..Having a baby in Spain .....

Baby Car Boot

2011-05-05T13:13:00.002+02:00

Shopping for imminient twins is proving rather expensive and exhausting!

I think I have cracked the big stuff. The great thing about having twins as second and third children is that you've done it all before so you know what you really don't need that you def would have bought two of first time round! For eg, I'm not buying a big twin travel system but a comfy double buggy instead. I love the buggy I've found, it's the Cosatto You 2 Little Tweeters and it's so cute. It's great value, comes with so many accessories and can be used from birth. I've read a lot of reviews on the net now about it and haven't yet come across a bad one! I shall tell you what I think when I start using it!!! The Cosatto You 2 can be used from birth but just in case my two are premmies I'm currently collecting second hand carry cots so they can stretch out too when out and about and have bought a couple of Samsonite pop up cots which are cute as well.

I do love a bargain though so was delighted to hear a couple of my friends are holding a baby car boot sale at the Benahavis Car Boot this Sunday ( 8th May ) Here's what my friend from www.kidsinmarbella.com has to say about the Baby car boot ....

Myself and a couple of friends are going along to the Benahavis Car boot sale, next Sunday 8th May.
We are going to be selling all our nearly new and good quality used baby and toddler things. There will be all sorts there from everything you need to help decorate the nursery, blankets,baby sleeping bags to toys, clothes and nursing equipment.

Amongst other things I have two good as new moses baskets as well as a mothercare highchair and two fisheprice swings and rockers, my friends also have a lot of similar items as well as an abundance of beautiful baby clothes for boys and girls.

I am hoping the weather will be good but not too sunny and I also have the task of entertaining my kids whilst we are there and trying to stop them from wanting to buy everything from the other stalls.

If you also have things to sell of a baby or toddler nature then I suggest coming along on Sunday 8th May and joining us. Stalls are 10€, contact Micheal on 609 544 004 to arrange a stall and email me info@kidsinmarbella.com to let me know you are coming.
I look forward to seeing you there!

Address: Benhavis Carboot sale, La Ermita on the Benahavis Road

Going on holiday to Spain with a baby ... or two!

2011-04-08T12:13:00.004+02:00

My sister is coming out next week for an impromtu holiday with her two very small children and so suddenly needs a huge amount of baby stuff! The dilemma she is facing is similar to that which many families face when taking babies on holiday .... you don't and can't travel with too much and you don't want to have to buy everything when you get there ... so what do you do?

Most hotels will supply you with the basics but there are still things you might need. If you are hiring an appartment as my sister is you will often need to find the basics yourself. My sisters main 'want' was a cot for her 18 month old. We can lend her one cot for her newborn but she still needs a second one. So I started to do some research and came across a company called Holiday Hires who hire out baby equiptment throughout the Costa del Sol.

They have a wide range of baby stuff at affordable prices including wooden and travel cots, high chairs, push chairs and safety items. Holiday Hires do not just hire out baby stuff, if you are coming on holiday to the Costa del Sol you can also use them to hire mobility equipment such as wheelchairs and mobility scooters as well as more general items that you might not think you are going to need on holiday, but suddenly find you can't do without .... eg fans, kettles, fridges, microwaves, fold up beds and even Wii machines!!! So keep their details handy if coming out here on holiday.

My sister's wooden cot costs 35€ for 7 days hire which is pretty good and comes with a mattress and sheets. Holiday Hires were also really quick to get back to me after our initial enquiry and very helpful re drop off and pick up times.

Their team also assemble anything that you order and that's all included in the price! To find out more about Holiday Hires take a look at their website http://www.holidayhires.net/ and have a great holiday!!!

Safe Socks for Pregnancy!

2011-04-08T11:59:00.006+02:00

Indybel are delighted to now be Spanish stockists for an exciting new product .... Pregnancy Travel and Support Socks!

Maternity travel socks are designed to reduce the risk of DVT in pregnant women and new mothers. Ideal for travel during pregnancy or general relaxation as aloe vera plant extract in the socks eases swollen ankles and supports tired and aching feet.

During pregnancy and after the birth of a baby it is important to feel comfortable when you travel. My Baby Specialist travel socks are designed with a compression factor of 17 to maximize support, comfort & safety during your journey. They are specially designed to reduce the risk of Deep Vein Thrombosis.

Made from soft cotton & Lycra with aloe vera plant extract, they can also be used on a day to day basis to support swollen ankles and soothe tired, aching feet .... Perfect for all stages of pregnancy and after the birth of your child. Ideal for the expectant mum who travels a lot for work or those going on holiday. Also a great item for expectant mums suffering from swollen ankles and aching feet .... also an original and clever gift idea! Avaliable in two colours and sizes Natural and Black ...

So whether you are a jet setting mum to be who has to travel for work ... or pleasure! Or are expecting and will be travelling to visit family and friends ... or if you just suffer from swollen ankles and aching feet ... Pregnancy travel socks could be the solution for you!!

Order them now from http://www.indybel.com/

Looking for love in Spain?

2011-03-28T12:55:00.003+02:00

Expatica ‘Mini’ SpeedDate in Madrid

Meet the most eligible expats in Spain at the Expatica ‘Mini’ SpeedDate, which will take place during the "i am not a tourist" Fair on 6 May.

Whether you are looking for love or just want to meet new people, this unique event is for you. It gives you up to 15 dates in one hour... an attractive, safe and efficient alternative to the superficial bar scene and torturous three-hour blind date.

Upon arrival, you will receive a welcome drink and a list of the singles you will meet. Once the dating starts, you will have three minutes to find a click with each single of the opposite sex. After each session, the ladies move on for the next dating round. You can then indicate whether you’d like to stay in touch with your date by marking them on your list.... Monday Morning.... we sort out the paper work and with any luck, you’ll find a match in your mailbox!

Tickets:

Tickets for the Expatica ‘Mini’ SpeedDate are EUR 10, which includes a welcome drink, and can be ordered online. To register for this event, click here. Please note that registration is on a first-come first-serve basis and that we can only invite 15 ladies and 15 gentlemen.Don’t forget to keep an eye out for the following events taking place during the fair: “i am not a tourist” Fair on Friday,6 May

I am not a tourist!

2011-03-28T12:47:00.003+02:00

Here's a great event for your diary .....

Don’t miss the “i am not a tourist” Madrid on Friday, 6 May. It’s all an expat needs to make the most of life in Spain & it’s free to join!

Whether you have lived here for 10 days or 10 years, make sure you keep Friday, 6 May free on your calendars for this once-a-year opportunity.

“i am not a tourist” 2011 will be an interactive extravaganza of experts and companies specialising in expatriate life, workshops, networking and entertainment. We’ve invited over 40 exhibitors to offer you a helping hand. Have a chat with a recruitment agent, get a word of advice on health insurance or banking, compare international schools and universities, join a group / club or just take the chance to mix with hundreds of like-minded internationals.

Get invaluable information about surviving abroad Attend seminars on landing that perfect job, banking, or setting up a business, and enjoy great entertainment and networking opportunities.

The programme includes a yoga workshop and wine tasting as well as on-stage performances and even a SpeedDate. And don't hesitate to bring your family along; we have set aside a whole room just for them! DKV Globality, Staysure and Clements International proudly sponsor the “i am not a tourist” Fair 2011 and will be there to answer all your questions regarding insurance.

Get your FREE tickets now at: http://www.iamnotatourist.es/.

Storksak and Babymel Changing bags now at indybel.com

2011-03-24T17:46:00.012+01:00

We have just added a great new range of changing bags to the store. Storksak and Babymel changing bags are the creation of hip London designers Melanie Marshall and Suzi Bergman. Creating bags that are highly fashionable without sacrificing function, Storksak has carved out a new niche in parenting bags. Celebs love these cool, high quality and fully functional bags and celeb parents such as Jessica Alba, Angelina Jolie and Julia Roberts have all been pictured sporting Storksak bags!

Babymel is the little sister of Storksak. The changing bags are more moderate in price but just as cool and functional. We love these new bags all of which can be purchased in Spain from http://www.indybel.com/ in a range of colours. Here's a little preview of the bags, to find out more or to buy one just click on the bags ... Changing bags also make great gifts for new and expectant mums!

Babymel Amanda 69€

Babymel make some of the hippest changing bags around and the Amanda has long been one of their best sellers. The new Amanda has been updated to make it larger and roomier and to include one insulated bottle pocket. A very stylish and affordable bag ... great gift!

Babymel Big Slouchy 59€

The Slouchy is a brand new style for Spring Summer 2011, featuring a simple modern shape, original print and shiny laminated canvas material. Great value too ... a must for the modern mum! In black or Red ....

Babymel X2 79€

A great idea! Twice the Baby, twice the Bag! If you are having twins or a second baby, this brand new concept from Babymel is perfect for you! Two separate bags which can be clipped together or separated as needed so you can pack for each baby but still have the convienience of one bag! Brilliant...

Storksak Dori 109€

Trimmed with chic tan leather, this bag is as stylish as it is practical. Featuring two large external pockets, two zipped insulated bottle pockets and a comfortable webbing shoulder strap. Roomy interior with five large storage pockets, a detachable key clip and padded mat.

Storksak Jess 115€

Casual and roomy, this classic satchel style favourite from hip London designers Storksak is perfect for carrying all your essentials, whilst big enough for an extra change of clothes or a picnic rug! Boasts 3 outer pockets, 6 inner pockets and insulated bottle holder and padded mat.

Storksak Jools 120€

A smaller, lightweight bag perfect for the busy mum and quick trips. It features two large outer pockets including a front zipper pocket, thermo-insulated bottle pocket, padded changing mat and detachable inner sak. It also boasts an adjustable shoulder strap and wipe clean linings throughout. ...

Storksak Tania 130€

Ultra modern & roomy, practical and spacious. This super lightweight bag is made by hip London changing bag designers Storksak. Features a multitude of storage pockets, built-in stroller straps and avaliable in petrol blue and graphite.

Family Fair in aid of Tomas Leighton

2011-03-21T12:03:00.003+01:00

Just received some info on this fair next weekend ( March 27th ) which sounds like it's going to be lots of fun and is in aid of a great cause ....

Sunday 27th March

11am - 6pm

Benalmadena International College ( BIC ) Nueva Torrequebrada next to Mercadona

Bouncy Castles / Facepainting / Football Competitions / Ladies fashions / Craft Stalls / Entertainers / Wine and Beer stalls / Clairvoyant readings / homemade cakes / ice cream! / Live radio broadcasting / heath and beauty .... and lots more!!!

This fun family event is in aid of Tomas Leighton who is 6 years old and suffers from Cerebal Palsy, epilepsy and blindness. Funds raised will help to ensure Tomas continues to receive the vital treatments he needs to walk, talk and learn.
To find out more about Tomas please visit www.tlc-charity.com

Feria del Nino, San Pedro

2011-02-23T12:37:00.003+01:00

This weekend ( 26th, 27th and 28th of Feb ) there is a children's fair in San Pedro!

Attractions include stands, bouncy castles, fairground rides, workshops, crafts, bar and cafe area, performances, puppets, magic, clowns, storytelling, dance and a cinema!

The fun kicks off every day at 11 and the fair closes at 8pm. Enterance is just 4 euros per person.

The event takes place at the Recinto Ferial de San Pedro / Main San Pedro Feria ground!

Sounds like fun!

Preparing for baby books ....

2011-02-23T12:16:00.005+01:00

There have been some complications during my twin pregnancy and although I'm keeping my fingers tightly crossed I still wonder whether the two of them will make it. So long as they are fighting away in there though I have to start to get a little bit prepared.

Luckily my acupuncturist has twins so she kindly lean't me some of her twin books! The first Double Trouble by Emma Mahony immediately grabbed my attention ( it started with a list of 10 great reasons to have twins! ) and I have just finished it so thought I'd post a little review.

Double Trouble is one of those great books that reads more like a novel than a guide book. Instead of long lists of do's and don'ts, detailed descriptions of what to do if you get various aches and complaints and what to expect at each months scan, Mahony's book is more a funny tale of her own experience of having twins and indeed being a twin herself. Much of the book is very humourous and frank and what it lacks in detail it makes up for in warmness and passion.
Mahony's chapters cover things like how to deal with nosy people who want to know if your twins are natural or ivf, the pro's and con's of various prams, hiring help after the birth, eating for 3, birth and breastfeeding and most importantly keeping your hubbie happy when you feel totally knackered!

