You might be ready for Christmas but are you ready for your baby's arrival?

If you are expecting a baby at this time of year it's difficult for your baby excitement and anticipation to not take 2nd place to everyone else looking forward to Christmas Day.

16 years ago my daughter Maya was due on Christmas day and I found it very frustrating when friends and family and of course shops and the media were all preoccupied with Christmas whilst I was preparing for what was definately my most important day.  She was born 1 day early and for me, her birthday is still more significant to me than Christmas day as it was the day I became a mother and my life changed.

For us January is a particularly busy time when the imminent arrival of a baby can't be ignored.  If this is your first baby, navigating your way through the masses of baby gear can be daunting, not to mention time consuming.

Making the experience of preparing for your baby, both for products and services easy for new parents is what we love doing. No matter how much time you surf the internet checking out reviews or asking friends with babies, it just won't give you the same insight that we have. It's our job to source the best quality and designs and sift out all the things that are surplus and frankly just not fit for purpose.  I'm very proud to say that we do sell absolutely everything you could need for a new baby and if we dont sell it it's because you don't need it. We also connect with people we regard as experts in their field, so if you have an achey back, need advice on breastfeeding, cord blood banking we can point you in the right direction.

This service is free to anyone who walks through our door, but to make sure you have some dedicated time to talk through all your needs please book an appointment with us for our 'Your Baby Your Way' consultancy service.  If you have a pregnant friend you think would benefit from a session why not buy them ones as a gift or forward them the link?

Wishing all our lovely customers a wonderful festive season and a special blessing to all the midwives, doulas, and health professional working at Christmas to support those mothers giving birth during this time.

Love from Eva, Georgina and everyone at Born.

Belly Bandits and Binding – About so much more than Skinny Jeans

When I first read about Belly Bandits,  I was very quick to presume that they were some sort of modern girdle to get women looking stick thin and fitting into their pre-pregnancy jeans within hours of giving birth.  Full of indignation, as I continued to read, I learned that far from being a modern westernised concept born of vanity, belly binding has been practiced by women around the world for thousands of years to protect their bodies and accelerate the post-birth healing process.

Ancient Symbol of Motherhood

One of the earliest forms of belly binding found was in the Mayan culture where women wound long strips of cloth and braided grass round their abdomens to push the stomach muscles back together, reduce postpartum bleeding and reposition the womb.  As the stomach healed and contracted, the cloth was shortened and tightened. In many tribes, this sort of belt was worn with pride and was in itself a symbol of motherhood.

Over the centuries, the practice spread around the world until each culture had it’s own practice of belly binding. Indian women would bind their stomachs as part of a ritual to warm and close the "open" stomach and birth canal after giving birth. It was also believed that binding would accelerate the body's process of getting rid of waste blood after the baby was born.

Since then, Japanese mothers have used a "sarashi" and Hispanic women wrap their bellies with a "faja" to help speed the healing process of their stretched-out midsections. In fact, mothers in Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Latin America, Spain and the Philippines have commonly used and still employ some form of abdominal compression wraps to care for their bodies after giving birth.

So what are the benefits of Belly Binding?

Your stomach takes a fair bit of battering during pregnancy and often muscles become loose or separated. After giving birth, using a compression support such as the Belly Bandit encourages the use of your core muscles and gently persuades tummy muscles back together again. It helps to reduce the swelling of the uterus and decreases bloating from water retention.  Wearing a Belly Bandit gives your back and legs additional support and is great at supporting your upper body during breastfeeding. It has even been shown to minimize stretch marks and reduce the risk of hernias. And if you’ve had a C-section, you can position the Belly Bandit over the scar to protect it and keep the stomach compressed.

So yes, Belly Bandits can help you get back into your skinny jeans quicker but much more importantly, they help accelerate the healing process and are one of the kindest gifts you can give to your body after giving birth. I only wish I’d known about it sooner but I’ll be telling my daughter about it and hopefully she’ll be telling hers.  It’s time to reawaken this important tradition - after all, thousands of years of motherhood can’t be wrong.

Belly Bandits are available in Born stores or online at Born Direct

Visit the Belly Bandit website for more information.

Love

Helen

Introducing a new website for Stokey parents

Georgina and I moved to the Stoke Newington area as kids in 1977. Since there has been a massive transformation in the range of shops, restaurants and of course population of the area. It's now a great place for professionals to live, who transform from couples into families. For those new parents, finding out what's on offer has just gotton a whole lot easier thanks to a new website called www.stokeyparents.com.



