January

I can't believe it's been more than a month now since I've posted. I've been so busy! Work is coming in steadily from constituents, I've been meeting groups, and catching up on briefings. There have been meetings of the Board of Strathclyde Fire and Rescue, Health and Social Care Committee, and External Governance Scrutiny. Baby Alexander is now seven months old, starting to eat a variety of food and get about more under his own steam. 

Here are a few photos to illustrate what I've been up to! 

Campaigning! With less than 100 days until the Scottish Parliament elections, I've been out working for our candidate for Glasgow Shettleston, John Mason. Alexander has been helping me, and finds our materials quite tasty.

Arguably less tasty, but more nutritious, we've started weaning. I've discovered the butternut squash is hazardous to fingertips when dismembered with a sharp knife.

Committees. It's hard getting time to read the papers these days; harder still to focus and contribute at the meetings while keeping the wee guy entertained, but I think I'm managing. At Health and Social Care Labour were caught acting against the best interests of young people in our schools, undermining their own health messages by selling cakes and crisps (albeit within health guidelines) to make a profit. 

Family. I don't see them as often as I'd like, but my mum and dad did their first bit of babysitting last week. Exciting times. Alexander also attended two more football matches this month. You can tell he's impressed!

Champions! I attended the Community Champions awards, and was particularly chuffed to see the hardworking young people's group PEEK scoop up a prize. Their theatre productions are really fantastic.

Surgeries. Still doing eight a month, which is more than the Labour Councillors (details on the side bar). The one pictured is Bridgeton Library, where I get very well looked after by the wonderful staff!

Buddies. I attended two sessions at the Gorbals Leisure Centre for young people involved in the Active Kids Buddy scheme. They lead their peers in a range of activities in the playground at break time, which should lead to healthier, happier young people! St Anne's, Sacred Heart and St Michael's were all represented. I got a go on the Gladiators inflatable, and also got to play with the big ball pictured!

Burns. Much nervousness and inspiration needed for the Reply to the Toast to the Lassies last Saturday night at the Shettleston SNP Burns Supper. I'm hoping my mix of footie and politics went down ok!

Baby. He can now move from one side of the living room to get stuck under this coffee table. Eek. 

Changing the City Chambers

When I've popped into work with Alexander thus far, I've changed him in my office (sorry colleagues!).

It was because of this that I only realised a couple of weeks ago that the Glasgow City Chambers complex had no baby changing facilities whatsoever. None!

I was pretty surprised - the City Chambers is a sizeable building, with public tours twice a day and a range of events held in the Banqueting Hall and Satinwood Suite. Mothers and babies often visit to have documents witnessed in the Councillor's corridor, or to visit their elected representatives. I immediately took the matter up with the City Chambers duty manager, who admitted that it was probably something they should consider.

The Duty Manager quickly sourced a fold-down changing table, and I can confirm it is now installed in the disabled toilet - located on the ground floor entrance hall, next to the front doors. As you can see, Alexander approves!

I also asked for a chair to be placed in the 'outer room' of the toilet so that those who wish to breastfeed more discreetly can do so - although if people prefer to use the nice sofas in the lobby, that would also be absolutely fine!

If there are any other Council facilities that aren't up to scratch, please let me know and I will pursue the matter with officials.

Baby on Board!

I've not disappeared, and the Total Politics blog awards hasn't been an excuse to rest on my laurels - although any kind of rest would be nice. In general, things have been too hectic to be able to compose my thoughts and get them into the blog. I've been trying instead to update my twitter feed as much as possible, so you can get a flavour of what I've been up to in the absence of a blog post.

Anyhow, I'm very chuffed to have been voted number 25 of the top 50 Scottish blogs in their annual awards, particularly as I didn't ask for any votes and I didn't even vote for myself! Thanks to all readers of Bellgrovebelle, I'm very grateful for your support.

Despite aiming to take things a bit easier since Alexander arrived at the start of July, I feel like I've still been running around as much as usual, only with much less sleep. I've still been attending my surgeries (times and places to your right...) as well as various things in the Council and in my ward.

Alexander has had a very interesting first twelve weeks, now having been with me to three football matches (two Motherwell, one Scotland), a Full Council meeting (he was better behaved than most of the Councillors!), the Calton Area Committee and Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Board. He attended an SNP branch meeting, the regional list hustings and a Maryhill race night. He's been to the opening of the refurbished Bridgeton Cross, the new shop for Starter Packs Glasgow, a meeting of Pensioners Action Group East and a public meeting about the Olympia in Bridgeton. On Thursday he came along with me to attend the Papal Mass in Bellahouston Park and yesterday we visited the City Building Glasgow House project.

All of which events were very interesting, and worthy of blog posts in themselves. I will endeavour to update you as I'm going about, but please be assured that even if I don't have time to fit in regular blog posts, I'm still out there working hard!


