Rachida Dati Returns To Work Five Days after Giving Birth

Five days after giving birth to a baby girl, Rachida Dati, the French Justice Minister, returned to work after checking out of a Paris maternity clinic in the morning. Her first child, Zohra, was delivered by Caesarian section. Ms Dati arrived for a Cabinet meeting at the Élysée Palace smiling, dressed in a black suit and high heels. Under French law, she would have been entitled to 16 weeks’ maternity leave. President Sarkozy paid tribute to the Ms Dati, according to government spokesman Luc Chatel. “Rachida has said that to be a mother was the greatest of happinesses, but she had important duties she would continue to fulfil,” Mr Chatel said. FEB 2009

EXERCISE DURING PREGNANCY

• Do remember that the appropriate level of exercise will depend on how fit you were before becoming pregnant.

• Do wear loose, comfortable clothes. Drink plenty of fluids and don't allow yourself to get overheated as this can be harmful to the baby.

• Do take a gentle approach to exercises that put strain on joints and ligaments. During pregnancy women are more vulnerable to joint and ligament injury because the body produces relaxin, a hormone which loosens joints and ligaments in preparation for childbirth.

• Do listen to your body. Dizziness and fatigue is not uncommon in the first trimester and some women lose their balance more easily in the second and third trimesters as the baby grows and their centre of gravity shifts. Stop and consult your health care provider if you experience vaginal bleeding, shortness of breath, palpitations or pain in the back or pelvis.

• Do avoid contact sports and any activity with a potential for hard falls, such as horse riding.

• Don’t exercise in order to lose weight during pregnancy as this may harm your baby.

• Don’t exercise flat on your back as this can restrict the flow of blood to the womb.

• Don't use saunas or steam rooms. They can make you too hot, which can be harmful to the baby. JAN 2009

A CHRISTMAS BABY SHOWER

Are you giving a baby shower during the Christmas holiday? This is the perfect opportunity to celebrate the baby and use Christmas decorations as your backdrop.

You could decorate a small tabletop tree with little lambs, little cherub ornaments, little baby bottles, tiny angels or anything with a baby theme. Use ribbons and bows in blue, white, pink, or yellow.

Decorate a Christmas wreath for the front door. By using little teddy bears or dolls on your wreath, you can greet your guests with a “Merry Christmas” while celebrating the new baby as well.

Intermingle greenery and gold and white glittery pinecones along with candles to make a Christmassy display on your buffet table. A baby shower during the Christmas holiday is a beautiful and exciting time to celebrate Christmas while celebrating the arrival of a precious new baby for a very happy and fortunate family.

Merry Christmas and congratulations to the new parents! DEC 2008

PREGNANCY CRAVINGS

Like almost every strange but harmless episode during pregnancy - from tingling hands to a snuffly nose - changes in your sense of taste and your eatings habits can be put down to your hormones.

Why do tastes change in pregnancy?

Hormones The balance of hormones changes during pregnancy, because your body suddenly has to prepare for a new era - channeling nutrition to new parts of the body, loosening up your body's physiological structure to enable your bump to grow and your lower half to prepare for birth, and so on. And one of the side effects of these hormonal changes is that it can affect your sense of taste.
For some, this might mean they go off certain foods or drinks that they enjoyed before.

Neccessary changes to your diet As well as the hormonal changes, being pregnant usually means enforced changes in our diet. Obvious factors like cutting out alcohol, certain fish, raw meats and fish, and unpasteurised cheeses, might mean that your daily or weekly intake has changed quite a bit since you realised you were having a baby. This shift can cause new habits to form - rediscovering a food you used to love or one you haven't tried before, as you adapt your diet.

Needing to re-fuel You need to eat well during pregnancy and again this can cause a change in what you eat. If you were the kind of person who used to skip breakfast or have a light lunch, will you find now that you simple cannot get away with it. Instead, you will need to have small snacks through the day as well as your regular meals. You therefore might surprise yourself in how often you are grazing on nuts, fruit etc. NOV 2008

A VEGETARIAN RECIPE FOR PREGNANCY

With a little bit of planning, a vegetarian diet can provide all the nutrients you need for a healthy pregnancy.

