Steve Biddulph - 'Raising Girls' Book & Talk in Bristol

In January I attended Steve Biddulph's talk at the Colston Hall, having a 15 year old daughter I was obviously interested to hear about what he had to say.  As a psychotherapist and researcher Steve told us that he has seen a disturbing change in the way our young girls are treated and marketed to by society,  with advertising for 'alcopops' and sexualised clothing being marketed at very young girls. This is also an issue that Mumsnet took up a few years ago which at the time got a lot of media attention and it's the one that the papers have honed in on this time too.

What I wondered was, we talk about 'societies problem' as if it is something 'out there' that is the problem when in fact WE are society, it's not a hidden, unknown person or organization, it's all of us.  How we are with our children in our families and communities is what is important.  And yes, whilst I do not understand how any company can have the moral scruples to actively promote alcohol and age inappropriate material to children, if the child is not on that wavelength they just won't see it. We're all vibrationary beings so if we’re in the vibration to pick up that signal we will, if we aren't we won't. I see myself as a bit like a radio, I pick up on the things that 'fit' with my view of the world, stuff that doesn't resonate (fit in with my frequency) is missed/not picked up. So our job is to teach our kids to have the discernment in where they set their tuner.  And there is no big secret in how to do this, it's simply to be the kind of person you want your child to be, because that's what they are mirroring.  So like Steve said, at the beginning of the talk, Parenting experts are a hazard to your family. All the expert parenting advice in the world won’t sort your kids out unless you are prepared to sort yourself out first.

The Week in Born 27 Jan 2013

Another stock taking week, this time in London.  It's always nice to meet the staff in London and share ideas. I was talking to Alessia who works there about Placenta Encapsulation and Lotus Birth, 2 things I know about as there are plenty of people I know who have done this, but I realised they weren't on my list of 'Links and Resources' so I've updated it and highlighting to everyone that we do have this.

Feel free to leave a comment on any resources you feel would be useful for our customer's to know about.

~ Eva

The need for supplements?

Some would argue that with a balanced diet there is no need for anyone to take supplements. In the west we eat a variety of foods that should provide for all our nutritional requirements.  However I believe that there are times when the right supplements can make all the difference.  Those times are pre-conceptually, during pregnancy and after birth during breastfeeding.

Pre-conceptually (which is the year before conception) it is important to detox the body and build up stores of the right minerals to prepare for growing your baby.  The basics for de-toxing being stopping alcohol, smoking and drugs and cleansing the body of residual chemicals. Of course avoiding chemicals in the environment is also important too - so change your toiletries and stop using things like antiperspirant.  Good pre-conceptual nutrition advice can be obtained from nutritional therapists and fertility experts whom you can find on Born Together.

The basic supplements to take from the moment you decide you want to have a baby are

• Antenatal forte


• Magnesium


• Fish oils (f you are a vegan or vegetarian then take Udos oil)

All these are available from Biocare, see the link below for a discount code.





Magnesium is a mineral so many of us are lacking in our diets. It is primarily found in green vegetables, along with calcium, however our soil is so lacking in this mineral that it one that you will probably need to supplement.  Take 1 100mg capsule per day pre-conceptually and then during pregnancy.  Magnesium is necessary to allow the cells to relax and get rid of their toxicity. It is a fantastic supplement to take to prevent menstrual cramps and since I've discovered it I always take it instead of reaching for the paracetamol.  If works faster and better, take 2 capsules every hour until the cramps subside.  During labour magnesium can make a huge difference to the effectiveness of contractions. At the onset of labour take 1-2 capsules every hour - it will help the uterus to relax and the contractions be more effective. I've also found that Magnesium helps me to get a good nights sleep.

After labour when the womb is contracting magnesium will be your new best friend.  It will help your womb to contract back without the intense pain that some women feel is worse than labour itself.

