The conclusion drawn from the study states that pregnant women should avoid taking vitamin D supplements because this appears to raise the risk of children developing a food allergy after birth until their 2nd birthday.

A total of  622 mothers and their 629 children were included in the long-term study “Lifestyle and environmental factors and their impact on the newborn allergy risk” says  Dr. Irina Lehmann who headed the study.

Vitamin D is one of those nutrients that always had a good reputation for supplementation. Many mothers are found to be vitamin D deficient when they enter pregnancy and it is becoming increasingly popular for pregnant mothers to be told to take a vitamin D supplement. However, recent scientific investigations are increasingly questioning the positive aspect of the  vitamin D supplementation. At the end of the 1990’s, for the first time people’s attention was drawn to a link between high vitamin D levels and the development of allergies.

This study aimed to find out if  there is a correlation between the concentration of vitamin D in the blood of expectant mothers and in cord blood of the babies as well as the association between vitamin D levels during pregnancy and at birth, the immune status and the incidence of allergic diseases of the children later in life.

In short… They found that yes, the baby’s vitamin D levels are similar to the mothers at birth, and that babies with excess levels of vitamin D have fewer regulatory T-cells which stop the immune system from overreacting to allergens. Fewer regulatory T cells  results in a higher chance of developing one or more allergies.

The final recommendation of the study was a little puzzling to me. This recommendation is to avoid vitamin D supplementation in pregnancy. I fore-see a future where this is translated as “vitamin D is dangerous to take in pregnancy” as has happened with vitamin A ( a whole ‘nother kettle of fish and a topic for some other time). The  major problem I see with this blanket recommendation is that it seems to ignore the fact that vitamin D deficiency is more common than an excess of vitamin D and the problems with this are just as troubling. In pregnancy, vitamin D helps to develop baby’s bones. A vitamin D deficiency can affect the amount of calcium the baby has in their bones and in severe deficiency this can cause a bone deformity called rickets. Since the baby is getting it’s vitamin D from mum, mum has in increased need for it for her own bone health and a mother deficient in vitamin D is more likely to suffer post natal depression.

I do agree that routine vitamin D supplementation should be avoided during pregnancy. Routine vitamin D supplementation should be avoided for ALL people. Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin so your body doesn’t just pee it out like some others. It’s stored in fat cells and it’s hard to get rid of it if you go overboard. We’ve known for a long time that it’s toxic in high doses.

It’s a simple enough procedure to test a mother’s vitamin D status and make recommendations according to her results. For many women, diet and lifestyle modifications alone can boost her vitamin D to optimal levels. For others, this might not be enough and a vitamin D supplement might be necessary. A simple blood test will tell what’s required for each individual.

So how do you ensure you have enough vitamin D without getting too much?

1. Get some sunshine 

It depends on where you live as to how much sunlight you need each day to keep your vitamin D levels up. Your body will never make too much from sunlight alone.

It’s obviously important to get enough sunlight to produce vitamin D without increasing your risk of skin cancer. In summer, many fair skinned people make enough vitamin D from having their hands, arms and face (or equivalent area of skin) in the sun for a few minutes each day during normal day to day outdoor activities. This is without the slip, slop, slap. Sunscreen, hats and layers of clothing will reduce your body’s ability to make vitamin D, so you need to make sure that you get some direct sunshine to your skin without sunscreen and protective clothing. You should choose your timing sensibly. Don’t go get your vitamin D fix at the beach in the middle of summer at midday for example.

In most of Australia, in winter, you will need two to three hours of sunlight each week. In Summer, 5-15 mins a day should do it.

People with darker skin need more sunlight and those with very black skin may need three to six times as much sunlight as fair skinned people.

2. From your diet

While there is vitamin D in some foods, there is not enough to give you what you need, you still need sunlight. Vitamin D is present in a small number of foods, for the average person food will  supply about 10% of the amount they need. You can up that to around 90% if you try hard enough with your diet. Vitamin D is present in oily fish such as mackerel, tuna, salmon and sardines. Other great sources are eggs, shitaake mushrooms, button and field mushrooms the mushrooms make vitamin D2 which is a little harder for your body to use than the animal sourced vitamin D3, but they are still helpful).

3. If you do need to take a supplement, choose carefully

Have your levels rechecked after a maximum of 3 months of supplementation to see if it’s still required.

