Proud of Your Curves - Last Minute Call Out

 Last minute call out for Pregnant Mums and Mums-to-Be for our Real Mums Showcase this Saturday at the Auckland Parent & Child Show.

One of the mums who was to be part of the show, took the name Labour Weekend a little too seriously and welcomed her little one into the world!

Huge congratulations to Sally but this means we need another pregnant bump (or two) for the showcase.

So are you proud of your curves and not afraid to show them off?

What do you have to do?


We are looking for mums-to-be to be part of our catwalk showcase of Maternity Lingerie and Sleepwear to be held on Saturday 30th October at the Auckland Parent & Child Show at the Auckland Showgrounds in Greenlane.

You do not have to have catwalk modeling experience, this is about attitude, energy and a celebration of REAL women.
  

What do you get?

• A stunning set of Cake Lingerie is yours to keep, RRP $100
• Two free passes into the show for you and a friend
• Free delivery on all your orders from the Belly Beyond site FOREVER!

Please email us with your bra and brief size and attach a current bikini or togs photo and send through to Louisa on info@bellybeyond.co.nz


Finders Fee:  Not Pregnant but know someone who is who'd be perfect for this?

If you recommend someone to apply and they appear in the show on Saturday, you'll receive a $50 Belly Beyond Voucher!  *voucher goes to the first person who made the referral

Terms and conditions:

1. If chosen, you will be responsible for getting to and from the show. 
2. Associated payment for models chosen for this promo will be in the form of a Maternity Lingerie set valued at $100 each.  (Not bad for 5 minutes work as well as 2 free passes to the show)
3. The final choice of models will be at the discretion of Belly Beyond.

Auckland Parent & Child Show - 29th-31st October

It's this weekend and we can't wait to meet you all and show you what's been happening on the Belly Beyond site.

So what have we got to tempt you to visit us this year at the Auckland Parent & Child Show? 

• Come and receive specialised bra fitting advice for your shape, by the ultimate expert!  Tracey Montford, creator of Cake Lingerie, will be on the Belly Beyond stand exclusively for the show (and don’t forget to check out the Real Mums Lingerie Showcase on the Main Stage).  

• DEALS:  we'll have an amazing show special on Cake Lingerie, plus crazy ERGObaby deals, big discounts on SKIP*HOP nappy bags and goodies, we'll have gorgeous nursing camisoles for under $20 and lots more!   

·         Need another reason?  Get DOUBLE entry into our $1000 Win a Wishlist Competition

•              PLUS:  visit on Saturday and get your photo taken in the Belly Beyond Photo booth with your friends.

Belly Beyond Stand 414

We are literally at the centre of the action (check out the map below)  ;)

Show Details:

10am-5pm 

Friday 29th Oct to Sunday 31st October 

Greenlane Show Grounds

Love RED Magazine

If you see a copy of the new Westpac Magazine, Love RED open it to page 7 and 8 and there's a article on Heidi and I and how we got Belly Beyond started.

It's the one with this guy on it:

Westpac has been a fantastic help to us since we started Belly Beyond two and a half years ago and with large expansion in the wings for us , it's great to know they are on board and on our side for growth and finance.

Here's an e-copy of the article.

Bra Fitting Video

Great video from the wonderful folks at Cake Lingerie which shows easy steps on how to ensure your bra fits the way it should.

This video includes really helpful information on how a maternity bra should fit and the symptoms of an ill-fitting bra.

It also answers that all important question:  When should I buy maternity and nursing bras?

Keeps the Covers On!

Cosy Grips are a new product at Belly Beyond which solves the problem of your little ones kicking off their duvet!

Transitioning from a Sleeping Bag

We've found that if babies are used to sleeping in a sleeping bag that adjusting to blankets and being able to kick them off or move on top of them, it's a challenge to keep the blankets on them and keep them warm all night.  Having a Cosy Grip on the bed is a fantastic way to assist them make the transition smoothly.

It's a simple but ingenious little device made up to two clips with secure tongue like rubbers and joined by industrial elastic.  Just slide the strap under your mattress and fasten the fabric-friendly clips to the cover on either side of your bed.

And for those busy Mums and Dads, as well as kids sleeping through because they no longer wake cold having kicked the blankets off, it's also a breeze to make the bed! 

I use a set on Master 2's bed and here is his bed, left just as he hopped out of it this morning.  You can see  what I mean about how easy bed making would be, just lift up the very top bit and it's done.

