Little White Dove Yuj

07/09/2026

Easy baby breakfast & lunch ideas😋

Does anyone else get to breakfast or lunchtime and think, what am I going to give the baby today?🤔💭

Weaning doesn’t need to be complicated. I’m finding the same few ingredients can make lots of different meals, so thought I’d share some of ours at around 8 months.

BANANA OAT PANCAKES

½ banana, 1 egg, 2–3 tbsp finely ground oats and cinnamon. Mash and cook into small soft pancakes.

Oats give energy, fibre and some iron. Egg gives protein, fats, choline and some iron too.

BANANA OAT WAFFLES

The same simple mixture of banana, egg, oats and cinnamon, cooked in our little heart waffle maker. I found this one cheap on Amazon and it’s been really handy.

BANANA & GREEK YOGHURT

Mashed banana with plain full-fat Greek yoghurt. Simple, with protein, fat and calcium.

SWEET POTATO WAFFLES

Mashed cooked sweet potato, egg, ground oats and cinnamon. You can add very soft finely chopped broccoli too.

Oats and egg provide some iron, sweet potato gives beta-carotene and broccoli gives vitamin C, which helps with plant-based iron absorption.

SWEET POTATO & BROCCOLI MASH

Cook until really soft and mash together. A simple way to add vitamin C, beta-carotene, folate and fibre.

BROCCOLI OMELETTE

Egg with soft finely chopped broccoli, cooked through and cut appropriately. Protein, choline and some iron from egg, with vitamin C from broccoli.

AVOCADO TOAST OR AVOCADO & EGG

Mash ripe avocado onto lightly toasted bread or mix with cooked egg. Avocado gives unsaturated fats and folate, while egg adds protein and some iron.

Iron is something I’ve been thinking about since starting weaning. From around 6 months, babies increasingly need iron from food as their stores reduce. Oats and eggs provide some, and other options include lentils, beans, chickpeas and tofu. Vitamin C-rich fruit and vegetables help with plant-based iron absorption.

Some days she eats loads, some days hardly anything and some days most ends up everywhere except her mouth. I’m just enjoying watching her discover food without overcomplicating it.



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31/08/2026

I’ve recently found out that two women who once attended my yoga classes have sadly passed away, and the news has affected me deeply.

I won’t share their names, out of respect for their families and their privacy, but I wanted to acknowledge them and honour the memories I have of them.

I met them at the beginning of my journey teaching yoga at Carmarthen Leisure Centre. They were among those familiar faces who showed up week after week, often stopping for a chat before or after class.

Sometimes, through teaching, you meet people who leave a lasting impression without ever realising how much their presence meant.

They were both incredibly strong women, each with their own story. Over time, they trusted me with conversations about their lives and experiences. Those conversations will always remain in confidence, but I hope somehow they knew that I listened, remembered and genuinely cared.

I’ve thought of them many times over the years. It was a privilege to have shared that small part of their lives — the conversations, laughter, quiet moments and time spent practising together.

To their families and everyone who loved them, I send my deepest condolences, thoughts and love.

And to these two wonderful women, thank you for walking through the doors of a new yoga teacher’s classes, for continuing to return and for trusting me with a little part of your lives.

You mattered, and you will be remembered.

May you rest in peace, lovely souls. Until we meet again.

🙏🤍🙏🤍🙏

25/08/2026

Autumn freezer meal prep for the whole family🧡🍁🍂

I came across this idea and thought this is actually something I want to try going into autumn.

Some days are just so busy and by the time it gets to dinner, the last thing I want to do is start thinking about what I'm going to cook 😂

So I'm going to choose a day and make a load of meals for the freezer. Nothing complicated, just good homemade food that I know we'll actually eat.

I'm going to do a mixture of vegetarian meals, chicken meals, autumn soups and some nutritious little meals for baby too.

I'm putting my plan here because I know I'll want to come back to it, and it might be useful for someone else too 🤎🍂

🌿 What I'm freezing everything in

I'm trying to cut down on our food sitting in disposable plastic where I can, so I'm going to use reusable food-grade silicone freezer bags.

I've found these big 2L ones which should be a good size for family meals and soups:

"Moonmoon XXL 2L silicone freezer bags" (https://reference-url-citation.invalid/0)

I'll probably start with a few and just keep washing and reusing them rather than buying loads at once.

