Wednesday 28 November 2012

Green People “Hello Baby” Competition Giveaway


THIS COMPETITION GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.

If you’ve been reading my blog so far, you will already know that I am a big fan of Green People. They were the first company I came across when looking for baby creams, shampoos, baby washes that were free from parabens, SLS, phlathates, lanolin, petrochemicals, colourants etc for Sophia. I was living in France at the time, and struggled to find these sorts of products out there. We still use their products almost 7 years on and I’ve come to trust them as a company. If you wish to read my first blog post on Green People, then click here.

As we’ve been planning a few giveaways in the lead up to Christmas, I was keen to include the lovely Green People so asked if they would like to be involved and luckily for you guys, they happily agreed and have sent us a “Hello Baby” gift set as a giveaway prize worth £15.95. This gift set was recently launched in October 2012 and you can buy it in Baby Blue for boys, Blush Pink for girls or Unisex if the sex is unknown. 

We are giving away a Unisex gift set in this competition.

This set itself contains:

100ml Lavender Baby Wash & Shampoo
30ml Dry Skin Baby Lotion – unscented
30ml Lavender Baby Salve

Click on the above links to find out more about each individual product.

We have used all 3 of these products with both Sophia and Jess and still do.
  • The Baby Salve - Lavender is fabulous stuff. It’s great for the nappy area but I’ve used it all over their body after a bath to really hydrate the skin. It melts in your hands as you apply it and smell lush ! We’ve used it when the girls have had very dry, sore skin around the mouth area in winter time too and it sorts it out within 24 hours. Really good stuff. It’s water resistant so is great at keeping dampness away from baby’s skin in the nappy area and you can also use it as a nipple cream. It contains organic shea butter, hemp, beeswax, calendula and lavender.
  • The Lavender Baby Wash and Shampoo smells yummy and we use it as a bubble bath too on nights when playing with bubbles is high on the agenda. A lot of the time we simply use water in the bath. The great thing with this wash is that as it has no chemical nasties in it, if the girls decide to eat the bubbles, which kids just seem to insist on doing - I seem to remember doing the same at their age, however it was with Mr Matey in those days ! How scary is that? – you know that they are not ingesting parabens, SLS, phlathlates etc. A big plus :0) This baby wash contains organic aloe vera, chamomile, yucca, mandarin and lavender.
  • And finally the Dry Skin Baby Lotion. This is not a heavy cream. It’s a light easily absorbable lotion that doesn’t leave a greasy film on the skin. The skin actually drinks the lotion up and is left feeling smooth and soft. We used to buy the one with Lavender in but I notice that this is no longer available. That smelt good too. This lotion has organic aloe vera, shea butter, cocoa butter and calendula amongst it’s ingredients.
All these products are great for sensitive skin and those prone to eczema, psoriasis and skin that is irritated easily. But even if your baby doesn’t suffer with sensitive skin or any skin allergies it’s just great knowing that what you are putting on them is free from all those horrible chemicals that the skin so easily absorbs.

For more information on the lovely products that Green People produce visit their website: www.greenpeople.co.uk or go to their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/GreenPeopleOrganic. Alternatively, you can follow them on Twitter @GreenPeopleUK.

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To be in with a chance of winning this lovely “Hello Baby” gift set, simply click on the Rafflecopter link below and follow the instructions. 

You will need to answer one question AND then leave a blog comment below as to why you would like this gift set. Liking our Facebook page and tweeting about the competition are up to you and an added extra. 

This competition is open to residents Worldwide. The winner will be announced on the blog and our Facebook page within 48 hours of the competition end date/time. Good luck.



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This competition is now closed. 

The winner is Attachment Mummy. Congratulations. I hope you enjoy your Green People "Hello Baby" Goodies.


a Rafflecopter giveaway



I would like to thank Green People for kindly giving us a “Hello Baby” gift set for this competition giveaway.


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Wednesday 21 November 2012

BecoThings Beco Baby/Toddler Feeding Set - Giveaway and Review

THIS COMPETITION GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.

Having started Sophia’s Choice just over a month ago I really wasn’t anticipating being able to offer you competition giveaways in the run up to Christmas, let alone five of them. How wonderful to have made connections with some great companies who are doing their bit for organic, natural and eco-friendly baby products and who are happy to share the love and donate some lovely bits to our giveaway pot.


