Midwife, Mother, Me

Airport security…

9th Jul 2024

Is sexist! I never suspected this. But the other day as I was approaching security, trying to close both my tiny plastic bags crammed with 100ml bottles of essential products (technically, I’m only allowed one, at least in some airports), I noticed the bloke in front of me casually placing 2 items into his single…
Never stop nagging

23rd Jun 2024

Ok, so I know I’ve gone on a bit about asking for help… but here’s the thing: sometimes you really shouldn’t have to ask… at least, not more than once! Nagging is a form of optimism though. It is grounded in the belief that people will eventually do what they have been politely asked to…
Asking for help

5th Jun 2024

It’s tricky, isn’t it? Almost taboo… Crazy, but true. You worry that it’ll be seen as failure to cope or, worse, nagging. I vividly remember asking for help rather unconventionally nearly 20 years ago, when Firstborn Son was tiny. Let’s just say his dad and I didn’t live together… so anyway, like all new mums,…
Somewhere in the middle

18th May 2024

Sometimes you have to pick a side. I get that. And sometimes it’s easy. Like Ukraine over Russia. Or: literally anyone other than Trump. Mostly we trust our gut to choose a side but sometimes it’s a bit more complex. Picking a side ought to involve listening to all the conflicting arguments and really understanding…
Negotiations with toddlers

6th May 2024

I was listening to a fabulous podcast called Child by India Rakusen. Really worth listening to. Episode 24 is about how we in the West have swung from 1920s total disregard for children’s emotional wellbeing, to the advent of intensive parenting (attachment, gentle, helicopter, tiger) for which most of the emotional labour is expected to…
Conversations with my 13 year old girl

13th Apr 2024

This could be my shortest post yet… because there aren’t many. There’s one sided chatter my end, and if I’m lucky, the odd aggrieved I dunno, but mostly not even that… I’m not blind to the effects that puberty is having on her. Pesky oestrogen is having a field day, causing utter mayhem and pandemonium. …
The next generation

22nd Mar 2024

Oh Em Gee. It has recently dawned on me that I could very easily be looking after women that I delivered. I started catching babies back in 2000 so the maths isn’t terribly complicated! Thing is, I’m still working at the same hospital I trained at so it’s not just an abstract possibility. To be…
The Kindness of Strangers

12th Mar 2024

My last post was on optimism. I guess this one kinda follows on from that. Through a combination of much good luck, my work as a nurse then as a midwife, and also from having a (tiny) bit of involvement in the charity sector, I’ve come to a world view that all is not lost…
Eternal Optimism

1st Mar 2024

I’m an optimistic person. Some might say excessively so but obviously I don’t think that’s possible. Except, perhaps, when I’m overly optimistic about the amount of time it takes to get somewhere. And end up ever so slightly the wrong side of punctual… that does occasionally happen… or underestimate how slow (I find it difficult…
The Four Key Stages of Skiing

20th Feb 2024

Full disclosure: I’ve been lucky enough to ski fairly regularly for most of my life, and I know what a jammy git that makes me. But bear with me, if you will; I promise to infotain you about the four stages of skiing. Key stage 1: childhood ski lessons with the French Ski School. Coming…