And before you say "well the duvet would be kept in place on this bed anyway" sadly I can attest that is not the case.  Before finding Cosy Grips we had many many nights of wake ups due to waking cold because the blankets were kicked off.  I reckon at $19.95 Cosy Grips are a brilliant investment.

Problem solved!

Belly Beyond collect a Top Shop Award!

Full blog to follow (maybe), but here's the photo strip from the Photo Booth at the Top Shop Retail Excellence Awards where we were 1st Runner Up in the Online Retailer category!!  A memorable Belly Beyond moment rocking up the red carpet to collect the award and a great night out with my best friend.

 

What is particularly satisfying about this award is that we've been recognised as one of the best online stores around, for simply doing our job - which we see as ensuring we have excellent customer service and fast dispatch and delivery.  A big thanks to Stacey our logistics queen, who among many other talents, turns those parcels round faster than you can say "would you like undies with that?"

The other aspect of this that we love, is that the little guy can do well against the big corporates - also in our category were the likes of Glassons and Overland so yay for us!

Win - Capceco pack from Belly Beyond on Babybites.co.nz

We've teamed up with the fabulous crew at www.babybites.co.nz and are giving away a Capceco Birth to Earth Placenta Kit.

I think lots of women would like to do something with their placenta but find it too hippy, too icky or maybe just too hard and end up leaving it at the hospital to be incinerated.

The placenta is an amazing organ, it's the only one your body grows then discards and it's specific purpose is to nourish and protect the baby.

The Birth to Earth Placenta Capsule is designed for your lead maternity carer to put the placenta straight into it after birth and you can plant it right away (within 24 hours) or put it in the freezer.

Birth to Earth have taken every step possible to design a kit that is as eco friendly as possible, using natural resources for production and this pack is totally biodegradable.  It includes:

Corn Starch Bags
100% Recycled Cardboard Capsule
Convenient Carry Bag
"Your Tree" Child's Keepsake Record Book

The pack means the placenta is well identified and will not be mistakenly defrosted by unsuspecting husbands!!

It's $39.95 to purchase or try your luck on the Baby Bites site here

Belly Beyond Real Mums in the NZ Herald again

Did you see the Belly Beyond Real Mums in the NZ Herald this week?

The photograph has been cropped but there is no mistaking the Cake Lingerie and those gorgeous bumps! 



You can check out the rest of the shots from our now world-famous shoot in Belly Beyond Real Mums section here

The article centres on the concern at the rising rate of C-Sections in New Zealand.  Having been through the factory that is National Womens at the Auckland City Hospital, it's no surprise to me to see the rate there is an astounding 31.7%!   I got the distinct impression getting mothers in and out of the wards seemed to be the target and lets face it, a c-section is a truck load faster than natural birth.

It's curious to mention though that the term 'elective' does give the impression that mums are "too posh to push" and if you check out the replies on our Facebook page, mums don't often choose the c-section path, they follow the advice of specialists and health professionals that inform them the safest route is a c-section - hardly 'elective', and not a path chosen lightly.

There are few women who have the courage of their knowledge of birth and it's natural process who will fly in the face of a medical 'expert' and insist on a natural birth - why would you?

Why do you think the c-section rate is climbing both here and overseas? 

Samsonite Travel Cot

Video how to: Putting Away the Pop-Up Samsonsite Travel Cot.

Free delivery NZ wide, perfect for the upcoming Christmas Holidays!  (yes, they really are looming fast...)

OHbaby! Magazine

It's no secret that we love OHbaby! Mag and it was a no brainer when they approached us to be one of their exclusive online stockists.

The Spring 2010 issue has just arrived and as usual it's packed full of brilliant articles, useful info and gorgeous finds.

If you are pregnant or know someone that is, this is the perfect magazine to treat them with.

Buy the latest issue here or subscribe for a years worth of great reading, delivered to your letterbox!

Waitakere Business Awards 2010

We had a fantastic night on Friday, celebrating our double Finalist status at the Waitakere Business Awards 2010.

Supported by the Belly Beyond team, Heidi and I got our glad rags on and kicked up our heels as the West celebrated the best businesses in our region.  It wasn't our night to take away an award but we are absolutely stoked that we made that finals in both the categories we entered.

ERGObaby and Babylegs WIN again!

