Let’s hear it for us midwives!

Today is International Day of the Midwife, a day to take action and to highlight the knowledge and skills of midwives, and the contribution midwives make to the health of their nations. On this day I like to remember all that we do worldwide as skilled health professionals, being ‘with woman’. I decided to list 21 reasons as to why I love being a midwife, I could have listed 100 to be honest. Maybe this blog will encourage more people to consider training as a midwife. Did you know (I didn’t) that almost 10,000 newborns die every day due to largely preventable complications due to pregnancy, childbirth and in the immediate postnatal period. The world needs midwives more than ever.

1. I love seeing the look on a women’s face when she hears her baby’s heart beat for the first time
2. I love giving one to one care
3. I love seeing how strong women can be
4. I love the smell of a new born babies head
5. I love helping women make informed choices
6. I love supporting women when they are at their most vulnerable
7. I love watching women becoming mothers
8. I love seeing men kissing their partner’s during the toughest part of labour
9. I love being empowered by other women
10. I love being amazed at every single birth how incredible the human body is
11. I love giving reassurance to women when they feel worried or scared
12. I love listening and understanding to every woman’s individual need
13. I love giving women and their partners the confidence to be parents
14. I love watching women enjoying the birthing pool during labour
15. I love making the birthing environment calm and peaceful
16. I love learning something new every single day
17. I love it when women prove us midwives wrong
18. I love helping women trust and listen to their bodies
19. I love hearing a birth story
20. I love hearing a woman say ‘I did it’
21. I love being constantly inspired by my fellow midwifery colleagues

But don’t just take my word for it. My other inspiring colleagues also had a few things to say.

Rachel says ‘Seeing how amazingly strong and funny women can be. Oh and drinking a lot of tea. And driving home at dawn after a lovely birth feeling on top of the world!’ 

Zoe adds ‘Making a difference regardless of the circumstances‘.

Nancy says ‘The unpredictability of each day!’

Jenny loves ‘The joy of seeing students become midwives at the end of a course’

Sarah adds ‘To be a part of the most intimate journey in a woman’s life and to be trusted with that journey is such a privilege. To witness the miracle of birth and motherhood is a dream come true. I hope I forever love my job!’

Deborah loves ‘Being privileged to share in the most awesomely intense time of a woman’s life, being reminded how amazing women are on a daily basis,  feeling supported and respected by my wonderful colleagues’

Another Rachel also says ‘Being part of such a special journey… Giving support and encouraging through good times and bad’.

Yvonne adds ‘Tucking a couple up in bed in their own home with their baby. Seeing the strength of women to deal with what is thrown at them when things go far off script. My amazing midwifery colleagues who teach me, inspire me and humble me on an almost daily babies’. Wow that’s some pretty inspiring stuff there from other wonderful midwives out there.

Lets remember midwives all around the world tomorrow and maybe you or someone you know may want to be part of this wonderful profession we are all so passionate about.

www.internationalmidwives.org

www.rcm.org.uk/college/campaigns-events/idm2013/

7 days in Sunny April…..

Last week I returned back to work having had a week off. Ahhh a week off, time spent with my kids, getting through those pesky jobs which linger in the corners of my home, an essential mani/pedi and the joys of no on calls!  Having a week off means you essentially have a weeks worth of births to catch up on, emails and lots of texts from women who often want to change appointments due to work commitments.

 Saturday: I discharged my super star woman who had a beautiful home birth on the day of the Grand National, despite being adamant throughout her pregnancy that she would be in hospital with all the drugs available for her. Fortunately for her, her labour was quick and perfect in every way and her little baby girl was born on the living room floor 3 minutes after the race ended. (more on that in next weeks post). I then received not one but TWO presents, totally spoilt but totally amazing!  

Sunday: I was on labour ward on a beautiful warm Spring day with an induction. The woman and her partner were fab and we kept each other going  with the Times crossword, Haribo Starmix and talked baby names. It was so hot on labour ward I rocked out the no socks and Converse look, luckily I had remembered to shave my legs!

Monday: I immersed my watch in a birthing pool last month, it steamed up and eventually died so decided to treat myself this snazzy Swatch watch, added bonus that its waterproof!  Time is of the essence when you’re a midwife, I just wish I had more of it to share about.