The con's of the book are it's very London based and anyone who can't afford or doesn't want a personal maternity nurse might find it a bit offputting. Similarly Mahony is clearly an advocator of natural birth and pushes this option rather zealously which could alienate those mums to be who would prefer more intervention.
However the pro's are that it's warm, funny and her personal accounts of struggling with breastfeeding, sleep patterns and life after twins will give hope to pregnant mums in 'twin' shock everywhere!!

I'm not sure where you can buy Double Trouble in Spain but it is easily available on amazon, who are now offering free shipping to Spain ... so order away!!!

When I was pregnant with my daughter I read 'What to Expect While Expecting'. This is a long and very detailed book which basically tells you what to expect while expecting every month ... you can practically look up anything too and it will be covered in the book ... from discharge and dilation to painting your house while pregnant or looking after your pet.

The book is American, so expect some differences in medical care etc but 5 years on my issue of the book is still current and relevant and it's a good overall guide to pregnancy .... recommended!! I bought my copy in Bookworld Espana but again it can also be ordered via Amazon.

Just yesterday I was on a forum where the old baby guide book debate was raging as fiercly as ever!! It's amazing how animated mums can get when discussing Gina Ford V everyone else. My personal opinion is that what I read of Gina Ford ( The Contented Baby Book ) did seem very regimented and unnecessarily strict. When I had my daughter I went for an altogether more relaxed book called The Baby Book by Rachel Waddilove.

Rachel did advocate a four hourly feeding routine which is similar to Gina but she's much more relaxed about the rest of the time, the emphasis being on enjoying your baby while getting them into a good sleeping routine. Whereas Gina encourages mums to put their babies to sleep at the same time everyday in darkened rooms, Rachel's suggestion was that the baby slept all over the house in lightened rooms with the tv blaring, hoovering and daily household activity going on. This made more sense to me and mean't that my daughter quickly became used to sleeping in her pram, in the car, in shops, at other's houses etc ... this mean't we were not tied to the house at nap times and could be as flexible as we liked. And yes she slept through from about 3 months and was a very happy ( and contented ) baby.

I think you you should take advice from the books and then do what works for you. I never ever saw the point in waking my daughter at half 6 or 7 when she'd been up at 4 or 5 ( and so had I ! ) and so I never did. I let her sleep in the mornings till she woke up. This mean't she often woke at 10 and so happily did I! This didn't seem to interfere with her sleeping in the night even though the books said it was an absolute must to get your baby up by 7 and napping by 9. We missed all that!!!! I'm not saying this would work for everyone but it's an example of where I deviated from the books and found my own 'style'. But the books for me were a godsend when giving tips on feeding, weaning, bathing and even going out with a new baby.

Whatever book you choose you can be ensured the Baby Book debate will continue until your little one is preparing for their own children!

Back to Front ....

2011-02-23T12:09:00.003+01:00

Currently my 4 year old sits in the back of the car in either her main car seat or a booster seat.
As I am now expecting twins I have to think ahead to how I'm suddenly going to go from one child, a buggy and a dog in the car to 3 children, a double buggy, and if possible a dog in the car!! The obvious awnser would be to get a bigger car but unfortunately for the time being that is not really an option!

I reckon that I could get two baby car seats in the back with my daughters booster seat in the middle but it's not idea. While my daughter will probably enjoy this at times, I can imagine that at other times the option of sitting in the middle of two screaming bundles won't be very attractive, so I started wondering if it's legal in Spain to sit a toddler in the front?

Luckily I have a friend whose husband is in the Spanish police so I asked them. After double checking he confirmed that it IS legal for a child to sit in the front so long as

* They are sitting in a proper ( ie not booster ) carseat which has been certified as going through the safety checks
* The airbag is turned OFF

Finding out what's legal or not is hard in Spain so I thought I'd share this bit of info. I don't particularly want my daughter sitting in the front all the time and it's not ideal either but at least we now know that it is a legal option. ( I can't imagine I'll be brave enough or energetic enough to go out with the 3 of them alone for a long time anyway!!! )

At least I have my trusty See Me Driving mirror which I am totally addicted too and which allows me to keep an eye on my daughter in the back. Don't forget www.indybel.com stock a wide range of driving accessories for mums in Spain, including the See Me Mirror, Easy View driving mirror and another favourite of mine, the Stow n Go, absolutely essential when travelling with children and all their bits and bobs!

So problem solved, but not sure where the poor dog will go :(

Public or Private?

2011-02-15T14:45:00.003+01:00

In Spain if you have private medical insurance you can usually opt to have your pregnancy under private medical care if you want to that is! This means that many of us are in the rather unique situation of being able to choose between private or public health care or in many cases to have both.

With my daughter I had all my care under a Sanitas gynocologist. This involved monthly scans and all the usual blood tests and monthly checks. I had his phone number in case of an emergency and gave birth in a private hospital where I had my own very nice 'hotel' room!

This time round with twins I have opted for both private and state care. I started off going down the private route and then at 15 weeks my dr recommended that I register under the state system. The main reason for this is that as my pregnancy is now classed as high risk ( age, twins, dodgy cervix ) I will have to have my babies in the best hospital equiped for a high risk pregnancy. The privates don't in general have premature baby units and so the best place to have my babies is one of the state hospitals. In my case either the Costa del Sol or the Materno. ( In Marbella and Malaga respectively ) I'm happy with this, I want to have my babies in the place best equiped to care for them and me and didn't particularly enjoy my private hospital birth, although the cushy private room was a big bonus!!!

Now in Spain you can have private treatment throughout your pregnancy and then turn up a state hosptial for the birth with a folder of your notes. A lot of people do this and you don't need to have visited the hospital before turning up for the birth. Or alternatively at some point in your pregnancy you can register with the state system and receive your scans and care from the State as well as privately.
This is what I am now doing at 16 weeks. The bonus is that when you turn up at the state hospital for the birth they will have all your details in the computor and be aware of anything that needs special attention. Also with high risk pregnancies they may want to call you in more at the end and organise your birth for you, so it's important that if you are high risk that you are under the State as well as your private doctor.

Yesterday I had my first matrona ( midwife ) appointment and it was great. The matrona was really nice, quite young, spoke perfect English and amazingly the appointment was bang on time!! ( Don't often get that at my private clinic!! )

She took a really detailed gyno history and asked all about my daughter's birth and the ivf. So now I have my little Salud Embarazado book with all my notes in it. I have to go back tommorrow at 8am to do the diabetes drink and urine test. Then in March I have an appointment to see the pregnancy dr who will listen to the heartbeats and do some other checks and also that week I have an appointment with the scanning center to come in for their 20 week scan. So all in all I thought it was very thorough. If I was only going public I'd feel I was getting a good service although I guess it's luck of the draw as to who you see and the time of the appointment.
The matrona said a lot of people these days go private and public and it's a good idea.

Comparing the public and private systems is quite interesting .... here's what I've discovered so far!

* Appointment times - you can book your private appointments at times that are suitable to you and convienient. With the state system it seems to be a case of take what you are given and don't ask if you can change it!!

* Scans ... privately you have a scan every month and more if you need them. The State system offers a 12 week scan and then a 20 week scan ... not sure yet what happens after that! I do know that friends who have had 'problems' have been called in for extra scans on the state for eg at 16 weeks ...

* Quality of care .... going by my matrona appointment which was incrediably thorough, at this stage I can only say that the quality of care seems to be equal

* Hospitals ... in the private hospitals you can enjoy a nice cosy private room with your baby, in the state hospitals expect to share with at least one other person and their baby too!

More as I find it out .....................

Acupunture, Pregnancy and Fertility

2011-02-15T14:16:00.004+01:00

I started having acupuncture last summer as after our first ivf attempt failed. I'd heard a lot about the benefits of ivf and acupuncture and acupuncture in general when trying to concieve and so decided to give it a go!

Acupuncture works to do a number of things in fertility for example stimulate follicle growth and aid implantation. Ideally your acupuncturist will discuss your individual case with you and work out a plan to maximise your fertility chances. They should also discuss things like general health, diet and lifestyle with you.

In my case my first ivf attempt had shown poor quality embryo's and the plan was to try to increase my egg count. So my acupunture was tailored around this. As well as this my acupuncturist worked on my general health which included a bit of a dodgy digestive system and my thyroid problems. Her aim was also to increase my energy levels, stop any blockages, work around my C Sec scar as this could block energy and also help me sleep better.

I wasn't too nervous about the acupuncture itself as once you've had ivf you become a pro at sticking needles into yourself anyway. Plus you'll do anything to help it work! But I know a lot of people are nervous about the prospect or find it a rather bizarre thing to do to your body!

The needles don't really hurt when they go in, occassionally I would feel a bit of pins and needles if a needle hit a nerve but on the whole it doesn't hurt. Once they are in place my acupuncturist would aid the blood flow by warming the area around the needles with something that is hot, smells nice and gives a very plesant sensation! After 20 mins or so the needles come out and you go home! My acupuncture sessions only last for half and hour. I usually feel mildly relaxed after but personally I feel the benefits later on ( better sleep, more energy etc ) whereas some people say they feel fantastic the moment they get up. Some say they go to sleep during the sessions. Depending on my mood I do find I often get a bit drowsy!

During the run up to my ivf treatment I had weekly sessions for around 2 - 3 months. The needles tended to be in my wrists, legs and toes and around the ovaries. The week of my egg collection and egg transfer and during implantation I had sessions tailored to my treatment and the needles were often put on my face in this period and rather disconcertingly my least favourite needle which is placed on the scalp. I've never liked this one!!! A couple of times I had needles in my ears too!!!
I won't pretend to know the in's and out's of acupunture but my ivf worked and worked splendidly! All my embryo's were top quality, I had more eggs, a troublesome cyst which threatened my cycle at the last minute disappeared after an acupuncture cycle and both my embyro's implanted meaning I am now carrying twins!!!!

Of course I can't claim acupunture is directly responsible for all this but I'd say it def had something to do with it.

I continued to have weekly acupuncture up to my 12 week scan. Due to past history I was scared of miscarrying so my acupunture treatment changed to help my body support the growing embyro's. At 12 weeks I did stop acupuncture but missed it so am now having monthly sessions during my pregnancy. Monthly sessions can help support the different stages of pregnancy and of course relax the mum to be. At the end you can have acupuncture to try to bring on a late labour or indeed encourage your body to hold onto baby for longer!!

I have to say my experience of acupunture has been an extremely positive one. If you are considering acupuncture for pregnancy or fertility treatment here are a few things to consider

* Make sure you choose an acupuncturist who is experienced in fertility, some have studied fertility acupuncture more than others ...

* Ask around for recommendations amongst friends

My acupuncturist is Rachel Cohen and she is avaliable in the Costa del Sol area. She charges around 40€ a session which seems to be around average.

Good Luck!!

Happy New Year!!

2011-01-12T12:55:00.003+01:00

Happy New Year! Here's hoping 2011 is a happy and healthy one for all mums and tots in Spain and all our pregnant customers have safe and easy deliveries!

Why not kick of your new year by checking out the Indybel January Sales?

Everything from Inch Blue shoes to gorgeous organic blankets, the hip seat, babypotz and even maternity Jeans can be found in our sales this month .... take a look now at www.indybel.com

New Year and Double Trouble!

2011-01-12T12:27:00.003+01:00

Well, we had a very dodgy xmas and new year in the UK as everyone in our family caught swine flu.

I came back to Spain very worried about my ivf pregnancy which is nearing the 12 week mark as of course flu can raise the miscarriage rate.

We had 6 and 8 week scans in December and both times saw a healthy growing baby with a heartbeat which after having a missed miscarriage ( where there is no heartbeat on the monitor ) was incrediably reassuring and pretty amazing! But although the miscarriage rate drops statistically after seeing a heartbeat before 12 weeks I was still very scared.

