July began with my dad flying over from America to meet his baby granddaughter for the first time. While he was here, we decided to have Louise’s christening day. In Ireland, a christening is more than just a holy sacrament. It’s a day to gather together and celebrate a new baby, so we hosted a party at our home after the ceremony. It was a scorcher of a day, and coincidentally landed on the fourth of July, so we decided to have a BBQ.
I had the most beautiful cake made from a local artisan baker, my brother in law grilled burgers and sausages, and everyone chipped in to make the day a truly amazing celebration. I even went and got my makeup done and felt great in how I dressed, something that doesn’t happen often at three months postpartum. The party went on late into the night, in typical Irish fashion, and we ended up around the fire pit in our garden until the wee hours of the morning.
In Ireland, it doesn’t properly get dark until close to midnight in the summer months. I’ll never forget the vision of everyone in chairs around the fire pit with the orange-purple sky that night. I wish I took a photo, but it’s an image I’ll remember forever. The next day, Louise even let me sleep in until nine in the morning! A true miracle.
There was also a two week heatwave this month. It was the hottest weather I’ve ever experienced here in Ireland. I couldn’t wait to get to America for some air conditioning…
When my dad left, it wasn’t our typical emotional goodbye since we were flying over to America the following week. I was so nervous about bringing Louise on her first plane ride. Not only would we be doing a transatlantic flight, but we also had to do a two and a half hour car journey just to get to the airport. I was so afraid in the days leading up to our trip.
I woke up every morning in terror thinking: What are we doing? Is this safe? Am I putting my baby in danger by bringing her on a plane so young?I was nervous about breastfeeding in public, especially on the plane (it always just feels clunky to me!). In the weeks prior to our trip, I was constantly in my notes app, jotting down every possible item we could need. I panic bought a travel stroller* and portable breast pump*, which were some of the best purchases I’ve made in a while, surprisingly.
I was so stressed that I even put out a cry for help on Notes and all you moms really came in to reassure me <3
Although our travel days on either side of our trip were exhausting, they were no where near as scary as I thought they would be in my head. Also, I didn’t realise that most airports have baby feeding rooms or nursing pods, so I was able to breastfeed privately before we got on the plane both times we flew.
On our trip to America, baby girl slept the ENTIRE car ride and almost all of the flight! There were a few tears before we landed and things were escalating, but I was able to walk around and she eventually calmed down enough for us to be seated during landing. I was worried about annoying other people, but everyone around us doted on her and said they were impressed with how good she was.
I’m by no means a professional here, but I did learn a thing or two that I will be implementing again on our next flight to Greece in September for my brother’s wedding.
So, after our first transatlantic flight, here are my tips:
Pack a mini changing bag to bring into the bathroom on the plane (a few nappies, wipes, mini nappy cream, disinfectant wipes, disposable changing pads)
On that note, LOTS of antibacterial wipes!!!!
More nappies than you think you’ll need (I brought fifteen for our travel day which was a 2.5 hour car ride, 3 hours in the airport, and 6.5 hour flight). We didn’t go through all of them, but it was reassuring knowing we had them incase anything was delayed. I’ve heard horror stories from family about long delays and so I tried to prepare as much as possible.
Lots of muslins (big and small), sensory toys, pain medication, extra pacifiers (I love these ones*), and easy zip baby grows. We dressed her in baby grows the entire travel day. I love these two-way zip ones from NEXT*. No cute outfits… As my husband said, we were in survival mode!
Eat before getting on the plane if you can. Both flights, I made sure to eat a decent meal in the airport because baby was in my lap for the flight. BOTH times she was asleep when meal service came around!
Then, we were in America for ten days and we really made the most of our trip.
My mother was only jumping at the opportunity to mind Louise, so my husband and I got out for a date night to grab dinner and go see the new Christopher Nolan film ‘The Odyssey’. I completely lost myself in the theatre for three hours and haven’t stopped listening to the soundtrack since. Dark, cool theatre, plenty of snacks, reclining seats, a good film, and no interruptions for three hours? Sign me up.
We went out for dinner most nights with friends and family. Sometimes my mother minded Louise, but many times she joined us. Although those dinners sometimes got chaotic, they were my favourite. I loved seeing Louise be passed around to my family and taken for walks around the restaurant if she was unsettled.
There was one dinner in particular where I think there was a total of five minutes where everyone was together at the table, but it was perfect. We all laughed at our own chaos and there is a weird comfort that comes from knowing your family is a little whacky, but everyone loves each other.
We also spent a day at the aquarium with my brother, future sister in-law, and their little baby as well! Did Louise sleep for most of it? Of course. But the adults had fun!
Also while I was in America, I decided to do my twice yearly makeup haul, because Sephora is always just a fun experience. This time, I really focused on buying products I love along with some recommendations from my good friend, Chat GPT. Turns out, AI is pretty good at recommending beauty products based on your complexion and colour palette (I’m a soft summer!)
Products used:
Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin Foundation*
Saie Dew Blush* with this Saie Big Brush*
Benefit Cosmetics Brow Pencil* & Brow Gel*
Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder*
Honest (& Scary) Career Update:
Last, but not least, this month I made a big career decision to not return to my old academic job when my maternity leave ends in September. This was a well thought out decision, but I’m still taking time to process it and come up with a plan moving forward. In the end, my resignation came down to the fact that my previous job is no longer suited to my lifestyle now that I have a baby. The commute alone (two hours per day, multiple times a week) is just not feasible for my family.
This decision coincided with my decision to pursue a writing career and the announcement of my new monthly series Unedited, where I document the journey of becoming a author/writer alongside motherhood. I hope for this series to eventually become a paid part of this newsletter once I am no longer on maternity leave.
While this next chapter is filled with so much uncertainty, I’m genuinely excited to see what’s next. I’m very grateful to be in the position I’m in and know that many other moms don’t have the option to not return after a lengthy maternity leave. I’m glad I made sure to save almost half of my salary each month during maternity leave to give myself the time to re-enter the workforce on my own terms.
I’m not delusional. I know making this career change will take time, so in the interim I am also looking into part-time work closer to home to bridge the gaps. I’ve even decided to start creating content again and am pursuing some paid work in social media.
Exciting times ahead. Stay tuned!
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