Tuesday: Hello sunshine, hello happy midwife! Nothing quite like a bit of great weather to get you smiling when you wake up! Had a busy day of weighing and checking a new born, helping a couple prepare for the birth of their first baby with their birth plan and booking my newly pregnant women due in November. November feels like so far away on a warm Spring day. Lunch was eaten outside on the garden of the GP surgery where I’m based, alfresco style.

Wednesday: I was on call and back on labour ward with a woman having a long old labour, poor girl was knackered and despite all the our best efforts she was just too tired to push her baby out. I had to get the doctors in to give her a hand and she ended up having a forceps delivery. I felt knackered by 2am so god knows how she felt. I say boo to forceps but she and her baby boy were both doing really well by the morning. Congratulations!

Thursday: The beautiful sunshine continued to warm my skin and having caught up on some sleep, I oiled and tweaked (read my husband) my battered old bike and rode off to do my visits. I use to have a really nice bike but it got nicked so when I finally replaced it I decided the more rusty and old looking the less likely it would be nicked again, so far so good! The perfect day was blessed with a perfect home water birth, and as I rode off home to see my girls I thought ‘I have the best job in the world’.

Friday: Day off! Which is such a blessing, caught up with a friend whilst our little ones threw themselves about at the soft play and had an evening out with my husband and friends in a great  local pub. My mind was totally switched off from work until I walked home and spotted the full moon. A full moon to midwives means only one thing, lots of births! I had a peak at my emails when I got home and lets just say the moon is often right!

Saturday: I spent the day with my wonderful little family at the South Bank, eating yummy noodles, watching the boats pass by and getting soaked in a freak shower. Oh and I couldn’t help but check my emails again, 2 more births, that pesky full moon kept my colleagues busy!

I hope you all enjoyed the beautiful weather, what did everyone else get up to?

1 in 5

Here are some hilarious and quite worrying statistics taken from a US poll published in the Huffington Post this week.

1 in 5 people believe witches are real

1 in 5 people do not use the internet

1 in 5 people urinate in the pool

1 in 5 people can’t identify the US on a map

Pretty funny really, but what about that 1 in 5 pregnancies end in a miscarriage before 12 weeks? Not really so funny. I have never been so unfortunate to have had a miscarriage. When I was pregnant with my second baby, I spotted from 5 weeks up until 10 weeks. It was really horrible, some days it was just a small amount of brown spotting but some days it was fresh blood. My husband and I had to just carry on, I went to work with the knowledge that I could indeed be miscarrying the pregnancy but there wan’t much I could do. I did have the benefit of being able to pop into the Early Pregnancy Clinic where a Consultant scanned me every week. But even this didn’t put my mind at rest, I saw a tiny flicker of a heart beat and the small baked bean growing but the bleeding continued. Finally by my 12 week scan everything looked normal and I could just about relax (despite throwing up every evening.)

As a case loading midwife, I book all my women at home before they reach their 12th week of pregnancy (ideally by 10) following the NICE guidelines and ensuring they receive the correct information surrounding antenatal screening.  I love this first meeting with my women, hopefully meeting their partner and children if this isn’t their first baby, building the relationship that will continue throughout the pregnancy and postnatal period.  We have a cup of tea and chat through the necessities whilst also getting to know each other. Their 12 week scan is booked and I leave saying ‘good luck with the scan, let me know if there any problems’, and plan to see them by 18 weeks.

Last week I received a text from one of my women, her scan hadn’t gone well and the sonographer told them the devastating news that she had had a ‘missed miscarriage’.

A missed miscarriage or a silent miscarriage is when the embryo stops developing but the pregnancy can still continue. Or it may be that an embryo started to grow, but failed to progress. It’s called a missed miscarriage because you won’t realise that anything has gone wrong. You may not have had any of the usual signs of miscarriage, such as pain or bleeding. Your body may still be giving you signals that you are pregnant, though if your hormone levels are falling, those signs may lessen slightly. Your breasts may feel less tender, or you may find your pregnancy sickness has stopped sooner than expected.