Jenna, the founder of the website, wanted us to share the website to our Stokey mums who we hope will find it a useful resorce:

We moved to Stokey a year ago... I was the size of Moby Dick and spent much of my free time waddling up and down Church Street dodging the onslaught of Bugaboos.

I’d never known a place so populated by families with young children or so bursting with activity. Yet throughout the later stages of my pregnancy and afterwards, when our baby son arrived, I was struck by the effort it took to find out what was happening to keep us entertained. I visited so many websites and trawled so many community notice boards that my eyes spun.

Our son is 10-months-old now. It has taken this long to get my mojo back after those crazy months with a newborn and I wanted a project to engage my brain again and to contribute something of worth to a community which has made me feel so welcome.

And so Stokeyparents.com was born. It’s a website which features listings for babies, toddlers and bigger kids and an ‘at a glance’ calendar to help you plan your week. We (my mummy friends and I) have visited local cafes and restaurants to bring you honest reviews of food, service and accessibility for babies and children. I’ve begun the long process of collating Ofsted summaries of local nurseries and schools so you can make informed choices about childcare and education and have created a local news page and blog in a bid to entertain and inform. There’s also a forum to enable you to chat to other local parents and give away, swap or sell items you no longer need.

If your bun is still in the oven, the site enables you to meet other local parents-to-be and it features links to pregnancy fitness, advice and birth preparation too. I hope you’ll find it useful.

There’s a reason Stokey has become the Nappy Valley of North London. I can’t think of a more vibrant, friendly or attractive place to bring up a family. I hope Stokeyparents soaks up all that community spirit and presents all the area has to offer families in a clear and engaging format – but I’ll let you be the judge of that!

Check out our Facebook page ‘stokeyparents’ for regular updates and please enjoy and make good use of the website and give us a shout if there are new things we can add to make your life as a local parent easier.

Jenna - Editor Stokey Parents

Born Together - meet the Team

 

At the heart of Born is our commitment to supporting practitioners who support families during pregnancy, birth and beyond. Our Stoke Newington  store holds a range of wonderful classes every week, including Hypnobirthing with Katrina Berry.  Continue reading to find out why Katrina and the others work with us to create a thriving community of ante-natal and post-natal classes.

I'm a local doula and clinical hypnotherapist and I've taught HypnoBirthing to hundreds of couples at Born. All of them are consistently impressed with the products and range on offer but I've always been keen for them to know that Born is more than a shop. It's a community. It's a community of parents-to-be, new parents, parents with an expanding family and, importantly, a collection of local practitioners.

Co-owner Georgina has been instrumental in connecting with local experts in all areas of pregnancy, birth and parenting support so Born is a one stop shop for all you might need on your journey through pregnancy, birth and beyond. There are support groups for breastfeeding, new mums, new dads and adoptive parents, there's pregnancy fitness classes, there are baby yoga and baby massage classes, there's HypnoBirthing classes.... oh and of course, lest we forget, Born are one of the top five baby boutiques in London (just ask the Evening Standard!!) selling environmentally friendly, natural, organic, fair trade and practical products for parents and their babies.

Born Together is a collective of local experts, brought together through Born, so you can more easily access our support and be aware of all that is available to you on your doorstep. We'll all be at Born on the evening of Wednesday December 4th from 6.30pm so you can find out more about HypnoBirthing, nutrition, fitness classes, homeopathy, baby massage and yoga, cranio-sacral therapy, aromatherapy, breastfeeding support, first aid and the 'Mother's Talking' sessions facilitated by 'What Mother's Do' and 'How Mother's Love' author Naomi Stadlen.

You can grab us for a chat and to ask questions but from 7.15pm we each have five minutes to give everyone a run down of the top 5 reasons for what we do. No long speeches, simply a chance for you to find out more about each expert and their field. A Top 5 in 5!!

I'm looking forward to it and hope to see you there!

To find out more about the classes on offer come to our next open evening,  see events on the Born Facebook page.

This is a guest post by Katrina Berry

The 7 Baby B’s

Last week Peaches Geldof was on 'This Morning' discussing her parenting choices. In the debate she mentioned the 7 Baby B’s which originated from the Baby Books by Dr William Sears and his wife Martha Sears  as an easy to remember guide for people who want to know more about, or practice Attachment Parenting.  Hearing her mention it reminded me of what a good starting point the 7 B’s is as it was something that I referred to when Maya was a baby to reassure me that it was ok to follow my instinct when it came to mothering her. However the 7 B’s are not a ‘must do’ list, like Peaches said they are not strict rules, you can pick and choose what you use and you don’t have to do all 7.

