This post is dedicated to our fabulous group of Facebook fans!

Yesterday I posted a link to an article about Giselle Bundchen suggesting their should be a worldwide law that women should be forced to breastfeed for the first 6 months. Read the article – CLICK HERE

Everyone knows my struggle with breastfeeding and how devastated I was when I had to put Cooper on formula. I am not alone and their are many women in the same boat. I actually consider myself lucky to make it to 13 weeks. So posting the article I was prepared for the comments that would hurt but surprisingly there were none!

Over 30 comments were made on the topic and I am so happy that they were all extremely positive and supportive. It bought a tear to my eye seeing so many wonderful and supportive women giving each other virtual hugs. Women who have breastfed for 2 years reaching out and hugging women who struggled to feed at all. It is amazing!

It is exactly what I want Beyond The Baby to be, a group of wonderful amazing, strong supportive women who are doing the best for their children and supporting other doing the best for their children. No judgement, just hugs.

Amazing!

I have to plug this again and just so you know I am not being paid in anyway for plugging this book. I do it because I believe 100% in every word written and the message behind it. The fabulous Melissa MacDonald has released a new book called “Breatfeeding, Real Mum’s Tell You How”. It is everything you could ever need to know about baby feeding, not just breastfeeding. There are stories, tips and advice with absolutely no judgment! It is a book that arms you with everything you need to know about breastfeeding and also information on what happens when it doesn’t work.

I love this book and I think it is a must for every mother. Purchase a copy here http://www.breastfeedingbook.com.au

Thank you to all the wonderful women who made me all warm and fuzzy yesterday. Thank you for keeping my fire going, this is why I work so hard on Beyond The Baby and this is reward enough Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Jen xx

Hands up who found breastfeeding easy? ….. *crickets chirp* …. yep that’s what I figured, I am sure most of you had one problem or another – mastitis, cracked blistered nipples, thrush, over supply, under supply and the list goes on!

Me …. I could tick every box (except over supply).

Breastfeeding is not easy, in fact it’s hard, emotional and painful. But no one really talks about it. All you hear is “it’s such a wonderful bonding time” ….. “it’s so beautiful and natural”. Those I do agree with, about 6 weeks after my son was born and we had the hang of feeding it was a wonderful bonding time and it was beautiful. But before that it was hard, painful and stressful. We only fed until 12 weeks as I had really low milk supply.

A friend of mine had a baby last week is very young and told me she thought breastfeeding came naturally. She had no idea that she would have to learn these skills and she said it set her up for a big fall. She had a traumatic labour that ended in a c-section and she held on to the thought of holding and feeding her baby only to be hit with how hard and painful it is.

So lets get it all out in the open, did breastfeeding work for you? What issues did you have and how did you overcome them? Any tips or advice for other mums and mums to be when it comes to breastfeeding?

We will be putting together an article about breastfeeding and will be using all of your answers in our article so share your story! If you have a longer story and you would like to write it down and share it on Beyond The Baby please email us submission@beyondthebaby.com.au

Looking forward to hearing your stories!

A few weeks ago we were at our “Mum and Baby Class”. There is one Mother in the class who always comes with her partner and she is always taking photos! Now I don’t mean happy snaps, I mean full digital SLR and is constantly setting her son up for the perfect photo moment! This normally doesn’t bother me and the only part that annoyed me was the fact this women was spending time with her child through the lens, she was not interacting with him and he was constantly being asked to pose. This wasn’t just one week, this was week 3 or 4 of this happening.

Finally another Mum in the group complained, she walked out of the class with her child and asked the manager to stop this women taking photos.

So what I want to know is, what do you consider appropriate? Do you get annoyed if your child is in photos that other parents have taken? What is your general guidelines when taking photos of your child? Are you careful to exclude other children?

Today I took hubby with me for the first time to our group and I wanted to take photos to record the first time Daddy came. But I was so self concious I took 3-4 photos and made sure it was only when my son was well out of the way of other children.

I would love to here your thoughts!