Vitamin D supplements come in two forms:

1. Ergocalciferol (vitamin D2) a synthetic version made by irradiating fungus and plant matter—this would be the form of vitamin D suitable for a vegan lifestyle. This is not as well absorbed or utilised by your body as vitamin D3. This is the most common type available. Always check the label to see what type you are buying.
2. Cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) the same type of D vitamin created in your body when you expose your skin to sunlight. This is  87 percent more potent in raising and maintaining vitamin D concentrations and produces 2- to 3-fold greater storage of vitamin D than does D2. It is only produced by vertebrate animals and is not available in plant based supplements.

Sources:

The study cited in this post:

Lactobacillus rhamnosus. One of the fascinating little critters that live in your gut to help keep you healthy. Image credit: Citizendium.

Probiotics are fascinating little things. Babies get their first mouthful from their mother’s vagina as they make their way out into the big wide world and continue to colonise their digestive system with the health promoting bacteria through breastmilk and skin contact with other people. It makes sense that birthing a baby through a healthy probiotic rich vagina and snuggling that baby on healthy probiotic rich skin and feeding that baby healthy, probiotic rich breastmilk will give that baby a healthy gut flora and keep the unhealthy bacteria under control. It’s a little less obvious (though used by natural therapists in this way for a while now…) that the probiotics a baby gets from it’s mother can also reduce the risk of that baby developing allergic type health problems  such as eczema, as shown in this study published last week  in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

About the study

Researchers said it’s possible that probiotics – which help to balance bacteria in the gut and prevent disease-causing strains from spreading – may influence babies’ health through immune cells that cross the placenta and then are later passed on through mums breast milk.

lead author Samuli Rautava of Turku University Central Hospital, in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology says “Prevention regimen with specific probiotics administered to the pregnant and breast-feeding mother, that is, prenatally and postnatally, is safe and effective in reducing the risk of eczema in infants with allergic mothers”  ie. Probiotics are safe to take while pregnant and breastfeeding and they do work to prevent eczema.

The study involved 241 pregnant women, all who had a history of allergies which would put their babies at high risk of  eczema and other allergies. They were given one of two different probiotic strains. either Lactobacillus rhamnosus or Bifidobacterium longum given as a powder mixed with water once a day, or a probiotic free placebo powder.

The study ran through the final two months of pregnancy and the first two months of breastfeeding. Researchers then tracked their babies’ health for two years to see how many developed rashes.

By the end of the study, 71 percent of babies in the placebo group had had eczema at least once compared to 29 percent of babies whose mother took either of the probiotic combinations.

26 percent of  kids in the placebo group were diagnosed with chronic eczema, compared to 10 percent and six percent, respectively, of those in the two probiotic groups.

However, by age two the study didn’t show any obvious advantage to the probiotic use in pregnancy and breastfeeding.

“(The study) really shows a reduction in eczema from probiotics, which is such a simple and easy intervention for mothers,’ said Ruchi Gupta, an allergy an eczema researcher at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

But she said it was still too soon to see if that reduction in eczema will be tied to a drop in asthma and more serious allergies later on, and Rautava himself said it was still not yet possible to make recommendations for routine use of probiotics.

Rautava and his colleagues didn’t find any evidence of probiotic-related side-effects in either mums or their babies, which is comforting news.

I’d like to point out that probiotics occur naturally in fermented foods and are easy to get from your diet if you make the effort. That’s a post for another day though…

Like many women do, I’ve been putting myself last.

I’ve been having big trouble deciding which session was my favourite, they all gave me something unique and valuable but there was one moment that really spoke to me. I watched Kim Morrison (author & owner of the Twenty8 Aromatherapy range) enact her body boost ritual. Kim has a cute little bowl in which she puts a lovely organic carrier oil, a few drops of her favourite essential blend & 4 squirts of magensium oil spray. She then proceeded to show us how she rubs this concoction all over her body while telling each body part how much she loves it. It went something along the lines of “Oh leggy leggy leg, you’re so strong, I love you”. “Oh lovely healthy tummy, I love you”. “Oh boobs… you’re so nice and perky, I love you”.  She swears she’s done this EVERY day for the last 20 years.

I realised that the most loving thing I do for my body is brush my teeth… I decided then and there that I need to show my body some real proper love.  I had to buy Kim’s book, Like Chocolate for Women. And when I got home, I had to show me some love.

And here’s what I did.

