It's about trust

Welcome to the new and improved Born blog for 2014. We have moved to a new platform and will be bringing you lots of interesting articles from the Practitioners in our Born Together community.

Our network of trusted Practitioners who work with us to support our customers are a unique way we stand out from other stores. You can find Born Together here. Our Born Together partners support our values for mindful parenting and making informed choices for your and your families health care. It's a part of the business I love sharing with our customers as it encourages them to look wider than the normal 'experts' that most seek guidance from. I've heard of so many times when a family was let down by a Health Professional when I know that someone more focused could have made the world of difference.  It's so sad when in conversation a customer shares their disappointment for the birth they wished had been a bit different or their breastfeeding experience that didn't work out, often situations that could have been great had they had the support from, in these examples, a Doula and a breastfeeding specialist. Both services we can help with referrals for.

Mayim Bialik, Actress, Dr of Neuroscience and AP mum.

Whilst sharing that knowledge is our passion, we are fundamentally a retail business. 2013 was a difficult year for retail.  Like so many other retailers we have had to compete with the 'pile it high sell it cheap' stores and websites.  One thing these stores cannot compete with though is our ethos as it's not something that can be marketed if the people you speak to or the words you read do not reflect the core values of the business.  The appetite for conscious conception, pregnancy, birth and parenting has, in my opinion, never been greater. It's wonderful to see babies being carried and people being ok with having their baby in their bed.  My attitude has always been to talk about these things as if they are normal and they become so. After all they are my normal and the normal that most of the rest of the world experiences.

The research on the benefits of skin to skin contact, baby carrying, breast feeding are now often cited in the media. It's not longer just in niche magazine like Juno and The Green Parent that you find articles on Attachment Parenting and home schooling.  Celebrities such as Peaches Geldof and Mayim Bialik openly talk about how they parent. It's this openness that is creating a paradigm shift and I must say it feels like it's been a long time coming.  In the meantime we will continue to harp on about why baby carrying in a GOOD sling is still better than carrying in any sling, and why rear facing pushchairs make a difference, and how getting support when you are a new mum for breastfeeding is THE most important factor in establishing a successful breastfeeding relationship. The support networks we have built up over the years for our families are what makes us different.  We can recommend an expert who can make such an impact, that the odd thing is you won't realise how good they are because you won't have had to go through the bad experience.  It's an interesting paradox, just like the fact that because we have great slings and nappies you won't have the experience of buying rubbish ones that don't work, or in the case of slings actually do harm.

So despite the current climate we know that there are still people who value good old customer service and in our case exceptional customer service who will love what we have to offer because it saves them time and money and not to mention the most important thing the stress of having to navigate the new world of babies. But importantly they can trust that we don't Bull***t! This time in your life is too important to mess with, isn't it?

If you are receiving and reading our emails you will probably have experienced our instore service. If so please tell your friends about us as word of mouth promotion is what we we rely on. Plus we have just reintroduced our Born info packs which contain a selection of product samples and information from local trusted practitioners.  So tell your friends to pop in and get one and save themselves time, money and stress.

With love Eva