Sian... welcome to our flock!

Just wanted you to let you all know that today Sian, from 'as Clear as PR' , has agreed to handle the PR for easidream® and I am truly excited by this. I am totally confident that Sian, who is extremely well respected in the nursery industry and renowned for helping create media coverage for new innovative products, will generate a huge amount of interest for easidream®.

I will keep you posted on all the exciting things 'in store'.... happy days!

New mums - sleep your way to a thinner you!

Just in case you need any more convincing about just how important sleep is for the whole family, I came across a recent article on SLEEPzine, declaring the startling news that, recent research has shown how getting a good night's sleep, can actually make new mums LOSE WEIGHT... great stuff, so there's hope for all new mums now - get your easidream® order in quick.... only kidding!

How I got my six little ones off to the 'land of nod'

Quite a lot of mums have been contacting me to ask how I managed to introduce a sleep routine with my 6 babies - well 5, I'll just leave Bradley out........only kidding!

So for those of you who may be interested, I thought I would start by telling you the feeding plan that I gradually introduced as my LO's approached around 8 to 12 weeks.

Essentially, the Sweet Dreamers Feeding Plan (SDFP) is:

2am

6am

10am

2pm

6pm

10pm

The beauty of the SDFP is, when your LO is able to sleep through (around 3-4 months) ,then it is the 2am feed that is dropped, so they then go from 10pm to 6am (or as near as) and you all get a totally fabulous sleep!

Here's a few other tips to make the SDFP work:

Obviously if they do sleep through the 2am feed, when they wake at 6am they are going to be ravenous, so make sure you have a bigger feed made up, or if you're breast feeding, they could want a top up or have a longer feed.

To encourage them to sleep through, try to make the 10pm feed a larger feed than the 6pm one or if they seem hungry in between these two feeds, try offering water, so they get the full benefit of the 10am feed.

In between the 6pm and 10pm feed try to let them have a slightly longer period of time awake. If you don't mind giving your baby a bath later, then slip it in between these feeds (around 8.30 ish) or if you are like me, you could try it earlier (7.30 ish) and then let them have a short nap before the 10 pm feed.

The early evening feed (6pm) is a notorious time for bouts of crankiness, I remember all of mine crying continuously for about 1 hour around this time in the evening... and it can be really draining. So don't worry, you're not alone if your LO is prone to this and believe me, after speaking with 100's of parents, it is really common. Try to remain calm through out this time, as your anxiety will be passed on to your LO and perhaps try a little baby massage, a warm bath or hold your baby in a number of different positions to see which one is the most comfortable for him (laying on their tummy across my knees always seemed to help for mine). Your LO may be suffering from colic, in which case a visit to the doctor may be wise. I myself will cover my own 'Sweet Dreamers Colic Cures' in a later post.

If you are breast feeding, please consider giving your baby a bottle feed top up at the 10pm feed (I know you may not want to do this, but for a lot of babies, it really does seem more satisfying for them). If you prefer not to do this then the NCT are a great source of advice for breast feeding.

If your baby has gone into a deep sleep following the 6pm feed and you really can't seem to wake them up, you may want to consider giving your baby a 'dream feed' at 10pm. This is when you give your baby a feed, wind them etc. whilst they are still drowsy and then put them back to sleep.

One final tip.. the whole aim of this feeding plan is to try to drop the 2am feed, so while your LO is still waking at 2am, try not to disturb them too much. ie) keep the room dimly lit, don't change their nappy unless you really have to, make as little noise as possible (definitely don't put the TV on), so as to create a tranquil and peaceful environment. Also, try not to make your LO wait too long for their feed otherwise they may become too fully awake. This is easy when you're breastfeeding, but if you are bottle feeding (like I did) it's a little bit more tricky; try to perhaps take a flask of hot water up with you together with the milk (kept in one of those insulating zip up tubes) so you don't have to travel down to the kitchen to get the milk out of the fridge and wait for the kettle to boil . Or, you could try investing in a bottle warmer to do the job for you. I followed this plan with all of my children and everyone of them (with the exception of Bradley), slept through the 2am feed by the time they had reached 4 months.

I hope you find the Sweet Dreamers Feeding Plan helpful and I really would like to hear how you get on, if you decide to give it a whirl!

Please do leave me a comment with any questions you may have on this or any subject and I will be more than happy to help if I can.

Check out later posts for more Sweet Dreamers Mini Guides, including introducing a totally 'snoozetastic' bedtime routine.

Sweet dreams

Lynda

Cool Babies!

This is definitely worth watching.... http://bit.ly/1Eun0v
mmmmmmmmm....I wonder if I can get the babies in the nursery to do this?

I’m a new mum…Help!!

Ok, so you have arrived home with your precious little bundle and you are filled with an overwhelming multitude of emotions! Mum’s I know the feeling, I’ve had 6 little bundles of my own!!!

So how do you cope with adjusting to becoming a new mum and the reality of sleep deprivation?

