With the Australian government sent to announce the introduction of 18 weeks Paid Maternity leave in Tuesday’s budget, what you think? Do you agree with the proposal or think it is too expensive in today’s economic climate? VOTE NOW and share your thoughts below! P.S. As followers of this blog will know, I’m a long-time supporter of paid maternity leave and am very excited by the latest news!

Breastfeeding can be an isolating experience. A new mum, breastfeeding for the first time, can feel cut off from family and friends if they are unsupportive or simply do not understand her motives.

All too often it is assumed that a breastfeeding mum will scurry off to do the deed behind a locked door and well out of sight. And God forbid she utters the phrase, “I’m Breastfeeding!” Men avert their eyes and women smile as they shuffle their feet and move the conversation swiftly along! So much for breastfeeding support amongst peers!

Most mums choosing to breastfeed their babies do so because they have been made aware of the lifelong advantages of breastfeeding. But when it comes to the task itself, many feel they have no-one to turn to for information and advice when things are not going as planned. For that reason, a lot of breastfeeding mums give up breastfeeding prematurely.

The World Health Organisation recommends exclusively breastfeeding babies for the first six months of their lives. But many are only breastfed for a few days or weeks.

It is vital that breastfeeding mums have a supportive and informative network of people to ask for help.

And that is where Breastfeeding Support Groups come into their own.

A well-organised breastfeeding support group will cater for a variety of women from varied backgrounds. It will educate women thinking about breastfeeding whilst they are pregnant and it will also cater for novice and more experienced breastfeeding mums.

Breastfeeding support groups allow women and their babies to come together in a relaxed atmosphere, to enjoy congenial conversation. Women are encouraged to discuss breastfeeding issues and, as a result, breastfeeding mums help one another to bypass barriers placed along the path.

Breastfeeding mums need to talk about breastfeeding in order to bring their experiences into the wider community. It is only by chatting about breastfeeding in an open and honest way with one another that it will become more acceptable. If more women are given the opportunity to access breastfeeding support groups then breastfeeding statistics will surely rise.

And who knows, maybe today’s breastfed babies will become confident breastfeeding mums of tomorrow, free of the hang-ups prevalent in today’s society regarding breastfeeding!

Sinead Hoben is the proud mum of three beautiful children aged 6 years, 3 years and 9 months old, all of whom were breastfed. A qualified teacher, she now runs her own website, http://www.breastfeedingmums.com, offering breastfeeding information and advice to both breastfeeding and expectant mums. Visit her blog, http://breastfeedingmums.typepad.com to read her musings about setting up http://www.breastfeedingmums.com and daily life as a busy mum!

Best wishes for the New Year! Well my poor old blog was neglected in the lead up to Christmas, due to it being such a crazy time of year. Well I survived and I’m back, so now I resolve to write in my blog more often. What are your New Year’s resolutions?

If you’re stuck for inspiration why not have a big spring clean starting with getting rid of clutter. Last week I had a big clean up of my office and not only does it smell nice, I also feel a lot more motivated to do work! So pick a room in your house and make it beautiful and see how good it makes you feel.

Our Gift to You…. Take $10 off our Summer Designs!

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas… so our gift to you is $10 off the price of any of our Nuvo label summer breastfeeding tops! A great present idea for any new mum or spoil yourself. You deserve it! Exclusive to VIP members only, quote promocode PRESENT to claim your discount!

Offer ends Midnight Monday 8th December. Free Delivery on all orders over $75 after discount has been applied. Hurry -Valid this weekend only!

Start Shopping Now!

P.S We’re taking a short break next week so any orders placed between Wednesday 10th of December and Friday 12th December will be processed on Monday 15th December.

Have a wonderful and safe festive season and we look forward to seeing you in 2009!

Please note offer does not apply to Bravado Tanks or previously reduced items. These items will be manually adjusted to reflect the full price if added to order.

Looking for a Funky breastfeeding Top with easy, discreet access? The funky hoodie breastfeeding top is the answer! I was very excited to see our Hoodie featured in this month’s edition of Pregnancy & Birth mag!

Carrying on from my previous post, regular readers of my blog will know that I’m passionate about paid maternity leave for Australia women.  Here’s a great video to help “Push” the cause for paid maternity leave in this country. P.S. Great soundtrack too!

