East Grinstead NCT East Grinstead Branch · NCT East Grinstead Autumn 2015 7 Symptoms of pelvic...

NCT East Grinstead Autumn 2015

East Grinstead Branch

Newsletter Autumn 2015

Baby Led

Weaning

One Mum’s

experiences and

thoughts on BLW

Sling

Library

More about this new

service provided by

NCT East Grinstead

Cranial

Osteopathy

Five things you

should know about

Paediatric

Osteopathy


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Contents

4 Welcome

A word from our branch co-ordinator

6 Pregnancy related pelvic girdle pain in pregnancy

Read more about this common pregnancy related pain

12 Our birth story by Charlotte Stagg

A local Mum’s dramatic birthing experience

14 Five things to know about Cranial Osteopathy

What to look out for when selecting a Paediatric Osteopath

19 Toy library now open six days a week

Great news for East Grinstead parents

21 A dad’s thoughts on the first day at home...

It’s amazing what you learn and experience after baby’s birth!

22 Nothing but love for baby led weaning

A Mum’s review of this approach to solid food for babies

26 East Grinstead Sling Library

Find out more about this new service from NCT East Grinstead


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Welcome

Dear Readers,

Welcome to the Autumn edition of the NCT East Grinstead branch

Newsletter.

In this issue we have an article about pregnancy related pelvic girdle

pain, information about our branch services and helpful articles about

resources such as Cranial Osteopathy and music in children's

development. Some exciting news about the Toy Library in East

Grinstead too!

I would also like to say a big thank you to all who volunteered to help

with our recent Nearly New Sale and the team who organised the whole

event led by our Nearly New Sale co-ordinator Sarah Marchant.

We hope to run another in April 2016 so

watch this space! In addition, if you or

someone you know would like to get involved

in volunteering with us in any way, please do

not hesitate to contact us to find out how; we

are a growing branch with many

opportunities to get involved with!

Ella Ella Wormley-Healing

Branch Co-ordinator

Registered Charity Number (England and Wales): 801395

Registered Charity Number (Scotland): SC041592

© NCT, Alexandra House, Oldham Terrace, London, W3 6NH

Printed by South Bucks Business Products • www.southbucksprint.co.uk


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About NCT NCT is here to support parents. We don’t tell them what to do or think

– through our classes, branches, and helplines, our volunteers and

qualified representatives give parents accurate, impartial information

so that they can decide what’s best for their family.

Through us, they can join a support network of other parents near by,

which can be a lifeline in the early years. We are the UK’s leading

parenting charity, and, being independent, we have an influential voice

in campaigning and lobbying on the issues that parents care about.

Enjoyed this newsletter? You can get a copy sent to you directly by joining NCT.

NCT membership offers you an easy way to meet other mums and

dads who are going through exactly the same thing.

NCT membership costs less than

£4 a month. Other benefits include:

priority entry to Nearly New

Sales

quarterly parenting magazine

NCT Matters

special discounts at NCT Shop

low-cost holidays using our

members only

NCT family house swap holidays

Join online at www.nct.org.uk/join

Please don’t throw me away, pass me on to a friend today


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Pregnancy related pelvic girdle

pain (PGP) in pregnancy Article written by NCT www.nct.org.uk

Pelvic girdle pain (PGP) or symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD) is

common in pregnancy. Read about minimising the discomfort of pelvic,

hip and back pain in pregnancy and treatment.

This article covers what pelvic girdle pain is, what causes it, the

symptoms, how to cope with PGP in pregnancy and your options for

birth.

What is pelvic girdle pain (PGP)?

Pelvic girdle pain (PGP) is the umbrella term for all pelvic pain,

including pubic pain which was previously called symphysis pubis

dysfunction (SPD). PGP includes pain anywhere from the lumbar

spine/abdomen down to the thigh, either at the front or back. The pain

may range from a mild ache to severe pain which limits your daily

activities. This may start at any time during pregnancy, labour or in the

weeks after delivery.

What causes pelvic girdle pain (PGP)?

It’s hard to say what causes some women to develop PGP and not

others. The evidence for risk factors is inconclusive and some

evidence is also contradictory. The main risk factor appears to be a

history of previous low-back/pelvic girdle/joint pain and/or previous

trauma to the pelvis.

Earlier research found that poor muscle function in the back and pelvis

at the beginning of pregnancy is related to severe pain and disability

throughout pregnancy.


