Natural Nursery Blog

If you know a new mother who needs some spoiling this Sunday, why not take a look at the beautiful Sublime Breastfeeding Bra from Bravado Nursing Bras.

This is the prettiest breastfeeding bra we have ever seen and will make any nursing mother feel special.  It is right up there as a piece of gorgeous lingerie, yet it comes will excellent nursing features such as drop away cups for lots of skin to skin contact.

If you are unsure about sizing, rest assured that we are always happy to exchange sizes or why not buy the Seamless Nursing Bra instead?  With its simple sizing and oh so comfortable fit, you can’t go wrong!

We dispatch every day using First Class Royal Mail and we have express delivery options available too.

Today’s top bargain in our stock taking clarance sale is a boon for any breastfeeding mother as we have reduced the price of the Lansinoh Breast Milk Storage Bottles to just £5.95 per set of 4, saving you £2.

The breastmilk storage bottles are made from food grade polypropylene, the preferred plastic for storing expressed breast milk and are Bisphenol-A Free.

You can view our full range of breastfeeding accessories and buy the reduced Lansinoh Breastmilk Bottles online now.

Many breastfeeding mums are happy  to breastfeed just about anywhere and in all circumstances. For them the very idea of a breastfeeding shawl is confusing. Why would you need one? “If my breastfeeding offends you, just put a blanket over your head” says a series of messages going around Facebook and other social networking websites. I write from Scotland mums have a legal right to breastfeed in public. In nearly 5 years of breastfeeding my children, I have breastfed in many places and never received a negative comment, only smiles and nods. Sometimes a giggle when the person sitting across from me didn’t realise there was a baby hiding in the sling, only the gurgling sound gave it away! One day, breastfeeding my two-year-old in an overcrowded train got the ticket inspector to find me a seat in first class.

So why would you need a breastfeeding shawl?

Not everyone is comfortable breastfeeding in public and having a shawl to give yourself some privacy feels reassuring.

Even if you don’t mind breastfeeding in public, it may make some people around you more uncomfortable. Maybe you don’t mind, maybe you do and that’s fine too. If it helps make parents, grandparents, other relatives and friends more supportive of your breastfeeding then it may be worth it.

A  breastfeeding shawl will also make breastfeeding more comfortable as it protects you from the cold. It allows you to see clearly how your baby is latched on while respecting your privacy. This might be important when your baby is a newborn and you need to check that the latch is optimal.

It also creates a quiet space for babies with less stimulation. Some babies are easily distracted by sounds and light, the breastfeeding shawl will help isolate them slightly from what’s going on around them.

Breastfeeding shawls are well designed and convenient to use to breastfeed your baby, whether you’re in the house or out and about.

What makes a breastfeeding shawl different from any other scarf is that it has a weight in one corner which will help the shawl stay in place. Your hands are free, you can rest, eat a biscuit, hold your baby, drink some water, read a book to your toddler…

A great present for a new mum.

Using an electric breast pump allowed me to go back to work

My son was born in March. Breastfeeding was a little difficult at first. He had a good latch and a great suckle reflex but his position wasn’t right. As he breastfed frequently, my nipples became sore. I used plenty of lanolin cream (a life saver) and my own breast milk to heal the nipples which only took a day!

We saw the lactation consultant early on and she was able to help me position my baby. After that moment, everything was perfect! I love nursing him. He always put his hands in his mouth right before we tried to nurse. So I tried swaddling him which really helped.

I had to go back to work at 6 weeks. I bought a double electric breastpump. (best purchase ever!) I got used to expressing breast milk four times a day: first thing in the morning when it was the easiest and three times while at work. It was quite easy because I had a private office to express milk. I became very consistent about expressing breast milk and breastfeeding. My milk supply increased. Using an electric breastpump allowed to express so much breast milk that we bought a separate freezer for storing breast milk. I even had enough breast milk to donate some to a new mum with pre-term twins.

breastfeeding in public

“Excuse me madam, were you about to nurse your baby?” asked the waiter.
“Oh no, here we are!” I thought

I was in a restaurant with our families and my 2-month old son. Friends had told me stories of how nursing mothers had been harassed when they were breastfeeding in public and asked to leave or cover up. I was fully expecting a negative comment when the waiter continued:

“Would you like a more comfortable chair?” the waiter continued.
“Oh!….yes, thank-you”, I was dumbfounded.

After changing my chair, he brought me a complimentary decaffeinated coffee and some chocolates. Talk about VIP treatment!

Fay sent us this story when her little boy was 7 months old and still happily breastfed.

Breastfeeding a baby is hard work, it takes determination, patience and perseverance so such warm welcome and recognition of their commitment to their children is always very much appreciated. Every time someone smiled to me or offered me a seat while I was breastfeeding my babies, it warmed my heart and left me smiling for the rest of the day, no matter how tired I was.

So if you come across a breastfeeding mother, don’t sigh and turn your head straight away. Look at her in the eyes, smile then turn your head! She is not doing anything illegal, she is feeding her child the way nature intended, the way that guarantees the best start in life for her baby. What would you prefer in the bus? A screaming baby? Or a contented baby snuggled up against his mum? Most likely you’ve come across dozens of nursing mothers before and never noticed them.

In the name of my fellow nursing mothers, we thank you for your support.

