BG Nappies

New bumGenius prints - Spence and Marie

2014-08-26T20:16:00.000+01:00

Two new bumGenius prints that have us reeled in! These cute prints celebrate everything to do with the sea.

Spence is named after Dr E Lee Spence, and takes you on a deep sea adventure - featuring treasure maps, ships, parrots and pirates. Keen bumGenius fans will spot Moonbeam, Sassy and Clementine in the design.

Marie is named after Marie Tharpe, and explores ocean mythology - mermaids, seahorses and other deep sea creatures in this fun print with pops of Mirror, Clementine, Zinnia and Dazzle. Tharpe's oceanic cartographer work produced the first scientific map of the ocean floor.

available in the following styles:
4.0, Freetime, Elemental, Newborn and Flip cover.

Keep watching here for the latest on bumGenius releases!

bumGenius Chaplin

2014-07-15T22:28:00.000+01:00

The latest in the Genius series from bumGenius, Chaplin pays tribute to Charlie Chaplin, actor and film-maker. Born in London, he achieved worldwide fame form an early age. Love the pops of colour against the mainly monochrome design. Sure to fly out the door in the same manner as Audrey!

This new bumGenius Chaplin nappy will be available in the usual bumGenius styles, and Flips.

New colour - Armadillo!

2014-07-10T22:48:00.001+01:00

The latest colour release from bumGenius has hit Baba Me - Armadillo! Simple, classic and gender-neutral, this has been a huge hit in the States as it goes with pretty much any colour. So if it's hot and your little one is rocking a t-shirt and a nappy, or they are wearing baby legs, the neutral grey will make the other colours pop.

Available in the Elemental, V4 and Flip styles.

A stylish addition to your collection; bumGenius Audrey print released

2014-03-17T21:18:00.001+00:00

Another new print from bumGenius, the latest in the Genius range. Introducing Audrey, in tribute to the film and fashion icon. She displayed pure genius on screen - grace, elegance and superb comic timing - and off-screen for her humanitarian work.

Oversized sunglasses were her trademark, hence the design.

The Oscar-winning actress is synonymous with style and beauty, and that's what we think bumGenius have achieved with this stunning new print.

New colour release: Countess

2014-02-23T21:42:00.001+00:00

These new colours from bumGenius just keep on coming! The next one to be released is called Countess, it's a hot pink - very bright, will definitely stand out in your stash.

It will be available as a 4.0, Freetime, Elemental and Flip - we are expecting it around April time. Details on how to order from babame.com and fluffheaven.com will be available shortly.

New bumGenius colour: Hummingbird

2014-01-28T17:31:00.003+00:00

BumGenius have launched a new colour today, a beautiful, vibrant emerald green called Hummingbird. It will be available in the following styles V4, Freetime, Elemental, Newborn and Flip covers (all with snaps).

The colour is inspired by nature, the freshness of a bright day and green leaves, grass and foliage. Perfect for boys and girls, and any time of year.

We expect these to fly off the shelves at the speed of a Hummingbird! Details on how to order will be available on Babame.com and Fluffheaven.com shortly.

BumGenius - some things you may not know...

2014-01-02T19:49:00.002+00:00

Here at BabaMe we like to keep things light and fluffy, but we would also like to take the opportunity to clarify a few important facts about bumGenius products. BabaMe are an independent retailer operating in challenging times - despite this, there are some corners we will not cut, and that includes sourcing products which are produced in an ethical way.

BumGenius nappies are actually made in Colorado, which is also where their material is produced. Definitely not in a developing country in a sweat shop, or using any child or forced labour. They have also used a production facility in Egypt; a fair trade factory, run to a very high standard.

In addition, we would also just like to say that bumGenius are very aware that their main market is mothers - if the man in your life buys fluff, I am very impressed - and therefore bumGenius is very supportive to mothers, and that includes WAHMs operating in the same marketplace. The fluffy word is spreading and more and more families are using reusable nappies, and there is plenty of business out there for everyone. In fact, Hemp Babies nappies/inserts and some of the Flip inserts are made by WAHMs in St Louis in the US, recognising the quality of their work and also that it keeps them in close contact with their key customer base.

Baby Show, London's Olympia

2013-10-24T22:05:00.001+01:00

We're going to the Baby Show at London's Olympia over the next few days - October 25th - 27th. so if you're going, or fancy a day browsing for new stuff and ideas, or frankly just want to escape for a few hours - please drop by and see us! There will be a Lillebaby carrier giveaway, samples of the new bumGenius nappies to see (Carroll and Jules are not otherwise available yet, except for pre order) and lots of fluffy chat. So please stop and say hello!