Your body requires a little more protein during pregnancy, and this is easily provided by a healthy varied vegetarian diet. However, take extra care to ensure you have an adequate intake of two nutrients that are particularly important during pregnancy - iron and calcium. Here are some tasty vegetarian recipes to inspire you.

Spaghetti with butternut squash and pine nuts

This recipe makes an easy vegetarian supper. Pine nuts are a fantastic source of vitamin E, and the squash contains lots of vitamin A. The easiest way to cook squash with minimal preparation is to cut it in half, scoop out the seeds and bake it in the oven or cook in the microwave. No peeling required!

Serves three

Ingredients
1 medium butternut squash, washed, halved lengthwise and seeds removed
40g rocket leaves
75g - 100g wholemeal spaghetti per person
75g pine nuts
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Black pepper
Grated Parmesan cheese, to serve

Method
Place the squash in a microwave oven and cook on high for about 10 minutes until the flesh is soft (800W microwave, lower powered models will need longer cooking time).

Meanwhile cook the spaghetti according to the instructions on the packet. Mix the rocket, garlic and olive oil together in a bowl.

Lightly toast the pine nuts until just browned. When the squash is cooked, scoop out the flesh with a spoon and mix into the rocket and garlic.

Drain the pasta and stir in the squash mixture, sprinkle over the toasted pine nuts and serve at once with grated Parmesan.
Variation: non-vegetarian friends might like a little chopped crispy bacon sprinkled on top.  OCTOBER 2008

A FEW HELPFUL TIPS & HINTS FOR NEW DAD!

There are, unbelievably, men who continue to live life as if they’re in a 1970s sitcom, slipping out of the house and disappearing to the pub when their child starts crying. The truth is that there are plenty of things all fathers can do that are of huge help to a shattered partner and a helpless child.  In terms of basic things to do with the baby, these might include:

• changing nappies 

• burping the baby (it’s easy, and it can be the start of an important bonding session between you)

• rocking baby to sleep (important because, unlike your breastfeeding partner, you won’t smell of milk and so won’t have a fully-fed baby demanding more)

• reading stories (baby won’t understand a thing, but it’s important to introduce the concept early)

• keeping baby occupied through play (you’re the FUN parent, remember)

• talking to baby (they can't talk back but it gets her familiar with grammar and vocabulary).

Even if the whole baby thing is getting you down, the following easy tasks might provide light relief:

• doing the washing up

• cooking food for your partner and child

• loading up the washing machine and hanging the clean clothes out

• tidying the house now and then

• doing the shopping

• waiting on your partner, hand and foot.

You can’t give birth and you can’t breastfeed. There, you’ve lost the two key trump cards in any argument with your wife. You can, however, change nappies. This is truly a man’s realm.

Finally, a warning...

"Nobody will ever tell you this," a new father friend whispered to me, shortly before the birth of my first child. "But just remember – the first few weeks are ABSOLUTE HELL. Prepare yourself for total madness and it won’t seem so bad."

It was the best advice any expectant father could have. The truth is that those first few weeks and months are hell. Your home will look like a bomb site. You'll be surrounded by piles of dirty nappies, filthy clothes and mountains of washing up. You'll be woken up throughout the night by ear-splitting baby cries. You feel as if you'll never get a decent night’s sleep again. Suddenly, the boring job that you’ve wanted to quit for years seems like bliss!! SEPTEMBER 2008

WHY DO SO MANY BABIES HAVE OLD PEOPLE'S NAMES?

As if by magic, the Floras and Doras of Britain are no longer just the ones hanging out in bingo halls. They're in playgrounds, prams and pushchairs, proudly bearing the monikers of their grandmothers and great-grandmothers. The older Georges and Alfreds and Stanleys of the world now have miniature namesakes, little grandsons and great-grandsons named in their honour. And with Alfie the 22nd most popular boys' name in 2005, Emily at the top of the girls', new parents all over the UK are showing that "old-lady chic" and "grandad cool" have well and truly arrived.