So at 11 and a half weeks we went for a check up scan to make sure everything was okay after the flu. Well we had the biggest shock of our lives, not only was there one lovely baby kicking and very much alive but there was also a twin!!!!

After EC I suffered ohss ( hyper stimulation of the ovaries ) quite badly and my ovaries were very large and quite painful. This made it difficult at scans to see the baby although we did see one at both the 6 and 8 week scan and assumed that was it. But now the ohss has gone down there were very clearly 2 bundles of joy on the screen ..... I am now in complete shock and wondering how we will cope!!!! But also overjoyed!

Of course twins does put this pregnancy at more risk, at nearly 38 I am high risk anyway plus I have an incompetent cervix so will need a stitch as soon as possible to ensure I don't go into premature labour. I'm going to take each day as it comes as there are many things that could go wrong and many complications that could arise during the pregnancy and birth, but at least we know that so far our twinnies seem strong and are fighters!

Next step is the offical 12 week scan next week when the twins will be properly measured to make sure all is okay and they will also have the Down's test. If we get through all that I have the joys of the 20 week scan to look forward to!

I will continue to have my pregnancy care at Clinica Fertia in Fuengirola. Having been under Dr Puente for the IVF we will now be under Dr Santander as she specialises in pregnancy. It's very nice to be able to stay with the same clinic who created our little one's as I feel they have a vested interest in making sure our babies stay safe. I have nothing but praise for the clinic and would happily recommend Clinica Fertia to anyone seeking ivf, fertility or pregnancy treatment in Spain.

CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT IVF AND FERTILITY IN SPAIN

Yummy mummy natural toiletries now available in Spain from indybel.com

2010-12-14T12:50:00.005+01:00

We are delighted and excited to announce that we are now stockists for Boo Boo, the very latest luxiourous skin care range to come from the UK. Boo Boo products are specially designed for baby's delicate skin and pregnant mums to be or new mummy's with all their needs taken into consideration ....

This is what Boo Boo say about their range ...

At Boo Boo we're passionate about what goes into our products. By taking the finest quality, natural ingredients we create skincare that treats, nurtures and makes even the most delicate skins feel extra special.

All our goodies are made in the UK and are free from parabens, sulphates, TEA petrochemicals, synthetic colours and DEA. We never test on animals. All our bottles are recyclable and we try and keep packaging to a minimum.

Indybel now stock a wide range of Boo Boo products for mum and baby including Miracle Oil, Magic Balm, Bottom Butter and Top to Toe wash .... We also stock the gorgeous Mummy and Me pampering kit which is a lovely gift for new mums to share and bond with their little one .... to see the full range of Boo Boo products in Spain visit http://www.indybel.com/

Indybel Distribution

2010-11-29T11:51:00.002+01:00

Indybel are delighted to announce that we are now distributors for baby products in Spain.

www.indybel.com distribute innovative and high quality British and International pregnancy and baby products in Spain. If we are passionate about a product then we know your customers will be too!

Traders / Retailers

We now have a select number of products that are avaliable to buy wholesale from Indybel to sell in Spain. ( please note, some products may only be avaliable to particular regions ) To obtain a list of wholesale prices ( all prices listed on the trade area in the site are RRP ) and terms and conditions please contact info@indybel.com

Manufacturers

Do you have a British or International pregnancy or baby product that you would like to see distributed in Spain? We are always looking for exciting new products to introduce to Spain. To find out more about working with Indybel in Spain please contact info@indybel.com

For more information and to see products currently avaliable for distribution visit our trade area

Advertise Your Business with Indybel!!!

2010-11-29T11:47:00.002+01:00

We now have the opportunity to offer businesses banners on our main site http://www.indybel.com/

If you are looking to attract families and parents in Spain then our VERY COMPETITIVE RATES could be just the thing for you!

Why advertise with us!

http://www.indybel.com/ is a website dedicated to pregnancy and baby in Spain. Our site is bilingual meaning we are highly accessible to both Spanish and English parents and parents to be throughout Spain, the Islands and Europe. Our statistics show that we have many customers from The States, Asia and Scandanavia as well.
We sell innovative and organic products for pregnancy and baby in Spain. By keeping up to date with new innovations in baby products and writing about these on our site and blog ( http://indybelpregnancyandbabyinspain.blogspot.com/ ) as well as our consistent SEO work and relationships with relevant businesses we consistently maintain a high profile on google and the other search engines.
We attend baby shows and relevant events throughout Europe, selling products and distributing marketing material to bring new customers to the site. We are currently recruiting agents throughout Spain to distribute marketing materials for us in different areas. This means we constantly have a presence at local groups and events such as mother and baby groups and children’s play centres.

Who visits our site?

· Pregnant women in Spain, the UK and Europe ( we have a customer base in Greece and Italy ) Women trying to concieve in Spain.

· Mums and Dads in Spain, the UK and Europe

· Grandparents and families

· Customers from all over the world looking to send gifts to celebrate a pregnancy or birth in Spain

· Those interested in the topics of pregnancy and baby in Spain and those seeking information on giving birth in Spain and having a baby in Spain / pregnancy and baby professionals such as midwives and those who work in the industry.

· Our visitor and customer base is 75% female

We launched our site in August 2008. Since that time our site statistics show an average of 2,578 product hits per month. These are statistics for actual hits on a product’s in-depth information rather than just browsers to the site. This works out at an average of 92 in depth product hits per day. In other words 92 hits from serious customers and those interested in pregnancy and baby in Spain. This figures are not counting those just browsing or looking for information on pregnancy and baby in Spain.

Banners

Advertising with Indybel is a great opportunity to reach a dedicated audience of parents and parents to be in Spain and Europe.

All banners are situated on the left hand side of the site at the top of the page scrolling downwards and can be seen prominently as soon as someone enters the site.

All banners appear on all the main product and information pages of the site and
on both the English and Spanish sides of the site.

Banners can be either jpg, gif or png format. We can accept varied dimensions.
If you don’t have a banner and would like us to arrange for you banner to be made please contact us for a quote.

Prices

We offer banners at very competitive prices!

1 month – 34.99€ + iva
3 months – 104.95€+ iva and ONE MONTH FREE

All advertisers also receive a free write up and post in our blog. Please supply information for this ( approx 300 – 500 words )

If you are looking to reach parents and families in Spain or pregnant women or those thinking of starting a family then this is the site for you!

To book a banner or for more information please contact
info@indybel.com or call 625 377 095

Christmas Sales at Indybel ....

2010-11-29T11:35:00.004+01:00

Christmas has come early to Indybel and Spain !!

To celebrate we've started our sales early ... check out the sales section to snap up these incredible bargains!!

* All Beaming Baby Toiletries NOW 3€ ( from 6.99€ )

* Gorgeous Organic snuggly blankets for winter reduced from 46€ to JUST 30€

* The very clever Hipseat is now JUST 39€ instead of 56€ ..... WOW!!!!!!

* All Bio D washing products - 50% OFF

* Pregnancy lounge pants, perfect for relaxing - NOW only 10€

PLUS LOTS LOTS MORE!!!

Second IVF attempt at Clinica Fertia ....

2010-11-29T11:11:00.006+01:00

Well, I haven't written lots about my second ivf attempt as in many ways it was similar to my first!

This time round the clinic ( Clinica Fertia in Fuengirola ) made some changes to try to ensure I got as many eggs as possible which they felt would increase our chances of having some better quality embyro's ... so they

* Scanned me every month to find the best baseline month with the most follies
* Increased my medication ( upped the puregon dose and started menopour from day 1 )

I stimmed for a day or two longer than last time and funnily enough found the injections much harder this time, maybe it was doing more a day! EC went really well, from my 14 follies, 10 eggs were collected and I went home with mild ohss which was quite painful but no pain no gain!! Two days later I had a 2 day transfer. For me this was the most terrifying part. Last time at ET we were told the quality of our embryo's were very poor and very fragmented. We had been warned that if the same thing happened it would be best to start genetic testing or look into other options. However wonderfully and amazingly we had 4 perfect top grade lovely embryo's! The dr said it was like looking at the embyro's of two different women! 2 embryo's were put back and 2 frozen ... I can't tell you what a difference it made to our positivity knowing we had produced such wonderful embryo's after last time. First time round I left the clinic after ET in tears, this time I left on cloud nine knowing we had the best chance we could have ...

And so began the 2ww ... as usual week one was fine ( the ohss was painful and I did look 6 months pregnant ) but by week 2 I was becoming a wreck! On my first cycle I started spotting at 10dpt so getting past that was my milestone. 10 days came and went and no spotting, I did have cramping and other pre menstral signs but I also felt different to my last cycle and def more hopeful.

On official test day I had to go to get a blood test. I was so nervous and went shopping afterwards. The clinic rang a few hours later .... BFP!!! Big Fat Positive! Hurrah I'm pregnant!

Obviously with my history of miscarriage nothing is certain yet. I have my first scan at 6 weeks at the end of this week and I am petrified of seeing no heartbeat for a second time. But on the plus side I know we made great embyro's this time, I know I can still get pregnant and we have frosties in the freezer which would make a third attempt much easier. But for now I'm keeping my fingers crossed that my wonderful clever embyro makes it this time .... !

The moral of my story is that you can have a disasterous first cycle and a very good second cycle, so don't give up if it didn't go to plan first time. I might not stay pregnant but it was a very different story for this cycle and a very different cycle from day 1 ...

So what did I do differently?

This is what everyone wants to know ... well this is what I changed 2nd cycle ....

* I started having acupuncture from about 3 months before EC. I found a wonderful acupuncturist who specialised in fertility and she worked very hard to stimulate more follies, increase the quality of my eggs and improve on my general wellbeing. I believe 100% that the acupuncture worked for me. I had one session per week and two on the day of ET as well as two in the 2ww. I am still having them now!

* I took Royal Jelly and Omega 3 as well as Pregnacare Conception which I took in my first cycle. Royal Jelly is supposed to improve egg quality and fertility and Omega 3 is an anti oxident and embyro's like a nice anti oxident environment apparently! I stopped the Royal Jelly after EC

* As before I drank tons of water and ate tons of protein once I started stimms

* I chilled out!! We moved house 2 days before I started injecting and I firmly believe that having to deal with movers and packing mean't I had no time to think about ivf and was much more chilled. During stimms I was busy unpacking and therefore not stressing. I also carried on as normal with my daughter, taking her to school etc ... last time family took over, this time we managed by ourselves and I think without the fussing ( well meaning I know ) I just got on with stuff more easily

* I didn't rest up after ET! My clinic recommend 2-3 days sofa rest and no movement and then taking it easy. It didn't work for me last time and I didn't feel good staying on the sofa. Family practically strapped me down on in and I just felt like an invalid and frustrated. This time I rested the afternoon of ET but still padded around the house making dinner, putting my daughter to bed etc. The next day we stayed at home in the morning but then I took my daughter to the park to meet her friends and although I sat in the cafe it was nice to be out and about. We nipped to shops after before going home to relax. The next day we went on a family day out and had a real laugh. We had a little work and lunch out ... For me, all that was so so much better than sitting at home obsessing ...

I am very happy with the treatment I got at Clinica Fertia this time round. I felt they were positive but honest with me and wanted to do the best for us. They seemed more friendly this time round, I think they knew me better and maybe I was more relaxed with them too ... it was a more informal cycle which was nice.

CLICK HERE TO MORE ABOUT IVF AND FERTILITY IN SPAIN

The Babybjorn Stylish Dad Competition!!

2010-11-18T12:34:00.003+01:00

The superstylish Babybjorn carries are not just a hit with mums but with dads too! These days you see just as many men walking around sporting babies in carriers as you do mums which is why Babybjorn have decided to launch their Stylish Dad Photo Contest 2011!

The competition which has already been a huge success in Scandanavia, Australia and Japan has now hit Spain with a bang! If you are a stylish dad or your partner is a stylish dad and you'd like to enter him then all you have to do is take a picture of Stylish dad carrying his tot in a Babybjorn carrier and follow the instructions as to how to send you photo on www.babybjorn.es/concursofotos

There's plenty of time as the competition opened on Nov 1st and continues until Feb 28th 2011! The winners will be chosen by March 2011.

As for the fab prizes, well ...

