We’ve got a guest blog from one of our own clients today, Dean & Steph from Daddynatal and Bump, Birth & Beyond. They’ve had a brilliant week, going from teaching local classes, to national coverage via a TV appearance. I thought it would be really helpful for other people who have small businesses to hear that opportunities for national coverage are out there, if you’re prepared to work hard and make the most of the opportunities available….. 

While everyone else seems to be winding down for Easter things have never been busier at Bump Birth and Beyond Ltd. It has been a hectic week, but a very positive hectic week!

Our busy week kicked off on Saturday, listening to the first interview Dean had recorded for The Baby Show broadcast on Star Radio. The interview was focused on the role of the dad in pregnancy, and very exciting for us, as it was the first ‘official’ interview Dean had done, and it definitely was a great learning experience.

Then, Sunday saw us officially announce our partnership with Peterborough City Hospital at Peterborough Baby Show. Bump, Birth and Beyond are now running DaddyNatal and Active Birth Classes, on behalf of the hospital, free to parents. How fantastic to have a Head of Midwifery who is so forward thinking, she really is one of the first in the country to recognise that fathers/birth partners have huge antenatal education needs which have never (until now!) been met.

There was an excellent response to the news of the classes, with signups both on the day and since. Both courses are already 10% full, and we are still awaiting the formal press release and for the community midwifery team to start promotion yet!

Sunday also marked the completion of the first part of training for our new Daisy Birthing teacher, Alison. Courses have been so successful that Steph cannot keep up with demand on her own, so we are extremely excited about Alison’s arrival. She will commence teaching in June which will allow us to offer more courses in even more locations.

On Monday and Tuesday evenings, Steph was out teaching her regular Daisy Birthing classes in Peterborough and St Ives. Steph teaches classes to around 40 pregnant ladies a week, as well as managing all the bookings and day-to-day admin of the company. And she looks after our two toddlers full time as well!

Little did we realise what more the week still held in store… At 10pm Wednesday evening, Steph arrived home from yet another Daisy Birthing class to the news that Dean had been invited down the next day onto The Vanessa Show on Channel 5 to talk about fathers at birth. Turns out a producer had heard his interview on The Baby Show website and wanted him there for a discussion segment about birth! How could we refuse…?!

So scrapping all previous arrangements for Thursday, Dean travelled to London to record the show. To say he was nervous would be a major understatement! He was petrified to be doing his first TV appearance only a few days after his very first ever live media interview! But, of course, he was also really excited. The people were brilliant and he had the pleasure of meeting and talking to Pearl Lowe and Christina Hopkinson, as part of the segment on the discussion of fathers at birth. They were lovely and certainly put Dean at ease (although nerves kicked back in once the cameras started rolling!). You can see his appearance here and judge for yourselves how Dean got on at The Vanessa Show.

Feel free to comment as we would love to hear your feedback. It was a long day though – Dean left home at 11.30am, and didn’t get home again until 8.30pm (luckily Thursdays are Steph’s evening off!)

But there was still work to be done… Friday saw us at a meeting at Peterborough Hospital to discuss some of the logistics of our partnership, and then followed by an agreement that we would produce contact and reference packs for the community midwives, so that became our focus on Saturday!

However, the support and excitement of what we are doing, coming direct from the midwives is so refreshing. It really is a pleasure to be working with them all.

And finally, we finished the week on Sunday with one of our Couples Antenatal Workshops in Kettering. Our classes are jointly run between the both of us, to make sure that we cover all the essential points from both the mum and birth partner perspective. It was a really great class – we thoroughly enjoyed it, and then arrived home in time to spend the remainder of the afternoon in the garden with our two children.

So a busy week made busier by some unforeseen media appearances! A great experience though and we look forward to seeing what the next few weeks brings us.

So that was our hectic week how was yours?

Marketing Week talks family stuff

This article in Marketing Week made me think today, about how organisations that market to people in pregnancy, the new baby / newborn phase, toddlers and beyond, really need to think a bit more about how they talk to people.

