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  • Losing My Hearing Has Made Me See How Little People Understand

    Since I completely lost my hearing, it’s kind of opened up a whole new “world” for me. It’s made me see how much people don’t understand how a deaf person relies so much on facial expressions.

    Even when I had my hearing, I didn’t realise myself until now. Facial expressions are a big deal to those who are fully deaf. Obviously I’m relying on lip reading as well at the moment but also on how things are getting put across, whether the other person is smiling or if they’re in a bad mood or they just can’t be bothered.

    It’s made me see that there really isn’t enough awareness out there to those who are “hearing”. I didn’t realise how much I RELIED on facial expressions until now. Usually, I’d listen to the tone of the other persons voice and hear how things are said.

    There really does need more awareness to be raised. More awareness in the work place, for example or lessons in school about disabilities and invisible disabilities. A person is more than likely to come across someone who is deaf/disabled in their lifetime and need to know how to communicate with those people or accommodate to a disabled persons needs.

    Comfortable Communication

    • Do not yell or talk loudly.

    • Do not mumble.

    • If the person prefers to use speech-reading, speak normally and avoid speaking too slow or too fast.

    • Do not over emphasize your facial expressions or lip movements as this can reduce communication

    • Face the person and make eye contact when speaking.

    • Be patient and relaxed.

    • Be sure to ask the Deaf or hard of hearing person for ways to improve communication.

    Emailed in by Jessica Carne

    If you have a story you wish to share or would like to raise awareness of any topic please send us an email to mumsadviceltd@outlook.com

  • This Contraception Made Me Suicidal

    I would like to raise awareness of rigevidon, rigevidon is a combined oral contraceptive, also called the pill. It contains two types of female hormones: an oestrogen, ethinylestradiol, and a progestogen.

    Six months ago I moved over 100 miles away from my home town for my husbands work, we have three children together and we are not sure if we would like more children in the future, I saw my Gp and was put on rigevidon to prevent us conceiving another child but leaving the option open to have future babies.

    Within two weeks of being on this tablet I was depressed, contemplated taking my own life and couldn’t see the joy in anything, at first I put me feeling like this due to moving away and all the changes that had come with it plus missing my family and friends.

    This Contraception Made Me Suicidal
    This Contraception Made Me Suicidal

    One week later and I found myself so anxious that it mimicked the symptoms of a heart attack, I was depressed enough to ind myself crying all the time, I lost all sex drive and found it nearly impossible to sleep without terrifying nightmares and over thinking situations.

    One night I sat by my children’s bed all night as i thought that something was going to take them away, that night I realised it wasn’t moving away from my hoe town which was making me feel like this I was losing the plot.

    I went to Dr.Google and discovered thousands and thousands of other woman who have experienced similar effects after being on this brand of pill.

    I then booked a proper doctors appointment only to be told I had depression, I stopped taking the pill and my husband and I agreed to use condoms, 72 hours after taking the last pill my moods began to lift, my tear dried up and I began to feel like my old self again.

    I’m not saying everyone will have the same side effects when taking this pill but I came this close to taking my own life and I would hate to think of another woman feeling the way I did.

  • Minimum Wage Is Not A Living Wage

    Is anyone else fed up of the shitty wages, I cant believe that in this day and age people need tax credits and help towards rent and council tax when you work.

    My parents had no financial help when I was growing up their wages paid for the mortgage, the food shop, clothes for myself and my brother, we managed to go on holiday once a year, ok it was no where fancy but it was a break, we could go on school trips and my parents didn’t stress constantly about their finances.

    We were never hungry, we never went without but look at today, I work damn hard, five to six nights a week of 11 hours yet I cannot even cover my rent.

    There is no way without the help of Working Tax credits I would be able to live to the basics on a full-time wage. Years ago if one adult worked full-time in the house you would live comfortably I think it’s an absolute shit show minimum wage not even £8 an hour and there’s rents out there £850 a month how the bloody hell are you meant to live.

