Recently the question was put to me....
How would life without the internet be different for me as a mum?
It was interesting to think about, and kind of surprising when I considered how many different ways the internet plays a part in my life...
Work
Obviously the main difference for me would be that there would be no blogging - I certainly wouldn't have the time to go out to libraries to access the internet and blog, and so it just wouldn't be something I'd be able to do.
This may not seem like a big deal - but blogging has enabled me to make money from home, and given me the chance to be a Work At Home Mum.
Without the internet at home, I'd now be in a situation where I would need to go out and find a job - meaning I would need to find childcare for Tyne - I would find this a huge emotional struggle and it would have a big impact on us financially when the cost of childcare is factored in.
Finances
As well as being able to earn from home, I regularly use the internet to check my online banking and set my budget for the week ahead, manage any bills that need to be paid, and keep a basic check on how our finances are going.
My bank is a 25 minute drive in heavy traffic from where I live now so popping out to check on these things would not be a simple task, particularly with a young baby in tow.
Convenience
As other mothers will know, 9 month old babies have somewhat irregular sleep patterns - you can't really rely on them taking their naps when you'd like them to and more often than not Tyne chooses naptimes at the most inconvenient times of day when I'd much rather be out doing other things.
Without the internet as back up for ordering our weekly grocery shopping, window shopping when I'm bored with nothing to do, or even just ordering a takeaway when there's no food in the house and I don't want to wake up a sleeping baby to go get some - I would certainly be living a much more hassle filled life!
Health
Something I have come to rely heavily on the internet for since becoming a Mum is health advice!As a first time mum, I often find that little questions or concerns pop up - on pretty much a daily basis actually - and they're not always big enough worries to warrant a phonecall to a Dr but more something that I just need to quickly look up.
When I was a kid my Mum had a big health encyclopedia book and was forever looking up things like the symptoms of chickenpox, or questions on which medicines can be used together and at what age.
We're pretty lucky now to have all of this information at the simple click of a mouse - Dr Google is just a few keystrokes away!
Social Life
I'm aware that this part will make me sound rather tragic, but personally I have found that becoming a Mum can be quite lonely.Suddenly there is a new focus in your life and your friends without babies don't always understand this or share your interest in it - I have personally found myself growing apart from some friends for these reasons, and the people I would once talk to about my problems or concerns no longer have an interest in them because most of them are now baby-related.
Of course this is not the case for all of my friends and some have been fantastic, but when you don't have many close friends who already have children - you find yourself wanting the company of people who are going through similar things as you just so that you can offer each other advice or just lend an ear.
I joined an online Bump Group when I was around 8 weeks pregnant with Tyne, where myself and a group of around 10 other girls who were all due within a few weeks of each other gathered online to talk about our lives, our pregnancies and so on - we talked pretty much every day right throughout our pregnancies with the excitement building as the due dates arrived.
One baby after another was born and introduced via an announcement and little birth story on the forums....
Now, 9 months on, we all still talk on a daily basis online - these girls who I have never met in reality and their little babies who I feel I have known from them being a tiny little seed in their Mummies tummies - are very much an important part of my life.
They're there to share the delight when a milestone is achieved, they're there to listen to the gripes when its 4 am and the baby won't sleep, they're there for a good old fashioned gossip about what's on TV - they are friends, in as true a sense as anybody could be, and I don't know how I would have got through the pregnancy and the last 9 months without them all there.
Without the internet - my pregnancy and my life as a new mom would be a far lonelier place.
Family Connection
And finally, as somebody who lives a good 5 hour drive from her parents and extended family - I find the internet priceless when it comes to sharing the development and growth of my child.My parents don't get to see their grandchildren every day as they'd like to and so - although it's not the same as the real thing - seeing photos on Facebook helps to bridge that gap until they next get to visit.
My mom looks forward to seeing our photos, and if we go a day without uploading some she's soon on the phone asking for more pictures!
Without the internet, she'd have to go sometimes a month or more without seeing them and I know that would be awful for her.
So in summary, the internet makes my life as a mother a great deal easier in so many ways - it suddenly seems so much more important than I ever thought!
I'm very thankful that since signing up to Virgin Media Broadband we have never had to be without it and I hope that we never do!