Pregnancy & Newborn Magazine - Readers Choice Awards 2010

We are thrilled to let you know that two of our favourite products available at Belly Beyond, the ERGObaby Carrier and Babylegs, have just received a coveted Readers' Choice Award from US Pregnancy & Newborn Magazine!

Best Baby Carrier - ERGObaby Carrier

Best Baby Shower Gift - Babylegs

   

Inaugural Australia and New Zealand Babywearing Week

Hold your babe, nurture your community 

This year marks the inaugural celebration of Australia and New Zealand Babywearing Week. It will run parallel with International Babywearing Week from 6 – 12 October 2010. The theme this year is ‘Safe Babywearing – Enjoy the Benefits’.

Babywearing specialists, Belly Beyond, have initiated an exciting campaign to raise awareness about the benefits of babywearing and to educate parents on the safe use of slings and carriers in light of recent international safety concerns.




Teaming up with Australian based company Babes in Arms, the campaign is set to also profit local family-focused community projects and charities by offering $1500 worth of cash grants.  To win, the companies have invited parents to host a local babywearing celebration together with their friends during Australia and NZ Babywearing Week.  

“The term Babywearing is simply the practice of carrying or wearing your baby in a carrier” says Belly Beyond Director and Babywearing advocate, Louisa Currie.  “More New Zealand parents are realizing the benefits - their babies cry less, are more content and enjoy being included in family life. Babywearing is not about having your child attached to you 24 hours a day but modern instinctive parenting which is mostly common sense” she adds “and safe, happy babies equal happy parents and that’s definitely worth celebrating.”

Parents from both countries are harnessing the power of social media to invite their peers to events such as babywearing picnics, babywearing beach walks and sling demonstration days via the Australia and NZ Babywearing Week Facebook Page. 

More Babywearing week details

ERGObaby Carrier Review

What great timing, on the eve of Babywearing Week, we check in with our guest Blogger Gill, our ERGObaby Year in the Life Winner.  We love how Gill and her family have totally embraced babywearing and it's so heartening to see and hear about.  Check out the AMAZING photos!

1st October - "ErgoBaby, Queenstown here we come!"

My husband had alot of time off work for paternity leave - so we decided to take a family trip to Queenstown to stay in a family friends house. The mission I chose to accept was..." A whole week of William in the ErgoBaby" as there was no room for the pram in the car...

So ErgoBaby was the complete answer and I was really looking forward to it! With 5 of us packed into the car ( no people mover here folks) we drove to Queenstown with high hopes of fun times in the snow on Coronet Peak and around Lake Wakatipu. The Ergo is so compact, it just tucks away.

Since William is just a young baby, we didn't need to stay home in the afternoons for naps - so we had the freedom to go anywhere and at any time.  And boy did we have freedom with the ErgoBaby!  We packed lunch and left the house on a different adventure each morning.

We went were no pram or stroller could go...to the Summit of Coronet Peak!  We got a foot pass and went up the Main Chair lift.  William was safely snuggled and toasty warm in the Heart2Heart insert in the Ergo & I managed to take one of those 'hold the camera at arms length shots on the chair lift to prove it! ( without dropping the camera).  There was even plenty of room for his thick warm 'snow suit' he was wearing.  The sleeping hood that you can pull over and snap onto the shoulder straps was perfect for this day - keeping the cool wind out!  I trekked out to places that I wouldn't have gone if I was just holding him in my arms - the fact that he was in the Ergo gave me confidence to walk around up the top of the mountain, having both hands free to take photos, throw snowballs and help the kids.

One puzzled skier asked me " Is that a baby in there or..." Or what? I could not imagine!

We also spent lots of time in town, walking around the lake front, going to cafes where I could feed him in the Heart2Heart insert, playing in the playground & visiting Arrowtown.  The weather was wonderful while we were away. (I wanted it to snow but it didnt till the last night).  Our nearly 4 year old son also had a big long walk in the Queenstown gardens with his Dad in the Ergo too.  He found it much easier to carry him that way, rather than piggy backing him.  I got to relax and feed William again while they walked around.

We spent everyday out and about, not getting home till about 4pm.  I carried William in the Ergo ALL DAY, and no fussing.  He either slept or just chilled out.  We could go anywhere we wanted and not have to worry about pushing a pram or fitting thru shop doors etc.  We both love carrying him, especially me!  What Mama wouldn't want to be so close to her baby?

x Gill

Next adventure is a ride on the Weka Pass Railway for our Son's 4th birthday- this Ergobaby is going places!