28 June 2008
CLIC Sargent Ladies night
Ayr Racecourse
A great night was had by all!
Still getting back to normal after another amazingly successful charity event where over £27.000 was raised for this excellent cause!
I first became involved with this charity at my book launch in 2004 and I have been a member of the Ayrshire Support Group Committee ever since. This was my fifth party night (two Winter Balls and three Ladies nights) which was, as always, great fun. So much so that word has spread and many people had travelled up from England to join in!
However we must never lose sight of why this and other events are held throughout the year all over the UK.
May Gilchrist (see picture of May and me at the end of the night), Fundraising Chief in Ayrshire would like to thank everyone who came along to support us at this glitzy event and especially to Allister Boyd for speaking about his cancer journey.
This was, without doubt, the highlight of the evening and brought a tear to the eyes of many. Allister’s eloquent description of his roller coaster ride, since his diagnosis with a brain tumour two years ago, was told with heartbreaking honesty and sensitivity but always with humour. You can see Allister pictured with his proud Mum and we all send him love and hope for the future. It’s only by holding events such as these that we can raise awareness of childhood cancer and the devastating effect that it can have on the whole family.
So the hard work begins again as we plan for the Winter Ball in November which this year has a Big Band feel to it. If any of you would like to donate a prize for this or just wish to offer your support, please email me anytime.
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May Gilchrist and Sharon at the end of a successful night! |
Allister Boyd and his Mum |
Julie and Jacqui – TIPS testers having fun in their Tiaras! |
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June 2008
Publication of ‘Fit to Bust’
by Alison Blenkinsop
RRP: £9.99 (ISBN: 9781906206895)
My good friend and Lactation Consultant Alison has just given birth to her latest project after a long and sometimes arduous road. I am pleased to say that author and book are now in high spirits but I would recommend you get your hands on this delightful celebration of motherhood and breastfeeding while stocks last!
Profits from the sale of this book will be given to Baby Milk Action.
More details are available here or from www.linkable.biz .
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13 - 14 June 2008
BabyGROE Awards Conference in Chester
Just back from an inspiring experience where winners of the BabyGROE awards were presented with their prizes at a dinner and ceilidh on 13 June at Trafford Hal. This was followed by an exceptional opportunity to network at the BabyGROE conference with organisations and individuals from all walks of the ever increasing natural health and ethical business scene on Saturday 14 June.
It was an honour to be one of those shortlisted in this well respected event. Sarah Brown (judge for the health professional category) was unable to attend but it was a pleasure to meet up with Brigit Strawbridge (judge for the ethical business category). We were given the opportunity to meet other nominees during an extremely enjoyable weekend (complete with dancing at the ceilidh and a firepit under the stars!).
Thank you to all the staff at BabyGROE who helped to make this an exciting weekend. More details about the event, the winners and statements from the judges are available here.
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6 June 2008
Press launch of
First Response
Early Result Pregnancy test
I am just back from an exciting day in London where I provided technical information about ovulation, fertilisation and early pregnancy at the press launch of First Response Early Result, the most sensitive pregnancy kit on the market. I was joined by nutritionist Yvonne Bishop Weston (see picture of us both on the right).Yvonne's information on diet and nutrition was fascinating.
Thank you to all the team at PR4.com for helping to make the day so enjoyable. We will be running a mini competition in the next TIPS e-newsletter with a total of six ovulation and pregnancy test kits up for grabs. Keep watching for more details. |
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| Sharon and Yvonne Bishop Weston |
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| First Response Early Result Pregnancy test |
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11-18 May 2008
Radio interviews by Sharon
for National Breastfeeding awareness week
I would like to thank Kamillosan for inviting me take part in a morning of radio interviews that were broadcast live on 9 May or pre-recorded for broadcast during national Breastfeeding Awareness week. I managed to cover all aspects of breastfeeding advice from the usual to the not so usual including the fact that breastfeeding actually boosts a mother's IQ while she is feeding as well as her baby's!
I was joined by Jemma, heavily pregnant with her second baby and together we highlighted the issue of breastfeeding in public, citing a recent poll carried out by Kamillosan that found one in four UK restaurants would not allow a mother to breastfeed during dinner! Thankfully English law now prohibits this behaviour. Legislation introduced in April 2008 allows breastfeeding mothers to feed their babies anywhere in public. In Scotland this has been law since 2005.
We will add some of the podcasts online as soon as we have them but until then listen out next week around the UK and you might hear Sharon (and breastfeeding mum Jemma) popping up on a radio station near you!