First prize is 600€ worth of Babybjorn products
Second prize is 300€ worth of Babybjorn products
Third prize is 200€ worth of Babybjorn products ...
3 fantastic prizes!

So .... if you are a babybjorn owner get snapping now and if not you can buy a selection of gorgeous babybjorn carriers at http://www.indybel.com/ in Spain and you might just end up winning one of those fantastic prizes too!

Good Luck!!

Holo - a hole lot of fun during pregnancy!

2010-11-15T12:43:00.004+01:00

One of my pregnant friends has always slept on her tummy ... since finding out she was pregnant she has continued to sleep on her tummy but now that she is getting a bit bigger she's beginning to find it a bit uncomfortable. So she was delighted when I told her about indybel latest product ... the holo!

The holo is basically ... a lilo with a hole! The brainchild of a pregnant mum to be who found a holiday to Spain uncomfortable with her bump, the holo is now taking the world by storm! So okay obviously it's a summer product and a holiday product first and foremost but the holo is not just for relaxing in the pool while pregnant .... oh no, you can also use it to sunbathe on your back, meaning baby is away from the evil sun's glare ... and you can use it lie by the pool and read a book on your front ... a pleasure many have to forgo during pregnancy.
The holo is very compact, it can be easily inflated and deflated which means taking it to the beach daily is no problem and it fits perfectly in the suitcase too ....

Okay so that's holiday's covered, but what about the rest of the year? This to us is where the true beauty of the holo shines through .... it's a fantastic product for resting in your home ... if you are one of the many ladies who prefer to life on your front and watch TV or read a book or even take a nap then the holo is just as useful in your front room as on the beach ....

And that's not all .... it can be taken to massage session or used for physio or osteopathy, meaning that finally pregnant women and their bumps can lie comfortably during treatments. It's already being used by experts in these fields to treat pregnant women with great results ... so good news all round really ....

So that's the holo .... let's see now ..... perfect for the pool, the beach, the garden, the lounge, the bedroom, the spa! What else could you want!

The holo is avaliable in Spain from http://www.indybel.com/ for retail in our store and also for wholesale so if you happen to be a Spanish retailer and are looking for the next must have pregnancy product, get in touch!!

Genius Genii

2010-10-06T12:24:00.005+02:00

It's hard work getting a good night's sleep during pregnancy ... which is why a product like the dreamgenii pregnancy support pillow really can make all the difference to your and your baby's wellbeing during pregnancy.

We've been selling the dreamgenii pillow here in Spain for nearly two years now and are delighted to report that customers seem to love it and really do find it helps them to find a comfortable sleep position and soothe aching limbs. At the recent Salon Bebe show in Torremolinos the pillows were flying off the shelves!

But it seems we are not the only ones to be impressed. The Dreamgenii® Pregnancy Pillow has now been certified by the European Medical Devices Directorate as a Class 1 Medical Device. It is used by thousands of women during pregnancy, as well as by UK National Health Service Midwives, Breastfeeding Coordinators and in NHS delivery suites to provide comfort and support to pregnant women and new mothers.

This important achievement of this Pan European Standard further underlines both the unique nature and effectiveness of the product, and demonstrates that it not just provides a source of comfort for pregnant women but is a genuine piece of medical ‘kit’ which can deliver significant benefits as well.

In fact it is the only pregnancy pillow in the world that can deliver these benefits.

Finally a big congratulations to dreamgenii who have recently scooped up a selection of International awards .... seems this pillow really is magic!

You can buy dreamgenii in Spain at http://www.indybel.com/ - check out the pregnancy store for more info!

Fisher Price Recall Toys Worldwide

2010-10-01T12:10:00.005+02:00

I just heard on the radio that toy giant Fisher Price have issued a worldwide recall for more than 10 million of their products due to manufacturing flaws which have resulted to injury in at least 7 children.

This is very scary. As parents we spend most of our time 'keeping an eye' on our children whilst they are playing. Playtime should be fun but quite frankly it's anything but fun for anyone other than the child.

If your child is playing outside possible hazards range from falling, tripping, banging heads, being knocked over, being sunburnt, catching cold, being bitten by an insect ... and so on. I used to work in TV where we were never allowed to do anything without a risk assessment. If as parents we had to do a risk assessment for our local parks or even going to the supermarket we would never allow our children to leave the house.
Inside play is not much safer. Inside hazards include falling over, falling down stairs, falling up stairs, falling into stairs, kitchen hazards ( too many to list! ) table corners, doors and windows, slippery floors and finally toys.

Now toys should be safe. We spend a lot of money on toys and as part of the deal we expect that our toys have undergone the safety standards expected. We also expect that the age specified on the box is correct. Sadly this is not the case. Whilst most toy manufacturers do a great job in insuring their toys are as safe as can be, they ( and we ) cannot discount the genius of children and their desire to explore. And so toys go in mouths, in ears and in eyes. They are pulled apart, dissected and tasted. As a parent you have to keep a constant eye on your child when they are playing with their toys and you have to accept that however safe a toy may appear, in your childs hands you just cannot take any chances. We do however have to put a level of trust in the manufactures that assumes that basic accidents should not happen.

According to recent news articles, the Fisher Price products recalled 'span furniture to infant and children’s toys and hazards include choking and scarily, “genital bleeding.” A list of recalled items includes:
About 7 million Fisher Price Trikes and Tough Trikes toddler tricycles
About 950,000 Healthy Care, Easy Clean and Close to Me High Chairs
About 100,000 Fisher-Price Little People Wheelies Stand ‘n Play Rampway
About 2.8 million Baby Playzone Crawl & Cruise Playground, Baby Playzone Crawl & Slide Arcade, Baby Gymnastics Play Wall, Ocean Wonders Kick & Crawl Aquarium (C3068 and H8094), 1-2-3 Tetherball, Bat & Score Goal.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission was aware of 46 incidents where pieces of some of the recalled toys came loose, and in three of those incidents, a child had started to choke on the toy’s parts.'

The recall began earlier this week in the US and Canada, but according to the radio report today has now spread to Europe and Spain.

Malaga's Children's Hosptial improve facilities and care for mums and newborns!

2010-09-20T12:57:00.003+02:00

At indybel we have long been champions of newer birthing methods and support these by selling birthing balls and slings etc .... Last year the Costa del Sol hospital became highly acclaimed in the area for their new birthing policies which included allowing mums to move around and choose their own birthing position and the insertion of a birthing pool at the hospital. It can only be a good thing therefore that other hospitals in the area are following their example. It was great to read the following article in the Euro Weekly News ( http://www.euroweeklynews.com/) this week which shows that things really are improving for mums to be in Spain .....

MALAGA Children’s Hospital aims to increase the bond between newborn babies and their parents by allowing access to the neonatal area at the time which best suits them.
This way, parents can take part in the care of their newborns which reduces stress. They will be provided with identification cards, which if they wish, they can give to other relatives at the weekend. It is believed that this increased contact will help development and increase confidence in the babies, while parents learn more about health, feeding, hygiene and safety, so they can continue to care for them once they take them home.
All parents and relatives will be supervised by medical personnel, who can ask them to leave if they consider it necessary.

The Children’s Hospital intends to improve other aspects of perinatal care, such as allowing women to give birth in a sitting position thanks to special chairs. They also plan to use massage balls and electric stimulators to alleviate back pains, as well as devices to make sure that the environment is as quiet as possible, covers for incubators, special sashes so mothers can keep their babies close to their chests, and other novelties.
The Junta de Andalucia Health Service also provides documents in which women can express how they wish to be attended during the birth of their babies, and if they have any special wishes or needs.
Some 6,638 children were born at Malaga Children’s Hospital last year, 8.7 per cent less than last year.

Many mums-to-be in Spain still not aware of the risks of drinking during pregnancy ....

2010-09-20T12:48:00.007+02:00

I was quite surprised to read the following report in the Euro Weekly News ( http://www.euroweeklynews.com/ ) last week ....

Betweeen 25 and 45 per cent of pregnant women in Spain consume alcohol during pregnancy, according to a report by the National Association of Health Informers.
Despite the risk of the baby suffering malformations, mental and behavioural disorders, known as Alcoholic Foetal Syndrome, one in five women admit to drinking up to five alcohol drinks in one sitting.
Excessive alcohol consumption during pregnancy can cause developmental problems and damage the heart, kidneys, liver, bones and brain of the unborn child, as well as leading to an underdeveloped head, a lower bridge of the nose, a thin upper lip or small eyes.
Other possible problems include neuropsychological, memory and learning problems, hyperactivity and poor results at school, as well as alcoholism.

I have to say that I find it incredible that in this day and age when we can't fail to be aware of the risks that women can continue to put their unborn babies at risk like this. I'm not being a killjoy, I enjoyed a few drinks myself when pregnant but just one here and there when out for dinner or at a family celebration. The rest of the time I didn't need it, didn't fancy it and didn't want to unnecessarily harm my baby.

I can only assume that unfortunately these mums to be are very young or very under educated. Maybe dr and midwife surgeries in Spain need more information about the drinking recommendations for pregnancy so that everyone is able to be aware of the dangers ......

Looking for The Perfect Baby or Christening Gift in Spain?

2010-09-08T11:47:00.006+02:00

Recently I went to a Christening and was desperately trying to find a really special and unique gift. The photo albums, silver frames, spoons and memorablilia in the shops are lovely but I was looking for something more personal and a little bit different for my friend's baby.

In the end someone mentioned a baby momento plate to me. Personalised birth momento plates are basically hand painted plates with a picture or character and the baby's name, date of birth and birth details such as weight, time of birth, length etc ... I loved this idea and commissioned a special plate for my friend's little girl featuring Tinkerbell and the baby's details. Our Christening gift was an instant hit! Everyone loved the plate which looked amazing ... really cool design and lovely glittery paints ... and featured all the baby's details which will now never be forgotten. My friend is going to mount the plate on her daughter's bedroom wall.

What was really great about this gift was that firstly it was so personal, a real baby keepsake, and secondly I was surprised by how quickly the plate was made. After I had specified the details we received a call 4 days later to say the plate was ready. Price wasn't an issue but at 39.99 euros I thought it was very reasonable considering the amount of work in the peice. A few weeks later another friend was looking for a present for a couple who had just had a little boy and I instantly thought of the plates. She loved the idea too and ordered one straight away ...

Ever the businesswoman I began to think that other customers in Spain might like these plates, either as a lovely gift to celebrate a new born, a christening or baptism gift in Spain or even a lovely present for a child's first, second or third birthday ... using of course their favourite character on the plate!

So .... we are now delighted to offer Personalised Baby Birth Plates for sale at http://www.indybel.com/ in Spain .... Customers can choose their own charater and text and our artist will do the rest ....
I can personally promise that you will be delighted with the result too!

To find out more or to order a baby birth plate in Spain for a christening, new born gift or a birthday click here!

Little Cheerleaders ...

2010-09-03T10:44:00.003+02:00

My friend Vanessa has come up with a great new idea which will leap into action this Saturday on the Costa del Sol.

A trained cheerleader herself, this autumn Vanessa is bringing The Costa All Stars Cheerleaders to the coast. Designed for children aged from 3 - 13 years her classes will combine dance with gymnastics alongside chants, cheers and team games! Perfect for energetic little one's who need to burn off some steam!

Cherrios is for 3 -5 year olds, Sparlers for 6- 9 year olds and Costa All Stars for 10 - 13 year olds. All as well as the fun of learning to cheer, older children will show off their skills at sporting events up and down the coast during the autumn and winter.

Classes start in Sept in Benalmadena and Calahonda. To find out more email costaallstarcheerleading@gmail.com or call 677 493 280

Galaxia - New Soft Play center in San Pedro, Marbella

2010-09-03T10:35:00.003+02:00

As it was the last week of the summer holidays and the weather was cooling down a bit we decided to check out Marbella's newest soft play last week ... Galaxia!!

Galaxia is a large well equiped soft play with great plans for the future! At present there is a party area, under 3's area with a ball pool, swing and various padded toys and a large over 3's area with a trampoline, slides, bridges and tunnels and ball shooting area.

There is also a great outside play area which is completely enclosed and safe for little ones.