Limited edition bumGenius prints

2013-10-16T19:00:00.001+01:00

Yesterday, the eagerly anticipated bumGenius prints were revealed. We'd love to know what you think!

Just thought we would take a closer look at the new bumGenius prints that were revealed yesterday.

There are the two ‘Genius’ prints which are Jules and Carroll. ‘Jules’ relates to Jules Verne, and his classic novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. A very tranquil print of with an aqua marine background, anchors, fishes and starfishes.

Carroll is the much loved Alice in Wonderland story, a bright red with pink hearts, spades, diamonds and clubs, and white cards, clock, teacups and rabbits (of course!).

The following nappies will have the new prints: Freetime, Elementals, v4, Newborn and Flips covers.

Additionally, the Artist series continues with funky, swirly, modern prints by Chelsea Perry. Chelsea has designed lots of prints for bumGenius over the years. Her theme this year is The Royal Baby collection! They include Top Hat (greens and oranges) and Piccadilly Circus (pinks and purple). Fastened with black tabs and coloured snaps.

You can pre-order these during the week beginning Oct 21st. Keep an eye on the Baba Me and Fluff Heaven Facebook pages for details.

New bumGenius Prints

2013-03-25T21:17:00.003+00:00

Today we received our batch of the brand spanking new prints from bumGenius, and they are lush! Part of the Genius series these are called Irwin and Maathai

Irwin is a gorgeous almost camo type design with animals in bright colours. It is named after Steve Irwin the austrailian wildlife expert.

Maathai is name after the Kenyan environmentalist and is a very pretty floral design on a pink background.

The new bumgenius prints are very limited edition and only available in the best selling bg V4 and only in snap closure. They do not replace the ever popular Albert or Lovelace prints.

What do you think?

The New BumGenius Elemental Compared to the BumGenius Freetime

2013-02-19T13:02:00.002+00:00

Yesterday we highlighted the new bumGenius elemental nappy and compared it to the old elemental nappy {which used to be called bumGenius organic}. Today, we are looking at the new elemental compared to the Freetime nappy.

So, to start with both of these nappies are bumGenius - a name synonymous with quality, reliable cloth nappies, and both are all in one. All in one cloth nappies are just that, they are simple to use and need nothing else. They are most like a disposable and therefore very 'dad' and nursery friendly. In the past all in ones were not favoured as they were just not seen as reliable and took an age to dry. BumGenius have smashed away these assertions though, manufacturing not one but two fantastic all in one cloth nappy options, that are reliable, and quick drying!

Both the Freetime and the new Elemental are, like all of the bumGenius nappy ranges, onesize doing from 8-35lbs+. The new elemental has an extra give in its rise compared to its old elemental, which was often cited as a short rised nappy. This will suit parents of tall toddlers. You can see below the freetime {in clementine, the new elemental in mirror}, that the new elemental has a very slightly longer rise than the freetime, but not much in it.

Looking at the inside of these two fantastic cloth nappies, is where we can see the real differences. The obvious one is material. The Freetime has a stay dry layer on top of microfibre, whislt the elemental has six layers of organic cotton. Both have their uses and some people prefer stay dry, some organic. I think the organic will have the edge on absorbency, but it will be great to get some user feedback on this.

A small aside, the Freetime can be used after just one wash, whilst the organic needs 10 washes to strip out natural oils and come to full absorbency.

The Freetime has two flaps sewn in at either end, that can be adjusted in a multiple of ways. The new elemental, like the old one, has one continuous flap sewn in at both ends. I think a number of people might have been suprised by this and expected the new elemental to look more like the freetime, however with organic cotton that pattern would just not work. I can see it scrunching up and needing to be ironed to go flat and in place! But maybe I am wrong and maybe bumGenius have another trick up their sleeves... who knows!

The Freetimes flaps can be pulled out, which allows for quick drying. Underneath there is an additional layer of stay dry microfibre. This underneath layer was in the old elemental but is missing from the new elemental, and this is why the new one dries so much more quickly.

In terms of trimness, both the freetime and the old elemental had a reputable for being nice and slim and snug fitting. These side profile shot shows just how slim this new elemental design is, it is amazing! The top one is on toddler setting, and the bottom photo on small setting, where you can really see the difference!

The Freetime nappies comes in a choice of hook & loop or snaps, whilst the elemental just comes in snaps. The reason for this is the natural oils in organic nappies can cause significant issues with hook & loop. Never wash new hemp or organic nappies or boosters with hook & loop nappies, until they have been washed at least 10 times.

