Ever since I set up my own PR business almost 4 years ago, I have battled with one thing: Childcare. It has been a nightmare. When the kids were both still under 3, they went to nursery. But the nursery only had Mondays and Fridays available, the worst two days for me to get anything done in my industry. Plus if the kids were sick, they couldn't go and I was left once again not able to work. There were times when I had way too much work and needed extra childcare and other times when I didn't have enough work to justify having them in childcare, but couldn't risk losing my nursery place.
And did I mention the cost!! My pay used to go directly into my bank account and straight out again to the nursery. I should have just gotten my clients to pay the nursery direct and cut out the middle man!
Becoming pregnant completely transformed what had been my favourite pursuit by far – clothes shopping. As my bump got bigger I had no desire whatsoever to buy myself new clothes, with exception to the last two weeks of my pregnancy when absolutely nothing would fit as I’d refused to buy maternity wear and had prior to been able to squeeze myself into my non-waisted regular clothes with the help of New Look’s Belly Bands.
By September that game was up as my feet had swollen to the size a baby elephant would be proud of and my tummy was HUGE. I was facing the grim realisation of having dozens of dozens of pairs of shoes and not owning a single pair that would fit.