Check out everything from bumps to babies
Icount myself as very fortunate to be the father of a bright, beautiful and funny 18-month-old girl. She’s come on leaps and bounds since my wife and I first cradled her in our arms at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital in Llantrisant in April last year.
In no time at all our daughter has developed from a cooing, gurgling newborn who could barely move her head to a dancing, talkative toddler who already has tantrums when she doesn’t get her way.
While we absolutely adore her, and wouldn’t change our circumstances for the world, I’d be lying if I said being a parent was all cwtches and trips to the park.
The pair of us have lost countless hours of sleep trying to feed and settle her during the night, and looking after her when she was ill with croup was a genuinely terrifying experience.
In truth, I’m amazed I managed to function in work during the first 12 months of her existence – because at times I felt like a zombie from The Walking Dead.
Luckily, the pair of us have very supportive mums and dads who have embraced their role as grandparents to our little bundle of joy.
They have allowed us to have short, muchneeded breaks to regain our strength so we give our daughter all the love, attention and energy she deserves.
Even though we’ve been parents for close to two years now, it’ll take some time before we will feel ready to impart our wisdom onto others.
For now we’ll muddle along, taking advice from the professionals, close friends and family members wherever we can.
So this edition of Health Check Wales will, hopefully, prove useful to many other parents in a similar situation to us, as well as those who are expecting.
We cover everything from bump, to baby and beyond, providing tips and opinions on some of the most important milestones tots experience.
To start with, we will explore the pregnancy symptoms to watch out for, as well as those which might seem normal but can actually be treated.
We’ve also asked some of Wales’ top doctors, nurses and midwives to shed some insight onto their own roles.
Have you ever wondered what sonographers look for during an ultrasound, what a C-section entails or what a health visitor is really looking for?
Well wonder no more!
And the supplement wouldn’t be complete without some fascinating personal accounts from the mums and dads themselves.
I hope you enjoy reading it!