Summer is here!
Posted by Haute Mama SaraApr 18
That first glimpse of sunshine and its bare legs all round. Are you a pregnant mama getting ready for summer? Check out our new summer season stock here for inspiration. Happy Shopping!
Haute Mama Boutique Turns 1 Year Old
Posted by Haute Mama SaraOct 1
As the coming week emerges, we celebrate our first year in the boutique and we would like you to be a part of our celebrations by snapping up some of the hottest maternity styles from our worldwide designers with a whopping 50% off!!
We would like to welcome you to our boutique in Naas next week for a wander around our 2012/2013 maternity & baby must-haves. For those of us you with a sweet tooth like the Haute Mama ladies, we will have some not-so-must-have goodies for you to enjoy also!
If your unable to make it to the boutique, dont worry; We are going to offer 50% off our entire range of maternity clothes and baby gifts online also.
From Monday, you can use the coupon code : HMBBD12 at the checkout to avail of the 50% reduction.
We hope to see you next week and Thank you for all your support over the past year.
Haute Mama x
Sneak Peak!
Posted by Haute Mama SaraSep 21
Little Peak at next weeks arrivals… Oh it’s Friday.. Why not x
September Staff Favourite
Posted by Haute Mama SaraSep 15
Haute Mama Staff Fave for September!
FACEBOOK COMPETITION TIME!
Posted by Haute Mama SaraAug 1
COMPETITION TIME!
Win this beautiful classic Copenhagen Boxypack Changing Bag over on our Facebook page!
Haute Mama Mummy Rant – Working 9-5
Posted by Haute Mama SaraJul 10
I recently returned to work from maternity leave. I had been off work for about 7 months and honestly, I couldn’t wait to get back into things. I have the luxury of being able to work part time 3 days per week with the added luxury of having my mother as childminder. So, you might say things couldn’t be more perfect.
Can Mum's "Have it all?"
That is until I encountered what every new mother must encounter post pregnancy – the renowned judgemental mommy! In the lead up to my (much anticipated) return to work, I had been asked many, many times if I was dreading going back to work and I, stupidly and honestly, answered that I couldn’t be more excited, that I love my job, I love the focus it gives me, how it’s so demanding and different from being a mother. I soon realised that this is not the answer most people want to hear.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my son and I love being a mother but having that define me for the past 7 months has been difficult. This is absolutely no reflection on full time mothers – I have infinite respect for any woman who devotes all their time and energy to their children. This takes the patience and compassion of a saint in my opinion. So with this in mind, doesn’t a working mum deserve the same respect or perhaps, dare I say, even MORE respect to be able to earn a living, maintain a successful career, juggle the demands of being a mum as well as unconditionally loving and nurturing her child? Hey, I’m only doing this part time and I’m finding it difficult.
A recently published book by Angela Neustatter “A Home for the Heart, Home as the Key to Happiness” extolls the horrors of a working mum against the
Angela Neustatter, Author
virtues of stay-at home mum. How a working mother is, in effect, damaging her child. But in the days of a recession and on-going financial difficulties for most families, isn’t it now nearly a necessity for women to work?
You have to weigh it up – are you going to damage your children more by being a working mum or should you just stay at home and let them go without new shoes, or books for school or even the most basic human rights like food and heat?
This argument doesn’t even have to be about money. I know from my own experience that I am a much more contented, balanced person when I can have a break from my son. I can then return to him with more love and appreciation for the bundle of joy that he is. When my husband returned to work after I gave birth he would say jokingly that he would go to work for a break (as any new father with a newborn can appreciate) but now I completely understand where he was coming from.
So the question I need to ask is can you love your child but also love your career. And is the sacrifice that you have to pretend you don’t?
Top 25 New Baby Worries
Posted by Haute Mama SaraJun 21
Don't Worry Be Happy
It would be nice if pregnancy was one long, idyllic, blissful time of preparation to grow babies and bask in the beauty of the experience. And part of it is for most, but it’s also wrought with stress. Some of us worry more than others, but I’m confident there’s not a pregnant woman who has ever waddled this earth that has remained worry-free for her entire pregnancy.
It’s likely biological as the body prepares for all the worries the years of motherhood bring when children start walking and talking, and falling and breaking bones, and ….
Of course, much of it is out of our control, and we know worry won’t solve anything, but it doesn’t make it any easier to stop. The most comforting thing, however, is to know that you’re not alone in your worry. So in light of that, here are 25 of the things most pregnant women worry about regarding the arrival of their new baby:
1. Your water will break in the middle of Dunnes Stores.
2. You won’t make it to the hospital in time.
3. Natural birth will be WAY more painful than you anticipated.
4. The epidural won’t work.
5. Early labour.
Here's hoping you dont make a splash in Dunnes Stores
6. You will be in labour for weeks … months … (the longest recorded labour was 375 days…eek!)
7. Your birth won’t go as planned (e.g. you want a natural birth, but end up having to have a c-section).
8. You will give birth to an extra baby nobody noticed during all the ultrasounds.
9. You will give birth to the opposite gender child than you were told you were having and for whom you prepared.
10. The hospital will mix your baby up with someone else’s child.
Aint I pretty?
11. Your baby won’t be pretty.
12. Your baby will be HUGE.
13. The doctor/midwife will be disgusted by your hairy legs/chipped toenail varnish.
14. You will poo on the delivery room table.
15. The baby will have a serious birth defect.
16. Dying during childbirth.
17. Stillbirth.
18. The car journey home from the hospital.
19. Colic.
Will my baby like me?