Overall these are both two great nappies and I think anybody would be happy with either one of them. If you prefer stay dry nappies, go for the Freetime. If you prefer super super slim or natural fibres, go for the Elemental. Or go for both if you just love cloth nappies!!

To win an Elemental, just tell us below which nappy you prefer, Freetime or Elemental, and why?

The winner pulled at random is Jennifer Rafferty - well done Jennifer. To claim your prize email care @ babame.com

The New bumGenius Elemental Nappy

2013-02-18T17:32:00.002+00:00

BumGenius have updated their fantastic bumGenius elemental {previously called bumGenius organic} with a new and improved design.

With the highlights being:

Highlights

Absorbent layers attached to the waterproof outer layer.
One step cloth diaper - no stuffing!
Two rows of snaps ensure a trim, bumGenius fit every time!
Ultra-absorbent, certified organic cotton inner.
Gentle leg elastic contains the mess!

But I guess what everyone wants to know is, how has it changed? Well here at Baba Me we were lucky enough to get our hands on some stock early so have had a chance to check this nappy out. WOW, we are impressed.

The original organic nappy was much loved because of its slimness and its super absorbency. However, it was a slow drying nappy and some people felt that if not tucked into the sides, the organic on the edges might wick, so you had to be careful to ensure it was tucked in.

In terms of improvement, they have managed to make this nappy even slimmer!!!! Yep, unbelievable. I think this must be about the slimmest organic nappy on the market. I have taken a few comparison shots so you can see the difference between the old and new bumGenius elemental.

The old style is in zinnia, the new in mirror :

You can see from this that the new one is quite a bit wider in the crotch area. As you open up the nappy you can see this, even more, the organic cotton is much wider:

Here you can see the main difference. The new elemental has the folds of cotton much wider and taken all the way to the top of the nappy, whereas before the folds started about an inch in at each end. The new folds have six layers of organic cotton.

However, it does not have the base layer of organic cotton. This means a couple of things. It is much much much slimmer. It is much much quicker drying! And the organic now no longer peeps over at the legs so less chance of wicking by overhanging cotton.

For additional absornbency, it is now much easier to put extra boosters underneath the folds of the organic cotton. I recommend the Hemp Babies Little Weeds as a perfect fit, you can see it tucked in on the bottom picture and it fits like a dream:

So in terms of slimness, in there much of a difference? YES!!! Someone, those genius' at bumGenius have managed to make a super slim cloth nappy, EVEN TRIMMER! Heres a couple of comparison shots from various angles, it's most notable on the newborn setting.

In terms of the inside, I much prefer the new style. It has a lot more play and more space for customisable absorbency

Overall I love the amendments bumGenius have made. I think the new elemental is going to be a very popular cloth nappy. It is super slim and much quicker drying.

To win one, let us know your thoughts on the new bumGenius elemental below!

Did you bloom in pregnancy?

2012-09-01T21:05:00.002+01:00

Yesterday in our shop I had the delight of talking with a mom expecting her 5th child. To say she looked magnificent would have put it mildly. She was eight months pregnant on no.5, and looked stunning. The good news was that on baby no.5 she was converting from disposable nappies to cloth nappies, and came to us as the cloth nappy experts. I am happy to report that she left delighted with her choice of bumGenius freetimes, in such an array of funky colours! She topped of her purchases with armfuls, and I mean armfuls of CJs butter samples - she went for one in every flavour!

This lovely lady, hello if you are reading!, got me thinking about how some people just bloom in pregnancy. Research suggests that at some point in pregnancy, it’s estimated that you’ll leave behind your mood swings and morning sickness and bloom into a ravishing creature with glowing skin and thick, shiny hair.

There’s no doubt that loads of hormonal changes in pregnancy make some women look and feel absolutely wonderful, especially in the middle months of pregnancy. Lots of extra blood capillaries are produced and this helps make the skin and hair shine. This is not, however, the case for everyone. The same hormonal changes can also cause spots, greasy hair and tiredness, especially early on. So if you do bloom in pregnancy, just sit back and enjoy it!

Everyone knows that endorphins are the ‘happy hormones’ that are released when you do exercise, making you look and feel better. The good news is that they kick in during pregnancy to help you cope with pain and stress, particularly in birth, so your body is producing these naturally. Don’t forget about the exercise though - try some yoga, swimming or Pilates.

