Brazenmom

What to do? What to do? My daughter is due for her first vaccine imminently … this week actually. At two months old my baby is to be vaccinated against Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), polio and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) Pneumococcal infection. It is common knowledge that in order to make someone immune to a disease, doctors have to inject the actual disease into a person’s body so that antibodies to fight the illness can develop. My husband and I have a problem with injecting a healthy baby, who is only two months old and very little, with diseases – even if it is to build antibodies. Read the rest of this entry »

The verdict on my Tommeee Tippee breast pump is in: it’s awesome. Why? Because it makes expressing milk as non-weird, convenient, quick and painless as possible. I decided as soon as I fell pregnant that I was going to breast feed and that my lifestyle would demand that I express milk – a thought that completely grossed me out. I am not keen on the whole idea of milking myself like. I am no bovine. I knew that expressing by hand was a big no-no and even expressing manually with some sort of device was out of the question for me. So it had to be an electric breast pump that would allow me to maintain some semblance of a social life with my newborn. I purchased a Tommee Tippee breast pump because it was the one on special when I went pump hunting. And the decision paid off. Expressing takes little concentration and effort and I usually do it in the company of BBC iPlayer to alleviate boredom. So thanks Tommee Tippee for a great device that has helped me maintain some independence as a new mom.

Related Breast pumps are weird

Are you a user? Dummies not drugs. Pose this question to a drug addict or a sleep deprived new mom and you are likely to receive an equally violent, opinionated and emotionally charged response. Before I was a mom, if someone had told me what a big deal the whole dummy debate is amongst parents (and even those who aren’t parents) I would have retorted with “um … ever heard of AIDS, world hunger, violent deaths, war and drug addiction?”. Ashamedly, after seven short weeks as a parent, I have succumbed to the great dummy debate and formed an opinion. My philosophy as a mom is to trust my instinct – translation: if your gut tells you that using a dummy is the best option for your baby, then do it and visa versa. My own fear is that if I give my baba a dummy, it will become a crutch: an easy way for me to keep her pacified when it suits me. Basically, a gag. So I guess my stance is based on self-doubt. Irrespective, my baba is learning to self-soothe without the use of a dummy and that has made my decision not to use a dummy pretty easy. Read the rest of this entry »

After three weeks of an almost ‘too good to be true’ baba, we sadly discovered that our little Amelia-bug is as stubborn as her mother. She, one day, just decided that sleeping alone was not the cool thing to do; snuggling up in someone’s arms is much more fun – day and night. Naughty baba! So whilst we tried to figure out whether Amelia-bug, at the age of 4 weeks, was manipulating us; or feeling separation anxiety after being attached to mommy for nine months; or frustrated because of her stuffy nose; or just plain needy; or all of the above, my baba happily consumed all of my attention – every second of every day. Making tea became a pain in my ass because as soon as Amelia-bug was put down the waa-ing would begin. So after spending an afternoon with my faithful friend Mr Google, who advised me on the many theories relating to babies and sleep, I was no clearer on what course of action I should take. I wanted to find a happy medium that would ensure that my Amelia-bug would feel okay to sleep alone but also indulge in some lovely mommy and daddy snuggles. So I sent out a message on facebook and got mixed responses that launched into a fabulous debate which I would like to share with other parents addressing the same sleep issue. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s quick. It’s easy. It’s healthy. And it’s yum yum yummy. As the new parents of a wriggling, guzzling, wailing newborn, New Covent Garden soup saved the day … actually the last month! NCG’s fresh soup range boasts a host of mouth mouth-watering flavours. As new parents spending much time trying to figure out what to do with our little cutie, NCG soups have been a five minute breakfast/lunch/dinner/snack option within the mad frenzy of parenthood. Read the rest of this entry »

I remember a friend telling me of a vision she had as she was bringing her new born son home from the hospital: masses and masses of mounds of nappies … nappies that are not biodegradable but just hang around for years and years. She told me that the guilt she felt was insurmountable before she had even committed the unforgivable act of using disposable nappies in place of the ‘towlies’ that all of our parents used. Read the rest of this entry »

My non-pregnant best friend keeps nagging me to show her my breast pump. Lurking beneath the inquisitive nature of the request is the undoubted desire to mock. The whole notion of a breast pump is rather bovine – the use of a contraption to extract milk … it’s bizarre. Info everywhere says that breastfeeding is the best. I am keen to try it and it’s a cheaper alternative to formula. This being my choice, I have acquired a breast pump so that I can retain a semblance of a life after my baby girl is born. So while I spend the money that I would have spent on formula on financing gigs and babysitters – my baby will feed away happily on mom’s milk from her bottle; I’m happy and baby is healthy (assuming, of course, that breastfeeding and breast pumping are skills that I am able to master). Read the rest of this entry »