I felt really shocked and saddened for my woman and her partner. Even though I had just met them a few weeks before, I felt like we had been friends for a long time I was really looking forward to being their midwife.  I offered my love and support but they felt that they would cope together in their own way and would contact me if they became pregnant again. Before becoming a case loading midwife I underestimated the ’1 in 5′ statistic. When I worked on labour ward all I would know about their history was a small printed column in their pregnancy notes saying ‘miscarriage’. It was never really appropriate to mention it especially as they would be in labour and I didn’t always think it was relevant to this pregnancy.

A have a few friends who have had miscarriages but gone on to have healthy pregnancies. Who knows if my friends ever think about the tiny little beans that didn’t develop or make it for one reason or another. All I know is I will never take those booking appointments for granted and hope I get to see my women all the way through their pregnancies and meet their perfect baby.

For more information and support on miscarriage please visit The Miscarriage Association’s website

www.miscarriageassociation.org.uk

I’d just like to thank…….

Oof, bit slow on this one but I have been nominated for a little award! The Liebster award is a really great idea where bloggers nominate  other smalls blogs which they like or are inspired by in one way or another. The lovely Charlotte and Lil over at I’m Only Saying What You’re Thinking   nominated me last month and due to the crazy amount of babies being either conceived or being born, my blog has been a  little abandoned. Sorry blog.

“The Liebster Award is for bloggers with under 300 followers and the rules of the award is that the nominee must link back to whoever awarded them, write 11 random facts about themselves, answer the 11 questions from the award giver, and then nominate another 11 bloggers and make up 11 questions for them to answer. It’s a great way for new and undiscovered bloggers to meet new people, get more followers and find some blogs that they want to follow.”

1. What’s your favourite thing to do when you have time alone?

It sounds really shallow, but having a mani/pedi is a little luxury I treat myself once a month in my local nail bar. Even on a wet rainy day I love going in, admiring the rainbow of little glass bottles of varnishes. Just an hour is all I need to clear my head whilst my hand and feet are rubbed, massaged and painted. My colour choice always depends on my mood, yesterday I went for ‘Cajun Shrimp’ bright enough to get me in the mood for Summer. (Summer, where are you?)

2. If you could move to any place in the world, where would it be?

London where I live! I couldn’t leave all my family and friends despite the crap weather I still think it’s the best city in the world.

3. What item will you be coveting for the new season?

A classic mac. I’ve never owned one and every Spring I think I must invest in one, they look so sleek and stylish and never date.

4. What’s your favourite season?

Summer for sure, the days are lighter and warmer, I love being in the park  past 6pm having picnics with friends whilst the girls play for hours, the smell of Summer and fresh air on their sun kissed skin is heavenly. The sun really is the source of all happiness.

5. Drink of choice?

Red wine, and G&T’s.

6. A childhood memory?

Christmas day aged 6 getting a doll house, it had working lights I can’t wait to pass it on to my girls.

7. Tea or coffee?

Tea.

8. What’s your favourite dish to cook?

Any curry, Thai, Sri Lankan or Indian I just love all the spices and flavours that ooze through the kitchen.

9. Favourite TV programme?

Girls.

10. Celeb crush?

Ryan Gosling obvs but there’s something about Harry Styles I just can’t not stare into them (did I just admit that?)

11. What 5 people (dead or alive) would you invite to a dinner party?

Harry Styles (just to stare at)

Cherry Healey (for style tips)

Mary Berry (she’d bring desert, obvs)

My bff Ruth and her bff Polly cos together they are hilarious!

Right I nominate

When the baby sleeps

Baby changed me

Mothers ruined

Crumbs

Pass the gin

And my questions are

1. What did you have for breakfast today?

2. First album bought?

3. Roses or Peonies?

4. What inspired your child’s name?

5. Favourite item of clothing?

6. Vogue or Elle?

7. Favourite blog?

8. Best thing about being a Mama

9. And the worst?

10. What do you remember about your midwife?

11. Best tip for a clueless Mama to be?

Home Delivery

Girl Thursday

Excuse my slight europhic tone in this post, but I am on a bit of a high, a natural one before any of you call Social Services!

