Babies

Last week was world breastfeeding week and I was lucky enough to be nursing my beautiful just turned one year old, soon to be toddling, daughter. She is my second nursling, with my first starting an unbreakable nursing strike at just 14 months old. I had planned to go the whole hog, to get to two years and beyond and to allow her to self-wean. Sadly, she had other ideas and despite my best efforts it just didn’t seem to happen for us. Though this took a long time for me to get over, I feel sure that my current nursling is in it for the long haul. So, I’m choosing to focus on the positives!

Several years ago, I went out with a group of female friends for a meal. Most of them were mums; two of us were not. One of the women brought her newborn son, and she breastfed him during our meal. The little guy was quite content and we were quite content to share an evening of food and friendship with this newest arrival. At least I thought we were, until the friend of mine who also wasn’t a mum whispered to me quietly whilst the others were talking; ‘I wish she didn’t do that at the table, don’t you? Not while we’re eating.’

Whether it’s a sudden fear of strangers, crying when you leave the room or being suddenly fearful of pretty much everything, most children experience some form of separation anxiety - particularly toward the end of their first year. Newfound independence can bring uncertainty as your little one explores and tests new limits.

Something is happening that nobody wants to talk about. Pregnant women and their babies are being badly let down, and often endangered, by a service that encourages these women to entrust it with their lives. Far from the overly medicalised, high-intervention hospital births that have come to represent the vast majority of births in the UK; countless women are birthing alone in their homes, abandoned by their midwives.

Human babies (and human adults, dependent upon what you believe) require a high fat diet for optimal neurological development and function. With a saturated fat content of roughly 55%, human breast milk is the perfect food for the growing brain. But, does a mother’s diet determine how fat dense her milk is?

National interest in childbirth has recently become a major phenomenon, with more than 9 million weekly viewings of “Call the Midwife” and 5 million watching “One born every minute”. The national birth rate has reached its highest level since 1971, at 688,120 births in England in 2011 and a further rise in 2012.

Washing your children’s hair is, no doubt, a regular occurrence. Some may even enjoy a daily bath! Regular exposure to the toxic chemicals in most shampoos could prove harmful if used long term, with hormone disrupting chemicals and known carcinogens featuring uncomfortably often. We made the switch to organic products when my eldest child was born in an effort to limit our exposure to unnecessary chemicals and, along the way, we’ve tried a number of kids’ shampoos.

Freebirth, more commonly known as Unassisted Childbirth (or simply, UC), is the medically unassisted birthing of a baby. Though it is relatively rare in the UK, with only a handful of official cases each year, women becoming increasingly disillusioned with the services provided by westernised medical establishments are choosing to birth their babies alone.

Over the years, I’ve sampled countless natural and organic nappy creams for my daughters. There are so many to choose from, it can be hard to know which to go for and what each cream can provide. So, I’ve selected my top 5 natural nappy creams that also have the added benefit of being cloth nappy friendly.

Preparing a ‘tool kit’ for your labour and birth can be a good way to address hopes, fears and dreams before the event. Facing some of the things you are feeling concerned about – feeling out of control, for instance, or painful contractions – enables you to think about what might support you beforehand.