When I was a lass, I wasn’t slapped all over with sun cream, there was no factor 50, we were just plonked on the beach to bake. When I was a teenager, I wasn’t provided with sun cream, we just, yep you guessed – baked.
I don’t ever remember burning, even in the summer of 76; we just spent time out in the sun and enjoyed ourselves. Then the oils hit the market and everyone used the lowest factor oils to grab the best tan they could. Its only about 19 years ago when I gave birth to my first child that I became interested in sun protection – he was born with Jaundice and after spending a week in hospital under the lights, we were …

If you hire a Doula what do you expect? what will she do and when? This depends on your Doula and the package you choose. Many Doulas will build a package for you, this not only gives you a personal service, this is important as it enables you to have the support you need at a time that is truely unique and personal to you but it also means that you get great value for money (and we all like the sound of that dont we ) I believe that all women deserve support and information to enable them to get the best possible experiance from her pregnancy and birth. As a member of Doula uk I have access to a Hardship Fund to help with …

What can a birth doula do for you?
Through face-to-face discussions, a doula will support you in making a birth plan so that you can make clear decisions about how you would like your labour and delivery to happen, she will show you breathing and relaxation exercises for both parents. It is important for the parent(s) and the doula to meet a few times before the birth to establish a rapport. She will be present during the labour and birth, support the parents during the more intense part of the labour and care for all 3 immediately after the birth. She will come and visit the new family at least once after the birth. It is important to understand three key differences between a midwife and …

If you love the products created by Work At Home Mamas then you will be amazed at this years SMS event…. A chance for everyone to join the virtual market place for a WHOLE MONTH and buy some amazing products or sell their own!
Pop along for a visit and see what tempts you!

I became a Doula because I really believe that Doula’s can make a difference, giving women (and their partners) support and information to better their experience of pregnancy, labour and those early days at home. Every women should be able to access all the support and information she feels she needs, whether this be regarding writing birth plans, breastfeeding support, baby care (bathing, nappies etc) choice regarding pain relief, where to give birth or anything else she needs.
Why do people have a Doula? Well, many people give their reason as needing some extra support, often in a way a partner or relative can not give, someone who is impartial an who is there for the mother during labour, who isn’t concerned about what else going …

Would parents in the UK, if given the necessary information, be so quick to change their children to a forward facing car seat? This is the subject of today’s column and one which will, no doubt, engender some serious debate on the topic. The subject of rear facing car seats seems to be almost as emotive as that of breastfeeding versus formula or cloth nappies versus disposables but, personally, I wonder how much of that emotion is down to a simple lack of knowledge.
The BBC recently published a news story based on an article in the British Medical Journal which provided serious evidence that children should be kept rear facing until the age of four as a minimum (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8094829.stm). The article,  (http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/338/jun11_2/b1994), by Dr Elizabeth …

I thought I would take this opportunity to tell you all a little more about the Doula Training I have attended and future training I am hoping to attend.
My training was held in Ely, Cambs and was held by Nurturing Birth. It was a three day course, and involved a pre and post course module to complete.  I am now going forward to become a recognized Doula with Doula UK, this involves being under the ‘wing’ of an assesor/mentor while you compleate four births and four postnatal jobs – all of which you reflect on and ‘write up’ – the clients also feedback on thier experience.
We went through birth physiology, interventions, signs and stages of labour, breast and bottle feeding, types of parenting (eg attachment …

Thank you to everyone who has welcomed me to the ‘world of mama pack’ : ) I look forward to interacting with you all in one way or another xx

Hello, let me start by introducing myself – I am a 24yr old married (To Adam) mother of two (Jack – 4, Eleanor – 10 months (see picture below) and I have recently compleated a Birth and Postnatal Doula Course. This blog is so you can join me on my journey through training, my first clients and beyond. I’ll also be talking about what Doula’s do and dont do, why many people choose to have a Doula and much more.

I am also a Breastfeeding Peer Support Mentor for NHS Peterborough, and Chair for the Maternity Services Liason Committee, I am currently undergoing La Leche League Accreditation.

So its all busy this end but  I really appriciate feedback, comments and questions and will be answered as quickly as I can.
Sj xx

It’s amazing to sit back and think that Mama Pack have been running long enough for us to be able to write a ‘History Of’ article!
In March 2000 Mama Pack founder Yzzy Howell set up a simple chat facility for parents she had met online, this quickly grew into a forum and then a website around the forum which she named Goddess Mums. Many of the mums on the forum made their own nappies, cloth san pro and clothing and liked the look of an E Store Yzzy had designed that sold her ring slings and Babymoon Pads – Mumzmall. So one by one Yzzy built stores for these people until the WAHMpire that is now known as www.wahm.co.uk was born where over 1500 Work …

Something someone said on another parenting forum has made me have a think. The discussion was on a trial at the Old Bailey involving an eight-year-old girl and two 10-year-old boys she’s accused of a serious sexual assault. The basic premise of our conversation on the forum was a) why was an eight-year-old out on her own in the first place; and b) how did two 10-year-old boys know enough to carry out the attack they’re alleged to have done.
One argument put forward was that parents don’t take enough responsibility for their children growing up without seeing and hearing and watching things which give them this kind of information, but another equally argued for more responsibility from TV programme makers, video games designers, film producers …

I’ve been to vote. I’m not saying what shade I voted but lets just say it wasn’t towards the cooler end of the political spectrum. I find it really difficult to deal with the fact that a lot of people won’t even bother to vote though. The chance to have a real say in what goes on in your local constituency comes round every five years, it’s hardly a bother to register when the card comes through the door and then walk along to local polling station.
Women who don’t vote baffle me even more. We’ve not even had the right to vote for a century as universal sufferage for women (over 21 which was the same as men back then) didn’t come into force until …

I was just thinking, as you do, why it is that some things become popular and other things languish by the wayside. Is it really because people like to follow the crowd? This week is Real Nappy Week, not that you’d know about it outside of the sites directly involved in promoting the use of cloth nappies. Even Facebook and Twitter, those outstanding medium for disseminating “information”, have been relatively quiet with just a few posts and tweets here and there. There’s also been a major news story on Proctor and Gamble having to face legal action in the United States over claims that Pampers nappies have caused burns and serious nappy rash which the BBC appears to have failed to pick up even though …

As a female who almost daily wears a traditional head covering I find it repulsive that anyone, anywhere could or would want to have control over my CHOICES.
I am half Czech, I spent a good deal of my early life living on a small holding with my family in the countryside of Moravia, in a village called Cejkovice. My main carer was my Grandmother who was born in 1927.
Moravia is oozing still now with tradition. Traditional costumes or Kroj, flamboyant churches and devout church goers, festivals that go on for days, weddings that last 4 days, wine making, baby swaddling and many more but one that I would like to highlight is headscarf wearing.
It is traditional for women in Moravia to wear a headscarf and …