We spoke to our good friend Tamsin, who's just given birth to a beautiful little girl. Meet Clara - we just love her!
As a first time mum, there come highs and lows and certainly some unexpected challenges, we couldn't wait to sit down and see how Tamsin's getting on with becoming a mum for the first time. We're so proud of you!
Tell us about your feelings of becoming a new mum, what are you most excited about and what are you most nervous for?
The new mum feeling is incredible, in both the best way and the most nerve-racking way!
You are completely responsible for this tiny human; however, the natural instincts kick in and it's like you've been doing it all your life.
That said there's a lot of challenges, both emotionally and practically, but the best advice is, be the mum you want to be and set the boundaries with friends and family clearly to avoid feeling overwhelmed or your wishes not being heard.
I'm most excited about finding out who she is, getting to know her as her own little person.
I must say, I'm most nervous about navigating routine, meeting expectations of others and finances due to the cost of living.
How did you find your pregnancy? Were there any challenges you faced that you weren't expecting?
My pregnancy was okay, I think there's a lot of false representation of what pregnancy is like. For me I didn't enjoy it but also didn't dislike it, there were days where I struggled and days where I glowed. I found that due to my expectations and them not being met (based on the false representation in tv/films and social media) I struggled more with adjusting to the realities of being a pregnant woman.
What baby products do you have your eye on at the moment that you haven't got yet? Has anyone recommended any products to you?
There's not any products which I have my eye on currently because I have everything I need, however here are my top 5 mum must haves -
There's not any products which I have my eye on currently because I have everything I need, however here are my top 5 mum must haves -
1 . Freda windi (this is controversial) but when you baby is screaming with gas and constipation, you'll wish you had it!
2. Aldi nappies, I tried many other bands and these are by far the most absorbent and fit the best (p.s always go on weight not size!)
3. The cocoonababy - it allows for adequate airflow (unlike the sleepyhead/dockadot) and it's made from foam and comes with a water-resistant layer under a soft cover. (I'd advise looking for this 2nd hand as they're only in it till 6 months)
4. Buy enough of 0 to 3 month onesies, my little one was 8lb 2oz at birth and is 3 half weeks now and doesn't fit in any Newborn or 0 to 1 anymore. Again, I'd advise buying as many 2nd hand onesies, vests and tops/trousers as possible.
5. My final product would be the Dr browns bottles (mine are glass), they do both narrow and wide neck, we use the narrow neck for colic and they're the best ones we have used.
You can find the Dr Browns bottles at Pearl + Bear here:
https://bit.ly/44bw2OH
You can find the Dr Browns bottles at Pearl + Bear here:
https://bit.ly/44bw2OH
Unfortunately as none of my friends have babies yet, I didn't receive any product recommendations, so I used the oh so popular Tik Tok platform as a place to find product reviews (making sure they weren't sponsored ads) and researched everything I had my eye on!
What's been your go-to baby product since having Clara?
Momcosy s12 pro pump 100%, I used this from 34 weeks twice a week to collect colostrum which helped my milk come in.
Do you have any advice for expecting mothers?
My advice, follow your gut! From pregnancy to Post-partum, advocate for yourself during the birth and have the birth you want. I was induced at 39 weeks because I was so uncomfortable and had a fast birth. When it comes to 'pushing' your body will do this involuntarily. My body started pushing at 7cm, so follow your gut and your body!!
I also self-diagnosed Clara with silent reflux and had to put her onto formula as she was so sick on my breast milk. The one I would advise to use (if you felt that your baby needed this) to is the Hipp anti-reflux milk, we tried SMA anti-reflux and it made her so constipated, since swapping she now is back to regular poops and is far happier!
A bonus tip is, you don't need to wake your baby to feed, so long as they're back to their birth weight.
Mums, get your sleep!! Babies make a lot of noise when they sleep, so don't immediately jump for the bottle wait for them to be alert (alert = hungry).
We can't thank Tamsin enough for sitting down with us to offer some mummy advice and recommend some products, we have found this so helpful and really hope you've found it helpful too! We'll check back in with Tamsin in 6 months time to see how both mum and Clara are getting on!
