Getting through the Early days of birth

I can’t believe how much having a my son Henry has changed my life and you can’t underestimate what having a child means and what joy it brings as well as difficult times.

Getting though the early days of birth is to get to know your baby and if you feel low talk to someone, because it can be isolating, and you may get things wrong like bath time like me and my son’t dad did. We planned to do it when having a coffee, and before I ran the bath my son’s dad stripped him off and went disastrous but we soon learned.

The items that will help with getting yourself together is to have different changing areas depending on the space you have and I had a basket from TKMaxx and used it to store my changing products with nappies and even vests and babygro and did the same for upstairs in his bedroom too, and worked wonders.

Try and Save yourself as much time as possible and have things to grab

The other thing is to not worry about fancy products but what suits you. I wasted money at a baby show on a baby changing bag, and was too heavy to carry around, and so in the end I purchased a less expensive bag from Avon, believe it of not and much better.

Expensive doesn’t always mean quality

When it comes to feeding your baby again have a station or stations, a bag that has a place for a bottle, along with nappies and breastpads as your boobs will leak. Like with the baby changing, put your nursing pillow where you can easily grab it to feed and nursing bras and clothes definitely worth money.

I had trouble with my milk and took it for granted and so wished I had prepared myself for that, but I still gave him my milk by expressing and so never fear, there is support out there but to make things simple, you can give both formula and breastmilk.

Comfort is a must and how you feel about breastfeeding, I had a real hard time, but wished I had continued because it is just easier in a way that having to carry around loads of bottles of milk is a challenge, but if you feel worried chat with your Health Visitor or midwife, and help give you good advice and ask about feeding your baby beforehand, if you can.

The birth of my son happened so quickly in the end that we had not prepared ourselves at all.

Pack your bags as soon as you get to 25 weeks

Feed your baby on what you feel is comfortable with,

STOP THE GUILT

Enjoy the feeds because it is a great way to bond with breast and formula

With tiredness and rest, when it comes to sleep it does change and try to rest as much as possilble to give yourself time to recover.

If the baby is a sleep and you need to get bits done then give yourself small tasks like laundry and a bit of dusting, but for a while recovery is more important for your health and wellness as you can from my own experience, become run down and I ended up with a viral infection and effected me in seeig my son. I do put this down to not allowing myself to recover properly and stress.

It takes time to get used to this new stage in your life but you can get through it, so allow yourself time to be with yourself as this is important, and do some tasks you not done for a while which means, catching up on a book, afternoon snooze if your baby naps. I say this because it has been said that all babies nap through the day, but Henry didn’t for a while and would only sleep when being held, so just take your time and take each day as they come, and also never fear like you are on your own.

A good place I would read is the site the babycentre, this site tracks your baby’s growth and what they should be doing at each stage, as preparing yourself for this transition is a must, and it helps you to look forward to it and helping you develop as a parent and the develop of your child.

I’d like to thank those that have followed me on this blog and liking my blogs, honestly it is a dream to be part of the blogging community and I do also create youtube videos, which includes parenting and have online courses and books.

Here are links to those, so please check them out and if you wish to share my blogs, along with my courses, books and videos, please do.

Youtube channels:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUDFIqjVKLy7NhtcR6Hy0Tg

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVjvO2fsowvFne_iMuG7d1g/videos

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Link for my Pinterest:

Books

My books will be found under the names, Carrie Challoner, Carrie Lee Holmes and Carrie Holmes

https://www.amazon.com

Blogs:

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https://carriesversitilefashion.wordpress.com

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https://theparentingadventuresthebirthofmyson.wordpress.com

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Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X

Time Management As A Parent

This morning as I didn’t have to get up unsociable hours as Monday’s and Tuesday’s I have to get up at quarter passed five, I wanted to still get up at 8:30am setting my alarm for 7:30 but slept and got up after 9am, yet still got stuff done, for example finished the editing I was doing for a new book I am writing, booked a blood test, had a shower and so to manage my time I will set my alarm for later as I go to bed around 9pm but don’t actually get to sleep past 11pm.

Managing time as a parent is tricky as some days things happen like your child getting sick are unplanned but that is why managing time can help. I like flexibility and so I always have this in mind so if there is something I need to do next I get them done but being flexible and give myself time frames to complete tasks I need to do, is for me important, and not giving myself to much to do.

Sleep is very important as I do need a good 8 hour sleep to function properly and so I do make sure I can, not on all days because like when I get up early I will feel tired and this is natural but the days I don’t have to get up so early, make sure I do to get through the rest of the week, a good 8 hours.

Doing the school run can really be time consuming, especially when my son would want to look for squirrels and buses but can be fun by making this time to enjoy nature and greeting other parents on the way. Now my son gets a taxi to and from school due to being a fare distance it has helped lift the pressure of the school run.

I always find during the school days that time goes so quickly and before you know it is morning again, even with my son getting a taxi and be there in his home he lives with his dad goes fast, but glad I have the resources to do get bits done during the waiting on my son go come from school.

I live by using my notebooks, my google calendar, my Whismith’s diary and also use OneNote to stay on track with time and is how I manage my days as a parent.

I am so happy that you my followers and viewers of this blogsite have liked my blogs and I also have three Youtube channels, books on amazon.com under the names Carrie Challoner, Carrie Lee Holmes and Carrie Holmes.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUDFIqjVKLy7NhtcR6Hy0Tg

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVjvO2fsowvFne_iMuG7d1g/videos

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW6X7xXVFoaToqlDpGLTtSg

Link for my Pinterest:

https://carriesversitilefashion.wordpress.com

https://sportsandfitnesspassion.wordpress.com

https://everyonecanbuildacastle.com

https://theparentingadventuresthebirthofmyson.wordpress.comI also have some online courses and this week finished my first newsletter and a free EBook on Creating a Vision for new and better year.

