The Breastfeeding Solution Site rated our Jazzy Beads bracelet as one of the Top 4 Breastfeeding Jewellery Items!  Well done to Sharon and her team :0)

If you are breastfeeding, why not have a look at the The Breastfeeding Solution Site for lots of hints and advice.

Keep an eye out on the site for some more Jazzy Beads breastfeeding bits and bobs coming soon….!  Don’t forget there is FREE delivery on all Jazzy Beads bracelets!

The matchbook messages read -

“Thanks  for sharing our excite’mint’ ” and “Thanks for sharing our special day. It mint so much to me!”

We think these are going to fly off the shelves, as they’ll make perfect little gift favours as well as fun table decorations!

Why not have a look at the rest of our Baby Shower selection?  Don’t forget we have FREE delivery on all our Baby Shower bits!

This Saturday, 18th May 1-3pm, Mum’s Stories will be visiting Milton Keynes Gallery.  Why not spend 15 minutes just for you and have some fun too!

What is your story of becoming a mum? How did you manage that transition from before to after? Did you change?  Transform?  Disappear?  Or re-appear anew?

Trevor Marshall of Thisismyfilm.com is capturing and collecting stories and is keen to hear yours.  Select and send 10 digital images to trevor@thisismyfilm.com  before the event.  You will be allocated a 15 minute time slot for Saturday 18May, during which Trevor will look to capture your story for you and share it via Story of Mum to a worldwide online community.

If you want to find out more about the Story of Mum Exhibition Project, and see some fab stories from other MK Mums, have a look at the Story of Mum blog.  You can also follow Pippa on Twitter @storyofmum

MK Gallery,  900 Midsummer Blvd,  Milton Keynes MK9 3QA

Does your partner really appreciate everything a woman goes through during pregnancy and childbirth?

BBC Three are looking for dads-to-be who would be willing to learn about all aspects of pregnancy and roll up their sleeves to assist the delivery team at the birth.

This fantastic opportunity will enable you to have one-to-one coaching sessions with a professional midwife and truly understand what your partner is going through.

Dads…It’s time to step up and support your partner!

If you are expecting the birth of your child in August – mid October we want to hear from you!

Contact us now for an application form!
Phone: 07938 350876
E-mail: pregnant@bbc.co.uk
http://www.bbc.co.uk/showsandtours/shows/beonashow/having_your_baby

This has caused a bit of a rush today and the lovely purpley colour featured here is now out of stock, but don’t worry we still have the gorgeous bronze mix and blue mix available!

We’ll be getting some more purple mix bracelets back stock in shortly.  Lovely mumpreneur Jazzy Beads is busy beavering away as I type making lots more gorgeous bracelets for us!

Don’t forget there is FREE delivery on our Jazzy Beads Mum to Be Bracelet

Researchers in the US and Sweden have found evidence that we start learning language before we’re even born.  The study discovered that in the last 10 weeks of pregnancy, foetuses are listening to their mothers communicate. And when they are born, they can show what they’ve heard.

Forty baby boys and girls – about 30 hours old – were randomly exposed to different vowel sounds that are unique to either English or Swedish. They included the English “e” sound in sweet or the Swedish “eu” sound that is comparable to oeuf, the French word for eggs.

The babies’ response to each sound was measured by the strength of their sucking on a pacifier connected to a computer.

In each group, the babies sucked hardest when they heard the vowels representing the foreign language.  The American babies sucked harder when they heard Swedish vowels and the Swedish babies sucked harder when they heard English vowels.

The results indicate that babies are born with the ability to distinguish different languages and are curious enough to explore the language that is unfamiliar, says Patricia Kuhl. She is one of the study’s authors and co-director of the Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences at the University of Washington.

“Babies are learning when they’re still in the womb,” she says.

“We’re showing that the foetus in the last ten weeks, when we know that the auditory system is fully working, is not only listening, is not only taking note of the sounds, but remembering and learning them.”

Click here for more on this fascinating story…

These beautiful gift and keepsakes are handcrafted pieces of artwork, with the quotation hand printed (in the designer’s exclusive font).  One of the wall art art pieces contains the beautiful quote ‘nine months in my tummy an eternity in my heart’ and is based on a page of an old dictionary.  The other is a quote from Winnie-the-Pooh, ‘A Great Adventure is About to Begin‘ and is painted on a page from, guess what(?) Winnie-the-Pooh!

Every copy will be completely unique as each is created on its very own page.  The beautiful old page is framed using eco friendly wood, created especially for wall art.

