Congratulations, mum and dad! Mumma, you are a superwoman! You did it! I know you are tired, your body aches and feels foreign, you are questioning your ability and your moods are all over the shop. And that's just you, never mind your precious bundle. I remember those early days.

That is why, I will come to you. I'm not asking you to pack up, attempt to leave the house, be presentable and smile. I want you and your family to be comfortable, with everything bub needs nearby. And don't worry about the dirty clothes in the corner or the kid's leftovers on the floor, I am living it too. I have seen it all! I will work around you and your family, allowing plenty of time for feeding, settling, changing etc. I want to capture it all for you to see, later, when you emerge from the newborn fog. I love to take relaxed, candid, life as it is, photos. Your new baby's best accessories are a simple onesie (preferably with legs exposed, to catch those chubby rolls and wrinkly toes) and your family's arms. Bub will spend most of their time, right where they should be, snuggled close to you, safe and loved. This is a chance to love on your family, relax and breathe in the family you created. I will make suggestions to capture those details, the expressions and the intimacy as it evolves. The sessions are completely baby-led, no unnatural posing or time limits. I believe you will want to remember the actual way in which your baby moves and interacts. Babies are perfect just the way they are! So let's capture this time, your story; together.

18 months ago, I took my baby girl (9) to hospital for dental surgery. It was out of absolute necessity, a last resort. We had spent a good year trying to encourage her to sit in a dentist chair, let alone open her mouth, after a traumatic prior experience.

As a mum, it was one of the hardest single things I have had to do so far.

For parents, weekday mornings seem like they are primed for failure, just by their very nature: There are countless to-dos but not a lot of time to do them. Add little people to the mix, (in my case 4,)and it’s no wonder the experience can leave us feeling weary, defeated and stressed. Mornings are particularly painful when you’re a parent, even if you’re already a morning person. Your goal isn’t just to hustle your children to school or daycare or wherever — it’s to hustle them there on time, with everything they need for the day, looking presentable, wearing the correct uniform, preferably having eaten, so you can get where you’re going on time, too. No wonder so many of us wake up in the morning and dread the pandemonium and pressure to come. Let’s face it, by the time the kids emerge from their beds, they usually have between 30 minutes to an hour to cram everything in that they need to do. That may sound like a fair amount of time, but grumbling, moping and dragging their feet takes up ALOT of this time.

It is not an easy thing to admit that your relationship is struggling. And I certainly never expected to have to save a marriage that was falling apart. But I found myself there, back in 2013, in the middle of out third pregnancy. The details are irrelevant and perhaps for another blog, suffice to say we were both severely lacking and desperately lonely and misunderstood. There were many many moments spent on my knees in prayer, completely broken and begging God to “bring him back.” It was the most emotionally challenging time and filled with a deep grief. But, it has brought about a complete change in our marriage and a strengthening and growth that could not have happened otherwise.