instinctivemum

It’s another week, another #wednesday words and another quote from me (well from someone on Pinterest actually!) Has there ever been a time when you just knew something even though you didn’t know how you knew it?

Mountains: A mountain is a large landform that stretches above the surrounding land in a limited area usually in the form of a peak. A mountain is generally steeper than a hill.

I lay cuddly and warm,
Relishing the calm before the storm.
Head burrowed deep,
Desperately wanting, needing more sleep.

The day stretches ominously ahead,
Too long, too difficult, must stay in bed.
A mountain so hard to climb,
Until sleep again an endless time.

Effort needed, no energy there.
Only panic, fear and despair.
From warmth and comfort, feeling at ease,
To noise and madness and children to please.

But then I force myself up, breathe air,
Rub eyes, stretch limbs, smooth hair.
See smiling children, hear ‘morning mum,’
Excited, hopeful for a day of fun.

Eternal optimists, boundless joy,
Infectious, comforting, my girl and my boys.
Cuddles, love, ‘mummy’s awake,’
All the sadness, fear, away they take.

Precious children, heal me with love,
Climbing the mountain I look down from above.
This day is a good day, isn’t tough.
I soon discover days aren’t long enough.

Short and sweet today… (Am I overdoing the instincts thing a bit now lol?!) 😉

Conference: A conference is a meeting of people who “confer” about a topic. Academic conference, in science and academia, a formal event where researchers present results, workshops, and other activities. Business conference, organised to discuss business-related matters. Conference hall, room where conferences are held. Peace conference, a diplomatic meeting to end conflict.

In a little under two weeks I will be going to my first ever Britmums Live blogging conference and I am so excited. Having only started blogging in February of this year, when I booked my ticket in March I thought I was getting a little bit ahead of myself, and that maybe I should wait until next year. However little was I to know then how much I would enjoy blogging and how much I would get out of it! It has been a wonderful few months and I have met some amazing people online. Anonymous since I started I am now set to reveal my true identity as I join in with the linky so we all know a bit about each other before we go. (And it might also help those who I’m meeting actually recognise me!) So, without further ado…..

Name Jen (never again will I make the mistake of saying I’d rather be called Jennifer like I did on my first day of secondary school, it did not go down well)

Blog Instinctivemum.wordpress.com

Twitter ID @InstinctiveMum

Height 5ft 3 and an all important half. Or, as my family’s height chart says, I am as tall as the height requirement for a NASA astronaut.

Hair Changes regularly, brunette, highlighted, long, short! Let’s just say I get bored very easily. At the moment as you can see in the photos, it’s relatively short and brown….for now…

Eyes Dark brown. My right eye isn’t the best so it’s always worth approaching me from the left…or I might ignore you, but not on purpose I promise.

Is this your first blogging conference? Yes! I am a mere newbie only blogging since February. Sounds like an excellent one to go for my first time!

Are you attending both days? Damn right! (and possibly with a hangover on the second one)

What are you most looking forward to at Britmums Live 2013? Meeting my blogging and Twitter friends! Can…not…wait!! And I’m also really looking forward to the writing sessions and meeting with the publishing panel; it will be amazing to speak to publishers face to face and get some feedback.

What are you wearing? Who knows lol?! I have a wardrobe full of clothes, but I am a bugger for always buying new ones…so I potentially don’t even own the outfit I will wear yet. That’s awful isn’t it?

What do you hope to gain from Britmums Live 2013? New skills, the confidence to go self-hosted, new friendships, new experiences!

Tell us one things about you that not everyone knows I’ve snogged someone from the film Love Actually…I’ll leave you to guess who… 😉

Opinions: In general, an opinion is a belief about matters commonly considered to be subjective, i.e. it is based on that which is less than absolutely certain, and is the result of emotion or interpretation of facts. An opinion may be supported by an argument, although people may draw opposing opinions from the same set of facts. Opinions rarely change without new arguments being presented. In casual use, the term opinion may be the result of a person’s perspective, understanding, particular feelings, beliefs, and desires.

Opinions

We are allowed to have different opinions,
It really is ok.
You can do things the way you like,
And I’ll do things my way.

It doesn’t matter that we’re different,
That we don’t do things the same.
Just please don’t judge and please don’t preach,
There’s no one here to blame.