Yesterday I was doing what I love most, supporting a woman in labour and helping her achieve the birth she wanted, a beautiful water birth at home. It was also extra special as she is a friend of mine and our fairly new friendship has now bonded us so tightly since I became her midwife. This was her second baby and second home birth and I am so privileged to work in a small team of NHS midwives who can support and facilitate this type of care to a group of women of South East London. We provide one-to-one care for these women, throughout their pregnancy, birth and postnatal period. Did you know that you are entitled to 28 days of midwifery care once you have had your baby? How many of you can honestly say you saw your midwife past day 14? I discharged a woman of mine who was day 23 last week. Why? Because she really needed all that extra breastfeeding help having struggled so much at the beginning. I know she would have given up feeding if she didn’t have the right support but she is now a confident breastfeeding Mama! And I’m so proud that I was part of all of that.

It seems something was in the waters (!) yesterday as ITV showed the documentary ‘Home Delivery‘ following independent midwife Virginia Howes as she assisted with the births of three babies, all of them in the home. Having spent the day at a home birth you would have thought I would be ‘all birthed out’ but this documentary fascinated me. Not only did it finally put an end to all the highly charged, dramatic, medicalised births shown on Channel 4′s One Born Every Minute, it showed viewers how birth should be; evidence based, women centred and well supported by a midwife the women know. Mr Cameron’s infamous ‘Gold Standard Care’.

Now of course choosing an independent midwife comes at as cost, a hefty one at around £2750 which is more than most peoples monthly salary. But women are choosing to pay this as case loading midwifery isn’t available in all areas on the UK. And some midwives are choosing to become independent midwives due to the frustrations in the UK’s midwifery services to women, and the choices they have.

I feel very privileged to be working in a way I truly believe in, to care for women the way they deserve (even when the pager goes off at 3am) and I support all midwives, NHS employed and independent. Lets hope programmes like Home Delivery might make people wonder why more women don’t give birth at home.

Don’t forget to check out the fabulous work the people at The Birth I Want are doing to campaign for one-to-one midwifery care for all women.

Push It Real Good

I bet Beyonce did’t have to put up with a mouldy bathroom

At around 8 months pregnant after returning from a glorious holiday in Italy, I screamed whilst bathing my 3 year old.  Not because I had seen a humongous spider or my favourite Kiehls Musk shower gel had been emptied into the bath by my 3 year old, nope it was the hideous bathroom I was facing.  You see we had just stayed in the most beautiful hotel in Italy with the most beautiful en suite bathroom and I was now home faced with mould, unspeakable lighting fixtures and generally a bathroom I could not longer live with.  My wonderful husband reluctantly gave it a new lease of life and his now 8 and a half month pregnant wife was once again happy.  He declared it my baby present or push present and I was extremely grateful for his DIY skills.  I could now bathe in a glorious haven and feel like Cleopatra, kind of.

(A month later post birth, my body looked unrecognisable and the last thing I wanted to do was lie in a bath and be faced with wobbly bits.  Showers were the only way forward and my push present didn’t seem quite so appropriate.  But my husband stuck to his guns and said that was my gift so stop moaning, gutted.)

A ‘push present or ‘push gift’ is a term that has developed from America, well let’s face it they love giving something a special name, y’all. The partner gives the present to the mother to mark the occasion of her giving birth to their child.  In practice the present may be given before or after the birth, or even in the delivery room.  But word on the labour ward is that a bunch of roses aint going cut the mustard and us pregnant ladies expect more for giving up alcohol for 9 months.  Here are some stories from fellow Mamas out there.

Rachel from Whenthebabysleeps says “My push present? Well, the day after I had my son I was brought a deliciously strong cappuccino from the hospital cafe ‘to hurry along the poo’ so we could go home. The coffee was delicious, and it worked. The *real* push present came a few days later when my husband handed me a voucher for a massage at a local salon. My response was something like this: “Nobody’s ever touching me ever again, but thanks anyway.”

Alice from MoreThanToast and MAMAUk tells me “When I had my last baby my husband bought me a beautiful tunic top from my friend’s boutique, popthefashionstore She kindly knocked a bit of the price down for him but because he was in such a rush to get to hospital to see me and the new baby he got a parking ticket for stopping on double yellows. So now my lovely push present is one of the most expensive tops I own!”

