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Category: Our stories

  • London Bridge chaos as ‘several people mown down’ by car sparking station evacuation and armed police

    LONDON Bridge station has just been evacuated after reports of a car mowing down several  pedestrians, victims being stabbed and shots being fired.

    Armed police are at the scene while people have been seen fleeing the central London landmark near Borough Market.

    Eye witnesses said that several people were lying on the ground and were receiving CPR after being stabbed.

    There is have also been reports of gun shots being fired.

    One terrified woman said she was at a restaurant and police swarmed on the area.

    She said police were shooting. “We had to run,” “There was loads of shooting.”

    Source: The Sun 

  • Ectopic: I was mentally battered.

    My name is Clare and I’m 23. I have the most amazing 3.5 year old daughter, who I am starting to think was my absolutely miracle child and I will never have more.I am about to be married to a fantastic man named Stuart, who has two lovely children of his own.

    When Ella was around 7 months old, I’d been dating my current partner, who is not her biological father, for about a year. Considering we’d been through A Lot in the first year of our relationship, he was standing by me and going nowhere, and he absolutely adored my daughter like she was his own, and I love his children so much too, so we decided we wanted a baby of our own. This was in 2014. 
    After 2.5 years of trying, and getting nowhere even after tests due to that came back clear things just weren’t going our way. But then in September 2016 I decided to do a test, which came back positive. I think i did another 4/5 tests that day and all were clearly very positive, and for week afterwards they got stronger and stronger. I contacted my doctor, and due to irregular periods I was sent for an early scan. The day before the scan I began bleeding, brown blood, which when contacting EPU (early pregnancy unit) they told me unless it was red, don’t panic. At the scan they couldn’t see anything, so assumed it was probably just early so not to worry. Still weren’t concerned as the bleeding wasn’t red blood, only brown and my urine test came back positive. They took some of my blood, and later that day called me to tell me my bHCG levels were where they should be for early pregnancy, 48 hours later I went back for more blood tests, and later that day they called to say congratulations my levels had more than quadrupled so rest but enjoy my pregnancy and they booked in to see me in a week for another scan. 

    This is the day my entire life changed. My second scan was at 10.30am, obviously assuming all would be okay we had planned to go and see friends afterwards to share the good news. I actually had an interview beforehand, at the hospital as a HCA on the DAU (I didnt get it, i think the fact i was so nervous for my scan affected me).. But anyway, went from the interview to my scan. 
    My OH and daughter came with me, met me outside after my interview. During the scan, the sonographer was quiet didn’t say much. Again asked the usual, are you in any pain? No, I wasn’t. Should I be? She told me to get dressed we’d talk about what she’d seen, I said “It’s cool I know what’s coming” As she hadn’t showed me anything on the screen, and you could quite literally feel the awkward tension in the room. I knew I’d either miscarried or there was no baby.. I Never expected the news I actually got. The baby was growing in the wrong place, in my left fallopian tube. It was bleeding quite heavily and they needed to remove it. Now. I was having an Ectopic pregnancy.

    Within 45 minutes, I was admitted, signing forms, in a hospital gown on the ward being prepped for emergency surgery.

    I was crying, my daughter was crying and my OH looked totally broken, but needed to stay strong for our sake. How he did it i don’t know, but he was my rock that day. I’d totally have lost my mind there and then if he hadn’t have looked me in the eye, held my hands and told me we were going to be okay. I remember the bed being wheeled down towards the lifts, and watching them both getting further and further away, wondering if this would be the last time I ever saw the two of them. I cried the whole way down to theatre.

    It was the scariest experience of my life, waiting down in the surgical unit for “my turn”, everything was so white and sterile. I wasn’t even allowed to walk on the floor to go to the toilet because I had no shoes on, I had to be taken in a wheelchair into the toilet, and back out. The room they put me to sleep in was even scarier, it seemed so small and there were at least 5 or 6 people in there, asking me questions and prepping stuff. I remember one of them putting a mask over my face, and something into the cannula in my arm, and that was me out.

