Is it time yet?
By The Mummyseuss on June 16, 2013
Hello.
In my work, I see many MANY women in the final weeks of pregnancy. Something seems to happen around the 38th week where they feel huge and hurty and bored and they call me for a massage. Totally understand. Been there, done that.
So inevitably along the way, the conversation always turns to the client asking “what can I do to get this baby OUT?!” Well, wait and see is one way (and probably the most effective.)
With that said, there’s a bunch of methods that mums to be have used over the generations to try and induce labour and I think I tried most of them and ended up being induced chemically by the obstetrician (don’t recommend that unless it’s absolutely necessary.)
So today’s question: What have you tried and what worked for you to get labour going?
Posted in Massage, Mums, questions, The Mummyseuss | Tagged baby, birth, clients, friends, labour, massage, pain, plans, pregnancy, pregnancy massage, pregnant, rituals, The Mummyseuss, traditions, work
By The Mummyseuss on May 28, 2013
Hello.
I’ve been seeing photos from friends of their campfires and I’ll admit, I’m just a tint green. I miss the crisp open air and the fun of hunting the wood to put into the pile to burn. I miss the peace that comes from sitting round the fire and just starring at it for hours. Sometimes I even miss the massive bonfires my friend Hilly would create that would see us all standing quite a distance away and still toasty.
Where I live the opportunity to set things on fire in the backyard are almost nil. Chances are I’d get complaints from the neighbours and a team of firemen arrive to put out the fire. (On a side note, a visit from firemen would not necessarily be unwelcome. I like firemen. The fine I’d get wouldn’t be.) So I just have to pretend for now.
This nostalgia was also fuelled by the arrival of the green waste collection notice. Surely it would be much more fun for the whole neighbourhood to just put it in the local park and we all have a big fire? Nope. Someone might get hurt. Someone might get carried away and burn down the new play equipment. Oh well, it’s a nice thought.
So tell me. Do you long for a campfire?
Posted in family, questions, The Mummyseuss, time out | Tagged campfires, family, firemen, friends, Memories, neighbours, rituals, The Mummyseuss, traditions |
By The Mummyseuss on May 26, 2013
Hello.
I’ve been really lucky and been bouncing around different events and meeting people. Some new, some I’ve know for ages.
Firstly there was the launch of Support for Mums and their families. A fabulous organisation who provide practical support for families in circumstantial crisis and one I am very proud to be a part of. It was held at the beautiful Windsor Hotel and I even managed to scoff down a very delicious cupcake at the end (bonus!).
Then there was my annual night of fun at Mums’ Night Out. Where I caught up with friends, saw some interesting antic involving lego and gave some massages. My friends from Real Mums Club were there wearing our horns and I was able to give hugs and put faces to the names that are usually behind screen names.
And finally Yesterday, I attended the lovely Sheree’s book launch where there were all kinds of lovely people from the birth community and even one of my old work colleagues. Sheree’s family and friends put on a very different but wonderful event with speakers and skits and story telling showing what kind of stories were in the book.
So who knows where I’ll pop up next!
Posted in Massage, Mums, The Mummyseuss, time out | Tagged appearances, book, business, events, family, friends, fun, launches, massage, meeting, mums, mums night out, plans, rituals, support, support for mums, The Mummyseuss, The Wild Rainbow, traditions, work
By The Mummyseuss on May 21, 2013
Hello
I’m writing this as I’m avoiding the ominous pile of washing that is looking at me. I’m also in the need of a bit of a whinge.
I hate school mornings. I hate getting up before I’m ready. I hate having to wake the grumpy Little Miss and forcibly eject her from her bed. I hate getting her dressed. I hate getting dressed. I hate making her lunch. I really hate making her lunch. I hate the packing of her bag. I hate the rush to get out of the house and into the car. I hate the drive to school. I hate the school car park.
All before 9am.
My brain doesn’t start to function until 10am and that’s with two MUGs of tea fuelling it.
Please tell me I’m not alone in this?
Posted in family, Mums, questions, The Mummyseuss | Tagged family, help, little miss, lunches, morning, MUG, mums, rituals, school, sleep, tea, The Mummyseuss, traditions, washing, whinge |
By The Mummyseuss on May 9, 2013
Hello.
I’m feeling a touch blue today. Nothing really bad or horrible, just blah. Not entirely sure if it’s from adrenalin fatigue or if it’s just the weather messing me round. Either way, need some cheering up.
So tell me your good and happy news.
Posted in depression, family, Mums, questions, The Mummyseuss, time out | Tagged blah, blue, crying, depression, family, friends, happy, homesick, Hubby, little miss, Memories, mums, news, sad, The Mummyseuss, weather |
By The Mummyseuss on April 30, 2013
Hello.
Lately I’ve been hearing horror stories from mums about their maternal and child health centre visits. Mostly in the aggressive and contradictory advice given out in the sessions. From apparent overfeeding to sleep “suggestions” which have made the mums feel guilty for doing the best they can.
I was lucky. I had two amazing health nursies who I still adore. They were supportive. They were gentle. They were the bright light when everything else was cloudy. They are also rare it seems.
With that said I did have an encounter with another nurse who didn’t listen to what I was asking, gave her opinion without knowing all the facts nor being asked for it and as a result, sent me careening back into the deepest, darkest depression hole I had just crawled out of. (She was reported by one of her colleagues when they found out.)
So you’ve heard my minor horror story, I’d love to hear yours. Good and Bad.
Posted in depression, family, Mums, questions, The Mummyseuss | Tagged baby, crying, depression, family, help, little miss, Memories, mums, pain, rituals, support, The Mummyseuss, traditions, work |
By The Mummyseuss on April 25, 2013
Hello
Ok, I know using the term blessingway is a little bit uncool but I had to get your attention some how.