🍎 Apple & Herb Chicken

Put in the bag:

800g chicken
2 apples, sliced
1 onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves
250ml apple juice
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp rosemary

Write on the bag:
Defrost overnight in the fridge.
Slow cooker LOW 5–6 hours or HIGH 3–4 hours.

I'll probably do mash and green beans with this one.

🍁 Maple Dijon Chicken

Put in the bag:

800g chicken
2 sweet potatoes, chopped
300g Brussels sprouts
1 red onion
2 garlic cloves
3 tbsp maple syrup
3 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp thyme

Write on the bag:
Defrost overnight in the fridge.
LOW 5–6 hours or HIGH 3–4 hours.

🍠 Sweet Potato & Chickpea Curry 🌱

Put in the bag:

2 sweet potatoes
2 tins chickpeas, drained
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp mild curry powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp turmeric

Write on the bag:
Defrost overnight.
Add 1 tin coconut milk.
LOW 5–6 hours.
Add some spinach towards the end.

I'll do this with rice or naan.

🫘 Lentil & Veg Stew 🌱

Put in the bag:

200g red lentils
2 carrots
2 potatoes
2 celery sticks
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp smoked paprika

Write on the bag:
Defrost overnight.
Add 750ml vegetable stock.
LOW 6–7 hours.

🥕 Root Veg & Butter Bean Stew 🌱

Put in the bag:

2 carrots
2 parsnips
1 sweet potato
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
1 tin butter beans, drained
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 tsp thyme
½ tsp rosemary

Write on the bag:
Defrost overnight.
Add 500ml vegetable stock.
LOW 5–6 hours.

🥣 Autumn soups

I definitely want a few homemade soups in there too.

🎃 Butternut Squash & Red Lentil

1 butternut squash
150g red lentils
2 carrots
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp cumin

Freeze everything together.

When I want it, I'll defrost it overnight, add 1 litre of vegetable stock and cook until everything is lovely and soft, then blend.

🥔 Leek & Potato

3 leeks
600g potatoes
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp thyme

Freeze together.

Add 1 litre vegetable stock when cooking, cook until everything is soft and then blend.

I'll probably add a little cream to ours at the end.

🍅 Tomato & Red Pepper

2 red peppers
2 carrots
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
2 tins chopped tomatoes
1 tsp oregano

Freeze together.

Add 500ml vegetable stock, slow cook for around 5–6 hours and blend.

🥧 Lentil Cottage Pie 🌱

I'll make this one before freezing:

Lentils
Mushrooms
Carrots
Onion
Peas
Tomato purée
Vegetable stock
Mashed potato on top

Let it cool completely and then freeze it.

Defrost overnight in the fridge and bake at 190°C until it's piping hot all the way through.

🥦 Autumn Veg Pasta Bake 🌱

Pasta
Butternut squash
Broccoli
Spinach
Peas
Cheese sauce
Cheddar

I'll make this one first too, let it cool completely and then freeze.

Defrost overnight and bake at 190°C until piping hot throughout.

👶 And I'm going to make some for baby at the same time

This just makes sense to me because I'll already have all these ingredients out and be chopping everything anyway.

I'll take some of the ingredients out before adding our salt, salty stock cubes, honey or anything else that isn't suitable for baby, cook hers separately and freeze them in little silicone portions.

A few I'm going to make:

🍗 Chicken, sweet potato & carrot

🎃 Butternut squash, red lentils & carrot

🥩 Beef, sweet potato & broccoli
A lovely little iron-rich one.

🍠 Sweet potato, chickpeas & carrot

And I'll make some homemade unsalted chicken meat stock and freeze that in little portions too.

🤎 A little note on baby's food

Breast milk is still my baby's main milk drink, and these little meals are just part of her learning and exploring food alongside breastfeeding.

You could also add a little breast milk or baby's usual prepared formula to mashed food to loosen it and make the texture right for your baby.

And it definitely doesn't all have to be purées.

Depending on your baby's age, development and how they're getting on with solids, you can mash foods, leave them a little more textured or offer appropriately prepared soft strips and finger foods for them to hold and explore themselves.

They don't necessarily need teeth for soft finger foods either — babies can manage lots of soft foods with their gums. The important thing is making sure the food is soft and prepared in an appropriate size and shape for their stage.

I'll just follow baby's lead with textures and let her explore while breastfeeding continues alongside her food.

No added salt and no honey before 12 months.

She'll still have freshly made food too. This is just about having a few homemade portions ready in the freezer for those really busy days when I need something easy.

