1 NCT Thurrock Branch Spring/Summer 2011 Spring/Summer 2011 Pregnancy to Parenthood Thurrock Branch Includes: Aveley, Chafford Hundred, Corringham, Fobbing, Grays, Horndon on the Hill, Purfleet, South Ockendon, Stanford-le-Hope & Tilbury Details of our Nearly New Sale inside on page 4! Please don‟t throw me away, pass me on to a friend today. ©NCT, Alexandra House, Oldham Terrace London W3 6NH, Registered charity no. 801395 2 NCT Thurrock Branch Spring/Summer 2011 With special thanks to our advertisers: Brandon Groves AFC D Sheppard Massage Therapy Dewdrop Beads Contents Em‟s Yoga & Therapy Bag a Bargain! (Nearly New Sale) 4 JJ Roche & Sons Courses & Events in Thurrock 6 K Lou Arts Breastfeeding - My Personal 8 Photography Experience Little Impressions Sunny Days 12 Little Ones Workout Our Birth Story 15 Molly Moo‟s Cupcakes Fun & Games 18 Pots of Petals Lessons in Fatherhood 22 Spring Shopping Reusable Baby Wipes 24 Market Second Generation 26 Thurrock Branch Committee Members & Vacancies COMMITTEE MEMBERS Chairman/Ante-natal Teacher - Zoe Jarvis Treasurer/Ante-natal Teacher - Michelle Le Page Newsletter Editor - Emma Phillips Webmaster - Vicki Noonan Volunteer Co-ordinator - Catherine Gardner General Volunteers - Lisa Badman-Dunphy, Jacqui Cole Ante-natal Teacher - Lorraine Cooper COMMITTEE VACANCIES Nearly New Sale Co-ordinator and Team Members Membership Secretary Advertising Co-ordinator General Volunteers If you can offer any time or talents, please let us know! COVER PHOTO Zoe Jarvis The NCT is a registered charity, number 801395. Its registered office address is Alexandra House, Oldham Terrace, Acton, London W3 6NH. It is also a company registered in England and Wales with Company number 2370573 and VAT registration number 681182923. 3 NCT Thurrock Branch Spring/Summer 2011 BRANCH UPDATE New Challenge Ahead… Welcome back everyone. We hope done in Thurrock for over 10 years, you enjoyed our Autumn/Winter but the very dedicated committee edition. Since our last newsletter, the feels that with lots of help and support branch has been very busy. this can be achieved. Please help us make this a success, as we would We held our 4th messy play session, love to be able to run these annually. where 40 children (and adults) spent 2 hours painting, sticking and getting On a more personal note, our trainee covered in glitter, followed by drinks antenatal teacher, Michelle, has and delicious home made cakes. taught her first antenatal course. Well This session raised £88 for the done - we hope it is the first of many! branch. Congratulations also go to Vicki, our webmaster, who is expecting her second baby this summer. Over 20 adults learned about baby and toddler first aid with our This is a really busy time for the facilitator Kevin. committee and we always welcome any help. As usual, we are also You can now see what we are up to pleased to received any letters, on our new Facebook page, and for articles or useful tips you would like to all those Tweeters out there you can share with your fellow readers. Please also keep updated on Twitter. email [email protected] or call Zoe Jarvis on 0844 243 6297. Our big challenge this year is to run a Nearly New Sale (“NNS”) on Happy Reading! Saturday 15th October (see main article on page 4). This has not been Zoe Jarvis (Branch Chairman) LOCAL BRANCH HOTLINE* 0844 243 6297 * Calls cost 4p per minute from BT landlines. The NCT wants all parents to have an experience of pregnancy, birth and early parenthood that enriches their lives and gives them confidence in being a parent. The views expressed in this newsletter are personal and do not necessarily reflect those of the NCT. The information in this newsletter is intended for the use of NCT members and newsletter recipients, only in connection with NCT activities and may not be used for commercial purposes. The conditions of the Data Protection Act (1988) may apply. 