Bella Mama Breastfeeding and Maternity Wear Boutique

The end of another busy week for Bella Mama. I've finally submitted my VAT return (woo-hoo! this has been hanging over my head for ages) and I am stocking two new fabulous suppliers - yay! Glamourmom's beautiful nursing tanks are just perfect for all nursing mamas. We are stocking two of their most popular styles, in long length which is perfect for covering new mum tum.

I had a Glamourmom nursing tank when I had Orla, and I swear I wore it virtually every day. They are so comfortable, figure-flattering and very versatile as they can be worn under wraps, cardis and jumpers! Our other new range is Milkstars, a fabulous new brand from the USA which offers a flattering, comfortable and incredibly stylish range of tops for nursing mamas...breastfeeding never looked so good! 

I had a great meeting this week with the lovely Emma from Womama, and in addition to their gorgeous birthing wrap, Bella Mama will also be stocking the most beautiful lingerie from Womama in the next couple of months. Womama design some of the prettiest maternity/nursing lingerie and I am super excited to add this range to Bella Mama. Details to follow...

2010 - Bella Mama Breastfeeding Boutique

Happy New Year to you all!

2009 has been the most fabulous year for Bella Mama, the business has continued to go from strength to strength; we have increased our incredible range of designers bringing more new breastfeeding clothing brands to the UK for the first time, we are delighted to have had many of our products featured in parenting magazines and websites during 2009, we have broadened our selection of nursing clothing from our fabulous existing designers and expanded our range of chic accessories and changing bags to bring breastfeeding mothers the freshest and most stylish nursingwear and essential new mama products available from one online store.

Bella Mama’s commitment to supporting breastfeeding mothers during the past year has seen us pro-actively help to raise awareness of the health benefits of breastfeeding, writing articles for magazines and online sites, and donating breastfeeding tops and nursing dresses to lots of breastfeeding charities throughout the UK.  In addition to our ongoing support for the UK Association for Milk Banking (sales of our “I make Milk” T-shirt support this wonderful charity) we are delighted to have been able to support many other causes helping to support breastfeeding mothers. From providing clothing for many breastfeeding fashion shows up and down the country, supplying breastfeeding clothing to charities supporting young breastfeeding mothers, donating nursing tops to breastfeeding support groups, providing raffle prizes to raise money for breastfeeding charities and raising awareness of breastfeeding at baby fairs and other events. We look forward to providing even more help, support and donations in 2010, and warmly invite anyone involved with a breastfeeding support group, charity or who is working on an event which supports breastfeeding to get in touch with Bella Mama (email me at kirsten@bellamama.co.uk) and we will be able to help you out!

I have big plans in 2010 for Bella Mama, and have several very exciting projects which are coming to fruition in the New Year. Our Spring Summer range of nursing clothing is going to be amazing, and the choice of styles and designers we stock will be bigger than ever. Our very own Bella Mama breastfeeding clothing has been fabulously well-received, and I have already had so much brilliant feedback from our road-testing mothers on the SS10 range. I have been so blessed through 2009 with the help and support of family, friends, amazing customers and the support of other working mothers who run their own wonderful business from home. Many of my suppliers are mums who have set up their own businesses and who juggle their children and businesses so well.  Everyone I have met through running my business has been so kind and supportive, a million miles from “corporate politics” in the workplace!

Thank you so much to everyone who has helped to grow Bella Mama in the last year, from giving advice, feedback, support, to providing inspiration and above all our wonderful nursing mamas who love what we are doing! Through 2010 we will continue to provide new breastfeeding mamas with the best nursing clothing available. Knowing I am helping new breastfeeding mothers feel great is amazing. I really do get ridiculously excited about the feedback from my customers who are delighted with the stylish clothing they have had from Bella Mama. Stylish nursing wear really helps us challenge the perception of breastfeeding as frumpy, and I am delighted that Bella Mama will continue to make breastfeeding fashionable in 2010!

Wishing you all a Happy, Peaceful and Prosperous 2010.

Kirsten
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Christmas Breastfeeding Tops and Nursing Dresses

Our Christmas nursing dresses and gorgeous breastfeeding tops are flying out of the store this month and we are working very hard to ensure your orders reach you as quickly as possible. The beautiful leather Lin and Leo bags are also going to be making some lucky mamas very happy this Christmas! We also have some fabulous new Natalia gifts in store, the "Mum's Gorgeous Pampering" box would be very welcome under the tree this year. Their "Time for Mum" Bath Soak is a deeply relaxing and pampering gentle aromatic bubble bath - especially formulated with calendula, aloe vera and an indulgent essential oil blend of ylang ylang and bergamot to help all mums unwind. Perfect at this time of year, and I am soooo looking forward to my bath this evening after another super busy day! 