Medela

Before choosing the products to sell in Natural Nursery, we review dozens and dozens of products. We ask breastfeeding mums what they think of the products. Quality, easy of use, design, every aspect is carefully considered.

For breastfeeding mums, we have chosen to carry the Medela breastfeeding products. Medela has been a pioneer in supporting breastfeeding and serving mothers and babies since 1961. Medela actively promotes breastfeeding as the best form of nutrition for babies and young infants.

Breast milk provides baby with all the nutrients they need for the first six months of life and helps them to grow into healthy children. No other milk, food, drink or even water is required. The WHO recommends that children be breastfed at least until 2 year old.

Medela’s products are designed to support a mother’s desire to breastfeed her baby as she wishes. This means helping a mother maintain her milk supply when she is away from her baby either at birth or when she returns to work.

Their research has led to the development of breastfeeding aids that are physiologically correct and are easy to use, reliable and of a consistently high quality.

Extensive research on electric breastpump (University of Western Australia) has developed the 2-Phase Expression® technology (stimulation & expression), the only research-based breastpump that imitates the baby’s natural sucking rhythm, resulting in faster let-down, increased milk flow and reduced pumping time.

Medela is also the only manufacturer who continuously invests a significant share of its profits into medical research on breastfeeding.

The Medela breastfeeding pledge: “We pledge our dedication to breastfeeding as the best nutrition for babies and families. We further pledge that our breastfeeding accessory products and literature shall never be used to influence mothers to switch from breastfeeding to infant formula feeding or to promote artificial baby milk in any way.”

Breastfeeding advice

New mums hear it over and over: ‘Breast is best‘. Yet few of us are familiar with breastfeeding before our baby is born. We might not have had other nursing mothers around us to learn from.

Trust yourself. Remember that nature has planned for women to feed their babies. The culture of artificial infant feeding is making natural feeding more difficult.

Here are a few suggestions to prepare yourself to breastfeed.

Learn. The more information you will have, the easier it will be to take in all the breastfeeding advice – often conflicting – you are given when your baby is born and make your own decisions with the help of health professionals if need be.

Talk about breastfeeding with your antenatal midwife. Make sure that she is supportive of breastfeeding and is trained to give you support and breastfeeding advice.

A supportive partner is essential for successful breastfeeding. Explain to your partner how he can support you, prepare snacks and drinks, pass you the baby, be supportive when you are encountering difficulties…

While you’re pregnant, make a list of all the breastfeeding resources available in your area. Should things not go smoothly at some point, it will be a lot easier to have their contact details handy so you can find breastfeeding advice quickly.

We hope you have found this article interesting. For more breastfeeding information, visit BreastfeedingNaturally.co.uk.

Using nipple shields can help breastfeeding

When my son was born, I was so happy and really looked forward to being a new mum. In hospital, breastfeeding went well. The nurses would help me latch my son on to me correctly.

When we arrived home, it became much harder as William couldn’t latch on correctly. I became very emotional and felt like a failure because I could not get him positioned.

My sister came over to help and brought some nipple shields. I found these a life saver and with these I could get my son to latch on and take my milk. Gradually I managed to wean my son off from the nipple shields. The nipple shields made breastfeeding in public difficult so I was glad to stop using them and start going out more often.

My son wouldn’t settle when he was lying down so I took him to see a cranial osteopath. She noticed that as he had a trapped shoulder from being delivered by ventouse. This might very well have been the underlying cause for the breastfeeding problems. After a few sessions she relieved his trapped nerve and he became a completely different baby.

William was now contented and would settle much more easily. I wish that I had taken him to Cranium Osteopath when he was only days old. It would have saved William and I a lot of stress and upset from the latching on issues.

William is now 11 months old, and I still breast feed him. I am so glad that I never gave up on trying to breast feed and feel this has helped the two of us share a close bond.

Please note: whilst nipple shields are an excellent way to protect sore and cracked nipples, if the symptoms persist we recommend that you consult your midwife or breastfeeding counsellor as incorrect positioning and/or latch are often the cause of soreness. Using nipple shields for prolonged periods of time can interfere with your milk supply and cause nipple confusion.

breastfeeding calendar

Celebrating the beauty of breastfeeding, babies and family, this full colour calendar takes you through the twelve months of 2010, November/December 2009 and January/February 2011.

With stunning images selected from thousands of submitted photos, the ABA calendar is an easy to use calendar featuring large squares to keep track of family events and important dates.

By purchasing this calendar, you will support the Australian Breastfeeding Association.

Benefits of breastfeeding

Sharon sent us her breastfeeding story and is happy to share it with other nursing mothers.

Choosing to breastfeed my daughter was the best decision I ever made. Knowing that I am giving her exactly what she needs is most satisfying. The benefits of breastfeeding are immense, it is free, it’s all natural. It is just as nature intended. The composition of breast milk changes throughout the feed and as she grows to give her exactly what she needs. If I get ill, my breast milk also contains the antibodies necessary to help her fight the infection.

Among all the benefits of breastfeeding, there is one that the studies will never be able to measure exactly: it’s the close connection between mother and baby. What makes those moments so special, when it is just me and her, and she is looking into my eyes as she feeds away, in those moments the rush of love I feel is immense.

I know that nursing her has helped me develop a close and loving bond with my baby.

I am glad I made this choice, as nothing comes close to those few minutes we get to share every day in each others company.