Pick Me Up! Special April 2019

As a parent, you’d do anything to make your children happy – but what happens if the only way to make them smile is to let them live as the opposite sex? That was the dilemma Stevi (pg18) faced when her daughter Layla asked to become a boy. For her, there was only one answer. Happiness has come in a very strange form for Rachel (pg40). Battling symptoms she couldn’t explain, she finally got answers and unexpected relief from munching on pickled onions! Charlene (pg22) also had lots of unexplained symptoms while she was pregnant, but thanks to her unborn baby alerting doctors to a deadly disease, she’s been given the chance to be a mum. All mums take on a huge amount of roles, but Helen (pg55) wants parents to train for…

As a parent, you’d do anything to make your children happy – but what happens if the only way to make them smile is to let them live as the opposite sex? That was the dilemma Stevi (pg18) faced when her daughter Layla asked to become a boy. For her, there was only one answer. Happiness has come in a very strange form for Rachel (pg40). Battling symptoms she couldn’t explain, she finally got answers and unexpected relief from munching on pickled onions! Charlene (pg22) also had lots of unexplained symptoms while she was pregnant, but thanks to her unborn baby alerting doctors to a deadly disease, she’s been given the chance to be a mum. All mums take on a huge amount of roles, but Helen (pg55) wants parents…

That's true love Nothing says true love like the way my friend Saskia looks at a glass of gin and tonic. Leanne, Birmingham Some fashion sense I love this picture of my siblings and I taken around 1990. I don't know where our mum got those dresses from… Carey, Hailsham Almost too good to eat How amazing does this chocolate mousse look? I was celebrating my birthday, and needless to say, I finished the whole thing. Val, Taunton He's a winner for sure! Thank you to my amazing boyfriend for these beautiful flowers he sent to congratulate me on my new job. Love you! Janine, London Simple pleasures It doesn't matter how many toys we buy for our precious daughter Mila, she always has the most fun sitting in the…

That's true love Nothing says true love like the way my friend Saskia looks at a glass of gin and tonic. Leanne, Birmingham Some fashion sense I love this picture of my siblings and I taken around 1990. I don't know where our mum got those dresses from… Carey, Hailsham Almost too good to eat How amazing does this chocolate mousse look? I was celebrating my birthday, and needless to say, I finished the whole thing. Val, Taunton He's a winner for sure! Thank you to my amazing boyfriend for these beautiful flowers he sent to congratulate me on my new job. Love you! Janine, London Simple pleasures It doesn't matter how many toys we buy for our precious daughter Mila, she always has the most fun sitting in the laundry basket. Britney, Blackpool Family is everything I love this picture of me and my family…

Sitting in front of the TV, my little boy, Arthur, three, was glued to his favourite film – The Iron Giant. A sensitive soul, his eyes welled up when it looked like Iron Giant would be defeated, but a quick cuddle on my lap, and he was soon grinning over the happy ending. With bright blue eyes and blonde hair, Arthur was angelic. There were five years between him and his older sister, Jayme. The two of them were inseparable but mischievous and as a single mum, I had my hands full. As Arthur got older, he became obsessed with superheroes. So on his birthday and at Christmas, I’d wrap up presents and write labels saying they were from his favourite superheroes. Arthur found it magical. An energetic, confident, cheeky…

Sitting in front of the TV, my little boy, Arthur, three, was glued to his favourite film – The Iron Giant. A sensitive soul, his eyes welled up when it looked like Iron Giant would be defeated, but a quick cuddle on my lap, and he was soon grinning over the happy ending. With bright blue eyes and blonde hair, Arthur was angelic. There were five years between him and his older sister, Jayme. The two of them were inseparable but mischievous and as a single mum, I had my hands full. As Arthur got older, he became obsessed with superheroes. So on his birthday and at Christmas, I’d wrap up presents and write labels saying they were from his favourite superheroes. Arthur found it magical. An energetic, confident, cheeky and sociable little boy, he was usually…