Because the person buying the buggy / travel system / stroller / cot bed is not neccessarily the parents. And marketeers need to think about this a bit more when they talk to people. When we bought our double buggy my parents and my in laws both wanted to check it out. Which I found a bit weird, but as they were paying, I went along with it. And I saw at the Baby Show in London the other week, that they do grandparent tickets, which is a smart move, but I wonder if the could go further, I don’t know how – but I think there’s mileage there.

And if you’re going to be leaving your Precious First Born, Ignored Second Child or Feral Third Child etc with grandparents for any kind of childcare you want to be sure that you are leaving them with kit that they can use – that is functional, light, works in the long term and is going to fit in their car boot as well as yours, surely?

So whose buggy is baby friendly and grandparent friendly? Anyone know of one? Would be interested to hear in something that’s marketed as being easy for everyone to use, including grandparents who are going to influence the purchase of things in one way or another….

What? I know. I’m nuts, telling you how to get more for your money when I sell advertising myself. But there’s a method in my madness, I promise, so stick with me. Advertising calls. How annoying are they? Very!! I know they are because I’m on the phone so much, selling it. I’m in such a tricky position because I sell advertising in the New Baby Guides and the Young Families Bump, Baby and Toddler Show programmes and know that I’m one of maybe five calls you’ll get each day, selling you something.

But sitting on the other side of the fence, I advise clients as to how to make the most of any advertising opportunity they are thinking of participating in. So here are my top tips to ask when you are thinking of booking an advert in something:

1. Ask them to send you a sample of the publication. If it’s new to the market be wary. Be very wary. Of course, I can only say this now my publications are up and running, but I’d be uber cautious about something where’s there’s no proof of concept.
2. Check them out with other people locally. Is this their real business? Their proper job? Or something they’ve latched on to as an idea? Or that they are copying from someone else? Ask them how they came to be doing the publication. What are their credentials?
3. Ask for an explanation of how they know their circulation (even more so if it’s new) and if they can provide evidence of it. As an example, we have a letter from our Heads of Midwifery for each New Baby Guide we do and it has in it, that we are working in partnership with them and what the circulation will be.
4. Check out the small print – do they charge you for amends to your existing advert? How much? We charge for this, depending on the size of the advert and how much work is involved. When it’s a bigger advert, we do it for free, because it’s important to us to show our clients that we want them for the long term.
5. Ask for recommendations. We put them on our Facebook pages and on our website. It’s good to do that sort of thing, to show people you are legitimate and proud of what you do.
6. Negotiate. Ask for either a) a discount if you pay now in full and with print ready artwork or b) for a small change to be made to your advert for free or c) some editorial for free if you are booking a big advert.
7. Ask about exclusivity. We offer it, but our clients pay extra for it. Don’t expect to be the only doula in a New Baby Guide as that’s not reasonable, unless you are prepared to pay for the cost of the other adverts that would be there from them as well as your own.
8. Join up with other advertisers who you are not in direct competition with. As an example, if a half page costs £545 and a full page costs £895 why not find someone else to do it with you, so you both pay £447.50 – and tell the advertising sales person that you want a discount for being organized!
9. Ask what page number you will be on and what’s going to be advertising/featured next to it. You want to aim to not be next to your competitors as it’s info overload for the reader. (with thanks to @iamcharlieross for thinking of this one for us)

Anyway, that’s just my initial thoughts on what to do when you are thinking about advertising. If you’re ever looking at advertising in something and want me to take a look over it, I’m happy to help, at no cost.  Email me at liz@westoncommunications.org.uk or call me on 01223 501520.Why? Because there’s nothing worse than people spending money on advertising for a publication that won’t go ahead, or looks naff, or has a poor distribution as you too, by association, will suffer. And it reflects badly on the whole industry. Believe me, I’ve seen some pretty lame examples…

And here’s my sales pitch: If you have a business, service or product in the pregnancy, parenting, birth or family market, please get in touch with us and see how we can help you reach more than 104,000 families each year in NHS branded publications. The New Baby Guides are the only publication that goes out via our NHS Maternity Units other than Bounty. Anything else that says it does is not representing themselves accurately.

We can send you samples of our NHS Maternity Unit publications – the New Baby Guides, references, referrals, letters from Heads of Midwifery stating that we are working with them and have a wealth of contacts who could help you cross promote your business at no extra cost to yourself.