The theory of Atachment has been around since Psychoanalyst John Bowly introduced the theory in the 1950’s. Student teachers, counsellors, doctor’s and nurses, plus many others who work in caring professions are taught Attachment Theory. However despite this knowledge being around for so long and being practiced as the norm in most of the world, Attachment Parenting in the West is still not the mainstream way of parenting. I might be biased in thinking that it can hold the key to a sea change in the level of compassion and understanding we have for one another, as I was raised in an attachment style and replicated this with my own 2 children, but I do think that it can have a significantly positive impact on the future of humanity.

So I thought I’d share my interpretation of the 7 Baby B’s as I found them useful and hope you will too and also to give you some useful places to find support for practicing whatever of the B’s you feel inclined to.

1.   Birth bonding

The way your baby is born can have long term implications for your relationship.  Inform yourself about the effect of birth by attending a good class such as one’s from Relaxed Birth and Parenting in Bristol or Katrina Berry in our Stoke Newington store. If you can’t attend a class, or, as well as attending a class, read our Free Relaxation for Pregnancy and childbirth booklet and relaxation download. If I had know 16 years ago what I know now, to maximize my chances of getting the birth I wanted, I would have done a hypnosis course, taken magnesium supplements had a Doula or Independent midwife, as well as attend Dominiques Relaxed Birth classes.  All this is discussed in Dr Sarah Buckley’s book ‘Gentle Birth Gentle Mothering’.   Having a Babymoon is an important part of birth bonding too.

2.  Breastfeeding

Of course we all know that breastmilk is an ideal food for a baby and with the right knowledge and support almost every mother can have a breastfeeding relationship with their baby. Make sure you have professional help on hand should you need it. We recommend April Whincop a International Board of Lacation Consultants trained breastfeeding supporter, also trained with La Leche League. April can offer support on the phone, in person or via Skype. She also offers a fantastic 'prepare for breastfeeding workshop'.  We hold a monthly breastfeedingsupport group in the Stoke Newington Store, details can be found on our Facebook events page. Bottle nursing is a great way to maintain bonding and closeness if not breatfeeding or for anyone else bottle feeding your baby.

 

  3.   Babywearing

This is the practice of keeping your baby close by using a sling or baby carrier.  Our selection of carriers are carefully chosen to allow you to carry your baby safely and comfortably for as long as you want to in and out of the house. Most are suitable up to toddler age. Of course you don’t need a sling to cuddle and carry your baby but a good one certainly helps to prevent arm and back ache and you can get on and do the things you want to do. When you cuddle another person, both produce oxytocin the love/feel good hormone, according to Sarah Buckly, we need at least 8 cuddles a day to make us feel great. The more skin to skin contact the more oxytocin produced. Baby wearing is a great way for dads to bond. Peaches loves carrying her boys in her organic chocolate Ergobaby carrier. Perhaps hugs are another antidote to depression and feelings of solitude?

 

4.   Bedding Close to baby

Notice that this doesn’t necessarily mean bed sharing. Close can just mean in the same room or with baby right next to your bed in a specially designed co-sleepers or cots such as the ones we sell from Troll or Little Green Sheep's Snuz Pod.

 5.   Belief in the language value of your baby’s cry

This has 2 meanings, firstly to highlight the dangers of ‘Cry –it-out’ techniques. As mentioned in the This Morning interview, Peaches was right in saying that levels of the stress hormone levels cortisol are increased when a baby is left to ‘self soothe’ and all they learn from the experience is anxiety and separation and they are alone in the world unable to rely on anyone for help.  Secondly, it is possible to learn to understand what your baby wants by interpreting their noises and bodily expressions. See ‘The Blossom Method’. But fundamentally a relaxed at ease mother will be able to tune-in to what her baby knows and will become her own expert.

I also believe that if you don’t respond too our baby when they are little how can you expect them to want to talk to you when they are older? They will have learnt that communication with their primary carer gets them nowhere. I also wonder if the huge levels of depression we have in the west are an outcome of such techniques?

