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Libby Page

Author / swimmer / optimist

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Upcoming events

15th June, 1pm, Hillingdon Libraries, free online event

17th June, 7pm, Sturminster Newton Libary, free online event

23rd June, 6:30pm, Mostly Books, online event, £12.99 including a copy of the book, £5 just for the event

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  • Cook books: a reading and eating list
  • Honeymoon reading – October 2020
  • What I’m reading – September 2020
  • Why I’m proud to be a Pirate
  • My colourful life (or why I dress like a rainbow)

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Hurrah, I’m going to try reading a non parenting book for the first time since giving birth… Reading has definitely taken a back seat recently and who knows how much progress I’ll make with these but they both came highly recommended from my local bookshop, where I excitedly headed today to show off Robin. It felt so good to get out and about with the help of my mum who is an absolute super granny. Poor Robin is not enjoying this heat and neither am I, so now it’s all about staying inside with a fan, books and lots of water. Have you read either of these? What did you think? And any tips for keeping mum and baby cool in the hot weather much appreciated! 📚☀️
Not all the moments look like this - there’s been a lot of vomit (his), tears (both of ours) and milk somehow getting EVERYWHERE but these have been some of the best bits. Three and a bit weeks of motherhood and it is so much harder than I ever could have imagined and I have so much extra respect for all the parents and carers out there now. People say to ‘enjoy every moment’ but to me that feels like a lot of pressure when so much just feels like survival right now. And I don’t think it’s ever realistic to enjoy every moment in life. But I am trying my best to cherish the small wins when they come, like a particularly long stretch of sleep (long being 2 hours!), making it outside, laughing at a funny noise or expression he makes and enjoying the warm weight of him on my lap.
I love this platform for the pictures but one thing it can be bad for is showing the best bits but not all the other stuff. It can make us feel less than if our lives don’t feel the way that other people’s look. So here’s some honesty for a rainy Monday: I have given birth to the world’s cutest baby and yet am finding new motherhood tough, for totally different reasons to the ones I expected. Yes, the sleepless nights are hard but what I didn’t imagine was that a connection with my baby wouldn’t come instantly. I spent months picturing the moment I would hold him for the first time and just knew I would feel an instant and overwhelming surge of love. And yet it didn’t happen. The birth was traumatic for us both and when I eventually held him it didn’t feel anything like how I’d imagined. Yesterday I shared my feelings on Twitter and was inundated with HUNDREDS of messages from women who told me they’d felt the same way - that it took a while to recover from birth and bond with their baby. There’s so much pressure on new mums and it’s so easy to feel guilty for so many things or like a bad mum if everything doesn’t feel easy and perfect. And yet the response I received shows me that I’m not alone in feeling this way. And that it’s ok for love to arrive gently rather than in a lightning bolt. Something someone said really stuck with me - that ‘love’ is a verb. I may not feel high on joy but just by feeding and holding my baby I am DOING love. And the rest will follow. Sharing this for anyone who has felt this way in the past or might experience it in the future. And now back to cuddling my baby and slowly and softly getting to know one another. ❤️
I might currently be in a newborn fog but wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who has bought / read / reviewed / generally supported my new book The Island Home so far. I might not have had time to reply to the lovely messages and comments I’ve received but seeing them means so much. As I adjust to life with my new baby it’s lovely to think that my book baby is out there finding its way to readers. This book means so much to me, being inspired by my trips to Scotland with my husband and with themes of motherhood, family and home at its heart. 💕
Celebrating one week of him with my first drink in a very long time, and it had to be champagne! Some things I know now that I didn’t know a week ago… There will be milk on everything always. Also tears. There is nothing softer in the world than a baby’s chubby legs. Dressing a newborn is like trying to bag jelly. It can take quite a while to heal physically and emotionally after a traumatic birth. Watching your husband become a dad will make you love him more than you could imagine. COOK frozen meals are great. Snacks are life. Great friends are the ones who turn up with Greggs and spare breast pads. Bonding might not happen immediately but you’ll learn other mums felt exactly the same way. The washing machine will not stop running. You will eat most meals cold and / or one handed. You won’t know how parents managed before phones and will feel very grateful for being able to watch Ugly Betty on yours during night feeds. Compression socks are the worst but necessary. You will buy too many baby clothes but also not nearly enough. The ability to nap will suddenly feel like your greatest life skill. Snoozy baby cuddles are precious, even when you’re exhausted. There is nothing more satisfying than the blissed-out face of a milk drunk baby after a feed. You will worry about everything all the time but are probably doing ok.
My little family 💕. Exhausted and sore and wobbly and joyful and teary and anxious and calm and full of love. My new book is all about finding home and this right here is mine. 🏡 ❤️

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