There is nothing on this Earth that can compare with the joy of becoming a Mummy...

Bumplet's due date came and went on 8^th November. Come Friday 13^th, I was crossing my fingers for an arrival on what I consider to be a very auspicious date! But little Bumplet had other ideas, and was not going to put in an appearance until 10 days overdue, when I went into labour on 18^th November!

After an 18 hour labour (and about 48 or so hours without sleep!), Freya Louise was born at 11.35pm, weighing a hefty 10lb 3oz! My water birth, alas, was not to be; despite a lengthy time spent in the wonderful birthing pool, she simply didn't want to come out, and with risk of infection setting in, I was whisked off to hospital where she was born in a forceps delivery. In a way, it was a blessing that I was in hospital, as she didn't rotate properly and her shoulder got stuck. According to my midwife, this would have been all right at a home birth, but would have been awkward in the water and probably have caused a brief spell of panic!

Our precious little daughter had finally arrived! Our inkling that she was a girl proved true, and what a beauty she was! The following day, her breathing was deemed too rapid and she was put on antibiotics for an infection, so despite my disliking for hospital, we spent the next week there while she got better. And I have to confess, the Countess of Chester maternity ward was excellent, the midwives were lovely, and the (homemade) food actually quite delicious!

Oh how joyous it is to look into the eyes of your very own child. A mixture of excitement and wonder, disbelief

and amazement. As the days go by and turn into weeks, each new precious thing makes your heart skip a beat. The first time she smiles, not because of wind but because she recognises you... the first time her little fingers grasp one of yours... the first giggle... the first snuggle.

As I write this, Freya is now four months old. The whirlwind of the exhausting first six weeks has passed, and the weeks have turned into months. Broken nights have turned into sleep lasting between eight and twelve hours (bliss!) and cries have turned to giggles. Winter, which had stretched before us and felt like it might last forever, has suddenly turned to spring, heralding pram rides to see the ducks in the local pond and squirrels in the woods.

Each day is so precious, revealing a new moment of growth and development in her beautiful personality. I am delighted to report that she is transfixed by my Tinkerbell doll, and is often captivated by some mysterious invisible presence... definitely a faerie childe in the making!

As spring unfurls, I look forward to the many blessed adventures that lie ahead.

By Louise Heyden

Miss MerFaery - From the Faerie Witch's Kitchen

Louise is a happy little free spirit who grew up by the southeast English sea and now lives in Cheshire with her beloved fiance John, where she enjoys rambling through the old streets of Chester and musing amongst the blackbirds and squirrels by the ruins of the old Gothic church.

She has lived in the magic since childhood, having always believed most fervently in faeries, unicorns and angels, and loves nothing more than to write, create, read and daydream.

You are most likely to find her under a favourite tree, talking to the birds, watching the ocean or working on a new fantastical project.

Louise is a writer and artist, with a forthcoming educational book, numerous articles out there on the web, and a plethora of ideas and dreams for future faerie crafts and fantasy novels, if she ever gets that oh so precious time...

Louise has been a member of Enchanted Folk since June 2008

members.enchantedfolk.com/firewalkswithspirit