Jen xx

I think I have found the most adorable cloth nappy designs on the planet!! With so many cloth nappies on the mark it’s so hard to find designs for boys! So many brands have amazingly beautiful designs for girls and little boys are left with plain colours or spots!

But I was surprised to find Mielie Moo Designs stock and wide range of nappies including adorable boy prints – Aeroplanes, Jungle Animals, Rockets, Outer Space and more! Not to mention their adorable girl designs including a sweet nappy with ruffles on the bum!

Unlike many other brands that produce their nappies in China, Mielie Moo nappies are designed and handmade in Australia by the owner Leonie to ensure you always receive the highest quality nappy every time!

Each nappy is made from high quality materials including 100% cotton and each design has a limited run to ensure your nappy is not only super cute, but also super exclusive!

Mielie Moo Designs come in 3 sizes -

Small: 3.5-6.5kg

Medium: 6-10kg

Large: 10-17kg

Mielie Moo nappies range from $25 up to $35 for more detailed nappies or you can buy an 8 pack and save!

I think Mielie Moo are possibly the cutest designs on the market! Check them out here http://mieliemoodesigns.blogspot.com/ or their Facebook Group here http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Mielie-Moo-Designs/192666201186?ref=ts

Jen xx

We have featured Itti Bitti on Beyond The Baby in the past and I love singing their praises! Click Here to see our previous product review for Itti Bitti.

Itti Bitti are one of the slimmest nappies on the market, they offer a great range of patterns and styles to suit every need and desire!

Along with their fabulous nappies they also have a great range of accessories – Ultimate Wipes, Luxury Wetbags, Babylegs and heaps more!

Be sure to check out www.IttiBitti.com.au

This week is the International Reusable Nappy Week! From April 26th to 2nd May we are going to celebrate everything to do with cloth nappies!

This fits in perfectly with our Eco Month

We added a few awesome articles last week to Beyond The Baby that will beginners out there master the daunting world of cloth nappies!

Ever wondered what all the lingo was? MCN? AIO? SIO? …. wonder no more! Here is a great guide to “nappy speak”

Cloth Nappy Termanology

Now you are educated on “nappy speak” it’s time to figure out what nappy is best for you and your lifestyle. Here is a great guide to help you choose!

Cloth Nappies … Which One?

So you can speak the speak here is a guide to help you not only walk the walk, but walk it in an organised fashion!

How To Set Up A Cloth Nappy System

Last but not least the worst job in the world but one that can never be avoided! Washing!! Here are some great tips on how to wash your beautiful new nappies!

Cloth Nappies – Washing and Care Instructions

Each day this week we will also feature our favourite nappy brands! So be sure to check back here daily and enjoy a week dedicated to fluffy butts!

Jen xx

Since becoming a Mum I get really emotional seeing other Mum’s with their children especially Mum’s with their boys. Watching tv commercials or reality tv I almost always end up in tears if there is a sweet moment between a Mum and her son.

I must admit the tears are worse now since I realised a few weeks ago that boys are different to girls … in more than the obvious ways!

When boys grow up they don’t seem to be as close to their Mum’s, they love them and care about them but they don’t hug or snuggle with their Mum’s. It really upset me to think there would be a day when Cooper wont want me to kiss him all over his face till he cried with laughter, or lay and snuggle with him as he fell asleep.

These thoughts really upset me and made me appreciate my own Mum a little more. I will try harder to give her more cuddles and affection and to remember I am never to old to hug her. That Mum’s love you no matter what and I am sure she wishes she could turn back the clock and spend one more day with my brother and I when we were still small enough to love rasperries blown on our belly and crazy kisses all over our face.

This past few weeks I have made sure I snuggle and nurse Cooper as much as I can and take it all in. As one day he will be too grown up for his Mummy’s cuddles and snuggles.

So until that day comes I am going to snuggle with him every chance I get, cuddle him and squish him, kiss him untill he cries with laughter and blow raspberries on his belly until he just can’t take it anymore. So I have no regrets when the time comes and they are all gone.

Jen xx

I guess one of the most common questions among mummy groups is “what did you do with your baby bonus?”. I actually love answering this question as I am so proud of the decision we made.