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| 25-27 April 2008
Glasgow Baby Show
Advice on the Jackson Reece stand
I am just back from three days at the Glasgow Baby Show as baby skincare advisor on the Jackson Reece baby wipes stand. I would like to say thank you to all the parent testers who came to meet me. It was lovely to put faces to names and to be able to speak to you in person. The recent trial on the new formulation of Jackson Reece baby wipes was completed a week before the show. This meant that Colin and Janet were able to promote their well deserved TIPS Editor's choice award alongside their Best of the best award from last year. Their new formulation really does tick all the boxes and these wipes were flying off the shelves to satisfied customers who had travelled from all over Scotland to be at the show. Here we are together at the end of the show (see picture). |
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| Janet, Sharon and Colin at the Glasgow Baby Show |
| www.jacksonreece.com |
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28-29 March 2008
Breastfeeding - International Perspectives
Lactation Consultants of Great Britain
Annual Conference & Masterclasses
Day 1
I am delighted to update you on my recent trip to Leeds where the annual conference of the LCGB was held.
I was lucky enough to attend two very informative presentations:
Dr Suzanne Colson’s masterclass on biological nurturing and
Brian Palmer’s masterclass on breastfeeding, sleep apnoea and oral health.
What I will take home from Suzanne is that skin-to-skin contact, while vital to the establishment of successful breastfeeding, should be renamed ‘close contact’. What matters is to keep mother and baby together and foster an atmosphere of positivity to boost self-confidence. Putting pressure on a mother to remove her clothes against her wishes could prove counter-productive. This could reduce oxytocin levels and affect the milk supply.
Brian Palmer also made perfect sense when he pointed out that prehistoric skulls were free from malocclusions. Indeed back then, breastfeeding was the norm and there were no such thing as teats or dummies! However the most moving moment of the day followed the account of a patient’s child who had been misdiagnosed and maltreated before being successfully referred to Brian, finally receiving the care they deserved and promoting an optimum result – there was not a dry eye in the room!
Day 2
First class seminars from eminent international experts in their field were the order of the day with topics including: SIDS, dummies and sleep, Oxytocin, seven natural laws of breastfeeding, induced lactation and adoptive nursing.
Once again the presentations were of the highest standards and I happily awarded everyone 10/10 on the evaluation form. Every speaker brought something unique to the day and I felt renewed enthusiasm for my own favourite subject: breastfeeding.
Having already referenced Brian Palmer’s work in my cup feeding article I have to say it was a pleasure to meet him in person (see picture). However, the highlight of the conference has to be Brian's illuminating work on the misrepresentation of research on cot death and the inaccurate (and frankly shocking) advice from various organisations to promote the use of dummies. I have always been sceptical about this. Now I have the evidence I need to reassure parents that there is no need to routinely use a dummy and that its use will not provide any protection against cot death. This is likely to be controversial - so watch this space!
Lastly I would like to thank my dear friend Alison Blenkinsop who invited me to attend and encouraged me to become an associate member of the LCGB (I thought only certified lactation consultant were eligible). So I am now officially an associate member. Here is the proof (see picture) that after four years Alison and I finally got to meet in person. Hope it will not be so long before we meet again! |
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| Brian Palmer and Sharon |
www.brianpalmerdds.com |
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| Alison Blenkinsop and Sharon |
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| www.lcgb.org |
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| 2 March 2008
C4 – Maverick TV programme ‘ Embarrassing Illnesses’
Breast health event – Shoreditch Town Hall
I was lucky to be invited to attend this exciting event on Mother’s day. Thank you to Bio-Fem (winners of the TIPS Awards for their soothing compress and balm) who sponsored me to be the breastfeeding expert on the day and to be interviewed about breastfeeding issues for the programme covering breast health.
The day included a mass breast screening with brave volunteers agreeing to carry out breast examination on screen. There was a photo booth where women could get a picture of just their breasts taken, which will be included in the programme. There were also many inspiring stories of women who had fought and beaten breast cancer. One such story was that of Chrysteile who suffered from breast cancer at the tender age of 32. She went through traumatic chemotherapy, radiotherapy and reconstructive surgery following a full mastectomy. Miraculously she was given the OK to try for a baby last year and she now has a gorgeous son Enzo (see picture on the right) whom she fully breast fed from her unaffected breast for three months! Her story will be featured on GMTV on 5 March. I feel privileged to have met and chatted with Chrysteile and will include mention of her breastfeeding experience in my next book. At the end of the shoot I am featured as one of the women in the closing shots of this programme on breast health which highlights the sobering statistics of breast cancer today – necessary to get the message across!