20. He or she won’t like you.
21. You won’t be able to breastfeed.
22. Dropping him or her.
23. That his or her sibling(s) will feel left out and unloved.
24. They were wrong, you’re not pregnant; you just got fat.
25. That all your stressing has negatively affected your baby.
What do you/did you worry about most while pregnant?
Were you a screamer?
Posted by Haute Mama SaraJun 21
Scream if you wanna!
I recently heard tell from a friend who was due her baby that she was terrified of labour. When I enquired as to why – stupid question you might ask! – She proceeded to tell me that it was from watching the UK programme “One Born Every Minute”. Now, telling this to a woman who refused to listen to birthing stories – horror stories of episiotomies gone wrong or 38 hour labours – I would have the attitude of “You brought it on yourself, love”.
Out of interest and educational purposes of course, I sat down and watched an episode and was both astounded and amazed. I was also terrified beyond belief and I’ve actually gone through labour!
What amazed me though was the animalistic nature of it all. Women panting and screaming like something out of a Hollywood movie. I can’t say I was hugely reserved when having my contractions but my vocal register was not so high that most of south county Dublin could hear me.
In any case, I needn’t have worried. Apparently noises made during contractions or Vocalization, are a positive thing and can help you release pain and manage your painful contractions during active labour. By emitting low moans with your mouth open and jaw dropped to your chest, this can help to release tension and stress. The idea is that if your mouth and jaw are slack the rest of your body should start to relax. Specifically your bottom and pelvic area so this will, in turn, help baby to arrive a bit quicker!
Repetitive moaning, low keening or even chanting and singing are found to facilitate an easier birth. By repeating a sound it can focus and calm mum and help to control and manage each contraction. High pitched screams or shouts can heighten a stressful situation and not really help anyone. You might find your partner and most of the mid-wives leaving the room to get away from you.
Keep calm and don't panic
If you attend pregnancy yoga classes some instructors will encourage you to vocalize during active labour. An “Ommm” sound or even a humming sound can help you control your breathing, to focus on the wave and peak of the contraction and just generally help you to relax.
But if you are looking to have your labour be a relaxed and calm affair maybe give the episodes of “One born every minute” a miss till your 2nd pregnancy. At least then you will REALLY know what to expect.
For more information – click for link
Video of Vocalization – Youtube
http://www.yogadublin.com/classes/prenatal/
Baby Gender Predictions….
Posted by Haute Mama SaraSep 6
Baby Gender Predictions…
Over the weekend, a friend of mine went public with the news that she’s pregnant. She and her husband are convinced that they are having a girl, based on the fact that she was so sick throughout her first trimester. Once upon a time, I might have bought that logic, but I have three other friends who are having babies this year, all of whom were sure their morning sickness indicated extra estrogen, but all of whom are having boys. And I know several women who were sure their easy pregnancies meant they had a son in the oven, and ended up with a little lady. True, most who had it easy ended up with boys, but not across the board.
So, I decided to explore some of the other gender-prediction theories, aside from morning sickness, to see if there was some truth to any of it.
I had a horrendous first trimester, which made perfect sense at the 13 week scan when I was told that there were two in there. I was convinced I was having a girl from the moment the pregnancy test turned pink and when I found out it was identical twins, I was confident that it was twin girls. The toilet-clutching onslaught at 6 weeks continued right through until week 18 and was reminiscent of my first pregnancy – a girl. Of course, everyone kept saying, “You’re having girls, you’re definitely having girls, I’m sure it’s girls, don’t you think it’s girls?” And for some reason, it really annoyed me! Why couldn’t boys go easy on their mamas in utero?
My gender-prediction quiz was a big surprise — the results were pretty much 60/40, with more clues pointing to girl babies. I was craving salty and sour — boy! But the needle hanging over my tummy went around and around — girl! I had clear skin and soft hair — boy! But their heartbeats were consistently well over 140 beats per minute (more like in the 160s or 170s) — girl! And, the Chinese Gender Prediction calendar said girl, so …
Well, they’re boys, and when I found out, I was thrilled! And all of those tests — though, admittedly, fun to do — didn’t really tell me anything.
At the end of the day, I think that every woman is different, and every pregnancy is different. And when you finally do find out what you’re having, none of it makes a bit of difference anyway. While it’s fun to speculate and guess and play games to see if you can predict boy or girl, it’s not a science by any stretch. So don’t start painting the nursery based on morning sickness, a sudden craving for pickles, or a swaying needle.
So haute mamas, do you think there’s any truth to the old wives’ tales?
I’m Too Selfish to Give Up Everything for my Baby…..
Posted by Haute Mama SaraAug 30
As Dr. Callie Torres struggled to give up coffee during her pregnancy on a recent episode of Grey’s Anatomy, it rang so true for me and I’m guessing for many of you.
I was scared into forgoing my savoured morning latte during my first pregnancy. That first trimester, anything I read linking caffeine to miscarriages, preterm labor, or low birth weight had me swearing off that morning espresso. (Anything I read during the first trimester had me scared, full stop.) While my husband would brew his own little pot of some delicious dark roast he picked up from our local coffee shop, I was stuck with the no-flavour, no-aroma decaffeinated option from Tesco. It was the weakest substitute for coffee. I couldn’t stand it.
So I gave up trying to give up caffeine. Does that make me selfish?
I stuck to one shot of espresso a day with lashings of frothed whole milk. Yum. I was able to start my lovely morning routine in my second trimester (because I spent so much of the first throwing up) and I never looked back. At the time, I felt like my body was going through so many changes that there should be one part of my routine I’m allowed to keep. And coffee is amazing. It makes me a happy, alert, high-functioning member of society. Me not on coffee? Not a pretty thing.
I think that the bottom line is everything in moderation. How about you?