Mamascarf, for discreet breastfeeding in public
Little did I know that breastfeeding a 5-day-old baby in the front row of a jam-packed circus was going to be a bit of a… challenge. Yes, you’re reading that right: 5-day-old, and: jam-packed circus. Thankfully I was wise enough to bring a Mama Scarf, so the spotlights on my boobs were cleverly avoided. The Mama Scarf is a stylish scarf that becomes sort of a hammock for your baby, allowing for discreet breastfeeding in public. What I like about it that it’s made of thin, cute fabric, and it doesn’t scream for attention. (It’s not like one of those, ‘hello everybody, I’m breast-feeding, but I’m covered up, as you can clearly see, so don’t look’ kind of covers.) Thanks, Mama Scarf, for saving my day at the circus.
xxx Esther
ONE YEAR AGO WE WROTE ABOUT:
• Bonnets for babies — vintage handkerchiefs for brides!• Wonderous Wovenplay
Nyp Balm, food for your boobs (and baby’s bottom)
The third time around, breastfeeding was easy. I knew exactly what to do, and the baby also got it immediately — she was breastfeeding within minutes after she was born, as if we both had been doing nothing else for years. Life is beautiful.
I also knew exactly what to expect a few days after the birth. Painful boobs the size of melons, hard, hot and with red blotches. Sleeping sitting up. Sore, cracked nipples, feeding bra size 100Z (too small). Have you ever had to pull a cracked nipple sticking to your bra? Ouch. Life is a bitch.
Enter Inlight Nyp Balm. A natural, 100% organic, wonderful smelling soothing balm that does the trick. Before birth, it’s used to help stretch the skin and prevent stretch-marks. After the birth it soothes and heals sore nipples. And, what I possibly like best about it is that now that I don’t need the Nyp Balm myself anymore (yay), I can use the rest for my baby’s bum. No spills! Because it also calms red and irritated baby bottoms wonderfully well.
All ingredients in Nyp Balm (like moisturising olive and coconut oil, protective beeswax, anti-inflammatory lavender and restorative rosehip oil) do not alter the flavour of the maternal milk and are easily tolerated by babies.
xxx Esther
Eco Nursing Pads from Itzy Ritzy
Although breastfeeding is in my opinion the easiest and cheapest way of feeding a baby, it does require some necessary investments to keep up appearances. Like a sexy maternity bra — Elle MacPherson does it for me. And, trust me, good nursing pads are an absolute must too. These glamourous Glitzy Gals nursing pads from Itzy Ritzy are my all time favourites. They are thin, soft and made from eco sustainable baby bamboo which is naturally anti-bacterial, deodorising and super absorbent. They are really comfortable to wear, easy to wash and can be used over, and over, and over again. And they look really cute too, with those patterned fabrics!
Available through our favourite eco store Shakshuka, where you can also find a matching nursing cover.
xxx Esther
Win! Maternity bag from Eva and Oli
I
don’t have the need anymore to carry around a maternity bag (which almost makes me sad), but I never did find the perfect one. The bags I had were either too big or to small, too bulky or to narrow, or just not stylish enough. And I do think you need a bit of style even if the contents of the bag are not the most glamourous!
We are very lucky to offer a maternity bag from one of my very favourite labels Eva and Oli. The bag is super practical, as it has been designed to open up wide so you have extremely easy access to everything. And it closes with a magnet so you don’t have to fiddle around with a zip. It is also really stylish, so stylish that most people continue using it as a laptop bag once it has rendered its services as a maternity bag.
Just leave a comment below by Wednesday, June 23rd and we’ll pick one winner at random. Good luck!
In addition, Eva and Oli are offering Babyccino Kids readers an exclusive discount of 10% for the next 3 weeks, just used the promotional code: BABYCCINO.
Gittabags
I was never really into the diaper bag thing. I think that the litany of awful maternity bags out there screaming ‘I am an unsightly post-partum bag’ with very little in the style-stakes really ruined it for me. Instead I opted to use one of my larger handbags, although I never found them particularly practical — mainly for want of a milkproof lining. Yes…sigh…regrettably I ruined a couple of my beloved bags (consider this a warning for those entertaining the very idea — milk spillage, inside bag, ruins bag). But, maternity bags have come a long way and if I had my time again I think the Gittabag would be a strong contender. In terms of practicality, it ticks all the boxes and then some and there is a design and color combo to suit almost everyone.
