? After a lovely sit down brunch in a swanky London restaurant, I could have posted just the first image below; me smiling, with a slightly cluttered pram, but nevertheless I think, looking quite composed. Below the image though shows the reality of the morning…
? After a poopy nappy change on the train it started raining and I had no hood on my coat (somehow H kept dry even though I didn’t have time to put the pram cover on properly ?), I then had to change H on the floor as I didn’t want to miss Anna Mathur’s talk (yes it was another poop) & I then had to breastfeed whilst I ate.. ? .. all of this after a teary night of no sleep and feeding whilst I Googled more information on my baby’s red & inflamed skin. ?
Why am I sharing this? ?? Last month I was invited to hear about the #ThisIsParenthood project which aims to celebrate the realities of parenting and normalise the day to day ups and downs; something that I am HUGELY passionate about (you may have seen a fair few of my mummy ‘mishaps’ on my IG stories since H was born!).
Becoming a parent (in my opinion) really is a whole new ball game that nothing can fully prepare you for…and although I wouldn’t change it for the world, it really is relentless. ?
The guys at WaterWipes started the This is Parenthood project after they conducted research which found that 62% of UK parents feel like they are failing, almost 50% of UK mums don’t talk openly about their parenting struggles for fear of being judged, with 42% of British parents feeling that social media adds to the pressure to parent perfectly. ?
So, let’s carry on the conversation of honest parenting by sharing what being a mum and dad is really like…I would love to know about YOUR parenting reality and have shared three of mine openly and honestly below…
1️⃣ I struggle to nap/get enough sleep which leaves me functioning at 50% (or less…). I plan to be in bed for 9pm to get more sleep but this almost never happens and I suffer the consequences the next day!
2️⃣ I struggle with the (self-imposed) pressure to be the ‘perfect’ mum to H…striking the ‘correct’ balance between enough/too much/the right type of sensory stimulation…(note there is no right or wrong when it comes to stimulating your baby.. you just need to be there for them!).
3️⃣ I struggle with mum guilt as I text whilst breastfeeding & send emails whilst H is in his bouncer (my heart just sank as I typed this). I know that I need help with childcare yet I just love being with him and watching him grow, I can’t bear to be away from him just yet!
Can you relate at all? ?
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This blog post was written in collaboration with Water Wipes for their This is Parenthood campaign. Please read my disclaimer page for more information.
