We decided to head up to Gloucester on the train from London Paddington to try and capture some video footage of one of the most under rated world wonders, the Severn Bore. If you have not herd of this, its an inland tilde wave that travels around 30 miles in land from the Severn Estuary, to the City of Gloucester, and then heads off towards Tewkesbury, at a height of up to 20 feet and at a speed of around 30 mph.

Active about 12 to 15 times a year, the Severn Bore is largest around the equinoxes, depending on where about in the calendar of its nine year cycle it is. Popular around the world with surfers, many tourists will pay a visit to Gloucestershire to capture a glimpse of this phenomenal natural event, luckily, we were just a 2 hour train journey away from a potential 15 foot tidal wave.

We arrived at Gloucester station at 08.00 hrs and jumped straight into a Gloucester Taxi, lucky for us there was half a dozen of them waiting right outside the door, all bright white as the sun low in the sky highlighted them as we walked out of the gloomy station concourse.

We asked the driver to take us to Minsterworth Church, where we were led to believe was one of the best spots to get a close view of the wave. The taxi driver was a bit hesitant and recommended we went to a place called Elmore Back, there were less people there and we would be able to get right up to the waters edge.

The taxi driver did warn us though, there is a risk of high water, so be prepared to run fast and long in a seconds notice, or you will get more than wet!

A 20 minutes journey down some ever increasingly narrow lanes, with the 2 fold up taxi seats in front of us covered with iphone 3gs insurance adverts, slamming open and shut as the cab bounced down the narrow lane. Tom then came up with a little brain wave about wrapping both our iphones in waterproof bags, just in case the tidal wave did give us a soaking. As our iphone 3gs insurance did not cover against water damage, this seemed like a good idea as they are worth about £600 each, that’s far more than the digital camera and tripod we had with us.

The taxi driver came up trumps dropping us at Elmore Back, a fantastic location and we were just about the only people there. We asked the driver to wait an hour, but he was not prepared to take the risk of getting his cab flooded, as the car park was slightly lower than the river, and had a bit of a wet reputation. We see now why he said be prepared to run!

After nine months of excited anticipation, your precious bundle makes his debut and you can not wait to show him off to the world. But first, you must make the transition from the hospital, with a staff to educate and support your efforts at baby care, to the comfort of home where all of the responsibility will fall on Mom and Dad. Yikes! All of a sudden it dawns on you; you have never done this before.

The first step for new parents is to relax, and remember that every parent has experienced that momentary panic at the idea of first-time baby care. The good news is that all babies survive those first few days at home with their parents with nary a scratch, so rest assured that yours will also. The key to managing those first few days and weeks is to arm yourself with the baby care basics that will carry you through everything from diaper rash and diaper bags, to bottles and burping.

Ask for Help

The first few weeks with your new baby are some of the most challenging in many ways, so do not be afraid to ask for help. Having someone there to assist can be a great calming influence as well as an invaluable source of advice and information. A mothers body will also need to adjust to the postpartum stage of her pregnancy, which includes rest and recovery for Mom as well as baby. Someone who can pick up the slack in the baby care department so that you can rest will help speed your recovery as well as build your confidence in your new parenting role.

Kisses and Cuddles

The first days and weeks are also a time for you and your new little one to bond with each other, so enjoy all of the cuddling you would like during this time. Your baby will thrive under your gentle touch, and the physical closeness will translate to an emotional bonding as well. In these early stages, there is no way that you can spoil an infant by giving him too much cuddle time so pick him up to your hearts content. Make sure that both parents get equal time on the snuggle part of the baby care as well, since Dad needs his time to bond with baby too.

Answers to your Baby Care Questions

The rest of the baby care basics are made up mostly of diapering, feeding, sleeping and bathing, since those little bundles do little else during the first weeks of life! For answers to your questions about these baby care basics, you can consult from a virtual library of baby care books. It is a good idea to have a couple on hand before your infants arrival so you will be prepared before the first labor pains even hit. Your doctor is another invaluable source of information on the baby care basics. Since you will be seeing him frequently in the first year of your childs life, you will have ample opportunity to have all of your questions answered.

A new baby can be a frightening as well as an exciting adventure. Take some of the concerns out of this process by educating yourself on the baby care basics before you ever bring your bundle home.

Charles has been writing articles on many different subjects for several years. Primarily, he likes to write about technology, computers, gadgets, and software. You can take a look at his latest website about the Baby Heart Monitor which reviews and lists popular models including a Angel Care Baby Monitor.