    Minimum wage is not a living wage and if it carries on this way there will be thousands of grown arse men and woman having to stay living with their parents as there will be no way for them to afford to move out let alone get a mortgage.

    Something has to be done about this, I cannot work any more hours than I already do, I struggle each month financially and for what? No holiday, no luxuries, it’s a good month if I have managed to pay all my bills and have a full freezer.

    Wake up government come and spend a week in my shoes and then tell me I have enough money and the minimum wage is acceptable!!!

  • How Dare You Blame Our Heroes For GrenFell Tower

    Phil Camp took to Facebook to rant but equally say something many of us are feeling.

    Camp wrote:

    How dare they,

    How bloody dare they,

    ….try to blame those that came to rescue

    How bloody dare they,

    ….look for a scapegoat for those that died in Grenfell Tower!

    Stay put was good advice, yes it bloody was…in the way Grenfell was originally designed!

    But those disgusting local government officials who sanctioned cosmetic changes made everything that happened in a major fire a game changer! That “Stay Put” advice was right, but now defunct!

    Brave men and women

    Caring men and women

    Family men and women

    …and this enquiry wants to demonize them!

    How dare you bloody media

    How dare you Government flunkeys

    If your not careful you will have highly trained individuals from the emergency services and military being blamed for doing their jobs (during the troubles in NI)…on your streets, confronting your disgraceful judgments.

    So be careful, and hang your head in shame before you go too far!

    Be very careful…..

    Leave our genuine, selfless hero’s alone…persue them and you will have a problem like you have never seen before!

    Your now on notice!

    The Grenfell Tower fire broke out on 14 June 2017 in the 24-storey Grenfell Tower block of public housing flats in North Kensington, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, West London. It caused 72 deaths, out of the 293 people in the building.

     Grenfell tower was built in 1974, as part of the first phase of the Lancaster West Estate.

    Floors: 24

    Height: 67 m

    Opened: 1974

    Construction started: 1972

    Renovated: 2016

    Stats Credit Wikipedia

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  • Dear Autism and ADHD Thanks A Bunch

    Dear Autism and ADHD Thanks A Bunch

    Because of you I have never known a day of normal parenting. Because of you neither of my children will ever know a normal day, or be able to interpret their surroundings correctly.

    Because of you, the world can be a scary place to them, and to me. I worry all the time, about the next melt down, the next anxiety attack, or screaming tantrum that makes every parent in a store turn and look my direction.

    I worry my children will never have a normal life, a normal career, a normal anything. Despite that, you still don’t DEFINE my children. You don’t have control, and despite the countless hours of therapy, intervention, extra time chasing down teachers, IEP/Sen and researching more ways to help them, you still won’t win.

    The things we have been through make us stronger… our house is full of love. Because of great doctors, and specialists, we are able to communicate, understand, find interventions we need. It’s not a normal life… but by all means, it’s still a good one.

    I’m thankful you are Autism and Adhd instead of Cancer, or the many other conditions that could be considered worse. Autism and Adhd you have taught me how to be more patient, you have taught me how to love stronger, how to be smarter, how to be more resourceful as a parent.

    You’ve taught me to educate, to advocate, to stand up for what I believe in (my kids). You’ve taught me to be more understanding of other parents, to fight harder, to be there more, to have more faith. Because of you, I’m better as a parent. I pay attention more. I worry more… I’m more involved because I need to be, not just because I want to be. So thanks, Autism and Adhd because my kids are worth the fight.

    All My Love A Tired Stressed Out Mum With A Full Heart

  • This Time Three Years Ago Was The Worst Period Of My Life

    This time three years ago was the worst period of my life.

    A couple of years previously I’d managed to get myself a job, the hours were unsteady and my boss refused to give me any information further than a week ahead about whether I had a permanent job or whether I would have any hours. Because of this, I didn’t declare my job immediately to the housing benefit department until I had concrete information to take to them for fear of not being able to pay my rent (I had had periods in the past where I had declared unsteady earnings which led to my payments being stopped and me paying no rent for 4 months while it was sorted out).

