Birth Announcement - The Star Wars Way

Monday 15 November 2010 by Helen

Whilst looking at some alternatives to the traditional Birth Announcement, I came across a few Video Birth Announcements. I thought I'd share a couple, one has Star Wars-appeal and one has cute-appeal...

The first is for the Star Wars fans. It's a bit drawn out perhaps, but pretty clever and it's definitely worth riding out all 2 minutes and 28 seconds of it...

This next one is cute, raises a smile and is kept to a very short and sweet 34 seconds! I think it's the choice of song which makes it for me!

I can see the appeal of a Video Birth Announcement, it's functional, but also a form of instant entertainment! It's a very accessible medium for the majority of us, given our technology-orientated lifestyles. But what about those who aren't online, the older generation for example? I can't assume they're not online, but it's probably fair to say the majority of them are unlikely to be. So in that respect the card-form might have wider appeal, there's nothing Gran or Grandad likes more than something to display on the mantle piece. Besides, you can't stash a video in the bottom of a drawer, rediscover it a few years down the line (covered in dust) and have yet another chuckle or ahhh at it.

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3 Must See Birth Announcement Ideas For The Modern Mum

Thursday 04 November 2010 by Jill

Imagine this...

A large movie poster, 'The Newborn Identity', underneath it is a huge picture of your baby's face, and underneath that in the credits are your names as the proud parents (The Producers)... Believe it or not this method of Birth Announcement does exist! You might not be a fan of less conventional methods, but who else isn't just a little intrigued as to what other quirky ideas there are?

The likelihood is that at some point soon, a Birth Announcement Card will drop through your letterbox. It's a popular way to share new arrival news in a more official way, aside from the multiple phone calls and the status update on Facebook! But, what are the options if you did want to go about things a little differently...

Movie Posters

As mentioned above, you can customise to your liking, so think Top Gun.... Top Son. The fun in this idea for me would be in the changing and adaptation of the movie names. But then I'm a fan of words. There's nothing people like more than spoof pictures, it could be comical to introduce little star as movie star, but it does depend on how far you want to stray from tradition, and whether you are going for keepsake or humour. It is also worth bearing in mind that everyone from the midwife (Director) to the Nurses get a mention in the credits. (I'm guessing those who had more rocky relationships with their midwife might not be as happy about this.)

Music Posters

For the rock and roll, how do you fancy designing your own retro gig poster? Like the movie posters, they're fully customisable and you can design the shape, size and colour, essentially you can create a poster reminiscent of those posted on city streets advertising not-to-be-missed music gigs.

Seeded Paper Cards

The idea of the seeded paper card is that having enjoyed the card, the reciever can then plant it, and the seeds should sprout. grow and flower. I like that it's green and it's more than just a card that's binned and forgotten about. Planting the card gives it a new purpose and meaning. This is why Personalised Birth Announcements are so popular, but in their case it's the photo that makes the card a special keepsake. Returning to the notion of planting cards, I am slightly sceptical as to how many people would actually get around to replanting it. (It could be especially tricky if you live in a 6th floor flat?) Another thing I'm not convinced about is the success rate, how fast the flowers grow, if they grow at all, or, whether it's just like those seeds you get from the garden centre, the 'grow your own Venus Fly Trap', the ones that never actually grow!

The Seeded Paper Card has to be my favourite, a really unique idea that's a bit less gimmicky! I'm sure there are many other birth announcement methods, infact I am going to throw just one more into the mix, The Techie Birth Announcement.

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9 Old Wives Tales About Pregnancy

Tuesday 19 October 2010 by Helen

An Old Wives Tale for every month of pregnancy! I'm sure there are many more, but here's my 'best of.' And please take everything with an ocean-sized pinch of salt. Think more light entertainment than complete guide...

If you wish to have a baby girl, you should place a spoon under your bed. If you wish to have a baby boy you should face your pillow northwards. (So there you go, you can get painting the nursery and choosing what colour to make your christening invitations.)

