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💫Sleeping through💫 Up there with Christmas

💫Sleeping through💫

Up there with Christmas Day, your birthday, even your wedding day, is the day your newborn sleeps through the night for the first time!

It is the most glorious (and confusing) of events and without a doubt you will wake up several times; out of habit, to check baby is breathing and if you are breastfeeding it may be the surrounding puddle of breast milk that wakes you.

Saturday was the first night Baby Crozier slept 10pm to 5am. Of course I woke up at 3- he was actually squirming a little so I got myself set up for a feed... waited and waited and he never woke. And as the saying goes (if your baby is putting on weight) then never wake a sleeping baby! I went back to sleep and we both woke at 5- glorious!

Sunday night he slept through to 5.30am, the fact that I had woken up having soaked our bedsheets with milk, was a small price to pay for a fabulous sleep!

... much needed too as I was still recovering from being so ill.

Now, chances of this lasting are v. Slim. Baby is still adjusting to life earth side and there won’t be a sniff of routine until another couple of months but I am still super duper grateful for the couple of nights I had. Thanks babes.

When did your newborn first sleep through? What was your reaction?!

Alice ❤️

💫Parenting is the most important job in the wo

💫Parenting is the most important job in the world !💫

I am the primary carer of our children, almost sounds controversial to say that these days but it's true. Adam works long hours at both work and on our personal ventures and I look after Tom & Jerry...

I didn't expect my life to take, what sounds like, such a 1950s turn but having "roles" within our relationship and family unit has been key to a smoother parenthood journey ("smoother" not smooth 😂)

It has been really important to us to both know what we are doing to contribute to family life, family & personal goals and the general day to day tasks of life.

It is really easy to get bitter when parenting, the whole “you get to stay at home all day” vs “..at least you get to go to toilet in peace!” Sound familiar?

Knowing how each of our actions contribute to the greater good of the family, and our shared vision, as well as (and most importantly) respecting how hard one another is working has been really important for us.

I say us, but maybe it’s what I needed more. We live in a society that respects achievements in turns of promotions and financial gain; very
tangible signs of success. It isn’t so easy to assess success when parenting... there is no formula, no KPIs and no annual bonus.

And because of this, I’ve had periods of time when, although I am literally keeping a human alive, I have felt I don’t have enough purpose or value.

I guess this is a reminder to myself, and to others, that we are doing the most important job in world. It may not always feel like society values it as much as much as it should be but it is THE most valuable job we can do.

We got this 💪🏻
Alice ❤️

#helloparent #parents #parenting #parentinggroup #onlinecommunity #hypnobirthing #antenatalclass #birth #positivebirth #pregnancy #parentstobe #mumtobe #dadtobe #firsttrimester #secondtrimester #thirdtrimester #firsttimemum #birtheducation #pandemicparenting #exerciseinpregnancy #baby #ftm #birthstory #breastfeeding #homebirth #freeadvice #livesessions #antenatal #parentclasses #birthpreparation

💫We got this ! 💫 Parenting is a 24/7 job. Y

💫We got this ! 💫

Parenting is a 24/7 job. You have heard this before, countless times, but it doesn’t sink in, the reality doesn’t hit until you have a newborn.

I am not going to lie, the feeling can be a little (or a lota!) overwhelming. Life before kids, there was always a break or an end to the chaos, bad day, long meeting or frustrating journey.

But with parenting, there is no let up. Now I am talking predominantly about newborn phase because with our toddler she’s asleep for 12 hours a night and it really does feel like a break (yippeee)

But, newborn life is like no other, I am actually struggling to put words down to describe it (or that’s just the exhaustion) but the dependence of a newborn, the hourly feeds, the inability to sleep for extended amount of times...

Sometimes I look back at a day and think “how the F did I get through that?!” But you do, because you are amazing, and yes because it is rewarding and your baby is the cutest being on earth.

