Babies

Unsure how many nappies you'll need to get started, or whether they'll really be right for you? Don't know whether you'll really be able to save money by choosing cloth over disposables? Check out these Frequently Asked Questions and the answers to all your nappy based queries.

Katie at Wellness Mama shares her favourite recipe for creating your own calendula nappy cream, proven to soothe sore skin. It can even be used effectively on rashes or for healing postpartum.

The perineum is the delicate piece of skin found, on a woman (though men have a perineum as well), between the vagina and anus. It is an important part of a woman’s anatomy because it connects with the pelvic floor muscles – two broad flat muscles that create a hammock-like support to the pelvic organs. It is also an area that women often become painfully aware of after giving birth, with an estimated 85% experiencing some degree of perineal tear.

Before we had our first child I thought it would be an interesting experiment to see if we could go without buying anything new. What we hadn’t anticipated is how keen grandparents would be to lavish our son with everything he could need and much else besides. Though we were deeply grateful for their generosity it did mean our nothing new idea went out the window somewhat! But I was curious even before we had children by the notion babies ‘needed’ so much stuff. SO much stuff! Buggies and baby monitors and special baths and bedding and beds. The list goes on and on.

Barefoot babies and children are at a distinct developmental advantage over their harder-sole wearing peers. From foot development to overall posture and spine development, the benefits of going barefoot are important and have long term implications. However, going completely barefoot isn’t always possible or even desirable. Delicate little toes padding through the ice and snow is not a welcome thought for most parents. So, for most the solution lies in barefoot shoes. But which are best, which are right for you and what can the many brand available offer? Choosing can be tricky, so we’ve put together a list of our top 5 to make it that little bit easier.

There’s every chance that a woman or man you know well has experienced infertility. Perhaps you or your partner has. Though it is still a taboo subject, 1 in 6 couples in the UK experience difficulties conceiving – that’s about 3.5m people. There are many factors cited; more stress, toxic lifestyles, families planned later in life. Many of these factors point the finger of blame at the hopeful couple, adding to the stress and guilt at an emotional time. There are also the well-meaning but frustrating comments from people such as ‘just relax’, or the endless stories of someone they know who got pregnant when she went on holiday/gave up her job/stopped eating wheat/filled in adoption forms/delete as appropriate.

Whether you’re an expectant mother or a full term breastfeeder, nursing bras may represent an important part of your wardrobe. It is important to take care of your breasts during pregnancy with soft and comfortable maternity bras and it is equally important to continue that care with supportive, correctly fitting nursing bras. An ill-fitting bra can cause painful blockages which can lead to mastitis. The difficulty is in deciding which is the correct nursing bra for you. Often they are expensive, so trial and error isn’t always an option. We’ve trialled a wide selection to bring you the top 5 nursing bras on the market today, to make your decision making a little easier.

When my second child was born, just under 14 months ago, I went through many months of misery as a result of an abandoned homebirth. I was left, alone, without the help of my midwives who had declared me not in true labour a few hours earlier and who were unable to return in time due to “staff handover”. In the end, a shaky paramedic looked on as I birthed my daughter myself on the dining room floor. Even now, it can be painful looking back. As a supporter of homebirth and freebirth, I feel strongly that being abandoned in transition contributed to my birth trauma, months of anger and anxiety and a lingering feeling of failure.

This is a really difficult subject to write about. I’m no Kathryn Blundell, so you won’t find general vitriol and made up stories about crazed breastfeeders here. In fact, I have breastfed both of my children and am still feeding my youngest at 13 months with no intention of stopping before she’s ready. So, it would probably surprise a lot of people to know that I really don’t like it and am sort of looking forward to the day my little one weans… I can’t pretend that we’ve had a rough ride.

Within Derby maternity services, when a woman has her 'booking in' appointment she will receive NHS information about birth options. These A4 brochures come under the umbrella title, 'Information for Women' and include a variety of topics. The four page booklet, 'Listening to your Baby's Heartbeat in Labour' is intended to offer guidance regarding different types of fetal monitoring throughout labour and birth. Immediately, what is striking about this information is it makes the assumption that all women need regular monitoring throughout labour and this is not presented as an optional procedure.