Everybody talks about the ‘pregnancy glow’ that kicks in at some point, often during the second trimester, when erratic hormone levels settle and high levels of oestrogen course through your body. The increased metabolism and circulation which are created by these pregnancy hormones nourish both your skin and hair. You’ll find that your nails will grow faster than you can manicure them and your hair will be thicker and more lustrous than it has ever been.

Many women really love their hair during pregnancy, saying it looks thicker and glossier. This is because of the high levels of progesterone, which are coursing through your body at this time, causing the follicles to go into a ‘resting’ phase which reduces the amount of hair that drops out when you wash it. It does this by reducing the levels of the hormone dihydrotestosterne (DHT), which is responsible for hair loss. (Three months after you give birth, however, your progesterone levels will drop again and your old hair will start falling out again to make way for new ones.)

Each of my four pregnancies has been different and whilst I never bloomed as magnificently as the lovely mama yesterday, I did bloom in the 2nd trimester. That was my favourite part of pregnancy and I loved every moment of it, and enjoying new maternity clothes. Off course it was not long before I turned into a beached whale and needed a crane to move me.

Did you bloom in pregnancy?

Real Nappy Week 2012

2012-04-10T13:57:00.001+01:00

Well it really crept up on us this year but it nearly upon us happening on 16th and 22nd of April

For those of you who have not heard about Real Nappy Week its a fantastic week when cloth nappies are pushed to the front of the agenda. Many many people and organisations come together to spread the word about real nappies and get more people using the.

The question always is, how to really raise the profile of cloth nappies and get people realising they are not soaking buckets and folding and pinning. But that modern cloth nappies are as simple and easy to use as disposables. They are much much cheaper and in many instances much much better. I can recall countless tales of moms who reached to cloth nappies when they were fed up with the poo explosions up the back.

Here we do many things to promote cloth nappy awareness and real nappy week. One of the most fun things we do is the CAN challenge. Quite simply it challenges people to change 5 bumGenius cloth nappies as quickly as they can. The record time is about 27 seconds. I love doing the can challenge, its sooooooooooooooooooooooooo much fun. Some people become terrified of hurting the doll and take such care. For others a natural competitive instinct comes out and the poor doll is comatosed {you know who you are!!!}. The Can Challenge website will give you more details on its activities for real nappy week 2012.

Flip in albert

So, how would you promote Real Nappies? A random comment below will win 500 fluff points, for our brand spanking new, dedicated to cloth nappies website, fluff heaven.

And the winner is....

Comment no 1 =

Kara Minty said...: take lots of lovely bumgenius nappies to baby groups, doctors surgeries, swimming pools etc to show mums and dads how lovely they are!

Genius is the ability to reduce the complicated to the simple

2012-02-28T12:17:00.000+00:00

We're just back from the Baby Show and whilst my feet are still aching, I really love doing them. Only at the shows do we get to talk and listen to parents. Parents that have used bumGenius, parents that have used cloth nappies but not bumGenius, parents that are considering cloth nappies, and then just parents walking by who had no intention of using cloth nappies but just got drawn in by the colours.

If you have never been to the baby show, we are erm a very bright stand! We are PINK!!! with bubbles, and off course nappies : {thats me, Maebh aka Mrs Baba Me, looking very confused by it all - clearly pre morning coffee :-)}.

This time we were showing our new Genius range for the first time and the reactions to it were great. Immediately we could spot cloth nappies users as they did 'the albert walk' - this was a hands out, ignoring all of us, straight to the Albert print going 'Albert, Albert'. Not one but two sets of parents just bought 20 albert as their kit, without demos. They did not even care if it was the V4 pocket or the bg Freetime, they just wanted Albert. On further discussion they were all scientisty/mathsy people, and just had to have him! helllooooooo if you are reading this.

One guy, passing by out stand actually asked if he could buy our genius graphic - and was serious! He loved it and asked if we could make posters of it. Quite simply it sums up bumGenius - the ability to reduce the complicated to the simple.

People really understood this mantra when they came across the new bumGenius Freetime cloth nappy. Cloth nappies do not come any simpler than this nappy. It takes about 3 seconds to demo. Although I did do my very very best to try and drag the demo out to 10 seconds. But really, it is just open, put on baby, close. Thats it. Job done.

Years ago, pre bumGenius days, cloth nappies were complicated. And hard work. And only for the hard core eco warriors. Now, bumGenius have made them simple, easy, and fun. This show we had so many people who were just shocked at how simple bg Freetime has made cloth nappies, they kept just saying 'thats genius'. Yup. Well done Cotton Babies!