    The surgery took around 3 hours, I was then in recovery for around 2 hours because they struggled to wake me up from the anesthetic and wanted to keep an eye on me for an while. I went down to surgery at around 11.30am pregnant, I came back at around 5pm no longer pregnant and totally broken. 

    Now I was in pain, a lot of it. My OH left not long after I got back because he had Ella and neither of us wanted her to see me the way i was. I was totally out of it, and in realising where I was I was inconsolable, I just couldn’t stop crying.

    I was on and off awake crying all night and in so much pain they were giving me morphine through a drip. No one would tell me what had happened to me because I wasn’t able to understand right away, the medication I was on was too strong and I’d never have remembered what i was told, so they waited till the next morning when my OH came back. I just remember lying in the bed and lifting my gown up, seeing three bandage patches and freaking out thinking maybe they’d taken everything away, and when I asked the nurses didn’t know and just told me to rest until tomorrow.

    The next day, they explained to us that they had removed my fallopian tube completely. It was bleeding out at a fast rate and my womb had already began filling with blood, it was literally a few hours from bursting and potentially killing me. The reason the sonographer asked if i was in any pain, was because I should have been in a Lot of it. The baby(i will always call him my baby no matter what anyone says) growing in my tube was around 6 weeks old. I had 3 holes in my stomach and i was in a Lot of pain. All of my insides were swollen, and my bladder didn’t work properly for a while so I had a catheter in for a few days. I was in hospital for 3 days and signed off work for a month, but took more as I just couldn’t face people. I could barely stand for a week, I wasn’t able to care for my daughter for around 2 weeks alone. It was very hard. Luckily my OHs work were very understanding and he had two weeks off to help me.

    Physically, I recovered within around 5 weeks, I still had to take it easy but I was getting there. Mentally, my head was absolutely battered. We had tried so hard for this, it was all i wanted. What i Needed. It felt like a cruel joke. I couldn’t understand it. I didn’t know how to start again from this. It might have only been a reality for 3 weeks, but for those 3 weeks I was so happy and our future was planned. Slowly I started getting there. 
    Fast forward to April this year, I missed my period. I had a Strong feeling in my stomach something was different. Took and test and it was positive. We finally did it?! Called my doctor, who because of my ectopic pregnancy referred me for an early scan the next week, at what would be 5 weeks pregnant.

    At the scan, this time there was a sac there, but there was also blood around and inside it, so I was told to prepare for the worst. Took my blood, asked me to go back 48 hours later for more. Low and behold, I started bleeding the next day. Blood results came back, my bHCG levels had dropped. I was losing this baby too.
    April 27th would have been my due date for the ectopic baby. That was a very hard day for me, but due to a few close friends having their babies around these days too, I was able to keep myself occupied. But it didn’t stop it from hurting. Wondering why I wasn’t sat there with my newborn too.
    Right now, my head is fried. I suffer daily with panic attacks, anxiety attacks. I can’t think straight. I feel terrible. I don’t know how to cope with this. I don’t even know how to begin feeling normal again. I’m on tablets that, quite honestly, don’t help.

    I genuinely feel like I’m never going to be able to have another baby. It’s never going to happen. Everytime i get a shred of happiness it’s going to get ripped away.

    My doctor wants me to get counselling but I struggle to open up. I can talk about it, but I can’t openly discuss how I feel. Not really. There are no words to begin explaining.
    I live for my daughter now, she has always been my everything and always will be. Everyday I live and breathe for her. I could never imagine my world without her. She often talks about the baby in mummy’s tummy, and talks about her baby brother. She may never have fully understood what happened but she felt his presence, and still does I genuinely believe, feel the newborn baby that he should be today, around her. 
    One day, I hope our family will be complete, but for now, I live for her.
    But I know talking helps, and I’d love to be able to help others. So I want to put it out there that I am Always willing to help anyone else. Always willing to answer any messages with questions or advice about anything. Any time, I will always be available
    Clare Fisher

  • Autism: Who am i to complain?

