On Monday morning, I was alarmed to read an article that said Medway Council were closing their Sure Start Children’s Centres. I was even more disgruntled to read that it was so that they could save £60,000 to fund a party and fireworks! Those who know me well will know that despite being introverted, I am one to stand my ground. My mind instantly started buzzing with thoughts about petitions and protests…
Autumn's Mummy
5 top tips on how to help hay fever
Contains sponsored links¦ It has been estimated that around 16 million people in the UK suffer with hay fever. That’s at least 1 in 4 people! That means that a quarter of the population spend seasons of the year, often summer, with unpleasant symptoms. These can range from annoying to a level where they affect everyday life.
Unfortunately, the number of sufferers is rising, particularly in those who are middle aged. In fact, it has been predicted by Allergy UK that there could be as many as 30 million hay fever sufferers in the UK by 2030.
Thankfully, there are things you can do to help.
Ehlers-Danlos and Joint Hypermobility syndrome
Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and Joint Hypermobility Syndrome, according to many sources are interchangable terms. I won’t linger on that in this post, as that’s not its purpose. Whatever you want to call it, not many people are aware of what it is and what it can entail. Whilst many people are hypermobile, EDS and JHS are a whole different kettle of fish and can bring joint pain and a whole plethora of other problems. Joints may dislocate, the sufferer may have stretchy skin and/or bruise easily and may have problems with their bowel or other organs.
If there’s one thing I’ve learnt from my blog, it’s that although I may be an introvert, I can still get my voice heard. So far I have helped people by sharing my problems with anxiety and breastfeeding after Autumn fell seriously ill , as well as my postpartum body confidence issues. I have also written a post about my husband’s trichotillomania. As such, I thought I’d also use it to try and spread awareness of EDS/JHS this EDS Awareness Month!
Postpartum body – a husband’s perspective
After having a child, I think many women have body confidence issues. Even if you fit back into your pre-pregnancy jeans soon afterwards, it’s unlikely that you’re the same body shape. I’m not convinced anyone goes back to being just the way they were. That’s okay though, we’ve delivered our babies, which is a wonderful thing. However, when we look at extra pounds and stretchmarks in the mirror, it can still make you feel rather down! Often, though, the men in our lives don’t seem to mind too much. I asked my husband to write me a letter about my postpartum body and his thoughts about it. All being well, I can read this in the future if I’m ever looking at my reflection and tearing myself to shreds again!
Sweeps Festival, Rochester – 2017
On Monday 1st May we went to the Sweeps Festival in Rochester. An annual event, it is held over the first bank holiday weekend in may. If you visit, you can expect an array of wonderful stalls, as well as dancing, music and other entertainment. There are many wonderful historic traditions instilled within this festival.