Mamascarf

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2010-03-29T13:47:00.001-07:00

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Mamascarf gets "Mumsnet Best"

2010-03-16T02:15:00.000-07:00

I am very happy to announce that we have been given "Mumsnet Best" status for Mamascarf from Mumsnet members for our breastfeeding / nursing cover. You can see some of the customer reviews at mumsnet.com
Keira x

Practical Baby Gift Guide

2010-02-24T00:46:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-02-23T08:05:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-01-25T06:32:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-19T07:09:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-19T07:04:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-02T05:07:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-12-07T00:35:00.000-08:00

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!

My crazy week on TV

2009-10-22T01:16:00.000-07:00

Hi, it has been a completely weird and surreal week. Last week, I woke up in the night and couldn't sleep and thoughts turned to all things Mamascarf (as they often do) and more specifically the postal strike. That's when I had my PR brainwave and thought that maybe I could use this to my advantage. I spent Monday phoning around everywhere, the first few calls made me realise that yes, people were interested in having a case study of a small business affected by the strike and I kind of gained momentum and went with it. By Tuesday I had done 2 radio interviews and had SKY News coming that afternoon. Central News were booked in for Wednesday and Thursday GMTV were going to do a live broadcast from our house!!

SKY News came and taped an interview (I decided what the hell, I would wear my Mamascarf t shirt and they let me). They got loads of footage including me trying on a Mamascarf and going into the Post Office with a pile of parcels. Of course they didn't use any of this and the bit of interview they did use I managed not to say "Mamascarf" or "breastfeeding scarf" once. Damn! My 2 year old Sam watched on the TV and was mildly amused.

Next up was Central News where they filmed/interviewed both me and Sam. This was shown yesterday twice, lunchtime news and evening. By now Sam thinks it is completely normal to be on TV but does like seeing himself on the big screen.

GMTV arrived this morning at 5.15am for the live broadcast. This was the one I was most nervous about, aside from the live factor this would be reaching more of my target audience. They are really strict about not advertising but the presenter was able to say "Keira runs her breastfeeding scarf business from home" and they homed in on the Mamascarf packaging a few times. They also let me have a mannequin wearing a scarf next to me at the kitchen table (it's always there honest!). It was all great, apart from 5 mins before we went live and I nipped to the loo, and my mic fell off my belt into the toilet. The sound man was not impressed and had a go at me. At that point I was thinking that it was all going to go wrong but the rest of the crew told me to ignore him and the show went on! Sam watched live and was completely unimpressed by now, preferring to sing over it and throw dinosaurs around the room.
Anyway, as quickly as they had arrived they packed up and left, leaving me to get back to reality after my 3 days on TV. x

My first trade show

2009-10-15T11:40:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I exhibited at my first trade show, the BPA Show at Excel in London. It was an absolutely fantastic experience on the Launch Pad, it was great to be launching the new improved Mamascarf there (new softer fabric), new colours and gorgeous new packaging. There was some great feedback from buyers and retailers and I have made some great contacts and had some good orders as a result (both in the UK and internationally).

My mum was there to help me and it felt like a bit of a holiday as we were staying in a lovely apartment on site. We met some wonderful people, it was particularly nice to put faces to names for some of my Twitter friends (Lucy from Sleepytot, Helen from Cuddledry, Helen from Cheeky Wipes, Anna from Molliemoo, Alison from Dribblebusters, Babygenie and Lynda from Easidream) . Everyone was so generous with their advice, information and sharing contacts and I have come away with some great products for baby no 2 (a Sleepytot, Cuddledry apron towel, Sophie the Giraffe and Weeman toilet trainer).

Also an added bonus but there were some breastfeeding mums who tested out Mamascarf on the stand and then placed an order. Always good!

I can't wait to do the next one now! x

I won the PR competition and highly commended for best Start-Up business!

2009-10-03T11:47:00.000-07:00

Had a fantastic day at the Mumpreneur Conference in Birmingham today, putting lots of faces to names I felt like I knew already from Twitter and Mumsclub. Not only was it a bit of a social event, no wine for me though :0( but there were also some great seminars and then the awards.

