You may not even think you need a hospital bag, if you’re planning a home birth, but it’s always wise to have everything ready, just in case. If you’re planning a hospital birth, see if you can get a tour before your due date, as you’ll bet a sense of the place and be able to ask questions about what’s available and what you need to bring. When to pack your birth bag Babies rarely arrive on time! Have your bag packed at least a fortnight before you due date, so that you can be confident you’re ready to go. What to pack for labour Think about it as two bags: one for the birth and one for after ..read more

It can come as a horrible shock when the name we’ve carefully chosen for our new baby meets with a less than delighted reception. Even celebrities aren’t immune to this experience – Scarlett Johansson revealed that her mother-in-law wasn’t thrilled by the name chosen for her newborn boy: Cosmo.  So how should you handle criticism of your baby’s name?  First, according to one of our most experienced maternity nurses, find out what the traditions are on both sides of the family. Where one side tends to discuss names in advance and get a consensus and the other side likes to do a big re ..read more

If you’re having a December baby, you – and they – are already special. December babies are rare, and the rarest of all birthdays (in the West) are 24 and 25 December. What this proves isn’t clear – maybe that Mums have more influence over birth than they think, and that consciously or unconsciously they decide not to give birth over the festive period. It’s certainly partly due to the fact that Caesareans and induced labours aren’t scheduled for the holidays and it may even be partly a factor that nine months before December, in late March or April, we’re perhaps not thinking about starting a ..read more

Of the many secret weapons that our maternity nurse candidates have at their disposal, pregnancy pillows are definitely high on the list. As every pregnant woman knows, sleep is essential – but sometimes hard to come by! It’s not only having to get up and go to the toilet all night long, but leg cramps, back pain and the difficulty of getting comfortable with ‘the bump’. Enter the pregnancy pillow. Pregnancy pillows have a number of benefits They support the knees (and sometimes ankles) to keep the hips aligned which avoids aches Using a pregnancy pillow can reduce heartburn A pillow can help ..read more

There are so many reasons that a woman might choose to work with a maternity nurse: helping establish a routine with your newborn, giving support around feeding, helping other family members with the transition etc. One reason that doesn’t get much discussion, but is definitely something that comes up a lot, is sex. Our experienced maternity nurses often get asked intimate and complex questions about the how, when and where of resuming sexual activity after childbirth and a recent study, published in the International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology (BJOG) shares some comforting data f ..read more

As we all swelter in the current heatwave, midwives and maternity nurses are offering extra support and advice to pregnant women who are susceptible to a range of experiences brought on by heat. Some of this advice is pure common sense, like staying out of the sun between 11am and 3pm and some of the rest is hard-won experience. We consulted our Maternity Nurse candidates for their top tips to cope with summer weather when pregnant. Take a dip Lukewarm showers and baths are better than cold, because cold water can drop your core temperature which makes your body retain heat. And don’t towels y ..read more

Most things changed during the pandemic – baby showers were no exception. We’re rounding up the best of the new baby shower ideas, along with some tried and trusted tips to give you a complete guide that will make any baby shower a success. Top baby shower tips Don’t wait – holding a baby shower in the second trimester is a better idea than waiting until the third because it gives parents more time to buy anything they still need after receiving their baby shower gifts and because the mum-to-be is more likely to have energy and enthusiasm for the event at this point. Traditions are changeable ..read more

You may not want to hang out your jewel-bedecked bump through a Balenciaga coat like Rihanna did in her pregnancy announcement with A$AP Rocky, although if you do, we really admire you, but maternity wear is going through its second great revolution, and we’re here to help you navigate it. “I’m not going to buy maternity clothes,” Rihanna to Bustle, and she definitely didn’t. Like her contemporary, Beyonce, she ignored the tendency to swathe our pregnant bodies in designer maternity jeans and stretch dresses in a way of understating our size and being stylish ‘despite’ our pregnancy rather tha ..read more

As more mums opt for a home birth, in part because they don’t want to be in a hospital or maternity unit during the COVID-19 crisis, it’s important to be aware of the pluses and minuses of giving birth at home. The plus sides can be compelling: giving birth in your own space, with your family around you, no complex transitions to and from hospital with a new baby etc. On the minus side, there are often complications to a home birth that need to be considered. Only vaginal birth can be considered at home, and while it’s the natural way to bring a child in the world, it carries its own concerns ..read more

So Nike has finally produced a maternity wear sports line. It’s been a long time coming and for professional and serious athletes it’s been a serious gap in the Nike offering. But for the average mum or mum-to-be, it can feel like just one more thing she should be doing – working out like a real athlete right up to the last minute. So we looked at the new Nike clothing and spoke to our maternity nurse team about exercise, activity and sportswear.  First, it’s good to know that Nike worked with thirty pregnant and postpartum athletes to design their new clothing. Most pregnant women or new ..read more