Just like flares and hairstyles, baby names seem to come and go in cycles. But why should this be? Names our own parents might never have dared inflict on us: geeky, awkward ones like Edith, Reggie or Florence: have emerged from the charity-shop box of names, transformed, with a definite whiff of vintage glamour. AUGUST 2008

LOOK AT MY BABY

With doting parents-to-be willing to pay up to £250 for images of their unborn children, baby scans have suddenly become big business.

Conventional pregnancy scans, the standard option for offered to most NHS patients, are static images taken with a two-dimensional (2-D) scan. Parents take home a grainy black-and-white photograph. At the moment mums-to-be have NHS ultra-sound scans at 12 and 20 weeks to check that the foetus is healthy. These new moving 4-D images are performed at 24 to 30 weeks and can be downloaded onto an iPod, e-mailed to friends or even used as a screensaver. Dr Panday has recently opened a new scanning unit at The Portland Hospital in London, “with 4-D scanning, the image is in real time and you can show parents moving images of the expression on their baby’s face”.

The technology company Philips has just released a cutting edge vision of how pregnancy scans might look in the next three to five years. Both parents will sit on a comfortable double seat and a fabric belt is wrapped round the pregnant belly. This projects real time sound and vision from the womb on to a giant rounded tummy-shaped screen on the wall. This is still a concept theory but is predicted to become reality within three to five years. JULY 2008

GORGE FOR A BOY AND DIET FOR A GIRL......

Recently in the Times Newspaper there was a very interesting article following a study from Exeter University revealing how we can help to determine the sex of our offspring by what we eat. “If you want a boy, eat a healthy diet with a high calorie intake, including breakfast,” says Fiona Mathews, the lead researcher of the study.

Yet as a nation we are becoming heavier by the day - 56 per cent of British women are classed as overweight or obese. So is it sensible to give all women of childbearing age who want a baby boy carte blanche to pack away the calories? Gaining those extra pounds may be fine for women whose weight is normal, but not for those who are already too heavy. Doing so could increase their risk of raised blood pressure and pregnancy-related diabetes if they conceive.

Although the researchers say that it would be ethically wrong for women who want a baby girl to go on a low-calorie plan, that is precisely what those women would be tempted to do.This could reduce their fertility - a rather obvious own goal - and affect nutrient intake at a time when a diet containing adequate vitamins and minerals, essential fats, protein and energy is crucial for development of the foetus, whatever its sex, as well as the mother's health.

This research should be viewed with caution. After all, Victoria Beckham has three bonny boys and she, for one, seems clearly to contradict the study's findings.  JUNE 2008

DIAMONDS FOR NEW MUM J-LO

Jennifer Lopez's hubby has apparently splashed out a whopping £1.3 million on diamond earrings to thank her after she gave birth to their twins.

Songwriter Marc Anthony even had the earrings engraved with the initials 'M' and 'E' in honour of their new arrivals, Max and Emme, reports the Daily Mirror.

A source said: "It's no secret that J-Lo has expensive taste, so Marc was going to have to spend a serious amount to show her how he feels."

The paper says the proud parents - who welcomed the twins last month - are currently looking for a nanny who they can "trust to give the twins a good sense of grounding and some proper discipline when they aren't around".

Singer and actress J-Lo, 38, recently revealed having the babies has changed her life.

"You win an Oscar, get nominated for a Golden Globe - you know, whatever things you think are big - I can't even think of anything that can match the actual miracle of giving birth and having your own child. It's beyond anything you could ever imagine," she told People. MAY 2008

EXERCISING FOR TWO

Here's how to keep yourself and you baby fit... She may be expecting a baby in June, but Nicole Kidman is determined to keep her body and baby in the best of health. Earlier this month, the 40 year old actress was pictured out walking with her personal trainer in Sydney's Centennial Park.