Mamascarf won the PR competition, scoring over 400 points from TV coverage, radio, newspapers, magazines, blogs and websites! The prizes are the cover of Business Mums journal (pictured), editorial in Prima Baby and on BabyExpert.com as well as a PR consultation with ACPR (among others). I am really, really pleased as have worked hard on my PR over the last 9 months or so. As well as this I got a highly commended in the award category for Best Business Start Up. Congratulations to all of the other award winners! I hope you enjoyed your cakes as much as I did (we won cupcakes too!). I am exhausted but it has been a great day.

Bambino Goodies review

2009-09-16T11:50:00.000-07:00

Bambino Goodies is a lovely site that reviews lovely stuff for mums and little ones. So I am really pleased that Natalie chose to review Mamascarf, used it herself to breastfeed her 5 month old baby Nia and that she really liked it. I believe in my product (well I would wouldn't I?) but I must say, I do always feel a little bit nervous when someone asks/agrees to do an independent review. What if they hate it? What if they write horrible things? They never have (touch wood). Anyway I digress, you can read the review for yourself here. Take a look at the site to.

http://www.bambinogoodies.co.uk/review-mamascarf/

Another celebrity fan, in the paper and a toddler review

2009-08-24T00:39:00.000-07:00

I have been a bit slack on the old blog front but I am back!

My first bit of exciting news is that I have another confirmed celeb fan. I happen to know there are several more too but unfortunately without a quote I can't mention them!! Anyway, Leah Wood (daughter of Rolling Stone Ronnie, actress and model) and mum to Maggie has said "I love my Mamascarf, it's great! I use it virtually all of the time". Thanks Leah, I love you too!!

My other news is that I was featured in the Sun newspaper, in an article following the supposed "expert" claims that the benefits of breastfeeding were overhyped. The link to the article is below. I was asked to comment on my views on public breastfeeding and the support that women receive from health professionals.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/woman/parenting/2549653/Have-the-benefits-of-breast-milk-been-overhyped.html?offset=4

And finally I am delighted to share that Mamascarf received a fantastic independent review for feeding a toddler. Now it is probably no surprise that most of my customers are either pregnant women or women with young babies who are concerned about breastfeeding in public. So when I was contacted by a lovely lady (via Twitter) who wanted to review it on her toddler I was surprised... pleasantly surprised as Natalie and Sophie gave Mamascarf a big thumbs up after giving it a thorough road test. You can see the review on her blog here and there is a picture of her using her breastfeeding cover in a cafe above.

http://soph4soph.blogspot.com/2009/08/mamascarf-toddler-review.html

Birmingham stressful for breastfeeding in public and celebs who breastfeed!

2009-07-16T23:06:00.000-07:00

This one links into my last post, as it has received a huge amount of press in the last week or so. As part of the same survey, it seems that the two "most stressful places to breastfeed" are the West Midlands (where I live, in sunny Birmingham) and the North West (where I am from!!). So was I destined to be someone who was stressed about breastfeeding in public?

Another big thing to come from the research (in my opinion!) was that two thirds of the women surveyed thought that celebrities should be breastfeeding in public to act as positive role models. I completely agree with this and think that it would have a great impact. However, when I think about how I felt breastfeeding in public and imagine if my every move was being snapped to be displayed to the world and his dog, maybe I would stay indoors to. Unless of course I had a Mamascarf! :0) Come to think of it, I don't think I have seen many pictures of celebrities breastfeeding in public. I have just done a search and seen a picture of Billie Piper breastfeeding her baby on a beach. Go Billie!!

It seems that most celebrity mums are breastfeeding, some are more open about it than others. Various celebs have been used to front breastfeeding camapigns, Charlotte Church and Jenny Frost are two that spring to mind. Obviously we know Melanie C is breastfeeding, Holly Willoughby and Tess Daly too. I'm wondering whether Coleen will be breastfeeding. I noticed that she has said she is going to all of her ante natal appointments at an NHS hospital. Proving she is just like us ....!

Two mothers in three 'fear stares if they breastfeed'

2009-07-06T07:29:00.000-07:00

The Independent newspaper ran a story yesterday reporting that some mums are so nervous about breastfeeding in public that they prefer to use formula. The survey results from Mother & Baby magazine indicated that nearly two in three mothers believe the UK is "not breastfeeding-friendly", prompting concerns from nursing mums that they would struggle to breastfeed while out and about.