    As a single parent with massive anxiety and depression I was too scared to risk being evicted. So in June 2015 I was taken to court for benefit fraud. As a result, I lost my job, my boyfriend, my mental health spiraled, I was self harming and putting myself into dangerous situations. My self esteem was at an all time low, I entered into another relationship with an abusive boyfriend because I didn’t feel I was worth any more.

    I knew that I could never be free of the benefits system while I had children and couldn’t get a job on much more than minimum wage so that September, I enrolled on an Access to Higher Education course at a local college so I could apply for university. Being in education made me start to believe in myself. I made new friends, and was working hard to achieve top grades. I was offered places at 5 different universities and took a place at one of the top universities after Oxford and Cambridge in London – the LSE. I was also offered a place on a mentoring scheme in London in my first year.

    Being at University, being in London (I’m a northern small town girl) and being mentored by a strong female figure changed my outlook on life completely. I ended the relationship I was in and I started to believe I could do anything I wanted to do, something I’d never thought before. I get a student loan and a scholarship from my uni because I’m a mature student & single parent so I manage to support myself with that and work during the summer holidays.

    This summer I decided to do something different. I saved up some money over the year to start my own online fashion business, which I have done (follow me here if you’d like to: http://bit.ly/2JfZZHN). It’s in the early stages, but eventually my goal is to help people like me, who are experiencing the shitty parts of life. To use my business to help other women with sizes made for real modern day women, paying decent wages if I employ anyone, and giving a portion of profits to women’s charities. I would never have considered being able to do any of this without making the changes I made to my life.

    I suppose the moral of my story is that whatever you’re going through, however hard it may be, it isn’t the end of your story. It might be the catapult into something much better, you just have to try to find the way. If I hadn’t been taken to court, I would have never gone to university and I would never have ended up where I am now. Going back into education was the best thing I ever did for myself and my children.

  • Fire And Poo- Funniest Parenting Fail Day

    If anyone hasn’t got children and are planning on having any, below is 2 reasons why you absolutely should never give birth to anything

    The other day I was making sausages mash veg and gravy for the kids. Baring in mind they only eat Richmond.

    Maia comes in. Face like a bucket full of turds

    Maia: I don’t like sausages

    Me: yes you do they’re the ones you always have the only ones you eat.

    Her; no they’re spicy I don’t like them

    Me: * wtf you little tit you’ve had them every couple of weeks for 10 years. They’re fucking Richmond, they’re probably 99.9% offal flaccid looking things with absolutely no spice in them what so ever* they’re no spicy darling you really like them

    Her: well I don’t like them now

    Me: mixing gravy. What are you going to have with your mash then

    Her: shrugs

    Me*opens fridge, freezer and every cupboard like fucking entities have been in* what about nuggets? Turkey emojis? Fish fingers? Actual fish? Fish cakes? Sweet corn? Beans? Pie? Noodles?

    Her: no no no no no

    27 different meal options I gave her 20 fucking 7

    Me:

    Her:

    Me: what the hell then??

    Her:kebab??

    Me; no Maia I’m not ordering you a kebab

    Her storms off upstairs hollering she wants no dinner and I’m pretty sure if she had a door that worked she would have slammed it

    Anyway. The baby’s in bed I’m hoovering and mopping like cinder fucking rella. Muttering obscenities under my breath whilst using the 360 spin mop that is utter shite and hurts my back.

    Low and fucking behold there’s Maia on the kitchen side her head in the cupboard that was open for 20 minutes over and hour ago.

    Me: what are you doing

    Her; I’m having super noodles

    Me: I offered them to you an hour ago. You’re going to have to wait until the floors dry and I’ll do it

    Her: I’ll do it. I’ve read the packet I can do it

    FUCK SAKE.

    Me: ok then just make sure you read it properly and follow the instructions

    Also me: sits down to write shopping list

    I can smell this funny smell. Something not to dissimilar to when I burnt my cheek with molten plastic in the phone box down forest way when I was about 14. Don’t even ask

    Fuck me sideways. Maia comes bursting into the room.

