My First Column Piece For The Nationalist

My baby turns one this week.  I don’t know how it happened.  It seems like I blinked and my teeny tiny, pink skinned new born was replaced by a hungry, one toothed, bum shuffling, kitten terrorising, small person,  who’s most coherent argument is “no”.  

I’m not sure why time choose this particular year to hurry itself up so much.  Or why, when one of my favourite things in the world is to be holed up in my Momma cave, with a new born on my chest, time thinks it’s ok to force me to move forward.

It truly feels like only yesterday since we welcomed him into our world.  He was born here, at home, in an incredibly gentle water birth.  He opened his eyes and looked at me like he had always known me, before making his way to my breast and feeding.  (The breast crawl is worth YouTubing).  In those first awe inspiring minutes of his life, there was a such a sense of quiet calmness.  Time stopped and there was only stillness.  

Bliss, which lasted all of zero point five seconds until big brother and sister bounded in to introduce themselves and it quickly became apparent that he should, in fact, have come with a health warning - “Danger, severe risk of utter chaos if comes into contact with other small humans”.

3 children, one husband, one dog, 3 chickens, one goldfish and a kitten sure do make for some interesting times.  Possibly one reason why time has flown by – what else could it do when every second of every day is packed full of living?  Also possibly why I live beside my Mammy!

I love being a mother.  It’s one of the few things in life I feel I do well.  Knowing the strength and resilence my body is capable of, having carried, birthed and nursed three children, has inspired such confidence in me and my own abilities.  I love the sense of achievement and reward I gain from loving my children and meeting their needs.  I especially love babies.  So much so I’ve decided to have another one (she says as she barricades the front door to prevent husband running for the hills).

Just kidding! For now!  

It does seem apt though, that as my youngest boy turns one, I find myself nursing a new baby – my business baby - The Baby Room. The Baby Room aims to provide pregnancy, postnatal, baby and toddler classes locally, under one roof.  Building on my background in social care, media, my training as an infant massage and toddler yoga instructor and my ongoing training in nutrition and pilates, I hope that I can inspire some of the same confidence and empowerment in the women and families I meet through my work.  When we believe in ourselves and our abilities great things can happen.  Corny as it seems, I buy into Whitney’s philosophy that the children are our future.  If we teach them well, they will lead the way.


www.TheBabyRoom.ie