These diaper bags run the gamut from small backpack to medium and large messenger bags and even a handy tool-belt style kit for your waist. The colors are bright but neither too baby nor too feminine. The bags are of very high quality materials, meticulously sewn and machine washable with so many nooks and crannies that it is impossible to mention them all. But the standout feature is the ‘Activefold‘, a patent pending foldout, collapsible activity bar. (more…)
A good maternity swimsuit from Blossom
The other day, I was talking about swimsuits with some friends, and they told me one of us should write a post about the best swimsuits for mums. ‘Mums’ meaning: boobs a tad less firm, a belly a little less flat, a bum just slightly wobblier, possible stretch marks, maybe some scars, etc. And ’swimsuit’ meaning: a piece of cloth strategically covering, lifting and enhancing the right pieces of the mum’s body. I thought it was an excellent idea, but of course at the moment, being 8½ months pregnant, the only thing I can personally talk about is maternity swimsuits!
A maternity swimsuit is a good thing to invest in if you’re going to be pregnant throughout the summer, or even in winter, as swimming is one of the most pleasurable maternity exercises (think weightlessness). The ‘tankini’ varieties are perfect — very flattering and covering strategic parts of the body. This beauty from Blossom is a good choice as it gives hidden support and has plenty of room for a growing belly. I tried normal bikinis but I can tell you — this tankini looks a whole lot better on!
If you make your way over to Blossom you should also check out the gorgeous maxi dresses in their new collection… Almost a pity that I won’t be pregnant anymore in summer… (Just kidding!!!)
xxx Esther
National Infertility Awareness Week: April 24th-May 1st
This week is National Infertility Awareness Week in the U.S. — a movement that aims to raise awareness about how infertility impacts more than 7.3 million people in this country alone (that we know of). Not even sure what the worldwide figures are. This week, a website called Stirrup Queens is hosting a blogging event called Project IF…the “IF” standing for both “infertility” as well as posing the question (IF?) which asks women who have faced the challenges of infertility to contribute the answers to the big “what ifs” in their lives. Although the website is a bit overwhelming and clunky to navigate, there are a lot of links to very personal tales of the journey towards motherhood – many answering some tough questions and revealing a lot of brutally honest emotion. It also links into a list infertility blogs. I wish I had more time to read it all. I know many of us have been either personally affected by a bumpy journey towards motherhood or know someone who has and I think this blog event is a great way to share what women often feel, but rarely say.
For more information on National Infertility Awareness week please check out the Resolve website for other things that might be going on in your area.
-Dina
The Lambini Papoose
When my daughter was born I remember lusting after the leather, sheepskin Bill Amberg papoose… but, I just could not justify the cost. So I settled for a far less stylish middle of the road baby carrier, which not only clashed with my clothes (very much to my annoyance!) but I had to refer to the instructions every time I wanted to use it. Pretty soon I gave up as it caused me considerable stress, and sometimes even induced tears… (as many new mothers can attest; complicated instructions plus a severe case of sleep deprivation can do that). These days my babies are growing up, much too fast for my liking, but that hasn’t stopped me lusting after a new baby carrier called the Lambini Papoose. It is a gorgeous contraption, with a far more affordable price tag and so simple to use.
Firstly, it is very stylish (and co-ordinates well with most wardrobes — earthy, neutral colours). Secondly, there is no need to add blankets as it’s lined with super-soft Australian lambswool which keeps baby warm in winter and cool in summer. There is the added bonus of using the lambswool separately to line the pram or car seat. But the best thing about this papoose is that you don’t need an instruction booklet to work out how to put it on. It just slides right over your head! For online purchases, both local and international, please click here.
- Sara
The Food Stork
Do you remember the days when grocery shopping was fun — when you could take your time walking down the aisles, choosing the ripest avocado and planning your meals ahead of time? Remember when cooking dinners was a relaxing, peaceful time? I don’t know about you, but with three kids running around the kitchen pulling on my legs and tugging on my patience, I can barely scramble eggs without having a mental breakdown. Enter the Food Stork — the maternity chef.
The Food Stork is a UK company which delivers fresh and delicious made-from-scratch food directly to the home. The service was originally designed for new mums to help maintain a healthy and well-balanced diet after childbirth… but it’s been 10 months since my baby was born and I still think the Food Stork is quite handy (obviously not for every meal, but it is nice to have some options in the freezer). (more…)
Wrapped up well with Isabella Oliver
Michela wrote about this dress a long time ago, but I’m currently enjoying the wonders of it so much that I had to rave about it again. I must say that I sort of live in a few outfits at the moment, the only ones I can stand on my very pregnant belly! The Tie Knot Dress from Isabella Oliver is definitely one of them as it is totally comfortable, flattering (as far as one can be flattering in the third stage of a pregnancy) and is a really interesting, vibrant purple colour. I wear it with leggings or pregnancy tights (it’s till cold here in Amsterdam!), and my ever present pair of Shabbies. Voila pregnancy uniform number one!