Our first offering is from the lovely people at BecoThings. I briefly mentioned these guys in my potty training post. They produce a fabulous eco-friendly, bio-degradable potty which you can plant in the garden when you have finished using it along with some seeds and watch them grow. Such a wonderful idea.

BecoThings also produce hangers made from recycled cardboard which bio-degrade, pet products (bowls, toys, cat litter etc), and baby/toddler products (potties, feeding sets and steps). All their products are made from eco-friendly, bio-degradable materials. Apart from the hangers, all other products are made from natural plant fibres. Approximately 80% of the material is made up of fibres from bamboo and rice husks. Rice husks are a by-product of rice production and as bamboo grows incredibly fast it can be sustainably grown and used. The BecoThings range of products are a replacement to plastic and are BPA Phthalate free.



We were given the opportunity to try out one of their feeding sets, which we are also giving away in our competition this week. For our sins we used plastic bowls and plates for Sophia when she was initially weaned and as we had them stored away they came out again for our youngest. However, I wanted to find a natural alternative which would be affordable, practical and look great. I think I may just have found one option for you.

The BecoThings feeding set is available in 3 colours; green, blue or pink. It contains a high sided plate, an easy grip slim design cup for little hands. This has a high curved rim which helps to reduce spills, and a shallower bowl than normal all in a fun, practical design.

So, were they up to the challenge of my 22 month old toddler? Let’s find out.

BecoThings Plate, Bowl and Cup

First impressions were that the set is really robust and well made. I’m not sure why but I expected the set to feel like firm rubber. It doesn’t. It is hard and if you knock it with your clenched fist you get a very satisfying rat ta tat tat sound from it ! Jess loved it straight away and was very excited by her new plate, cup and bowl. As soon as it appeared at tea time the cup was scooped up and I was very impressed with the ease with which she handled it. Very confident handling indeed . Because the design is slim and not round, Jess was able to get both her hands around it easily. My husband was a bit dubious that because of its design it may be prone to getting knocked over easily, but so far this hasn’t been an issue.


The plate is a great size; one that your 6 month old baby can grow with into their younger child years. It has high sides allowing them to scoop the food off the plate onto a spoon easily and independently. The bowl is a little shallower than I was expecting but it works. It is deep enough for cereal, soup, casserole etc, but shallow enough to let your little one see the contents they are eating. Many bowls are too deep, meaning your child has too lean over it to see what’s lurking inside!

Our set has been washed up and been in the dishwasher several times. I forgot to let hubby know that it was only dishwasher safe on the top shelf, so the plate and bowl ended up going through a cycle on the bottom shelf and I’m pleased to say they survived ! Phew.


One idea that my husband and I had was that this feeding set would make a great alternative to melamine for the kids in our caravan. We currently have melamine plates, bowls, cups etc for us all but this feeding set would work really well for the girls instead. Maybe BecoThings could look into making an adult range for camping and caravaning too. Everything has to be light weight in the caravan so the plant fibre material used in BecoThings products would lend itself well to this. Worth a thought don’t you think? Maybe a new product line for you ;0)


As previously mentioned the BecoThings products (except the hangers) are BPA Phthalate free but what does that mean? Phthalates are the chemicals used in plastic and help to make the plastic pliable for example with rubber toys like rubber ducks. BPA means Bisephenol.  It is a chemical used in plastics and is often made into baby bottles, sippy cups and water bottles. It is not a problem until heated. The chemical can then leak into the liquid and therefore be ingested by your little one. Thankfully, more manufacturers are now making products that are BPA Phthalate free.

So there you are. A great alternative to the usual plastic offerings we normally find lining the shelves of supermarkets and shops. I really rate this feeding set and will be investing in another one. They are reasonably priced at £11.99 per set. I think that’s a great price given that its eco-friendly too.



We have a lovely blue feeding set to give away in our competition this week. Click on the Rafflecopter link below to enter and follow the instructions to be in with a chance of winning. This competition is open to UK and European residents only. The winner will be announced next Wednesday 28th November. Good luck !

