It might seem strange to many that I decided to attend Bumpfest organised by Mumsnet last weekend. After all I’m not a first time mum, I already have two children so why would I attend a conference aimed at new parents? Well when Piglet finally makes her arrival there will be a five-year age gap between her and Tigger. With such an age gap I am feeling very much like a new mum.
I’m not sure whether it is selective memory, baby brain or a combination of the two that has made me forget all about those first days, weeks and months as a parent. I can’t remember a thing, I feel so under prepared to suddenly have a baby to take care of. What little information I have retained seems to be outdated and there is a whole new way things should be done. I am, of course hoping that my mothers instinct will kick in and I’ll once again manage to survive those early months. It doesn’t hurt to get a little refresher though so I headed to London for the day to see what Bumpfest had on offer to help kick-start my brain cells.
The agenda promised a range of sessions covering busting some of the myths surrounding pregnancy and birth, a sleep masterclass and an overview of breastfeeding. One of the sessions I was most looking forward to was ‘You help build your baby’s brain‘ by Dr Penelope Leech and I wasn’t disappointed.
Dr. Penelope Leech guided us through just how our baby’s brain develops and how the first two years are important. Reassuring us that the bond we make with our baby is the most important thing and will offer the baby comfort when they are faced with distressing situations. Dr. Penelope Leech has one of those calming voices that you could just listen to all day. Listening to her talk about the how our parenting styles can have a long-lasting effect on out baby far past those initial two years made me fee better about the choices I made when Roo and Tigger were babies like not leaving them to cry and offering a reassuring hand to hold as they fell asleep.
I’ll be honest when I say that it was much smaller than I anticipated with less than ten brands available to chat to about their products (good job I’m planning a trip to The Baby Show at the end of the month). Alongside the brands and sessions there were a range of experts available to chat to, books that you purchase, spa treatments to enjoy and a baby first aid training session.
I do feel that there could have been more practical sessions run throughout the day including nappy changing highlighting the differences between disposables and cloth nappies, how to bath your baby, information on what to pack for hospital and guidance on the different birthing options.
Disclosure: I booked and paid for my own Bumpfest ticket and was not asked to write about the event.
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