It was also interesting this time to see how mainstream cloth nappies have become. Now, it was very much all about saving money, more than saving the environment. A true indication of our economy and the tough times we find ourselves in. But great that people are now seeing cloth nappies as a viable alternative, a great way to save money and the environment.

So another show over. See you in Birmingham for the next one, when my feet might just about have recovered!

Baba Me and Music

2012-02-22T20:01:00.001+00:00

The Baba Me team are a wide and varied bunch. Very wide and varied! Without giving too much information away we range from 19 years to (ahem) late 50's. My son Seamus is the youngest team member - with Aunty Mary the eldest (I am so in trouble when she sees I have posted her age range!!!). Those who have visited know Baba Me is a family affair, with aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews all employed! and yes, Aunty Mary really is my aunty Mary! I was once advised to outsource my warehousing, but as that would make 5 members of my family redundant... maybe not!

With such a wide range of ages there is off course a wide range of tastes, and tonight we are talking music. Baba Me recognise the important of music for pre school development and we have a section of our website dedicated to it - musical play. Those who have visited our baby shop in Newry know there is a wide selection of musical toys out for children to play with, and kids are always welcome to blast the rainbow maracas as hard as they can, we love it! Some days the rainbow recorders are.....put up high :-) Getting children involved in music from an early age, even something as simple as singing nursery rhymes, is so good for toddlers development. Getting them instruments just helps them get more involved and more into the fun and games that music can bring.

Last night I had great fun reminiscing about childhood toys. Me and Mr Baba Me spent a good couple of hours talking about the sweets and the games we played as kids. Today we are carrying that theme on and, to appeal to all ages {not just old ones like me as was subtly pointed out last night :-)} I asked the staff in the office this afternoon what was the first album they purchased. This was actually a really fun exercise to do and 90% of staff members were mortified about their first album (most notably Paddy who bough be*wtched!!!!)

So tonights game - guess which member of staff bought which album, 8 to get correct.. Some are obvious, but some might prove tricky so I will give clues every 30 minutes if no one has guessed all 8 correctly.

We have a winner!!! Mel correctly guessed :

I love bumGenius organic, marathons and central.

2012-02-21T20:50:00.000+00:00

A blogger wrote to me today and told me how much she loved bumGenius organic and how she would love to review it and gave me a little prod about not promoting it that much. I agree with her. Those who have tried it love the natural fibres, it super slimness but its thirsty absorbency rates. I have been told off about keeping the bumGenius organic secret before, sorry.

I think the reason is that it is less well known is that it has always lived in the shadow of its famous stable mate, the V4 Pocket. And now bG Freetime. Poor old neglected Organic. Yet it IS a Mother & Baby Gold Award winner for Reusable Nappies. It won a joint title three years ago with the V3, and it is a REALLY good nappy. Those who have it, rave about it. It has quietly created its own fanbase over the years.

So tonight, we are celebrating the bumGenius organic, sorry bumGenius Elemental. I'm old, its takes a lot for me to get used to new things like the change of name. Its like marathon and snickers... I'm still in the marathon camp. It will always be marathon to me.

I moved from Birmingham to Ireland over 10 years ago yet I still call our local ITV channel Central not UTV {Brummies will know what I am on about on the Central and anyone from Nothern Ireland on the UTV}. My husband knows what I mean, the kids just give me 'crazy momma' looks when I say, turn over to central....

So tonight you have the choice of winning a bumGenius Organic, sorry Elemental... or a Freetime. Yes the Elemental does come in ALBERT! Its all about Albert these days...

To win simply guess which childhood sweets I have hidden in the picture below.

We have a winner, helen hales was the first to guess : gobstobber

To win no2: Just tell us why you love the bumGenius ~~organic~~ sorry elemental. Random comment picked tomorrow at 12.

BumGenius Freetime - Oh which colour to choose....

2012-02-20T20:41:00.001+00:00

So we have another free bG Freetime up for grabs tonight.

Just guess the four colours, in order, of the bumGenius freetime nappies behind the red.

We will give a clue every 30 minutes

Please don't guess blue, red, green etc as - please use the proper colour names. It may include the bumGenius albert or lovelace print but not the bubble or sweet which are discontinued (and on clearance now at bargain prices!)

White	Noodle	Butternut	Clementine	Sassy

Twilight	Mirror	Moonbeam	Ribbit	Grasshopper

Dazzle	Zinnia	Blossom

And also in these fabulous new bumgenius artist series prints.

Albert Snap	Albert Hook	Lovelace Snap	Lovelace Hook

CLUE 1: IT ENDS IN LOVELACE

YOU CAN HAVE UP TO 10 GUESSES PER POST

WE HAVE A WINNER!!!

babsY dazzle zinnia blossom lovelace

More bumGenius goodies.. but what?

