My bump looks much bigger/smaller than everyone else’s!

Your bump’s size is dictated by many things, not just the size of your baby.

Size can be affected by the way the baby is lying, how tall you are, whether or not it’s your first baby, how fit you are, and not least, how many babies you’re carrying!

Remember, not all babies are the ‘average size’, some are bigger and some are smaller, but they all tend to grow to ‘fit’ their mum’s pelvis.
So when you cast that envious sideways look at the mum’s neat bump next to you in the antenatal clinic, she might just be looking sideways at you and thinking ‘I wish my bump was that big.

Chocolate’s good for you (well we knew that didn’t we?)

According to scientists at Yale University, women who ate chocolate (especially dark chocolate) at least 5 times a week were 40% less likely to develop pre-eclampsia during pregnancy than women who had it less than once a week.

But (and there’s always a but with chocolate) only have a few squares a day, as it is also high in fat and sugar.

How do you bond with your bump?

Dr Miriam Stoppard believes it is very important that a mum starts to bond with her baby while it is still in the womb qand she suggests a number of ways by which you can encourage this closeness between mother and unborn baby.

Just smile – the physical act of smiling releases your body’s own feel-good hormones, which then cross the placenta and help your baby feel calm and serene.

Talk to your bump – just for a few minutes every day. By 6 months, your baby can distinguish your voice, her heart rate slows down when she hears you speak, and she’ll be able to recognise your voice after birth.

Massage your bump – use a quailty stretch mark oil or cream to massage your bump in a circular motion and not only can you help to keep stretch marks at bay, but the massage motion promotes relaxation and calming hormones will be released which in turn can help soothe your baby.

Let us know if you have tried any of these ideas, and did they work for you?

How can I feel less tired?

Unfortunately, there is no ‘cure’ for tiredness when you have a new baby, but these few tips may help you to feel a little more rested.
1. Sleep or rest when your baby does – even if it is mid-morning. Put your mobile on silent and ignore the doorbell. Cat-naps like this will really help top up your energy levels.
2. Be realistic about what you can achieve. You are not Wonder Woman or the Bionic Woman, so you can’t do everything today – spread it out in more easily manageable tasks.
3. Accept all offers of help. Absolutely! Cooking, cleaning, ironing (especially ironing!!) – the more practical help you can get in the early days the better.
4. Stop ironing or at least cut down! Not everything needs to be ironed (plus see 2. above).
5. Eat well – soups, baked potatoes, sandwiches and fresh fruit will help to keep your blood sugar steady, stabilise your mood and help maintain your energy levels.

What worked for you? Any of the above or something completely different? Let us know!

Did you know….?

From about four months, the stress level of your baby in the womb rises and falls in line with yours. So taking a “chill pill” not only helps you, it also helps your unborn baby.
Do you have a favourite way of chilling out during your pregnancy? If so, please share it here with other mums-to-be

Morning Sickness – what worked for you?

Are you one of the 90% of women who have suffered or are suffering from morning sickness during your pregnancy?
If you are, which remedy did you find worked the best in either ‘curing’ or alleviating the symptoms?
On the MumsTheWord website, we have 14 alternative morning sickness remedies from which you can choose, and although we know which one we sell the most of, (Muti’s Morning Sickness Relief Stick), we don’t know how effective the remedies are.
So please help your fellow sufferers out and let them know which remedy worked best for you

Breast milk boosts IQ

According to a survey of 14,000 children over a period of 6 years by researchers from McGill University in Canada, up to 6 IQ points separate babies that were breast fed compared to those fed on formula milk

The study which was carried out in Belarus was designed not to be influenced by factors such as the mother’s intelligence or the way she interacted with her baby.

At 6, exclusively breast-fed children scored 5.9 points higher on average in tests of overall intelligence. It is thought that breastmilk contains ingredients which boost mental skills, whilst the intimacy of breastfeeding may also help children.

The survey was lead by Professor Michael Kramer who said that breast milk may have nutrients not found in formula milk which stimulate brain development, but he could not rule out other influences such as the physical and psychological closeness between mother and child during feeding.

UK Government puts babies at risk

According to a survey by the Royal College of Midwives, overstretched maternity services face breaking point because cash-strapped NHS trusts are cutting the number of jobs available for midwives and diverting resources elesewhere.
More than 90% of final-year midwifery students are struggling to find a job says the RCM because the number of training places in England has dropped from 2,374 to 1,990 in the past two years because of government cuts in maternity services despite the increasing birth rate.

According to the RCM, there are around 19,000 midwives in England, but another 5,000 are needed to bring maternity services up to strength.

The Government has promised to provide one-to-one midwifery care to pregnant women and the Health Secretary has pledged to inject extra cash into maternity care and increase the number of midwives by 3,400 over the next three years. However the RCM maintains that this will still leave gaps in services as the birth rate continues to rise.
According to a Dept. of Health spokesman, “this is unacceptable scaremongering which does not reflect the evidence”

Is it scaremongering or are maternity services and the midwives working under unacceptable pressures?
Did your experience come up to your expectations?

Is chocolate a pregnant girl’s best friend?

According to research carried out at Yale University and published in the magazine ‘Epidemiology’, eating chocolate during pregnancy could help prevent pre-eclampsia.

It suggests that women who eat chocolate at least five times a week are 40% less likely to develop pre-eclampsia than those who eat chocolate less than once a week. It is believed that the chemical theobromine, which occurs naturally in chocolate (particularly dark chocolate) could be responsible for the protection.

According to the research project leader “becasue of the importance of pre-eclampsia as a major pregnancy complication, a detailed assessment of chocolate consumption is warranted”

Anybody interested in eating chocolate to test this out, form an orderly queue……

Help! My best friend’s become an Earth Mother

While fully embracing the environmental green ideal is great for both a baby and the environment, being told all the time what you should or shouldn’t be eating, wearing, dressing your new baby in can become rather intense after a while.

You may not have the time, money or inclination to spend hours preparing organic meals or washing terry nappies and it may be that you simply found breastfeeding difficult or have made the switch over to bottle-feeding somewhat earlier than she intends to.

So how do cope with the situation before it gets out of hand and jeophardises your friendship? Arguing will not work, because in this case she is the “expert”. You don’t have to justify your position to her, but simply explain it – it’s not a question of right and wrong but more about what your individual circumstances dictate or will allow.

Have you been in a situation where different baby rearing methods have threatened to drive you and a friend apart? If so, were you able to resolve the problem?