Gill from ABabyOnBoard had a more traditional present, ”My husband really wanted me to have a post-baby birth present (and as he bought himself a new TV when we found out I was pregnant, claiming “it’s the last non-child thing I’ll be able to buy!” it seemed only fair that I had something for actually having the baby!) We both wanted it to be something that was meaningful and symbolic, so after lots of discussion he’s having a ring made for me with three diamonds scattered around the band, one for each member of our little family”.

Has anyone else got an push present story they want to share?  ’I got a take away cous cous salad from the hospital canteen’ is one wonderful story I have heard, men really have no imagination when left to their own devices.

And with that I leave you with this, go push it, push it real good Mamas you deserve it.

Could Men Really Handle It?

Typical man comment

Watching my husband suffer with an impacted wisdom tooth this week has really got me thinking.  He didn’t cry out in pain as one would expect, but became very quiet  over the course of an evening, hardly ate the meal I prepared for him (unheard of) and eventually said ‘I think I’m dying’.  Of course my initial reaction was to call 999 but he began to explain the severity of his pain, stating that ‘if he had a gun he should shoot himself’ and ‘where on earth is the number for his dentist?’  The irony is, that he hasn’t even got a dentist and he vaguely remembers still being registered at his childhood dentist back in North Somerset, not helpful.

He then said that childbirth was a breeze, and men could handle it without any drugs.  A breeze huh! Try saying that when you’re trying to shove a something to size of a watermelon out of something the size of an orange with a bit of gas and air and a feeble back rub from your other half.  Or as my friend described it ‘as simultaneously shoving four rolling pins up your arse and vag for eight hours straight.  I could go on……

Luckily for my husband , some rather crazy Dutch guys decided they could also handle the pain of childbirth and proved it by filming an experiment called ‘Guinea Pigs’.  Storm and Zeno reveal why they took on this particular challenge, explaining that giving birth is the worst pain there is.  However, since men can’t feel labour pains, the two men used electro-stimulations to simulate contractions so they could experience the distress for themselves.

“Do you think the pain will make us scream,” Zeno asks before the shocks begin.

One of the midwives responds bluntly: “Yes, it definitely will.”

She wasn’t lying.

Propped on a bed with electrodes attached to their abdomens, Storm and Zeno last through two hours of the simulated contractions. Though they try to laugh through the pain, the men appear to be in complete misery as they double over and clutch pillows tightly and eventually reaching for the gas and air.

Haha in your face HUSBAND!  Its really funny viewing, enjoy.

How would you explain to your other half how your labour felt?

 

Bumpology

You know when you’re pregnant and you suddenly have that overwhelming urge to understand all the changes that are happening to your body?  You Google ‘how big is my baby at 18 weeks’ and ‘can I eat sushi’.  Well Linda Geddes realised that that wasn’t enough for her, so pregnant with her second baby she decided to research more of these questions and the results were fascinating   So much so that she decided to write a book all about it Bumpology, AND manage to finish it in between feeding new born Max!  Impressive stuff, well that’s Linda for you.

Linda, with Tilly and Max

1. So Linda could my baby really taste the chicken madras I ate to get myself into labour when I went 5 days over due?

Yes, or certainly some elements of it, like the garlic.  Flavours can get into the amniotic fluid, just as they can get into breast milk, and developing babies are constantly gulping and breathing in this fluid meaning it passes smell and taste receptors in the nose and mouth.  There’s even some evidence that the flavours babies experience in the womb may shape their preferences once they’re born: babies whose mums drank lots of carrot juice during pregnancy or while breastfeeding seemed particularly partial to carrots once solid foods were introduced into their diet.

2. And what is the best way to kick start labour if your due date comes and goes?

You may have heard rumours that sex, pineapple or curry can trigger labour, but there’s little evidence to back this up. However, castor oil, which irritates the bowels, can help kick-start labour, and it’s possible that a spicy curry could have a similar effect.  Do you really want to be experiencing diarrhoea when you’re in labour though?  Probably not.  Nipple tweaking on the other hand, can be quite effective at getting those contractions going, although you may have to persist for several hours.

3. We have 2 daughters and my husband would love a boy, is it likely we’d have another girl?  Should he kiss bye bye to his mini rugby player?

Is your husband a high-earner, or does he have a traditionally masculine career?  If so, his odds of having a boy are slightly increased.  However, if you are an attractive couple; if you (the woman) have a high stress job; or if you are an older woman, then you are ever-so-slightly more likely to have girls.  None of these factors is a guarantee though – they just tweak the odds by a few percent.  Maybe your husband should start teaching the girls to do rugby tackles!