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X

My first newsletter and new EBook

I have created my first Newsletter which is talking about challenges I am going to be doing and how they benefit in doing, and is the first one for 2022.

first-weekly-newsletter-january-2022Download

I have also created a new EBook about it is all about Creating a vision for 2022.

2022-visionDownload

So, check these out and there is more to come on this blog site and if you haven’t checked out my Youtube channels then please do as a do videos Truth About Parenting videos and channel about how i like to live and a free educational youtube channel too, teaching and talking about Customer Service, writing a blog and coaching.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUDFIqjVKLy7NhtcR6Hy0Tg

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVjvO2fsowvFne_iMuG7d1g/videos

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW6X7xXVFoaToqlDpGLTtSg

Many thanks,

Carrie X

Changing schools again

My son Henry is under Sendco which bascially means he has to have for his learning extra support, because of his learning ability is means he is behind in terms of education compared to his peers in his class, and so had to change schools because of this and looks like he will be moving to another school more for kids that have special needs.

My son Henry playing in a local park when he went to his first school

When looking for a school it should be down to us parents and feel a little under pressure that its kind of been taken out of our hands and is a little frustating.

The key thing is, “Will it make you happy and your child happy?”

“Will they my son thrive or get behind not getting the support that your child needs still?’

“Is the school going to follow what they stand for?”

This is causing me to worry because Henry still asks if he can go back to his first school, the second school was picked but we had no way of checking it out first because of COVID and the Lockdowns we have had, and looks like we won’t be able to physcially see his next school for the same reason and so is going to be virtually instead.

It looks like it wil l take a while for this to be determind and if we don’t get the result we want, Henry getting the third school of our choice he could be potentially move to a school so far away from where my son lives and so feel like we are hanging in the air with our fingers and toes crossed.

If your child has had to change schools then I hope they got a good placement and what I fear is that Henry is going backwards instead of forwards and luckily this second change wasn’t so bad to when he started at his first school and has taken it in his stride. Changing schools can cause a meltdown as kids want security and so do we as his parents, and one tip I’d give is to stay in contact with the school if the change has been determind and ask as many questions and get as much information as you can.

It has been a worrying time and feel disappointment by the education issues we have had, and schools put out their values but again because of this change losing faith in it a lot more.

I hope me sharing gives you support and is helpful and please comment below if you have had this type of experience too. The one thing I want to create is a community and reaching out to you like you have with me.

Thank you all for reading my blogs and following me and I also have three Youtube channels, and so a regular series of videos called Truth About Parenting:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUDFIqjVKLy7NhtcR6Hy0Tg

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVjvO2fsowvFne_iMuG7d1g/videos

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW6X7xXVFoaToqlDpGLTtSg

I have also written books and you can find these on Amazon.com under the name Carrie Lee Holmes, Carrie Holmes and Carrie Channel. My most recent is my book: Mum&me.

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X

Meeting your kids expectations

Kids are unknown of their have high expectations, like now as a write this blog he is demanding my attention, as he sits next to me at my desk. When tired and he wants me to play football and I would like to be laying on the sofa from getting up so early, I find he will do everything he possibly can to make me want to play football.

They will expect you to deliver the goods to them a lot, like my son wants a real southwest train, yet is impossible, but would like to build him a train looking like one of them. I do not know when this will be done, but is on my list and going to make him his own London Waterloo. When I have done these things I will show you, but now it is in my head and once I get some time to myself as i wanted to write this blog, i need to figure how, and how i should create these items my son desperately wants.

Kids will often change their expectations, example food, one minute my son doesn’t like Bananas but the next he does, he didn’t want Cheerios this morning, but Coco pops, yet he still ate them. Who knows what it will be tomorrow, but then kids are unpredictable at times.

We can as parents have expectations of our kids like now I want Henry to dress himself now rather then relying on me and want to be as independent as possible. I do jump in and help which I think is a natural trait being a mum, but try not too, as he needs to do things for himself.

When it comes to kids and expectants they grow as they grow. Henry wants to do canoing but he needs to learn to swim first so now is having lessons, and soon when he gets a lot older want to make his own way to school.

There will be a time when he won’t rely on me so much and want to go his own way, and so I dote on him because i do worry about having more children, it is something I’d like but the expectation of that makes me fearful but also that it could still be possible. and that’s me setting expectations of my own, and I think we expect ourselves to have the same energy as our kids have but often running empty energy but on a genarator that helps scrape ourselves off the floor to play football for example.

Routine is the key. Henry likes routine and so what I do is set times, one to get myself together, time to get what he needs like his breakfast, dressed and ready for the day. I set time so he plays on his own and I do my own thing for a bit, and then time for us to play together and have fun.

Make it a routine that he has a cut of point of making sure he is ready by quarter to 8 in the morning, and thankfully his dad will help too. I then set a time for me to travel back and have some freshair and get on with work I have to do, and my son expectation is to play before he gets picked up for school.

I like block scheduling as explained above, but have items to grab that my son expects to have when he gets picked up for school and then when returning, time to play and do homework from school.

Often Henry will protest, and I get why, being at school all day he wants to be done with it, but again we as parents expect them to do so. We do have to meet theirs. To do this is to have a schedule for them and for you, and when there are holidays all they want to do is play and play.

Again scheduling and make them understand that we all need time for ourselves aswell as together, and worn then of when they are needed to do their homework, and when they can return and play.

I hope you find these blogs helpful and thank you all that are following me on this blog and a Happy New Year.

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X