Natural Nursery Blog

The first few years of your baby’s life can also be the most expensive. All new parents are convinced that they must buy lots of things during pregnancy and for the new baby when very little actually get used. Whether you are considering buying less for financial or ecological reasons, there are many ways you can save money during pregnancy and with a new baby.

1. Breastfeeding is no doubt the biggest way to save money when your baby is born. You save not only the cost of formula and baby bottles. Studies have shown that breastfeeding reduces children’s illnesses so you will not have to miss so many work days. Ultimately, you are contributing to reducing the cost of the healthcare system and therefore taxes.

2. Stick to the essentials for your baby. Each year, baby product manufacturers come up with new designs and inventions. Think how you will be using the product, where you will store it, whether it is reusable for another child.

3. Using reusable nappies will save you £650 on average for a first child. Switching to reusable nappies is good for your budget and good for the environment.

4. Using reusable baby wipes is also easy, economical and environmentally friendly.

5. Ask friends and relatives for hand me down. Chances are they have lots of barely worn pregnancy clothes and hardly used baby products.

6. Buy good quality products and clothes. They will be nicer to use, more convenient and are more likely to last through a second child. In the long run you will save money by buying good quality products.

7. Buy a baby sling for a fraction of the price of a pram or a buggy. You will be able to use it for years, for one or more children and continue using public transport.

8. Choose pregnancy clothes or loose fitted tops that you can wear again after your baby is born. Many breastfeeding tops and nursing bras are also suitable to wear during pregnancy.

9. Borrow pregnancy and baby magazines or books from your local library. If the one you want isn’t in stock, most libraries allow you to request it. Consider listening to your instincts instead of rushing to a baby guru book.

10. Open a Child’s Trust Fund. The government contributes the first £250, that much less that you will need to pay for your child’s education or his first car.

Once the little blue line appears it seems that the whole world goes upside down.

As a new mum, you’re taken in in a whirlwind of events and emotions. Strangers and relatives alike give you advice on pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding (or not) and child-rearing. Their advice is often more driven by their own experiences than genuine interest in what YOU want. People feel the need to touch your bump. You are told to start shopping early, but not too early, there are hospital appointments to attend…

In the midst of all this, take the time to breathe. Pregnancy is a very special time in the life of a woman. Pregnancy is a sacred time.

Slow down. Take the time to think about yourself and your baby. Focus your attention on this new life growing inside you.

As new mothers, we are often encouraged to leave our health in the hands of health professionals but only YOU know THIS baby as intimately. By the time your baby is born, you have already spent nine months together, sleeping, eating, going to work, breathing together… Once you focus your attention on yourself, you can learn to listen and trust your instincts.

Listening and trusting your instincts can greatly help you during labour, birth and when your child is born.

Enjoy your pregnancy, it’s a very special time indeed.

A baby is born.

A mother is born.

What is a doula? Most people will answer that question with a blank stare. Some may reply with the misconception that a doula is some sort of newfangled birth guru, a trendy accessory for yummy mummies with too much time and money on their hands. In reality, the role performed by a doula is as old as the term itself (doula is an ancient Greek word meaning womanservant). A doula is a woman — usually a mother herself — who offers consistent emotional and practical support to a woman and her family around the time of pregnancy, childbirth, and the early postnatal period.

In most cultures, a pregnant woman can rely on female friends, relatives, and neighbours to help her ease the transition to motherhood, and until recently, that was still the case in the west. However, as our society has become more industrialised and ‘civilised’, families have become fragmented, and maternity care has become increasingly hospital-based and institutionalised. From the moment a woman sees those thin blue lines on her positive pregnancy test, she and her partner are faced with a barrage of choices and questions about how to proceed. A doula can guide the woman through those choices, providing her with information, compassion, expertise, and — last but not least — good humour.

The question remains, what does a doula actually do? The answer to that is as varied as the women who undertake the role of the doula itself. Most doulas will meet with the client at least three to four times during pregnancy to discuss any previous pregnancies and/or births, the creation of a birth plan if desired, the partner’s role during labour, methods of pain relief, and postnatal issues such as breastfeeding and sleep management. Some doulas also provide complementary therapies such as reiki, aromatherapy, or hypnobirthing. Typically, the doula will then be on call for the client two weeks before her due date (to two weeks after, or whenever the baby arrives).