From the very start we told ourselves that the baby bonus was not ours, we wanted it to 100% go to the baby and pay for things he may need and the rest would go in the bank.

I heard about stemcell storage on the news and in a few magazine articles but didn’t know much about the process or cost. I did a Google search and emailed a few companies and we both sat down and read the information. As soon as we did this we knew there was no going back. We had thoughts of the future and worried if anything happened to our son and we had decided against stemcell storage then we would forever have to live with that bad decision.

The next step was choosing a company. There are about 5 companies so we requested all of their info kits and based our decision on their policy, the quality of their marketing material and the friendliness of their customer service staff. As this is such a new procedure I could not find any reviews on any companies only a few threads in baby forums asking about them with no responses.

We finally decided on StemLife out of all of them StemLife had the most professional marketing kit that was packed full of information. They had great prices and were very friendly, polite and helpful on the phone.

The process was so smooth and easy. We had a fantastic collection nurse and everything went according to plan. We now have our sons stemcells stored and a little bit more peace of mind knowing that if anything happened we have the possibility of helping him.

I do not regret our decision at all, sure I would have loved a new TV or some new things for around the home but to us that money was for our baby. We could afford to buy all of his nursery items and wanted to use the baby bonus for something with real benefit to him even if it is never used.

Jen xx

I will write a larger article on Stemcell collection and the process, so stay tuned!

Many lessons were learned on our recent trip to the USA and Canada. We have done a lot of travelling on our own pre-baby and are very relaxed and confident. All of that went out the door the moment we arrived at the airport!

I never understood people who refused to travel with children. Our thought before having a baby was “children fit in with our life” so when it came to travel the younger we start them the better. This is partly true, I think the wise pre-baby me really had no idea, but I am glad I had that naievity as I am sure without it I would never have taken the leap to spend 3 weeks overseas with an 11 month old!

The travelling stress started before we even left the house, I really thought the peak of my stress was packing! Because we were travelling to the East and West coasts of the USA and the West coast of Canada, we had to pack for two climates! Los Angeles is still quiet warm in November, New York is very unpredictable and can be wonderful and warm or freezing cold and some chance of snow! With Vancouver there was no question, it’s cold and wet! After packing and re-packing our bags about 6 times I was finally happy with the amount and variety of clothing. I had jackets for the snow, shorts for the sun and light jumpers for cooler nights, mixed in were lots of layers to dress up and down according to the temperature. Squeezed in the 4 suitcases I had managed to fit a portable highchair, toys, nappies, formula and all the other baby items I can not live without!

Seeing 4 suitcases packed to the brim and all reaching our maximum weight limit allowed on the flight, I saw my dutyfree and New York shopping flash before my eyes!

Flying premium economy was the best decision we made. The cabin is smaller, seats are wider and recline further and best of all there is so much more leg room! Essential when you have a crawler! Being packed in like sardines in economy would have been a nightmare!

Our flight departed Brisbane airport at 11am … here is our first mistake. Never fly during your childs natural awake time! We settled into the flight and tried fruitlessly to get him to sleep, he just would not have a bar of it. During the first 6 hours of a 13 hour flight my husband and I spent the time walking up and down the aisles in the economy cabin, meeting the hostess’ and making sure we cause minimal disruption to the other passangers. Halfway through the flight he decided to sleep and slept for 4-5 hours before the cabin lights were turned back on …. very tired mummy and daddy. During the 13 hour flight we had many crying tantrums with him refusing to sleep, we both were very embaressed and appologised to anyone that made eye contact.

After 13 hours of flying we were not really looking forward to getting off and jumping on another 6 hour flight to New York. But we did and thankfully he slept pretty much the whole way!

My biggest fear travelling to somewhere like New York is not being able to use a proper child restraint in cabs. I did so much research before leaving and there is really no option but to sit the child on your lap. Thankfully New York is a very walkable city so we spent most of our time walking the streets and Central Park.