Here’s a ‘Sweet Dreamers Mini Guide’ to help you on your way:

First and foremost, you just want to ENJOY the moment. There is absolutely no point in worrying about ANYTHING in the house, just spend this special time bonding with your baby. Try to sleep when your baby sleeps… I know it’s hard, because if you’re anything like I was, you want to try to get back to normal as soon as you possibly can, but hey, please DON’T, just go at your own pace. And really do take the opportunity to SLEEP WHENEVER YOU POSSIBLY CAN. There is so much to be said for allowing yourself to recharge your batteries, there’s plenty of time to get on top of that boring household stuff and at the end of the day, who really cares?

Make the most of this special time bonding with your baby. You have a whole lifetime to worry about whether your house looks up together and if friends or family pop round and you really don’t feel up to it, get your partner, or whoever is on hand, to say that you’re asleep and can they arrange a convenient time to pop round again? DON’T FEEL GUILTY and don’t be too eager to return to normal, this is a big mistake, as lack of sleep plus the general exhaustion can catch up on you when you’re least expecting it.

Watch out for the baby blues, these can kick in at any time, but normally around day 3 or so after your baby has been born. Don’t worry, it’s perfectly normal to hit the depths of despair and these low feelings often rapidly disappear as quickly as they arrived. I found myself randomly crying over the least little thing after I’d had my first child. He developed severe jaundice and had to go under one of those big ‘sunlamps’ in hospital, so I wasn’t allowed to take him home or even go near him. I really felt like the odd one out on the maternity ward, as all the other mums had their babies beside them in a crib, on hand to cuddle whenever they got the urge. Not great at all and for a first time mum it was really upsetting… but, boy was I on a high when I finally got to take him home! If you feel yourself feeling low, try to take a bit of time out for yourself, focus on the positive things in your life right now.. your fabulous new baby, the fact that you are going to be a magnificent mum, the great family and friends you have in your life (or whatever puts you in a ‘happy place’) and it won’t be long ‘til you begin to start feeling more positive. However, if the feelings of depression are prolonged and go on for more than a couple of weeks, then please do seek medical advice as you could be suffering from postnatal depression.

Don’t feel embarrassed about calling for medical advice on any issue that may be causing you concern, either for you or your baby. It’s better to be safe than sorry. After I had my third child, I suffered dreadfully with mastitis when my milk came in and could barely sleep because of the pain. My doctor quickly prescribed me something and I wondered why I hadn’t called on her before… crazy eh? I guess I thought I could just put up with the pain and it would die down by itself. If this happens to you, DON’T do what I did, get the doc round ASAP, because it really isn’t worth putting yourself through that sort of pain; get it sorted out quickly and you will rapidly begin to feel 100% better. Then you can devote yourself to getting to know your amazing little one.

This time is so precious and will pass so quickly. Don’t let others take advantage because they see you doing ‘routine’ things and automatically assume you are back to normal. Tell them you are on maternity leave, spending these early days doing ‘new mum’ things.

Look after your HEALTH .Whatever you do, don’t put too many demands on your body, I remember overdoing it with George (# 3) and really paid the price. He was a very big baby for me 9lb 2oz (I’m only 5ft 4in) and was by far the largest baby in my flock. Basically, I assumed I was ‘back to normal’ far too quickly and went into ‘Supermum mode,’ BIG MISTAKE. I spent around two weeks recovering from a sudden bought of exhaustion combined with a viral infection, all because I had done too much too soon.

Finally, try not to become too overwhelmed by the enormity of it all. Just go at your own pace, enjoy the fuss that everyone makes of you and take time to wonder in the miracle of the new little life which is now in your hands.

I hope you have found this helpful and please do stay tuned for more episodes, as I will be covering newborn sleep in greater detail in my next ‘Sweet Dreamers Mini Guide’.

Sweet dreams

Lynda

The nifty fifty...

The BFIIN awards, organised by Bola Olabisi, were absolutely fantastic. Fifty great women inventors all under one roof... what more could you want?!!

The range of inventions on show were amazing. I was alongside Sharon Wright who has invented MagnaMole, an ingenious device for enabling cables to be threaded easily through cavity walls and Emilienne Rebel, who had designed a stunning range of hats, Bold Beanies, for people with hair loss. Close by was Cally Robson, who has launched an innovative website, She's Ingenious!, aimed at coaching and supporting women with new product ideas and inventions. Their websites are definitely worth checking out as they are truly inspirational ladies.

The evening awards gala was a fabulous spectacle and I was honoured with a Special Recognition Award for easidream, which is superb.

The overall winner was Denise Anstey with Slik Stick, a revolutionary new concept based around the idea of a walking stick. Denise can be seen in the photo receiving her award from Bola....well done Denise!

I came away from Cardiff totally inspired, re-energised and buzzing with positive energy. I can't wait to get back to work on easidream and I have a whole host of new people I can now call on for help and advice.

Thank you Bola.