There is plenty of adult seating and the outdoor seating is particularly nice with comfy outdoor sofa's and umbrellas. At the moment Galaxia provide a small mouth watering menu which is set for expansion and will include Sunday roasts in the autumn! A great idea for families wanting to eat a nice lunch in a child friendly setting.

The owners are really friendly and welcoming and really hope the center will become as much a relaxing venue for parents to chill out as an exciting place for children to play. Future plans include a toy shop, dance studio, mother and baby mornings and charity events and there is also a space exhibition center which is open for school trips. Other nice touches include mini toilets and a nice baby changing area.

We really liked Galaxia, the spacy interior, warm welcome and yummy menu mean it's def somewhere we'll be going back too!

Galaxia can be found on the Centro Comercial Guadalmina, just under Supersol. For more info check out the website http://www.galaxiaplay.com/

First IVF in Spain .... bfn!

2010-08-23T15:38:00.004+02:00

I know I've harped on about my ivf journey on here enough, so thought I really should post the result just in case anyone out there was wondering .... well sadly it was a bfn ... big fat negative!

The 2ww is horrendous, symptom spotting aside I was a nervous wreck! I started spotting at 9 dpt ( days past transfer ) and although I was told this could be nothing it had turned into a full period by 14 dpt ...otd! ( official test day)

Ever hopeful I still went for my bloodtest. The clinic had told me they'd ring me later that day with the results ( a Saturday ). Unfortunatly they didn't and I had to ring them on Monday! I already knew by then anyway but I have to say I wasn't impressed by the aftercare! The receptionist practically admitted on the Monday that they'd forgotten to ring me on the Saturday!

So onwards and upwards. We fully intend to try again and this time I'm going to have acupuncture which is supposed to really help. If nothing else I need something to relax me during the 2ww! I won't lie, the aftermath of an ivf is awful, having come so close you feel like you are miscarrying and have to take time to grieve for the loss. Now a month later I am coming to terms with it but still feel upset when I think about whether it's ever going to happen for us again.

Hopefully we can try again Oct / Nov ... so more ivf stories then!

TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT IVF AND FERTILITY IN SPAIN CLICK HERE

IVF in Spain - Egg Transfer

2010-07-21T10:38:00.003+02:00

Well ... my IVF journey is nearly at an egg ... it feels like it's been a very fast process and has gone fairly smoothly ... not sure if that's a good or bad thing!!

We went for Egg Transfer and paid the rather hefty bill of 3,900€!!!! The cost of IVF is not cheap. This will either be a very expensive baby or a the most expensive period of my life! I think the end bill was slightly more as we ended up having ICSI ... I also spent 1,000€ on the drugs so the total cost of our first IVF cycle has been nearer to 5,000€. Unfortunatly none of our eggs made it to freezing so if we have to try a second cycle we'll have to pay the full price again. Based on a normal ratio of IVF working one out of 3 times, our baby could cost us 15,000€.

I found Egg transfer itself quite uncomfortable. It's like a slighly longer smear test and as there is no pain relief you do feel everything. It's not exactly painful but you do grit your teeth a bit!

So now I am at home resting with my little embies on board. I really hope they make it. Today is 5 days past EC which means they should be turning into Blasto's which would mean they have a good chance of continuing to implantation. I think implantation should take place sometime this coming weekend. There is very little scientific reasoning as to why embryo's do or don't implant and nothing that science can do to help them. Having had a normal pregnancy and a miscarriage I can only hold onto the fact that I seem to have a good implanting history and so this time shouldn't be any different. The biologist told me the quality of my embryo's was very good so I'm holding tight onto that!!

After ET I was told to rest and do nothing for 2 days, after I am supposed to take it easy although I can resume normal life. It's been pretty hard doing nothing as I am quite an active person. My daughter is staying with my parents but will be home tonight so normal life will resume whether I like it or not ....

Whatever the outcome I am very happy with my treatment at Clinica Fertia. I would say that some of the early appointments and scans were a bit rushed at times and I wasn't always given very much information ( I got most of my info from the fab IVF forum ) but during EC and ET the clinic were fantastic and the biologist is brilliant. Clinica Fertia do need to sort out their appointment times as you always have to add on a 45 minute wait to any appointment but other than that I am very happy with the treatment I received there. If this cycle doesn't work I would def do another cycle at Fertia as I feel they have learn't a lot about me and my body this cycle and have the expertise to use that information more successfully in the future.

CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT IVF AND FERTILITY IN SPAIN

IVF in Spain - Egg Collection!

2010-07-17T21:52:00.006+02:00

Well, it's all happened rather quickly for me!

I went along to my second stims scan on Wednesday the dr told me my follicles were ready! By this she mean't they'd grown to the right size for collection. Hurrah that means that I only had to do a week of injections! I had to do one more shot that night .. it's called a trigger shot and is basically a special injection you have to take exactly 36 hours before Egg Collection. I think it matures the eggs ready for ovulation. So I did my last shot on Wednesday night at half past twelve and then spent a relaxing Thursday with no injections and nothing to do except eat a lot of protein and drink a lot of water!!!

Friday was actually a holiday here in Fuengirola but IVF clinic's don't have the luxury of holidays or weekends as they are ruled by our eggs and so they opened especially for me on Friday! I think actually in hindsight having EC on a holiday was great as we were the only people there and so had the undivided attention of the clinic and no queues or difficulty parking!! I also felt quite special as an anaethiatist, the biologist and the dr had come in especially to collect my eggs ....

The actual procedure was very very quick. I thought I'd be put to sleep but I was only sedated. I was chatting away ( in a drowsy way ) to the dr's who kept telling me I should try to be quiet and could feel a bit of prodding down below ... I thought they were just getting everything ready but then they told me it was all finished! Our appointment had been at 10.30, they started around 10.50 and I was in recovery by 11.15. I had to stay for a while so they could monitor me while the sedation wore off and my husband had to go and do his thing with a plastic beaker. He informed me after that there were some seriously hardcore magazines in his little room!

By half twelve we were allowed to go home. The biologist ( a man named Luis ) was lovely. He informed me they'd got 8 eggs and told us a bit about the procedure for fertilising them. He was there throughout the morning and was really supportive, warm and friendly. I am so glad he's going to be looking after my little eggs on their fertilisation journey!

I thought the whole team at Clinica Fertia during my egg collection were great .... they were warm, friendly and caring but also professional. I was very happy with the way the egg collection went and felt I'd been looked after well.

I was told to go home and rest and take progesterone capsules three times a day ( down below not by mouth! ) I was feeling really groggy from the anasthetic still and Luis told me to take it really easy for the rest of the day, although I should be feeling much better by tommorrow.
I took him at his word, went home and slept for two hours and then parked myself on the sofa with Sky + for the rest of the day! I spent a lot of the afternoon chatting with the girls on the IVF forum who were so supportive, one of them had been through egg collection at the same time as me. That sort of support is so important ....

I slept well on Friday and woke up feeling fine on Saturday although absolutely petrifed about how many of my egg's had fertilised. Waiting for the call was worse than waiting for a call to say you've got a job or to see if an offer has been accepted on a house ... it was horrible. Luis rang dead on 11 to say that 4 of my 8 eggs had fertilised .... hurrah we have embryo's!!!!!!! Egg transfer is scheduled for Monday, I just hope my four lovely egg's make it till then ..... stay strong egg's and keep dividing!!!!!

CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT IVF AND FERTILITY IN SPAIN

Shrek Forever After ...

2010-07-17T21:49:00.002+02:00

I took my 3 year old to the cinema this week to see Shrek Forever After and we had a great afternoon!

The lovely cool air conditioned cinema was a welcome relief from the endless sun and the movie which we saw in VOS ( original sound version or English! ) was great, really funny and entertaining and great for little one's as there were lots of references to fairy tales, plus not too scary. As my 3 year old commented, 'I didn't even have to sit on your lap mummy'!

You can see Shrek in 3D or normal ... we went for normal, I think 3D might be too much for a 3 year old ... and it's on in both Spanish and English at cinema's across the country.

Afternoons in the cinema are def a great diversion in the summer and something we'll def be doing again ... Hmmm wonder if she'd like Toy Story 3?

Babybjorn Travel Cot Light

2010-07-13T11:06:00.004+02:00

The Babybjorn Travel Cot light is a fantastic travel cot ... it's easy to carry, easy to set up, comfortable, stylish, light and created with the highest safety standards in mind ...

It's not difficult to see why the travel cot is so popular for holiday and has recently become one of our bestsellers.

The Babybjorn Travel Cot light is readily avaliable in Spain but not so easy to buy in the UK, for this reason we have sent several cots recently to UK customers and have several enquiries per week about this product from the UK.

Delivery to the UK costs in the region of 40€ using a secure courier service and takes approx 2 - 4 days!

If you are a UK customer and would like to order the Babybjorn Travel Cot Light for your holiday then please email info@indybel.com for more information. Or check out the travel cot on our website http://www.indybel.com/. The Babybjorn Travel Cot light is avaliable in Blue or Silver and we can also supply the lovely cosy 100% organic cotton fitted sheets ....

IVF in Spain - First Stims Scan!

2010-07-13T10:51:00.003+02:00

Well after a week of stim injections ( and I have to admit I've become rather attached to my injection pen ... it's absolutely true that you become completely used to injecting yourself very very quickly ) it was time for my first stim scan. This was to see how many ( if any ) folicules I have managed to grow.

I was quite pleased to discover that I have around 7 follies ... this is a fairly average number for my age I think. A lot of people get between 10 and 20 and I even heard of one person who got 40 but a lot of people also only get 3 or 4 ... so I'm happy with my 7 for now! Maybe round two they would up the med's to get a higher number. One thing I'm learning about IVF is that in general the first attempt is largely an experiment. The dr's don't know how you are going to respond until you start so on cycle two or three of IVF they have a much better idea of how your body will respond to the drugs and can alter the doses and protocol accordingly. They say there is a 1 in 3 chance of IVF working, so if we do it three times we should hit baby bingo. Unfortunatley it's a grueling process for the female body and I'm starting to wonder if I have the strength to do it three times, even with such an amazing prize at the end.

After the scan I was told to continue with my injection pen AND a new injection in the morning and a different second injection everynight ... so I am now injecting myself 3 times a day! Wow in a week I've gone from injecting virgin to injecting expert.
These two new injections are tricky, they are both the old style syringe types which are pretty hard to manouver with one hand. The night time one is even more difficult as it consists of two glass vials which need to be broken and mixed with a long needle, before transfering to a short needle for the actual injection. While attempting this last night I pricked my finger.

The syringe needles hurt a lot more going in than the pen needle, they seem blunter and wider ... nice! Pushing the liquid in rather than pushing a button is also harder ... I now realise how wonderful my lovely injection pen is! Today I feel like a pin cushion. I used to be able to see the injection spots on my tummy, now my tummy is just a mass of spots and I can't remember where I've injected anymore! The skin on my tummy hurts this morning where I've used the syringe ... I'm presuming this is internal bruising as I can't see anything on the skin, but my word it's tender underneath!

This is the reality of IVF! It's not difficult, but it's time consuming and it's uncomfortable and after a week or so you start to feel like a lab experiment. Half the injections have to be kept in the frigde and taken at particular times so you can't always go out when you want and the whole thing is fiddly and if you don't like needles quite frightening ... then there's the physical symptoms. I've been lucky as I've been stiming for 7 days now without too many physical symptoms but I'm starting to get bloated now and I'm constantly worried about my thyriod being affected.

Don't get me wrong I chose to do this and I'm glad I did, but if you are considering IVF it's important you know what you are letting yourself in for!

CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT IVF AND FERTILITY IN SPAIN

Baby and Pregnancy product sales at indybel.com

2010-07-08T11:19:00.002+02:00

This July we have some great products in our summer sales ....

The Flexibath is Product of the Month and reduced from 39€ to 33€ .... PLUS a free gift!!!

We know summer in Spain is an expensive time for parents so we've also reduced our ....

Imse Vimse Washable Swim nappies, JoJo Maman Bebe UV sun protection tent, cuddlemoo toddler towels, Babybanz Sunhats and Seraphine Maternity denim skirt ....

