As I write this in a sleep addled state, truly living in the depths of the four month sleep regression with my third and - may I repeat - final child, on a rainy afternoon in Birmingham where I am housebound with two of the three currently sleeping, it’s not lost on me how much my mental health as a mother could benefit from a walk, today of all days.
Pride of place in my kitchen resides my iCandy Peach 7 Biscotti – all set up and ready to go for when the sun shines, the mood strikes and the stars align. Aside from the admiring glances and the “isn’t that the Molly-Mae pram?” comments I have had from other mums since I became the proud owner of the Peach 7 four weeks after my son was born in June, the pushchair has become so much more than “just a pram” to me.
What initially drew me to this pushchair was its ability to adapt and to suit me when heading out with my two-year-old daughter and my four-month-old baby son so easily.
Or on days when I don’t have my little lady and just my older son, who is three, he can hop on the integrated Ride-on Board and ride along with me while I take Clark out for one of the many “nature” walks I tell them I do.
But as I said, at this point, my iCandy has become so much more than just a pushchair to me…
Clark has proven to be by far my hardest baby to settle in the evening (the witching hour(s) prove to be endless some days), and he is quite a high-volume baby which is somewhat terrifying when you have only just gotten a handle on the older two sleeping through without middle of the night tears and calls for mummy or daddy.
It has not been uncommon throughout the summer months for me to head out of the house with Clark come 6pm to make the evening wind down for the other two just a little bit calmer.
There have been so many evenings where my toddlers have waved off their tear-filled mother gleefully shouting “bye mummy, see you later, enjoy your walk”.
Little do they know how much it is needed in order for their mummy to be the best version she can be. And how much I have struggled to keep it together until their dad finishes work and can take over with them when he gets home.
Factoring a screaming baby into a soothing bedtime routine for toddlers is nothing short of mayhem and just adds to the already sleep-deprived tension that only parents of children so young can truly understand.
So off I go, my ear pods in and my iCandy Peach 7 out to take away the stresses of the day.
Not only does it prove much easier for my husband to then put our older two to bed, Clark will usually drift off to sleep in his beautifully lined carrycot within minutes of setting off for a walk. And what I get in return is one of the many podcasts I enjoy in my ears for an hour (a good Irish girl giggle with Joanne & Vogue on the MGTM Pod or something thought provoking with Jay Shetty is often a feature) and it does my head and my heart a world of good.
By the time we return home again, I have a sleeping baby, a rested soul, and a smile on my face.
It is worth noting that it has not been a bad thing for my daily step count either which I know from so many of my fellow mums can dwindle post-partum. Regular walking with my iCandy Peach 7 has also given me a renewed appreciation for how strong my body is and how it has served me and my babies so well over the last few years.
The fresh air has done me wonders most days and helped me get back to feeling more like myself in the wake of having three C sections in under four years. Walking has been one of those light exercises I can get back to and the Peach 7 is so light and easy to manoeuvre which is key after major abdominal surgery!
In the three short months since we have had our iCandy Peach 7 Double, it has come with us to Ireland to see my family back home and to Portugal for our first family holiday as a family of five.
Like our baby, it has proven such a welcome addition to our lives and given me so much in such a short space of time. I simply would not be without my iCandy as I navigate my final chapter as a newborn mum and mum of three. I am certainly a very proud ambassador!