Vicki Cockerill - NICU MUM Blog

38 weeks and baby got low low low....  So, the mark of a new week is also my last two weeks of pregnancy with baby number two. However, with the twinges I have been having it may be a tad sooner that so this may be my last blog post for a while. I will aim to update when I can, but I have planned to take July off  (unless a rant post needs to come out with the baby!) Looking after a new-born and a toddler I am sure my notebook will be full to the brim with material I can share with you in August! For those wondering, I am still ploughing on with my book A Year in the life of a NICU Mum and good progress is being made so watch this space... As readers of the blog, I am sure you all know I write for a variety of parent websites and the Huff Post and I have submitted my last pieces to them for the next month but please do continue to check them out! I will be back and present on all after July. Mummy and Little Me Blog Up All Hour...

Bedtime It seems I spend a lot of time counting down the hours until bedtime. Tea has been made, served and abandoned. Iggle Piggle has buggered off in his boat and I have fantasised about Tom Hardy reading me a bedtime story… in my bed. Now begins the battle. C Beebies goes blank and you use this to signal that it is time to go upstairs. The protests of, ‘I don’t like bedtime’, are shouted in my face (Give it twenty-five years and a few kids then let me know if you still don’t like bed kiddo). We slowly ascend the stairs and filter into the bathroom, the fun really begins. Bathroom flooded and hair washed amongst the screaming, a small naked wet toddler is now running around the upstairs settling into your bed where he leaves a huge wet patch. Military negotiations begin to convince said toddler that cleaning your teeth is a good idea, and bribes can just be heard over the enthusiastic Blippi Youtube video. After telling me twenty times that he doesn’...

The Cockerill Boys, my boys. When we first had Elijah, I envisioned myself as a creative sensory activity, organic food making all-encompassing helicopter mum. I would do it all, and I could do it myself. Fast forward a few weeks postpartum and I was quite frankly a mess. I was as far from ‘super mum’ as I could possibly be. A mother barely holding it together and who was planning her departure. Enter stage right… you. You stood by me right from the beginning. You visited me every day, when we were in hospital and even spent two days in your own in the NICU with Elijah when I was too ill. You were the mother, the father and everything in-between to our son. When we brought him home you did everything by my side even when I didn’t want you to be there. When I pushed you away and shouted that I hated you, that I resented you. When I begged you to come home from work, then demanded you to leave. I had my ideas of how I wanted everything to be done, and that was it. You never...

Cockerills go voting Dear Elijah, You didn’t really understand what was going on this morning, or the importance of today. Other than the library looking different and not being able to look at the books like you normally do you had no idea what mummy and daddy were doing. We explained we had to go and vote, go in and tick a little box. That little box is your future. Your unborn brother or sister’s future. The next five years. Until we had you, we were never too bothered about voting, partially not understanding the importance of a lost vote or just being too cool to care. I always took those women who fought so hard for us to be able to go and vote for granted. But they should be honoured, remembered and thanked that we do have the ability to be part of the decision of how our country is run. I  believed that I wouldn’t be able to change the country with my vote, so what was the point? I didn’t want to vote for those parties so why bother? Howev...

I was invited by the brilliant Jade Anna Hughes to share my thoughts on transitioning from having one child to two. I have been incredibly lucky to share my pregnancy journey with Jade although she is across the pond we are due only days apart. Bets are being taken now who will get to the delivery suite first! So, on the brink of becoming a mother to two, and Jade to three we discuss our musings of another member adding to our families. (Also please do check out Jade's debut book When Spring Comes Hope available to buy on Amazon now! It is worth the read, take it from me!) The Cockerills are going to be welcoming a new member in just 5 weeks.   The Cockerill Quadruplet - by Vicki Cockerill   I was asked the other day if I am ready to become a mum of two? I guess so, I shrugged, I don’t really have much choice now, with the baby arriving in less than 5 weeks! Ready or not this baby is coming. It got me wondering, was I ready? Can you ever be ready for ...