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You may be wondering why a midwife is the owner of a publishing company. I have been helping women to breastfeed for more than 22 years and although I am passionate about the subject I could not understand why such a seemingly natural instinct was not shared and experienced by all women. I have breastfed my own five babies for a total of 7 years so I picked up many tips along the way. In 2002 I decided to write down my advice and tips to see what resulted and within three weeks I had the basis of a book!
- What could I do with this now?
- Would anyone want to read it?
- Could it make a difference to the women I looked after?
- Would it lead to a new interest in breastfeeding?
- Would any publisher believe in me?
I would not be put off, so decided to print draft copies and send them out as a way of gauging interest. I sent it to friends, relatives, mothers, fathers, grannies, granddads, midwifery colleagues, business contacts, media personalities, breastfeeding associations, agents and publishers. Again and again I received the comment: "If only your book had been around when I started to breastfeed."
This spurred me on to succeed and although I was unable to persuade a publisher to take me on (even though their comments were extremely supportive) the interest was so great I decided to start my own company and self- publish. Hence the name "Trotters Independent Publishing Services". My name is Trotter, my project was definitely independent and was publishing my own book. It also contains many useful tips, which is how TIPS was born! Now for the logo! Why a duck?
Obviously a duck is synonymous with bathing, which is why I chose him as my logo. Although breastfeeding and neonatal skincare are serious subjects, it is vital for me to add an element of humour in everything I do! 'Trotters Independent' has a certain ring about it, I think you will agree, and the duck gives it an extra fun factor!
As well as my passion for breastfeeding, my other interest has been to look into baby skincare and cordcare. To this end I have spent years researching and writing about these subjects and have been published in professional journals (follow this link to read my articles). My proposed new guidelines are now policy in my local maternity unit and many other units are following this lead. TIPS Ltd is now a stakeholder with the National Institute of Clinical Excellence whose recent Postnatal Care Guidelines now recommend that cleansers and baby wipes no longer be used on newborn skin. I will continue to spread the word to parents and healthcare professionals throughout the UK and beyond. All my work is available to read online at www.tipslimited.com and www.sharontrotter.org.uk
I will continue to keep my professional website (www.sharontrotter.org.uk) online, as I intend to write about other subjects in the future and I want my work to be easily accessible to parents and professionals. All my work is evidence-based and where possible will be fully referenced.
Since returning to University and graduating with a BSc in Advanced studies in midwifery (November 2005), I am acutely aware of the importance of this, which is why my work is aimed equally at professionals and parents.
The latest development within TIPS has been the launch of our TIPS Awards Scheme which carries out independent market research into carefully sourced products within the baby and toddler market. These products are tested by highly motivated parent testers who have signed up voluntarily on the TIPS website.
So far we have trialled baby wipes, breast pads and treatments, baby skincare products, TENS machines, open top cups and nursing bras. Baby baths and cuddle towels are next and plans are underway to test baby slings, washable nappies and eco-friendly disposable nappies later this year.
Follow this link for more details about the TIPS Awards Scheme. And remember to check out the latest results online, read the newsletters and if you join the TIPS online community, you will be able to enter the many competitions to win wonderful goodies!
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