Proceeds from this event were divided between the breast cancer charities attending on the day.
The programme is due to be aired on Channel 4, Tuesdays at 9pm, from 29 April 2008, so look out for me on your screens (I am wearing a black dress in case you miss me!)
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| Chrysteile and Enzo |
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| Sharon with a breastfeeding mum from a local baby cafe |
January 2008
Sharon’s latest article on baby skincare and cordcare has just been published in the Nursing in practice magazine. Follow this link to view the full article. |
January 2008
Mum and Me Magazine peer support groups in the UK:
- Have you got a positive birth/breastfeeding story you would be happy to share?
- Are you a member of a UK breastfeeding peer support group?
- Would you like to post details of your group on the notice board of a national website?
If so please email Stella:groups@breastfeedingcommunity.co.uk
For excellent advice and information about breastfeeding support groups in your area go to: www.breastfeedingcommunity.co.uk |
December 2007
Working in association with her good friends at MIDIRS, Sharon has been asked to write the skincare advice for an article in the forthcoming Mum Plus One publication. This is an exciting opportunity to spread the word about safe skincare advice to parents everywhere, promote the Babycare - back to basics leaflets and highlight TIPS as an online community whose growing daily in popularity. Click here for a preview of the article. |
October 2007
BabyGROE are hosting an all new Awards programme: the BabyGROE Natural Choice Awards.
As an eligible company, we'd love to win the top prize in the Small Ethical Business Category. You can help us to do so by casting your vote using the Vote Now button. And remember - all nominees are
entered into a prize draw to win a fantastic GROE Hamper.
If you think that TIPS fulfils this criteria please feel free to vote for us by clicking on the link on our home page. Thank you for your support and keep spreading the word!
Kindest regards
Sharon
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October 2007
Here is Sharon at the Glasgow Costco at the start of her month long feature as ‘Business of the month’. Glasgow Costco members are invited to take part in a special TIPS raffle to win a signed copy of Breastfeeding: the essential guide and a luxurious bath towel embroidered with the unique TIPS branding. |
September 2007
As you can see from this advert, word about the TIPS Awards is spreading. Natracare won our Best eco-friendly award in the recent breast pads and treatments category earlier this year. Congratulations to Natracare! Follow this link to read the final results for both washable and disposable breast pads plus treatments to help soothe sore nipples. |
June - July 2007
I am pleased to say that the TIPS testers have been very busy. The latest results from tests in the breast pads/treatments category are now online. The ongoing test of TENS machines is due for completion shortly, so more news about that soon. An amazing 248 baby skincare samples were sent out to 47 parent testers a few days ago. This is the largest TIPS test so far and it will take a while to collate and review all the results when they come in. I would like to thank all the wonderful companies taking part in the TIPS Award scheme for donating their lovely products for testing. Keep checking online for new results.
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June 2007
My latest paper called ‘Baby products – its all in the labelling’ has just been published in the June issue of the Midirs Digest. This article focusses on the wider issues surrounding the use and labelling of manufactured baby products and the legislation in place to protect consumers. Follow this link to read the full draft. |
June 2007
Thank you to everyone who has registered to become a TIPS member since our re-launch in March.
I hope you are enjoying the new ‘Members Area’ and taking advantage of the competitions and extra tips, only available to members. My web chats are going well on the Mother & Baby Magazine website. Thank you to my sponsors Persil Non-Bio and Comfort Pure. After each web chat I will be adding new FAQs on each month’s topic. Check out the ones on sun protection. These will help you to take the best care of your infant’s skin during the summer months.
Thank you to my wonderful parent testers. The latest test on breast pads/treatments is well under way and the results will be posted online ASAP. All parent testers get to keep all the lovely products they are sent to test (remember only the best products get through to testing). Following testing a special thank-you present will be posted out to testers, once their results have been returned to me at TIPS.