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You can find out more about the products BecoThings make by visiting their website: www.becothings.com or on their Facebook page or via Twitter: @BecoThings.


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This competition is now closed. 

The winner is Helen Barrance. Congratulations. I hope you enjoy your Beco Feeding set.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: Having approached BecoThings about their products and whether they would like to be involved in our competition giveaway, I was given a Pink Beco Feeding Set free of charge (in addition to the one given for the competition giveaway) so I was able to review the product properly. The views given are my own personal views and no one elses.



UPDATE: BECOTHINGS ARE NO LONGER MAKING BABY PRODUCTS HOWEVER THEY ARE STILL MAKING PET PRODUCTS.



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Monday 19 November 2012

It’s Competition Giveaway time at Sophia’s Choice !


As the nights draw in and the weather turns colder and wetter, that instinct to hibernate really sets in. It’s hard to believe that once again we are heading towards the end of another year and in just over 5 weeks time it will be Christmas again!

Have you started your Christmas shopping yet? I know I haven’t, and as I’m having to factor in a house move in 9 days time I’m not sure my two lovelies are going to get much in the way of presents at this rate J I think I’m going to have to dust off my Wonder Woman outfit and get myself super organised again.

To help you get in the mood for the forthcoming festivities Sophia’s Choice is running 5 weekly competition giveaways. We have teamed up with BecoThings Baby Products, Green People, John Crane Toys, Shea Mooti and BabyCalm to bring you a lovely selection of Baby, Toddler and Mummy giveaways. You lucky peeps !

The first competition giveaway will run from this Wednesday 21st November for a BecoThings Beco Feeding Set in blue worth £11.99, which includes a plate, bowl and cup all made from natural plant fibres so it’s eco-friendly. If you have a baby about to begin their weaning journey or have a toddler in need of a new feeding set, then this is a great giveaway to enter.

Week 2 runs from Wednesday 28th November and will involve the lovely Green People who have given us one of their “Hello Baby” gift sets which includes: 30ml Soothing Baby Salve – Lavender, 30ml Dry Skin Baby Lotion – unscented and 100ml Baby Wash & Shampoo – Lavender, worth £15.95.



Week 3 will run from Wednesday 5th December and is for a High Tea Matching Set from John Crane Toys. This gorgeous, colourful wooden tea set includes 15 delectable cakes for your little ones to match up on the cake stand and create wonderful tea parties with all their toys. It retails at around £25.00.



Week 4 is Shea Mooti Week where we are giving away a Mama & Baby prize of Baby’s Pure Shea Butter Soap (unscented), a Shea Mooti extra soft natural sea sponge and Mama’s Soothing Leg & Foot Cream worth around £25.00.



And last but by no means least, week 5 sees us giving away Sarah Ockwell-Smith’s first book, BabyCalm – A Guide for Calmer Babies and Happier Parents worth £13.99. The book has had great reviews so if you’re about to become a parent or have just had a baby you will, I’m sure, find this addition to your book collection a valuable one.



I will be reviewing each of the competition giveaways so you know what you are getting and to make sure you are taking note there will be at least one question on each of the products themselves. Each competition will run for 7 days and is open to UK and European residents only. Apologies to our readers further afield.

So there you have it, some lovely competition giveaways to get involved in. Do pop back on Wednesday to enter our first competition and spread the word to anyone you think may be interested in the giveaways we have on offer.

See you soon :0)


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Wednesday 14 November 2012

Tidlo FSC Natural Toy Box from John Crane - Review

I have always had a love of wooden toys.

Plastic is all well and good but there is nothing like the feel, look and lifespan of a wooden toy. We have several in our house; amongst them are a wooden easel for the girls to paint & draw with, a mini cooker for them to cook up delicious delights, building blocks to develop into whatever takes their fancy and more recently, a wooden teether ring for Jess to use to relieve those sore gums.

I have looked lovingly at quite a few of the wooden toys that John Crane have in their collection and recently made contact with them about the possibility of reviewing one of their products. They agreed and sent me one of their Natural Toy Boxes from the Tidlo collection. However, this is no ordinary toy box, oh no, it’s a little more special than that. It is one of the items from their Eco furniture range which is made from European Beech grown in FSC certified forests. FSC is Eco-friendly wood and is guaranteed to come from sustainable sources which are environmentally friendly, socially beneficial and economically viable.