Plus in our sales section we still have our great Birthing ball and Inch Blue speical offers on plus our Natalia baby massage oil, Skip Hop changing bags and limited edition Trunki's are all REDUCED ....

To check out all these great offers while stocks last visit www.indybel.com for pregnancy and baby in Spain ....

IVF in Spain - The First Injection

2010-07-08T11:09:00.004+02:00

Last night I offically became a member of the self injectors club!!!

Since receiving my injection pen on Monday ( and a whole load of other scarey looking medications ) I've been slightly daunted by the size of the needle which looks a good 2 - 3 cms to me!

I watched the excellent online video which showed me how to set the pen up and do the injection and it all looked very painful and scary. Part of the problem was I was told I have to do my injections in the evening and so I spent the whole day waiting and worrying about it. If i'd had to have done it first thing in the am it would have been better!

I received lots of great advice from the more seasoned IVF girls on my IVF forum, all of them said that it looks much worse than it is and that once I'd done it I'd be amazed by how easy it is and wonder what I'd made such a fuss about ....

So last night with my daughter safely in bed and away from dangerous needles and Spain V Germany and Big Brother on the TV for distraction I attempted my very first injection! I actually did it along with the nice calm lady on the online instruction video ... this was a great way to do the first one as I did it step by step with the video and was able to pause and take a breath at each stage!
In the end I didn't faff around and just stuck the needle in and it was fine!!! When I pushed the button it stung a little bit and then I think I pulled it out a bit quickly because then it did sting for a few minutes and bled a tiny bit. My IVF friends tell me that if I do it more slowly tonight it shouldn't bleed at all but overall I felt it was a very successful first attempt and as they all said, I wonder now what I made such a fuss about ....

I did my injection just as Spain scored the goal that put them in the Semi final of the World Cup ... I take this a good omen for my IVF cycle, after all if Spain can do it then so can I!

CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT IVF AND FERTILITY IN SPAIN

IVF in Spain .... Shopping for IVF!

2010-07-08T11:02:00.003+02:00

The other day I went on an IVF supermarket shopping trip!

Apparently while taking stims it's important to drink lots of water and eat a high protein ( and low salt ) diet ...

Taking this to heart I stocked up on water, meat, fish, nuts, peanut butter, cheese and milk. As well as course as that all important fruit and veg!

It's good to be healthy anyway but there's a lot to think about with IVF.

The coffee thing is confusing me. Some doctors say cut it out completely, some say it's fine. The evidence is inconclusive. Some people claim they conceived when they gave up caffine and some studies show caffine has an effect on implantation and of course pregnancy. During my pregnancy I cut down to one cup of coffee a day and one cup of tea which was well within the recommended daily amounts. Obviously I don't want to spend 5 grand on IVF and blow it because I'm drinking coffee but I do enjoy my morning cuppa.
I'm also very mindful of other advice which suggests you should make sensible changes but not change everything as your body won't know what's hit it, it's also important during a stressful process like IVF to have a few treats ....

Bearing this in mind I've decided to stick to my one cup of morning coffee for the time being. I might try to give it up during the Egg Transfer stage but I'm not going to beat myself up about it ... after all if one coffee makes me happy then surely that's a better state for my body than being tired and stressed out!

A touch of Red ... Line

2010-06-29T11:59:00.002+02:00

When we started our online baby site Indybel a couple of years ago we shopped around for a logo and web designer and met with several companies. None were quite right and then I remembered Redline whom I had met while working for another company. We immediately liked working with Redline as they are a very 'female' friendly company. This is important as many companies over here are run by egotisitcal males who don't really think women should be in business! ( It's true! Sorry guys ) The girls who run Redline are both hugely talented and very supportive of small businesses. We also felt Redline were right for our logo as we felt that a logo for a baby store should be designed by women but most of all they gave the best pitch!

Two years on ( and having received many complements about our logo, we still have a good working relationship with Redline. As well as the logo, they have designed our flyers which again we've had huge compliments about ( One man even told me they were the most professional looking flyers he'd seen on the Coast! ) our business cards, delivery labels and exhibition banners. They are just about to start work on our new catalogue which we are very excited about.

In this climate of chop and change we are really pleased to have been able to secure a good relationship with a company that we value and enjoy working with. Redline make design a hugely relaxing process which is great and their prices are very reasonable.

Redline are based in Marbella and specialise in graphic design, marketing, exhitibions, pr, web design, SEO, copywriting and much much more .... Check out their website at www.redlinecompany.com

IVF = I'm Very Famous !

2010-06-28T12:21:00.003+02:00

The only day while ranting on here about how taboo the subject of IVF is, I started thinking about celebrities who may have had IVF. Jo Joyner who plays Tania Branning on Eastenders recently gave birth to IVF twins and gave a number of interviews about her IVF experience which she said she felt compelled to do as so few people speak out about it ....

So, I did a little research and am proud to announce that I am in extremely good company!

So here, just for fun, is a little list of celebrities who have ALLEGEDLY had IVF!

1. Courtney Cox and David Arquette suffered numerous miscarriages before turning to IVF. They now have a little girl CoCo and hope IVF will provide her with a sibling ....

2. Christine Brinkley sought IVF to have her third child ....

3. Helena Bonham Carter and Tim Burton had a little girl naturally in 2007 after several rounds of IVF and clomid ....

4. Marcia Cross from Desperate Housewives conceived her twins following IVF treatement ....

5. Celine Dion is currently pregnant with twins following years of IVF ..... her son was also conceived with fertility treatment ....

6. Hugh Jackman and his wife tried IVF for years before turning to adoption ....

7. Nicole Kidman ALLEGEDLY conceived her little girl following months of fertility treatments

8. Jennifer Lopez ALLEGEDLY conceived her twins via IVF although this has never been confirmed

9. Katie Price and Alex Reid are rumoured to be looking into IVF .... ALLEGEDLY!

10. Julia Roberts twins are also rumoured to have been concieved via IVF although she continues to deny any fertility treatment ....

11. Jane Seymour suffered multiple miscarriages and years of fertility treatments before finally having twins ....

12. Brooke Sheilds conceived her daughter after several IVF cycles ...

13. Emma Thompson went through several rounds of IVF in the hopes of giving her daughter a sibling. Eventually she and her husband adopted instead.

14. Trinny Woodall gave birth to her daughter after 9 failed attempts at IVF and two miscarriages

Aqua Park - Mijas Costa

2010-06-28T11:54:00.012+02:00

Yesterday we went to the Mijas Costa Aqua Park for the first time. Our three year old had a great time and I have to say it was a really good day out!

At 18 euros per adult it's not cheap and that's before food and drinks but children under 4 can go in free which takes the edge off! We arrived at 11.30 and only had to queue for about 5 minutes which wasn't too bad although I'd imagine that July and August are a lot busier. We then secured beds ( which cost 3 euros for two ) right by the chidren's pool, so the perfect spot to watch the kids and sunbathe at the same time ... bliss!

The children's area is very nice. A large pool divided into two by a bridge houses a number of different slides and water type attractions such as elephants with water coming out of their noses and walkways under showers etc ... there are smaller slides for the really little ones and the water is thigh deep on adults so you do need to keep a close eye on toddlers but overall there was certainly enough to keep our energetic tot entertained for a good six hours. I woudn't necessarily recommend it for children under 3 but for 3 and over it's great ....

We had lunch at the restaurant which was clean and quick and chicken and chip type meals cost approx 4 euros per person so not too bad. There are numerous smoothie, ice cream and waffle stands dotted around the place too ....

For the adults there are number of different slides, a couple of swimming pools ( for kids too ) the wave pool ( which didn't have any waves while we were there ) ... grass areas and picnic areas. There is also an indoor games room, mini golf, trampolines and shows. The highlight of the day for my daughter was face painting in the water ... a rather odd concept but one that certainly pleased her!

The toilets were very clean and well maintained and you can rent lockers for your valuables for the day. The park was actually very well run with good queue management and a nice atmosphere ... but I couldn't say how it would be in high tourist season!

My main and only gripe has to be that the water was COLD ! I really thought the water would be slightly heated and more pleasurable but it was pretty cold and it was a hot day so it shouldn't have been that cold. I'm sure it must be heated when they open in April and even in September. Aside from that we all had a great day out and I'd def recommend it for anyone on holiday in the Fuengirola, Marbella, Malaga area or if you live here with little one's!

The Mijas Costa Aqua Park is situated just off the N340 in Fuengirola. ( Marbella to Malaga direction ) Take the first exit after passing the Miramar center on your left .....

Summer Holidays are here!!

2010-06-25T10:57:00.002+02:00

Well it's that time of year again when the little one's break up from school for ..... gulp ... TWO MONTHS!!!!!!!

As much as I'm looking forward to having my little girl at home with me for a while and not having to get up to take her to school, two months is a long long long time!

A lot of parents opt for summer schools and to be honest if I didn't have family out here for most of July and August I'd be thinking about this too. The truth is it's just too hot a lot of the time to be constantly outdoors and so little one's get bored after a while and thinking up daily acitivites can be really hard. It's especially difficult for working parents or those without the support of extended families to help ....

There are a couple of great sites for parents looking for activities for their children in Spain over the summer. If you are on the Costa del Sol check out my friend Aimee's site Kids in Marbella for little one's and babies in the marbella area. For the rest of Spain Mumabroad is a great site packed choc o bloc full of stuff to do .....

IVF in Spain ... Getting Ready ....

2010-06-24T19:12:00.019+02:00

Well ... we are now officially on our IVF journey. On 18th of June I began to take the pill which is my clinic's verison of DR ( Down regging - preparing your body, closing down your cycle so the dr can start with a fresh slate so to speak ) and on July 5th I start stimming.

As exciting ( and nerve wracking ) as it all is, I feel it's important to be realistic ... at this stage the chances of getting as far as ET ( egg transfer ) are slim and that's miles before getting a bfp! ( big fat positive pregnancy test result )

So how does it all work?

.... As someone who up until a few months ago had never given IVF a passing thought I've had to learn a lot in a short space of time. But what I've learn't is really incrediable. It's amazing to think only 20 years ago women didn't have this opportunity and with more and more women suffering from infertility these days it's fantastic that something like IVF exists at all.

I do get a bit cross with people acting like IVF is a disease or infertility is an illness ... these days women who get pregnant just by dropping their knickers are the minority whereas women who struggle are the majority and yet we are labelled as odd and treated with sympathy. We are not ill thanks!

Worse are the awful people who ask 'when are you going to have another ... or when are you going to have children'. It's incrediably rude, I don't go around asking 'when are you going to lose weight, or when are you going to get your roots done'. I have some choice awnsers stored up for these people but don't think I'll ever be brave enough to use them! Worse are the people who say 'We only tried once and got pregnant, we got pregnant by accident, we weren't even trying' .... Grrrr .... just go away you insensitive thoughtless people!!!

The truth is IVF is incrediably common these days and I confidently predict that in twenty years time it will be the norm in terms of the favoured method of conception. The other week I was chatting iwth a friend who had two lovely little children and it turned out she'd had fertility treatment for both. The point is people just don't talk about it at dinner parties etc but I'd be very suprised if you didn't know several people who have suffered from fertility issues.

At the moment I veer towards panic and excitement that I am able to have a go at this amazing procedure. I've been told that there is nothing so amazing as seeing your 'baby' at cell stage, something you never get to do with a natural pregnancy.

BUT.... to get back to my point .... How does IVF work ?.....

In short, I take a lot of horrible drugs, inject myself, bloat up, become moody and hormonal and probably mess up my overactive thyroid meds while hubby doesn't have to do much at all ... then I go for scans everyday to chart the growth of my eggs.

Basically I'll be injecting stimms ... ( hormone stimulants ) which should make me grow approx 20 eggs on the chosen cycle rather than one ... ( no wonder I'll be moody! ) The thing is I might not grow 20 eggs, my eggs may not do well or horror of horrors I can over stim and they'll mature before the clinic gets a chance to get them out.

If we do get enough eggs and they are okay for egg collection then we do EC and hubby makes his deposit. Now comes the scientific bit ... if hubby has enough strong swimmers they'll swish them around in a testube with my good eggs and hopefully some will fertilise. Then you go away and have a sleepless night and wait to see if any have fertilised and if those which have are dividing ( cells ) in the right way.

