At some point around about 12 months ago I had a disagreement with my back and she showed her displeasure by being generally achy and annoying. When I fell pregnant she teamed up with my pelvis who apparently had beef with me too and gave me SPD, the down side to this was pain, crutches and being housebound, the upside was we got to meet the dude 2 weeks early (silver linings everywhere).

Since Ez arrived my back has been finding new & painful ways to demonstrate her annoyance with me. Two weeks ago I bent down to pick something up or leant awkwardly and my back decided she’d had enough and went into spasm.

Written like that it sounds so minor, the sort of thing you could walk off, but by Thursday morning I couldn’t even do that. I was in so much pain and couldn’t sit, walk or lie down without crying or swearing. Our lovely dr gave me some painkillers with a list of scary side effects and told me to rest.

Jon took two days off to look after me and the kids but he had to go back to work the following week and this is where super mum flies into the picture (she actually arrived by train, which Annie finds way more exciting!).

My mum took time off work, caught an overpriced train and came to stay for a whole week. She changed nappies, entertained the troops, took the kids out to the library and supermarket without losing either one, or her mind, watched Star Wars and Peppa Pig enough times to be able to quote both, cooked lunches, hoovered, got introduced to The Great British Bake Off and Deadliest Catch, cleaned, washed up, read stories, reminded me to take my pain killers, gave me time to sleep and space for my back to heal. In short she rescued me, without her coming to stay I wouldn’t have been able to cope with both the kids, and I certainly wouldn’t have gotten any better.

So thank you very, very much Mum, you’re a star!!