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Symptoms of pelvic girdle pain (PGP)

Common signs and symptoms include:

difficulty walking (a waddling gait),

pain on weight bearing on one leg e.g. climbing stairs,

pain and/or difficulty in straddle movements e.g. getting in and out

of bath,

clicking or grinding in the pelvic area (may be audible or palpable),

limited and painful hip abduction (though some women have normal

or only partly limited abduction),

difficulty lying in some positions e.g. side-lying,

pain during normal activities of daily life and/or

pain and difficulty during sexual intercourse.

Symptoms can be aggravated by the increasing weight of the baby,

changes in the body’s centre of gravity, and posture. It usually occurs

in pregnancy due to the

hormone 'relaxin'

softening the ligaments in

your body, allowing your

pelvis to open up and

make room for your baby

to be born.


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Coping with pelvic girdle pain in pregnancy

The condition is usually diagnosed by its symptoms and by a thorough

assessment of the pelvic joints and spine. Your healthcare team will be

able to refer you to a specialist physiotherapist. Getting diagnosed as

early as possible can help to keep the pain to a minimum and avoid

long-term discomfort.

If you suffer from pelvic girdle pain it may be best to try and avoid

weight bearing activities. Many women have found that making small

changes to everyday activities reduce discomfort. You could try the

following:

Remain active within the limits of pain so avoid activities which you

know makes the pain worse.

Accept offers of help and involve your partner, family and friends in

daily chores.

Rest more frequently or sit down for activities that normally involve

standing, e.g. ironing.

Avoid standing on one leg so try dressing sitting down, for instance.

Consider alternative sleeping position, such as lying on one side

with pillows between your legs for comfort. Turn ‘under’ when

turning in bed, or turn over with knees together and squeeze

buttocks.

Explore alternative ways to climb stairs. You could try going upstairs

one leg at a time with the most pain-free leg first and the other leg

joining it on the step.


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Plan the day by bringing everything you need downstairs in the

morning and set up changing stations both up and downstairs. You

might find a rucksack helpful to carry things around the house,

especially if crutches have to be used.

Avoid activities that involve asymmetrical positions of the pelvis,

such as sitting cross-legged, reaching, pushing or pulling to one

side, and bending and twisting to lift or carrying anything on one hip.

Consider alternative positions for sex, such as lying on the side or

kneeling on all fours.

Organise hospital appointments for the same day if possible, such

as combining appointments for antenatal care and physiotherapy.

You should still be able to have a normal birth - talk to your midwife

about the options (see section below).

Planning birth with pelvic girdle pain

The majority of women will be able to have a spontaneous vaginal

delivery if they want to so talk to your midwife about your options. For

instance, you could discuss your pain relief options as well as

alternative positions for birth, such as supported kneeling or side lying

with pillows/knees to chest.

While PGP in pregnancy is common, it isn’t normal. You should always

seek help early if you think you’re suffering; it is a treatable,

manageable condition.

This article is based on content from The POGP (Pelvic Obstetric and

Gynaecological Physiotherapy), a UK-based professional network

affiliated to the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, which provides

useful information on PGP.


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NCT East Grinstead Bumps and Babes

Every Monday (except Bank Holidays)

10:30am to 12:00noon

Meridian Hall, East Court, East Grinstead, RH19 3LT

www.nct.org.uk/branches/east-grinstead

Search for:

NCT East Grinstead


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Our birth story

by Charlotte Stagg

After several months of trying for a baby, my husband and I went

to the doctors for help. My husband was first to take the test but

everything came back fine; better than fine, which meant it was

me with the problem.

We met with a doctor who specialised in IVF who was very reassuring

but before starting IVF they referred me to have an HSG, which is

where they blast dye into my uterus and then looked at the X-ray

screen to see if I had blocked fallopian tubes. It isn’t meant to hurt

anymore than a smear test but I beg to differ! However, all that

blasting must have worked because two months later we found out I

was pregnant.

Now the fun began, I had it all… morning sickness, heartburn, acid

reflux, migraines, carpal tunnel syndrome, SPD, but worst of all was

from week 26 of my pregnancy I started getting swollen and had high

blood pressure. When I got to 7 months pregnant I started to feel really

unwell so my husband took me to hospital. I was told I had the

symptoms of pre-eclampsia but it was unlikely because they didn’t find

any protein in my urine sample. From then on the midwife was

monitoring me weekly.

A week before I was due to go on maternity leave, I was signed off by

my doctor because she was worried about me. However, the midwives

were not, so for a whole month I was told to sit at home with my feet

up, not that I could move much anyway because my hips were agony.

The day before my due date, I couldn’t feel our baby kicking so we

were told to go to Princess Royal Hospital immediately for blood tests


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and to be monitored. After 4 hours of being strapped up to their

monitor I was told that everything was fine and I could go home but

they wanted me back in two days time to be induced.

