Practical Baby Gift Guide

Our friends at Sleepytot are compiling a Practical Baby Gift Guide voted for by parents and they need your help. If you love your Mamascarf for breastfeeding in public, don't forget to vote for it!

Looking back on all the baby stuff you bought or had given to you from friends and family, how much of it did you actually use? Since the day your little bundle arrived, you’ve probably been on the steepest learning curve of your life. There's no other role which forces us to learn so much, so quickly, while working on the job 24 hours a day!

With this comes the stuff you buy to actually solve a problem, to make your life easier, and to make your baby happy. It seems that we all come to the end of the first year with three baby products that we rave about.

It might be a fantastic toy, a baby sleep product, something for bath time, a baby guide book, or a feeding product. Anything that made your life easier.

Whatever it was, Sleepytot want to know about it. Why? Because they’re compiling the first ever Practical Baby Gift Guide. This ultimate guide will be totally free and available to all parents and parents-to- be, their friends and their families.

In return for your feedback, your email address will be entered into a prize draw to win £50 of Sleepytot vouchers.

Head over to Sleepytot http://www.sleepytot.com/community.phtml to vote today!

Mamascarf wins an Award!

We are just back from a hectic weekend at the Baby Show in London. It was a great show and we had some wonderful feedback from both breastfeeding mums and mums to be who tried and bought our breastfeeding covers. We even had several live demonstrations on the stand! It was good to meet up with some fellow Tweeters as well. Doing the show at 7 months pregnant meant I had very swollen feet but all back to normal now!

I had some great news while we were there, Mamascarf has won a SMARTA 100 Business Award, judged by a panel including Dragons Den's Deborah Meaden. As well as this we are through to the final 4 for Outstanding New Product from "Women on their Way", the winner will be revealed at a ceremony at Villa Park in March. Fingers crossed!

WIN BABY SHOW TICKETS!

Mamascarf are very excited to be exhibiting at the Baby Show next month at Excel(from 19th-21st Feb). Preparations are well underway at Mamascarf Towers and we would like to offer you the chance to win a pair of tickets so you can come and see /try our wonderful breastfeeding cover for yourself. Breastfeeding in public will never be the same again! All you need to do to be in with a chance of winning is email me the names of the two celebrity mums who are fans of Mamascarf. Put "Baby Show Competition" as the title of your email and click on the email us link.
If you need a clue, check out the Feedback page! The winner will be randomly selected on Friday 29th January. Good luck!

Mamascarf gets I'm Pregnant Best Buy status

Mamascarf has been given "Best Buy" status for our breastfeeding cover by I'm Pregnant magazine. This means that we can use their Best Buy logo on our packaging and website and we are very happy!

All you need to know for getting started with breastfeeding

What do I need to know?
Breast milk is the best possible food for your baby. It will build your babies immune system as well as giving them the best possible start in life. It protects babies against ear infections, gastro-intestinal infections, chest infections, urine infections, childhood diabetes, eczema, obesity, asthma. Breastfeeding protects mums against ovarian cancer, breast cancer and weak bones later in life. (source: National Health Service, 2009). What’s more breast milk is free, on tap and is always the right temperature. Breastfeeding is also great for bonding with your baby.
How can I prepare for breastfeeding?
You can attend an ante natal class, where you will be able to get some advice on breastfeeding techniques and meet some other mums to be. You should try to include your partner, and encourage them to be supportive of your decision to breastfeed. You can read up on breastfeeding and again, encourage your partner to do some reading. The more informed you are, the more likely that you will succeed.
What do I need?
To breastfeed, all you really need is a nursing bra, some breastpads, muslin cloths and nipple cream. You may also want to purchase a breast pump and a steriliser, a nursing cushion, some breast milk freezer bags. Some non essentials but nonetheless useful to have are a breastfeeding cover such as Mamascarf and/or some special breastfeeding tops.
Different positions for breastfeeding
There are several different positions for breastfeeding, you need to make sure that you choose the most comfortable one for you and that gives your baby the best access to your breast.
You could try holding your baby across your lap and positioning her on a pillow or cushion to get the right height. You can use either arm to hold her and ensure she is in the right position.
An alternative position is lying down with your bodies parallel to each other. This is good for the early days or if you are lying in bed.
Another position for breastfeeding is to hold your baby underarm. This is particularly recommended post caesarean.

Where can I get help for breastfeeding?
If you need help at any time with breastfeeding you can contact the NCT or La Leche League for help. They have trained counsellors available to answer calls. Many areas have breastfeeding support groups or breastfeeding cafes run by Health Visitors and Breastfeeding Counsellors where you can drop in for help or advice. Your Midwife or Health Visitor will also be able to help you with any problems.
Breastfeeding isn’t always easy but it is extremely rewarding and the best start you can give your baby. Good luck!

Breastfeeding in Public – a guide for new or expectant mums

So you are pregnant and know that you want to breastfeed your baby. Congratulations!Or maybe you have started breastfeeding but not yet ventured out in public. Breastfeeding in public can be a scary prospect for new and not so new mums. These tips will help you on your way.

1. Practise in front of a mirror. It will help you to see exactly what can be seen when you are breastfeeding your baby and you might actually be pleasantly surprised!

2. Wear the right clothes. Ensure that you are wearing something that you feel comfortable in and that will give you easy access to your nursing bra. This might be a large top that you can easily lift or open. Layering with a cardigan can give additional coverage. There are many different styles of breastfeeding clothing available, often with hidden openings across the chest, allowing access without having to lift or remove any clothing.

3. Take a friend along for moral support. If you are going to breastfeed in public for the first time, you are going to need some moral support from your partner, mum or friend. The first time I ventured out was with friends from my ante natal class.

4. Go to a breastfeeding friendly place. Your Midwife or Health Visitor should be able to tell you where there are breastfeeding friendly cafes in your area. If not, somewhere that is child friendly is usually a safe bet.

5. You could use a breastfeeding scarf or cover such as Mamascarf to ensure that you have complete privacy yet are still able to see your baby. This will also ensure you get the additional support when there aren't any cushions around.

6. Plan your route. If you are out for the day, try and work out what time your baby may need feeding and ensure you are near a breastfeeding friendly place.

7. Have confidence in yourself and what you are doing, it is your right! Breastfeeding your baby is a wonderful thing, it's better for baby and for you and the majority of people recognise this. It will also get easier with time.

Good luck!

Photo shoot with Vogue photographer!

We have had some new Mamascarf lifestyle shots taken by B72 Imaging's Andy (Vogue photographer extrordinaire) and I am sure that you will agree they are pretty good! These show the lovely new fabrics for the breastfeeding scarves / covers in action.

Thank you so much to Andy and my wonderful models Sarah and baby Noah, who did a great job and of course to the Kitchen Garden Cafe in Kings Heath for letting me use their courtyard (not that anyone else wanted to in early Dec!). Don't worry though, baby was wrapped up very warmly!