When I was younger I had absolutely no idea about the ins and outs of pregnancy and having a baby. I remember without a care in the world, walking past the maternity shops snickering at the roundness and beige-ness of it all. Maternity wear signalled maturity wear and the end of style and colour and a land I could not see myself ever visiting.

Fast forward about 8 years, 10 kilos heavier, basketball size growth under my top….I had arrived at maternity wear world. Funnily enough everything you loathe about maternity wear when you aren’t pregnant is everything you adore when you are pregnant, especially maternity bras! You crave comfort, ease and plain colours because all your time and energy is now given to this beautiful and very demanding little person!

My breasts had grown into large beings all on their own and they were tender to touch. Being an already larger breasted gal I knew that I needed to find the perfect maternity bra for before and after the baby was born. I can say hand on heart right now that the New Beginnings Maternity Bra range were the best I tried and here is why:

SUPPORT: As there is no underwire in maternity bras I needed a bra that still provided lift for my breasts (the type I could wear outside the house).

EASY TO USE: New Beginnings bras have a very easy to use clip that latches to the top strap of the bra. When your baby is screaming for a feed it’s a no brainer to clip off and on.

STYLE: I still managed to feel feminine in these bras even though I was feeling very much like a dairy cow.

GREAT PRICE: We all know that having babies is expensive so your bras have to be a price that is reasonable and appropriate.

NO HASSLES: New Beginnings has some great online deals happening all the time and they are so easy to deal with when it comes to customer support and returns.

A selection of great maternity bras is an investment not only in the practical side of motherhood but an investment in your peace of mind. A comfortable, stylish and reliable maternity bra means you don’t have to worry about anything else but navigating motherhood and bonding with your beautiful new baby.

Author: Elise Bradfield @elise_bradfield 

It seems that everybody is hopping on board the wellness, health, Mother Nature band wagon these days and with good reason. We are much more conscious about our bodies and the effects we are having on the planet and we are now bringing that level of awareness back with a focus on our children’s well-being.

There has never been a wider selection of healthy and environmentally sound baby products on the market then there is today. Yes some of these products are more expensive and some may seem a little too left of centre but where you decide to draw a line in the sand is up to you. For me personally I could never use natural cloth nappies, I just know that I would find that to be such a headache but I do know of ladies that swear by it. However I have started being more conscious in other ways like using the New Beginnings Bamboo Dry Wipes.

Now you wouldn’t naturally conclude ‘Baby does a poo, hand me the old bamboo’ but bamboo is fast becoming natures wonder plant and here’s why. Bamboo is the fastest growing plant that uses very little space and water to grow and it actually helps repair the environment. It adds 35% more oxygen than regular trees and is truly a super plant being used in many industries. Therefore producing baby wipes using bamboo has so many benefits:

• Perfect for sensitive skin
• Helps reduce nappy rash by keeping bubs dry
• Free of parabens, petrochemicals and sulphates
• Alcohol-free
• Fragrance free
• Bamboo is Biodegradable!
• Highly absorbent

New Beginnings are doing their part and offering mothers what they desire with a product that is easy to obtain (online, Coles & Chemist Warehouse), a great price, good for the environment and most importantly free of all the nasties that you find in a lot of other baby wipe products.

Additionally dry wipes have a longer shelf life, so they make the perfect travel essential and can be stored in hot areas like your car ready for use anytime. All it takes is the addition of water to turn them into your regular wet wipes to clean bottoms, hands, faces and I will admit sometimes the perfect cleaning chux. Another mention for me is that I noticed my son was getting nappy rash which is perfectly common as that area is often damp for a period time whilst sleeping. The great thing about the dry wipe is that I would use them afterwards in dry form to soak up any residual moisture and I noticed the nappy rash would clear up a lot easier then adding creams for example.

So in using New Beginnings Bamboo Dry wipes I feel like I am doing the best for my son with a quality product and the bonus is that I am also doing my small part in helping the environment. That’s a double win for me!

 Author: Elise Bradfield @elise_bradfield 

R U OK is an initiative set up by a man called Gavin Larkin in response to his dad’s suicide as a result of his silent suffering with depression. It is a simple question to ask but it can literally save lives! As we move towards R U OK day on the 14^th of September, let’s all take a moment to ask our family and friends how they are doing and open up a line of communication. As new mothers, or experienced mothers let’s take this a step further to extend the enquiry to our fellow mothering tribe members. These friends or acquaintances you may have met in your mothers group, gymbaroo classes, child friendly parks or even your favourite coffee hangouts.

Motherhood and parenting is the most important job in the world and I think that is why we can put so much pressure on ourselves. It’s a real adjustment especially for first time mothers and parents with lack of sleep, the constant feeding and crying and the general enormity of the role of caring for a tiny human. Add to the mix mothers who have very little support, colicky babies, multiple babies, partners that work away, trouble with breastfeeding and the list goes on. All of these overwhelming things whilst trying to navigate in a whole new world can really compound those feelings of anxiety and stress.

You may think of depression and know of someone suffering or medicated for this disease but we may rarely categorise Post Natal Depression within our fellow mothering group! And the statistics are staggering with an estimated 1 in 7 women affected with PND which can develop anywhere from 1 month to 12 months after giving birth.  What you may also be very surprised to hear is that new dads are also subject to developing PND with 1 in 10 suffering also.

If you are worried about yourself or someone you know, here are some symptoms of Post Natal Depression:

• Low mood
• Feelings of failing as a mother
• Exhausted, teary and sad nonstop
• Worried constantly
• Afraid to be alone or leave the house
• Feeling panicked or anxious
• Insomnia
• Worrying about the baby a lot

These types of feelings are bound to come up within your daily interactions and experiences of becoming a new mum and parent but if these feelings are persistent for over 2 weeks then please make an appointment with your doctor. The solutions may be as simple as medication, community support, or offering some counselling.

