Depending on which study you read, parents of three or more children are the happiest. But sometimes the prospect of adding to a clan of one or two is enough to scare some parents into remission. Kath, a working mum-of-three, once said to the Mother Side’s Lauren that going from one to two children is … More 5 reasons why going from 2 to 3 kids isn’t as scary as you’d think
I can’t remember if I’d even heard of The Fourth Trimester before Prim was born. I do remember learning more about it in her early days, though, and feeling a sense of relief; suddenly things made sense. It was probably this article by Sarah Ockwell-Smith that acted as a revelation! Of COURSE she didn’t want to be put … More The Forth Trimester: Four Weeks In.
What does reading a book have to offer children that playing on an iPad can’t? And how do we encourage reading?? We talked to young adult (YA) fiction author Rhian Ivory, who shared her insight on what books can offer children over technology, how to encourage children to read and write stories, and her favourite … More Children’s author Rhian Ivory on escapism and her favourite children’s books
Over 3.5 million people in the UK are estimated to experience infertility, and 60,000 fertility treatments are administered each year. Our guest post comes from a Mother Sider who has been on an incredibly long and emotional journey to have children. After the birth of her firstborn through IVF, and six subsequent failed IVF rounds … More How it feels: Donor eggs and IVF
Over 100 people in the UK are diagnosed with MS (multiple sclerosis) every week, and a majority of these are women. We tried several times to write the intro to this guest piece and just couldn’t find the words. Quite simply, this is one mum’s inspiring and empowering story on being a mother while suffering an … More How it feels: motherhood and MS
Mel Pinet, an expert in babywearing at Wrap a Hug, gives us the lowdown on everything you need to know about babywearing. Both Jo and Lauren at the Mother Side carried their babies in slings and carriers, and found it not only a lovely experience having their little ones close (and so handy for naps on … More Babywearing: benefits, advice and safety
Alongside our homebirth preparations, trying to prepare Primrose for the baby’s arrival and gearing up for the actual birth of this baby, the postpartum stage of pregnancy has been at the forefront of my mind. Those of you who’ve been with us since the early days of Tales from the Mother Side may remember my … More Preparing for a Positive Postpartum.
When we found out that we were expecting, back in December, my first thought (apart from whether the baby would be healthy) was how Primrose would cope with the transition to big sister. Breastfeeding, a growing bump, scans, appointments and, eventually, a baby! How would this little one deal with becoming the not-so-little one? She will … More From baby to ‘big’ sister: Preparing a toddler for a new arrival.
Welcome to parenthood! We bet you thought your days of cinema-going were numbered? Or that you’d be forced to watch kids’ films for the foreseeable? Well, think again. Many cinemas across the UK are catering for new parents and their love of cinema by offering weekly parent and baby screenings of new releases. This is bloomin’ … More Cinema with your baby? Yes you can!
Close friends and family know that this is close to the top of my list of ‘bloody irritating questions’, along with a) ‘Is he/she a good baby?’, b)’How is he/she sleeping?’ and c)’When are you going back to work?’ (Answers: a) What the chuff is a ‘bad’ baby?! b) Like a baby and c) If/when I want … More ‘But when is your actual due date?’: The EDD and intervention obsession.
