First time mum

  • Motherhood

    Self care tips for new mums

    Self care is everywhere right now; reasons why we should be doing it, what we should be doing and how we should be doing it, but when it comes to motherhood the biggest hurdle is finding the time in the midst of changing nappies, feeding and trying to get in as much sleep as possible. 

    When you’re a new mum (or dad) the only thing you are thinking about is surviving and I know for us in those first few weeks it was all about survival mode. That being said, when the newborn haze has lifted, you start to feel a little more yourself and you finally feel like you’re ready to start taking care of yourself a little more there are so many things you can start working into your crazy routine to help you feel good about yourself.

    Listen to a podcast:

    This is honestly my go-to when I get up every day because it helps inspire me and feel like I can do anything. I am really into personal development in every way but motherhood for me has definitely meant less time to sit and read a book (real talk: I’ve not picked up a book since pregnancy) but what I do have every single day is my ears open and ready to listen. My little girl is 8 months old, she doesn’t talk to me in much more than baby babble and I am home with her full time, so adult conversation is thin on the ground at times when I am not around my husband, out with family or seeing friends. Enter some of my favourite podcasts. I can look after, interact, play and take care of my daughter and still have something going on in the background. My podcast of choice is Jenna Kutcher, but you can literally find a topic that suits you and find a podcast that you would love to listen to. I promise this is one thing that can really turn my mood around.

    Say No:

    Learn that it is ok to say no. If you don’t want people to come round when you have just got home or after the baby has had a bad day/night then it is ok to say no. Parenting isn’t easy and some days you just need space, a breather and a day at home in your pj’s to rebalance. That’s ok. Equally, if you are the opposite and feel like you need company then call up a friend, family member or pop along to a local baby group and talk.

    Books and laptop stacked on table

    Take time for yourself:

    This might seem like a no-brainer but it is honestly not easy to always find the time for yourself in those early days/weeks and even months. If you’re able to find a few moments to yourself then indulge in something you enjoy.

    Be kind to yourself:

    Give yourself some grace, as a new mum you have so much on your plate, from taking care of this brand new little baby to sleepless nights, endless feeding and recovering from labour. One of the biggest things I learnt is to take each day at time, and just be kind to yourself. Some days you will feel like you have it all together, sometimes you will feel like you couldn’t do a worst job if you tried. That’s motherhood and even when you feel like you’re at your doing a bad job you are still an absolutely amazing mama. 

  • Food, Lunch

    What I give my 6 month old for lunch with Baby-led weaning

    The beginning of our weaning journey

    Baby lunch plate

    When we started our weaning journey I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to do, where I wanted to start or even how to navigate all the options. In short, I was a first-time mum, questioning the minefield of advice and just deciding to forge my own way, with my eye on safety advice.

    I started with what you would call traditional weaning, mashes and puree mostly and trying to spoon-feed them into Hadley’s mouth. I say trying because Hadley really wasn’t up for being spoon-fed in any way, shape or form. Hadley showed us from the word go that she was the independent woman we are raising her to be and with that, she wanted to do this weaning thing all by herself. So it was goodbye to puree food and spoons and onto a brand new world of baby-led weaning. 

    Now for clarity’s sake, I think because I started with first tastes and spoon-feeding that I am not a Baby-led weaning purist, however as with anything parenting related (and life related if I come to think of it) I march to the beat of my own drum and don’t really try and fit myself into any little boxes. So with that said, on we go!

    Moving onto a baby-led way of life

    With Hadley wanting to do everything herself along came the world of having to create her little meals to go alongside ours, and while we often give her either the same as us or certainly a version of ours, sometimes I do her separate meals entirely.

    Today I wanted to come on and share one of Hadley’s favourite (can I say favourite if she’s only been eating for a couple of weeks?) lunches and I found it the least stressful when starting a more baby-led approach. I am going to share the recipe card below so you can save it and refer to it if you want to at a later date. As I said, this isn’t a complicated recipe at all, just one to get you started if you are looking for ideas, whether you are doing traditional weaning or baby-led weaning.

    Also, how cute is her Bamboo Bamboo Bunny plate from Amazon, I’m still wondering if I can get away with eating out of a bowl this adorable at 34 years old. Answers on a postcard…

    I am just getting started on our baby-led journey and this is just one of the recipes I have found that Hadley (and me!) have gotten on really well with. I have the same as her and just add a little bacon, but it’s totally up to you.

    Lunch plate

    If you want to follow along our weaning journey don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and for more recipe ideas you can follow our weaning board on Pinterest too.