Everyone is equal,
and individual too.
I can be me and happily so,
And you can be confident in you.

Don’t challenge my opinions,
Don’t mock what I do best,
Don’t belittle my beliefs, my ideals,
It makes me like you less.

I know my children inside out,
As I’m sure that you know yours,
But please don’t guess what goes on here,
Behind my home’s closed doors.

I’ll leave you to do what you believe,
And please say you will too.
We’ll never be friends if we don’t respect,
Each others feelings too.

Everybody is different,
Everybody knows,
What’s best for them, their children,
And how to nurture them as they grow.

So let this be the end,
No more judging and unkind speech.
It is forgotten, I’ve let it go,
There’s nothing the other can teach.

I wish you luck in all you do,
I wish you love and joy.
Now let us each move on,
And do the things we both enjoy.

Philosopher: A philosopher is a person with an extensive knowledge of philosophy who uses this knowledge in their work, typically to solve philosophical problems. Philosophy is concerned with studying the subject matter of fields such as aesthetics, ethics, epistemology, logic, metaphysics, as well as social philosophy and political philosophy.

Today’s #wednesdaywords is a quote, unsurprisingly about listening to and trusting your instincts! 😉 It is from a lady called Harriet Beecher Stowe. She was an American abolitionist and author. Her novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin was a depiction of life for African-Americans under slavery. The quote is simply this…

Recently my instincts have been at the forefront of my everyday life, and they were recently challenged by someone, who implied that parents cannot survive on instinct alone. Trusting your instincts is hard, but is something I am so passionate about. So today, I thought I’d share with you how mine have helped me, and my family recently.

They have helped my four year old son, who has coughed for as long as I can remember; dismissed as asthma by the doctors my instincts told me it was something more, something digestive and sure enough it turns out that it looks like it is something more.We don’t know what yet, possibly Coeliacs, and blood tests and x-rays await us at a hospital appointment. I’m not one for visiting the doctor unnecessarily, but in this case my instincts kept me going back to ask for help….and I was right to listen to them.

My one year old has also been testing my instincts recently too. He’s never slept through the night (three chest infections in three months haven’t helped) and when you tell people he still has a feed in the night they are horrified, and pretty much always suggest training him out of it. But my instincts tell me he needs it. That it is not for comfort. That it is a full feed. It’s often sleep and feeding issues that can test a mother’s instinct (no one likes sleep deprivation!) and this may be when some might reach for those books to look for suggestions about how to make your baby ‘sleep through.’ Stories of how babies slept for twelve hours a night from ten weeks and how they eat more than you do don’t help, and can make you feel like you are doing something wrong. But, much as I’d like a full eight hours of sleep, as you all know I read my baby, and right now, he’s telling me he needs that feed. So that feed he will have.

My instincts have also been there recently about me. About how I am with my PND. The tablets may be gone, and I’m so much better than I was, but it’s still there. It still lingers on. Most days are amazing and I’m happier than I have ever been, but sometimes things can upset and distress me more than they should. And I need to listen to my instincts about how I am feeling, trust them, and ask for help and support on the days where I’m not in control of my brain. On the days where my brain tells me disaster is imminent and I am worthless and cannot cope.

I know it can be heard to listen to what your gut is telling you, and to have the confidence and trust to go with it. So much advice is conflicting; co-sleep/don’t co-sleep; form a strict routine/be baby-led…it’s endless and it can be overwhelming, making it hard to know where to start. And whilst you all know I think advice is invaluable and sounding out ideas is fantastic, it’s far better from and with trusted sources. Many mums worry when their children don’t do things ‘by the book’ or how have been made to believe they ‘should’ do things, but if you listen carefully and look at your baby you’ll know if what’s happening is ok and meant to be…or not.

Each baby different. Each situation different. Each instinct different. Listen.

<a

Peace: Peace is a state of tranquility or harmony.

Peace

Glistening water
Crashing waves
Peace

Sunlight dapples
No cloud to be seen
Peace

The wind breezes
Sand beneath my toes
Peace

Time to myself
Reading, sleeping, laughing
Peace

Ripples on the sea
A view to behold
Peace

Rebuilding, strengthening
Time out, refresh
Peace