Even someone with a good number of eggs might only end up with one or two that fertilise. And ... ideally you want enough to pop two back in and two in the freezer!

So ... then they grade them and a day or two later ( if you are lucky ) you go back for ET and hope you get two back in that are looking like they could be healthy embrio's and hopefully a couple more become frosties ( frozen eggs! ) ... ideally then if this cycle doesn't work you can have FET ( Frozen Egg Transfer )

Oh and don't forget if you go privately like we are this all costs a small fortune which counts for nothing if you end up with a BFN and if your cycle is cancelled mid way through I presume you lose the money already spent .....

We've got lots of things counting against us ...

* at 37 I'm at the wrong end of the success rate ... at 37 it's actually okay but at 38 your chances drop dramatically.

* Then there's my overactive thryoid which could be affected by the stimms. So if that goes out of sorts then we'd have to cancel the cycle as if I did get a BFP with my thyroid not under control then it can lead to miscarriage.

*Then there's hubby's migraines, kidney stones and ulcers which mean he's on a cocktail of pills which aren't great for fertility

* ...and oh and did I mention that during EC and ET I have to basically stay in bed which is hard with a toddler to look after

* ...and IF you get past all that you face the joys of the 2ww otherwise known as the two week wait, when you basically wait for the BFP or your period, all the while popping hormones that make you feel all over the place ... lovely can't wait for that bit!

It's all about PMA apparently... positive mental attitude ... So the above is the very LAST time I am going to have negative thoughts! My PMA is all about telling myself daily that the IVF will not only work but that I'll have twins! Ha ha, okay we can't afford twins and would have to move house, get a new car, give up my life for 2 years etc ... but hey if it works then I'd def be overjoyed with literally two for the price of one!!

CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT IVF AND FERTILITY IN SPAIN

IVF in Spain - Choosing a clinic in Spain ....

2010-06-24T18:49:00.012+02:00

Well it looks like our IVF journey is finally getting underway!

To recap, having conceived our daughter ( and a miscarriage ) naturally we are now just a year later faced with 'fertility' problems. It seems that my tubes have become miraculously blocked for no apparent reason and my husband has slightly 'lazy' swimmers! So together we are not doing a good job in the reproductive arena!

In the end we chose Clinica Fertia in Fuengirola over Ceram in Marbella. This was a very difficult decision and I feel like I should outline the reasons here for anyone who may be in a similar position to myself. I'm sure if this cycle ends in a BFN ( big fat negative - pregnancy test result ) we'll be thinking we should have gone with Ceram and maybe still will. While IVF does have a promisingly high success rate the chances of a BFP ( big fat positive ) in my age group are approx 50 - 60% so nothing is guarunteed, in fact far from it.
As someone on a wonderful IVF forum that I've become a frequent poster on commented, it would be amazing if IVF were a procedure with guarunteed success as it would make it easier and I have no doubts that in my daughters lifetime that may well happen ... for now though it continues to be a lottery ... with not too bad odds!

So why did we choose Clinic Fertia .... well mainly and this is important it's about 5 mins from our house. When doing IVF you have to visit the clinic frequently for scans, mini op's and tests ... Ceram is a good half an hour away and unfortunatly in a zone where parking is a nightmare. For simple logistical reasons CF won this point.

My tubes were actually diagnosed at Ceram and I received very good treatment there from the dr on my 3 consultations. I have to say the receptionist was not the friendliest woman I ever met in my life though .... nor someone you want to see when you are confronted with fertility problems. You want to see a nice smiley face. I went to Clinica Fertia where the receptionists were more friendly and the dr was also very nice and reassuring and most interestingly disagreed with the Ceram diagnosis that all was lost for my little tubes! I felt this was an interesting point. On the downside I have now had 3 appointments at Clinica Fertia and at every one have had to wait at least 30 minutes, even first thing in the morning ... Ceram were incrediably good at keeping their appointments on time ....

I googled the two clinics like mad and couldn't really find anything conclusive about either ... both had good and bad reviews on the net and both seemed to have good stats. In the end a friend of a friend said that she'd tried both and would def recommend Clinica Fertia over Ceram.

So in the end we chose ( not easily ) Clinica Fertia.

To be honest I don't know whether we made the right decision but it feels right at the moment. Having said that if it doesn't work at Clinica Fertia or the experience is not positive, I wouldn't hesitate in trying again at Ceram. I haven't heard anything particularly negative about Ceram, it was just that for this first try Clinica Fertia is more convienient ....

I hope this helps someone who finds themselves in the same situation as me ( although I also hope no one does ! )

****

Update 12 /01 /11

I am now delighted to say that I am nearly 12 weeks pregnant with twins following our second cycle at Clinica Fertia in Fuengirola. Despite some dodgy time keeping I have nothing but praise for this clinic who have guided us through two cycles and given us the amazing opportunity to have twins. I believe the clinic have always been honest and fair with us and worked creatively to improve our chances following a fairly disasterous first cycle. Many thanks Clinica Fertia!!!

TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT IVF AND FERTILITY IN SPAIN CLICK HERE

Ballet at the ITS in Fuengirola

2010-06-20T10:05:00.003+02:00

A few months ago now my 3 year old started ballet at the ITS in Fuengirola ... The ITS is actually the International Theatre School and is run by Nicola Jones.

My little girl does a half an hour class on a Saturday morning and absolutely loves it ... they do a mixture of ballet style moves, jumps and dance. Parents can watch through a glass window and it def seems like a lot of fun with games like musical statues incorporated into the ballet to add to the fun.

Aside from letting off steam on a Saturday morning, my little girl is definintly becoming a more delicate dancer which is an improvement on her previous 'breakdancing' style! At 4.50 euros a class I think it's a bit of a bargain and well worth getting up early on a Saturday for! The dance school is housed in Centro Nordico on the Mijas Road, just up from Lidl, around the corner from the Mijas Costa Cortes Ingles and next to Puegoet.

Not sure what we will do over the summer as the school breaks until the autumn!

To find out more about autumn classes check the ITS out here

SEO Spain

2010-06-14T14:07:00.006+02:00

When we started Indybel a couple of years ago we had very little concept of Search Engine Optomisation. I liked to pretend that I knew what I was talking about but in truth it was little more than an IT buzz word BUT we did know that 'it' was incrediably important to the growth our company!

Once our website was up and running I was given the job of 'SEO' as I was the more technical of the two of us and I was used to copywriting from my previous career and so I began a rather interesting education in SEO ... A friend gave me lots of advice and pointed me in the way of a couple of helpful websites and I began to use SEO on our website to help improve the our rankings in the search engines. I actually quite enjoy SEO, I think you are either an SEO type person or not. There is a huge amount to learn and a huge amount you can do to help your site, much of which is very creative and I've found that if you think creatively about SEO you can have a lot of fun with it and increase your rankings through the most unlikely means. The tricky thing about trying to do SEO in Spain of course is that you have to think about it in two languages!

I'm still very limited by what I can do in terms of technical skill and I'm still a bit of an SEO novice but I'm learning new stuff every day! Recently I was lucky enough to be contacted by Mike from Spain SEO who very kindly commended me on the work we'd done on the site so far and offered a huge amount of invaluable SEO advice to help me move things to the next level. This week I have started to tentatively put his advice into practice and I am sure it's going to make a huge difference to our rankings over the next few months ...

Spain SEO have a blog where they outline SEO basics and their services. If you are stuck in SEO no mans land ( or even in Spain ) and are looking for a friendly and easy to understand SEO site then I can't recommend this one highly enough. And if you're looking for friendly and easy to understand advice and help then I'd def suggest giving Spain SEO a call ....

Would you like to work for Indybel?

2010-06-10T12:14:00.002+02:00

We are looking for Indybel Agents.

Are you a mum in Spain, great saleswoman or do you just love shopping?

We are looking for agents who can promote Indybel and our products in their area.

This is a great opportunity for new or expectant mums across Spain and anyone who is resourceful, creative and enjoys a challenge!

To find out more including how to apply please email info@indybel.com

This summer I am loving .....

2010-06-01T13:39:00.004+02:00

.... the Babybanz Kidz Sunhat ....

Okay we sold these last year and I knew how great they are but I didn't buy one for my daughter as she seemed to have a million sunhats. This year with all her sunhats being too small I purchased the Babybanz sunhat for her. The great thing about this hat is that it offers total UV protection and has a massive rim so the back of her neck is protected while she plays in the pool or in the garden and her forehead and most of her face are also protected ....

The hat looks really cute too and has been the recipient of quite a lot of comments at our pool and on the beach, and thankfully she seems happy enough to wear it. The useful velcro tie means that I can alter the size for her head too so she can't pull it off all the time.

Def my favourite summer baby product so far this year!

June Special Offers

2010-06-01T13:32:00.003+02:00

This June we have taken 15% off our Customer's Top 5 Favourite Summer Products!!

Flexibath WAS 39€ ..... THIS MONTH 33€

JoJo Maman Bebe UV Family Sun Tent WAS 54.50€ .... THIS MONTH 46.30€

Baby Kangaroo Sling WAS 39€ .... THIS MONTH 33€

Shade-a-babe WAS 37.50€ ..... THIS MONTH 32€

JoJo Maman Bebe Maternity Kaftan WAS 31.50€ .... THIS MONTH 26.80€

Check out these great savings now at http://www.indybel.com/

Offers last until 30th of June or until stock runs out!

Flexibath News - New Colours

2010-06-01T13:24:00.005+02:00

The Flexibaths were flying off our stand at the Salon Bebe show ....

Parents loved the Flexi Bath which folds up in one easy movment meaning it can be used all round the house, popped in the car for holidays, weekend's away or for use on the beach and stored neatly in a bathroom cupboard, under a cupboard or under a bed ....

We now stock the Flexibath in a number of hip and trendy colours including Pink, Blue, Green and Red as well as Clear and White ....

Check out the new colours at http://www.indybel.com/ ( Flexibath in the Baby Store, Bath section )

New Product News .... The BabyDan Security Starter Set

2010-06-01T13:14:00.003+02:00

Babyproofing can be a bit scarey ... there are so many hazards in the home it's difficult to know what to proctect your baby from first without being overprotective ... as parents we want to make sure our little one's are safe but at the same time it's important to let them explore and yes even have one or two little tiny accidents. I don't mean I let my toddler zap her fingers in plug sockets or stick her head in the oven, but the odd fall or knock warns your toddler to be wary of corners and hard floors and reminds them that they are not invincible!

When we started babyproofing our home I bought a whole array of products ... some good, some bad. We went through several table corner pads until we found some that stuck and as our toddler wasn't particularly interested in the toilet or fridge we never needed those locks, although we did need some for the kitchen cupboards, esp those full of cleaning products and the drawers where she seemed to delight in getting her fingers caught!

It's expensive buying so many products, so I'm really pleased that at indybel we now sell the BabyDan Security Starter Set ... this 21 peice box set contains everything you need to get started .... corner cushions, door stop, cupboard locks, plug covers and so on ..... once you know what you really need you can always buy more, but this is a really economical way to start!

Find the BabyDan security Starter set in Spain in our Babyproofing section in the Baby Store at http://www.indybel.com/

Salon Baby Show in Torremolinos

2010-06-01T13:04:00.006+02:00

We had a great time at the Salon Bebe show in Torremolinos. Many thanks to our suppliers Baby Kangaroo and Babybjorn / BabyDan who helped kit out our stand! It was also great to meet so many of our Spanish customers and to find out what kinds of products the Spanish were interested in.

We were delighted to have Sasha from Baby Kangaroo with us during the weekend to demonstrate how the Baby Kangaroo sling works.

Although we are already familiar with the product it was really great to see it in action and the customers loved the sling because it was so easy to put on and so flexible. It's a great sling for the hot summer months in Spain as it's very lightweight and comfy to wear. It was also really interesting to see Sasha carrying around her two and half year old toddler in the sling. Proof ( not that it's needed ) that the slings are indeed strong enough and versatile enough to carry not only a baby but a toddler too .... and Sasha's little girl loved it! The slings were flying off our stand and it was great to see so many happy customers wearing them while they walked around the rest of the show!