So that's the plan 🍂

I'm going to pick a day, get everything out, chop it all together, label the bags before I fill them and get everything into the freezer.

Then on the days when I've got a million things going on and suddenly realise I haven't even thought about dinner 😂 I can take something out and know there's a homemade meal sorted.

Family dinners, vegetarian options, homemade autumn soups and baby's little meals — all from one prep day. 🤎

If anyone already does this, send me your favourite freezer meals because I'd love some more ideas! 🍂

Little White Dove Yuj
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23/08/2026

🚨 Medical history you might never have heard.

We hear of c-sections as a modern marvel where mom and baby both survive. Early ones in history were a last ditch effort to save baby knowing a mom wouldn't survive. And while a few surviving ones were recorded, much of written history suggests Western medicine as the standard of modern medicine.

Yet in 1879, a European visitor to Bunyoro Kingdom (now Uganda) witnessed and documented a remarkable surgical technique.

A Bunyoro surgeon performed a cesarean birth in which both the mother and baby survived.

The procedure was organized and intentional. It was not an experiment either.

Banana wine was used to intoxicate the mother and was also used to clean the surgeon's hands and her abdomen. The baby was delivered through an abdominal and uterine incision.

Bleeding was controlled with cautery, the uterus was massaged to encourage contraction, fluids were drained, and the abdominal wound was closed and dressed. The European Robert Felkin continued observing the mother and baby afterward. The mother's recovery was uncomplicated, with no reported wound or systemic infection.

The controlled technique, including pain management, suggested this wasn't new and had been done routinely for some time. This also challenges the false beliefs that colonization brought needed innovation.

One of our birth worker courses covers decoloninzing birth, which challenges ideas around Eurocentric birth practices being seen as the standard.

👇🏽 Did you hear about this early c-section?

19/08/2026

Her first crawl 🩷🙌

And she hasn’t stopped since! 😂

Where on earth have the last 7 months gone? One minute you’re holding this tiny newborn, and before you know it, they’re crawling, exploring and keeping you on your toes.

She is such a beautiful little baby, and we absolutely adore her. Watching her little personality develop and seeing her discover the world around her is just so special.

One of the things matrescence has taught me is that our babies aren’t the only ones constantly growing and changing — we are too.

Every new stage they enter brings another transition for us as mums.

The newborn days begin to fade, crawling starts, weaning begins, breastfeeding starts to change alongside introducing food, sleep shifts again… and we find ourselves learning a whole new version of motherhood.

And amongst all of these milestones, I think we need to remember that postpartum doesn’t suddenly end at 6 weeks.

It takes around 9 months to grow a human, and recovery can take much longer. Our bodies, hormones, nervous systems, emotions, relationships and identities have all been through enormous change.

There isn't a deadline for feeling like yourself again.

Matrescence is so much bigger than physical recovery. It's the ongoing transition of becoming and growing as a mother — adapting again and again as our babies grow.

So while we celebrate her first little crawl, I’m also recognising another stage beginning.

They’re growing… and so are we🕊️

Little White Dove Yuj

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12/08/2026

C-section recovery • core activation 🤍

Starting with Cat–Cow, synchronising movement with the breath.

Inhale — look forward, heart centre forward, gently opening through the chest.

Exhale — round through the spine, drawing the belly button towards the spine and connecting with the core.

From tabletop, I tuck my toes, gently zip up through the core and lift my knees away from the mat into a controlled hover, holding while continuing to breathe.

I’m wearing 0.5 kg ankle weights for a little added resistance, keeping the movement slow and controlled.

Hold for around 7–20 seconds, or for as long as feels comfortable while maintaining your breath and control, then gently lower and release.

For me, this is about reconnecting with my core and gradually rebuilding strength after pregnancy and C-section — not rushing my body to “bounce back”.

Breathe • connect • activate • hold • release 🤍

Little White Dove Yuj

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08/08/2026

Just in time for Autumn 🍂

04/08/2026

I've just seen that my great-grandfather, Edward David Davies from Carmarthen, has been featured on the BBC as one of the 11 Missing Heroes from the Second World War.

My beautiful grandmother spoke about her father often and always described him as a lovely, kind man. We are incredibly proud to see his story being remembered.

Our family has photographs of Edward David Davies, and we would love to share them to help honour his memory. If anyone knows who we should contact to send them, we would be so grateful if you could let us know.

Lest we forget. 💙🙏

Campaigners want to place pictures on the graves of World War Two soldiers buried in the Netherlands.