4 NCT Thurrock Branch Spring/Summer 2011 Bag a Bargain! Nowadays many of us are trying to tighten our belts, which can be difficult when you have a growing family. An NCT Nearly New Sale (“NNS”) can be a perfect solution. If you want to bag a bargain or de-clutter your nursery, an NCT NNS may be the answer to your problems. A NNS has not been run in Thurrock for many years so if you are wondering what it is all about, here are a few pointers. What is a Nearly New Sale? It is an opportunity for you to buy top quality baby and children„s clothes and equipment at bargain prices straight from the owners. If I want to be a seller, what do I need to do? You need to register with the branch so we know that you want to sell on the day. There will be a small administration fee of £4 for the seller‟s pack. You then set the price of each item: 25% of the sale price goes to the NCT and you keep 75% (items priced over £20 will have a fixed commission of £5). What can or can‟t I sell? There are certain things that we can‟t accept such as cuddly toys, but all this information will be laid out in the branch Terms and Conditions. The most important thing is that the items for sale are of a high quality and „nearly new‟. Do I need to stay and sell my items on the day? We are always looking for volunteers and we do ask that people who are selling stay to help out (lunch will be provided and you will also be able to scour the items for sale before the general public). Do I sell my own things? No, all the items get split into categories as it makes it easier for the buyer to see what is for sale. Every item that is sold has a unique ticket number. So for example when you register you may be ID number 10, so every item that Mrs A sells has a ticket No 10 taped to it. When an item is purchased we take the ticket off and then we know the Mrs A has sold 5 NCT Thurrock Branch Spring/Summer 2011 her play mat for £5. Mrs A gets to keep £3.75 and £1.25 goes to the NCT. As a seller, how do I get paid for the items that I have sold? At the end of the sale, we add up all the tickets and will issue cheques to the sellers. Sellers are asked to collect any unsold items at the end of the sale, otherwise they will be donated to a local charity. I am interested in looking for a bargain! You just need to turn up on the day, door entry is £1. If you are a NCT member you can gain early entrance (from 9.30am-10am) - please bring your membership card. General entrance will be from 10am. I hope I have managed to answer some of your questions about NCT Nearly New Sales. For further information please call Zoe Jarvis on 0844 2436297 or email [email protected], and see out the advert on the back page of this newsletter. Alternatively, visit the branch webpage at www.nct.org.uk/Thurrock. Em’s Yoga & Therapy Tel: 01375 650402 Mobile: 07947 199397 Email: [email protected] Yoga Classes & Workshops Corporate Yoga Facilitator One 2 One Yoga Sessions Pregnancy & Postnatal Yoga Thai Yoga Massage Therapy Treatments Indian Head Massage Treatments 6 NCT Thurrock Branch Spring/Summer 2011 Courses & Events in Thurrock Antenatal Course From where to give birth to knowing when your contractions are really getting underway, antenatal courses are a great way to find answers to all your questions about labour and birth. NCT antenatal classes: Provide reliable information that allows you to make your own decisions; Focus on what you want to know, with plenty of time for questions; Are relaxed and informal, with approx. 8 couples per course. All teachers are trained by the NCT to diploma level and have their educator‟s license renewed every year. Our courses focus on providing you with the information and skills you need to make your own decisions about your labour and birth. Some of the topics we cover include: Practical skills for labour, including breathing, massage and birth positions; Your pain relief choices; Realistic information on what happens during birth; Early days with your baby. Most courses include a session with a qualified breastfeeding counsellor. These friendly sessions provide practical information to help you to start breastfeeding and to consider what life will be like with a new baby. Refresher Antenatal Course This course is for parents who have already had at last one baby, offering you a chance to reflect and build on past birth experiences and prepare yourself for looking after your new baby. Refresher courses give participants a chance to look at issues such as previous labours, the impact a new baby will have on the family and sibling rivalry. To book on either course, please contact Carrie Ann Race on 0844 2436 894 or email [email protected]. Messy Morning Thurrock branch holds craft mornings several times a year with many different types of activities and crafts that your children can enjoy, e.g. play dough, colouring, decorating biscuits, badge making, without you having to clear up! Please see our Facebook and Twitter pages for upcoming dates. 7 NCT Thurrock Branch Spring/Summer 2011 FIRST AID FOR BABIES & CHILDREN Learn the basics of CPR for babies and small children, together with brief discussions on what to do in the event of choking, febrile convulsions, burns and scalds.