There’s been lots of talk in the media in the last week about breastfeeding – which is great to see! A lot of debate has focussed on the effect of paid maternity leave on the length of time a mother breastfeeds. It seems the rates of mums returning to work in the first year of their baby’s life is having a huge impact on the rates of breastfeeding.

With interest rates, mortgages and the cost of living high it is no wonder more mums are being forced to return to work earlier than they would like. Advocates of a paid maternity leave system believe 6 months leave for mums would greatly improve the rates of breastfeeding in Australia. Many health professionals believe 6 months is the minimum a baby should be breastfed for and the health benefits and savings for our children would be huge if this goal could be reached by more mums.

An interesting article Link between breastfeeding and low income also discusses this theme and examines a recent study by the Medical Journal of Australia that found “a startling discrepancy in breastfeeding rates between women on high incomes and those on low incomes”.

Study co-author Dr Amir said “Babies should be breastfed for six months and most low-income babies aren’t being breastfed for six months. [Women with lower incomes] need support. You’re a lot more constrained if you are under pressure to go back to work and less likely to be in an environment which is supportive of breastfeeding.”

Let’s hope the government starts listening….

Here’s a great clip of real mums talking about what they think of breastfeeding in public. Thankfully, there are so many great products, breastfeeding clothing and accessories to help you breastfeed comfortably and discreetly today, that there’s is no reason to stay at home!

I received this from one of my very dear friends the other day. I don’t normally pass on these things but I couldn’t resist this one. I only wish I was as organised as the mum below. Read on for a bit of a laugh or cry at what mums really do everyday!

WHY I LOVE MUM…………… 

            Mum and Dad were watching TV when Mum said, ‘I’m tired, and 
            it’s getting late. I think I’ll go to bed’. 

            She went to the kitchen to make sandwiches for the next 
            day’s lunches. 

            Rinsed out the popcorn bowls, took meat out of the freezer 
            for dinner the following evening, checked the cereal box 
            levels, filled the sugar container, put spoons and bowls on 
            the table and started the coffee pot for brewing the next 
            morning. 

            She then put some wet clothes in the dryer, put a load of 
            clothes into the washing machine, ironed a shirt and sewed 
            on a loose button. 

            She picked up the game pieces left on the table, put the 
            phone back on the charger and put the telephone book into 
            the drawer. 

            She watered the plants, emptied a rubbish bin and hung up a 
            towel to dry. 

            She yawned and stretched and headed for the bedroom. She 
            stopped by the desk and wrote a note to the teacher, counted 
            out some cash for the excursion, and pulled a text book out 
            from hiding under the chair. 

            She signed a birthday card for a friend, addressed and 
            stamped the envelope and wrote a quick note for the 
            supermarket. She put both near her purse. 

            Mum then washed her face with 3 in 1 cleanser, put on her 
            Night solution & age fighting moisturiser, brushed and 
            flossed her teeth and filed her nails. 

            Dad called out, ‘I thought you were going to bed.’ 

            ‘I’m on my way,’ she said. 

            She put some water into the dog’s dish and put the cat 
            outside, then made sure the doors were locked and the front 
            light was off. 

            She looked in on each of the kids and turned out their 
            bedside lamps, hung up a shirt, threw some dirty socks into 
            the hamper, and had a brief conversation with the one up 
            still doing homework. 

            In her own room, she set the alarm, laid out clothing for 
            the next day, straightened up the shoe rack. She added three 
            things to her 6 most important things to do list. 

            About that time, Dad turned off the TV and announced to no 
            one in particular. ‘I’m going to bed.’ 

            And he did…without another thought. 

            Anything extraordinary here? Wonder why women live longer…? 

            CAUSE WE ARE MADE FOR THE LONG HAUL….. (and we can’t die 
            sooner, we still have things to do!!!!) 

We’re getting ready to take the show on the road (so to speak)! We’ll be showcasing our Nuvo range of nursing wear at the Zero 2 Five markets in South-East Queensland. So if you’re in Brisbane, Ipswich or the Gold Coast come and visit and see our great quality and designs for yourself.

The markets has a fantastic range of new & used baby/children goods including designer brands at a price you’ll love. It’s a fun day out so we hope to see you there – make sure you say Hello!

Here’s our dates below:

Sunday 1st June Ipswich - Ipswich Basketball Courts 9am-12noon

Sunday 22nd June Gold Coast - Upper Coomera State College 9am-12noon

Sunday 27th July Brisbane - Southern District Basketball Court, Clem Jones Centre Carina 9am-12noon

See you there…