Calcium is the one mineral you will be told you need during pregnancy to grow your baby's bones. Whilst this is true the best place to get it is not from cows milk - despite what we are told from health professionals or the milk marketing board. Think about it, where does a cow get its calcium from to provide milk for it's calf? Grass! Green vegetables have a lot of calcium in them in a soluble form which if how our bodies like it.  Our tap water also contains a lot of calcium. When I was in Goa recently I was amazed that the kettle was completely fur free. No calcium in Goa's water. In the UK because of the chalk used in the filtration process our water is very calcium rich.  The Biocare Ante-natal formula contains the right amount of calcium for you during this time, I'd also advise it to be taken after birth.

Lacking Good Essential Fatty Acids are the reason so many of us get 'pregnancy brain' that forgetfulness that strikes most women during pregnancy and afterwards. This is because your brain is a fat rich organ that needs EFS's to work. During pregnancy and breastfeeding your baby will get its EFA's from your brains stores if you do not have enough in your diet. Breast milk is also EFA rich and so it is worth supplementing during breastfeeding too.

Of all the companies I have looked at Biocare have the best quality supplements and they are British made too. We do not yet sell them in our stores but you can buy direct from them and get 10% off when you use the code 5870. Call 0121 433 3727 to place and order.  A carriage free order is £25.

 

20 January 2013

A little late with this weeks 'what's been happening' blog as we had stock take in Bristol this weekend and I just didn't have the time until now.

There has been a lot of illness around. Maya has been of school with a flu like bug, something similar to what I had after Christmas.  Extra doses of vitamin C all around!

On Wednesday I met with my Mastermind ladies; Dom, Amanda, Julianna, April and Suzanne. Dom and Amanda's training looks fab, I would love to do it but just don't have the time.



Steve Biddulph was at the Colston Hall talking about 'Raising Girls' also the title of his new book.  It was a very interesting evening and one I will write a more in-depth blog about when his books arrive tomorrow.

With the snow arriving last Friday it reminded me of a saying: 'Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance'. I used to hate walking in the snow and hated walking on the ice even more. My whole body would tense up from the fear of falling over.  But then I found Yaktrax and wearing them over my wellies has transformed the way I feel about walking on the snow and ice.  I've bought a job lot for the girls in the shops to help them feel safe too! Why I mention this is because so many things are inevitable (like it snowing in winter) but with preparation and the right gear they don't have to be a stress. I kind of think that's what Born does for our customers, we help you to prepare so that you don't have to stress over 'have I got the right thing' or 'how can I get help with x' (where x is breastfeeding, sleep, home birth, Doulas, back ache, vaccinations, gear etc etc).  If I knew what I knew now, before I had my babies, life would have been a lot less stressful. Wish I'd had a Born to ask for advice then!

Plug In to Your Power by Tracy Holloway

Photo from http://intellokids.blogspot.co.uk[/caption]

A mother who trusts her intuition can easily rely on the natural, guiding wisdom of the earth to support her and her family. Attuning to this innate wisdom is an important part of being a mother, though unfortunately for many it has been lost, disregarded, taken or given away.  There is a re-emergence of this mothering instinct taking place, and the choices you make either place you in your power, or leave you feeling alone and disconnected from the energies which could otherwise help and support you and your children.

With a global health epidemic and increasing issues of uncertainty, doubt and confusion faced by many parents, it is inevitable that we reconnect with nature, build a rich and vibrant relationship based on mutual trust, and reawaken to the natural healing powers both within, and all around.

Whether you opt for plant medicine, organic foods and products and are conscious of the impact your choices have on the planet or not, what is evident is that a chemical induced ‘soup’ fed unconsciously to our children has weakened immunity, increased psychological disorders, learning abilities, and has left a generation facing a grim future.

It is time to remember, and connect deeply to the wisdom inherent in all life. The awakening of true female power is underway, and what many have intuitively understood for a long time will eventually be clear for all to see. A new wave of Mothering is coming and though it is hard to say exactly how this will unfold, what is true is that it wasn’t possible until this time.

A new energy is washing over our planet, and tapping into it is essential if you are to be guided to make heart-centred choices that support our children to heal, and their children to live abundantly in tune with a planet that supports and nourishes them.

Your energy, and that of the Earth are not separate, they are One. It is not enough to know this, you have to feel it – take your shoes off and go barefoot with the land. The Earth is ‘speaking’ to you in waves of electromagnetic energy, and when you ‘plug in’ by walking barefoot you can receive the communication and attune back to the natural rhythm and flow.