If you crave sweets, it signifies you might have a girl, and if you crave savoury, meats and cheese for example, you can expect to give birth to a baby boy. (This is all well and good if you have a strong preference towards sweets or savoury. But if like me, one always has to follow the other, then it's going to make for a very deprived 9 months.)

If the heartbeat is over 140 then you will be having a girl. If the heartbeat is under, it will be a boy. (And then science stepped in! It was discovered that the sex of a baby doesn't affect it's heartbeat until it's born)

If your husband or partner joins you in getting fat, then, aside from making you feel better about yourself, the theory is that you will have a girl. If, on the other hand, he decides to pump the iron and the shed a few pounds, you are more likely to have a boy. (Hmm. I'll take the snack-buddy and take my chances on that one thanks!)

Continuing on the food front. Apparently, avoiding peanuts when pregnant will ensure your baby doesn't develop food allergies. (Though this is believed by a large majority to be false)

If you are flat chested, you are unable to breast feed. Again, science has rubbished this and reiterated that breast feeding is about milk production, not size. (And, is there even such a thing as a flat-chested pregnant lady?)

It is said that a baby girl will steal her Mother's looks. So if you're having a lot more 'fat' or 'ugly' days than usual, it may just be that your soon to be baby girl is causing her first pre-world stir ! (Of course it has nothing to do with the fact that pregnant and hormones are all over the place!)

Getting fuller in the face? If people are saying - 'ah you look healthy' ie - chubbier, a lot, then this may indicate that you are having a girl. (On the other hand, isn't there such a thing as a pregnant glow?)

In the old (old) days, Mothers had to rely on dangling a ring over their belly to indicate the sex of their baby. If it swumg backwards and forwards, it was a girl, in a circle and it was a boy.

Photo credit: Via Flickr - Mahali

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New baby celebrations

Monday 19 July 2010 by Erika

Photo of a baby meeting his grandparents

When I had my first baby, I couldn’t wait to show him off to everyone. But I underestimated just how many friends and family I had until they suddenly all wanted to visit at once.

Nowadays, the internet and mobile phones make spreading the news of a birth easier than ever. Before you know it, your friends and family have heard about the newborn and of course, everyone wants to take a look. But the first few days of motherhood are overwhelming enough without opening the floodgates to waves of keen visitors!

To introduce a new baby to friends and family, there’s a long standing Christian tradition in the UK for parents to have their children baptised. Friends and family are invited to a church ceremony, usually followed by a gathering to celebrate. But if you’re not religious, why not have a party anyway; what better excuse do you need? I wanted to wait until I had regained some of my energy so I could throw a party myself, to celebrate the birth of my first child and more importantly, to show off how gorgeous he was.

I started discussing party ideas with a good friend of mine, who had spent a long stretch of time living in China. She got to telling me about how the Chinese traditionally celebrate the birth of their babies, and I started to wonder if I could convince my friends and family to take on the tradition here at home...

In China, new parents traditionally receive red envelopes containing money

In China, they don’t celebrate the birth of babies until they are at least a month old. This practice is rooted in history, from a time when babies regularly didn’t survive past their first month (thankfully a rarity now). During this month, the mother is encouraged to rest and recoup her energy, which sounds like a great idea to me. At the end of this time the family throw a big party, where many friends and family will finally meet the baby for the first time. It’s also customary for guests to wish the parents and baby good luck by bringing red envelopes containing money.

I like the sound of the now that I could use a few red envelopes myself! But I suspect we’d all soon end up broke, when I consider that 3 of my friends are pregnant right now. I also like the idea of letting new mum and baby settle down and get to know each other before friends and family are eventually introduced.

I say that now, but when I had my baby, I would’ve needed an armed guard to keep my friends and family away. And in hindsight, I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Did you or are you planning to celebrate your new baby in a unique way? We’d love to hear about it!

Photo credits : Meeting the grandparents – Izzard on Flickr, Chinese red envelopes – Cliffnotes on Flickr

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