When the toy box arrived it was in a slimmer box than I had anticipated. I am not your average DIYer – that’s Hubby’s job (particularly as he’s a carpenter and builder by trade) – so the fact that it was in a slim box meant some assembly would be involved ! Now, the easy option would have been to pass the buck and ask Hubby to put it together, however, I decided that if I was going to do this review justice I had to put it together myself :0)


Once we had Jess safely tucked up in bed (having a toddler as a helper is not my idea of fun when DIY is involved!), I set about opening the box and laying out the contents ready for assembly. My eldest, Sophia, was determined that she wasn’t going to bed until Mummy had made the toy box and she was to be my helper where needed. Mmm, this could go one of two ways I feel ;0) Better get to it or we could be here all night with a very tired daughter on our hands if this took me longer than anticipated.


Everything was supplied; instructions (vitally important), screws, allen key, screw head covers, extra anti-scuff protectors; so we were all set. One pointer though, you will need a decent Philips screwdriver as well, which is not supplied, to fix the hinge damper (Hubby’s terminology!) on the soft close lid.


As you can see from the pictures I managed well considering DIY is not my thing! It was pretty simple to assemble and if I can do it, believe me, anyone can ! The only bit I had to have a helping hand with was when putting the soft close hinge damper in place. A bit fiddly and needed an extra hand or two to help fix it in place. Sophia helped to keep things steady whilst I tightened everything up and was great at putting the screw head covers in place.


The box itself is sturdy, well made and has a beautiful sheen to the wood. The soft close lid is fab. We have another wooden wicker box (no where near as lovely as this one) which we currently use for the girl’s dress up bits. I’ve lost count of the amount of times I hear a yell as little fingers get trapped as the lid crashes down. But with this toy box there is no fear of that happening. The soft close mechanism is a great addition and doesn’t impinge on the ability of the box to open up to full capacity either. With small people around sharp, pointy corners are a nightmare. Not a problem here; the corners are all rounded off and Jess has had no problems knocking herself on them – fabulous :0)






Another advantage of this toy box is it’s appearance. If you are looking for a toy box which resembles a toy; like a red fire engine, then this may not be for you. But, if you are looking for a natural wood toy box, which you can lob the kids toys into at the end of the day and can sit happily amongst your other furniture and not look out of place, then this is a great addition. The fact that it is also made from FSC wood is also a major plus. You can’t go wrong really. And if you wanted to jazz it up and had the skills, you could paint your own design on it using Eco-friendly, solvent free paints.


The box itself is 35cm high, 67cm long and 35cm wide. It is a good size and fits a decent amount of toys. For us it will make a great toy box to house the ever growing “dress up” costumes that the girls now have without trapping those little fingers inside.

If you are looking for a natural wood toy box which is going to last and house all those toys you plan on buying your little one this Christmas, then I think you would be well placed in taking a look at this one.

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If you wish to find out more about the Tidlo range of Eco Furniture and wooden toys by John Crane then take a look at their website: www.john-crane.co.uk. You will also find them on Facebook: www.facebook.com/JohnCraneFanpage.



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Disclaimer: As mentioned before, I have always had a love of wooden toys and approached John Crane about reviewing their toys. They agreed and sent me this Tidlo FSC Natural Wooden Toy Box free of charge to review for the blog. The opinions and views expressed in this post are my own and no one else's.


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Monday 12 November 2012

Breathing Your Baby Out – The Benefits of HypnoBirthing

As you are probably aware from my previous post, I am a definite advocate of hypnotherapy in childbirth and ways in which we can birth our babies without fear. As I write this post I am aware of things popping up around me which are helping to promote this same ethos. If you haven’t stumbled upon it yet, please take a look at the ‘Positive Birth Movement’ which has been gathering momentum in recent weeks.

As taken from their website: “We are a grass roots movement,  spreading positivity about childbirth via a global network of free Positive Birth groups, linked up by social media. We aim to challenge the current epidemic of negativity around childbirth by bringing women together to:

Meet Up, Link Up, and Shake Up Birth.