What are your top tips to consider when thinking about booking an advert? Would really appreciate your input on this one…..

You know how everyone tells you their birth story on their child’s birthday? Not me, I’m going tell you something different, I’m going to tell you about the things that I’m grateful for surrounding the birth of my first son…

Overnight, four years ago today, I was being induced for the arrival of our first child. At 12 days over, and having requested inducement at 38 weeks, and the pessaries having not worked and having my waters broken not working either, I was *keen* to have my baby, however it happened. In my mind, that meant that I’d forgoe  the hypnobirthing birth I’d practised hard for, and have an epidural if needed.

Sadly, it wasn’t meant to be, as Elliott was breech. That means he was bottom first, rather than head first. The shift manager at the Rosie Maternity Unit in Cambridge was nice enough, when she was brought in by the midwife, and said “Yes. I’ll bet next months salary on that being a bum”…

Four years later, I can thank several people and organisations for  helping my husband and I to keep calm, whilst  people started flapping around us.

1. Selina, my midwife  and Gillian Pett – another local  midwife.
Selina was a smart, savvy midwife whose practical approach made me realise that although I thought I was unique, lots of people actually have babies all the time, and it’s a normal process.

Gillian Pett taught the NHS Antental Classes that we attended. She also took us on our tour of the Maternity Unit. She’s a no nonsense woman, but one who encouraged us to get the births we wanted. If the birthing pools were in use, don’t worry, go and run the bath, and use one of them. Just like you would at home. I loved her. And so did Richard. And when we were in the position of having people rushing  around us, we took  time to  remember what Gillian had said about caesarean sections, and how to make the most of the situation we found ourselves in… To not feel like we needed to make decisions to comply, but to take time to work out what we wanted. And to  make use of the facilities available – water and drugs….

2. Alison Marcus, my NCT Teacher.

I cannot put into words the impact that Alison had on my pregnancy and our early months as parents. If only we’d paid more attention when we covered c sections! Mind you none of us did, because we were all working towards a natural birth. Moving on… Alison taught us an acronym that I can’t remember now but it was all about asking what the options, alternatives, specifically what was happening, questions, time lines available and to ask with a smile. I can’t believe I can’t remember it, I’ll email her and ask. At the time, in labour due to the drip, with people rushing around us, we kept calm. Richard even asked everyone to go out and leave us alone to have  some thinking  time – another thing that Alison told us we could do.  They didn’t like it, but we took that time, and got ourselves together for the upcoming change in plan.

Postnatally, we  found that Alison’s experiences as a mum of four, meant that she’d taught us some important stuff. Like the fact that  it would be normal for Richard to come home and say “Really, you didn’t manage to go and buy milk today?” and that our baby would not be sleeping through the night by three months of age. And that you can do whatever you can to get through the nights and days without thinking that you are failing parents because you don’t do it the same as other people. I don’t know how she actually did that, but they are the things Richard and I remember.  Feeling more confident about becoming parents, that we weren’t on our own and that  the support was there for us. When Alison gave us her phone number at the end of the course, it went straight on our fridge as soon as we got home. Apparently it went on the fridge for the  rest of  our course  mates as well…..

So there we have it. I loved and still do love my NHS Midwives and my NCT antenatal teacher. We are eternally grateful  to them for the care and support they have given us. People are so quick to complain about NHS Midwives, but I can tell you that they do an amazing job with the resources they have. And that I’m privileged to have the opportunity to work with them on the New Baby Guides  and so  chuffed to  be  able to donate money to support staff training and  birthing aids for women in labour….  And as for people who join the NCT being tree hugging hippies, well I can tell you that I don’t know anyone who is a hippy, or hugs trees!! The people we’ve met have been smart, successful, non cliquey and we’re grateful to know them.

If you want to know more about the NCT, find classes in your area or local groups, check out the NCT website. You don’t have to be a member to attend the antenatal classes, or postnatal groups,  so just check them out and have a go. And if you get the chance to go to NHS Antenatal Classes, go to them and make the most of the opportunity….