The Oscar winning actress is certainly not alone in her desire to stay in shape throughout her pregnancy. Elizabeth Hurley did Pilates when she was expecting her son Damian. Cindy Crawford, Sarah Jessica Parker and Gwyneth Paltrow all favoured yoga for keeping trim during their pregnancies, while Geri Halliwell was often seen out power-walking while preganant with her daughter Bluebell Madonna. Staying reasonably active throughout the nine months is essential, it seems, if you want to tone up in record time after the birth. APRIL 2008

SHEREE'S STUNNING BABY SHOWER

Sheree Murphy's Baby Shower wasn't your average party as we're not used to diamond-encrusted dummies, baby pink cupcakes and chocolate flavoured lip gloss!  Held at Sheree's favourite restaurant, 60 Hope Street, Liverpool, Sheree could not think of anywhere nicer to hold it as this is where Harry signed for Liverpool.  Sheree couldn't believe it and said, "It's like a mini wedding -  I couldn't believe it when I saw the sea of presents:  I got baby Dior, Chloe outfits, designer berets - I have nothing left to buy!"

At 2pm sharp, a sumptuous afternoon tea of traditional English sarnies and homemade cupcakes was served, washed down with a delicious Laurent-Perrier rose champagne.  The entertainment that followed included hilarious drag queen Laquisha Jonz, a game of pass the parcel and a bingo session where guests walked away with Cavalli jewellery and nights in hotels - Alex Curran went away with a teeth-whitening kit!!

Sheree says "Emily Symons threw me a mini baby shower when I was pregnant with Ruby, but after seeing how OTT they are in Sex And The City with nappy cakes and bouquets of flowers in the shape of baby clothes, I thought I need one like that!  People were shocked at how big it was and it was so much better than I expected - I didn't get home until midnight and I woke up and had no hangover!!"  Sheree concludes by saying, "I'd definitely have another baby shower - it's a great excuse for a party!"  MARCH 2008

HOW PREGNANT WOMEN MANAGE TO STAY UPRIGHT DESPITE THEIR BUMP

he question of how pregnant women manage to avoid toppling over due to their huge bump has finally been answered. Scientists have discovered an elegant piece of evolutionary engineering that allows the female spine to balance the extra load.

There is a difference in the lower backbones and hips between men and women which has developed over millions of years that allows women to carry a foetus while maintaining an upright posture. Women’s lower vertebrae are wedge-shaped and their hip joints are slightly bigger than men’s.  

Women’s lower spines have evolved greater flexibility and support than that of a man and as a foetus and placenta can together weigh almost 7 kg (15.4 lb), the extra load then moves the centre of gravity to the front of the hips which forces the women to lean back.  

Daniel Lieberman, of Harvard University, said: “Early human women lived very strenuous, active lives and were forced to cope with the discomfort of childbearing while foraging for food and escaping from predators. This evolution helped early women to remain more mobile during pregnancy, which would have been essential to survival.”  FEBRUARY 2008

NICOLE RICHIE HOSTS BABY SHOWER FOR 100 MUMS!  

It is always a lot of fun to see what the "celebs" are doing for their baby showers. In Los Angeles this week one hundred mums and mums-to-be were treated to a host of gifts from Nicole Richie and her boyfriend Joel Madden.

The celebrity couple, who are expecting their own baby next month, held a shower, gifting $200,000 worth of goods to the women. Richie and Madden gave out the gifts at the LA Free Clinic as part of their Richie Madden Children’s Foundation.

“We grew up in Los Angeles and we want our child to be a part of the community, and to know that there’s a responsibility to help the community" said Madden. Richie told reporters she was thrilled by the reaction of the baby shower. “The looks on their faces were priceless,” she said. “Some of them didn’t even believe us. They thought we were joking.” Madden was also pleased by the turnout. “Sometimes people don’t want to believe that me and Nicole are just a young couple having a baby and we’re really excited,” he said. “We don’t really get to share our lives with people. It’s nice to connect with people on a real level." JANUARY 2008

ATTENTION ALL NEW DADDIES! 

