Page 2 - Pregnancy & Birth
Pregnancy & Birth
Expert Tips for Parents
February 04, 2022
New Survey From Baby Carrier Specialist Wear My Baby
57% of new parents experiencing mental health issues in their first year
89% of parents surveyed said that using a baby carrier had a positive impact on their mental health
New parents are experiencing soaring mental health issues, according to a new survey from Wear My Baby.
“We all know how challenging that first year of parenthood can be,” says Hannah Wallace, owner of baby carrier specialist Wear My Baby. “But in the last 2 years we’ve seen a huge increase in parents really struggling with anxiety, depression, and PTSD.
Many mums had to give birth without their partners during the pandemic, and a huge proportion have been cut off from emotional and practical support during lockdowns. “
“It is no wonder that we have suffered so badly, having to fend for ourselves at a time where we need reassurance and care,” agrees Tessa van der Vord, a Specialist Mental Health Midwife based in south west London. “It’s lonely, isolating and uncertain.
Pregnancy & Birth
Motherhood
October 15, 2021
Naytal is the UK’s first online clinic dedicated to pregnant and postnatal women
We are delighted to announce our partnership with Naytal, helping our pregnant and postnatal mamas get access to the support they need, when they need it most.
Naytal offers instant, online access to women’s health experts from the comfort of your own home. Their team includes the UK’s leading midwives, breastfeeding consultants, women’s health physios and perinatal psychologists. Whether you are looking for a quick response to a question, advice about a specific issue or need ongoing support, their team of health experts are always on hand for you.
Naytal was founded by two women who have been there themselves and developed Naytal based on first hand experience.
Naytal offers:
Midwife Consultations: Naytal’s NHS trained, private midwives provide advice, ongoing support and reassurance. They’re on hand to answer any questions about pregnancy, labour or postnatal recovery
Breastfeeding Support
Pregnancy & Birth
Expert Tips for Parents
September 11, 2021
A First Time Dad's Top Tips for Surviving the First Week with your New Baby
The first week of being a new parent can be extremely daunting for everyone, including dads and partners so we caught up with a new dad to ask his tops tips for surviving (and thriving!) in those early days.
Do your research but prepare to be surprised
There are so many books, blogs, videos and general advice out there for parents on what to expect that preparing for the arrival of your newborn can be disconcerting and make you feel that you are never going to read/watch/hear enough and that you can't ever be ready. From my personal experience this preparation is vital to gain an understanding and support the birthing person (mum in our case!) who has a lot on her mind for the impending arrival but the biggest takeaway I took from this ‘research’ is that every birth, baby and situation is different. Any plans or ideas you have about the first week are likely to be thrown out when the newborn arrives with
Pregnancy & Birth
Expert Tips for Parents
Motherhood
July 08, 2021
How to deal with your fears about birth – and why it's so essential that you do
We have a brilliant guest blog for you today from birth coach Rachel Quickenden. Rachel is a mum of two little boys and lives in Kent. She is a birth coach, teaching hypnobirthing and antenatal courses and supporting expectant couples all the way up to birth. She discovered hypnobirthing after the birth of her first son - and it blew her mind!
She started learning about it after there were a few aspects of her own birth experience that didn't sit right with her, and she was also impacted by all the negative birth stories that she heard at baby groups.
She passionately believes that with the right preparation, any birth - however it looks - can be a positive experience. She also believes that hypnobirthing can be fuss-free, modern and practical.
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Remember the last nightmare that you had? How did you feel when you woke up?
Sweaty? Tense? Heart racing? Panting?
That nightmare wasn't real.
Pregnancy & Birth
Expert Tips for Parents
Motherhood
May 18, 2020
Expert Advice of the Month:
Baby’s first layette: What do you really need when you become a parent?
Bed? Dummy? Bathtub? Pram? Nappies? When a new member joins the family, the thoughts of the expectant parents revolve around one question: What do we have to do so we are ready for the little miracle and have a good start as a family? Parents expecting their first offspring are often overwhelmed by the flood of information coming their way. Also, large acquisitions are synonymous with lots of money, which is why we want to help dial down the “useless” stuff to a minimum.
For this reason, our expert and midwife Katrin from our German team wrote down what you need for a seamless start with your baby, and where you can scrimp. In today's experts' advice, she's not only sharing a handy checklist, which you can find below, but also giving some valuable advice!
