Who do you trust…..?

Its very difficult to know who to listen to when you’re caring for your precious baby.  Theres so many people witnessing your tentative steps into parenthood. Most folks are very quick to offer you their advice – wanted or unwanted. Does it help? I’m not sure it does.

And then when you have a baby that has additional health problems………where do you look then? Who’s the expert then? I found most ‘unqualified’ advice about how to look after my son’s skin very unhelpful. It felt like a crticism. ‘How can he bear it?’ ‘Poor thing must be in agony’ ‘Havent you tried x, y, z?’. Yes!!!!!! Of course i bloody have!!!!!!! What do you think i am?!

Anyway, i digress. The point i want to make – is that running this small business is a very similar journey really.

I started without any experience of business. Nought. Zilch. Nada. And i’ve learnt as i’ve gone along. I’ve taught myself. I’ve made mistakes. Much like parenting.

It has been amazing, and challenging, and tiring, and difficult, and (occassionally) stressful – but also wonderfully liberating. The world of ‘business’ doesnt seem quite so exotic now…..quite so alien. I am starting to understand how it works. And i cant say i really ‘like’ it too much – but i LOVE making my natural products, and sharing them with others, and i just cant keep doing that unless i face the business world.

Now there’s a lot of folks that are very quick to offer you their advice (sound familiar?). And its very difficult to consider handing over your ‘baby’ (business) to those people’s care. Those folks havent shed the blood, sweat and tears to get the business to where it is now. They havent grafted week after week, month after month, without pay. They havent wondered where you’ll find the money to pay the next month’s studio rent. They haven’t studied and crafted and created. Its a true labour of love. Nothing less.

And suddenly there are folks so quick to tell you what to do next. What makes you so qualified? Where were you in the beginning when i really did need your help?

Who do you trust with your ‘baby’? Its a minefield……

 

Swimming with baby eczema

My boy LOVES swimming – but in the past this was always limited by his skin. Pool visits made his skin red and sore and itchy. And we always had a very unsettled, scratchy, night at home to follow.

It all seemed so unjust, since i am such a water-baby myself. And i agonised over whether this would see a life of ‘dry side’ spectating for him – when i longed for him to be an ocean loving, swimming, surfing, sailing, lifesaving water-lover like myself.

We just did what we thought was best. He often asked to go swimming, and so we tried to accomodate that wish as much as we could. I found that applying a good layer of body butter to him before we enterred the water, and then again after we left, seemd to help – it created a ‘barrier’ of sorts, and the water seemed to ‘run off’ his skin rather than saturate it.

Luckily, his eczema is virtually non-existent now, and we are regulars at the local baths.

For those of you still battling with the same issue, theres a great article here:

http://www.scratchsleeves.co.uk/parenting-plus-eczema/great-things-to-teach-eczema-babies-kids/eczema-baby-swimming/

 

 

Stretch marks

So I am nearing 20 weeks pregnant with my second baby, and my mind is turning to the dreaded stretch mark…….

I got away without gaining any in my first pregnancy – but I was religious about greasing myself morning and night. After trying some of the ‘high street’ oils and butters, I finally settled on using just pure coconut oil. And it worked really well. And saved me a fortune.

But the downside was the heaviness of the oil.

Coconut oil is a lovely, highly moisturizing, nourishing oil, but it is also a very fatty oil. As such, it sits on the skin for some time, taking quite a while to absorb fully. Last pregnancy, I spent many an hour at home naked, and glistening, greased up like a chip. Unable to sit down, or dress, or touch anything.

This pregnancy I already have a 3 year old to entertain, a dog to walk and a business to run. I don’t have time to swan about naked, waiting for my oil to soak in.

So I am developing a new tummy oil blend. MY tummy oil blend.

It will certainly have coconut oil in it (I love it), but will be combined with a number of ‘lighter’, ‘shorter’,  more easily absorbed oils – for those busy ladies amongst us.

And besides, I’m pregnant during Autumn and Winter this time…….nudity isn’t quite so appealing….

Mothers need a bit of love

Its my son’s 3rd birthday this week – and i’d say i’ve learnt such a lot since he came into this world.

My boy at around 1 month old

 

The learning curve has been immense. I’ve learnt how to look after a baby and watch him grow into a child. I’ve learnt how much child-rearing can and does affect your relationships with others. I’ve learnt the true meaning of unconditional selfless love. And ive learnt that i need to work hard to be the best mother and person i can be – that patience, and understanding, and self sacrifice dont neccessarily come easily or naturally.

Its taken me until now to realise that being ‘the best mother and person i can be’ requires me to care for and nurture myself with as much (almost?) concern and passion as i do my son. I need to optimise my own wellbeing, inorder to ensure that of my boy.

And so i am creating and launching a mum and mum-to-be (because by the way, i am expecting number 2!) range of beautiful natural skincare products. Remember, what we put on our skin, also goes in (look up ‘dermal absorption’ for more info on this).

With any luck, this range should be available from early December, and will include:

A facial serum

A skin repairing body oil (to tackle stretch marks and scars)

A massage oil blend

A small range of traditionally handcrafted soaps

A relaxing balm

A foot butter and a hand/nail butter

Hooray for us dedicated, hard working ladies – time to start giving ourselves some of that love and care. I cant wait to share it all with you, and to start spreading the joy.