Do you have any pregnancy favourites?
xxx Esther
A possible saviour called Cupcake
My friend calls winter ’soft-play-season’ and she dreads it every year. Year one of having children I thought she was just being miserable, and I loved watching my baby boy smile as some slightly clownish adults sang nursery rhymes to him in a church hall. In Year two I was too preoccupied with the new baby in our lives to care much where we were or what we were doing. Now in Year 3, with two children and myself desperate to leave the house on these typical English drizzly days, I am pulling my hair out about where to go and dread the inevitable soft-play options. It is true — the kids have fun, but at the sacrifice of my sanity. I find myself looking around wondering sometimes what has happened to my life? I know that I’m lucky to be hanging out with these two brilliant people, but is it a requisite that places for children should totally alienate adults? I realise I’m sounding grumpy (seriously … if you could see the weather!) but do not fret, here I come to the good bit…
Since moving South I have often heard of the place ‘Cupcake’ (in Putney and Wandsworth) in association with descriptors such as ‘haven’ and ‘God-send’. And so last week I asked whether it was OK to come and check it out (Cupcake is a members only club and I’m not a member …. yet!). The minute I walked in I felt a sort of happiness come over me. This didn’t feel loud (from noise or from an interiors-carnage) — no this felt like being in a (stylish) friend’s living room… only a bit bigger and with a bar to order lattes, brownies, babyccinos or something for lunch — perfect! (more…)
Finally — affordable maternity jeans
If you live anywhere but Australia you might be thinking, “what is she talking about?!” But maternity clothes are SO expensive in Australia. I didn’t buy any maternity jeans while pregnant because I couldn’t justify forking out $200-plus. So I walked around in my regular hipster jeans with the top button undone, and I wore a long top.
Now, finally, a high-street brand has come out with a range of maternity jeans. THANK YOU Just Jeans, especially as they are going to retail for $89.95.
- Natalie
A non-frumpy nine months
Seems like everyone I know is having a baby all of a sudden. Funny how it always happens in waves.
With “three being the new two” and “twins being the new singleton” in NYC, the maternity business is booming! When I was pregnant I was determined to remain somewhat stylish (well with the roots growing in and the adult onset acne, the least I could do was wear a semi-decent outfit.) One of my very favorite brands to discover along the way was Nom de Naissance, which is based out of LA and is carried at my very favorite maternity store in NYC, Belly Dance Maternity. This adorable West Village shop carries a well edited selection of labels like Splendid, Diane Von Furstenburg and Ripe with the premise being that you can still dress like you did before you got prego. Two other amazing stores that I discovered along the way were Cappucine in Tribeca which does not have an on-line website but is definitely worth the visit. The owner carries both maternity wear and adorable regular clothes in larger sizes (and the owner is French so you know it’s cool). The other place that I found was Bump in Brooklyn which opened after I had the girls but it looks ultra, ultra swank. For the gals that are not into “Pea in a Pod” and “Liz Lange” – these stores are for you.
-Dina
AngelSounds: listen to your unborn baby in a heartbeat
Good news! I had my 20-week scan, and the little girl (!) in my belly seems to be happy and healthy, at least as far as the echoscopist could tell at this stage. Hurray!! It was of course a major relief, especially given the doubtful scan I had had at 12 weeks… And I’m super excited!
I’m also feeling the baby really well now — of course I had been feeling little things before twenty weeks, but nothing compared to the clear kicks even my husband can now feel on the outside! Even though we just saw our baby alive and well on the hospital screen, it is always nice to feel the baby’s movements just to prove she’s doing alright in there. I admit that in my first two pregnancies I sometimes poked my belly to make the quiet baby inside of me move, just to put my overly worried mind at ease. Poor baby!
Thankfully, I now have an AngelSounds fetal heart detector at home so I don’t have to disturb my little girl in her fetal sleeps. I can hear her heartbeat at every moment I please, no hospital or midwife needed! (more…)
Ma Mère for a Sexy Mama… even when pregnant!
The moment I found out I was pregnant, my boobs grew a full size. Crazy! (But very attractive, according to my husband…).
So my usual selection of bras was not only too tight, but since they’re all under-wired they’re not recommended for pregnancy. Under-wired bras are not advised during pregnancy because they put too much pressure on your breasts, which can result in blocked milk ducts or mastitis. They also aren’t flexible enough — apparently our boobs live their own life during pregnancy and can change shape during the day.
Good maternity bras accommodate all of these needs, but are sadly not always the most attractive ones around…
Now take a look at the selection of Ma Mère! Hello, mama! These bras are seriously super stylish and sexy!!