    I have had the great honour of being part of Mums Advice for 2 years now. It’s taught me so much more than I ever knew when I first became a mum at the age of 19. This is for all the mums that maybe going through something similar or are just not sure.

    When I gave birth to our second son at the age of 27, we were so excited having already been parents to our first son Trey and finally taking the plunge and having our second. Tien was born two weeks early and was my surprise VBAC, after an emergency c-section 8 years previous. His birth was the most amazing experience of my life and he was such a beautiful baby, slept well, ate well, was no trouble at all. He hit all his milestones until 8 months when I noticed he wasn’t babbling. He didn’t look when we called his name and slowly he started to appear distant, like he was in his own little world. I remember my husband often trying to make him smile and saying “tough crowd” as he never really responded, he smiled at things randomly and never at things we did to try to entertain him.

    By 15 months he wasn’t saying a word, in comparison to my friends children who were repeating 15-20 words and who were similar in age. I took him to our health visitor and pointed out my concerns, she sent him for hearing tests which came back normal. They put it down to “speech delay” and told me they would reassess when he was 2. “2?” I thought, that’s way too long if there’s really something wrong. Thankfully I had been working with a good friend whose son and grandson are autistic. I often spoke to her about Tien and without saying the words and listening to her experience I knew Tien had autism. He turned 2 and still never uttered a word, instead he screamed and covered his ears at different sounds not necessarily loud or high pitched just noises he couldn’t tolerate. He would point to things instead of asking for them and would become frustrated very easily. By the age of 3, we sent Tien to nursery in an attempt to “socialize him” as we were advised by our Health visitor. Nursery just highlighted even more how behind he was and it brought to the forefront that he was definitely autistic.

    By the time he was almost 4 and before he had his assessment, we already were working towards the fact that Tien was autistic and I had applied to the council for an EHCP for him. Our council had an early autism team who were amazing, visiting us at home and at school for one hour, doing different activities with Tien, working on his eye contact, pen control, numbers, letters and his imaginative play. He thrived on this programme and amazingly he seemed different, made eye contact, using the PECS folder he would bring us pictures of the items he wanted. We were finally turning a corner.

    The day of Tien’s assessment they told us there and then that they believed he was autistic. We were so relieved. The doctor, in shock, asked us why we had not broken down at the news. “Because, we said, we already knew deep down.” Tien’s diagnosis wasn’t the end. It was the beginning of an uphill battle for our precious 2nd son. He did really well at nursery but then the school we had chosen which had an ASD resource began to complain about him. They knew he needed a 1-2-1 but insisted on using unqualified TAs already employed at the school instead of using the funding they received for Tien to hire someone specialised. They are always trying to get Tien removed from the school instead of putting the adjustments in place for him to thrive. They fear the different and instead of trying to be better they try to get rid of the problem. We will never let Tien down though. We will fight for him everyday, making sure he has only the best in life. It is not easy, we have good days and bad days but Tien has now, at the age of 6, started to speak, write and spell. One of the best days of my life was when he called me Mumma. I could have bursted with pride.

    I’m so glad I followed my instincts when I felt something was wrong, my advice to anyone, don’t give up if you feel there maybe something not quite right. Don’t be fobbed off. Prepare for the worst, that way if things aren’t good, you are equipped to hand it. If they are better than you expected then even better. We believe that we were chosen to be Tien’s parents because we are strong enough to fight for him. There are bad days, don’t get me wrong, when I cry in the toilet, wondering what I did wrong in my pregnancy to having caused my beautiful baby to be autistic?, but then I shake myself and remember he’s a gift given specially to me. Who am I to complain?