It’s time to awaken to your natural intuition, and to parent with confidence - gently and lovingly reassured by the restorative energy of Mother Earth. Let your children take their shoes and socks off and run freely in the garden, see how they light up.
It doesn’t cost a thing, and is the easiest and most natural thing you can encourage a child to do. The positive impact this can have on their health and well-being is measurable, and undeniable.

A new wave of mothering is here, and tuning into the Earth’s natural resources will bring you everything you need.  Go stand outside barefoot for a while and remember the power of your innate female wisdom.  You no longer have to experience feeling cut off and alone, or isolated and in fear – as part of this awakening process asks that you plug into your true Mother (Earth) and feel her love.  The heart of the Earth speaks through an electromagnetic connection to the heart of You.  When a woman births a child naturally, confidently, relaxed, and without fear she is surrendered to this flow, it is not something you can learn – it is something you already know.

Everything you need to know about being a mother already exists within you.  As you let go into a more intuitive flow, so you will remember the wonder and miracles that nature bestows. Start to deepen your connection and relationship with the planet, her energy and cycles.  There is so much to remember, and as you do you will help others to remember too, and together create a world where intuitive birthing, nurturing, loving and being is natural.

Plug in.  Connect to your true source of power.  Come alive.

~ Tracy

www.tracyholloway.com

Note from Eva

As I publish this post we are preparing for snow, so going out barefooted may not be too welcoming, unless you are reading this and live somewhere warm!  Groundology offers cheap technolgy to give your body the feeling of being outside and 'grounded' and the website also explains the science behind what happens when you do connect to the earth.

The Orbit Baby Stroller - Possibly the Best Stroller Ever?

When Eva and I visited the Trade Show in Cologne in September 2010 we came across the Orbit Baby Stroller, and were immediately captivated.  We have both had experience of using and selling many different brands of buggies, but this particular design looked like it solved every 'niggly' problem we had come across with other brands.  Because of the stringent testing rules in the UK we had to wait a couple of years before the Orbit was available to us.

The Orbit has been available in the US for a few years now and has become a firm favourite with Hollywood celebrities such as Nicole Ritchie, Tori Spelling, Adam Sandler, Matthew Mc Conaughey, and Kourtney Kardashian to name a few.



We love its eco credentials - it is the greenest stroller on the market as most of the textiles are organic. It has a lightweight aluminium frame that folds incredibly easily one-handed too.  The best feature is the revolutionary 360 degree turning seat, which allows you to have the seat facing any direction, including sideways in the fondly named 'zoo mode' so you can push baby along whilst they look at the animals!

Come and try out this fantastic stroller in one of our stores - our staff will be happy to give you a demonstration.

~ Becky

13 January 2013

Sale is well and truly in full swing. Did you get our email newsletter about it?  If you don't get our emails you, but want to, you can join our mailing list by adding your email address to the box on the bottom of the home page (click the Born logo above). As well as up to 50% off seasonal clothing there is also 10% off the Stokke MyCarrier until the end of the month.

On Thursday night I had a overnight guest.  Julia Duthie is a midwife in South Devon.  She was in Bristol to attend workshops and also give one on 'Healing Ancestral Imprints on Pregnancy and Birth'.  It was interesting chatting to her about her course, as like her, I think there's a lot that goes on in our subconscious mind that can impact on our lives and that applies to how we birth and parent too.

On Friday Rosie from Little Green Sheep came to tell us about their exciting new product launching in March. I'll announce it here when I get the go ahead.  I love their green and ethical ethos as caring for the planet by making sure we choose products that are sustainable is core to Born's buying ethos, and this company certainly ticks all the boxes where sustainability is concerned.

Make sure you get notified whenever we publish a Blog post by subscribing.

