When Mr. T. was born he was taken off to the NICU three hours after his birth. He was hooked up to an IV and for the next six weeks was fed via a tube. The hospital provided the breast pump and I dutifully pumped my milk every three hours, morning, noon and night. Not a day went by where I wasn’t attached to that machine. I’m not going to lie, it was hard. My alarm would wake me from a restless sleep forcing me out of bed and into a...

When I was pregnant Mr. C and I often discussed the possibility of him taking some parental leave and both agreed it would be a good idea. When Mr. T was born and we spent an unexpected six weeks in hospital it became even more apparent that a paternity lPandora Glass Beads another eave was an ideal situation for our family. Mr. C had saved up all his vacation for the year so that he could take time off when our first baby was born. We had no...