New Designer Maternity Clothes

The sun has finally appeared after a wet, wet July, so it seems a little early to be thinking of Autumn, but the new collection from Fragile Maternity has arrived at Everyday Maternity, and features some great cross-seasonal pieces.

Our personal favourite is the Cosy Wrap Dress with short sleeves and trendy pockets. The rose print is eye-catching and the fit will be exceptional. It is Fragile afterall.

Take a look at the rest of the stunning maternity clothes online at www.everydaymaternity.com

World Breastfeeding Week

World Breastfeeding Week, supported by UNICEF, WHO and FAO is celebrated every 1-7 August and over 120 countries around the world participate.

The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) was formed in 1991 to protect and promote breastfeeding. As part of its action plan a week dedicated to breastfeeding bring much needed attention to the subject.

So why is World Breastfeeding Week so important?

Each year a theme is chosen to focus the activity and bring people’s attention to a particularly important aspect of breastfeeding. This year the theme is - BREASTFEEDING, A VITAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE.

Naturally this is an important theme to promote in third world countries, but here is a story from a counsellor who assisted a woman when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005.

“A mother had been stuck on a rooftop with many family members and her two week old baby who was bottle fed. They had no access to safe water for five days. Her baby was immediately hospitalised when they arrived in Austin, but she died several days later.

The nutritionist of a relief organisation supplying food aid asked the mother if there was anything else she could help her with. The mother asked for help drying up her breastmilk as her breasts were still sore. The nutritionist asked the mother why she hadn’t breastfed her baby while she was stuck on the rooftop. But the mother had felt quite unable to do this. What amazes me is that no-one with the mother knew to have the mother put her baby to her breast. So many generations had not considered breastfeeding as a way to feed babies that the memory was lost. The baby was lost, also.”

– Experience of a peer counsellor, Hurricane Katrina, USA, 2005

Everyday Maternity MD, Amanda Gregson notes, ’We feel it is important to spread the message, as even in this day and age babies die needlessly when breastfeeding could have saved them. We read the Hurrican Katrina story and knew we had to be involved.’
Everyday Maternity is calling for others to support World Breastfeeding Week by getting informed, and help others get informed.

Everyday Maternity is supporting the week-long celebration by promoting the event to all our customers, asking them to get involved, and spread awareness. They are also preparing Breastfeeding Information packs that can be sent out to Mums to Be. As part of their commitment to supporting breastfeeding they will also make a £1 donation to the La Leche League for every order of breastfeeding goods from www.everydaymaternity.com placed during World Breastfeeding Week.


Information can be found on the website www.worldbreastfeedingweek.org

Maternity Clothes Essentials

Key Maternity Wear Essentials

If you are on a tight budget, perhaps consider the following items as you maternity wear 'must haves':

Maternity Jeans - you that you can dress your jeans up for nights out or dress them down for coffee with the girls. Maternity Jeans have different waistbands to accommodate your tummy, have a read of the Maternity Jeans Guide on Everyday Maternity's Fact Sheets.

Black Maternity Trousers - again these are a multi tasking item, used for the office, dressed up for a night out or just a change from your jeans. For information on maternity waistband styles read the Maternity Wear Tips section.

Maternity Wrap Dress - this dress suits most shapes and bumps, and can be very comfortable. Avoid non-maternity ones otherwise you could have more material at the back and the front sitting 4 inches above your knees. Don't underestimate how long it could take to loose the weight - its is not a race - so a wrap dress will see you right after baby arrives. Black is of course the staple, but we have some bright prints of you wish to make a statement.

Fitted Maternity T-Shirt - again opt for a maternity one, that will stretch and grow with you. Choose one in a neck-line that suit your shape and if you want to play it safe go for black and jazz it up with necklaces, brooches or scarves. Your boobs and back will grow, but your shoulders are unlikely to change, so buying larger regular clothes will make you look over-sized across your shoulders.

White Maternity Shirt - every season, without fail, the white shirt makes an appearance in the fashion pages. We've had pussy-bow, oriental collar, wrap around.....so with a white maternity shirt in your wardrobe you can always pull a smart outfit together either with your jeans or your black trousers. You can get away with a man's shirt here, and no doubt your partner will find it a sexy look, but for a more together look, opt for a stretch maternity version. So if you only buy 5 things items of maternity clothing this pregnancy, we suggest you consider these!

BPA in Baby Bottles

A chemical found in some babies’ bottles can be harmful to women, a recent study has shown.

Bisphenol A or BPA, which is a common component of a lot of plastics, can raise the risk of heart disease, such as heart arrhythmia, or complications to your heart rhythm.

The report was based on tests done on female mice and rats, and these tests showed that the chemical, bisphenol A causes the heart to beat out of rhythm. When this chemical was mixed with oestrogen, the heart began to beat even more out of rhythm, showing that women could be more at risk from this chemical.

This latest report is one of a long line of bad press for the controversial chemical that many believe is linked to early puberty, breast cancer, miscarriage and infertility.

For more information on the use of BPA in babies bottles read our BPA in Baby Bottles Fact Sheet.

At Everyday Maternity we only stock Lansinoh, who aim to provide the safest, purest products for breastfeeding mothers. Many parents and parents to be are aware of the current debate around the use of plastics containing Bisphenol-A for baby feeding products. It isn't yet known what risk, if any, they pose. However, until more is known about the effects of Bisphenol-A all our products are Bisphenol-A free.

Fragile Summer 2009 collection

The new Fragile Summer 2009 collection, now available on the Everyday Maternity website. We think you'll look stunning in any of the dresses, particularly the Serena dress and the Wrap Dress. Head on over to the website and check out the other maternity dresses in the Fragile Summer 2009 collection.

New I Cup Bra in stock

This Anita Maternity breastfeeding bra is suitable for a heavy bust after pregnancy, and is available in sizes up to I cup. These have a high cotton content, so they are wonderfully soft against your skin.

They also feature wide, padded straps to relieve strain on your back and to ensure that you have the best support possible.

We particularly recommend these bras for ladies who may wish the support of an underwire bra, but prefer a non-wired product.

For information on what size to wear please take a look at the How to Measure for a Nursing Bra Fact Sheet at www.everydaymaternity.com

With the recent outbreak of swine flu, you may be worried about it and the effects it can have on you and your unborn baby. We’ve put together a fact sheet with some links on where to get advice.

The best source of information is the NHS website - take a look at the Swine Flu Information/Pregnancy section.

The Government’s own website has a special Swine Flu Prevention and Treatment section

It has been reported, that unlike normal flu strains that seem to strike the older population swine flu is more prevalent among the middle aged, so you should use precautions to avoid all illness when you’re pregnant.

Take note of the campaign catch-phrase:

CATCH IT. BIN IT. KILL IT.

This means covering your mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, using a tissue. Throw the tissue away quickly and carefully, and wash your hands regularly with soap and water. Take extra precautions by cleaning hard surfaces (like door handles and remote controls) frequently with a normal cleaning product.

You should wash your hands and avoid sick people.

If you think that you’re sick, then take care of yourself. Put your feet up and rest and relax, and talk to your regular doctor as well as your midwife. They may recommend that you be treated with pregnancy class medications.

While you have your feet up take the chance to do some online maternity wear shopping – that way you will avoid the crowds!

The NHS website answers the following specific questions:

* Does swine flu pose special risks in pregnant women?
* Can I take antiviral drugs if I am pregnant?
* Will pregnant women get preference for a swine flu vaccine?
* Should I stop breastfeeding if I need to take antiviral drugs?

If having read the information on breastfeeding and your require a manual breast pump, visit www.everydaymaternity.com for information.