2012-02-20T19:55:00.001+00:00

Our fluff enabler, aka Norman, delivered a container of goodies to us today, mainly bumGenius Freetime. So huge cheer as we are now once again fully stocked in bumGenius freetime in all colours and combinations.

But also a couple of extra little items which Mrs Baba Me ordered and forgot about... until they arrived. Yes Mrs Baba Me does this a lot. It drives her staff mad. The warehouse do not know its coming so have no space for it. And the web team have no idea about it so its not on the website. I do keep promising not to do this again, but well you know, I just see it. I was just browsing in the fabulous Cotton Babies warehouse and just had to order a few extra little items. The Cotton Babies warehouse is a cloth nappy addicts idea of paradise! I was literally ooohing and aahing all the way around it. Mr Baba Me did not get it, but then men don't do they? Although he does love the bumGenius Albert print, shame we have no babies in cloth any more. sigh.

A clue, before I send an army of flip fans into a tizz, its not the new flip colours or prints - we are expecting them in March. Not long now and I promise to announce all news on expected delivery of these on facebook first! I get asked about the flip albert at least once a day, at least!

If you are the first to guess any of the extra items, you win one of them.

Laura Martin has guessed one of the items, a bumGenius mug, 2 more to guess!

Julie B has won the 2nd item. We now have BumGenius newborn nappies in Albert and Lovelace. They are divine and the cutest things you have ever seen

The third item was the new range of bumGenius babylegs. We had the 2011 styles and now we have the new 2012 styles. As Jenna was the first to mention the babylegs, she wins one of her choice from the new range

We also have restocked on the fantastic hemp babies range of big and little weeds which are fantastic boosters for either the v4 or flips. But we used to sell them so not quite new!

Hope you like all the new products

Mrs Baba Me!

Freetime Treasure Hunt

2012-02-17T20:16:00.003+00:00

Well we are having a weekend of fun. All weekend we will be hiding treasure boxes on items in our website. Be the first to find the box and you will win a bumgenius freetime nappy!

Once you have found the code simply copy the secret word and the link to where it is below. First post for each secret words wins a bg freetime nappy.

Only one nappy per person, we want to share the cloth nappy love.

We will be adding more words throughout the weekend so keep checking back!

OK 7.30pm on Saturday and FIVE MORE ITEMS ARE UP. Good luck!

SUNDAY 8pm - FOUR MORE ITEMS ARE UP!!!

VBAC

2012-02-04T10:56:00.002+00:00

In the scale of old wives’ tales, the old saying that ‘once you have a caesarean birth you always have to have them’ is pretty much near the top of the list! Yet, as with so many old wives’ tales, it simply isn’t true.

Vaginal birth after caesarean section (VBAC) is the term used when a woman gives birth vaginally after having had at least one baby born by caesarean section.

If you’ve already had a caesarean, then your chances of having your next baby vaginally are quite good, but it does depend on why you actually needed your first caesarean. It also depends on the progress of your current pregnancy.

If you needed your caesarean for a condition that hasn’t changed – such as a small pelvis – then the chances are that you’ll need to have a caesarean again. However, if you had your caesarean because of exceptional circumstances such as a breech baby, or a low-lying placenta, then your chances of having a VBAC are increased.

With the current media focus on the risks of repeated caesarean births, the advantages of a VBAC are obvious. Naturally, with a VBAC, you avoid such risks, but you’ll also have much less pain after the birth and a shorter stay in hospital. It’s also much better for baby, since s/he is less likely to have trouble breathing after s/he is born.

A VBAC differs from normal childbirth in that you will be probably be more closely monitored during your labour. Indeed, most women will be offered continuous electronic foetal monitoring; allowing both baby’s heart rate and your contractions to be measured at all times.

Most women will have a successful VBAC without any complications at all, but there is a small risk that a scar from a previous caesarean could tear. This is referred to as uterine rupture. Rupture affects only one in 200 women trying for a VBAC, but, although the risk is small, your medical team will want to watch out for it. If your baby's heart rate doesn't sound right, it could be an early sign that there is a problem with your scar.

If you’ve had a previous caesarean and have opted for a VBAC, bear in mind that all labours are unpredictable, so there’s always the chance that you might have to give up on your VBAC option. Indeed, a quarter of women, who try for a VBAC end up needing an emergency caesarean.

