Parenting the Shand Princesses

This post is about me realising I wasn't just stressed, I have Postnatal Depression. It's also a post that I am hoping will show others going through this, that they are not alone and it's okay to talk 💗 "Postnatal depression is when you have feelings of sadness, hopelessness, guilt or self-blame all the time for weeks or months after you’ve had a baby."  (Taken from Tommy's Website) I guess you could say this started from my antenatal depression. I was 7 months pregnant and our landlord had decided he wanted to sell his house, serving us eviction papers. Imagine that. 7 months pregnant, a nearly 2 year old, Christmas was a month away and I was now being told we would be evicted. Obviously I was stressed! I wasn't having a smooth pregnancy as it is, I did not need this on top of everything. OJ tried his best to keep me calm, but I could see the effect it had on him too. We spoke to our local council who said there were steps the landlord had to take befo...

It's no secret that Covid-19 has, and still is, having a massive effect on all of us. For someone who suffers with anxiety and worries a lot, this "lockdown" has been quite difficult. Don't get me wrong, we have absolutely great days! Mayarna's speech has developed so much. She is now starting to form sentences, her fine motor skills are getting stronger as she learns to stack things neatly and she enjoys helping with housework, such as putting the clothes in the washing machine and putting things in the bin. Zenayah has also come on in leaps and bounds. At 4 and a half months she is now reaching out for things and has mastered how to pull off her scratch mitts (cheeky!). Mayarna loves playing with Zenayah, and Zenayah loves watching her play and laughs at her, which is too cute! But it also comes with difficult days. Mayarna is in the terrible 2 phase (yes it's real, I didn't believe it existed) where she kicks off for the smallest of things! I opene...

This weeks pregnancy journey is by Samantha Abraham . Her journey had me laughing and i'm sure you will do the same! I gave birth to my beautiful baby number 5 at the beginning of January this year. I have 2 boys aged 21 and 8 years as well as 2 girls aged 7&5. Baby No.5 came as a huge but pleasant surprise after having decided not to have any more and quitting my job to create a start-up. Having passed the stages of denial I finally take a pregnancy test... Reality sets in and my husband and I are now passed staring at each other in silence which goes on to last a couple of months.   This eventually moves into us having conversations about our worries and what we need to do to plan for this.... unplanned, untimely pleasant little gift with the power of scaring us half to death!!! ... At some point among the madness, we do the maths and work out as tradition would have it....our little gift really was a gift!!!...as in that we worked out th...

The next few blog posts are going to be based on pregnancy and the obstacles we have to face not only during pregnancy, but conceiving and even after giving birth. My guest for this post is Danielle from My Mummy is a Bookworm  She has decided to share with me her journey to becoming a mother. "We got married. I came off the pill. I thought it would be that simple. Boy was I deluded. It started with absent periods, months went by and I had nothing, I did pregnancy tests and they always came back negative. I went to see my GP for advice, and they sent me for some blood tests. The result came back and I found out that I had Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and that this may impact on my ability to conceive. I was shattered, the reality of having a baby suddenly felt so far away and I felt that it was completely my fault. I couldn’t give myself or my partner what we so desperately wanted - a family. I was referred to a specialist at St Mary’s Hospital in Manchester ...

At the beginning of October, James and I had a weekend away in Manchester to celebrate our 3rd anniversary. It was so lovely to have some quality time together. We shopped, went out to eat and even played Junkyard Golf! If you have never been, I highly recommend you do as it's a great laugh. And it was whilst we was away that I realised the last time me and James had spent a night away together was 18 months ago when Mayarna was 1 month old. That's a very long time and it got me thinking, when you become parents, you become so wrapped up in parenthood that you start to neglect time as a couple. Yes, your responsibilities change. But that doesn't mean you can't keep the spark going in your relationship. You don't have to do anything expensive or fancy. Something as simple as going out for a meal, going to the cinema or going for a drink. Just being with your partner, having adult conversation and keeping that spark is great for your relationship. -...

Exciting News! The Mummybou Chronicles blog is a favourite blogger over at MyBump2Baby ! MyBump2Baby is an "online directory of the baby/toddler and family world" You can find out what is going on in your local area, such as classes, pre-school groups, days out and more. Plus there is a great blog section full of bloggers!  When I started my blog, I just wanted somewhere to share my experiences on being a first time mum whilst juggling studying, planning a wedding and holidays. And when OJ wanted to share his views, I was extremely happy.  Now I'm featured on a great directory and I'm ecstatic. Knowing that someone thinks my blog is good enough is a great feeling and reassures any doubts I had about blogging. Happy Days!  Click here to download the free app. Find me under the Bloggers section and show me some ❤️ -x- Michaela - x-