I’m wanting to hear from mums who have had a mother blessing, from people who have organised a blessing and from people who have attended them. I want to know what you did, what you liked, what you didn’t like and how you felt about the experience.
For those of you who are wondering what on earth I’m asking about, here’s a brief explanation. It’s an alternative to a baby shower. It’s a chance for a community of women to gather and bless the mother to be using ritual or pampering or nurturing or something. Sometimes belly casts are made or henna is applied.
So please let me know either in the comments or via my email address (emma[at]themummyseuss.com.au). Thanks in advance.
Em.
Posted in Massage, Mums, questions, The Mummyseuss, time out | Tagged baby shower, belly cast, blessingway, celebration, gathering, henna, mother, mother blessings, mums, new mothers, pampering, pregnancy, ritual, The Mummyseuss, traditions |
By The Mummyseuss on April 24, 2013
Hello.
I’m typing this feeling just a little bit sheepish. You see, yesterday, I sneezed. A Lot. And when I sneeze it’s not your usual achoo, it’s ACHOO, ACHOO, ACHOO….. complete with startled neighbours. I sneeze loud and violently. I had a boss that left his office to see if everything was ok after I sneezed.
The problem with violent sneezes is you can injure yourself simply by having an extremity in an unusual position whilst sneezing. For example, holding the steering wheel. Which is what I did yesterday. I sneezed whilst driving and did something to my shoulder. Today, after a night of not being able to get into a comfy position to sleep, I found I couldn’t drive my manual car without lots of pain. This means I had no way of getting Little Miss to school. This means by extension, we’re having a pj day.
So I’m taking a couple of days to recover, then I’ll be back massaging and running around again.
PS. Just so I don’t feel like a complete fool, what weird injuries have you given yourself?
Posted in family, Massage, Mums, questions, The Mummyseuss, time out, Uncategorized | Tagged clients, family, help, injuries, little miss, massage, mums, pain, sleep, sneezes, sneezing, The Mummyseuss, work
By The Mummyseuss on April 18, 2013
Hello.
I’m going to tell you about a situation and I want you to tell me what you’d do.
You’ve just given birth to your first baby. You’re breastfeeding like a champion but feeling really crap. One day you get a really bad pain in your stomach but your put it off as just something you ate and continue on with your day looking after bubs. Your not happy as you have undiagnosed depression. A week later the pain comes back and doesn’t go away. You vomit and your partner gets worried and takes you to the doctor.
The doctor asks you how bad the pain is. You reply “worse than contractions”. After the G.P. looks at the newborn in your partner’s arms, he then pushes on your stomach and writes you a referral for an ultrasound and a surgeon. You’re having a gall bladder attack and it will need to be removed.
After a week you see the surgeon and he books you in for surgery the next week. You panic. How are you going to keep breastfeeding, look after a seven week old baby and recover from surgery? Your partner took all his annual leave after the birth and has none left, your family lives in the country, your in laws all work as do your friends. What do you do?
At this point I’m going to tell you what actually happened because this did happen to me. I was very lucky. My mother came down and stayed with me and Little Miss in the hospital, I’d organised for a breast pump and expressed like mad before surgery and I was lucky that my surgery was on a Friday so Hubby could help out in the first couple of days. But what would happen if my mother wasn’t available to help?
The reason I’m telling you this story is because there is a new organisation to help women and their families in just this sort of situation where the family finds themselves in circumstantial crisis and in need of practical help. The organisation is Support for Mums who are having a huge party to celebrate their launch on the 2nd of May. It’s being held at the very swanky Hotel Windsor and I’d really love to see you there. If you can’t make it, perhaps you would like to sponsor a ticket or donate to the organisation here.
Thanks.
Posted in depression, family, Mums, questions, The Mummyseuss | Tagged depression, family, friends, help, Hubby, kids, little miss, Memories, mums, pain, plans, support, support for mums and families, The Mummyseuss |
By The Mummyseuss on April 16, 2013
Hello
As some of you know, I spent the weekend just past at the Seven Sisters Festival. It was a women only event and I was surrounded. There were babies in carriers and being fed, pregnant bellies, mums having the weekend off, aunties, nannas and grandmas and younger girls. So many it was impossible to meet them all.
I spent the first day meeting some really lovely women as I was massaging them then in the evening, sitting in the chai tent having a deep and meaningful conversation about something with a group of women I met in the line for a cuppa. As you do.
The next day I met more interesting people, caught up with some I knew and made a silk scarf printed with gum leaves. Fun! That evening I was overwhelmed by it all and sent myself off to bed. Which as it turned out, was exactly where I needed to be.
The last day of the event I spent lounging around my tent, wandering around the market and somehow, putting henna on a group of people. Ok! Was fun and a bit later whilst having a chat to someone else, I was approached and told my great Aunt was keeping me company and was having a marvellous time. (She was a bit of a hippy back in the day.)
As the time for me to leave approached, I wandered back to my campsite and packed up what I could then sat outside listening to the group of violinists playing not far from me. Shortly after, Hubby and Little Miss arrived to pick me up to go home and back to the world.
The whole weekend started me thinking again about rituals and traditions and how in our existing communities, the value of these rites has been diminished. They’ve become superfluous to daily life and in some cases considered to be ridiculous. But I suspect they are anything but.
So, I’m embarking on another project (obviously because I can’t seem to keep these things down to one). I’m going to put together some rituals. Some borrowed, some created. Lets see where that takes us.
Posted in family, Massage, Mums, questions, The Mummyseuss, time out | Tagged baby, festival, friends, Hubby, little miss, mums, pregnancy, pregnant, rituals, support, The Mummyseuss, traditions, work |