11-13 weeks scan at the Fetal Medicine Centre
My first two babies were born in London. Even though I had both of them through the National Health Service system, I went to the Fetal Medicine Centre (FMC), a private clinic on Harley Street in London, for the 11-13 week scans. Reason is, the founder of the FMC is Professor Kypros Nicolaides, the world’s authority on fetal medicine and the person who discovered the relationship between Down Sydrome and the measurement of the nuchal translucency!
Since I was exactly 12 weeks pregnant when we met with the girls in London a few weeks ago, I decided that this little baby also had to receive the test of all tests at the place of all places. And it was fabulous to see that little person happily moving around inside of me!
Everything looked absolutely perfect at the scan, BUT (and here’s the but!) I was told that the nasal bone of this little 12-week-old creature was on the small side. Not non-existent, but small. And, I was told, a non-existent, or very small nasal bone is one of the soft markers for Down syndrome. However, since the rest of the rest of the test was good, and the results of the blood test were fine, the overall chance of a chromosomal disorder was still considered small. (more…)
Surviving bed rest and pregnancy in general
I knew being pregnant with twins was not going to be a walk in the park but when I went into pre-term labor at 27 weeks I was shocked and terrified. After a short stint in the hospital I spent the next ten weeks on an IV drip at home, in bed, on my side, exactly 23 hours and 55 minutes a day.
You would be surprised how much of a routine you can make for yourself from bed and I must say, as the days wore on I did fall into a rhythm that made the time pass. While I did purchase a few books offering ideas on what to do while on bed rest, most suggested things that were not up my alley, like scrap-booking or knitting. I turned to Plan B which was to just suck it up and deal the best I could. I watched A LOT of television. I read all of the books that I have been meaning to read for years. I made special appointments with family and friends to come visit and bring me food. And most importantly I leaned on my husband a lot and would call him at work to just cry for a few minutes every day.
One of the best finds that come out of the whole experience was the gigantic U-shapped pillow which I would recommend to anyone who is pregnant. We found it on-line and it was life changing. I lived in that U. We still laugh about “the U”. We would joke about me being in U-niversity during the day and would sing all sorts of songs about it. Corny, yes….but your mind goes to mush when you are pregnant as you know.
-Dina
Blossom maternity jeans
Now that I’m ‘officially pregnant’ I can officially start talking about all things maternity. (A prelude to discussing all things baby — even better!) Like maternity jeans…
The one thing I learned from my previous pregnancies is that a good maternity jeans is a necessary investment. Previously I made my own pregnancy jeans (replacing the waistband from a ‘normal’ pair with an elastic band), and they worked quite well for the first few months. But they soon started to hurt at my tummy and I was longing for a well cut, comfy pair of maternity jeans. I guess you just forget how uncomfortable things can get!
These great jeans by Blossom Mother and Child are nice and long (too long for me even), make me look even taller, are a great colour, are just about the right mix between skinny and straight, make my bum look sexy and provide plenty of room for a growing tummy. Just perfect.
The only thing I’m sorry about? That I didn’t get them for my previous pregnancies!
xxx Esther
NOTE: Blossom is now kindly offering a 25% discount on all Blossom jeans (which never go on sale) exclusively to Babyccino readers: just enter promo code EC0068 at check out!
Firmaman
I have been trying to travel a bit further a field, leaving my usual habitat of North-Eastern Paris, to try and discover new places for Babyccino. On one of my trips I met up with Estelle from the lovely e-shop Nordinary and she took me on a whistle-stop tour of the 17th arrondissement.
One particular shop deserves its very own Babyccino post: the fabulous maternity shop Firmaman, Paris’ first concept store for pregnant ladies.
I had been looking for a place just like this during my pregnancy in Paris and never found one. It is a lovely boutique, full of great clothes — some of which are maternity clothes, some of which are not, but all of which will look great on a pregnant woman. You can find great coats, jeans and dresses. There is also a great newborn baby section, a gift section and a lingerie section with some beautiful nursing bras. (more…)
Personalised gift bags for babies
Need a unique baby gift? There’s nothing like a little personalisation and embroidery to make a gift special. Izzy and Floyd’s personalised baby bundle bags come with the baby’s name and birth date embroidered on the front. You can either fill the bags with Izzy and Floyd’s selection of babywear and toys, or you can simply buy the bags to wrap a gift you already have.
I received a bag for my daughter and it’s darling. They’re handmade in Wales using a natural calico, a choice of gingham trim and a big wooden button. I’m planning on filling the bag with Ivy’s little treasures and hanging it in her room.
-Courtney
ONE YEAR AGO WE WROTE ABOUT:
• Hampstead Heath• Luxembourg Gardens
• Central Park Carousel
• Macrobiotic goat farm Ridammerhoeve
• Park and aperitivo