4. As a midwife. women ask me all the time ‘Can I drink alcohol in pregnancy’ I have to admit I find all the new Government research rather conflicting and my advice is no more clear. 

It is confusing. The honest answer is that scientists simply don’t know if there is a “safe” amount of alcohol that women can get away with drinking, hence the advice to drink nothing at all. Certainly lots or even moderate amounts of alcohol are harmful. For example, a glass of wine a day increases your baby’s risk of being born underweight, which opens them up to additional health risks as they get older. But there is a grey zone between one and probably eight units of alcohol per week, where any evidence for harm is contradicted by other studies finding no harm. If you do decide to follow the advice of one or two units once or twice a week, make sure you know what a unit is, and try to space your drinks out.

5. Bumpology was written because you wanted more scientific answers to a lot of the waffle midwives, doctors and NCT teachers told you.  What would be the most overwhelming evidence you found from writing the book that you would like to share?

I do think that some of the risks associated with medical interventions during labour are over-hyped.  The problem is that women are often told that, say, an epidural will increase their risk of having an instrumental delivery, but they’re not told what that actually means.  In this case, twenty women would need an epidural for there to be one extra instrumental delivery – and this could be because if you’re anaesthetised, doctors are more willing to get the forceps out rather than give you additional time to push.  At the same time, women are told that, say, a water birth will decrease their risk of tearing.  But actually, when it comes to the really serious tears that can cause long-term problems, there is no difference between water births and those on dry land.  I think that better explaining risk could have a big influence on women’s choices during labour, and make them less afraid of doctors getting involved.

6. If you were running your own ‘Bumpology pregnancy classes’ what 3 top tips would you give other clueless pregnant women to help then make the right informed decisions?

• You have no idea what your labour will be like, so try to keep an open mind about your options for pain relief and the type of birth you will end up having.  The most important thing is that you and the baby are safe and healthy. We have to dispel this myth of the perfect birth.
• Tearing is very common during a vaginal birth, but it’s not as bad as it sounds.  The most important thing is to keep the wound clean, and watch for any signs of infection.  If you suspect a problem, insist on being examined by a doctor.  Also, constipation can be a serious problem after birth, so drink lots and lots of water.
• Although it is the most natural thing in the world, breastfeeding (for the first few weeks at least) is tough.  Your nipples will crack, your breasts will swell up like painful boulders, and both you and your baby may take a while to get to grips with it.  Accept all offers of help and support, and know that it does get easier.  Nipple shields can provide some respite from cracked nipples and help women to carry on breastfeeding when they may otherwise give up.

Linda Geddes is not afraid to ask anyone about anything! From the stream of contradictory advice to pregnant women and new parents to those little moments of wonder, Geddes digs into all of them, looking for the evidence and exploring the science. In this book she shares what she’s found, with the straightforward answers and easy-going humour that is so welcome in early parenthood. Don’t get pregnant without it! (Tracey Brown, Sense About Science )

So ladies if that little taster isn’t enough for you, Bumpology is available to buy here from Amazon and read Linda’s brilliant blog here.

Baby Wearing

When I was pregnant with my first daughter, I was determined to try and use a sling as much as possible.  We lived in a small flat and the cumbersome 3in1 buggy we had been bought was so huge it had to be stored in the boot of the car.  I tired many different slings, but never quite got the hang of them.  Either my back or shoulders began to ache or my baby would just wriggle so much it became a bit of a hassle.  I even went to a local sling group where I met other new Mum’s and tried out different slings but the same issues kept happening so I just settled on using the pram.  When I was pregnant with my second daughter I decided to give slings another try.  I was disappointed that in 3 and a half the sling market hadn’t really improved and the one sling everyone seemed to still recommend was the Baby Bjorn.  I used my Close Sling which did seem to help soothe my fractious baby in the early evenings but I never managed to breastfeed her in, and only carried her until she was 12 weeks old.

A good friend of mine and colleague Kate Thorman was one step ahead of the game, and was also really disappointed with what was available on the market so started making her own slings when her daughter was born. And just like that  Oysterbaby was born.  Here’s Kate’s story.