Just a quick mention that the last posting date for orders to reach you before Christmas is 23rd December, but as always it's better to order as early as you can! The Mayreau order is currently winging it's way across the Atlantic, and should be here by Monday. There are plenty of pre-orders for their lovely tops and dresses, so if you see something you like please pre-order it now and it will be sent out as soon as it arrives at our warehouse. 

Our week is packed (as I'm sure yours is too!) with Christmas parties, Carol Services, Nativity plays, Junior Discos, Meals with friends and Christmas lunches. Miss O is a sheep in her nursery Nativity this afternoon, after having been a mouse at her pre-school Nativity yesterday. F's Christmas Performance is this evening, hopefully we'll all be able to squeeze into the church to see it. It's always standing room only unless you arrive an hour before the performance starts, oh well... Hubby has started his new job this week, 2 hours travelling each way to the office has come as a shock after a month on Garden Leave, and he has a quick trip to Barcelona tomorrow leaving Liverpool on the 7.30am flight....ugh. Fortunately he's back late Friday night, and I'm planning a quiet family weekend at home to relax!

Breastfeeding Yummy Mummies!

The lucky yummy mummy winner of our fabulous Dough Dough Mother and Baby tin is.... Joanna Williams! The Dough Dough tin will be winging it's way to you shortly, Joanna. Enjoy!

Mmmm, double chocolate muffins, brownies, chocolate chip shortbread, jelly babies and champagne truffles plus a totally cute JELLYCAT cuddly toy... I had so many people begging me to pick them, but of course in the interest of fairness, I must randomly select the winner instead!

(Thanks to Random.org for randomly picking our winner!!)

I am sooo envious!! My hubby got me a fantastic Chocolate Lover's Tin from there last year, mmmmmmm double chocolate muffins, chocolate fudge brownies, gorgeous caramel filled milk chocolate hearts, Milk Chocolate Mendiants (chocolate, raisins, and nuts), white chocolate champagne truffles, praline filled chocolate hearts and some fabulous dippy swirly things for putting into hot milk for the most delicious hot chocolate EVER! Yum, yum. Was out for dinner with a friend last night, who declared she never feels as if she's finished a meal until she's had some chocolate!!

Well, it's my birthday tomorrow so I can but wish for more chocolately loveliness! And a lie-in, breakfast of chocolate croissants and Bucks Fizz in bed, hubby doing the school run whilst I loll round in my nightie, and a day filled with pampering treats then a meal out at Pizza Express with the family! We wanted to squeeze in a trip to New York on hubby's accumulated Star Alliance points, but all flights are sold out pre-Christmas (boooooooo!) so we are planning a long weekend in the UK next weekend instead... Still to book as everywhere seems so booked up (darn last minute bookings!) but I'm sure we'll find somewhere lovely. 

 

 

Autumn is finally here... nursing clothing for the season!

The beautiful exceptionally late "Indian Summer" we've been enjoying has finally come to a close... our Halloween celebrations took us on a trail around a local NT property with friends and we all had a fabulous time searching for bats around the spooky mill! The blustery blowy swirling winds of November have finally kicked in and are shaking the leaves from the trees in the garden. Boooooooooooooo!  The rain is beating against my window, my snuggly Ugg boots are on (as ever!) and the logs I stacked into the log store at the weekend are being put to good use!! We are in the midst of redecorating our lounge (paint charts, masking tape, new brushes and dust sheets prevail) and I am trying very hard to persuade Himself that we need a wonderful new log basket that I have spotted in a magazine!!

At Bella Mama we have some wonderful nursingwear that will see you through these cold blustery days in style. In particular we have some captivating breastfeeding tops and dazzling nursing dresses from some fabulous new designers, as well as our very own glamorous Bella Mama label breastfeeding tops. The sumptuous shades of pumpkin, wine, plum, espresso, raspberry, chocolate and damson are positively mouth-watering at this time of the year as well as being incredibly flattering!

We have divine dresses on pre-order from Milk nursingwear (Exclusive to Bella Mama in the UK) as well as other desirable styles of breastfeeding dresses, nursing nightwear and breast feeding tops on their way from the USA, Israel, Australia and Europe! If you follow us on Facebook, you will find out first about all the latest new of our newest additions, great competitions, discounts, brilliant offers and be in line for road testing Bella Mama's newest styles!

Busy, Busy, Busy

Manic day today, hubby is away in sunny North Carolina (sadly for him work, not holiday) leaving me in charge of the house, the kids, Bella Mama and everything in between.

This morning I had to dash to drop the kiddos off at nursery and before school club, drive a 35 mile round trip to drop the car off in the garage to be fixed, then whip back for 9.30am to meet up with a new networking group (Happy Mondays - more below) I've started attending, then back to pick F up from school for a dental appointment at 11.20. Then back home for an afternoon packing orders, posting, sorting stock, answering emails, updating the site and taking delivery of more of Bella Mama's brand new breastfeeding tops!