Tomy, is looking for a model Daddy to front its new baby carrier advertising campaign.  Do you know of anyone who might be interested?     This is a guaranteed once in a lifetime opportunity.

Tomy has teamed up with Prima Baby and is currently looking for a gorgeous new daddy to front its new print advertising campaign.

Winning dads will be the face of the new, stylish carrier range and will be featured in Prima Baby next year.  They’ll also win a night for two at a top London hotel, £200 spending money, travel expenses, a Freestyle Premier carrier from the brand new range and a hamper full of gorgeous Tomy baby and toddler toys.

Entering is easy.  All you need to do is visit www.tomy.co.uk/daddyidol and download an entry form to send off with recent photos.  The only criteria is that dads need to have had a baby between 7th December 2006 and 7th December 2007.  

Good luck!  DECEMBER 2007

COMPETITION WINNER!

Congratulations to Rachel Ponder from Lincoln who recently received one of our fantastic Ultimate Deluxe Baby Shower Party Packs after entering the baby shower competition in Baby & Beyond Magazine.  Well done and we hope you enjoy your prize.  NOVEMBER 2007

WHY BOYS LIKE BLUE & GIRLS PREFER PINK!

We all know that women like pink and men prefer blue, but we have never really known why.  Now it emerges that parents who dress their boys in blue and girls in pink may not just be following tradition but some deep-seated evolutionary instinct. Researchers have found that there could be sound historical reasons why women have developed a heightened appreciation of reds and pinks, while men are drawn to blue. “The explanation might date back to humans’ hunter-gatherer days, when women were the primary gatherers and would have benefited from an ability to home in on ripe, red fruits,” Anya Hurlbert, who led the team of researchers, said. “Culture may exploit and compound this natural female preference.” While blue was liked universally, this preference stood out among men as it was not balanced by a parallel liking for pink, the study found. This, too, could have deep-seated natural roots: water that appears blue is more likely to be clean, and the colour is also an indicator of fine weather. The scientists from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, who were led by Dr Hurlbert and Yazhu Ling, averaged people’s overall preferences. The male favourite was a pale blue while the female favourite was a lilac shade of pink.  OCTOBER 2007 

JORDAN & PETER ANDRE'S BABY SHOWER

Did you see it?  Peter organised the most fabulous joint Baby Shower party for Jordan and Claire, Jordan's manager.  It was held in a marquee, which was decorated out in a beautiful Alice In Wonderland theme with pink chairs & as we know Pink is certainly Jordan's favourite colour!  Poker tables were organised for the guys & pampering beauty treatments for the girls.  There was also a majician & clairvoyant present.  As Peter led Jordan to the marquee, she asked,  "What do we do?  Sit in a circle, drink tea and just talk!"  But then after having such a wonderful time, Jordan commented how she would have loads of kids if she could have a baby shower like this every time.  Guests who attended went home with goodie bags worth £800 - £1000 each!!  These goodie bags included items such as Pole dancing lessons, perfume, books and so on.  "I think we should do this more often.  Everyone should have a baby shower,"  says Jordan.  SEPTEMBER 2007

FEATURED ORGANIC PRODUCTS

We are delighted to be offering wonderful Organic Products by Earth Mama AngelBaby to our customers.  These products are heavily featured in a wide range of baby & pregnancy magazines.  AngelBaby Shampoo/Wash and Bath Blossoms was recommended in the April edition of Mother & Baby Magazine plus you can read all about their C-Section Recovery Kit in the June issue of Pregnancy, Baby & You magazine.  The full range can be viewed on this website.  AUGUST 2007

IT'S COMPETITION TIME

Please send in your Fun Baby Shower Ideas.  These can be for games, activities, gifts, food ideas, favours - infact any idea that you have for a funfilled Baby Shower party.  The winner of the best idea will receive a Standard Shower My Baby Party Pack for 10 guests with a choice of theme (Value £29.50).  Please send your ideas by post or email info@showermybaby.co.uk.  The closing date for entries is 15/03/07 and the winner will be notified 1 week later.  CONGRATULATIONS to our competition winner - Sarah Beech from Nottingham.  JULY 2007

NEW FOR 2007

Look out in 2007 for lots of exciting new products - Party Decorations, Lovely Gifts, Personalised Hand Painted pottery, Games & Unique Items Exclusive to Shower My Baby.   DECEMBER 2006

BRING THE BOYS

Ladies only?  Think again.  The latest trend is the coed Baby Shower where both Mum & Dad celebrate the imminent arrival of their new baby.  So now Shower My Baby has lovely gifts for Daddy too!  NOVEMBER 2006

GOING MOROCCAN!