 6.   Beware of baby trainers

No clock watching or listening to advice such as ‘if you don’t introduce solids by 6 months your baby won’t eat properly’ if this were the case at least one of my children would still be on a liquid diet! You are your baby’s expert, and don’t let a well meaning friend, relative or health care professional sway you off your heart centered course.  The best training is to surround yourself with people who are on your wave length. See our links and resources page for online and in-person groups and support.

7.  Balance

I’ve been around AP parents for long enough to see this one come up quite frequently and the advice I have for mums who so totally immerse themselves in mothering is ‘put your oxygen mask on first’. You are no good to anyone if you can’t breath. So make time to do something you love and set up support structures so you can get some time off. Or you might decide that going back to work is just the thing to give you that balance.

More useful info

Heart centered concious choices are core to Born's philosophy. The information we give out in the stores and online reflects this, and makes it easy for you to be heart centered too with your pregnancy, birth and parenting choices.

You can find the Dr Sear’s version of the 7 Baby B’s here and learn more about the practice of Attachment Parenting on his site as well as on Attachment Parenting International .

My  list of links and resources that I have compiled to help you in your parenting journey here.

Buy the brilliant ‘Baby Book’

To find a local UK based Attachment Parenting supprt group

 

Love

Eva

 

The latest Andy Warhol collection for Bugaboo

As part of a multi year collaboration with the Andy Warhol Foundation, this month you can pre-order the autumn 'Happy Bugs' collection at Born.

The prints are based on his hand drawn illustration from the 1950's. Happy Bug Day is one of Warhol’s earlier art pieces and relates to both children and parents. This lively colourful print is available as a tailored fabric set for the Bugaboo Cameleon3  and as a sun canopy for the Bugaboo Bee. Featuring a dark grey background colour, the sun canopies are double printed giving the inside a happy bug print as well. The collection includes a unique Bugaboo Baby Cocoon and Footmuff highlighting a few fun and happy Warhol bugs on a white background.

'Happy Bugs' Andy Warhol Baby Cocoon for Bugaboo pushchairs

'Happy Bugs' Tailored Fabric Canopy for the Bugaboo Bee Stroller

'Happy Bug's Bugaboo Footmuff by Andy Warhol

'Happy Bugs' by Andy Warhol tailored fabric set for the Bugaboo Cameleon3 pushchair

Out with the old and in with the new

Last weekend we had our mid year stock take. It's always interesting, if a little frustrating to find boxes of things that just haven't sold as well as we would have liked. It gave us the opportunity to evaluate what is working and what we need to do more of. It coincided with the results of our Customer Survey, which many of you were kind enough to fill in for us.  Subsequently I went off to a nursery trade show mindfull of what you, our customers like and what you obviously aren't so keen on.

Based on the survey results and what we had too much of in the stock take, it made looking for new products really fun and interesting.  It was really exciting to see some gorgeous new products that we really want to get in as soon as possible, and after wading though countless stands of plastic tat we think we fund some real gems!  But before we can get them in we need to make more space in the shops (and in the stock rooms!) so in the next few days we will be posting on Facebook our stock clearance items.  We have LOTS to share and it includes products from all our categories including Slings, pushchairs, toys, nursing bras, clothing, books and gear.

So if you don't already like us on Facebook, click here or follow the link below to make sure you see the bargains as we anounce them, and if you have any friends with babies or expecting soon you may want to let them know too.

Love

Eva

 

 

The best picks of Frugi clothing

It's always exciting when a new seasonal delivery of baby clothes arrives. Topping the chart for cute fator is definately Frugi. Despite it not quite being autumn, these gorgeous tops, dresses and bottoms have been warmly received by our shop customers. My favourite has to be this Wooly Mammoth applique top.



For those who can't pop in to have a look we have a huge selection online as well as some summer bargains in our sale.

Click here to see the entire Frugi collection at Born.

 

Summer Sale has started at Born

We've got some lovely bargains in our summer sale, like these gorgeous dresses from Noa Noa, and beautiful pieces for boys and girls from Frugi.

Baby wearing conference

This weekend Becky and I attended the  European baby conference with Ergobaby. This is the first time we have had this event in the UK.

It was wonderfu to see such a wide variety of baby carriers in one place.  Not just on the exhibitor stands but also on all the parents who had come from far and wide to hear the excellent speakers and attend the workshops.

I was particular interested in the talks given by Dr Henrik Northolt about the affects baby wearing has on a person's emotional development. The research that proves that baby wearing is not just beneficial but almost essential for a child's development has been borne out by years of research, some of which Henrik shared with us during his talk.