Meet Up - Free, and local to you, find information about regular Positive Birth groups, gatherings and meetings.

Link Up - Join our larger groups in cyberspace to build a global network of shared expertise, power and positivity.

Shake Up - Challenge the culture of fear that surrounds birth, and empower women to approach birth differently.”

I think this is a fabulous idea. We need to dispel the myths that childbirth has to be medicalised, painful, a fearful experience, rather than the positive, empowering experience it can be, no matter what your set of personal circumstances. We can have a positive birth whether it is natural, with pain relief, caesarean; the point here is about creating a “positive birth experience” not one of regret, guilt, humiliation, anger or frustration which can sadly be the case for a large percentage of women. Anything that helps to re-educate women about to embark on this incredible journey is in my mind, a good one.

Today I also came across a video clip from the film “BirthStory: Ina May Gaskin and the Farm Midwives”, which documents the incredible work of Ina May Gaskin and the Farm Midwives. She wrote the book Birth Matters (amongst others) and set up the Farm Midwifery Center in Summertown, Tennessee which has birthed approx. 3,000 babies with remarkably good outcomes. Her centre is noted for its low rates of intervention, morbidity and mortality despite the inclusion of many vaginally delivered breeches, twin and multiple births.  Again her ethos is about empowering women whilst giving birth, making their experience joyous, relaxed, exciting, allowing the woman to birth her baby easily, completely relaxed and without fear and surrounded with love. How wonderful does that sound?

When I had Sophia I used the Natal Hypnotherapy CDs which I found a real help throughout my pregnancy and birth. When I fell pregnant with Jess, I again looked into this option and also came across HypnoBirthing - The Mongan Method.

Our HypnoBirthing Course InformationPack

I decided to research it further especially as one of the aspects is to empower the birth companion as much as the mum-to-be in this amazing experience. Many men feel pushed out of the birthing process, not sure where they fit or what they can do to help. With HypnoBirthing the birthing partner (whether your partner, mum, friend, doula) is an integral part in the whole process. You are able to focus on birthing your baby whilst your birth partner is empowered to take care of everything else from dealing with the midwives/medical staff, making sure you have food & drinks, making sure you are comfortable. They are also there to keep you in the right space; relaxed, positive, calm, confident, by using a set of relaxation techniques.

The course runs for 5 weeks each session being two and a half hours in length. In the UK they are run countrywide and you can either attend the course as part of a bigger group or if you prefer you can have one-to-one tuition which is the option my husband and I chose. The five units covered are:
  •          Building a Positive Expectancy
  •          Falling in Love with you Baby / Preparing Mind and Body
  •          Getting ready to welcome your baby
  •          Overview of Childbirth – a Labour of Love
  •          Birthing – Breathing love, Bringing Life
HypnoBirthing uses the breath as well as relaxation techniques to help you birth your baby. Another very important factor with HypnoBirthing is the terminology used to describe certain things. For example, you don’t have contractions, you have surges; you don’t push your baby out, you breath them out. The use of positive, soft terminology is integral to its ethos.

We had a lovely midwife, Jane Pardoe, who was our HypnoBirthing teacher. She was also involved at the beginning of my birth with Jess too. She showed us some incredible video footage in those 5 weeks, of women birthing their babies with ease; homebirths and hospital births. It was truly beautiful to see how it can be.

In my previous post I spoke of the power of the mind over the body and with HypnoBirthing this is very important. Thought precedes reality; in other words whatever you focus on, whether it be of an internal or external origin, becomes manifest. What one says is what one gets. Intention creates experience. If we focus on fear, the possibility of intervention, or a caesarean then we are feeding the subconscious this information and more than likely creating the possibility for it to become a reality. But if we focus on the positive, seeing a pain free, calm, easy, natural birth we are more likely to get this experience instead.

During the five week course you listen to a Rainbow Relaxation CD twice a day. This prepares your body & mind for the birth. You are programming your body and mind for a positive birth experience. You are then able to play this during your birth and because you have programmed your subconscious for a relaxed, calm, easy birth, your body is able to respond in a positive way to help you birth your baby in this manner.