Our hotel in New York had a kitchen nook, so heating and washing bottles and heating baby food was really easy, just like at home. We didn’t experience problems until we went back to Los Angeles. We stayed at one of the Disneyland resorts and were really surprised to find they did not have microwaves in the room and even more surprised to find no kettle either! After a lengthy chat to the front desk staff and their refusal to supply a kettle as it was “again their policy” we were forced to go from the 11th floor to the lobby to heat bottles and food. Cooper is pretty good, he has one bottle before bed at 6pm and another at 6am …. but being out of his routine and needing some comfort we were forced into a few 3am feeds. So walking downstairs at 3am after having to get up and get dressed was not fun! Especially considering we were staying in a family resort! We then went to Vancouver we were provided a kettle on arrival with no fuss and found the bottle situation easy and the same in Vancouver.

All in all the trip was fantastic! We had a lot of fun and some wonderful memories even if Cooper is too small to share them. I did learn quiet a few lessons on our travels so here is my list on surviving travel with a baby!

* Any long haul flights should be done at night or during the babies longest sleep time
* Call the airline in advance and ask:
- Policy on travelling with an infant in your selected class – some airlines wont allow infants in premium, business or first class
- Baggage allowance for the infant – some airlines allow one extra check-in piece and one extra carry on
- What food is supplied onboard and can the attendants wash and heat bottles
- Request the bassinette seat – even if you don’t use the bassinette the extra legroom is a lifesaver!
- Can you check your pram at the gate – some airlines allow you to take the pram right to the gate and will return it to the gate at your destination
* Pack babies carry on items in 2 stages

Small bag with the essentials to keep by your feet

- Two nappies
- Wipes
- 1 Bottle and 1 serve of formula
- Sippy cup
- 1 Jar of food
- A few snacks
- Dummy
- 1-2 toys

Bigger bag with everything else to keep in the overhead compartment

- Nappies – for a longhaul flight allow enough nappies for your flight, waiting time at the depature airport and the destination and also a few extra just incase!
- Formula and bottles -  3 bottles was a perfect number for us, we asked the attendants to fill them with hot water at the end of our flight incase we needed them before our next flight.  Note: If flying to the USA make sure you pour the contents of the formula container into a plastic container as security is a little tight when it comes to taking the whole tin.
- Toys and books -  2-3 small no noise toys and 2 books is suitable. Kids still need variety so only bring out one thing at a time)
- Food - most airlines do not give you enough baby food to feed bubs so pack enough for the flight and for the departure and destination airports and a little extra!
- Spew cloths – These are a life saver for wiping hands, cleaning up messes and much much more!
- Change of clothes – we took bonds wondersuits to sleep in as the plane can get cold and they are easy to dress up and dress down. Plus a jumper, pants and a summer outfit incase it is warm. Pack enough clothes to last the flight and the departure and destination airports.
- Medications – check your medications are legal to take overseas and ensure you take enough to last your entire trip. If travelling overseas make sure you take the pain medication and gum soothing gel your child is used to. We had issues in the USA as their medication was totally different and Cooper did not take to it well.

* Call the hotel/s and ask
- If they have in-room facilities to heat and prepare baby food or if they will provide you with a kettle
- If they will provide a portable cot and linen
- If their is any extra charge for an infant
* Take a light stroller – we took our Baby Jogger City Elite and it was amazing! So light and easy to fold up and it travelled for 3 weeks on 6 flights and is still in perfect condition!
* Spread your itinery out, remember babies get tired really easy and try not to cram too much into one day. Also be aware you can have whole days lost due to illness, irritability etc. So plan your days to allow naps and rests.
* Do most of your activities in the morning when baby is happy and alert and more willing to have fun and smile for the camera! Leaving heavy duty sightseeing until the afternoon can be a nightmare!
* If formula feeding always carry a thermos of hot water incase a parents room or suitable facilities can’t be located while you are out and about.

Last but not least … relax! Baby can feel your tension and if you are uptight he will be too!

Travel with a baby is not hard, just different and as long as you are willing to adjust your itinerary to suit the babies routine it can be an amazing experience!

Jen xx