I am very pleased to have Sharon Spink from Booby and The Beads guest blogging about her journey to breastfeeding success (which wasn’t at all as easy as thought it would be!) and how a business was born as a result of her experiences.

Nicki x

Road to breast-feeding success, lined with sharp stones(or in my case acrylic beads)!

I have got 4 children now and have breastfed all of them with varying degrees of success. Kevin, my first, was born when I was only 19 and despite wanting to breastfeed I was also very self-conscious about it and sadly gave up after only 2 weeks. I think it was my fear of feeding in front of other people especially my ex-father in law that caused me very quickly to switch to formula feeding Kevin. He’s 23 now and it has obviously not done him any harm. When Kevin was 2 ½ & I was 22 I had Sarah. Breastfeeding went a little better this time and I managed about 4 or 5 weeks but this time I think it was my fault for stopping. Bottles seemed like an easier option especially when I had a toddler to look after as well, how wrong I could have been.

Move on 16 years and I found myself re-married and expecting baby number 3. Isabel was born in 2009 and I was now a much older and worldly mum of 41. I had also found a great bunch of ladies on an Internet forum that were a veritable mine of information and advice – thank you all of you. Breastfeeding was one of the things I wanted to get right along with how she was born. I’d had 2 previous c-sections and was determined to have a natural birth this time. Well unfortunately that didn’t happened and there I was having c-section number 3. I’d learned about how important skin-to-skin contact was and getting that all-important 1^st feed in so kept asking the staff as soon as she was born when I could have skin-to-skin with her. I was so frustrated when I was told it wouldn’t be until we were in recovery. I thought it would be too late and my ability to breastfeed would be ruined. How wrong I could have been. Isabel was great and knew just what to do but it was short lived and by day 3 & 4 she kept me up all night screaming the ward down and me flooding it with tears. We had a lovely midwife that sat for ages with me and got her sorted. We didn’t look back and carried on, not without the odd problem though, for another 4 months. Sadly she started loosing weight – gain 1 week but back again the week later and so the only advice I got was to top her up with formula. I cried buying the carton of milk and cried even more as I gave her it. Mixed feeding was not something I wanted to do but it worked for another 2 months until one day Isabel turned away and refused to breastfeed.

So it was time for baby number 4 and I was more determined than ever to breastfeed. Yet another c-section loomed and despite hearing stories of mums struggling to breastfeed after a c-section I knew as long as we had skin-to-skin contact as soon as possible and she got in that first vital feed we should be ok and yes we were. Had a blip on day 2 so luckily I’d had the foresight to take my Kari-Me wrap in with me so I despite it being the middle of the night I popped her in and off we went for a walk down the ward to get a drink and some toast. Luckily we’ve never looked back.

An idea emerges!

Don’t get me wrong – it’s not been plain sailing. I’ve shed many a tear but I knew that we could get through it. I had tremendous support from my lovely hubby and my online friends too. Without them I wouldn’t know half as much as I do or have had as much conviction to do a lot of the things I do. That’s where the idea for my business, Booby & The Beads ,came from too. At B&TB I make and sell a range of aids, designed to be both attractive and useful when it comes to breastfeeding, be it helping you remember which breast you fed from last to necklaces which keep babies interested on the job in hand, well boob but you see what I mean and can help avoid the inevitable scratching or pulling at hair, clothes, glasses etc. I’d never heard of nursing necklaces until they were mentioned in a thread in the Baby Talk Room of Hitched I did my research, bought a sample one. When it arrived I looked at it and decided I could make them and actually do it much better than the one I’d bought!

From the first necklace, the range has erupted….! Reminder bracelets were a natural progression, then came the children’s version, just because I’d had several little girls asking for one just like their mummy’s. I adapted one of the children’s bracelets to add in a mobile number so it became a safety feature if the child ever got lost. Recently, I’ve realised they would work for dementia sufferers too and only the other week I took an order from a gentleman that wanted to wear one while he was out on his bicycle because he never took any id out with him. The dummy/toy clips started with one I made for Charlotte to save me constantly having to pick up her toys (she doesn’t have a dummy) from either her pushchair or highchair. Key rings are a recent addition and my latest project is Baltic Amber Teething Necklaces, that help calm and relieve teething pain. Clearly there is a lot of truth in the saying “No rest for the wicked!”

For me, achieving breastfeeding success was not easy and looking back I am gra
teful for not only the support, but the wealth of helpful hints and tips I was given. Many of these have resulted product ideas.

To find out more about Sharon, view the range, see where she is exhibiting next or to buy then visit her here or drop her an email!

One of the best things for me since stumbling into the world of social media and blogging is the people I have “met”. I was very lucky to get talking to Wendy, a fab Mum of 4 whose own blog is about her family, and in particular about her two children with Autism/Special Needs and how the family copes with the daily challenges and celebrates the successes. Wendy hopes that her blog will help others in her position and raise awareness, and I’m sure it will.

In my “previous life” I worked for the National Autistic Society so have an insight into some of the difficulties Wendy faces, but now as a Mum, I have a fresh respect and admiration for her and the family as I know that being a Mum can be challenging at the best of times, but with something else thrown into the mix, it can be much more than that!

Whilst many of us were stressed, worried and anxious standing at the school gates recently, Wendy had additional worries and asked me to share this piece she has written. This is just one of Wendy’s fab pieces, and in itself it actually the second part of a blog, so please leave Wendy a comment after reading, and do have a look at the rest of her blog. It makes inspiring and humbling reading.

Nicki x

I Can’t Do This!

Pinkie’s first day at school was so full of a mixture of emotions for both us. My main concern was Pinkie going to fit in with the other children or would she been seen as different and become an outsider. I was hoping that the other children would just accept to for who she is.

We walked into the school full of anticipation, I was more nervous than Pinkie, I felt like it was my first day, you know how you feel that everyone is staring at you. You sit there waiting for your name to be called out as everyone is weighing everyone else up, you get the picture. Eventually Pinkie’s class was called and it seemed to be a free for all scramble to the classroom and that was just the parents, what did they hope to achieve??????? . Pinkie got to the class and looked so scared and bewildered. The teacher just took her by the hand to go and they went off to play in the sandpit while I quietly slipped away.

So the first day was a complete success, the second day well that’s another story.

I should have guessed everything would go to pot when the taxi was late picking up Perkie for school. Oh what a performance we looked like a scene from comedy of errors. I was trying to run with the pram, with Pinkie in tow, in the pouring rain. We got to school and guess what we was late. Not a good start !!!!!

“Oh I can’t do this”, was all I could hear in my head. As we stood in the playground waiting for our darlings to come out. I felt everyone was talking about me as I heard pinkie’s name mentioned a few times. It was all to do with Pinkie getting a bit more attention from the teachers than the other children. I really wanted to say something but you know it’s not worth it. I will have to see these people daily so didn’t really fancy upsetting them
So it looks like for the next 3 years we are going to be isolated yet again in the school playground. When will people see that children that are slightly different from the “normal” children have so much to offer. Oh well here we go again, somehow I will have to learn how to cope with it again

Showing all posts in Guest Posts

4 Babies & 1 Business – Sharon Spink from Booby & The Beads!

I am very pleased to have Sharon Spink from Booby and The Beads guest blogging about her journey to breastfeeding success (which wasn’t at all as easy as thought it would be!) and how a business was born as a result of her experiences.

Guest Post –from SavvyMum4, Life with autistic/special needs children