As a store we have always promoted baby carrying not just for the convenience factor but because we think that it does make a difference to the long term well being of that baby, then child and ultimately adult. It's also the easiest way for a baby to attach to another human-being.

Have a look at some of the benefits of baby wearing

Birth as a sacred journey; training in Bristol

This article has been moved to http://www.borndirect.com/G138/article-birth-as-a-sacred-journey-my-journey-to-lithuania-by-dominique-sakoilsky

Imps & Elfs - Simply Chic Summer Collection

This Summer we have an amazing range of beautiful clothing ready to brighten up your little ones wardrobe. From one of our favourite designers Imps and Elfs brings us a fabulous range this season, featuring mini collections which we just adore.

 

The apple print range comes in this seasons must have colours, classic green, sunny yellow and dusty red. You can mix and match this collection or layer it with our fab collection of summer cardigans and leggings, for a chic townhouse look.

 

Here at Born, we understand the importance of having the basics covered, thankfully Imps & Elfs has brought us this classic collection. Featuring long sleeved, short sleeved and kimono style rompers, luscious leggings and a handy little hat in both Pure white and Classic grey. While these might be basic they are of the highest quality, so when it comes to taking your little one out for the day, layer these basics with some fab garments from the bright collection!

 

 Not only will your baby be wearing the most fashionable outfit in town, you can also sleep easy, as all of the Imps and Elfs clothes are designed specifically to fit your baby’s changing body shape. And that is not all, all of the garments are made with love, from eco-friendly organic cotton, keeping your little one warm and cosy while at the same time allowing their super soft skin to breath!

~Georgi

Born is one of London's best baby boutiques

 

Last week the Evening Standard newspaper in London voted Born as one of London's top 5 baby boutiques.  We were overjoyed to be given this accolade and have been sharing it with our friends as it's fantastic to be recognised like this.

If you love us please share it with your friends too so they can experience why we are in the top 5.  If the Evening Standard thinks we are good enough for The Duchess of Cambridge and Kim Kardashian, then we must be doing somthing right!

With love

~ Eva and Georgina (who you will most likely meet if you visit the Stoke Newington Store)

Festival 'Must Haves'

With Glastonbury in the next few days, the Festival Season will soon be well and truly upon us.  We often get customers stopping by en-route to pick up those essential items that we think are 'must haves' for babies and toddlers when out all day (and night) in the great British weather.  Below are some of our suggestions and items we have found invaluable when at festivals with our own children:

Sun Screen  - Even if it's not scorching hot, if your child is out all day it's best to cover them with sun protection. We recommend Green People's Sun lotion and After Sun.

Andy Warhol & Bugaboo- The perfect marriage between iconic art andinnovative design

Andy Warhol Flowers tailored fabric set for Bugaboo



After much anticipation, the Andy Warhol collection Bugaboo tailored fabrics have finally arrived. These are super limited in quantity and once they have gone that's it.  Georgi loves Andy Warhol, so was excited to write this blog about them.

I have never truly understood it when people say they are in love with their new shoes or new bag, I mean, they are material things. Well, I clearly had never seen such a beautifully designed product, one that brightens up your day, until Bugaboo released the Andy Warhol collections. I can safely say, I am in love with these.

Born receives 'Most Eco-friendly Business' Award

On May 2nd we attended the Bristol Zoo walk of Fame awards. Born had been short listed with 2 other companies in the 'most Eco friendly business' category. The other companies were Katcha Bilek who makes wonderful furniture and bags from old tyres and inner tubes and White Design architects who design wonderful eco friendly buildings. Up against 2 great Eco friendly businesses I was so surprised when they announced Born as the winner.

8 organisations or individuals were added as 2013 conservation hero's and we will be honoured by having green plaques.  There are now 68 walk of fame plaques in total dotted all over the zoo. Ours is No. 66 and will be located by the cafe near children's ride on's, on the way to the gorillas.  Of the 68 'Walk of Fame' some of the more famous ones are J. K. Rowling, David Attenborough and Bristol Blue Glass.

Birth Trust Conference featuring Ina May Gaskin & Dr Yehudi Gordon

Join us for the screening and discussion of the Holistic Birth Trust Conference on May 23rd a 7pm in Bristol.

