Preparing your pet for a new baby

I have been lucky enough to be invited to write a guest blog post for Wriggly Rascals in response to a post from reader Erica who has concerns about introducing her pet to her new baby when he/she arrives.

For many of us, our pets are part of our family.  Some would even go as far as to call them our surrogate children.  I have always loved animals but struggling to conceive increased my need to surround myself and when I did eventually fall pregnant I had amassed 4 cats, 2 guinea pigs, 1 rabbit and 10 chickens.  They gave me something to focus on and the cats especially were my babies.

Like Erica, when I did eventually fall pregnant, I did worry about the effect it would have on my animals.  In my case particularly my cats.  Not only would they not have my undivided attention going forward but their quiet kitty pad was about to be turned upside down!

Read more here

About Wriggly Rascals

Wriggly Rascals was set up by Shona Motherwell, a frustrated mum of twins Mhairi and Archie to get mums together to share pregnancy, baby and toddler advice via quick surveys to get the facts about what other mums do. Our mums pass on loads of great tips to mums who have asked for help. If you would like some advice, get in touch at www.wrigglyrascals.com

Pre-Natal Anxiety - Coping With Being a Mummy of 2

I am getting increasingly anxious about blue bumps arrival.
Only 7/8 weeks to go officially.... or as little as 3 if C is anything to go by!
At 32 weeks pregnant I am starting to find days at home with a young toddler a challenge.
The fault is not hers, I am just not as mobile as I want to be and I tire easily.
Getting out of my seat to help her with a task takes effort.
Sitting on the floor to play is uncomfortable.
Simple tasks like preparing meals and washing clothes are exhausting
and keeping my eyes open past 2pm is a struggle.
I find myself hoping the last few weeks of this pregnancy pass quickly...
...but then I think about the new challenges that will bring and I am terrified.

Depression, Anxiety and the Power of Writing

This post was sparked by a tweet earlier in the week by the PSS Postnatal Depression Project on how talking about your feelings can really help you understand the origins of your post natal depression or anxiety.  From my own personal viewpoint, I agree with this statement wholeheartedly.  In my darkest hours since C was born I could have quite easily have gone to the Doctors and been put on medication however I knew that it was being able to talk to someone that really made me feel better, and that things would only really improve if I was able to get to the root of the problem and fix it.

The 21st Century and the Rise of Idealistic Parenting

I am sure there is a proper name for this new kind of parenting that has appeared over the past 10 years or so, however in the meantime I will just refer to it as idealistic parenting.  It is not my aim to be controversial here but purely to put across the impact some of these narrow-minded ideas can have on a first time mum who is trying to do the very best for her baby yet may not have a lot of confidence in what she is doing.  Here are just three of the most popular parenting ideals...

5 Minute Meals - Chicken Tikka and Wholegrain Pilau Rice

Meal 1 in my experiment to find healthy, 5 minute meals for new mums.

5 Minute Meals for New Mums

With a newborn baby I found it incredibly hard to find the time to cook anything! In those early days Celeste would not sleep anywhere but in my arms and the odd 5 minutes I might have my hands free was not enough to prepare a decent meal.  If I was hungry, i found it all too easy to reach for that pack of biscuits rather than preparing anything decent. Hubby was all to eager to reach for the takeaway menu rather than offer to cook anything himself.  Both of these had a huge effect of my wasteline - a mistake I am determined not to make this time around!