What should go in your baby bag, for you and your baby.

Libby Cain.
Libby is a nurse, midwife, lactation consultant and childbirth educator.

The early stage of labour is called the latent phase, this is the preparation phase and it is important to let it unfold at its own pace, trust your body, it knows how to do this.

By Libby Cain.
Libby is a nurse, midwife, lactation consultant and childbirth educator.

A newborn baby's skin is very fragile and delicate, as it can take up to a year to form the protective acid mantle of healthy adult skin. Baby's skin is also 20-30% thinner so is particularly sensitive to drying, rashes, and reactions to skincare products.

Libby is a nurse, midwife, lactation consultant and childbirth educator.

For breastfeeding women who suffer from blocked/plugged ducts or recurrent episodes of mastitis are often advised by their midwife or lactation consultant to increase their intake of lecithin.

By Libby Cain. Libby is a nurse, midwife, lactation consultant and childbirth educator.

Thrush can be present in your nipple or your breast and is due to an overgrowth of one type of fungus. It is hard to grow on a swab so diagnosis is often just after considering a mum's symptoms. Unfortunately it is one of the major reasons woman often give up feeding.

By Libby Cain. Libby is a nurse, midwife, lactation consultant and childbirth educator.

Although colostrum is produced from as early as 16-22 weeks it may not be visible until 28 weeks. From this time it is possible to gently squeeze around the areola and see this yellow early, concentrated milk or you may see signs of colostrum-yellow flakes on your nipple.

By Libby Cain. Libby is a nurse, midwife, lactation consultant and childbirth educator.

In life, if someone was screaming at at you, shouting, whining, hitting. If there was constant noise that was stressing your body. If you needed space but there wasn’t any...your body and your mind would tell you to walk away. You’d leave. You’d go, you’d breathe. You’d walk, talk, calm, ground, focus, refuel, recover. It’s an inbuilt, self-protective drive.

There will come a time where all of this is a distant memory. But in the beginning...There will be waves, joy, despair, Anxiety.

I’m sorry I never knew what you meant when you said you were exhausted. Mentally and physically drained of everything. I’m sorry I didn’t know what it meant to have sore nipples and red achy eyes that so badly just wanted to close. I’m sorry there were days you felt overwhelmed, isolated and alone.

By Lou Marx.

“I don’t feel down everyday, so I shouldn’t seek help”.

“She’s got it so much worse than me and she “manages”, so I won’t reach out for support”.

“I should just harden up, I wanted kids”.

“My parents managed, so I should just get on with it and stop complaining”.

By Sarah Noble. Mindset and Mindfulness Speaker.

It’s all too easy to get caught up in the journey of Motherhood. When you are a sleep deprived, emotional, stress ball, your thoughts and mindsets are often not very positive and optimistic. Here’s 10 tried and true (by yours truly), steps to inject some much needed Mindful moments in your busy day.

By Sarah Noble.

‘Birth Choices.
Make it for yourself.
Not to impress anyone.
Not to belittle anyone.
Not to prove a point to anyone.
Do not fear people’s judgement because they’re the ones making the error, not you.’

By @jessie.juggles.two

When you became a Mother, along with that squishy warm bundle, you also acquired a voice, not only for yourself but one for your child until they grow big enough for this world to sit down and listen. Never be afraid to stand up and be heard. You are your child's advocate.

By Lacey Owen

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Mumfulness, is a term I heard recently, it was actually spelt momfulness, but being in the southern hemisphere I will spell it our way, this is the term to describe Motherhood and Mindfulness.

To be a mindful and conscious Mama can take a lot of work, especially if our to-do lists are long, our energy is low and our multi-tasking has spiralled out of control.

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By Gemma Douglas

Yes, Motherhood is an aspiration, a hope and desire many of us have, for some it happened easily and for others it took years of heartache and stress. Now that we are mothers the word love doesn’t seem adequate enough to describe how we feel about our children, they come first, without question. 

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By Gemma Douglas