A new baby is a wonderful thing. New baby twins are a double blessing and generate disproportionately more interest. #CambridgeMummyFact  Whether you’ve had the birth from hell or a “perfect birth”, (whatever that means to you), your hormones will still play havoc with you and your body in the days, weeks and months afterwards. So I thought it was brilliant to hear Celine Dion saying that she basically didn’t know what had hit her in the first few days and weeks after her twins arrived recently.The UK Press Association has even put something out there about it…

“Dion has revealed she is knackered by her newborn twins, but finds them “an intense joy… I am changing nappies and breastfeeding and that’s something where no one can take my place – it’s tiring but an intense joy.

“I didn’t have these children to not take care of them, [but] to give myself to them 200 – 300 per cent,” she added. Celine – who is also mum to nine-year-old son Rene-Charles – has not had much time for herself.

“In reality, I’ve had almost no time getting a shower and feeding myself. My preoccupation has been eating sensibly,” she admitted. “My only worry has been to be able to open and close [my tops] quickly for breastfeeding. It’s been out of the question to even wear a blouse!”

Since giving birth, the 42-year-old lost her appetite and suffered from mood changes. “Some of the first days after I came home, I was a little outside myself. I had no appetite and that bothered me. My mother remarked that she noticed I had moments of lifelessness, but reassured me that this was entirely normal,” she recalled.

“One moment, tremendous happiness; the next, fatigue sets in, and I cried for no reason, and then that took care of itself. It’s for things like that after having a baby that mothers really need emotional support.”

BRILLIANT. Someone who has lots of help admitting that it’s not all roses and lovely moments in the first days, weeks and months, whether you are becoming a mummy for the first or fifth time…  I wasn’t going to comment on her quotes, until I saw other agencies picking it up and extrapolating from this, that she has post natal depression. Misery and fear sells, for sure, but to me, it just sounds like she’s telling it like it is, as a new mum. PND, what a load of hooey. Not on the basis of these quotes alone….

I don’t for a moment think  this was a plug to selling anything for her. But if it was, she’s succeeded. Why? Because honesty is much more appealing to me. Particularly when I can relate to it… It’s similar to my other post on how I view my clients I suppose. But I tell you something, it’s making me think I want to check Celine Dion out more, so kudos to her for being honest about her new life experiences. In doing  so, she’s bringing a whole new demographic of previously disinterested women into her sphere. A Smart Bird In Every Respect eh?

I’m off to find some Celine on itunes ;) What are your memories of life with your new baby? Those first few days, weeks and months? The high points? The low points? Would love some comments on this.

*image courtesy of www.dailystab.com

One of the best sellers in the UK today - iCandy buggies

When I had my first baby, I was given a hand me down Quinny Zapp, which was really good. We loved it, not least because we didn’t have a clue as to what to look for. When we were pregnant again, facing a 16 month gap, we agreed we would buy something for both our little monkeys. But choosing which one to go for was really difficult. I had my heart set on the icandy pear. It looked so slick and I was certain I’d be an in control mummy if I had one of those. Whilst in the shop, looking at it all, we ended up buying the Phil and Ted Vibe. In hindsight, we should have gone for the Phil and Ted that was on the market at the time, as it was £300 cheaper and the bottom seat was bigger than that for the Vibe.

With all this in mind, when I was asked recently “How did you pick your buggy” I had to say that we went to an independent retailer who helped us pick. Gill Pedley, at BumpsnBabes.com is a mum herself, with her youngest being just 2 years old. As well as her first hand knowledge, she also knows which questions to ask, to help you work out which buggy is best for you. So here are Gill’s thoughts on choosing a buggy…

Size and folding:  Check the size when folded and it fits in the car boot before buying!  Have a full demonstration so that when you get the pushchair home you have a good idea how to use it. <Ed: Hear hear, we spent ages practising with ours at home>

Lie Flat:  A new born must lie flat as much as possible, so a carrycot or a lie flat seat unit is very important.  You could always use the carrycot instead of a moses basket as long as it has an overnight mattress in it.  Most pushchairs and prams have the facility of using a carseat on the frame which is ideal if you are just popping out for a short while.  A baby up to the age of 6 months should not be left in a carseat for more than 2 hours a day, this is due to the development of the spine and reflux gland.

