What to give the First-Time Mum in your life (or what to heavily hint at to your mates if you’re pregnant right now!)Flowers are lovely, don’t get me wrong. Flowers are cheery and smell nice and might even over-power the weirdly sweet peanut-pooey smell that newborns produce, but when you are a first-time parent, flowers aren’t at the top of your list. So if you’re wondering what to send someone you know who’s just welcomed their first gorgeous offspring into the world, maybe don’t head straight to Interflora but take a look at my suggestions below. I can say for certain that these things would have lifted my spirits after a broken night’s sleep and milky sick down my cleavage...
- A Cook voucher, or a supermarket delivery of easy-to-eat groceries. The food you dream of as a new parent is food you can stand at the fridge and stuff straight into your mouth, or something that just needs unwrapping and bunging in the oven for 20 minutes. So do the knackered mums and dads out there a favour and see them sorted with wholesome ready-made lasagnes and pizzas and curries for the next few weeks. For extra bonus points, you could make one yourself and take it over!
- Giant muslins. Muslins are the thin cottony squares of material that help you spot a parent from a mile off - they become glued to your shoulder like a military badge of honour, ready to catch any sicky burps. But if you buy a pack of extra big ones, they can have so many more excellent uses too. They are the Swiss Army life of the baby world! Yes, they can clean things up, but they can also be great swaddles for a warm day, be draped over a pram for a bit of shade and even function as a peek-a-boo prop for moments of grisly boredom. And if you’re breastfeeding, they can give you some much-needed privacy if you’re out and about. Choose some fresh, graphic prints in a range of colours - your parent mates have probably had enough of teddies and rainbows by now.
- A lovely, fancy lip balm or hand cream. Everyone loves to receive delicious-smelling bath treats but the days of sinking into a hot bath for half an hour are temporarily on hold for your mate, so instead why not choose them something that will give them an instant, gorgeous lift in the two minutes they might get to think about themselves?
- Magazines. Either a big stack of all sorts of topics, or a new subscription set up in their name. Anything they can lose themselves in without much mental investment - and NO parenting magazines, however sensible you think that might be! If they have a chance to escape, let them.
- Your shoulder (for a good cry) and your ears (to take in any sort of moan). There’s so much pressure on parents to talk about how blessed they are, how lucky, and how much they love love love their baby. And of course, all that is true. But it’s also a time in your life when you’ll be feel tired, anxious, overworked and under scrutiny. So in whatever way you can, let your friends know that you’ll always be there for a cup of tea and a non-judgemental listen to whatever they want to get off their chests. Sympathise and nod and reassure them through it all, even if it seems a bit foreign and dramatic to you - who knows, before long, you might be the one on the other side!
Stevie’s life has changed beyond recognition since having her first baby. Stevie loves being a mum, but between the isolation and being vomited on five times a day, she really wishes she had someone to talk to.
With husband Ted working hard to keep the family afloat, Stevie really doesn’t want to burden him with her feelings. Turning to the internet, Stevie starts the anonymous First-Time Mum blog and blasts the rose-tinted glasses of parenthood right off her readers.
In the real world, Stevie meets the formidable Nelle and gorgeous Will, along with their own little treasures, and starts to realise that being a ‘perfect mum’ isn’t everything. But when the secret blog goes viral, Stevie must make some tough choices about who she wants to be, and whether she’s ready for the world to know the truth…
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