  • Endometriosis Speak Out

    In October 2005 I had my first child aged 21. A few months later my periods became extremely heavy lasting up to two week, several months after that I started experiencing sever right side pain almost every day. I was referred for ultra sounds and nothing was found. 3 ultrasounds and numerous blood tests later I was referred to gynaecology.
    On listing all my symptoms the consultant decided to book me in for a laparoscopy. This was November 2006. The diagnosis was endometriosis.
    The following couple of years I was a guanine pig, tablets after tablets, surgery after surgery. I went on to have a child in 2009, and 2011. Then I was started on injections (rolodex was the first one for 6 months, then prostap as zolodex didn’t help)
    It was decided in Feb 2012 to preform a hysterectomy as I had tried every pain relief, coil, injection going.
    At my pre-op however there was one complication … I was pregnant! So any more surgery was delayed!
    I had my daughter in sept 2012, and the pain returned instantly. Unfortunately they were unable to do a hysterectomy for 12-18 months so In may 2013 they did a TCRE (trans cervical resection) this was now my 10th surgical procedure in 7 years. To this date I had been an inpatient 37 times for surgery, pain management etc.
    I requested to see a different consultant in December 2013, and I was lucky to get an appointment in Feb 2014 with Jane Moore one of the top pelvic pain specialists. On my first appointment she ordered an MRI scan as she believed I had Add to dictionary… the results showed she was right.
    Adenomyosis is the same as endometriosis but it is in side the uterine muscle rather than outside.
    Because of all the issues I had, she decided to do a total hysterectomy (uterus, tubes, ovaries and cervix) this was booked for December 18th 2014.
    The day of my surgery arrived.. I was 30. I had many mixed feelings, could I live with the pain incase I wanted another child? What if my sisters couldn’t carry a baby, I wouldn’t be able to help… would I feel less of a women?
    So I had my surgery.. within 48 hours I was rushed back to theatre because I had internal bleeding and lost 1.5litres of blood! 3 blood transfusions and 3.5 hours in surgery later and the emotions hit! BUT from that day on, I’ve never had pain again.
    8 years of agony, 8 years of not knowing if I could physically get up and take my kids to school, 8 years of bleeding so heavily that I would soak through even maternity pads in 10 minutes… I was better!
    Most people will never know what people with endometriosis go through, how debilitating it can be. But there is hope. Some people are lucky and pain and symptoms can be managed with medication, some are unlucky and need several surgeries or at worst a hysterectomy.
    There is some great support out there, I will link below.
    If you suffer with endometriosis speak out, it needs more awareness and needs GPS to take it more seriously because my GP used to make me feel like crap, telling me it was all in my head.. clearly not.
    Sorry for the rambling but that’s my story x
    Kim

  • You know you’re a mum when…

    We asked our lovely members over at our Mums Advice Facebook Page to finish this sentence…
    “You know you’re a mum when…”
    These are 15 of our favourite answers!
    1. Snuffing someone’s bum to see if they have done a poo is normal 😂😂😂
    2. You feel excited that it’s warm enough to dry washing outside
    3. You can rattle off every single song from a cartoon but can’t remember why you went into the kitchen 😂
    4. You can’t poop in peace 🙈💩
    5. You’re awake even while sleeping 😵
    6. You look like a charity shop bag of clothes and your kids are always dressed to impress!
    7. You hide away to eat a chocolate bar lol
    8. Your dinner is leftovers from your child’s plate 😒 dunno how I’m not a size 8 😂😂
    9. No matter how much you clean 5 mins after a tidy up it still looks like a bomb has just hit!
    10. You clean the house with baby wipes…
    11. You answer door to postman while your boob is on full show as you for got to put it in bra when put baby down to answer door 😂
    12. You start to sound like your own mum
    13. When you try cram all your adult time into 2 hours at night
    14. 7am seems like a lay in 😪
    15. You crave ‘YOU’ time but when you eventually have some you dont know what to do with yourself 😑😍
    Thank you to everyone at Mums Advice for all these funny too true responses.
    What would you add to this list? Let us know in the comments and don’t forget to LIKE AND SHARE!