Features:  Check the number of seat positions, adjustable leg rest, comfort for baby, what comes with the pushchair ie cosy toes and raincover. Ask what age and weight the seat unit goes up to as some pushchairs will only realistically take up to a two year old.

Forward and rear facing:  It is advisable for baby to face mum until approx 10 months, as research has shown that babies feel more secure. Other research has identified this as helping speech development because it is at this young age that your baby will be watching and learning from mum.  Lots of pushchairs now have this feature what ever budget you may be on.

Wherever you live, I suggest  you visit an independent baby store, to get the best advice and help on all issues of helping choose the right pushchair for your needs. Shops should be happy to show you how a range of buggies work, and let you test them in your boot and on the path near the shop. It’s also good to find somewhere that stocks a range of different brands so you can test them all side by side. At our www.bumpsnbabes.com Showroom in Sharnbrook, we have more than 40 brands on site. You can also usually make an appointment if you are shopping on the weekend when places are usually at their busiest and we recommend this to everyone so that they can have plenty of time with help on hand as it is needed.

If you’ve got any questions about a buggy or pushchair, whether you are local or not, feel free to call us on 01234 781396 - our lines are open until 8.30pm each night and we can answer your questions to help you make the most of your budget.

I love quotes, I have books of them. I’ve put a book of them in the loo – if other *people* can hide in there for 15 minutes, why can’t I? :-)  Whilst these are referring to women, I’m sure they’re applicable for some of the men out there too. Shirley Conran is my new hero! Which quote or quotes shout out to you? Have a good day everyone….

“Mothers never get their Big Night Out. Someone always comes out in spots ten minutes before they leave.” Pam Brown

“Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing is like shovelling the walk before it stops snowing.” Phyllis Diller

“Sometimes a husband would leave home if only he knew how to pack.” Margie Brand

“Life is too short to stuff a mushroom.” Shirley Conran.

“I would rather lie on a sofa than sweep beneath it.” Shirely Conran

Colic. I don’t want to get into whether it exists or not, because I believe it does. And that some babies suffer with it more than others. Looking at images of babies crying to put into this post, I got choked up just thinking about the nights we had with both our boys where they were inconsolable…

Fox news has reported today on research in the Journal of Pediatrics which suggests that “that infants who took a daily drop of probiotic supplement cried one third less than babies who didn’t. Probiotics are healthy bacteria that help keep the intestines working properly. Dr. Joseph Levy says, ‘If there are less spasms and the muscles don’t contract so strong, the baby won’t feel pain. ‘Colic affects up to 28 percent of infants but doctors aren’t sure what causes it. When diagnosing the condition doctors refer to the rule of threes–crying for more than 3 hours .. At least three days a week .. For at least three weeks. Probiotic products for babies are already on the market but parents should check with their pediatrician before adding any to their child’s diet. Dr. Levy says, ‘not every probiotic is the same and not every baby that cries has colic.’

More studies need to be done before probiotics can be used to treat colic. And I’m not suggesting parents should put yakult into their babies by any means, but this sounds basically like common sense. And these days, with two toddlers under my belt, I’m all for the simplest approach to helping our babies, toddlers and children through whatever ailments they are suffering from.

At any rate, I’m pleased to hear that colic is being thought about by professionals, rather than suggesting it doesn’t exist. When Elliott was a baby I remember a midwife with 25 years experience telling me that infacol and other “remedies” have no scientific backing. I was disappointed to hear this as it came well recommended by others. She then went on to add that it is entirely possible that it’s having a positive effect because babies and parents feel like they are doing something to help themselves and each other through the misery of colic filled evenings. And that to me, is common sense again – the placebo effect yes, but if it’s making mummies, daddies and babies a little more able to cope together, I’m up for it.

What do you think of this research? Did your little people experience colic? How did you cope with it? What worked? What didn’t? Am sure there are people out there who would appreciate anything if they’re in the midst of dealing with it at the moment…..

Here’s a couple of links to other sites with suggestions for helping babies with colic:
Bupa suggestions for colic in babies
NHS Choices suggestions for colic in babies
Netdoctor suggestions for treating colic in babies