I waited until the munchikins were tucked up in bed then I ran a bath. I got a candle, I dumped a stack of ginger and chamomile tincture in the bath, I put some classical music on, I found a ginger beer in the back of the fridge (the only alcohol I could find), I got a cute little glass bowl and put some ground coffee, lemon juice and olive oil in it. I got some jojoba oil, an essential oil blend & my new Twenty8 magnesium oil spray ready next to another cute little bowl.

As I was looking for the fluffiest towel in the house, my 12 year old got out of bed and informed me he needed to go to the toilet. I asked him to turn the bath off for me and continued my search for a fluffy towel which I had to extend to the clothesline. By the time I’d given up trying to find a fluffy towel and settled for a manky towel, I went back to my bath to find Mr 12 still locked in the bathroom. Despair set in as I realised he was stinking up my sanctuary then delight replaced it when I realised I was about to have my first bath alone since before Lachie came along, over a year and a half ago. The candle would take care of boy stink.

I massaged my face with the coffee, lemon juice & olive oil concoction, I washed my hair, I soak and chilled. I skulled my ginger beer and wished I had another. I got out, body brushed with my manky towel  and did Kim’s body boost ritual. I felt great.

I got to have a bit of  a read of Like Chocolate for Women yesterday. It is as it claims to be- A celebration of womenhood and the ultimate self care handbook packed with hundreds of tips and ideas to help all women live the life they want, reminding them that self-care is not selfish – it’s essential! There’s a heavy lean on aromatherapy but a whole lot more to offer too. I got a signed copy for both myself AND for a blog reader.

Leave me a comment below telling me how you show yourself love. Do you have any rituals? When was the last time you nurtured your inner goddess?

I’ll choose the winner right before my next Sunday soak. Somewhere around 9pm on Sunday September 16.

After several days of puppy dog behaviour, I decided to whip up a batch of the teething rusks I used to make for my big boys when they were babies. They are very simple to make, work a treat, Lachie likes them and are a much tastier and healthier option than the refined white wheat flour rusks you get in the supermarket.

Here’s my recipe

What you need:

10 slices of rye bread (you can use any kind of bread really, I’ve used rice bread for my babies when they were younger)

2 cups of miso soup (I use miso paste in water to make a broth but you can also just use those packets of dried miso soup mix so long as it doesn’t contain artificial flavours and flavour enhancers)

1 Tablespoon each of finely ground sesame seeds or sunflower seeds

What to do:

Cut the bread slices into little fist sized soldiers

Mix the sesame and sunflower seeds together in a  bowl

Brush some of the miso soup over the bread

Press the bread slices into the seed mix

Bake in a low oven (around 150 C) for about 11/2 hours until they resemble dried out dog bikkies

Cool ‘em and put them in an airtight container

One batch of these makes around 30 rusks and will keep much longer than it takes for those teeth to sprout!

Rosie has been trying to help out a family during a very difficult time. She has made up a flyer and is distributing it on her own. Rosie has only just gotten her first computer and has no social media connections and is unaware of how powerful social media can be in lifting people up and supporting them through times such as these.

I want to show Jane, the mum that Rosie is helping that she is not alone.

I  have had 2 children in and out of hospital for every couple of months for nearly 2 years. Every time we ended up in hospital, I felt so lucky that I was only going to be there for a week at the most. I knew that my children would have surgery and come home and be OK. I had the support of a loving partner and a dear friend and still I found it a terrifying ordeal.  I know that many mothers know the pain and stress of having a child chronically ill and in hospital. I know that there are many people out there that can empathise with this situation and if they knew about it, would like to help.

Please read the flyer below that Rosie has put together. Read Jasmine’s story.

If you feel moved to do so, here are some things that you can do to Help a Heart and support a mum.

1. Make a small donation-  Anything, no matter how small will be appreciated. I’m not going to bother with a paypal widget because I want all funds raised going straight to the mother that needs it rather than paypal getting a cut. You’ll find donation details on the flyer below.
2. Help me spread the word. If you have a blog, please consider blogging about this as I have.  Tweet about this or post about it on facebook. For anyone more social media savvy than me- I welcome help, suggestions and advice on how to spread the word.
3. Leave a comment of support below. I’ll compile them and send them in card to Jasmine’s mum while they are in hospital. There is huge power in just knowing that people care and if that’s all that comes out of me writing this post, then I’ll consider it time well spent.