During a VBAC, you can have an epidural (RCOG 2007: 9; RCOG 2008) for pain relief if you want one. Some hospitals may support you using a birth pool to help you cope with your contractions.

If your doctor has ruled out the possibility of you having a VBAC, then your other option is a planned, repeat caesarean. This is usually booked for the seven days leading up to your due date, unless your baby needs to be born sooner for a medical reason. Overall, repeat caesareans and VBAC are both safe ways for you to have your baby (RCOG 2008).

As in most issues related to pregnancy, informed choice is the best way to make a decision regarding the type of birth that you want or need. During your pregnancy, you'll have plenty of time to talk to your consultant or midwife about your previous birth or births, and they will be able to help you come to a decision about how to have your baby this time around.

If you have had a VBAC, or are hoping to please share your experiences.

We Flip For You

2012-02-03T16:39:00.001+00:00

Every year Baba Me, who love cloth nappies, make it their job to share the love of cloth nappies for Valentines day. And this year is no different.

We flip for you, buy one flip cover, get one FREE. Offer is available until 19th Feb, or until stocks last. We are also giving away a free pack of flip disposable inserts with any purchase of flip day packs. On top of that, we are ALSO, giving a free pack of flip disposables inserts for any purchase over £50 in Feb. Phew. We really are flip'in mad at Baba Me!

And to share the love that little bit more, we are giving away a fantastic FLIP Stay Dry Day Pack, just enter below. A flip stay dry pack consists of 2 flip outers, and 6 flip stay dry inserts, and would be a great addition to any real nappy stash! For more information on flip nappies, check out our FLIP FAQS.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Traumatic labours and coming to terms with them

2012-02-02T11:03:00.000+00:00

We have been focusing on labours recently and whilst some are fantastic experiences, like LAJ's homebirth, others are not. The aim of this post is NOT to scare pregnant moms, but to help moms who have had a terrible time and are struggling to deal with it.

From an early age, labour is generally portrayed in films and TV programmes in two different ways: the Waltons’ ‘ma, fetch the hot water and towels’ and the more graphic American TV ‘real life’ screaming labour programmes.

While some women will always find more traumatic than others, there will be women, who will experience events during childbirth that would traumatise any normal person. Such events can include:

a lengthy labour
a very painful labour
induction
poor pain relief
high levels of medical intervention
traumatic, emergency delivery

Some women who, for example, wished to have a normal labour with a low level of medical intervention, can find it very traumatic if they have to have an emergency caesarean or a high level of medical intervention. Afterwards, they can relive the delivery for days, weeks and even months at a time, failing like a complete failure for not having had a ‘natural’ delivery. If the baby’s life has been in danger during the delivery, these feelings of failure can be even more heightened.

For other women, it is not always the sensational or dramatic events that trigger childbirth trauma, but other factors such as loss of control, loss of dignity, the difficult attitudes of the people around them, the feelings of not being listened to, or the absence of informed consent to medical procedures.

These feelings of failure often can manifest themselves in actions such as constantly checking on baby while s/he is asleep or never allowing baby out of sight. Such women will suffer genuine and long-lasting distress and will often require medical help.

In other women, however, a traumatic labour and birth can lead to the more serious post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is the term for a set of normal reactions to a traumatic, scary or bad experience. It is a disorder that can usually occurs following the experience or the witnessing of life-threatening events.

While PTSD is generally associated with situations such as military combat, natural disasters, terrorist incidents, or violent personal assaults, the term ‘a traumatic experience’ can also include any experience, which involves the threat of death or serious injury to an individual or another person close to them. In the case of traumatic labour, it is a mother’s fear for her baby and, for this reason, it is now accepted that PTSD can be a consequence of a traumatic birth.

Characteristic features of PTSD include:

An experience involving the threat of death or serious injury to an individual or another person close to them (eg, their baby)
A response of intense fear, helplessness or horror to that experience.
The persistent re-experiencing of the event by way of recurrent intrusive memories, flashbacks and nightmares. These memories and flashbacks will make women feel distressed, anxious or panicky when exposed to things that remind them of the event.

It is important to remember that PTSD is a normal response to a traumatic experience. The re-experiencing of the event with flashbacks accompanied by genuine anxiety and fear are beyond the sufferer's control and in most cases, medical intervention is required.

If you have suffered a traumatic labour, you may find this website on birth trauma ptsd helpful.

Overdue and what to do

2012-01-31T10:56:00.000+00:00

As soon as we are told our due date we become almost fixated on it. The fact is, however, that only five per cent of babies actually arrive on their ‘due date’! The statistics show that first babies in particular are more likely to arrive later than the estimated delivery date (EDD) and women, who experience and overdue pregnancy are more likely to continue that pattern in further pregnancies.