We will soon add animated TIPS ducks for your little ones to look at on the Members page. Join up and you too can be part of the new TIPS online community. |
May 2007 – Babycare – back to basics™ (version 4) is now available
The latest version of my popular leaflet has just been published. Version 4 has been kindly sponsored by Ceuta Healthcare Ltd (manufacturers of the famous Halos n Horns range of children’s sulphate free range of products). It not only contains the most up-to-date advice on baby skincare (in line with government recommendations to use no products for the first few weeks of life) but also includes many other common sense tips on feeding, baby massage, cot death and much more. Used all over the UK by antenatal teachers and healthcare professionals who have been unable to find a leaflet as comprehensive, this is sure to be another winner. If you would like a free sample of the new leaflet please contact us |
May 2007
I was delighted to be a guest at the recent book launch of 'Imperfectly natural baby and toddler' by Janey Lee Grace. I am thrilled that she has included some of my tips, particularly advice on cup feeding. My book is also on her 'highly recommended breastfeeding books list' - thank you Janey and I would like to wish you all the very best for sales of your wonderful new book. It is packed with excellent tips and advice for would be green parents. It is realistic without being a battle cry and user-friendly to boot. |
March 2007 – New TIPS website launched
Welcome to the new look TIPS website. We hope that you will enjoy the changes and find the interactive design easy to navigate. Please sign up to be a TIPS member and you will be able to download Sharon’s articles and product reviews as well as receiving our exciting new newsletter with competitions and all the latest news from TIPS. If you would like to become a parent tester for future TIPS Testing then sign-up today. Sharon will only include the best products on the market which must comply with the TIPS ethos on breastfeeding and safe baby skincare. If you have any suggestions on how we can provide even better advice please feel free to email us with your comments.
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August 2006 – Link with Annabel Karmel’s excellent new site…
Having met Annabel Karmel at the ‘Big into Baby’ show in Belfast, we got chatting about breastfeeding and infant nutrition. I explained my passion in breastfeeding, how I answered FAQs on various websites and we exchanged books. She asked if I would take a look at her breastfeeding information and update where necessary. I was happy to oblige and the breastfeeding advice on Annabel's new-look site is now updated and online. Thank you to Annabel for her positive comments regarding my book and for having faith in my work. To get more wonderful tips on baby and child nutrition plus recipes and a new range of ‘Make Your Own’ equipment and food range go to Annabel's new site. |
Summer 2006 – links with other parenting sites…
My advice on breastfeeding and baby skincare is now featured on many parenting sites including:
www.aromababy.com
www.babygroe.co.uk
www.babyworld.co.uk
www.bickiepegs.co.uk
www.bjornandme.co.uk
www.cheekyrascals.co.uk
www.comfortpure.co.uk
www.expressyourselfmums.co.uk www.forparentsbyparents.co.uk
www.freedomslings.co.uk
www.halogb.co.uk
www.ivillage.com
www.jacksonreece.com
www.lilypadzonline.co.uk
www.medela.co.uk
www.stiefel.co.uk
www.thebabygurus.com
www.thebabywebsite.com
www.tommeetippee.co.uk |
July 2006 – NICE Guidelines
As a stakeholder with The National Institute of Clinical Excellence (www.nice.org.uk ) I played a small part in the latest update of the Postnatal Care Guidelines (No:37 – July 2006) which now advocate the use of plain water (no cleansers or baby wipes) in the immediate postnatal period and ‘open cordcare’ without the need for alcohol wipes or antiseptic powders. Click here for more information and to read the latest Postnatal Care Guidelines. |
April 2006 - Neonatal skincare
My latest paper on neonatal skincare was published in the April issue of the RCM Midwives Journal. This updated professionals on the safest skincare regime for new born skin and I hope it will lead to the introduction of evidence-based guidelines that can be followed in the UK and beyond. TIPS Limited is now a stakeholder with the NICE organisation and my comments have been used to help update the latest consultation document on postnatal care. To read the draft article click here. Please email me with your comments. |
Spring 2006 - Breastfeeding: the essential guide
My book remained in the top 10 best selling breastfeeding books on www.amazon.co.uk and I was thrilled to announce that it had just been added to the American book giants; www.amazon.com and www.barnesandnoble.com . Thank you to all my new customers and I hope you are enjoying the tips |
August 2005 - Journal of Human Lactation Review
I was thrilled to announce that my book received an excellent review in the August 2005 issue of the JHL. Permission was granted for me to post this online.
To read the review click here |
May 2005 - Book launch
The official launch of 'Breastfeeding: the essential guide' went ahead on Friday 6 May 2005 at Kidzplay Prestwick.
The venue was packed and a wonderful time was had by all. I would like to say a BIG thank you to everyone who took the time to come and support me on this very special day.
Dame Lorna Muirhead DBE was delightful and managed to steal the show. The whole day went without a hitch and was better than I had dared hope.
Thank you again to all those who donated prizes to the raffle. I am thrilled to announce that we raised an incredible £825 for CLIC/Sargent.
Click here for photos of the event |
