When WaterWipes approached me to get involved with their latest campaign I was, firstly, more than delighted because I use the wipes anyway on the small ladies behind and, secondly, because the campaign really struck a chord wth me. They want to take a different approach, so much of what we see online features picture perfect mothers with glossy hair and a serene expression on their faces holding an equally serene newborn in their arms as they gaze into each other’s eyes…no dirty muslin cloths hanging around in the background, no reminints of sick on the mothers top and a tidy room. It’s this sort of imagery and messaging that is so incredibly misleading; motherhood is messy, it’s a constant juggle to keep all the balls in the air without loosing your mind but it’s also amazing and wonderful and, well just amazing. With the idea of breaking down the perfect image portrayed so often to us, WaterWipes aims to inspire us, motherhood isn’t easy but it sure is wonderful. I’ve put together a few thoughts on the topic, advice I think my own self, as a first time mother, could really have used those 6 years ago now…..It’s a funny thing reflecting back on a time when your baby was small, I personally think that Mother Nature has a great knack of making you forget the exhausting parts and only lets you remember the precious cuddles and the parenting wins. Those early memories are so quickly replaced by new stages, new milestones, new worries that perhaps the mind only has the capacity to remember the sweeter spots as we look back. I’ve been through it three times now and, after seeing the latest WaterWipes campaign ‘When a baby is born, a parent is born’ I have come to  the realisation that those hazy first few weeks and months are some of the most precious. There is much change that happens right before your eyes, regardless of how many babies you have, witnessing them sit up, take their first steps or sleep through the night (although that doesn’t necessarily happen during those first few months!) is a truly rewarding experience.

For me, when it comes down to it there are two great lessons I’ve taken away from my experience thus far in motherhood. The first is the unflattering belief that I am doing the best I can for my children. The decisions we make with regards to how we look after our children are all too often judged and questioned. How we feed our babies, how we settle them, let them sleep, carry them, the list goes on. One of the real keys to enjoying motherhood is being proud of the decisions you make and supporting the decisions other mothers make. When you feed your baby don’t look up, don’t search the crowd for a disapproving face whether you bottle or breastfeed, instead look down and take in every inch of the perfection and innocence you cradle and feel fulfilled that as a mother you have created something so special. Secondly, our bodies are amazing things, how they create such a perfect little being in a relatively short amount of time is something we usually don’t give ourselves enough credit for. Instead, we often frown as we pinch the bits that shouldn’t be there, and we sigh as we read about yet another celebrity sporting an impossibly tiny waist mere hours after giving birth. So be kind to yourself, think positive thoughts when you look in the mirror, fuel your body the right way and take the opportunity to get out for a walk in the fresh air when your partner gets home even if you haven’t showered for three days and there is a pile of washing to be done, those too can wait, if you walk fast enough no one will smell you anyway!So to those of you who are stuck in that bleary eyed phase which is undoubtedly hard going at the best of time, where the nights are long and the days a blur of feeding, washing, changing and cleaning, remember this; there will come a time, sooner than you expect, when you long for the weight of that innocent and loving head against your chest and those little fingers wrapped tenderly around your fingers. The years are short and before you know it there are no crumbs on the floor, no sticky fingers on your clean jeans and the nights are quiet, and though those early stages can test our patience beyond all belief, there will never be a time again where the love between mother and child exists with so little influence of the outside world, pure and simple.

This is an ad, I was paid by WaterWipes to write this blog post! 

Here are some further details on WaterWipes for those of you that may be interested.

 • The world’s purest baby wipe, carefully designed to be gentle on babies’ sensitive skin.
• WaterWipes are made with 99.9% water and a drop of fruit seed extract – a gentle skin conditioner.
• A baby’s skin is much more delicate than your own. It should be cleaned with only the gentlest and purest elements possible.
• WaterWipes are suitable from birth, safe for sensitive skin and the only baby wipe to be approved by Allergy UK and awarded the National Eczema Association Seal of Acceptance.
• When a baby is born, the outermost layer of their skin is incomplete, making their skin much thinner than adults.

WaterWipes launched its brand new TV commercial ‘When a Baby is Born, a Parent is Born.’ on the 1st March – watch it on the @WaterWipes Facebook page or on the following URL: https://www.waterwipes.com/uk/parent-is-born