  • Top Ten Favourite Disney Movies

    Top Ten Favourite Disney Movies
     We asked our lovely members over at our Mums Advice group to vote for their favourite animated Disney Films and the results are in!
    10) Frozen (2013)
    “The cold never bothered me anyway.”
    9) Alice in Wonderland (1951)
    “Curiouser and curiouser.”
    8 ) Moana (2016)
    “Whatever just happened… blame it on the pig.”
    7) Lilo & Stitch (2002)
    “Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.”
    6) 101 Dalmatians (1961)
    “She’s like a spider waiting for the kill. Look out for Cruella De Vil.”
     5) Cinderella (1950)
    “A dream is a wish your heart makes.”
    4) Tangled (2010)
    “All at once, everything is different, now that I see you.”
     3) The Little Mermaid (1989)
    “You poor unfortunate soul.”
    2) The Lion King (1994)
    “I just can’t wait to be king.”
     1) Beauty and the Beast (1991)
    “Tale as old as time, true as it can be.”
     So their you have it.
    Do you agree with our list?
    Leave us a comment to tell us your favourite Disney Movies.

  • Stay at home Mum VS. Working Mum

    Stay at home Mum VS. Working Mum
    Having a child is kind of a big deal. It changes everything. Things that used to seem important suddenly fall off your radar. Suddenly you have this little person that you need to care for. You no longer just think about yourself, you come second, first is your child.
    Inevitably for some parents, you have to make a very difficult decision:
    Do you return to work or do you become a stay at home mum?
    If you return to work do you go back full-time or part-time?
    If you become a stay at home mum will you have enough money?
    Will I be setting a good example if I don’t return to work?
    Will I miss too much of my babies childhood if I do return to work?
    Will people think I’m a bad mum if I return to work?
    Will people think I’m lazy if I don’t?
    It seems crazy doesn’t it? All this stress and worry about something which should be an easy decision. But it isn’t. It is a very difficult decision for every parent.
    When I first became a parent I was 21 years old, I had 1 year off work with my daughter then I returned, back to full time work. 40 hours a week plus an extra hour a day for travelling.
    When I made this choice I knew it was for the best. My husband and I were saving up to buy a house and we couldn’t do that on just one wage.
    I was hard. Really hard. Actually thinking back, it might be the saddest I’ve ever been. I felt awful. Like the worst mum in the world.
    I thought everyone was judging me. Calling me a bad mother.
    Of course they weren’t.
    And I wasn’t. I was being the best mother I could be. I was looking to the future trying to build a better life for us.
    I worked full time for nearly 4 years. Then my son was born. This time the choice was easier. I remembered how unhappy I was working so much and being away from my daughter, so I told my husband that I wasn’t going to do it again. I was done. I was quitting as soon as the baby was born…. Well that didn’t go as I planned. As it turns out I could change my contract. Instead of working 5 days a week I could work just 1! It was a big pay cut but once I got to work that 1 day a week I really enjoyed it. Having grown up conversations, drinking coffee while it was still hot. Not watching Peppa Pig for the billionth time. I guess I had the best of both worlds.
    Now it’s 4 years later and I’m back to basically full time although it’s “family friendly” so some weeks I will only work 1 day and others I’ll do 6. But it works with my family, we have a good balance and with the kids both in school now I don’t feel guilty anymore for “leaving them”.
    I’m not really sure what their is in my little story to take away.
    I guess I just want people to see how difficult it can be for mothers and fathers to make this decision.
    How what works in one household wouldn’t work in another.
    That you don’t know what’s happening in the head and the heart of the person you might be judging because they made a different choice.
    Anyway.. Thank you for reading.
    If you found this helpful or informative don’t forget to give us a LIKE or a SHARE.

  • I Became a Teacher Because I Love Children. But Then, I Couldn’t Have My Own

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    Relax, they say. It’ll happen when you stop stressing, they say. Worst advice ever. You never stop stressing when you are struggling with infertility. Go ahead and add working as a full-time teacher to the mix and what you’ve got is a recipe for stress. Relax? I think not.

    Let me be clear: I am not, by any means, implying that infertility was more devastating for me because I worked during this time. Infertility is awful for everyone. Literally everyone. My personal journey just happens to involve being a practically eggless employee.