PS - this blog post should've had photos, but photobucket isn't cooperating. Hopefully, normal service will be resumed!

Silverburn - baby friendly!

Following on from my previous post, I was out at Silverburn yesterday and was impressed by their baby facilities.

They had a separate breastfeeding room and well-designed changing facilities.

The changing area ran round the room, and was at two different levels - cleverly noting that parents are not all the same height! Very nice indeed.

Breastfeeding and babies on the bonnie bonnie banks

Joe, Alexander and I attended the wedding of one of his work colleagues, Paul Stevenson, yesterday. His bride, Pamela, was happy for us to bring our wee one along, as being the mother to two small children herself, she knew how hard it would be for us to leave Alexander with anyone else! The wedding was wonderful - they're a great couple, and I wish them the very best.

Alexander was very well behaved, sleeping through most of the church service, and indeed most of the meal and dancing. This was the first big day out we'd had, so I expected a few challenges during the course of the day.

After the church service in Luss, we needed somewhere to change the wee guy. I'd noticed a baby changing facility at the pier, but on the way back we were met with the wondrous smell of food wafting from the Coach House restaurant. We popped in, Alexander was immediately cooed over and we were pointed in the direction of the baby changing facilities.

This was the first time I'd used these, thus far changing him at family homes or in my office. I was hugely impressed. It was quite cosy (I probably should have left the pram outside!) and doubled as a disabled loo, but spotlessly clean and well appointed. There was a cabinet on the wall filled with spare nappies, cotton wool, wipes, nappy sacks and even wee bottles of food for older babies. The changing table had big paper towels to lie him on. It's great to see such an effort to accommodate babies. I was felt relaxed and quite at home feeding him in the restaurant afterwards. I should also say that the Coach House's food was also ace - huge chunks of real ham with redcurrant jelly in a giant roll, and lovely spicy gingerbread! Definitely worth a return visit.

We then headed off to the wedding reception at the posh and expensive Cameron House. This is where things were a little less easy. I (perhaps naively) got changed into a pretty frock. I could breastfeed discreetly out of one side of said frock, but the other required somewhere a bit more private. I did some exploring and eventually found the baby changing area. It had a sink, two small towels, a bin and a fold-down changing table situated directly under a spotlight, presumably for infant interrogation purposes. There was no chair to sit in, so I had to sit on the cold, tiled floor on one of the towels. Not particularly comfortable, or easy to get up from while holding a baby. The towels weren't changed during the course of the evening.

Later in the evening, when he needed to feed again, I thought I would ask if there was somewhere more suitable. I was led wordlessly by a senior-looking member of staff back up the stairs and all the way back to the baby changing room. I pointed out there was no chair. Instead of perhaps going and finding me a chair (I wasn't going to drag one through from another room myself while holding a baby!), he looked back at me blankly, had a quick swatch in the disabled loo next door (not sure for why?!), and decided I could use his office. Not sure what would have happened if I'd been visiting during the day when people were working! So there I sat in an office chair feeding my baby, looking at the stats posters on the walls showing much Cameron House needed to extract from people's wallets to make a profit.

Incidentally, I wasn't the only person at the wedding with a baby - the bride has a five month old daughter, and her sister, the bridesmaid, has recently given birth to a tiny baby boy. I suppose they had rooms to go to, but that can't be guaranteed for all guests at a wedding.

While I'm fairly happy to breastfeed in public and know that the law in Scotland allows me to do so, it's not always appropriate. Furthermore, some women just won't feel comfortable breastfeeding in a public place for a variety of reasons. It's a bit of a poor show that an establishment with the reputation of Cameron House fails to provide facilities for baby changing or feeding to match those of the small family-run restaurant down the road. I've written to the manager to ask what they intend to do to make improvements.

New arrival

The blog's been a wee bit quiet this past few weeks - I went into hospital last Saturday, 3rd July, and delivered a 7lb12 baby boy, who we've named Alexander Joseph Wright.

I'd really like to thank all the staff at the Princess Royal, who were very helpful, patient and supportive. They helped me get breastfeeding established, despite some initial difficulties, for which I'm hugely grateful. I really couldn't have coped without them.
Thanks also to Gordon Thomson, who did a lovely write-up in the Evening Times on Wednesday. It was nice to come home to!

I'm really looking forward to getting out and about over the summer and introducing wee Alexander to the world!

Happy news

The world, at least as far as my family, friends, facebook and the Cooncil are now all aware of this good news, so I reckoned it's time to share it with you: Joe and I are expecting a baby at the end of June, and I'm very nervous and excited.

I had a scan today, and am just into my twenty-first week.

I intend to be carrying on with my Council work as much as I can - and all the Labourites out there should know I'm certainly not going to be using pregnancy as an excuse to slack off on the election campaigning!

More importantly, with all the technology available, blackberry and such, I'll still be able to carry out my duties as a Councillor. It's a new challenge, but I aim to be up for it!