Sometimes people come into your life for a reason. I just happened to be outside and met one of my neighbours
Meaghan and her husband walking their dog. We got talking, and a few months later after her son was born, she shared with me the details of her
doula, who was an absolutely essential part of the birth of Michaela (thank you Meaghan!).
We also talked about tummy wrapping after having a baby, and all the benefits it provides, including reducing swelling, keeping those stomach muscles supported while your body works its recovery magic (especially for those with abdominal separation), and giving you confidence to go out and about.
It turns out that Meaghan runs a company called
Embracing Motherhood, providing products and services to support new mothers. One of the key products is a fantastic tummy wrap. After three weeks of wearing a compression bandage from the hospital, I am so happy with the results of my post-natal belly and have just ordered the
Tummy Wrap to keep the results going. It provides more support than my bandage as I can tighten it or loosen it myself, with extra "arms" to provide additional support around the middle. I'm hoping to reduce that 6 finger abdominal separation (diastasis recti) in no time.
I've seen a few other tummy wraps on the market, but it's great to find one designed in Australia. What a great baby shower gift, or present for a new mother. You can find the Tummy Wrap as well as other lovely products for new mothers in the
Embracing Motherhood online store.
Image:
Embracing Motherhood
Congratulations to Jo who has just launched her first product range, Lovestamp. Jo's jewellery line includes lovely sterling silver necklaces hand-stamped with the names or initials of your loved ones. These would be a perfect gift for a Mum to keep her little one's names close to her heart all day. Jo has even whipped up a lovely gift for expectant mothers - the delicate Pea in the Pod necklace. So sweet.
It's sometimes a little tough on a girl's ego when that little baby bump is not pronounced enough for other folks to cotton on. And truly, no-one really notices or thinks you are porking out - it's all in your head. But it's times like these that you need a cute graphic t-shirt proclaiming your state in a humourous way.
It's something that the biggest fashion brands in the world have been unable to achieve - truly hot bras for nursing mothers. Hot Milk (great name!) is a brand from New Zealand that is dedicated to beautiful maternity lingerie and it truly lives up to its promise. There's a fun tongue-in-cheek section on the Website for men, and the promotional material is gorgeous too. You can find Hot Milk products in Australia, NZ, the UK, Europe and elsewhere globally in stores and online.
Need a unique baby gift for a baby shower? Look no further than these cool Mexican Bola chime necklaces. They are such great gifts for baby and for a pregnant Mum to be - the chime inside the pendant tinkles softly when it is moved, providing a soothing sound for both mother and baby.
By far the best maternity clothing I have found so far has to be the pieces from Sacha Drake. Sacha is based in Brisbane and along with her full fashion range, has created what has to be the most versatile maternity dress on the market. It's officially the 6-way dress, but I can think of at least 9 ways to wear it differently. The dress comes in black and chocolate as well as seasonal prints, and would be perfect for both work and a special event. I'm sure it will work post-pregnancy too.
I finally succumbed to checking out the pieces of the Stella McCartney for Target range recently (the remaining ones at least!). There was a rack of returns/dressing room discards/pieces retrieved from hiding spots throughout the store that beckoned. Surprisingly, most of the pieces suited a growing belly very well, and I ended up with a midnight blue jersey dress, that if I wrap correctly, will serve me throughout pregnancy. Not quite like the model on the site! But it makes a change from normal maternity wear.
