LilyPadz - The first breast pad to give me peace of mind

Introducing LilyPadz the first and only re-usable non-absorbent breast pad.

As a working, breastfeeding mummy the last thing I want to think about during work is am I leaking. Unfortunately this has happened to me while I was teaching a group of 15 year old boys, luckily I had a thick cardigan on that day and no one noticed, however I was still rather embarrassed and spent the next few weeks constantly in fear of it happening again.

So why buy LilyPadz instead of disposables. I found trying to find the right disposable breast pad a nightmare, I tried cheap and expensive ones, I found some too thin and others so thick it looked like I had put a sanitary towel in my bra and the breast pad ring is almost as bad as the wet patch! but worst of all  was when I found my daughter chewing on the glue from the back of a breast pad after a feed that's when I knew I had to find an alternative and found LilyPadz.

Here is what the simplylily website had to say:

LilyPadz are the revolutionary new alternative to traditional breast pads combining such unique features as flexibility, breath-ability, invisibility and "sticks to you ability" to provide the kind of protection every expectant and nursing mother needs.

LilyPadz reusable non-absorbent breast pads are the only breast pads that adhere to you and not your bra. LilyPadz unique design maintains pressure on the nipple and forms a non-absorbent barrier to prevent to prevent breast milk leakage.
No more inconvenient pad exchanges, and you and your clothes stay dry!

No Leaks. No Lines. No worries. 

As you can imagine this really appealed to me as LilyPadz seemed to offer everything I was looking for, so was very happy to be chosen to review them. when the package arrived I was amazed at how small and thin they were and happy to see they came in there own protective case that looks rather attractive, no more trying to find a place for a big box of unsightly breast pads especially when you have to keep them out of reach of a 10 year old and her friends (I once came into find they had used my breast pads to make themselves eye patches)

LilyPadz are made from silicone meaning they are soft and flexible as well as breathable. the silicone is smooth on one side and tacky on the other to hold the pad in place on the breast, they also have a scalloped edge preventing them from showing through clothing.

So how easy are LilyPadz to use, the answer very, you just flip the LilyPadz inside out over your nipple with the tacky side toward the skin. With a finger in the centre of the pad, firmly depress the nipple. With nipple in flattened position, smooth the edges of the LilyPadz down over the skin, making sure to smooth out any air pockets from forming underneath. Simply peel off to feed and re-apply after.

I found the LilyPadz felt weird when putting them on but after two minutes a couldn't feel them at all and felt comfortable all day, they even stopped the tingling feeling i get in my nipple towards the end of work when my breasts are ready to burst. 

LilyPadz can be used day and night and thanks to the way in which the pads are attached there is no need to wear a bra in bed this is something else I hate to do and felt so much more comfortable.

LilyPadz are easy to clean just use warm water and liquid soap or invest in some Lilywash and leave to air dry.

LilyPadz are re-usable but will not last forever and the life of LilyPadz varies from person to person but with proper use and care they can last for months, and when you think of the cost of disposable breast pads not only to your purse but to the environment LilyPadz are worth every penny.

Overall I found LilyPadz to be a fantastic product and would not hesitate to recommend to my friends.

Yoomi - The next best thing to mummy

Introducing Yoomi the first clever bottle.

As a breast feeding mummy I tended not to use many bottles but then I returned to work, as Mia was not used to bottles I tried a few different ones to find the one she liked and after trying every bottle on the market I still hadn't found one she was truly happy with, that's when I discovered Yoomi, the self warming bottle here's how it works:

The Yoomi bottle contains a unique warmer that is activated by pressing the orange button. This triggers the internal solution to warm the unit in just 60 seconds.

The cold feed is gently warmed as it flows through the specially designed channels on the outside of the warmer. By the time the feed reaches the teat, it is at natural breast milk temperature (32-34 deg C).

Its not just the clever warmer I like, the shape of the bottle is fantastic, it is what can only be described as a boob on a bottle, this means baby has an easy transition from breast to bottle without nipple confusion and the wide neck makes it easy to pour defrosted breast milk into or scoop formula in as well as clean.

I know what your thinking its a bit gimmicky or what a faff what's wrong with a jug of hot water, well here's my answer, yes you have to charge the warmer in a pan for 25 minutes but you can wait up to 20 minutes for a bottle warmer to heat the milk, yes you could use a jug of hot water, i used this method with my first daughter who was formula fed and my partner scolded his arm at 3am half asleep trying to heat up a bottle for a screaming baby. This is by far the safest way to heat babies milk especially if you have a toddler running around getting in to everything and you can heat the warmers in the morning while sorting out the days bottles.

The only down side to the bottles you may find is the cost but after comparing this with the amount of money i have spent on bottles trying to find the perfect one the Yoomi bottle worked out cheaper, and the fantastic packaging means it would be the perfect gift.

The other useful thing to note is that you can use the Yoomi bottle with or without the warmer.