But it is tough. No surprise I am writing this after 4 hours of trying to settle an unhappy babe.

And why am I writing this? Well, because it’s reality and because I don’t think primary care givers are fully understood & I want other parents out there to know they are not alone, we got this, together !

Alice ❤️

#helloparent #parents #parenting #parentinggroup #onlinecommunity #hypnobirthing #antenatalclass #birth #positivebirth #pregnancy #parentstobe #mumtobe #dadtobe #firsttrimester #secondtrimester #thirdtrimester #firsttimemum #birtheducation #pandemicparenting #exerciseinpregnancy #baby #ftm #birthstory #breastfeeding #homebirth #freeadvice #livesessions #antenatal #parentclasses #birthpreparation

💫Be prepared to be unprepared 💫 It’s week

💫Be prepared to be unprepared 💫

It’s week 4 and I finally feel like I am getting the hang of things, I have, by no means, perfected the morning routine but have made it manageable and have a system to get the squirrels in and out the car....

Two of my worries were getting them both downstairs in the morning & out the car so I was feeling pretty chuffed with this!

But then this week, the universe de-railed me. Adam and I had made it out for a date day, Aura at nursery and baby Crozier strapped to us like a Koala. Two bites into freedom and nursery called.

No surprise, Aura had been off all morning but I was surprised to hear they thought she had conjunctivitis (it was going around nursery).

So it was an early pick up, an absolute ordddeealll trying to get her medication (that’s another story!) and of course It didn’t help that baby was having one of his “Feed me every 10 minutes or I’ll cry!” Evenings.

The next day I woke up feeling really unwell & Adam started his night shifts. Turns out I have tonsillitis so we really have become the sickly house!!!

All such normal, day to day, manageable things but when all together feel pretty overwhelming! I write down my thoughts to stay positive and think about the support around me I can draw upon. What do you do when you reach the “ahh it’s all gone wrong!” point?

Alice ❤️

#helloparent #parents #parenting #parentinggroup #onlinecommunity #hypnobirthing #antenatalclass #birth #positivebirth #pregnancy #parentstobe #mumtobe #dadtobe #firsttrimester #secondtrimester #thirdtrimester #firsttimemum #birtheducation #pandemicparenting #exerciseinpregnancy #baby #ftm #birthstory #breastfeeding #homebirth #freeadvice #livesessions #antenatal #parentclasses #birthpreparation

💫Weeks 2 & 3💫 I see A LOT of questions on F

💫Weeks 2 & 3💫

I see A LOT of questions on FB groups regarding newborn behaviour. Unfortunately, many of us are not actually around many (or any) newborns frequently before we meet our own..

So, what is it actually like to have a newborn?! Well, I’ll answer this by talking about the second & third week of Baby Crozier’s life:

Week 2: feed, poo, feed, sleep
Week 3: feed, poo, stare at me, feed, sleep

Haha yes, it’s that simple (?!) of course its not simple but it really is about getting basic needs met, baby’s and your own.

These two weeks for me ran into one period of time where I focused on establishing a ‘cycle’ with baby. As a millennial I can safely say I’m one of many who is obsessed with schedules, routine, timing and predictability. So when you are told you to throw that alllllll out the window with a newborn it didn’t sit well with me.

But what I have learned is, although you can’t obsess over timing (never wake a sleeping baby, you will always be late), you can establish a cycle which gives you a bit of predictability.

So what the F is this magic cycle you talk of?! Well, newborns should only be awake for 45 mins (crazy I know!) so in the awake time we:

Feed
Burp
Change nappy
Play (this is as simple as them lying in front of you)
Feed
Burp if needed

And it’s back to sleep again!

The sleep part remains very unpredictable. Naps ranging from 20 mins to 3 hours but the cycle part is also they but I stick to.

Sounds simple ey?! Okay okay, again, it’s not that simple. Sometimes babes wants extra food, or isn’t tired or whinges cos he can’t do a poo bit generally if goes like that and I like that. I feel comfort in the cycle.