There were many other techniques and relaxation exercises that you practice throughout the 5 week course and one which I found of great value whilst birthing Jess was the “Light Touch Massage”. This type of massage is performed by your birth companion and induces a state of deep relaxation, and produces endorphins (the body’s own pain relief) into your body which helps to reduce pain. It really does work and I again managed a natural, drug-free birth despite the fact that I was induced and Jess was back-to-back, which is not the ideal position to be in. I used yoga moves to shift her position on a few occasions prior to the birth but sadly due to the induction I was unable to get her back in a preferable position before the last phase began.

As with Sophia, my birth with Jess was not as I had intended it to be. I had wanted a home, water birth not a hospital birth. There were a lot of outside stresses going on at the time which I could not control and this definitely affected my state of mind. I wasn’t able to focus solely on the birth as I wanted to. There was heavy snowfall; Sophia had flu, my mother who had come to look after Sophia was also ill. The external circumstances could have definitely been more favourable!

However, when it was decided that I had to have Jess in hospital and they would induce me (not my wish I might add, which I fought till the last), I never felt fear. I still felt a sense of control (which I hadn’t felt with Sophia due to very different circumstances being in France), and my body naturally took over where it hadn’t with Sophia. My birth with Jess was not my “ideal” but it was still positive in many ways and I truly put that down to the HypnoBirthing techniques I had learnt and could implement myself when needed. My husband was also an integral part of the process making me feel safe and bonded to him throughout. He kept me focussed, calm and empowered me to feel in control at all times.

I would wholeheartedly recommend you look into hypnotherapy in pregnancy and childbirth whether it is Natal Hypnotherapy or HypnoBirthing. They are quite different in their approach and will probably appeal to different people, but I cannot fault their ability to empower you to have a relaxed, calm and positive birth experience no matter what your personal circumstances are.

If you are reading this, and are currently pregnant embarking on this truly life changing journey, I wholeheartedly hope your experience is a positive one ;0)




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Wednesday 7 November 2012

Using Hypnotherapy for Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond

Birth is one of the most amazing, life changing things we will probably ever experience as a woman. The journey from conception to birthing your baby is a long and sometimes complicated one, but it is my belief that it shouldn't be a fearful one. Don’t get me wrong, the thought of birthing may cause us to feel some trepidation, that’s normal; but fear, that’s something much stronger.

We are primal beings and have what is called the “fight or flight” mechanism built into our body’s system. It serves us well when we need to run from danger but it isn't a positive addition to birthing your baby. If we fear birth our bodies respond by releasing adrenaline preparing us for “fight or flight”. Our bodies then believe there is danger and will not allow the body to relax which is vital to giving birth. If your muscles are contracting in fear they’re not going to easily birth your baby now are they?

We have sadly become very medicalised when it comes to birthing our babies in recent years and I believe this to be a worry. Intervention is far more common when birthing in modern times. If we’re not careful we will surely lose the ability to birth our babies as we were designed to; naturally, confidently, positively, and trusting our bodies and ourselves in this amazing process. We also need to make sure that the midwives and birthing companions who accompany us along our journey are not losing the ability/skills to help us birth in this way. For example, many midwives are no longer trained in breach birth yet in my mother’s day this was common practice. How far we have come; but in the right direction? I fear not.

So, what can we do to help ourselves birth peacefully, confidently, with a feeling of being in control, empowered, strong.

Well, one thing I looked into when out in France was hypnotherapy in birth. In my work as a holistic therapist I know the importance of the mind over the body. It’s more powerful than we give it credit for. Visualisation and breath are important tools, especially in birth. Even when we aren't able to have the birth we planned, knowing you have other tools to fall back on which still allow you to feel in control, are key to having a positive birth.

As I wasn't able to attend a course in hypnobirthing whilst in France. I looked into other options and found "Natal Hypnotherapy” designed by Maggie Howell. As described on their website: “Maggie Howell - a British Hypnotherapist and mother to 5 sons, has created the Natal Hypnotherapy range of CDs and book to enhance your pregnancy and birth experience, by using your natural skills and inner resources. The CDs use a combination of self hypnosis techniques, deep relaxation and guided visualization to help you overcome fears, create a state of calm and relaxation, maintain your health, increase bonding with your baby and maximise your bodies potential."