New Paradigm Birth and Parenting

You don't have to be a 'new ager' to realise that we are going through a fundamental shift in the world of birth and parenting - 'about time' I say! We've been here 13 years this year and set out to make people think about the way they parent through the things they buy for their babies because the 'gear' you use and the people you take guidance from does effect how you parent.  For example buying an uncomfortable sling will discourage you from wanting to hold and carry your baby, buying a breast pump that doesn't work well will discourage you from continuing to breastfeed when you go back to work.

What's been interesting is that in the last couple of years, as we go through this shift, is that I've seen more and more organisations and products come along that are aligned with our belief and more and more parents who are aware that the kind of birth they have and the way they parent in the early years can have long term implications for their child.  This can sometimes leave people feeling despondent if they haven't had the birth they planned or only found out later about the benefits of baby carrying or bed sharing.  This is why I love Tracy Holloway's work, as it heals all those past traumas so we can have a clean slate without always worrying that we may have done wrong.  Because in the scheme of things there is no wrong, we just do what we know based on our past experiences.  It's time to have a clear out so that we can birth and parent without past baggage getting in the way. So we can be in a heart centered space where everything is 'right'.



I invite you to listen to Tracy Holloway's broadcast and to give yourself the opportunity to heal those past upsets that leave us feeling like we could have done things better.  Without the past getting in the way we can be present to enjoying every experience life brings us.

This broadcast will take place on January 20th 2013 at 8pm UK time, however you can also listen to the recording via the same link if you missed it live.

~ Eva

 

Introducing Born's Expert Partners

At Born we believe that there is so much more to preparing for your baby than buying the right baby gear. Of course we are brilliant at sourcing the worlds finest baby products, however, it’s our passion to share the knowledge we have about parenting. We are not saying ‘do it this way’ as we don’t think there is one right way.  We believe in informed choice and not just going along with what you read or are told people who often themselves haven't 'been there or done that'.  It needs to be right for your personal circumstances. Everyone's got great advice on parenting until they become one haven't they!? We also think that complementary practitioners can be incredibly useful during this time in your life, from my personal experience being able to access help from some amazing practitioners was a life saver for me.

Over the years I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know some of these practitioners in a personal as well as professional capacity and they are, I believe, at the top of their game because not only do they work one-to-one but are also trainers, sharing their years of experience with a whole new generation of practitioners. So it with great pleasure that I introduce our Expert Partners who will be posting articles regular on our Blog and can be found in the Expert Partners Category.

As well as these core writers we will also have posts from guest writers on particular subjects I feel worth sharing.

Our Expert Partners:

Tracy Holloway



I can’t quite remember how I met Tracy, it was probably when she teaching her Hypnobabies courses. That was probably about 9 years ago. Since then Tracy has been a familiar voice on my i-phone, sending me to sleep almost every night with her meditations and broadcasts on a huge range of subjects.  Tracy was one of the first people who taught me about the power of the subconscious mind and how although we ‘think’ we are in charge, it’s actually our subconscious that is running the show.  Through meditation and techniques that Tracy teaches on her Life Upgrade course we can learn to rein in our subconscious and get it to work in our favour.  What I love about what Tracy shares is the simplicity of it. I agree with her that it should be fun being here, and when you see the world from that point of view stuff shows up to confirm it. I’m really excited that she will be sharing her insights, wisdom and (other) worldly knowledge with us in her blog posts.

Juliana Houndsfield

Co-Founder of the Family Practice Osteopaths with her husband Nic Houndsfield, also an Osteopath who is on The General Osteopathic Council.  Not just called the family practice because they are joined by Nic’s Osteopath sister Wendy, but because they treat whole families from babies in utero, children and adults of all ages.   During their family clinic Juliana and Nic treat newborn babies for their post birth check (something I think is essential for all babies regardless of the kind of birth they have) and also babies with ailments such as colic and reflux. During pregnancy ailments such as heart-burn, joint and ligament pain, PSD and general aches and pains can usually be aided by an osteopathic treatment.  It can also be useful in turning a transverse or breech baby if there is space to allow.