This time last year, I was doing my best to sleep with excited anticipation knowing full well that I’d wake up some time during the night in active labour. I didn’t know how beautifully gentle it would turn out to be. I expected it to be fast and furious like my third birth. I had the intention right from the beginning of this pregnancy that this was to be a healing experience for me and the very gentlest welcome possible for my baby. It was. It was perfect.  I really want women to know that drug free, intervention free, gentle births can happen in hospital as well as at home. They do and can happen, but that’s a whole other blog post for another day.

I tweeted throughout this birth. I had read a lot differing opinions about twitter births in the month leading up to Lachie’s birth day. Most of them were negative. The biggest concerns were that it should be a private experience and that both mum and dad should be focusing on the labour. As usual, I did away with other peoples shoulds and found that it was still a very private and intimate experience for my husband and I. We were alone for most of the labour and hubs was very definitely there for me when I needed him. Twitter was a nice distraction at times.

My experience of twitter birthing was wonderful. I would do it again in a heartbeat if I was to ever have another baby ( I won’t, but if I did…) I felt so much support, I could feel so many people from all over the world holding me in their thoughts. There’s power in that. Those tweets from people offering kind words, positive thoughts, gentle birthing vibes and even cheering me on were truly uplifting. Plus… it gave my husband something to do while he was feeling like there was nothing he could do.  I’ve loved having my husband with me while birthing each time and this time, it was so relaxed that we had some fun together. Lightened the situation a little. I think that laughter during childbirth is just as good a medicine as it is at other times in life. Not during contractions though. Husbands need to shut up during contractions.

I wish I could bottle the feelings I had following the birth of this little guy. That feeling of absolute bliss. That sense of achievement and super hero like empowerment I had. I remember looking in the mirror after birthing and thinking that I looked beautiful, I think I even told myself I looked beautiful. I’ve never, ever thought that about myself before. Ever. Clearly, I was completely off my face on oxytocin and happy birthing and bonding hormones.

I don’t know where the time’s gone. I’ve said that before and I know it’s such a cliche, but this year… seriously, that can’t have been once around the sun. I’m sure I’ve missed half a year somewhere.

This itty baby I had a year ago is now an amazing individual who toddles around the house, delightfully enjoying the company of whoever he can find. He’s so affectionate. He presses his face to my lips when he wants a kiss and has just learnt how to give baby kisses himself.  He hunts me down in the night like a little heat seeking missle and tucks himself under my arm to sleep. He’s so full of joy and determination and love. So much love. I really am blessed beyond belief to have this blossoming bonus baby.

It turns out we know quite a lot about how alcohol works in breastmilk. It gets into the breastmilk from the blood and leaves the breastmilk at the same rate as alcohol leaves the blood. So if you feel drunk, there will be some alcohol in your milk. The concentration of alcohol in the breastmilk is less than 2% of what mum has had to drink. So unless you’re drinking large amounts, it’s fair to say that baby would be getting only very, very small amounts of alcohol and it’s better to drink and feed than to not feed at all due to the problems the disruption to feeding patterns can cause. However, while we know that only very small amounts of alcohol will be passed through the milk, we don’t know how occasional tiny, tiny amounts of alcohol effects a baby.

Here are 9 things that I think every mother needs to know about drinking and breastfeeding.

1. Time taken for alcohol to clear from breastmilk depends on your weight. For an average sized women, it conservatively takes 2 hours to get rid of each standard drink. That’s 2 hours for 1, 4 hours for 2, 6 hours for 3 etc. The smaller you are, the more time it takes to metabolise each drink. Alcohol becomes present in your milk 30-60 mins from the time you start drinking.
2. The only way to reduce the amount of alcohol in your breastmilk is to wait it out. Once you stop drinking, the amount of alcohol in your blood and breastmilk will start to drop.
3. There is no point to expressing milk while you are drunk to throw affected milk away, the ol’ pump n’ dump is a myth. You just need to wait enough time for the alcohol to clear from the milk. Express only if you need to for comfort. If you do express while affected by alcohol, throw it away because the alcohol will stay in the milk once removed from the breast.5.
4. For very young babies, it is best NOT TO DRINK at all. Babies under 1 month old cannot metabolise alcohol, their liver is still maturing. Also, to establish a good supply and avoid feeding difficulties you need to be available to feed a newborn at their whim. This may mean that on the day you decide to have a drink baby decides a feeding marathon is in order and wants to feed every hour.  In this case, you don’t have time to metabolise even 1 standard drink between feeds. This may seem a little harsh but, if you wouldn’t drink while pregnant, it’s not that much more to refrain for another 4-8 weeks while your baby develops the ability to cope with the alcohol and you get supply and demand in synch.
5.  Binge drinking is never a good idea for anyone- breastfeeding or not. But, if you plan to go out and write yourself off, or if you sometimes accidently do so- freeze milk to leave for your baby and find someone take care of your baby until you’re no longer affected by alcohol.
6. Breastmilk with a small amount of alcohol in it is still better than any breastmilk substitute. So if baby is hungry, you have no expressed milk, you’ve had a drink or 2 and think you still have alcohol in your milk, feed anyway.
7. Alcohol can affect your let down and slow the flow of milk. This may make baby a bit fussy at the breast.
8. Babies that are affected by alcohol in the milk may fall asleep quicker but wake more frequently and suffer tummy upsets the next day.