Overall this is a fantastic bottle and just perfect for my little girl, I no longer worry if my husband has warmed Mia's milk up correctly while I'm at work or that there is a jug of boiling water lying around the house. My husband says the best thing is not having to try and find someone to warm her milk when out and about, but if you needed any more proof here is Mia's opinion

to take a look at Yoomi for yourself visit http://www.yoomi.com/

Teething Bling - The fashionable teether

Mia is now seven months old and teething,  she loves to bite on everything and anything including my slipper (its like having a puppy), as you can imagine I have bought all the teething rings imaginable, we have spent so much money on them but they either get lost or end up in the bottom of the toy box. In fact I found my little munchkin found my bracelet to be the most appealing teether something I wasn't  best pleased with as it cost a small fortune! That's why I was so happy when the fantastic Teething Bling from Smart Mum UK asked me to review their teething bangle, its such a simple idea but so effective.

When my parcel arrived it felt like all my birthdays had come at once I couldn't wait to get it open and when I did, I couldn't believe how beautiful the packaging was, the bangle came in a lovely organza bag. My first thought was, what a beautiful gift this would make for a baby shower or new mum. I tried it on immediately and was very happy to find it stayed on my small wrists (I made my other half try it on to check it fits a larger wrist too and no problems either). I was happy to see that although it is made from a baby friendly silicone like the ones most teethers are made from it didn't look cheap or plastically at all, I have actually been asked numerous times where I got my nice bangle from and people are amazed when I tell them its a teething ring in disguise.

                                                                 

Most importantly what does Mia make of mummy's new bling - well she loves it the first thing she did was wrap her gums around it, then she discovered it comes off my wrist which has two advantages - she can chew for as long as she wants then i can pop it back on and she can hold it while feeding which stops her from nipping me one disadvantage is the she can hit thing with it including my head but the giggle she gives me makes up for that. the bangle is the perfect size for little hands and gums even if they are attached to a mischievous munchkin. 

The bangle I received is the sugar plum one and I think the colour is fab however there are tons of colours in the range, you could get one for every outfit, they also do a range of matching pendants and the price is good too at just £12.95 for a pendant and £8.95 for a bangle, these are fantastic value and make an ideal gift.

check out the complete range here http://www.smartmumuk.com/

Mam Nipple Shields

I always wanted to breastfeed but for many reasons this didn't happen with Abby so as you can imagine I was determined to make it work with Mia but after 10 days the pain in my nipples was excruciating, I had been to a breastfeeding support group and spoken to my midwife but nothing seemed to help, then I discovered nipple shields and the relief was amazing. However I did find them rather big and the teats had a very plastic feel to them but they helped me through the first few weeks, that's when Mam asked me to review there nipple shields, I found these much better as they were smaller so Mia was still able to get the feel of my breast and the silk teat felt much more like a nipple. The shields also come in a handy box that can be sterilised with the shields, I found this good to take to bed for night feeds. The nipple shields come in two sizes, size 1 and size 2 I tried both and found size 2 to be far too big but size 1 just right. Remember when choosing the size of your nipple shield it is your nipple size and not your breast size don't just think because you have a generous bust you will need the bigger shield and vice versa. Overall I found the Mam nipple shields to be a godsend and enabled me to carry on breastfeeding comfortably until I was able to feed without there help, however I still keep them close to hand especially when Mia is feeding a bit too vigorously during teething.

I must point out a few things:
Always get help from your midwife, health visitor or a breastfeeding support group.
Nipple shields may reduce your milk supply (I didn't find this)
Try and wean baby off nipple shields as soon as you can when you have healed or the pain from feeding has stopped.

The Munchkins first review - A musical cot mobile from Mabyland

Courtesy of mummynews we were asked to review a cot mobile from Mabyland heres how we got on

The mobile is attractively packaged and easy to set up, it took me about 2 minutes. The mobile will fit on all cots however I tried it on my daughters swinging crib and found it too heavy as it weighed one side down. The mobile features 4 characters kitty, bunny, doggy and teddy, as they are brightly coloured and will suit either a girl or boys room, they attracted my daughters attention and made her giggle as they went round. The rotation is optional as there is a switch on the side of the mechanism to allow you to have it turning or not, I found the rotation soothed my daughter and sent her to sleep. The rotation and the sound is operated via a wind-up mechanism so doesn’t require batteries, however this does mean it doesn’t last long and can need to be wound a few times before baby is asleep. The music is row row row your boat which is a familiar tune to most mummies, daddies and babies and is a slow soothing sound. This is a great buy for the price £22.99 and I found delivery fast and easy, it would make a fantastic gift especially if people are keeping babies sex a surprise. My daughter enjoys having this on her cot and I enjoy how easy it is to get her to sleep.

http://www.mummynews.co.uk/

http://www.mabyland.com/

Hello from two little munchkins and me

Hi my name is Joanna and I'm Mummy to two gorgeous little girls, Abigail Eleanor (Abby) nearly 10 and Amelia Elizabeth  (Mia) 5 months. I am on maternity leave at the moment but life is soon about to change as I go back to work very soon and leave daddy in charge! as we are a one income family with hugely different interests money can be tight, in my blog i will not only share my experiences of being a mummy to my two little girls (ok one not so little but still my baby) i will share my tips on the best products i have found for them and the best prices around, it helps that my partner is rather savy when it comes to buying anything if we can save 10p we will.

If you are a company who has a product you think will meet the munchkins aproval and would like us to review it please email me on jolenenoted@hotmail.com