    I’ve been a teacher since I was 23 years old. I chose this career because I love kids and love the idea of doing something different each day while making a difference. It’s also a job that has zero downtime, and certainly is not for the faint of heart. When there are over 100 students counting on you to deliver daily, you deliver. Period. At the age of 31, after quite some time of trying on our own, my husband, Jon, and I discovered that we couldn’t have children the old-fashioned way, and no amount of “relaxing” was going to magically fix my defunct ovaries.

    New plan: Off to the doctor we went, every other day, actually. Every other day I would leave my house at 5 a.m., drive to another state by 6 to get blood drawn, sonograms administered, pills prescribed and sticks to pee on. Then I would get back in the car to arrive at work for my 7:30 a.m. class. Talk about stress! Every night I would come home from school, exhausted in all ways one can be exhausted, and become a human pincushion. My husband gave me injection after injection in my stomach while I prayed for a miracle.

    This routine went on for a year. An entire school year, from start to finish, of starting each working day being reminded of how broken my reproductive system was, and then having to go teach a sea of children. Children. I had to, with professionalism and a smile, look out to a sea of faces and deliver, all the while feeling like no teacher would ever look out and see my child because I was told it was quite probable that I wouldn’t have any. So even though I felt like dying inside because my body had betrayed me yet again—another chemical pregnancy, an ectopic pregnancy and the removal of one fallopian tube, no mature eggs to be found in either ovary—I still needed to stand in front of my students and deliver. When administration came in to observe me after I’d been curled up on the bathroom floor the entire night, crying, bargaining, and begging some higher power to make the impossible possible, I had to deliver. Going to work every single day was like salt in my very gaping wound: Here I am fighting like hell to try and have children of my own, but must go to work where I care for so many children. It was an ironically cruel joke.

    Teachers can’t escape to the restroom to cry. We can’t stop and take a moment to catch our breath when we are overcome with emotion from things going on in our personal lives. I’ve said for years that teachers are like swans: We may appear calm and graceful, but sneak a quick peek under the surface of the water and you’ll see a pair of feet kicking like crazy to keep everything afloat. I’m amazed I didn’t drown.

    I finally did get pregnant, but it happened, coincidentally enough, during summer break. Was I magically relaxed? Perhaps. I will honestly never know the real answer to that question. Maybe it was the perfect combination of medical intervention and space away from the stresses that come along with teaching. I actually had enough time and peace of mind to go in for IVF without feeling too worried about missing school. Facing multiple classes full of students that September was much easier for my heart to handle as a woman about to welcome her own child. I realized my body wasn’t broken, just my spirit, which has since healed greatly, thanks to my two miracle babies, Logan and Layla. But I also realized something that surprised me; it was very likely that, as I looked out into the sea of children, many of them were quite possibly the miracles wished for by their parents. Understanding and knowing that has certainly made a difference. You never truly know the inner struggles anyone is facing, regardless of how calm the surface may appear.

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  • Ten Top Tips for Flying with Little Ones