On Friday 14th November 2014 at 1:30am I woke up in a lot of pain. I

nudged my husband and told him “the baby’s coming”. I got him to

time my contractions, which were 5 minutes apart. He rang the hospital

and was told, “all first time Mums worry that they baby is coming but

she’ll be hours yet. Run her a bath and get her to take 2 paracetamol”.

Unfortunately we had no hot water because only a few hours before I

had a bath because I was due to be induced at 9am. So my husband

had to make it by boiling the kettle - not ideal but I was prepared to sit

in a few inches of water thinking it might help with the pain. It didn’t,

and the pain was getting worse so he rang back again to say he really

thinks we ought to head over but this time we got “you can but we’ll

only send her home”.

Not impressed with their answer he helped me out of the bath so that

he could get me dressed and take me to the hospital. But as soon as I

stood up, my waters broke and I could feel the baby coming. With the

look of fear in my eyes, I told him to ring 999. He managed to lie me

down on our bed and call them. The ambulance crew were amazing

and arrived within minutes. They tried to get me to sit on the stretcher

but that wasn’t possible anymore so I had to lie down on it.

Because of where we live, the ambulance was too high to fit under our

neighbour’s coach-house so they had to park out on Brookhill Road.

They got me into the back of their ambulance and radioed for a

midwife but none were available. So the crew then started to get ready

to drive me to the hospital - or so they thought they were. With a big

suck on the gas and air, two pushes later our beautiful daughter was

born.


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Five things you should know

about Cranial Osteopathy Article written by Tracey Cambridge DPO Paediatric Osteopath since 1997

1. Cranial Osteopathy works and it works very well when the practitioner has the correct

training and experience. However some Osteopaths and Chiropractors advertise that

they treat babies and children when they don't actually have the correct training to do

so.

2. All Osteopaths are trained to treat ADULTS but you cannot give a child the same

treatment that you would give an adult because a child's body and bones are much

softer than that of an adult and they require different treatment techniques. To treat

children requires further post-graduate training and the gold standard training for all

Osteopaths is at the Osteopathic Centre for Children (OCC) in London which is a 2 year

course resulting in a Diploma in Paediatric Osteopathy called a "DPO". At the end of this

training, it then takes further practice and experience to get good observable results.

3. Chiropractors are now advertising that they treat children and you need to check what

training they have done to treat children. Do not be fooled by the confident talk, the

plush offices, the flash advertising or how many years they have been treating adults as

none of this matters. What matters is if they have post-graduate training to treat children

which makes them safe to treat children. And if anyone wants to do an "adjustment" on

your child or use a hand held clicking machine called an “activator” then get up and

leave fast because they could injure your child.

4. There needs to be plenty of time for your appointment and if your Osteopath or

Chiropractor treats your baby in half an hour or less, then know that it is a rush job. If

your baby needs feeding, a nappy change, or a cuddle if it is crying during your session,

then there will be little time left for the actual treatment. You should be given at least an

hour for your appointment, especially if it is the first appointment.

5. If you cannot see any observable improvement in your child's symptoms after at least

two visits, or your child seems worse, then find another Osteopath with more experience

in treating children. Cranial Osteopathy does work but be aware that there are some

Osteopaths and Chiropractors who falsely claim to treat babies and children when they

do not have the correct training or experience to do so. Your child is precious. Do your

homework and search out the very best Paediatric Osteopath that you can find.


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1st visit £45 and further visits £35


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The Symphony is a high quality hospital grade double breast

pump which imitates a baby’s sucking motion, giving you the

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For more information or to hire, please contact

Amanda Broughton on 07818 003003 or email

[email protected]

www.medela.co.uk


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Toy library now open

six days a week Article courtesy of East Grinstead Online www.eastgrinsteadonline.com

The Toy Library, which is housed in the library foyer as part of the

Children and Family Centre will now be open whenever the library

is, instead of only two and a half days a week as previously.

Families with under-fives, or carers and grandparents, can borrow two

toys for a three week loan period for a one-off membership charge of

£2.

Toys are issued through the Library Self Service machines, and there

are no fines on late returns.

The Library service is now able to send out reminders by email to

customers – including those who have borrowed books – three days

before items are due back.


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Book reviews

Artemis Churchill-Smith, age 2½

What is your favourite book?

‘The Giving Tree’ by Shel Silverstein

What is it about?

A boy and a tree are friends. The tree helps

the boy as he grows up to be happy.

Why do you like it?

At the end they are happy and together.