The CDs come in a range of choices dependent on where you intend to birth your baby; home birth, birth centre, hospital. I knew that I wouldn't be able to have Sophia at home so I opted for the CD programme for a birth in hospital. There were 4 CDs; a relaxation CD for anytime during your pregnancy, a CD from 32 weeks onwards which is a birth preparation CD which looks at breath as well as relaxation, a CD for when you are in labour with relaxation music. This music has been used in the other CDs so your mind and body are attuned to associating it with a relaxed state of being, and finally a CD for after the birth, which is listened to from a week before the birth for as long as needed afterwards, inspiring confidence in your new role as a Mum.

Despite the fact that I had a difficult birth with Sophia, - a story for another blog I feel ;0) - I really found these CDs helped me to prepare myself mentally, inspired confidence and kept me as relaxed as possible at uncertain times during her birth. I managed to birth her without pain relief and was able to create a bubble that I could escape to when needed.

Maggie Howell also offers courses in the UK in addition to her Natal Hypnotherapy CD programmes and book. The CDs really do come personally recommended, especially if you are unable to attend a course. It’s the next best thing.

When birthing Jess though, I was lucky enough to be living in the UK again, and looked into a Hypnobirthing course (The Mongan Method), which also uses hypnotherapy but is quite different in it’s approach. I will reveal more in my next post. But for now, if you are interested in looking at how hypnotherapy can help you towards a more positive, confident and relaxed birth then do take a look at Natal Hypnotherapy by Maggie Howell. 

Until next time ....


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Friday 2 November 2012

Ever Heard of Relax Kids ?

As I sit here writing this blogpost I am hit by how eventful the past week has been. I launched Sophia’s Choice blog 16 days ago and the feedback I have had so far has been really positive which is such great news. When you begin something new that’s been whirring around in your own head for so long you are never quite sure how it will be received, so if people are enjoying reading Sophia’s Choice then that makes my day and my week :-)

This week has seen me make contact with some lovely companies who supply some great organic, natural or eco-friendly products. I will be reviewing them all in the coming weeks and also linking in some great competition giveaways in the run up to Christmas, so please do keep checking in for more details as the weeks progress.

As half term comes to an end, poor Sophia has been struck down with illness in the past few days and it all peaked very early this morning with projectile vomiting and lots of tears ! Oh how hard it can be being a parent, but sometimes even harder being a child. The next few days will tell us what she has developed, but one thing I’ve come to rely upon at times like these, along with “I can’t sleep” nights, or “I’ve had a bad dream Mummy” wake-ups is the brilliant ‘Relax Kids’ CDs.

Ever come across them before? If not, you really should take a look.


As taken from their website, “Relax Kids is the UK’s leading expert in children’s relaxation. We offer a range of quality resources to help children feel calm and confident.”

The CDs were recommended to us by friends, when we were really struggling with Sophia’s sleep patterns. She didn’t really start to sleep through the night until she was 4 years old ! Believe me it was tough. Sleep deprived was my middle name. We invested in a couple of the CDs Relax Kids produce, ‘Up, Up and Away’ and ‘Princesses’. We would leave them quietly playing in Sophia’s room after we had read a bedtime story and she would drift off happily to sleep. If she woke in the night and needed some help to drift off again, we would play the CDs and off she would go to sleep again.

As described by Relax Kids themselves, “The CDs are specifically designed to help children manage stress, anxiety, and anger while promoting confidence, self-esteen and peaceful sleep.”

And, they work. Sophia went to bed this evening quite emotional at being ill; feeling uncomfortable and restless. Having a toddler in tow often means I can’t always give Sophia all the time she may need at every given moment, but I know that in an instance like this, I can leave Sophia listening to these CDs and by the time I return to check on her and make sure she is ok and doesn’t need anything else, she is either nice and relaxed waiting for me to return or she is already sound asleep.

Relax Kids (www.relaxkids.com) have CDs, downloadable audios, books and also run classes across the UK. They really are worth taking a look at – I can’t recommend them highly enough.

Have a great weekend everyone. Stay safe this Bonfire & Fireworks weekend.

A bientot !



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