Exotic and sophisticated, Moroccan-themed Baby Showers infuse a traditional event with a fun & funky vibe.  The decor is so warm and inviting - the lanterns and the rich colours create a wonderful glow.  The theme also lends itself to some great personal touches.  Who had it?  Brooke Shields & Britney Spears.  OCTOBER 2006

HOT NEWS!

Shower My Baby recently supplied Eastenders with Baby Shower party decorations and we wondered if they were going to screen a Baby Shower party in one of their episodes.  If you watch Eastenders then you will have seen Honey's Baby Shower party - so Baby Showers are taking off in the UK.  SEPTEMBER 2006

A Lovely South African Tradition

I recently came across this tradition and thought it to be a really good idea. Basically guests take an item along to the Baby Shower party to give as an entrance fee. These are usually inexpensive essentials that Mum will need when her baby arrives. You could take useful items such as nappies, wipes, bath products, baby shampoo, nappy bags, cotton wool balls etc... The things you seem to need lots of in the early days. A great way to stock up Mum's Baby cupboard and prevent her from running out! SEPTEMBER 2006

Stretchmarks or no Stretchmarks?!

The jury is out on whether you can prevent stretchmarks. Some say it's all down to genetics, but you may feel better if you at least try to hold them at bay. And if you persuade your partner to rub the cream in every night, you're on to 40 weeks of free massage!! The benchmark is Clarins Tonic Oil (£30). Generations of women put their smooth post-pregnancy tummies down to a judicious daily dose of this. Also reccomended is E'spa Nourishing Body Oil (£24).

Mama Mio is also a range of maternity products that contain high levels of essential fatty acids, crucial for maintaining the skin's suppleness and elasticity (Tummy Rub £22). AUGUST 2006

Jolie & Pitt Baby Shower Photos are Returned

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have had their baby shower photos returned after police in California arrested a suspect. Photos of the baby shower party, which the couple held in Namibia ahead of the birth of their daughter Shiloh Nouvel, were snatched and it is thought the thief tried to sell the digital memory card. The couple's spokeswoman confirmed the photos had been returned and a suspect arrested, but refused to reveal any more information. JULY 2006

George Michael's Baby Bash for Geri!

George, 42, and his partner Kenny Goss are pushing the boat out to make sure that 33-year-old Geri, who is due to give birth next month, has an afternoon to remember.

The tea party was Kenny's idea and our insider tells us: "Kenny's making sure there's a beautiful spread of chocolates and cakes, as well as salads and lighter dishes.

"He's going to fill their home with bright, fresh flowers and balloons. He wants everything to be perfect - like a real, traditional American Park Avenue baby shower.

"Geri's mum Anna Maria will be there, as will her closest friends. Kenny's also invited all her former bandmates - Emma Bunton and Mel C will be there, but Victoria Beckham had plans she couldn't change in Madrid so she's sent her a beautifully-wrapped present instead." George and Kenny, 46, have been mates with Geri for over a decade - after she quit the Spice Girls in 1998 she lived in their LA home. So who will be the next UK celeb to have a stylish baby shower?!!!! JUNE 2006

Gwen Stefani Spends £20K on her Baby Shower 

Shower My Baby goes International!

We are proud to announce that Shower My Baby UK has sent our Baby Shower branded products overseas over the last few months. We have shipped to America, Australia, South Africa, The Netherlands, France & Germany. April 2006

Stephanie receives an award for Shower My Baby

I am very proud to have recently received an award which was presented to me by Esther Rantzen OBE. This was a Highly Commended Award for Women In Business who has been Inspirational within their community. My certificate is proudly displayed in my home & I am now working towards my nomination for the award next year. March 2006

Shower My Baby favours travel the Atlantic!!

