I caught up with the lovely Lisa from cherry tree candles ( Hope candle collaborator candle maker extraordinaire and photographer) and a lot has changed, she is now a mummy to a gorgeous little girl ! Congratulations Lisa and thank you for sharing your experience with us x
How are you?
I’m great thanks! Becoming a mother for the first time is more wonderful than I ever expected it to be!
Preparing for the baby, how was that?
I think like any new mother I was very naive about a lot of things. My main concern was the birth, which actually should of been the least of my worries, now I’m a parent and I have no idea what I’m meant to be doing!
How was the access Support you had during the birth of olive –
My labour was incredibly straight forward and rather quick, and my hearing loss didn’t seem to course any worries for me. Unless I was just so high on gas and air that I didn’t really notice any worries! One thing I did notice was that gas and air really heightened my hearing sense over anything else!
Being a mum with hearing loss, how are you finding it? Is there any advice you would give to any mothers out there in the same position seeking advice and support?
I was so nervous during my pregnancy that I wouldn’t be able to hear my baby when she wanted me, I scoured the internet for a baby monitor that would vibrate to alert me and also be a modern style one with a screen, but I had no luck, there were a few around but way out of our price range.
My husband assured me that I’d never be alone at night time with her anyway and that he’d be there to wake me if I didn’t hear her.
Fast forward to her being here, and for the first week she was not settling unless she was sleeping on one of our chests, so we decided to do shifts throughout the night with one of us sleeping in the spare room so that we could at least get some sleep! Which consequently left me alone with her, so for the first few weeks when I could eventually get her settled in her cot I would sleep with my hearing aids in which hasn’t done my ears any good at all! I suffer from eczema in my ears so sleeping with my hearing aids in wasn’t helping it, and I have only just managed to get my ears back to their normal selves, our daughter now being 12 weeks old!
I am actually alone with her most nights now due to my husbands job we both find it better that he gets a full nights sleep during the week so he sleeps in the spare room, and I no longer sleep with my hearing aids in, our daughter has just learnt to cry louder to get my attention! She is a noisy sleeper so on the plus side I don’t hear all of her snuffles throughout the night, whereas the snuffles keep my husband awake!
Motherhood is the most incredible thing I’ve ever done, I am so proud of what both myself and my daughter have achieved in such a short amount of time. It’s hard work anyway, so being a mother with a hearing loss makes us all supermums!