    The microwaves on fire

    For a fat bird I’m off that sofa and in the kitchen like a shot

    There’s fucking flames in the microwave

    Flames

    I’m thinking shit Charlotte she’s boiled them dry. You’ll not get Tesco mum of the year award this year for the 21st year in a row

    I open the door

    Stand back

    Get the baby out

    Grab the inferno in a bowl with a wet tea towel and run for the front door

    I’m like basil fawlty

    Hopping up and down on the spot looking left and right thinking what the fuck am I supposed to do

    I see the bin

    It’s empty

    Binmen came yesterday

    Chuck it in there Charlotte and go get some water

    I get to the kitchen look out the window and the fucking bins on fire

    Wtf??? Why are there flames coming out of the bin

    Maia: I put the guess who and low face boxes in the bin

    Fuck

    The bins on fire

    Anyway I manage to extinguish it before it burns the neighbours fence down

    Took a minute or 2 to recover then I said to Maia, did the water boil dry??

    Her: water? What water? I didn’t know you needed to put water in it

    There were no words. I clearly am not cut out to parent anything

    Ok so today the baby has the shits

    Sore arse and ball sack

    In my infinite wisdom I think let him go nappy free fresh air will do it good

    I go to get the washing in and put the rabbit away

    I’m walking back in with an arm full of washing

    I can’t really see the floor

    I step in something squidgey

    I put the washing on the stairs

    There’s fucking shit everywhere

    My foot prints

    His foot prints

    Hand prints

    There’s shit fucking everywhere

    I’m too scared to look

    There he is sat on the sofa stretching his little todger a yard,  butt naked and covered in his own shit

    There’s shit on the sofa

    There’s shit on the rug

    There’s shit on his face

    There’s shit on my feet

    There’s shit in the hall way

    I ran with him arms out stretched straight up the stairs to the bath

    I’m nauseous

    I’m crying

    I’ve borrowed bleach off the neighbour

    Seriously

    Never give birth to anything

    Full credit Charlotte Blake

  • Here Are Some Reasons NOT To Have Children

    If anyone here doesn’t have children and are thinking about procreation here’s about 264 reasons not to bother

    * you will on average fill yourself a bath up 4 times a week and never get to get in it

    * you will never ever have the chance to get yourself ready. One of your darling womb fruits will either shit themself puke on themselves puke on anything in a 6 metre radius and play in it thus spreading vomit around like the flu virus and putting pukey hand prints on unironed clothes you’ve laid out for yourself

    * your house will never be tidy. Imagine there’s an actual tornado twirling around your lounge dragging debris from your draws and under your sofa and you’re trying to pick it up and put it back but it just twirls and whirls and rips it all to pieces again

    * you wont ever be able to have a shit in peace. Not ever. The door will open and close on a loop the whole time you’re in there for a variety of reasons. The baby has fallen the cat is biting me where’s my bag

    *you’ll somehow find the time to have your hair done, promising to have it done every few months to keep on top of it. 7 months later you have 4 inches of dark root regrowth and the best you can do is put it into a pony tail looking like a crystal meth addict

    * your dressing gown will be your best friend. Its raining and the bins need taking out put your dressing gown on. Youve left something in the car from a week last Wednesday that someone really needs, put your dressing gown on. Someone really upsets you, put your dressing gown on. And so on

    * toilet roll. Youre probably best off joining Costco and bulk buying it weekly, if you don’t on day 3 you’ll be pretty sure people who don’t live here are coming in purely to wipe their arse holes

    * sleep. Now if you like sleep you’ll never get any ever again. Probably only counts if you’re the actual mother fathers don’t seem to have any trouble sleeping at all. Love them. You’ll be awake probably 5 out of the 7 hours you’re up there, finding dummys comfort blankets patting bottoms shooshing arrrrring and having little stubby fingers poked in your eyes. You finally manage to shut your eyes and some other fucker will make a god awful noise outside the door and you’ll start the whole process over again. Only for a about 7 years so don’t panic

    * laundry. Theres no such thing as a bottom of a washing basket. You’ll be utterly convinced people live in your house you’ve never met. Everyone will complain they have no clothes yet you spend 17 hours a day washing it drying it and putting it away.

