For New Borns & New Mums

Some Mums call it their “Bible” – others say they refer to it “religiously” – but either way it’s a phenomenally informative book, written by a Kiwi mother for soon-to-be mothers, and researched alongside leading Obstetricians, Midwives, Paediatricians & Holistic Healers.

So MANY new Parents bring the wrong clothing to Birthing Suit for their Brand New Baby, thinking they’ve bought the right thing. DON’T BE ONE OF THEM! MotherWise in conjunction with Roots & Wings 100% Merino-wool have created this absolutely unique and perfect first clothing for a Day-1-Baby.

Your child is going to wear special outfits for special events its entire life, from their 1st Birthday to their 21st Birthday, and from their School Ball to their Wedding Day. And on this MOST IMPORTANT DAY of their entire Life(!), when they are at their most
vulnerable to cold-stress, this Day-1-Baby Layette will ensure your brand newBaby is purring’ly content with the perfect core
temperature.

BACK-STORY: While catching hundreds and hundreds of babies as a senior Midwife, I found myself repeatedly frustrated at how dreadfully inappropriate the “Newborn” clothing oftentimes is that caring loving Parents would bring to Birthing Suite … not enough layers, ill-fitting hats, synthetic fibres, outfits the newborn is “swimming” in. You see, most new parents never realise “Newborn”-sized clothing is actually designed to fit a baby who is around 4-8 weeks of age who have typically put on weight and height. What fits a Day-1-Baby is VERY different to what fits a thriving 2-month old … even though 0-3 Month-Old clothing is all sold as one ‘Newborn’ size … but Babies are not ONE size for 3 months!

We strongly recommend investing in your precious Newborn having the correct clothing to wear on their Birth-Day, and for
their first 1-3 weeks of life. The Heirloom Layette consists of:

• 1 specially-designed Day-1-Baby long-sleeved singlet-bodysuit (to keep their vital organs warm)
• 1 specially-designed Day-1-Baby jumpsuit onesie-romper (to keep the rest of their body warm)
• 1 Beanie-Hat (to prevent rapid head-loss)

Then, for a personal touch, add on your favourite Cardy/Jumper/Jacket (especially in autumn, winter & spring).
These multiple layers of 100% finest-quality Merino wool are perfect to enable your Baby’s skin to breath naturally.

AND REMEMBER, THIS IS AN HEIRLOOM PRODUCT: That means, it is specifically designed to be handed down in yourfamily – from sibling to sibling, from grandparent to grandbaby, over generations. Like a traditional baptismal-gown, the Day-1-BayLayette becomes the very first clothing ALL your family’s Newborns will wear. This heirloom product becomes an Inheritedfamily treasure, and a cherished bequeathed gift of tradition for many decades to come. (We provide a bespoke calico bagfor long-term storage).

​Described by many as the best infant sleep-secure ever designed! The BabyOK™ Babe-Sleeper is made with real care, and comes to you with a loving blend of modern and old-fashioned wisdom. Owning one is essential – Owning two is ideal! For 3-30 month olds. Read more about Babe-Sleeper here.

Just as I have described with Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth, if you think in terms that my OH BABY’S Why They Cry chapter is like gaining your undergraduate Degree in learning to understand newborn body-language signs, then reading Tracy Hogg’s Secret of the Baby Whisperer book is like getting your Masters in learning how to (as she says) calm and connect and communicate with your baby. It is a wonderful accompaniment to OH BABY.

Post-Script: In 2001 this baby whisperer’s book became a New York Times best-seller. And just three years later Tracy Hogg had passed over from cancer. Oh what other amazing wisdom she could have taught us all, if only she had been on this Earth for longer.  x

Dr Harvey Karp is a famous L.A. paediatrican ‘to the stars’ who is renowned for teaching his Five S’s to creating a calm contented baby: Swaddling to recreate the womb snugness (not swaddling all day long); Side or Stomach positions for mellowing a baby (before putting to sleep on their back); Shushing sounds (babies are used to a noisy environment in the womb); Swing (rocking movements etc); and Suck (the ‘icing on the cake’ of the pacifier). If you’re getting frustrated with your baby appearing to spend so much time upset, then chances are they are overtired because they are overstimulated, and this is a great read to enhance your understandings. Knowledge is power.