Perfect for adorning the nursery wall once the little one has arrived!  What an unusual gift idea!

To celebrate, we’d like to offer a 10% discount of all orders* until midnight on Friday (26.4.13).   Just use the code GBS10000 at the checkout.

Want to know more…?

Group B Streptococcus is the commonest cause of life-threatening  infections in newborn babies in the UK. Most GBS infections can be prevented by giving antibiotics intravenously (through a vein) at the onset of labour to all women where GBS been detected during their current pregnancy. It is also appropriate for those with other recognised risk factors (having previously had a baby with GBS, having a fever in labour, labour starting, or waters breaking before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy and/or waters breaking more than 18 hours before delivery).

This recommended use of antibiotics reduces the likelihood of early-onset GBS infection developing in a baby born to a woman carrying GBS at the time of delivery from around 1 in 300 to less than 1 in 6000. Intravenous antibiotics given in labour are highly effective at preventing GBS infection in newborn babies. Oral antibiotics should not be given during pregnancy for GBS colonisation as they have not been shown to be effective. There are always small but potentially serious risks associated with taking antibiotics, and management and treatment need to be fully discussed.

Detecting a GBS carrier:

Screening for GBS carriage is not routinely offered in the NHS. Laboratory testing of GBS testing is routinely undertaken at The Doctors Laboratory. The method for testing is an enriched culture medium (ECM) specifically designed for the isolation of GBS in swabs. Two swabs (lower vaginal and rectal) need to be cultured, ideally in the last five weeks of pregnancy, to best predict colonisation of GBS around the time of delivery.

The facts concerning GBS:

GBS is the most common cause of serious infection in newborn babies in the UK. Without preventative medicine, around 1 in 1000 babies in the UK would develop a GBS infection i.e. about 700 babies a year.

Babies are usually exposed to GBS shortly before or during birth. It is not understood why some babies are susceptible to the bacteria and develop infection, whilst others do not. What is clear, however, is that most GBS infections in newborn babies can be prevented by giving intravenous antibiotics from the onset of labour until the baby is born to women whose babies are at higher risk.

What should be done next?

Testing for GBS needs to be included in the pregnancy and birth plan and discussed with the midwife, Obstetrician or GP with an understanding of what should happen if GBS is isolated. UK guidelines recommend that, when GBS is detected during the current pregnancy, the woman should be offered intravenous antibiotics in labour. This will stop most GBS infections from developing in newborn babies.

Procedure for testing:

Testing for GBS needs to be undertaken between 35-37 weeks or ideally in the last few weeks of a pregnancy.

Two swabs need to be taken and accompanied by a completed request form showing:

• Patient’s name, address and date of birth.

• Mobile phone number is you would like to receive results by text message.

• Name and full address, phone and or fax number of Midwife and/or Obstetrician to whom results

will be sent.

• Gestation (weeks).

• Complete payment details (credit/debit card/cheque – made payable to The Doctors Laboratory for £35.00)

More information about GBS can be found from our friends at Group B Strep Support.

(*not valid on the Kensington Breastfeeding Chair)

In fact, the number of kits we have sent will be much higher than this as we actually dispatch next day deliveries ourselves

According to the laboratory, the last figures we received were that 21.5% of our mums-to-be were positive.  That is an astounding figure and means, without wishing to sound melodramatic, that there may be babies alive today because their mums had a test from us.

It is a sad fact that in the UK, Group B Streptococcus (GBS) Bacteria kills 75 newborn babies a year, and many of these deaths could have been easily prevented.   The NHS does not routinely test for GBS (unlike many other countries) and awareness in the UK is often very poor.   We have worked hard, together with our very good friends at Group B Strep Support (GBSS) to promote both awareness of GBS and tell mums-to-be that there is an option of an accurate private test available.

We even send the test out for free, so there is no pressure to take the test and after reading the information in the pack women can make an educated decision whether or not to go ahead.  A fee is payable to the laboratory when the completed test is submitted.

For lots more information on Group B Strep, please have a look at the GBSS Website, we also have lots of information in our Reading Room.

Click here to order a FREE Group B Streptococcus Testing Kit.  If you’re not pregnant but know someone that is – please tell them to have a read of the above information, it could save a life…

This dinky diamante brooch measures just 2cm across but is sure to make an impact when worn. It sparkles beautifully in the light and looks like a real diamond one that you’d get from a high class jeweller!  It is also neutral colours so no bright pinks or blue.

At only £2.75 with FREE delivery – get them before they go!!!