Who do you like reading it with?

I like when Mama reads it.

Benedict Parker, age 2

What is your favourite book?

‘Wow! Said the Owl’ by Tim Hopgood

What is it about?

It's a book about colours. An owl stays awake all day because she is curious

to see what daytime is like.

Why do you like it?

I have enjoyed reading it since I was 18

months old. It's really helped me to learn

my colours. I love saying 'Wow!'... that's

what the little owl says every time she

sees a new colour.

Who do you like reading it with?

I like reading it with Mummy. She sings the song about the colours in the

rainbow and asks me which colours I can see.


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A dad’s thoughts on

the first day at home... Article written by Darren Shaw

Sophia May Shaw born Sunday 20th Sept at

11.35am weighing 7lbs 1oz

First day at home with Sophia has resulted in the following lessons

being learnt:

1. The big steamy thingy on the side (steriliser) is easy to use but

bloody hot if you want to access it too quickly.

2. You can get to 21:48 in the evening and realise that you've not

brushed your teeth.

3. Hearing John Legend 'all of me' will make me and Gemma (but not

Sophia) burst into uncontrollable tears.

4. Being fed and changed is not a recipe for sleep.

5. Pampers nappies have a yellow stripe on them that goes blue when

the wearer has done a wee.

6. Pampers nappies have a white inside that goes like full grain

English Mustard yellow when the wearer has done a poo.

6. Pampers nappies are useless if the person in control of fitting them

(me) has had 4 hours sleep.

5. You can confuse a fitted Moses basket sheet that is folded in half,

for a pair of maternity knickers.

7. When you’re this hungry and its this late in the day, I lose the ability

to count.


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Nothing but love for

baby led weaning Article by Gemma Brighton, Suffolk for NCT East Grinstead

My little boy is called Ashley and he is 7 months old. We have

been following the baby led weaning approach with him for a

month.

Ashley has just started to eat full meals; in the first couple of weeks

baby led weaning (BLW) was more about learning about food and

discovering the colours, textures and taste of the foods we gave him

rather than actually eating them.

But a couple of weeks ago he started clearing his plate and being able

to eat more complex meals. We started off offering food to him at just

one meal a day and we just offered simple vegetables and fruits. This

progressed to three meals a day quite organically, as and when Ashley

was ready. After only a few days of simple meals Ashley was eating

the same meals we were; some of his favourites are curry, burritos and

pasta.

Some parents start with all three meals, but we weren’t that organised,

so it took us a week or so to get going properly. Actually the first

weekend Ashley started to BLW we were away in Yorkshire for a

family holiday. We were staying in a lovely house in Reeth with my

parents and I remember my Dad offering Ashley some baked beans

and some toast off of his plate.

My parents have been so supportive of our choice to BLW Ashley, and

even though this isn’t how myself and sister were weaned they have

never questioned my approach. Rather the opposite, my mum came


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up to me after our weekend away saying ‘I think you should try and

make Ashley some egg muffins, he’ll love them’, and he does love

them! It’s such an enjoyable process for both myself and my husband

seeing Ashley learn about food and how to eat. I also sense that my

parents are very proud of how confident Ashley is with food, as they

tell everyone what he’s been eating and how clever they think he is.

If you’re considering baby led weaning, you might be thinking ‘what

about the mess?!’ Well, we haven’t had any major issues with mess,

we just have a normal high chair, a bib that has a little food catcher at

the bottom and a cheap vinyl tablecloth to cover the carpet. Saying this

we have had to move from bathing Ashley every other day to every

night, especially when he has a tomato based dinner – he may not

make a mess on the floor, but his

face and hands sure do get

covered!

Seeing how our little man has

developed and improved his

hand eye coordination and how

much he looks forward to and

enjoys mealtimes in such a short

time is so rewarding. At the start

of our BLW journey, I admit I felt

a little overwhelmed thinking

about what to feed him, when to

feed him, how much to feed him

etc., but I promise you if you just

let your baby lead you you’ll find

everything happens naturally and

progresses as it should.


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Remember some babies eat more than other and some babies may

not seem to be eating much at all and all of it is fine – I heard a lovely

phrase that I kept in my head in the beginning which is ‘food before

one is just for fun’, I found this out on a wonderful Facebook BLW

support group and I’d urge you to join something similar as the wealth

of knowledge you can gather is amazing, as well as learning and trying

lots of new recipes that are suggested by fellow BLWer’s.