    Ten Top Tips for Flying with Little Ones
    So you’re off on your holidays!
    You must be so excited, dreaming of the beach, the pool, the cocktails!
    But their is one little thing you need to get out of the way first, well actually it’s not that small. It’s a massive flying machine and can be extremely boring for all aboard, expecially when those passengers are your miniature humans off on their first holiday!
    So we have put together a nice list of 10 things which will (fingers crossed) help make your life, and everyone else’s slightly easier for the duration of your flight!
    1) TAKE ADVANTAGE OF EARLY BOARDING
    At some point when everyone is waiting at the terminal you will hear a wonderful announcement:
    “Would passengers travelling with small children or needing extra assistance please proceed to the gate now”
    It might not seem like much, but to be able to avoid most of the hussle and bussle while finding your seats on the plane can mean less stress and much happier, more comfortable children!
    2) BRING ACTIVITIES
    A piece of hand luggage filled with lots of fun activities dedicated to each child will definitely help, pop in their favourite story book, magazines, stickers, colouring books with crayons, an ipad or tablet, portable DVD player or anything else you can think of that would keep your child happy and busy!
    3) SNACKS
    It’s a well known fact that airplane food is gross! (Okay, not everyone agrees and some people actually enjoy it!) But chances are your child will not be interested in a watery chicken korma or veggie filled pasta bake. So sandwiches, biscuits, crisps, raisins anything you know they will actually eat and help keep them from getting too grumpy.
    4) EXPLORE
    Sitting down for a prolonged period isn’t fun. And an airplane is something new with not a lot to see, but still your little ones will enjoy a nice slow walk around the plane and a chance to stretch those legs, they might even see some other children they could talk to or a nice old lady that wants to pinch their cheeks and tell you how cute they are!
    5) STOP THOSE EARS POPPING
    Most adults know the trick to help popping ears is some hard boiled candy. But most children would never be allowed this, so a nice compromise is a packet of jelly sweets! You could even make a game out of it, seeing who can suck their sweet the longest!
    6) TRUNKI TO THE RESCUE
    You may have seen these before, a plastic gruffalo, ladybug or dragon case your child can store all their activities in as well as sit on and be pulled along. It definitely saves their little legs and your arms from carrying them. They aren’t cheap but an investment worth looking into!
    7) BRIBERY WORKS
    Good behaviour deserves to be rewarded, and everyone likes presents! So why not wrap up some small activities, toys or sweets to let your child unwrap every hour or so, telling them they will only receive their present if they earn it.
    😎 APPS, APPS, APPS!
    Prepare your phone or tablet with some easy, child friendly apps your kids can peacefully play on, make sure they are apps that can be launched without WiFi and bring some headphones for them too.
    9) PILLOWS & BLANKETS
    If you expect your child to sleep on the plane prepare to be disappointed, but their is nothing wrong with trying to encourage them to do so. Some airlines will automatically give your pillows and blankets but not all do, so don’t be afraid to ask for some.
    10) BE PREPARED
    Expect the unexpected, and try to prepare yourself for it. Sometimes planes can be delayed once you are already aboard which can make your flight twice as long. Sometimes you aren’t allowed out of your seat for hours at a time, and although you might be okay holding your bladder, even a fully potty trained child might struggle, so pack some spare pull ups, wet wipes and a change of clothes. Chances are you won’t need them. But it’s better to have them – just incase.
    We hope this list helps.
    If you can think of any great tips or tricks we have missed please add them in the comments and don’t for get to share to help other parents.

  • Living in Silence

    One of the nicest things as a parent is chatting with your child, hearing all the exciting and crazy things that go on in their heads…

    But what if your child can’t tell you about their day?

    This is Dexter, my 4-year-old son.

    Dexter doesn’t talk.

    It’s not that he can’t, more that he just doesn’t want to.

    Everyone says that they will talk when they are ready. That’s true. But what about when you are ready for them to talk to you, but they won’t?

    Seeing my son, he seems happy and I have to believe that he is. But it can be truly heart-breaking. Seeing all his classmates coming out of nursery calling for their mums and dads, telling them about their day, what they had for snack or what they played with. But Dexter, he comes out silent. I get a big cuddle and he’ll stretch out his arms for me to pick him up. But when I start talking to him, asking him all the questions a mum wants to know:

    “Did you have a nice day?”

    “Who did you play with?”

    “Are you happy?”

    “Do you have any friends?”

    All I can settle for is a smile and maybe a nod or the shake of a head.

    We work very hard, he attends one on one speech therapy, has done for two years now and truly it has helped. But honestly, I want more. I want to be able to chat with him, hear his stories, his thoughts, his dreams.

    Don’t get me wrong, I’m lucky, I have a kind, loving, gorgeous little boy and I wouldn’t change him for the world, he is who he is and that’s okay.

    Hopefully one day, this will all be a distant memory. All we can do is carry on working together, and hope.