    * food shopping. It cost the national debt. Dont think you’re being super clever by swapping certain brands for cheaper alternatives. The little fucking bastards can tell the difference immediately and you’re left with 36 fish fingers that no fucker will eat. Same applies to jam and peanut butter and pretty much everything else

    * leaving the house on time. Just forget it. You’ll plan to meet a friend for coffee at 11 and have to txt 36 times to put it back half an hour and by the time you’re ready its the following friday. The fleshy baby mammal will do a massive shit all up its back. It’ll puke projectile after ramming the tail of a dinosaur down its throat itll be hungry and then refuse to eat it so you offer it something else. You would have no doubt forgotten to do its fucking bottle because you’ve had a list of things to do longer than fucking schindlers

    * Don’t bother buying new furniture or new anything actually. They will fucking destroy it with sticky shit wet shit chocolate shit dinner shit and any other shit they can get their mischievous fat hands on

    * your car will resemble some kind of mobile recycling bin and if anyone else gets in they’ll subtly push the carnage aside with their feet. You will give up apologising. You either want a fucking lift or you don’t.

    Theres more but ive obviously ran out of time

    Youre welcome

    Full credit: Charlotte Blake

  • Beware Of Radox If You Are Pregnant

    A beauty therapist is trying to raise awareness of Radox Bath products.

    So I was reading the back of this Radox Muscle Soak bottle to pass some time and I noticed that it contains Clary Sage. Now, I am a beauty therapist and I am qualified in aroma therapy so therefore know about the uses of essential oils!

    Clary Sage is an excellent pain killer but it should NEVER be used during pregnancy especially during the first and second trimesters as it actually has the power to induce labour. There is not one warning label on this bottle that says ‘do not use during pregnancy’!! I am going to report this to the company but in the mean time I’d appreciate people passing on this message to any pregnant ladies out there as this could cause some serious problems during pregnancy.

    Use of Clary Sage Oil in Pregnancy. … Clary sage essential oil can also help relieve pain and promote labor to help ease childbirth and delivery. It is, however, contraindicated for use at any other time during the pregnancy as it may induce contractions of the uterus or womb.

    I am not saying that this alone is going to bring on labour there is probably only a small amount contained in the bottle, but I am just trying to raise awareness of how powerful Clary sage oil and other aromotherapy oils are whilst pregnant and to be extra careful what you are using in your bath and other health and beauty products.

    To share your own story (please include proof and a suitable image), advertise on Mums advice Facebook page or website, want to raise awareness or would like us to do so on your behalf then please send us a short email outlining your needs to mumsadviceltd@outook.com, we also feature new and established bloggers.

  • Give all women the choice of an Induction at 41 weeks of Pregnancy

    Victoria Birtles is desperate for support and needs your help.

    Birtles said “Give all women the choice of an Induction at 41 weeks of Pregnancy.

    Our son Archie was stillborn in June 2017 at 41+5. He had died only hours before I had gone into labour and was born a perfect 7lb11. Had I been induced with Archie at 41 weeks he most certainly would have been born a healthy baby boy. We now have to live everyday with the grief of losing our son.

    Eight babies are Stillborn everyday in the UK. Evidence proves that a pregnancy continued past 41 weeks has a dramatically increased risk of a stillbirth. Due to this evidence the USA induce all women at 41 weeks.

    Unfortunately we have no such law in the UK and it is still currently procedure to let mothers continue to 42 weeks. The result of this is that the UK still has one of the highest percentages of stillbirth in the world today.

    Help us save lives of unborn children in the UK.

    Please sign the petition below and share on Facebook, Twitter or via email if you can.

    https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/215228

    The deadline to get 100,000 signatures is only a few months away so please help.

    To share our own story, advertise on Mums advice Facebook page or website, raise awareness of any topic or would like us to do so on your behalf then please send a short email to mumsadviceltd@outlook.com. We also feature new and established bloggers.