x  Julie

Additional Information
Women who are breastfeeding are strongly advised not to drink in excess because alcohol impairs a mothers ability to look after her baby. If the mother continues to drink a lot, perhaps it is time to consider alcoholic detox programs to help both mother and child.

Being a herbalist, I am well familiar with what a real herbal cream should look and feel like. The first thing I noticed about the Hope’s Relief cream was that it felt and smelt just like a cream I’d make up in my clinic. It has that herby brown look to it which tells me it really does contain therapeutic amounts of quality herbal extracts. It smelt really herby too. No stinky artificial smells, just therapeutic herby goodness.

The problem I’ve had with some of the herbal creams I have made up for my biggest boy is that the base I use is quite thick and it sticks to his clothes and takes a long time to penetrate the skin. The Hope’s Relief cream is a perfect consistency and gets into the skin quickly without leaving a greasy residue.

Within 24 hours of starting the cream, Mr Biggest Boy had stopped telling me his eczema was itchy or hurting. Within a week I noticed that I was only having to apply the cream to two patches on his back. The smaller patches on his tummy, arms and legs had disappeared. The 2 patches on his back were markedly better. They were now mostly just dry, not red and angry looking. Certainly not cracked and bleeding like they had been before we started.

The other product that came with the cream was the Hope’s Relief cleansing bar. Mr Biggest Boy doesn’t use soap at all because even the most natural unscented soaps tend to cause a flare up in symptoms. I got him to start using the cleansing bar and it hasn’t caused any problems. The cleaning bar is better than his usual no soap routine because because water alone can be quite drying to the skin. The bar contains aloe vera, calendula and manuka honey which makes it healing, moisturising and antimicrobial. It’s the perfect product to use in combination with the cream.

Hope’s Relief has given me a cream and a cleansing bar to give away to a Natural Transition family. To gain entries to the giveaway, you need to comment on this post. I’d love to know what you’ve tried to treat eczema, what’s work or not worked for you. You can earn extra entries by liking the Hope’s Relief facebook page and by sharing this comp on facebook or twitter. When you comment on this post be sure to let me know what you’ve done to get your entries. I’ll draw the winner on December 5 at 5pm.

Update- The winner is Kerry Here’s hoping your little one finds it as good as my son has.

How is the milk industry more important than kids dying of diarrhoea? Diarrhoea they wouldn’t have if they weren’t being fed formula made up with dirty water?

What we find in this cable is that the powers that be in the Philippines drafted revisions to their Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRRs) of the Milk Code which regulate the advertising of milk formula for infants. These revisions were based on recommendations of the International Labor Organization Maternity Protection Convention 183 and the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes, as well as the UNICEF’s Global Strategy on Infant and Young Child Feeding. An earlier draft had included more controversial clauses including prohibiting the use of brand names and company logos on milk replacement products for use with infants over three years of age and a requirement for prescriptions for infant formula products. These clauses had already been removed before the meeting between the US embassy and the Department of Health in the Philippines.

Department of Health (DOH) Undersecretary Alex Padilla justified the revisions to  then US Chargé d’Affaires and later Deputy Chief of Mission Paul Jones during a meeting on December 12, 2005. He said that since 1987, breastfeeding rates have declined significantly and now only 16 percent of mothers now exclusively breastfeed their infants up to six months of age.  He argued that during this period of decline in breastfeeding, infant formula sales have increased dramatically.  Padilla added that the Philippines has a high mortality rate for children under five years of age and that diarrhea is a significant cause of death for  this group.  He singled out infant formula as a major  cause of diarrhoea.