Apparently the next issue of Mother & Baby magazine will feature a breastfeeding mum on the cover, a first in this country. Well if its good enough for Angelina Jolie! You can read the article in full here http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/two-mothers-in-three-fear-stares-if-they-breastfeed-1732181.html

Mamascarf in the news

2009-06-30T02:55:00.001-07:00

Mamascarf has been featured in the summer edition of "I'm Pregnant" magazine under best breastfeeding buys. I am really pleased as it is the only breastfeeding cover to be featured. It was also recently in the Birmingham Mail and will be in Wednesday's Liverpool Echo (which is my hometown).

I am currently working on my new packaging and hoping to create something with a retro feel. I have been doing lots of research as I think packaging is so important. How many times have you picked something off the shelf because you liked the packaging? I know I have. A lot of baby and maternity products seem to have really functional packaging but I want something a little bit different, that is going to stand out on the shelf. Fingers crossed it works!

Alternative uses for your Mamascarf!

2009-06-24T04:30:00.000-07:00

On hot days, like today, don't get caught out without a sun shade for your pushchair. Not only is Mamascarf a breastfeeding cover, it can also be used to shade your baby! I always used to find those sun parasols were a nightmare and you had to constantly move them to get the right cover. It's easy keeping baby out of the sun, but not so easy when they are walking. In spite of constantly slathering on the factor 50 on Sam, he actually has a tan. I feel like a bad mother!

My second top tip for your Mamascarf is to use it as a headscarf for yourself, I was working this look in the garden only yesterday. If anyone can think of any other uses, please email them to me at info@mamascarf.co.uk

I wonder if Melanie C will be using hers like this....

NCT Pregnancy and Baby Fair

2009-06-20T11:55:00.000-07:00

Been exhibiting at the NCT Pregnancy and Baby Fair in Stratford today with my wonderful mum who came to help me. It was a good day and saw lots of mums-to-be and mums and babies to spread the word about Mamascarf!

Celebrity breastfeeding mums love Mamascarf!

2009-06-19T09:36:00.000-07:00

I am really excited as I now have a celebrity following(of 2)! I have received a lovely comment from Melanie C (ex Spice Girl) about her Mamascarf (go to the feedback page to see it). Mamascarf is perfect for celebrity mums wanting a bit of privacy for public feeds. I would imagine you would want to be ultra discreet if you were followed around by the press.

As if this was not enough, the same day I had an email from another celeb's agent (not sure if I can say who yet). She had received a Mamascarf at the Baby Show and her agent said she loved it and yes she would like another one in a different colour!! Yay! Now I just need to get them papped using them.

I think it's great that celebrities are open about breastfeeding as they are positive role models and people really do look up to them.

Another one

2009-06-11T02:27:00.000-07:00

This review was posted today http://babyccinoblog.com/ on Babyccino, Kids in the City. I'm really pleased as I love their site as well as the UK, it covers the Netherlands, France and Italy (Amsterdam, Paris and Milan sounds more glam though!).

A great review

2009-06-10T22:57:00.000-07:00

Mamascarf has had a great independent review by a breastfeeding journalist. You can find it here at Family Fun Guide
http://www.familyfunguide.co.uk/news/2009/0609/090609/the-best-breastfeeding-coverups/the-best-breastfeeding-coverups.htm

My first blog!

2009-06-10T11:47:00.000-07:00

Hi
This is my first blog! I'm not really sure what I am doing but I suppose an introduction would be a good start.

My name is Keira O'Mara and I am a 31 year old mum to Sam, a very lively 2 year old. Whilst on maternity leave, I was made redundant, which made me start thinking seriously about an idea for a new product I had had, whilst breastfeeding Sam. I was never particularly comfortable breastfeeding in public, and was always trying to cover up but found that nothing worked. Blankets overheated him, muslin cloths were pulled off or fell off, scarves blocked my view of my baby. In addition to this my arm and back would ache without my support cushions. When I realised that there was nothing available that would solve all of these problems, I started thinking about creating something that would.

Mamascarf was born! There have been ups and downs along the way but about 8 weeks ago I made the big decision to give up my job to focus on Mamascarf and Sam. Things have been going well, highlights being 2 national TV appearances (This Morning and Working Lunch) being featured in 4 national newspapers and feedback from a teenage mum who said she would not have breastfed were it not for Mamascarf (that made me cry) . Lowlights have been nightmares with suppliers and companies illegally copying my product.

If you want to find out more about Mamascarf please go to www.mamascarf.co.uk