We all know just how popular Baby Showers are in America, so you can imagine how surprised we were at Shower My Baby to receive an order from America. A customer all the way from California shopped with us purchasing 50 pink gingham dress favours. Maybe she liked the 'English' look to these very cute guest favours or the UK baby shower is catching on in The States!!! However, a very positive start to the New Year. January 2006

Baby Shower Fever!!

I really do believe, that as a nation, we are really stepping up a gear when it comes to celebrations and parties.
You only need to look at Halloween. I dont recall as a child really doing very much when it came to Halloween, whereas today, we really do go to town! Like in America, we decorate our houses, dress the children up (Adults tend to get involved too!!!!), hold Halloween themed parties, go with the children to Trick or Treat and purchase lots of Halloween party material. October time and the shops are filled with Halloween goodies.
And this is what I believe will happen with Baby Showers. Over the next few years, Baby Shower Parties will become an event automatically included into the whole experience of having a baby.
So why not treat your pregnant friend/family member to a Shower My Baby Party and make her feel very special! October/November 2005

                                    Britney Looks Swell at her Baby Shower!

Excited Britney proudly shows off her bump and throws a party in her baby's honour. The front lawn was decked out with brightly-coloured sun umbrellas, flowers, nibbles and drinks.
Britney had her baby shower at a rented hillside Malibu home she shares with her husband, and her mother and younger sister were on hand to help her celebrate her baby shower. Britney wore a chic black wrap dress and sipped non-alcoholic cocktails with her friends and family.
It is rumoured that the couple have decided to call the baby Charlie and have kitted out the nursery with a jungle theme. August/September 2005

What a Shower!

Nappy Cakes Stand Centre of Attention!

Party Game with a diference!

I recently came across an unusual, but very interesting baby shower party game. It is called Smell the Nappies. Basically items such as horseradish, salad dressing, mustard, relishes or anything with a strong or unusual smell is smeared onto disposable nappies. Blind folded guests are then asked to smell the nappy and if required touch its contents to guess what it is. The guest who guesses the most nappies correctly wins. Guests also wear a nappy pin on their top or jacket. If a guest mentions the word baby then she must give her pin to the guest who heard her say baby. The guest who collects the most nappy pins wins! Very different - if you try this game then let us know how it goes!!!! MAY 2005

Talking Baby Showers!

I was recently invited to Century FM (North West Regional Radio Station) to talk with presenter Tony Wrighton. He was keen to hear more about Baby Shower Parties and how they are becoming very trendy in the UK, especially since being shown on the TV programmes Sex in the City and Friends. He said it was just the kind of thing that his listeners like to hear about - something new and exciting. After a discussion about Baby Shower Parties on air, his listeners began to text in saying how they thought it was an excellent idea, how someone had organised one for a friend and what fun they had and how another listener was organising a baby shower for her sister. Lots of us have a pregnant friend or family member, so why not spoil her and organise a baby shower party for her - you will all have so much fun! March 2005

It is always a lot of fun to see what the "celebs" are doing for their baby showers. In Los Angeles this week - one hundred mums and mums-to-be were treated to a host of gifts from Nicole Richie and her boyfriend Joel Madden.The celebrity couple, who are expecting their own baby next month, held a shower gifting $200,000 worth of goods to the women. Richie and Madden gave out the gifts at the LA Free Clinic as part of their Richie Madden Children’s Foundation.

“We grew up in Los Angeles,” Madden told People, “and we want our child to be a part of the community, and to know that there’s a responsibility to help the community. Richie told reporters she was thrilled by the reaction of the baby shower. “The looks on their faces were priceless,” she said. “Some of them didn’t even believe us. They thought we were joking. Sometimes people don’t want to believe that we are just a young couple having a baby and we’re really excited”. DECEMBER 2007