Kate and baby Indi

1.  Why did you decide to start Oysterbaby?

As a practising midwife I am well-educated in the benefits of kangaroo care and baby wearing. When I had my daughter I wanted her to benefit from being carried in a sling, as well as the practical benefits for me. I tried so many but I couldn’t get on with them, they were either uncomfortable for me, or unsupported for her.  I also found them bulky, hot and ugly. Determined to enjoy carrying her I decided to make my own!  I imported Bamboo fabric as I knew the natural characteristics it had would be perfect for a sling, and I got sewing and Oysterbaby grew from that…. people started stopping me everywhere giving me wonderful compliments on my beautiful sling and asking me where I bought it from!  I started making them for friends who all loved them and then I started selling them! The feedback is just brilliant, for both comfort and style everyone loves them

I hope Oysterbaby will encourage all Mums to wear their babies, to feel gorgeous, and enjoy their calmer, happier babies.

2.  And why the name Oysterbaby?

I live in Brighton and spend a lot of my time walking along the beach, so a seaside theme was an obvious choice. An oyster makes me think of a beautiful peal which is safely protected by its shell and to me this is just like a baby in a sling! So Oysterbaby seemed like a perfect name.

3.  How has your interest in travelling in Africa inspires this?

I worked in East and West Africa as a midwife and observed very vulnerable babies born into very tough living environments. These babies were strapped to their mothers in a sling and survived against all odds! This made me research into the benefits of kangaroo care and baby wearing… Being close to their mothers they were able to thrive and grow into healthy independent children. I was inspired to develop a sling that could be adapted to the western culture but which promote the same health and emotional benefits.

4.  What are the benefits of baby wearing?

Keeping your baby close to you regulates your baby’s heart rate, breathing, and temperature. It promotes breastfeeding and weight gain. Evidence shows improvement in reflux, colic and other discomfort caused by digestive problems such as wind. Oysterbaby allows you to be completely hands free with the reassurance that your baby is safe and secure next to you.  Studies show babies cry less, sleep more and show faster cognitive development when compared to babies who are not carried in a sling.

5.  How did it help you when you became a mother to Indi?

I carried her in my Oysterbaby from a tiny new-born, she is 15 months now and I still carry her everyday, she loves it. It has given me so much freedom, We travelled to Africa when she was 4 months old, and we are about to travel to Sri Lanka, we could not dream of having these adventures without an Oysterbaby!

When she was tiny and it was hard to get her to sleep, and hard to get anything done, my Oysterbaby was a life savour! she would always sleep so well in the sling and because the fabric is so lightweight and breathable I could wear it around the house to do all the boring chores knowing that she was cosy and safe next to me.

I love being hands free as well, it gives me so much freedom! and I don’t have to battle with a bulky buggy when I go shopping and I can still go for my walks along the beach.

She is so content and calm when she is in the Oysterbaby and what’s more breastfeeding discreetly was easy in the sling!

I could go on and on…….

6.  There are so many other slings out there, how is Oysterbaby different?

Although other wrap carriers are similar in design, the main difference is the material. Most wrap carriers are made of cotton, either with or without elastane.  Oysterbaby is made from 100% bamboo fabric, which is much more breathable, and softer than regular cotton wrap carriers, making it more comfortable for you and for baby. Other advantages of bamboo are that
- it is naturally antibacterial, whereas bacteria readily grow in cotton
- it is hypo-allergenic - it has a natural UV filter. It is also one of the most sustainable fabrics available.

Unlike other slings, Oysterbaby is chiropractic endorsed ensuring spinal health for both you and your baby Oysterbaby carries your baby ergonomically – which helps promote correct hip development and doesn’t put pressure on your baby’s spine or pelvis.

The sling distributes your baby’s weight evenly over both shoulders and entire torso, making your baby feel feather light and does not cause any shoulder or back discomfort. In contrast to other baby carriers that have thin straps that dig into the shoulders.

Just a few of the many ways to carry your baby

Unlike other slings, It is also possible to comfortably and discretely breastfeed your newborn baby in an Oysterbaby!