Of course, every pregnant woman is sure she is going to go early! Most are actually willing it to happen, mainly because they’re so big and uncomfortable that the old ‘get this out of me’ cliché can make an appearance!

So what happens if your EDD has come and gone? Well, first of all your healthcare professionals will give Mother Nature an opportunity to kick start the process herself. Different hospitals have different policies on this and some obstetricians will agree to leave women who go past their EDD for two to three weeks to see if they will go into labour by themselves.

Letting you go past your EDD leads to its own worries. Pre-eclampsia is, of course, a concern, as is foetal distress and a reduction of amniotic fluid. All of these are, however, quite unusual, and more often than not, baby will come when it’s good and ready.

Once you're past a week overdue, you start coming under real pressure from ‘those in the know’ with offers of membrane sweeps and induction. Most hospitals have 42 weeks as their upper limit before induction or caesarean are compulsory. It is reckoned that up to a third of pregnancies are induced at the moment, despite World Health Organisation recommendations that ‘no geographic region should have rates of induced labour over ten per cent.’

If you do go past your EDD, there are various tried and tested tips for helping Mother Nature along.

Walking is a very effective way to get the uterus contracting, the blood flowing and the baby’s head engaged in the pelvis. This can actually have another positive effect in that it can get you out of the house and take your mind off the fact that you are overdue!

Conversely, deep sleep is also very important! This is because the logical, rational side of our brain – the bit that we use for speaking, thinking and interacting – interferes with the primal part of the brain – the bit that activates labour. With this in mind, it’s maybe no coincidence that many labours begin in the nighttime hours.

You may not want to hear it at this stage, but sex is also a great starter. The contractions of the uterus during orgasm can start labour contractions and semen contains prostaglandins which can help to ripen the cervix. And don’t worry! Sex is perfectly safe at full-term, provided your waters haven't broken.

Hot, spicy food such as curries has been known to bring on labour, so tuck in!

No one knows why, or how, but castor oil has been safely used by indigenous peoples around the world to induce labour. Its laxative properties, which can have you rushing to the loo, can also stimulate labour, so pop a tablespoon into juice at breakfast time.

Were you late? Any tips to help nature on its way?

Home birth

2012-01-29T14:46:00.001+00:00

Following on from the lovely homebirth story by LAJ, who is also our baby carriering expert and runs the baby carrying classes in our shop, I decided to look more into homebirth.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, 99 per cent of British babies were born at home. Obviously that situation has somewhat changed over the last century, but would you risk having a baby at home? Or is hospital still the safest environment?

Arguments have raged for decades as to the safety of home births. The general assumption has always been that a hospital birth is safer for both mother and child, but in 1996 the British Medical Journal published several studies on home birth safety and concluded that home birth was ‘safe for normal, low-risk women, with adequate infrastructure and support’. Nevertheless, many health professionals are still wary about home births, believing that, in the event of anything going wrong, hospital is still the best place for both mum and baby.

The benefits of a home birth are obvious: you’re in comfortable, recognisable surroundings; you have total privacy and don’t have to queue for toilets, showers etc in the hospital and you can also (within reason) move around as you wish.

In 1994, the National Birthday Trust Fund’s study of home birth in the UK covered almost six thousand planned home births. The results were very interesting!

the home birth group had roughly half of the risk of ending up with a Caesarean section, compared with the hospital group (2 per cent v 4 per cent)
the home birth group had roughly half the risk of ending up with a ventouse or forceps delivery (2.4 per cent v 5.4 per cent)
mums who planned home births were less likely to suffer post-partum haemorrhage
babies in the planned home birth group were significantly less likely to suffer birth injuries

In today’s culture of ‘the blame game’ there is still - perhaps not surprisingly – a reticence within the medical world to sanction home births. Authorities and health boards worry about the consequences of anything going wrong and are many are therefore likely to encourage you to go to hospital.

If you’ve decided that you do want to have a home birth, then no one can force you to go to a hospital, but there are definite situations when home birth is not a good idea.

If, for example, you suffer from a chronic condition such as diabetes or high blood pressure then a home birth is not advisable. The same applies if you have a previous childbearing history which includes forceps delivery or post-partum haemorrhage.

If you experienced any form of special circumstances in your pregnancy, such as multiple births or pre-term labour or if you fall into the ‘older mother’ category, then, again, your midwife would be likely to advise against a home birth.

So, would you have a homebirth? If you have had one please tell us about your experiences.