Amanda Rayment

Along with Suzanne I first met Amanda when the two of them and Dominique set up the Holistic Birth Trust.  Maya was a baby when I volunteered to help them at a centre where they held regular mum and baby practitioner clinics. When we set up Born, Amanda approached us to sell her Welcome World herbal teas which have been a firm favourite with our customers ever since.  Amanda also makes an amazing herbal breastfeeding tincture that is brilliant for increasing milk supply or re-establishing breastfeeding after a break.  It is often recommended to mums with premature babies in NICU to help increase their milk supply for expressing. Amanda is also a trainer of ante-natal teachers with a current training programme run in partnership with Relaxed Birth and Parenting.

Dominique Sakoilsky



Dominique was the first person I met on coming to Bristol when I was pregnant with Maya who spoke any sense about pregnancy and birth. She trained with Janet Balaskas as an Active Birth Teacher and runs training programmes for  Doulas and Ante-natal teacher with Janet, Amanda and her Relaxed Birth and Parenting Partner Louise Bennet.  Dom published her first book ‘7 secrets of a Joyful Birth’ in 2012. The book is a must read for any expectant couples wanting to prepare mentaly for the birth of their baby and for the changes it brings in a couples relationship.  It's an area often forgotton about when a baby comes along, but as a Relate relationship counsellor, it's one that Dom is well trained in.

 

 

April Whincop

When I had Maya my personal goal was to breastfeed for at least a year.  What I found though was that was way above the average length of time any of my peers were breastfeeding for and anything over 6 months was classed as ‘long term’.  Luckily Dominique told me about La Leche League were I met April. These groups were incredibly supportive of my choice to continue breastfeeding and just being around other mothers for whom breastfeeding past a year was normal felt great.  We recommend every pregnant woman to April and advise to keep her card ‘just in case’. I had one customer refer her, I thought rather aptly as ‘the Mary Poppins of breastfeeding’.  As well as giving private 1-to-1 support April trains breastfeeding Peer supporters all around Bristol.  April can be found at Believe in Breastfeeding.

Suzanne Yates



Suzanne has trained people all over the world in Shiatsu for pregnancy and is the ‘go-to’ person for the NHS too as it’s now widely used in hospital labour wards. She published her book ‘Shiatsu for Midwives’ 10 years ago on which I’m on the cover! Shiatsu is a lovely form of healing touch which can be received fully clothed. I met Suzanne whilst volunteering for the Holistic Birth Trust and enjoyed Shiatsu treatments from her students when I was pregnant with Jacob. Her book 'Beautiful Birth'  is a lovely book for couples to enjoy in preparation for their baby’s birth and for parenthood. Suzanne is the founder of Well Mother Shiatsu and massage

 

6 January 2013

Today is the 12th day of Christmas; the official day to take down your decorations, box them up for next year.  In retail we are always thinking of the next event that needs promoting, however the sight of easter eggs in some supermarkets already does seem a little premature, but there are some shops that do have them out already. By the end of the week I expect most will have Valentines promotions on!

Our new brand and category pages are up at last. With a small team like our these things always take a bit longer that I would have liked. I'm very pleased with them, let us know what you think.



Jacob and I discovered Barefoot Books Podcasts this week. The stories are great to listen to at anytime (but especially bed time). To download the podcasts, all free, go to I-tunes and search 'barefoot books podcast', there's over 100 to download.  The Barefoot Books we sell are predominantly for toddlers, but the have a huge range,  all with lovely messages.  We've just added the Putayamo CD's which are also great for bedtimes.



On Wednesday I met up with Dominique Sakoilsky from Relaxed Birth and Parenting and Amanda Rayment from Welcome World. This Saturday they have a very interesting CPD (Continuing Professional Development) Day.  Click on the link to see more 'Relaxed Birth and Parenting A5 leaflet'

This week I got to use my trusty Mooncup. Every month that I use it I am so amazed at how brilliant this little device is.  If you haven't got one it is the BEST invention (and investment) ever! Download the Mooncup Lunar Calendar 2013 to keep track of your cycle and the moons. Did you know that moon activity affects births in all animals - including human animals?

Our sale is still on, we've got some specials on too, like 10% off the Stokke MyCarrier and some great deals of stroller bundles. Have a look in our Sale area for offers on carriers, pushchairs and furniture.

With Love

Eva

xx