This product is absofrigginlutely brilliant! To soothe sore nipples! And an essential for first-time breastfeeding mums. My best advice is to buy this 12-pack BEFORE your baby is born (have them packed in your postnatal bag) because you’re best to start using them from the first day of breastfeeding. As a midwife I have cured literally hundreds of cracked traumatised nipples combining this product with HyperCal lotion … but the biggest problem is women having to wait a few days to receive them after they have already started breastfeeding. (Their coolness feel divinely relieving straight out of the fridge too!)

Before Hydrogel Breast Disc pads existed, ‘breast shells’ (not to be confused with nipple shields for flat/inverted nipples) were, for years, my absolute go-to product for sore or cracked nipples (and they were my own personal godsend by day-3 of having my first baby). These are ingenious hard shells that go over your breasts, inside you bra, so that nothing but air is touching your nipples between feeds. (They also collect dripping milk, which can then be refrigerated or frozen as expressed milk.)
My recommendation: Sore nipples? Use HyperCal lotion and Hydrogel Discs. Very sore cracked/bleeding nipples? During the daytime use HyperCal lotion and Breast Shells. Overnight use HyperCal lotion and Hydrogel Discs.

It is really normal that by Day 2-4 a woman’s breasts are enormously enlarged for her, and for the next 4-8 weeks they will over-produce milk, as the babe’s appetite quickly increases over the first month,… typically by around 6 weeks, the whole supply-and-demand will have equalised, and her breast size settles down and becomes way more comfortable. But OMG I do remember, over 20 years ago, an amazing old-school midwife making me, out of a towel and safety-pins, the equivalent of this lactation wrap, and the cosy support felt absolutely divine! It could do for me, at that moment of aching engorged boobs, something way beyond anything a regular breastfeeding-bra could do. The Mumdrop™ comes in various sizes and can be worn day or night, with extra bedtime layers for overnight leaking absorbency protection. This product isn’t a god-send – it’s a goddess-send.

Mine and Franny of BreastMates conversation at an Auckland BabyShow one year: “Franny babe, I really reckon you should create Lactation Cookie pre-mix sometime in the future –that’d be so good!” “Ha we just have Kathy darl – it’s our brand new product – have bite!!” I just luv luv luv this product. Breastfeeding mums can be so constantly hungry (while lactating our intestines are the most efficient they have ever been in our entire life … we eat, we digest, we’re hungry again). So why not munch on these perfectly nutritious and perfectly delectable freshly-baked semi-sweet oaty bickies?

I have never personally used this inventive gadget (it wasn’t invented when I was lactating) but I have had clients rave about this nifty all-in-one soft-silicone Haaka “breast-pump”. It is ideal for relieving engorgement, catching let-down overflow while feeding baby on the other breast, and for occasional expressing (ideal for travelling). You simply squeeze it to create suction to collect all that Liquid Gold, then as my dear friend Franny of BreastMates recommends, simply pour the collected milk into their Breast Milk Storage Bags and freeze. Easy peasy! Optional extras are the Haaka Lid (to keep contents sterile) and/or the Haaka Stopper (to prevent spillage).

NOTE: The Haaka does not replace a regular proper Breat-Pump (it does not stimulate or empty the breasts as efficiently). It is a handy extra item to own.

For more than two decades Medela has been my absolute favourite of electric breast-pumps – so efficient. Plus you can adjust the vacuum to suit your own comfort level. It takes electric or battery power, and it’s not noisy.
Perfect when you only need to pump a few times a day.

This is, in my opinion, the absolute primo piece of equipment for women returning to the workforce and who need the best most efficient double-pumping technology available. It’s practically a hospital commercial grade piece of equipment – but still small, light, compact and quiet!