Several years ago now, a small group of pregnancy and birth practitioners and educators gathered together to form The Holistic Birth Trust Foundation. The focus of the organisation was to promote the potential offered by the parent and child relationship within the arena of birth. A training programme was developed for antenatal teachers, which also in time incorporated doula training. These programmes trained many child birth educators and doulas over many years. The Holistic Birth Trust Foundation has since closed and been incorporated into two other organisations. Those being: ‘Relaxed Birth and Parenting’ formed by Dominique Sakoilsky and Louise Bennett and ‘Welcome World’ owned by Amanda Rayment. Both these organisations jointly run an Antenatal Teachers Training course together called ‘Bringing Antenatal Teaching Home’.

One of The Holistic Birth Trusts projects was to organise a conference in Bristol for childbirth educators, midwives, doulas and practitioners. The conference was given the title ‘Is it possible for the medical and holistic models of birth to join?’ At the time this was a very thought provoking question as the appearance was the two models were functioning separately a lot of the time. Also it was clear to a lot of people that if dialogue could be encouraged there would be many benefits for practitioners in all roles, within both models and of course for parents and babies. As always the resistance seemed to be how could this occur?

Our question that was asked several years ago feels equally as relevant today. So maybe this could be a good opportunity to review the first question “Is it possible for the holistic and medicals models of birth to join?” and then we may discover a deepening into this question.

The stars of the movie are the shining light in midwifery; Ina May Gaskin, who has inspired and led the way for so many of us who work in this wonderful arena of pregnancy and birth. With the obstetrician Dr Yehudi Gordon who is the founder of the UKs first models of integrated care within birthing units. Accompanying these speakers are Dominique and Amanda from the Holistic Birth Trust Foundation. There are local guest panellists who you may know: Louise Bennett, Suzanne Yates and Bristol’s first independent midwife Sue learner.

In a joint venture with Eva from Born we are offering a film viewing and discussion evening. If you work in this arena or are interested in training to become an antenatal teacher or doula this film is an inspiring and engaging documentary.

We hope to see you at the film, please click here for ticket information.

~ Love Amanda

 

 

Christy Turlington Burns Designer Ergobaby Carrier

Ergobaby has partnered with Every Mother Counts, the organisation founded by former 'supermodel' Christie  Turlington Burns. Christie is a mother of two and wife of Actor and Director Ed Burns, she founded Every Mother Counts "To help raise awareness about the global tragedy of maternal mortality, hundreds of thousands of women continue to die needlessly each year due to complications in pregnancy and childbirth but the truth is that we can prevent up to 90% of those deaths. Through partnerships like this one with Ergobaby we will be able to heighten awareness for maternal health and hopefully inspire millions of people to take action on this issue."

Every day 1,000 worldwide women lose their lives due to complications caused by pregnancy or childbirth, leaving thousands of children having never met their mothers and older siblings motherless.  Although reproductive health issues are the leading cause of death worldwide among women aged 14 to 44 years, experts estimate that 90% of these deaths are preventable. This is not a developing world phenomenon, this happens in the UK too.



The range consists of 2 designer carriers and bags. Not all will be available in the UK.

At Born we work with ante-natal teachers and childbirth educators who are creating a shift in maternity care. Sometimes a woman's whole experience can be altered by a bit of knowledge she learnt in an ante-natal class or from a practitioner that she would not have heard had she not made the decision to go to that particular class or talk. When you have the information it is then possible to make informed choices about the care you want during labour and postnatally.  I believe we have personal responbility for our own and our families health. Pregnancy and birth is a time when this is more evident then at any other time in your life. Should you need a contact for a Practitioner or class we would be more than happy to share our contacts of trusted people with you. Please feel free to email us.

The Save Childhood Movement – get involved

Last month at our Babyhood film screening I was chatting to Saffia, Editor of Juno magazine. She's involved in lots of interesting things, but one that caught my attention is The Save Childhood Movement. It's an issue that Steve Biddulph mentions in his book, but is one that affects boys too.  I asked Saffia to tell us more as I thought it would be something our customers would also be interested in knowing about.

~ Eva

The Save Childhood Movement was created to help address the growing sense of unease that currently exists about child wellbeing in the UK. It is particularly focused on the impact of developmentally inappropriate pressures during the early years of childhood.

