How do we teach kids to parent themselves and why is it important? Parenting can be a minefield of concepts and approaches, but what we’re really doing is teaching them how to parent themselves. In this guest blog by Dr Nancy Shapiro, Author of new book for kids Wonderful Me, we explore this in more detail. Get in touch with me with any questions! hello@andbreathewellbeing.com   Nancy Shapiro’s Wonderful Me, illustrated by Vania Sacramento   What are we thinking about when we raise children? Many things! One of these (too) many things is caring about our kids’ futures. Typically ..read more

Why C-section Mums are Badass Remember, if you had a c-section, you're badass. When I posted the picture below on Instagram for the first time, a couple of years ago (and a year or so after my c-section), my friend Lisa told me so. Get in touch with me with any questions! hello@andbreathewellbeing.com   Clio and her badass c-section scar.   Being told I was badass for having a c-section was a new concept to me. I’m not judgemental in motherhood (as I hope you know from the &Breathe ethos) but there is something around the cultural rhetoric of c-sections that means mothers stil ..read more

Why kissing is the key to rediscovering intimacy in motherhood Somewhere along the line between our teen years and parenthood, kissing becomes boring. Remember when a good snog was what we all aimed for? Here’s why revisiting that perspective might be more useful than you think! Get in touch with me with any questions! hello@andbreathewellbeing.com   Clio and her husband, Bryn. Credit Ocean O’Connor   Do you remember when all you wanted to do was snog that boy (or girl) you fancied at school? When the sole aim of going to a party was to get your crush to kiss you? What about all t ..read more

I found new motherhood really hard… From birth trauma to breastfeeding problems, I went through a lot (most of us do) and I was unhappy for quite a long time. So what helped and what did I do about it? Get in touch with me with any questions! hello@andbreathewellbeing.com   Clio with her newborn   I’ll say it. I found new motherhood really hard. I went through a lot. It certainly wasn’t the Athena poster (IYKYK) deam I’d been raised on. Nor did my nursery (or indeed my baby) look like the pastel coloured images in the Mothercare catalogue. I experienced birth trauma, which led to ..read more

Why I hate Christmas, and why I know I’m not alone. It’s ok, I’ll be honest so that you don’t have to be, but if the juggle is real for the rest of the year, then Christmas is when the overwhelm goes into overdrive…  Get in touch with me with any questions! hello@andbreathewellbeing.com   When you’ve had enough, so you just go and sit outside on the street…   It’s ok, guys, I said it. I really don’t like Christmas, and I know I’m not the only one. I’m just the only one who says it. Because there are so many of us mums out there who have to ‘get into the Christmas spirit’ rath ..read more

The Big Squeeze: or how to make kegels less daunting. In this blog I’m lifting the lid on why Kegels are important to know about but not a catch-all for pelvic floor disorders. And nor are they just about squeezing…  Get in touch with me with any questions! hello@andbreathewellbeing.com   credit Jonny MP   So often when we think of pelvic floor exercises, we only think about Kegels. Or more specifically, one part of a Kegel - the part about tightening, squeezing, and lifting our set of pelvic muscles. Because pelvic floor exercises are all about strengthening, right? Wrong! I ..read more

Accepting your postnatal body. It’s common for women to be unhappy with their bodies no matter their age or shape, thanks to societal and media expectations. We put ourselves under even more pressure when we have babies…  Get in touch with me with any questions! hello@andbreathewellbeing.com   Me and my eldest daughter, Delphi (credit Jonny MP)   You might love your body after birth. You might not. The fact is that you have been through some seismic shifts, both mentally and physically; and those changes are bound to leave us feeling unsettled. Our bodies and our minds might ..read more

Is it really a holiday if it’s a holiday with kids? As we come to the end of the school summer holidays, I bet many of us are asking - when you’re on holiday with kids… is it even a holiday? Perhaps it’s more like parenting in a different location. Stressful, sweaty and not very relaxing… Get in touch with me with any questions! hello@andbreathewellbeing.com   On one of our first family holidays as a three   The picture postcard of a carefree family holiday as painted on saccharine TV holiday ads is just not my bag - even though I am a loving mum of two spirited little ladies. Res ..read more

Let’s talk about sex (after) baby… Like a far-off planet, sex after babies is something that hasn’t been much explored in the media but I’ve taken the leap for womankind and I’m sharing my experience so you can all feel normal about the sex you’re not getting. Get in touch with me with any questions! hello@andbreathewellbeing.com     When we become mothers, we are still women with needs and desires that need to be satisfied but we’re just too exhausted, our self-esteem plummets and we don’t recognise ourselves in the mirror. It is why I wrote my book, Get Your Mojo Back (which has ..read more

Feeling ‘Touched Out’? It’s a thing and you’re not weird. Honestly - I’ve got you - get in touch with any questions! hello@andbreathewellbeing.com     Feeling ‘Touched Out’? It’s a thing and you’re not weird. Touch is a basic human need and essential to our wellbeing. Hugging and other forms of nonsexual touching cause the brain to release oxytocin known as the ‘bonding hormone’. Touch stimulates the release of other feel-good hormones such as dopamine and serotonin, reducing stress hormones cortisol and norepinephrine. We all know the benefits of a big bear hug or having your han ..read more