The doula will, of course, be present for labour and birth, providing the mother with moral support, verbal encouragement, help with positions and pain relief, advocacy when dealing with the medical staff, and also a bit of support and encouragement for the partner (if he is present). The degree of postnatal care depends on the mother’s requirements; most ‘birth doulas’ will provide at least one postnatal visit, but there are also doulas who specialise in postnatal care and can visit the client regularly in the early days and weeks of motherhood.

Finally, the benefits of hiring a doula are as varied and diverse as the doulas themselves. Research has shown that the presence of a doula during labour can cut the chance of caesarean section or other surgical delivery, decrease the mother’s need for pharmacological pain relief, increase mother-baby bonding, and shorten the average duration of first-time labour. Perhaps more importantly, having the constant support of another woman trained in childbirth can boost the confidence of first-time mums, and help provide a healing experience for second-time mums who may have had a previously traumatic birth. That kind of satisfaction isn’t just the preserve of ‘yummy mummies’ — it’s the right of every woman who is making the life-changing transition to motherhood.

by Leah Hazard.

Leah is a mother of two, and works as a doula in Glasgow. She is the author of the Father’s Home Birth Handbook.

Contact Doula UK to learn more about childbirth support or hire a doula.

The Mother Magazine

I discovered The Mother magazine after my little girl was born and read it cover to cover without stopping. I was amazed by the thought-provoking views on pregnancy, birthing, breastfeeding, education, home-education, vaccination…

In a world where so many things make us doubt our skills as mothers and parents, where we are supposed to listen to so-called experts, supported by studies which often contradict each other, The Mother magazine brings a refreshing view: trust your instinct as a woman, as a mother, as a parent… Trust that we can follow our instinct to birth our children freely, to breastfeed them as long as they need it, that home education is a real option, that natural parenting and organic living aren’t just dreams …

Each editorial, article, story, recipe pushed me to challenge my preconceived ideas, to think things through for my children and my family. I don’t live by everything the Mother Magazine advocates. My children were born at home and breastfed until they gave up when they were ready, they were carried about in baby slings. Now they are in school, we aren’t vegetarians but what I love about The Mother magazine is being challenged to think more about our choices and to know that there are alternatives that I might want to explore at some point.

The Mother Magazine is in danger of closing, get your subscription now! If you are a business, consider advertising as well, their readers are loyal customers.

New stocks of these bestselling pregnancy bands have arrived, so we have put them back up on the site.  We get great feed back about these and lots of new mothers like them too – they are ideal for breastfeeding mothers to wear so that they don’t show off more post baby tummy than they wanted to.

Bando pregnancy / bump band.

Here are some answers to questions I get asked by pregnant friends on a regular basis – they are based on my experiences though, and may be glaringly obvious to some people, but they were not to me! Please feel free to add to this list of useful tips in the comments section.

Clothes
Come in sizes according to weight and don’t last very long at all in the beginning. You will need a slightly larger size if you use real nappies. Some babygros have integral gloves that fold back – very useful for babies that want to scratch their faces off. Things that fasten at the front are easier than things that go over heads. All socks are sacrificial; they don’t stay on feet for long so I prefer things with feet for colder weather.
Nappies
Cloth nappies rock and I like the smell of the Weleda nappy cream which is brilliant stuff. It is a good idea to research nappies, and there are some helpful tips on this blog.

www.naturalnurseryblog.co.uk/how-easy-are-cloth-nappies-to-use

www.naturalnurseryblog.co.uk/why-use-cloth-nappies

Toys
My child at 3 month liked noisy things, mirrors and things he could hold with his tiny fingers. Brightly coloured board books are good too.  If you buy anything musical remember that you will have to listen to it too.

Feeding
I used a pump to express milk and I pumped in the morning while feeding after the small had triggered off the let down reflex. Thinking milky thoughts of waterfalls made the milk come out faster! My son never took to a bottle but he would use a sippy cup. Pumping was just in case of emergencies. I boiled cups and the pump to sterilise them, it’s not a hassle and I don’t think the sterilising equipment is really necessary, though it may make life a bit easier. I have read that the sterilising solution can increase the risk of thrush.
Sleeping
I had a Moses basket for small but didn’t like it ‘cos I had to peer in to check his breathing. I bought a cot because it seemed to be the thing to do but in the end decided that I am a fan of co-sleeping. There are guidelines for safe co-sleeping that are well worth looking at. Grobags are brilliant and my small sleept much longer when I got one.

Bathing
I think a bath thermometer is vital, what’s warm to me is boiling for the small. We shared the bath and he loved it. You also need a soft sponge and ducks!

I hope some of these hints are useful, I found it daunting and confusing trying to work out what I needed and what was clutter and I hope my tips can help you.