What’s your experience of the ‘cycle’ with your newborn?!

Alice ❤️

#helloparent #parents #parenting #parentinggroup #onlinecommunity #hypnobirthing #antenatalclass #birth #positivebirth #pregnancy #parentstobe #mumtobe #dadtobe #firsttrimester #secondtrimester #thirdtrimester #firsttimemum #birtheducation #pandemicparenting #exerciseinpregnancy #baby #ftm #birthstory #breastfeeding #homebirth #freeadvice #livesessions #antenatal #parentclasses #birthpreparation

💫 It’s a 24/7 job...💫 ... I go on about i

💫 It’s a 24/7 job...💫

... I go on about it a lot I know but parenting a newborn is seriously a 24/7 job!

I go on about it because I am obsessed with the realities of parenting; sharing the hardwork & love in equal measures to set new parents up for a true experience of their new life in order to best prepare for it.

So, for me, one of the most overwhelming parts of newborn life is not getting a break. You may catch a 10 minute shower and during which time you will hear your newborn cry (even if they are not!) and you struggle to switch off...

I stayed with my mum this weekend and with Aura engrossed by peppa pig & homemade cheese scones and with the baby asleep on her, my mum told me to pop out and get myself a coffee

...Out I thought? Alone?.... FREEEDDOMM. Immediately guilt stricken for being so excited by this I shrugged it off and reminded myself “you need a break!”

I jumped in the car, music on full (It’s always the first thing I do on the rare occasions I am child free). I drove to town to find all the coffee shops closed 😂BUTT I still got 20 minutes to be alone... to fully just be with me.

Amazing how much energy you can get from switching off for 20 minutes. What do you do to switch off?! How do you get in the child free breaks?

📸 me exhausted, covered in sick, fashioning a “mum bun” but smiling through! (Must have just had a coffee 🤣)

Alice ❤️

#helloparent #parents #parenting #parentinggroup #onlinecommunity #hypnobirthing #antenatalclass #birth #positivebirth #pregnancy #parentstobe #mumtobe #dadtobe #firsttrimester #secondtrimester #thirdtrimester #firsttimemum #birtheducation #pandemicparenting #exerciseinpregnancy #baby #ftm #birthstory #breastfeeding #homebirth #freeadvice #livesessions #antenatal #parentclasses #birthpreparation

💫Where does the time go? 💫 I don’t know a

💫Where does the time go? 💫

I don’t know about you, but I find the speed in which the days, months and even years go when you have kids a little overwhelming!

I remember being young, and wishing I was older, wish so much I could be an adult... how silly was I?!

Now I wish I had more time, more time in the moment. More time to hold your tiny hands, feed you to sleep, to carry you to bed...

I also wish I had more time to get shit done 😂 Trying my hardest not to dwell on this as my priority right now is mum life, but there is so much I want to achieve that I struggle with not getting much ticked off the to do list beyond emptying the dishwasher.... (that can be a real achievement with a toddler on the prowl)

I am working on living in the moment, not picking up my phone during feeds, Not starting my day with big to do lists, not opting to check emails over reading “where is the dog?” For the 14th time and just generally spending more time sat on the floor playing with Aura...

It is a work in progress because I also miss work, and balancing the two isn’t easy. We all wish we lived in the moment more but time doesn’t always allow it...

What do you do to let go and embrace the parenting journey?! What do you do to embrace living in the moment?

Alice ❤️

#helloparent #parents #parenting #parentinggroup #onlinecommunity #hypnobirthing #antenatalclass #birth #positivebirth #pregnancy #parentstobe #mumtobe #dadtobe #firsttrimester #secondtrimester #thirdtrimester #firsttimemum #birtheducation #pandemicparenting #exerciseinpregnancy #baby #ftm #birthstory #breastfeeding #homebirth #freeadvice #livesessions #antenatal #parentclasses #birthpreparation

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