7.  What inspires the designs?

I make all the slings with a reversible design so parents can wear it to match their wardrobe and mood!  I design the slings with the weather in mind so the colours and patterns change with the new seasons!  I would say nature is my biggest influence on my designs!

8.  How safe are the slings? And are they hard to tie?

Oysterbaby is completely safe to use, all slings are provided with a clear illustrated manual showing you how to safely carry your baby. Your baby is carried securely next you, with no danger of any buckles or straps breaking!

It’s really easy to tie as well, if its your first time using it, it may take a couple of practices but it soon becomes second nature to tie it. It’s a bit like learning to tie a shoe lace!

We have a gorgeous Oysterbaby sling to give away to one lucky reader! All you have to do to enter is ‘like’ and ‘share’ the Oysterbaby Facebook Page with someone you think would like it, post it on the wall and we will pick from random a winner!  And it’s as easy as that, good luck!

www.facebook.com/oysterbabyuk

www.twitter.com/oysterbabyuk

Does the NCT tell women the truth?

This post was written by a fantastic Mum and blogger Rachel at whenthebabysleeps who says exactly what most of us want to say but maybe don’t have to balls or skills to say it.  Think of a younger Caitlin Moran (actually I think Rachel is funnier).  I wanted to hear a woman’s experience of the NCT and how maybe women like her, Kirtsy Allsop, Linda Geddes (and according to twitter) thousands of other women have started to question their teachings.  Does the NCT really tell women the truth?

I have many thoughts on the NCT. So does Linda Geddes, author of new myth bashing pregnancy book Bumpology. Geddes recently wrote this blog piece asking whether the NCT tell women the truth about birth, after some bright spark at the Today program paired her up with someone from the NCT to talk ‘truth vs myth’. The piece is worth a read (and the interview a listen) but to over-simplify her point here and now, Geddes calls them on the fact that many of their courses give information that is not always evidence based or is confusing for participants. That their strict emphasis on natural birth and breastfeeding can lead to course participants feeling they ‘failed’ at childbirth, or making ill informed decisions that may not have a good outcome.

After Geddes piece went online, Kirsty Allsop RT’d it on Twitter and a bit of a shit storm kicked off, the likes of which got pretty dirty. It led to a pointless ‘somebody expressed an opinion and somebody else didn’t like it’ piece on the Daily Mail website, of course. But I hope it doesn’t end there. Because Linda is asking good questions about the NCT, and it will be a shame if it ends in merely a Twitter spat.

Geddes claim that there is a disconnect between some NCT tutor’s advice and the actual evidence is part of a bigger disconnect between the NCTs own image of its self and the reality. Its perception of itself seems to be as a charity ‘supporting all parents’. I’d beg to differ on that based on my experience alone. How can it support ‘all parents’ when it focuses with such commitment to its natural birth brief, and bias towards certain parenting styles? While we are lucky the NCT exist and I have no doubt it is supportive to many, it’s claim to be ‘for all’ is laughable.

Its website resources are very obviously biased towards water births and breastfeeding. Try and find any information on bottlefeeding safety, choosing a formula or the challenges of feeding with a bottle and you will come away empty handed. Now this would be fine if the NCT were the La Leche League, but it’s not. If the NCT described itself as a charity designed to support mums have a natural birth and succeed with breastfeeding then I’d have much less of a problem. They’d still need to offer more on the alternatives but at least the brief would be closer to the truth.

Beyond the politics of birth and breastfeeding, I’d also like to know what they do to reach out to ‘all parents’ and not just the ones who have £150 to do the course. Have you ever seen an NCT poster in a health centre waiting room? Or met an NCT volunteer at a Sure Start centre looking to help out new mums? I’m not saying those things don’t happen (maybe they do outside of London) but their focus on course running, flogging you baby gear at inflated prices and making labour look like a fucking surprise party with free rum punch doesn’t really jive with their ‘all parents’ motto.

This whole debate led me to extreme measures: I agreed with Kirsty Allsopp. Shocking, I know. Why? She said that they are dogmatic, and that this alienates parents and leaves them disillusioned. Too right they’re dogmatic, and it’s this that stops them from helping new parents connect with their experience of childbirth and early parenting, which is a huge shame. So, NCT over to you… perhaps its time to make some new years resolutions?

Picture under Creative Commons License and taken by Matt Preston and on Flickr