Hello, I’d like to introduce myself. I’m Louise and I’m the new columnist on Mama Pack. You might wonder why or how I’m here and so I’ll give you a bit of background. The offer of a column came from Mama Mama Pack after a discussion on the excellent forums they run. We were discussing the pros and cons of certain daily newspapers and the tendency of their columnists to just stir up the proverbial for the sake of it.

I happened to mention I’d been a journalist for 20 years and the offer of a column to talk about things which hopefully the Mama Pack website readers will find interesting, came about. I ummed and ahhhed a bit because I haven’t worked now for more than three years other than the odd blog or forum post here and there and I wondered if I’d be up to the task. But I figured it was about time I put all my training and experience back to work and got on with it. So here I am.

I was a dedicated career girl with absolutely no plans for a family when I found myself pregnant at the age of 38. To say it was a bit of a shock is an understatement but I’m not sure which was the biggest shock, the pregnancy after three years of no contraceptive use with my partner, or the fact that I suddenly realised that I did want this baby very much. Having children was something which hadn’t really crossed my mind. My best friend had provided me with a goddaughter when I was 22 and she’d been the focus of any dormant feelings of procreation I might have had stirring, especially when she and her mum came to live with me for two-and-a-half years after her mum’s marriage broke down when she was just two-years-old.

Watching her grow up into a lovely child and then into a delightful teenager brought much pleasure and we are still very close now that she’s a beautiful woman of 18, on the fringes of taking her first steps into adult life with a gap year to travel and see something of the world before she heads to university. I am incredibly proud of this young lady and the fact that I had a small part in her upbringing and this, coupled with the fact my brother made me an aunty in 2006, and all the dozens of young cousins in my large extended family, meant I was happy to carry on being rural affairs specialist for a paper based in the Yorkshire Dales with no thought of having children of my own.

Fate conspires

However, fate was to conspire in my life. My contract  based job came to an end and there was no prospect of anything new on the horizon that I felt enthused enough to apply for. My partner and I were due to go on holiday to the south coast in June and meet up with a whole host of our friends and so I decided to put off the job search until we got back. As it happened, the job search ended up on a much longer hiatus as a month later I discovered I was pregnant.

James was born on March 18, 2008, and he turned my life upside down. The thought of going back to work now fills me with dread. Not because I don’t think I’m capable of being a journalist any more,  but because I don’t want to miss out on anything my son does.  I am so lucky that I don’t have to go back to work at the moment. My partner is able to support me while I spent time at home with James and I haven’t seen a job that I’d love enough to give all that up for yet.

So, here I am, with a bit of time on my hands now that James is two and able to amuse himself a bit more and I hope to provide you all with something you find interesting to read. If anyone wants me to talk about something specific, drop me an email at louise@mamapacks.eu and I’ll happily oblige.