My renewed love of cooking and baking has been rekindled thanks to

our method of weaning. I love trying out recipes that the whole family

can enjoy and I’m eager to build a freezer stash of goodies for us all to

make those nights where a quick meal is required all the easier. One

of my close friends, who works with my mum, has asked to meet up in

the half term to have a cooking day for the babies – my mum has been

telling her about all of the meals I’ve been trying and cooking that

she’d like to learn too. It’s nice that BLWing is helping me to bond with

my friends and it’s great to share recipes and ideas.

You may also be wondering how a BLW baby copes when going out to

eat in a restaurant, well our little one just has bits off of our plates

when we are out. We went to a well-known Portuguese chicken

restaurant for lunch with one of my husband’s work colleagues a

couple of weeks back and Ashley had pitta bread, chicken, corn on the

cob, lettuce and potatoes all quite happily – although he did skip the

hot sauce!

Our experience of baby led weaning so far has been wonderful and I

am so glad we knew about this approach and that Ashley has taken to

it so well. He looks forward to mealtimes, he isn’t fussy and he’s more

than will to give lots of different flavours and textures a try. He is also

able to regulate how much he eats and how fast he eats which is

lovely to see at such a young age as he is already developing

independence.


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East Grinstead Sling Library The sling library run by NCT East Grinstead branch has been up

and running for nearly four months and is proving to be a great

success. Thanks to the generous support of Tunbridge Wells,

Uckfield and East Grinstead Baby Sensory the branch has a range

of woven, structured and new-born carriers available for hire.

Available for 2-week or 4-week periods for just £6 and £9 respectively,

the sling library allows Mums (and Dads!) to try out a range of

babywearing options to see what suits them before making an

investment, with some carriers topping the £100 mark to purchase new.

The sling library runs at our Bumps and Babes group on Monday

mornings (except Bank Holidays) at the Meridian Hall, East Court, East

Grinstead, from 10:30 to 12:00. Our volunteers are available to provide

advice and support on the options and to assist with babywearing.

Around half our hirers have subsequently gone on to

buy carriers or slings of their own.

You can also email us at

[email protected] for

advice outside of our usual weekly slot.

Great work NCT - I think the

Sling Library will do really well,

plus it's something I feel

passionate about. It is a

pleasure to sponsor something

that will be so beneficial to

mums who want to babywear!

Katie De Ioia ” “


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[email protected]

Tunbridge Wells, Uckfield & East Grinstead


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Meet the team Branch Committee

Branch Co-ordinator

Ella Wormley-Healing

[email protected]

Treasurer

Michelle Taylor

[email protected]

Membership Secretary

Priya Shah

[email protected]

Parent Support

Co-ordinator

Vacancy

[email protected]

Newsletter Editor

Andrew Taylor

[email protected]

Bumps and Babes

Co-ordinator

Kate Pullen

[email protected]

Nearly New Sale

Co-ordinator

Sarah Marchant

[email protected]

Support Services

NCT Parent Services

Administrator

for booking classes

Ali Tierney

[email protected]

Antenatal Leader

Helen Scott

[email protected]

07887 928442

Breast Pump Hire

Amanda Broughton

[email protected]

07818 003003


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The information in this newsletter is for the benefit of NCT (National Childbirth Trust) members and beneficiaries. It may be used only in connection with NCT activities and may not be used for any commercial purposes. The views and opinions expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of NCT. The information contained in this newsletter should not be reproduced without the editor's consent in writing. The appearance of an advertisement in this newsletter does not imply endorsement of the company or its products by NCT, nor does it constitute a recommendation. However, it is always worth mentioning when replying to an advertisement that you saw it in an NCT newsletter. NCT cannot be held liable for loss, damage or injury arising out of goods sold through any advertisements in this newsletter. Any discount offered to NCT members by any advertisement is done so entirely at the discretion of the advertiser.

Our branch is run by volunteers. We are mostly parents with young children working from home which means we are not always available. Please be considerate of meal/bed times if you telephone us, and allow a few days for us to respond to emails. This includes our agents such as bra fitters, valley cushion and pump agents, and also our breastfeeding counsellors and peer supporters.

Contact details

Email us at:

[email protected]

Find us online at:

www.nct.org.uk/eastgrinstead

Or on Facebook at:

www.facebook.com/NCTEastGrinstead

NCT contact details:

Helpline number: 0300 330 0700

Website: www.nct.org.uk

NCT Shop number: 0845 8100 100

NCT Shop website: www.nctshop.co.uk

NCT East Grinstead Branch covers East Grinstead, Felbridge, Crawley Down, Copthorne,

Lingfield, Dormansland, Ashurst Wood, Forest Row, West Hoathly, Sharpthorne and Turners Hill.


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