Mr Jones dismissed the justifications in the cable by saying that Mr  Padilla’s information is unsubstantiated. He also said that the revisions have been made due to pressure from an influential breastfeeding lobby group and then that “industry says that data is wrong on formula”. Industry is concerned that the IRR seeks to prohibit rather than regulate, that it infringes on intellectual property and that it defines an infant as a child under 3 years of age which exceeds international standards. They also say that infant formula only has a penetration rate of 9% and that poorer people use watered down condensed milk and rice water rather than formula.

Insert eye roll here.

Why even entertain the the thought that you can trust industry data over UNICEF data?

And even IF their 9% penetration rate is accurate (pfft), no one expects this one measure alone to boost breastfeeding rates and reduce the number of kids dying of preventable diarrhoea. It doesn’t mean that formula manufactures should be enabled to market formula as a just as good as breastfeeding substitute. It doesn’t mean we should stand aside and let them lead a mother to believe that formula is safe in a country where clean water is not accessible by everyone.  Formula is something that should be used to keep babies alive when the better option is not available. I would hope and assume that this revision is part of a wider strategy to improve breastfeeding rates and reduce infant mortality. A part of a solution that is most definitely not- in the words of Mr Jones  ”barking up the wrong tree”.

Of course this is just about the pharmaceutical industry not wanting their marketing efforts further complicated. As if it’s about anything more than money.

My burning question is why does the US get a say in policy decisions made by the Department of Health in the Philippines?

What you think?

I hope you have found the Natural Transition icon. I’d love to know what you think of my mini hunt. I think I made it really easy but then again , I know the site better than the back of my hand so it’s hard to know.

I wanted to take a moment to point out some of the things that Natural Transition has to offer as well as to explain how you can use your hunt code to get your free pair of Huggalugs leg huggers

Firstly, to get your free Huggalugs…

When you use your cloth nappy hunt code to purchase the Natural Transition product of the day, you get a free pair of Huggalugs leg huggers worth $14.95. I have also listed them in the shop for just $10 a pair for the entire month of the hunt. The product of the day will be listed on the Natural Transition & Cloth Nappy Hunt facebook page, the Natural Transition hint thread in the forum, the Natural Transition right sidebar and it will be added to the list at the bottom of this page! Basically, you can’t miss it if your watching out for it! Your hunt code will also get you 10% on all products store wide. It will be up by 10am each day.
Now… while your here, here are some more things to check out on the site:

1. Free members resources- You’ll find loads of relaxation music for mums and bubs as well as white noise type tracks for bubs. Tons of info on natural therapies for babies and birth preparation materials galore!
2. Free information pages- From the twinkle in the eye  to pregnancy, breastfeeding, birth and beyond. There’s plenty of info to keep you reading.
3. The blog- Read back through the blog posts, I try to keep it interesting!
4. Watch out for a giveaway coming soon! Watch the Facebook page or the blog for the announcement.

As promised, here is the list of past and present Natural Transition Cloth Nappy Hunt Product Of the Day (s). Remember you get the POD price and free Huggalugs leg huggers!

1. Marino wool and cotton baby blanket- Such a beautiful present. RRP $99. POD price $65
2. Nappy/ bidet sprayer- Makes cloth nappies a breeze. RRP $75. POD price $60
3. Organic baby and expectant mum skin care- Just beautiful, safe and simple skin care. Any product from the range 10% off.
4. Father’s Day bonus- Any product on the site!
5. Bambooshka bamboo terry towelling burp cloth- Long, super soft and absorbent. My favourite new new baby present.
6. Nioka Botanicals Bottom Barrier Spray- A genius product for nappy rash!
7. Blackmores Pregnancy and Breast-Feeding Gold
8. Sticking with the Blackmores Pregnancy and Breast-Feeding Gold over the weekend or until sold out
9. Little Babe Wet Bags- A handy, simple draw string wet bag that will fit 6-8 nappies in it.
10. Twin Pack of Wooly Wugs summer sleeping bags- For birth through to 2 years and designed to be perfect for the Australian summer.
11. Baby Lux Organic Cotton Fitted Sheet- Bassinet or Cot size with a massive discount and free Huggalugs. This will stay all weekend or until sold out. I only have 2 of each size.

Feedback welcome and appreciated! What do you think of the mini hunt? What would you like to see as a product of the day? Any questions I can answer for you?

xx Julie