So to all you wonderful mothers and parents out there if you can mark September 14^th down in your already busy calendars and ask the question R U OK to your parenting friends, we can have a part to play in helping mums and dads to stop tormenting themselves and start enjoying their role of being a parent!

If you or anyone you know would like to seek some advice please contact: 

• PANDA - 1300 726 306
• Beyondblue - 1300 224 636
• Pregnancy, Birth and Baby - 1800 882 436

 Author: Elise Bradfield @elise_bradfield 

You’re pregnant, how wonderful, in comes the hormones and your ability to grow rounder and eat more than you may have thought possible. Unfortunately out goes your ability to control anything about your body, as you become the sole vessel for this miracle to develop and flourish in.

We have heard it all before, about the sore backs, the swollen ankles and the general discomfort of pregnancy. If you have a mother like mine who is very hazy on her own pregnancy experiences, I was told these aches and pains are all part and parcel of the process and you just deal with them. Luckily enough we are not this harden up generation, we are the generation of plan B’s, second opinions and how can we fix it!

I personally suffered bad reflux, like….almost dragon breathing fire reflux, lower back pain, bad swollen ankles and morning sickness for the first trimester. Now morning sickness can affect pregnant ladies in different ways, from vomiting and nausea, to the general day in and day out feeling of ‘ugh’. I know of a lady who only survived pregnancy with a new BFF…..a bucket, which she had to carry with her the whole 9 months!

The influx of pregnancy hormones and how your body deals with sharing its space will vary greatly from woman to woman. My little sister had really bad sciatic nerve pain, but my older sister saw through three pregnancies without a peep! Another girl I know had to quit her job and go on bed rest because she was bleeding and it was too taxing on her body. Then there is the lack of bladder control, the hair growth, the stretch marks, elephant size ankles, the complete left field changes in the size, shape and feel of your breasts and nipples, the breathlessness, the back pain and the list goes on and on.  So once the initial excitement wears off you may start to feel some degree of discomfort as your body adapts. Then once progressing to the later stages, being large and uncomfortable whilst this little miracle grows - I have some tips to help you through these 9 months.

BACK PAIN - I found the New Beginnings Support Belt and Tube a huge relief and in fact I bought it for my friends and sister when they were pregnant.

NAUSEA* - Try to drink plenty of water and sleep it off when you can. I took ginger tablets and tea which helped settle my stomach.

REFLUX* - Watching the acidic foods that you are consuming and taking some pregnancy approved tablets or sprays. I always had the chewable Mylanta tablets in my handbag ready to go!

STRETCH MARKS - I started using Bio Oil early on and continued right through with this. Although I think stretch marks are unavoidable if you are predisposition to them, either way it made me feel like I was helping.

BREAST CHANGES - Your breasts can be so tender, your nipples grow and become very sensitive, so an investment in a great maternity bra ie a New Beginnings maternity bra, is an absolute must. I found the soft fabric and UGrow™ technology a perfect mix to support my growing breasts but gentle enough to not irritate my nipples.

So hang in there, take care of yourself and utilise good, safe products. Growing a tiny human can take a big toll on you physically and mentally so rest when you get the chance and try to enjoy the changes and the awesome feat that your body is performing for you. And remember that there are perks too…bigger boobs, eating all you want, a luscious mane of hair, a Jennifer lopez booty, plenty of sympathy from work and friends when you are feeling unwell and get to spend all day at home in bed and of course the beautiful, healthy baby to hold at the end!

 Author: Elise Bradfield @elise_bradfield

*Please consult your health professional before consuming any supplements or medical products whilst pregnant.

To know or not to know, that is the question! 

So what type of couple will you be; will you utilise the modern comforts of technology to find out if you are having a boy or a girl? Will you be the couple that opts for that lovely surprise come labour day? Or are you a new generation of couples that throw a gender reveal party instead?

I think if you were to look at your group of friends and peers, there would be a nice mix of couples who need to know (like myself) or like being a bit old school and waiting until the baby is born, or some couples deciding to ditch a traditional baby shower and have a gender reveal party instead!  If you are interested in throwing tradition to the wind then here are my top 5 gender reveal party ideas!

ADAM OR EVE?

-A cake cutting baby shower that centres on a cake being dyed inside either blue or pink!

-A piñata party where your guests can all relieve some tension to reveal your babies gender upon cracking the shell with blue or pink coloured lollies, or coloured card!

-Helium balloons that have been filled with pink or blue confetti which the couples pop revealing the gender to their guests.

-White sugar tablets for all your guests to pop into their drinks that uncover either blue or pink dye when dissolved.

-Paint throwing where couples throw small balloons filled with coloured water or paint at a white wall or canvas to show the colour and reveal the gender.

Whether you do decide to find out or not, needs to feel right for both you and your partner. I have heard of one partner wishing to know and the other not so the sonographer writes the gender down in an envelope for the couple to take home. It’s then a matter of self-control as to who can resist that tempting piece of information glaring at you from across the living room.

I will leave you with how we found out about my first born babies gender. We had our first scan at the usual 19 week mark to excitedly discover that we were having a little baby girl. But my partner and I were not entirely convinced by the sonographer’s findings because our baby had its legs crossed and would not budge from this position. You could image our surprise at 27 weeks when we booked for another scan, to be told beyond a shadow of a doubt that our little girl was actually a little boy. Now that is what I call a gender surprise!

 Author: Elise Bradfield @elise_bradfield