Busy day! I made it to everything almost on time, and got pretty much everything done, but my head is spinning from all the rushing round. The new networking group, Happy Mondays is a networking group for Mumpreneurs (and those thinking about taking the plunge) in East Cheshire. Set up by two local Mumpreneurs, the group aims to create an environment where talented but often isolated Mumpreneurs and small business women can make new contacts, generate ideas, learn from each other, talk about concerns, make friends, support each other and promote their businesses. Fabulous, and the guest speaker today had some wonderful ideas for promoting our businesses... can't wait to try them out.

My secret Amazon order (don't tell hubby, I'm not meant to be ordering books!) arrived today. I ordered a book called Behind with the Laundry and Living off Chocolate. Whilst the laundry bit is definitely true, I'm not quite at that choc stage (mmmmm) yet, but I'm hoping it has some good strategies to help cope with the general madness of being a busy woman!!! Will let you know how I get on. I also bought How to be an "Amazing Mum" When You Just Don't Have the Time! with lotsa strategies for the busy mum. One of the odder ones is to freeze marmite sandwiches for kids packed lunches - er, not too sure about that - but there are still tons of other useful hints and tips for busy mamas to fit it all in, whilst still finding time for your children, your partner and yourself!! Gotta be good...

Our book club choice for Oct The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society arrived in the same order, but will have to wait until I have finished with the new Kathy Reichs... better get that log-burning stove lit and snuggle up under my blanket with my book, oooh dark autumn nights are made for reading! 

More New Stock

Walking round the village to pre-school this morning Miss O was fascinated with the fallen leaves, and the pretty colours the trees are starting to turn... Although this week has been pretty mild, there is a definite cooling in the weather. Summer really is at an end and Autumn is coming... Our wood burning stove has already seen its first fire of the season (hubby has been out chopping logs too), the blackberries are appearing on our brambles and my snuggly Ugg boots are back on constantly. Miss O has new boots and I am mighty jealous.

 

Check out the soft leather, the suede patches, the metallic stitching and the cosy furry tops... I want a pair in my size! I am on a mission to find some fab looking (but comfy) flat boots for myself now! I can barely wear heels anymore, they just hurt my back. I wondered about getting a pair of MBTs but I don't know anyone who's had any to see if they are worth the money. I know lots of people with FitFlops, who swear they are great for backache and posture, but they aren't too practical at this time of year!

The change in the season means new Bella Mama stock though and I have some gorgeous clothes arriving for A/W 09, including several new designers. I am constantly searching for the best breastfeeding clothing world-wide, and it's great to be the first to bring the freshest and prettiest designs to the UK.

I am rapidly running out of space in our stock room! My sister Nicola has been in this week to help with stock check (thank you!) and has organised the space fabulously. This week more new Bella Mama tops have arrived, including the very lovely new Maia breastfeeding top. They are so comfy and very flattering to new mama midriff! The soft jersey fabric skims beautifully, whilst the gentle ruching and tie detail around the neckline draws the eye upwards and away from new mum tum! 

Providing a flash of colour for the new season, is the new Bella Mama cowl neck top which should be arriving towards the end of September. The jersey fabric drapes beautifully and the cowl neck is ultra elegant, whilst the longer length ensures it is great for taller mums or those wanting to hide their tummies. Bella Mama Cowl Neck Ruby

I'm off to pick more raspberries (this has been the best year for our crop!) for more raspberry jelly, I even managed to get enough to do raspberry gin (yay! but won't be ready until Christmas) and also the early blackberries which have started to appear on the bramble bushes in the neglected "wildlife" part of our garden. Haha, I'd love to say they are there by design, but the truth is all the tough weeds (brambles, horsetail, creeping buttercup) seem to thrive in these parts...

Autumn Raspberries

One of the loveliest things about running Bella Mama and working from home is spending time with the kiddos. We've had a fab summer filled full of days with friends and family, castles, the beach, gardens, sports clubs, science camps, play centres, parks and relaxing at home! Sadly, the onset of September has brought us back to our more regular routine again. F has gone back to school today, into Juniors which he is feeling a little apprehensive about. He's been promised his favourite meal this evening, fish and chips, which has slightly eased his first-day-back nerves. I am also making Smartie cookies for him as an after school treat...

So Miss O and I have been home alone today for the first time in a while. This time of year brings our annual crop of Raspberries. The dark cloud of the damp summer weather at least has one Silver Lining: we've had a huge Raspberry crop here this year! Miss O and I have been out this morning picking the scarlet jewels from our canes. She has eaten sooo many whilst picking them... I managed to get almost a kilo of raspberries this time so I'm planning on making Raspberry and Lemon muffins (hubby's special request!), Raspberry jam and Raspberry vinegar. If there are enough left over, I shall be making some Raspberry Gin!

The colour so reminded me of the new Bella Mama Obi top, I have named it in honour of our harvest!