RSSCategory: Out & About

Best Manual Breast Pump

| March 5, 2012

Medela Harmony Manual Breast Pump with Calma Teat

I found the Medela Harmony Manual Breast Pump with Calma Teat perfect for those times when I couldn’t breastfeed and needed to express.

The Medela Harmony Manual Breast Pump with Calma Teat is BPA free, lightweight and portable for when you’re out and about or travelling.

It uses a 2-phase expression technology that is alike to a baby when breastfeeding which mimics the natural sucking rhythm of the baby with short, stimulating movements followed by longer, more intensive ones to ensure an optimal milkflow.

This gives you faster let-down and maximum milkflow which significantly reduces pumping time, so you can express more milk in less time and more comfortably.

The Medela Harmony Manual Breast Pump with Calma Teat is the best manual breast pump you can buy.

If you’re looking for a breast pump that’s ideal for occasional or frequent use the Medela Swing Breast Pump with Calma Teat makes expressing quick, easy and suitable for everyday.

The Medela Harmony Breast Pump won the Practical Parenting & Pregnancy Gold Award for Best Manual Breast Pump 2011 / 2012.

First Holiday with Baby in Orford

| February 21, 2012

We ventured to Orford on our first holiday with our baby when she was just 8 weeks old.

Suddenly it was no longer about throwing a few clothes into a bag, it was now about making sure we had absolutely everything we needed for our precious little one!

The car was laden full with baby gear including her baby monitor, moses basket, baby bath, activity play mat, numerous outfits of clothing to cover all eventualities of weather, Baby Bjorn Baby Carrier, breast pump, pram, Moby Wrap (we were still in the fourth trimester) and my parents!

We weren’t even going very far, staying within the confines of the UK so we could drive a reasonably short distance. Up until this point our baby had only travelled in a taxi home from the hospital.

Travelling from London to Orford near the Suffolk coast was going to take at least 2 hours. We were certain we’d need to take several breaks to ease the journey (and calm ourselves should our baby take an extreme dislike to her car seat or the car or her Daddy’s driving)!

Pump Street Bakery


Thankfully I’d remembered to include her soothing classical baby music which helped her to sleep almost the entire journey (we were shocked) and kept us relaxed during the busy drive out of London.

Orford is a stunning small town, dominated by the 12th century Orford Castle and Orford Church.

It has some of the best restaurants in the area including Ruth Watson’s Crown and Castle and the Butley Orford Oysterage.

Orford Castle

If you’re after a family friendly pub in Orford with the best fish and chips you’ll discover it at The Jolly Sailor. And for delightful lunches and afternoon teas, the Pump Street Bakery will satisfy your food desires!

Suffolk is an amazing and fairly untouched part of England.

It has a stunning coastline and some of the most beautiful inland forests suitable for walking, horse riding and cycling with plenty of walkways and bridal paths.

You can find out more about this amazing location for family holidays at Discover Suffolk.

For somewhere to stay visit Suffolk Secrets which has some of the most beautiful cottages, houses and beach huts for holidays in Suffolk. These are available for rental by the week or for a short break.

The Moby Wrap

| February 15, 2012

Have you heard of the fourth trimester? I hadn’t but I soon found out about it when my baby was born!

The fourth trimester refers to the time from birth to approximately 4 months old. This is the time when your newborn is very vulnerable and needs constant physical contact and attention from other human beings. The fourth trimester is about recreating the womb environment whilst your baby is adjusting from womb to world.

Here are some tips for doing this:

  • Swaddling – helps to keep baby close to you and feeling secure,
    the Moby Wrapcreates an environment where your baby is wrapped tightly and kept warm.
  • Shushing Sounds – recreate the continual whooshing-like noise your baby heard constantly when in the womb.
  • Swinging – when in utero your baby was always in a rocking motion when you moved or walked, wrapped in a Moby Wrapyour baby will be in a state of gentle swinging.
  • Sucking – creates a deep calming influence on your baby, whether it’s sucking on the breast, bottle, a Pacifieror your finger.

When held close they will be very content, thus the need for a Moby Wrapwhich makes it ever so easy to achieve that closeness and bonding that your baby is craving.

My baby would get upset and didn’t sleep well unless she was snuggled next to me or my husband in the Moby Wrap. It’s really comfortable to wear and I found I could go about the house easily whilst she slept happily, as well as using it during spring and summer to go out and about.

Another benefit of the Moby Wrapis the flexibility with the positions you can have your baby in whilst in the wrap, making it easy to breastfeed on demand.

The Moby Wrap is made from 100% soft cotton and is breathable and machine washable.