advice

Breastfeeding, Weaning and Vitamins

I have just begun weaning my baby at six months and have been advised to start giving her vitamin drops. I currently take vitamins myself, specifically for breastfeeding. Should I continue to take these or will that be too many vitamins for my baby?! Hope you can help as I’m so confused after asking several different people and reading various forums!! Current NICE guidelines recommend Vitamin D supplements for all breastfeeding mothers and infants and children up to the age of 5 years. If you stick with the recommended dosage it will be quite safe for your baby. Providing you […]

I am planning on starting a family.

Hi, if you are planning on starting a family, should you start taking folic acid before for a  few weeks or during the period you start trying to conceive? Is it also good to avoid alcohol when trying to conceive? Also, if you’ve been on the pill a number of years, should you come off for a few months before starting trying to conceive or is it fine once you finish a pack to stop and start trying to conceive? Please do have a look at our article “How to Get Pregnant” – this should answer all your questions! Good luck..and […]

Trying to Get Pregnant

Hi, if you are planning on starting a family, should you start taking folic acid before for a  few weeks or during the period you start trying to conceive? Is it also good to avoid alcohol when trying to conceive? Also, if you’ve been on the pill a number of years, should you come off for a few months before starting trying to conceive or is it fine once you finish a pack to stop and start trying to conceive? Please do have a look at our article “How to Get Pregnant” – this should answer all your questions!

Breastfeeding- Everything you need to know.

Breastfeeding can be such a difficult time for so many women and there is so much conflicting advice to be found on the internet.  We have so many wonderful articles written by breastfeeding specialists such as Charlotte Young IBCLC that we decided to collect them all together for you in one easy to read article. We hope that they help you. 1.  How to Prevent and Treat Sore Nipples – Charlotte Young IBCLC. During both antenatal and postnatal consultations, it never fails to amaze me how many mothers expect breastfeeding to hurt…(more)   2.  Practical Tips for Breast or Bottle Feeding […]

Help for Sleep Deprived Mothers (and fathers) – by Jo Tantum

Hello to all you sleep deprived families out there, A poll conducted by Mother & Baby Magazine found that sleep deprivation was one of the causes of post -natal depression and that it played havoc with the relationships and working lives of new parents. The survey found: 56% of working mothers said weariness left them in a “state of despair”. 82% admitted a lack of sleep affected their performance at work. 88% felt fed up, exhausted and pulled in too many directions. 70% said their tiredness was so debilitating they felt unable to function properly. 61% said their boss was […]

19 weeks pregnant- bad SPD. Any advice?

I’ve recently been diagnosed with SPD I’m 19 weeks pregnant and find it difficult to turn in bed or walk, especially in the evening. Have you any advice? Could this get better or is it likely to get worse? This is rather early for SPD, but it has a variable course, but is unlikely to get better until you are delivered. We suggest you talk to your midwife/dr to arrange some physio and some advice about keeping active but not putting your pubis under strain.  Our section on Back and Hip Ache explains SPD in more detail.

Is Miscarriage Care Insensitive?

By James GallagherHealth and science reporter, BBC News Imagine being in hospital with the knowledge you’ve just miscarried and lost your baby. But at the same time you’re being kept on a ward where you can hear women going through labour and life entering the world. It happened during Julie Orford’s first miscarriage and was just one instance of what she describes as “insensitive care” during a “really, really frightening” time. “I found it quite distressing that I was in the process of losing my baby, when I could hear others actually having their baby downstairs,” she told the BBC. […]

Do I need to be induced at 42 weeks?

I’m exactly 42 weeks pregnant today (my to boys were born 5 and 8 yrs ago at 42 weeks without induction) and my mother was also always at least 42 weeks overdue with her 6 children. I would really prefer to go into labour naturally without being induced. My question is how far would you advise me I can still go if all the monitoring seems fine before I should opt for induction? First of all I do not want to interfere with the care you are currently getting from your midwives and doctor.  However I do have some general […]

RCOG advises pregnant women to avoid alcohol despite new research

Taken from  RCOG (Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecology) Website RCOG statement on new BJOG research looking at alcohol consumption in early pregnancy and its effects on children Five Danish research papers are published today in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology focussing on alcohol levels and its effect on neurodevelopment of children aged five years. 1,628 women recruited from the Danish National Birth Cohort at their first antenatal visit took part in the studies. The researchers have looked at low, moderate, high and binge drinking and found that overall low to moderate weekly drinking in early pregnancy […]

Welcome

Our up-to-date information will help you to make informed decisions on whether or not you should be drinking alcohol, running a marathon or eating smoked salmon during your pregnancy and how you might be feeling week by week.  We will guide you through the daunting task of deciding what equipment you need to buy for the baby’s arrival and what you should be packing in your hospital bag as your due date approaches.  Read through our tips for dealing with pregnancy, labour and the first few weeks of your baby’s life, and make sure your partner reads through our advice […]