The first thing you should know is that a newborn baby doesn't need an extensive range of care products. Instead, it needs closeness,
Pregnancy & Birth
Expert Tips for Parents
Motherhood
May 15, 2020
Top Nutrition Tips For Parents from our Partners at Piccolo:
With many families still staying home as much as possible it's still a challenging time for parents right now. We want to do what we can to help mums and dads feel supported during this unprecedented time, so we’ve pulled together our top tips to help out over the next few weeks.
Kids really do benefit from structure, so we think it’s important to stick to a clear routine and mealtimes where we can, while also making sure they’re not bored!
We know stockpiling made grocery shopping a little difficult, and that you might not be able to find everything you need, but still want to feed your little ones varied, well-balanced meals and to keep them as nutritious as possible – so we’re sharing our suggestions on how to use your pantry essentials and make the most of batch cooking.
“Take some of the pressure off of your shoulders; don’t focus on what they are eating at each meal, but look at what they are eating over the whole week.
Pregnancy & Birth
Motherhood
May 15, 2019
Get this SAVED and get it mastered. A must learn for any new mum who wants to improve her core and pelvic floor.
3 x 30 seconds each side, but FIRST read through the below to find out why it’s so important!
A great deadbug variation with hoop ☝️
When you engage your TVA, you will feel a tensing of the broad, flat muscle deep down. If your stomach 'domes' or pushes outwards, if you’re holding your breath or anything is pushing away, then you’re working the outer abdominal muscles and TVA isn’t doing its thing.
The TVA is part of your core system of muscles, as are your pelvic floor muscles. When you draw TVA inwards, pelvic floor should also lift. Remember, to really work your pelvic floor muscles, it’s a deep lift up inside, not a little lateral squeeze at the front. Imagine drawing up the walls of your vagina and back passage as if you’re picking up a small grape and pulling it up inside you...a strange thought maybe, but it does work!!!
The ideal TVA contraction is exhale, draw belly
Pregnancy & Birth
Expert Tips for Parents
June 21, 2018
It’s been a busy couple of months for the royals. But not to be overshadowed by the recent big royal wedding was the news of the arrival of Kate and William’s third child not too long ago. Over the past few months, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have had us all guessing about the new royal nursery. Will it be classic and timeless or a fun character theme?
There’s no denying it that creating the perfect nursery for the arrival of a new little one can be both stressful and exciting. But how do you make sure your new baby’s nursery is the perfect calming and welcoming environment?
National homebuilder and experts in new spaces, Miller Homes, has these tips.
Add a splash of colour
Naturally, colour is a good place to start when designing the perfect nursery.
A lick of paint really can make all the difference, so why not opt for pale pastel colours to ensure your little one’s nights are filled with peaceful candy dreams? Don’t feel like going the full works? Try painting walls in two different
Pregnancy & Birth
Expert Tips for Parents
April 24, 2017
Once she’s born, your baby first learns about scent, touch, sight, hearing, taste and trust —along with many other things—from being right there against you. She came from you. And now that she’s here, skin to skin, also known as Kangaroo Care, is a way to maintain that unique closeness you and baby shared when she was in your womb.
When naked baby is put right onto mum’s bare chest, skin to skin, she is usually happier. Remember in the womb, your baby didn’t have to regulate her temperature. So right there next to you helps her stay nice and cozy.
In my experience, babies who are allowed more time skin to skin have better weight gain than those who are not. They literally have access to mum’s breast milk whenever they want it. They also don’t have to use their calories to regulate their own temperatures — they use their energy to grow. This means a happier infant with a stable heart and breathing rate.
When a mother practices skin to skin, her own stress levels
Pregnancy & Birth
Expert Tips for Parents
August 18, 2015
Every day we make decisions about all sorts of things, and our decisions are influenced by our preferences. We all have a way in which we’d like something done no matter how big or small. So when it’s one of the BIGGEST events you'll ever experience like birth, having preferences written in advance is a smart idea.
So, what exactly are Birth Preferences?
It’s a document that communicates what you would preferably like to happen during and after your baby’s birth, whether that's in a hospital, a birth centre or at home.
The phrase ‘Birth Plan’ is still widely used, but I prefer the phrase ‘Birth Preferences’ because birth by its very nature is unpredictable, so by using the word ‘plan’ we may be putting ourselves at a disadvantage should the birth not go ‘to plan’.
Your Birth Preferences are a list of things you would ideally like to happen, not a set plan.
All maternity hospitals have their own policies, and they can differ, so do a little research to figure out what you would or wouldn’t