The Movement is now bringing together lots of inspirational voices, and is holding its launch summit in London on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 April 2013 from 9am until 6pm. Everyone concerned about the current erosion of childhood is invited to attend. With some thought-provoking films and an exciting and multi-disciplinary group of well-known speakers, including Sue Palmer and Tim Gill, it promises to be a fascinating and inspirational weekend. www.flourishsummitlondon.co.uk

JUNO is supporting the Save Childhood Movement, and I will be there. But if you can’t make the weekend, you can still get involved. There are lots of ideas on the website – www.savechildhood.net. You can form a local group, or just keep aware of issues that are arising and make your voice heard if you feel concerned; what do you think about advertising aimed at children, or how easy it is for children to see porn? Do you let your children play outside unsupervised? These are all issues that we are discussing, at the summit and on our Facebook page:

www.facebook.com/savechildhoodmovement?ref=hl

We have also introduced a National Children’s Day – would you believe there is not one in the UK! The first on is on Wednesday 15 May 2013 and there are more ideas and resources at www.nationalchildrensdayuk.com/join-in.html. This day is about celebrating the rights of children to develop at their natural pace. We would love to hear their voices, so are asking “what would your best day look like”? If your child wants to write or draw something about this, please share it with us so we can help make children’s voices heard.

Saffia Farr, Editor, JUNO natural parenting magazine – www.junomagazine.com

 

 

Visit to Cossham Birth Centre in Bristol

It’s amazing what people can achieve when they put their mind to it and take action. Independent Midwife Sue Learner had a vision in 2001 to transform birth in Bristol. Read the journey of Birth Centre Bristol here.   Back then the birth rate was around 10,000 per year, now it’s more like 12,000, so never has the need for stand alone midwifery units been more necessary. In 2005 BCB was joined by Pip A’Ness who took on the role of making the Birth Centres a reality.



 

I was blown away at how wonderful the suites were, more like 4 star hotels than hospital rooms.  Each room has a large birthing pool, so mum can have their partner in there too, an ensuite toilet and shower room (no need for a bath as there is the pool), double bed for relaxing on before and after baby comes, and cute (non plastic!) crib for the baby. Pip and Lead midwife Gina have kept an eye on all the details, giving the room a wonderful homely, low tech feel. I felt relaxed just being in the room as the ambience instils it.

 



 

Lead midwife Gina Augarde was an inspiration to listen to. A real antidote to all the NHS doom and gloom stories we hear about in the media, not to mention the TV programmes that are on mainstream TV at the moment that only perpetuate the ‘women need to be helped to give birth’ myth.  She is incredibly experienced having come from an established midwifery led stand-alone birth unit in Yorkshire and shared her vision for Bristol; to have all low risk women give birth in stand alone midwifery units leaving the ‘problem’ cases to the Hospitals where the Obstetrician’s who thrive on that kind of work reside. This makes perfect financial and common sense.  If we encourage all low risk women to birth at home or in stand alone birth centres, NHS resources in large hospital maternity units will be freed up to deal with those women who need that specialist care. I’ve spoke to a few disheartened local hospital midwives who know the kind of care they should be giving to women but are not able to offer it due to a lack of  time and facilities. With more birth centres resources this will free up Southmead and St. Micheals to do what they do best for the women and babies that need that level of care.

It was music to my ears to hear Gina say that they were trained to deliver undiagnosed breech babies, should they be presented with one during labour,  and that mums could deliver from 37 weeks to term plus 12 days. Plus all midwives have been trained in aromatherapy massage and the use of specific oils to relax or to stimulate depending on what is needed. How refreshing to hear that rather than the ‘we’ll break your waters to get you going’ line on ‘One born every minute’.



The midwives we met were beaming, obviously in love with their jobs, or it might just be because they have been regularly dosed in oxytocin, the love hormone, that they regularly come into contact with when around newborn babies and their loved up parents.

As well as being the epitome of care for birthing, the centre also offers ante-natal classes and past birth de-briefing sessions with Gina.  A traumatic birth  (as defined by the woman) can leave them feeling off kilter and by talking through thier notes with a midwife can allow them to move on and come to terms with why things happened the way they did, so that they can go on to have a future empowering birth experience.  This service is available to anyone and is free.

To have your baby at Cossham, ask your midwife. As long as you live close enough to get there you can request the centre.  Or you can phone them direct  on 0117 340 5249

http://www.nbt.nhs.uk/cosshambirthcentre

Read some of the lovely reviews from families who used Cossham

https://www.facebook.com/birthcentrebristol

To find out more about Birth centres in Bristol see http://www.birthcentrebristol.org.uk

~ Eva