If you didn't get a chance to buy a Baby Kangaroo sling at the show don't worry, we are still selling them on our site at the fantastic price of 39€ .... check them out here ....

Top 5 Baby Show Sellers!

The most popular items over the weekend were ....

* Baby Kangaroo Sling

* Dream Genii Pregnancy Support Pillow

* BabyBanz Sunglasses

* Imse Vimse Swim nappies

* See Me Driving Mirror

Spain ends Baby Cheque

2010-06-01T13:00:00.002+02:00

There have been rumours for a while but it is true that as part of a new drive to economise the Spanish government has ended the Baby Cheque.

The Baby Cheque which was started a few years ago was a payment given to new parents of 2,500 euros to help with the costs of having a baby. Those who had twins received 5,000 euros. To claim the payment, mother's had to prove they'd lived and paid into the Spanish social security system for at least 2 years.

The Baby Cheque will now be ending at the end of this year. Any babies born after midnight on Dec 31st 2010 will NOT receive the cheque, however all those born up until this time WILL receive the cheque ....

I reckon there will be a lot of raspberry leaf tea being drunk, curries being eaten and long walks being taken during the month of December 2010!

Salon Bebe - THIS WEEKEND ....

2010-05-18T12:06:00.002+02:00

Don't forget the Salon Bebe baby show in Torremolinos this weekend ....

Events include the first ever Baby Olympics ...

Plus there will be lots of stands, a kids play area, a cafe and eating area, baby changing and feeding areas and lots of pampering for mums too!

For more information visit www.salonbebe.es

Lots of Indybel Special Offers on the day!

See You There!

Big Brother Social Workers ....

2010-05-18T12:01:00.004+02:00

I heard on the radio today that in the UK there are proposals to send social workers into every home where there is a child under 5 so that they can monitor how well you look after your child and offically rate whether or not you are a good parent.

As a parent of an under 5 ( thankfully not in the UK! ) I find this idea incrediably scarey. I understand that after cases like Baby P social services feel they need to get into homes more but I don't think this is the right way to go about it .... Surely it's going beyond normal civil rights and is an invasion of family privacy ... we have nothing to hide, but I still wouldn't fancy someone going through my fridge and washing basket in order to decide whether or not I was a good parent. And surely good parenting comes from inside as much as from the outside and no amount of poking around the kitchen can really determine how loved and safe a child feels when just cuddling up to mum and dad .....

Family Fun Day in Calahonda for LIVE

2010-05-18T11:58:00.002+02:00

We went to this event last Saturday and thoroughly enjoyed it .... it was a really well organised event in a great venue where the children could roam around relatively safely without the risk of running into a road or leaving the park. There were plenty of attractions for kids including a bouncy castle, face painting and fairground games. The stalls were nicely laid out and good quality and the atmosphere was lovely.

We were really impressed by how well organised and well publicised the event was. I hope they made HUGE amounts of money for LIVE and look forward to the next family fun day .....

Battery Park in Torremolinos

2010-05-18T11:52:00.002+02:00

Last week we finally made it to Battery Park in Torremolinos .... I say finally because we tried once before but got completely lost ( it's not the easiest park to find ) and then when we finally got there we couldn't go in as we had our dog with us and it's one of those parks which don't allow dogs .... ( not happy about that ! )

Anyway on Friday we followed a friend ( without dog ) and finally got to embark at the park. And it was def worth the wait. The children's play area is fantastic. Divided into 3 sections, there are areas for really little one's, toddlers and older children.... Each area is really nicely set out on fake grass ( did get a bit hot, must be really really hot in the summer ) with a number of 'different' attractions including huge slides, big bowl type swings for several children, large and small trampolines and climbing frames.

A small walk away is an ornate man made lake where you can purchase rowing boats ...

There are toilet facilities at the park ( but only two toilets so be prepared to queue ) and vending machines with drinks and snacks ....

I'm glad we finally got there and think I could now just about find it again ... def a good one for wearing out the kids!

Family Fun Day Out in Calahonda

2010-05-03T12:02:00.005+02:00

We were recently contacted about this family day out in Calahonda ... it sounds fab and all the proceeds go to the L.I.V.E charity which supports the children's Orphanage in Malaga ...

Here are the details ... we'll defnitly be going!

Family fun day in Calahonda
Saturday May 15^th
Location - shaded ‘Parque Infantil’, Avenida de España, Calahonda.

There will be lots going on for all the family to enjoy including a bouncy castle, face painting, games and activities, great prizes to win, entertainers and live music throughout the day as well as food and drink.

There will also be a variety of stalls of children-related products to browse as well as a jumble sale and second hand toy stall.

Entrance to the Fayre is free of charge.

If you have prize you would like to donate, jumble or second hand toys to sell or are interested in taking a stand, please contact Nicola Erlich on 616399382 or email info@live-spain.org

All proceeds go to the charity L.I.V.E (www.live-spain.org) which is a local registered charity working with the local Children’s Home in Malaga.

Apartments for rent in Almeria

2010-04-27T11:18:00.022+02:00

My family have two gorgeous apartments available for short or long term rent in Almeria ... if you fancy a holiday or are looking for a pad while working in the area or a great retirement option then read on ....!

lounge flat 5 / glassed and open terrace in both

Fully fitted kitchen and bathrooms in both

* lounge flat 4

*master bedroom flat 4

*Twin bedroom flat 5

The apartments are situated in a recently built residential complex in the beautiful La Envia Golf.

Each apartment is 82 meters2 in total with an additional 7 meters2 of outside terrace.

The terrace is split into two, with a larger 20 meters glassed off to create a lovely sunny year round dinning space. This can of course be opened up in the summer making one huge terrace.

Each Apartment features:

2 x bedrooms ( one double and one twin )

One fully equipted bathroom

Fully equiped kitchen with all utensils, microwave, washing machine and dishwasher

Living room with dining area - Flat screen TV. DVD player in Apt 5, music system in Apt 4 ADSL available in the building. Sky Box in Apt 5 will soon be connected to the community.

Fully furnished and decorated to a high standard

Air conditioning and Heating.

Glassed terrace and open terrace with beautiful views

24h security and the option of a garage if you rent or bring a car

Avaliable for weekly, monthly or long term rent. Renters are also permitted to use the golf course.

Surrounding Area :

The apartments are situated close to Ameria. Approx 2 kms from the lovely tourist town Aguadulce y Roquetas del Mar. Here you will find idyllic beaches, a palm lined promenade and a lovely harbour as well as many shops and restaurants. There is a Carrefour supermarket close to the apartments as well as a huge shopping complex nearby. There is also a wonderful 5 star hotel and spa near the apartments. For those considering a longer term let there are both well reputed Spanish and British schools in the area and a new health center has recently opened avaliable for both residents and tourists....

Rental Prices: ( per apartment )

550 euros per month

300 euros per week

500 euros per month for long term

50 euro per month for the garage ( optional )

Contact :

To find out more or to book please contact

Jacqueline frobert-2@hotmail.com

952 660 261

or Sam samantha@indybel.com

Reiny Season

2010-04-23T11:44:00.006+02:00

It must be reiny season ...!

I say this because toddler harnesses and reins suddenly seem to be the 'hot' baby product in Spain of the moment!

I used reins with my toddler and found them to be really useful. There is a period when excitable toddlers find out they can just about walk ( or stumble ) and start to really explore the world. This is great fun for them but when you are out and about it can be a worry for parents ... you need to be able to keep a strong hold on your toddler especially in busy places such as supermarkets, parks and markets ... This is where the simple baby harness comes into it's own. It allows you to keep a hold of your toddler while also giving them freedom to explore their surroundings safely.

In Spain there is quite a negative attitude to reins from the more traditional parents. I think they see them as unneccesary and uncomfortable. Yet while they might have been right in more innocent times, the truth is that in this day and age, as a parent, I want to be able to really keep a hold of my child. It's another interesting culteral difference between Spanish and British parents. That said we are selling reins to the Spanish too, so attitudes are starting to change ...

For parents who don't want to restrict their children too obviously we have recently found a brilliant invention. It's called My First Back Pack and is a toddler backpack which also functions as a harness for parents to hold onto .... toddlers love wearing them and hardly realise they attached to their parents! They also look really cute ....

To buy our Sure Steps conventional toddler reins or My First Backpack here in Spain check out http://www.indybel.com/

Mother's Day in Spain

2010-04-22T13:59:00.005+02:00

Don't forget that Sunday 2nd May is Mother's Day in Spain ..... http://www.indybel.com/ have lots of lovely goodies to spoil mums ...

If you belong to a bi or multi culteral family it seems like it's always Mother's or Father's Day! ... I'm British and my husband is French so along with the Spanish customs there always seems to be something to celebrate. Thank goodness there is no Daughter's Day ... oh hang on ....... that's everyday!

ha ha !

TV dinners!

2010-04-22T13:47:00.003+02:00

I always keep an eye out for TV shows about Spain and Southern Spain in particualar ... usually these end up being the standard Brits emigrate to Spain disaster stories but now and again something a little more unusual pops up ... last night by accident I tuned into Jamie does Andalusia ... the latest in a series about Jamie Oliver cooking his away around Europe ... or is it the World.

Anyway the Andalusia show was as expected strikingly beautiful to watch ... and very interesting too .... Jamie cooked a massive paella in the world's biggest paella dish to feed an entire village, visited a female nunnery where the nuns are supercooks but can't be seen, so they sell their food via a revolving hole in the wall and cooked up delicious chorizo and bean dishes in the middle of idylic looking sunflower filled fields. Being a gazpacho lover though the highlight for me was when he made a very easy and yummy looking gazpacho .... It did look so easy and so healthily enticing that I have decided that this summer I will not be buying my gazpacho ready made in the supermarket but creating it in my own kitchen!

It seems that to create the perfect gazpacho you really only need juicy and ripe tomatoes ( peeled ) ... a cucumber ( peeled ) ... red and green peppers ... tons of olive oil and a little sherry vinegar ... garlic and stale bread soaked in water. You bung the whole lot on top of some ice in a jug and ... blend .... yummy ... I shall be trying it asap and will let you know how it goes!

Top tips from the show ... to be authentic always serve your gazpacho in a glass as that's what the Spanish do ... ( here on the costa del sol it seems to come in bowls with gallons of toppings ... whoops! ) and add Sherry vinegar to ... EVERYTHING!

Baby Ballet in Fuengirola

2010-04-15T13:05:00.002+02:00

I've been hunting around for ages now for a ballet class for my 3 year old mini dancer to be .... ( actually I think she just really wants a tutu ) ... It's quite hard finding the right class as some are at inconvienient times, some are too far away and some are just too expensive.

I've finally found a class that is five minutes from our house. It's Baby Ballet at the International Theatre School in Fuengirola. My daughter is very very excited about her trail class this Saturday ... I'll report back next week with a review!

Indybel Spring Newsletter ....

2010-04-12T14:06:00.004+02:00

The Indybel Spring Newsletter is now avaliable ... containing all the latest pregnancy and baby products in Spain news, special offers for subscribers and up and coming baby events. To subscribe to our newsletter simply visit http://www.indybel.com/ and subscribe in the box at the bottom of the News section ....

New Product Arrival - Sock On's

2010-04-12T13:55:00.004+02:00

It's an age old problem....

....When they get to a certain age babies love to pull their socks off .... I'm not sure why they find this so much fun. I think partly because it's something they can grab without moving and have total control of and partly because it really infuriates parents! The reason for this is mainly that as a parent it means you are forever putting socks back on, losing socks and finding your baby with cold feet ....

Happily there is a solution though! The Sock on! Invented by a mother ( of course ) the Sock On is a handy little sock holder oner which keeps the sock on the baby so the baby can't take it off ...

It's as simple as that! Indybel now sell Sock On's in Spain ... visit http://www.indybel.com/ to find out more and buy while stocks last!

Paloma Park Benalmadena

2010-04-12T13:44:00.003+02:00

Yesterday we spent a really nice few hours at Paloma Park in Benalmadena. I've always loved this park as it reminds me slightly of when I used to live in London round the corner from Hyde Park.

Paloma Park is great for the kids, there is a big pond where you can feed the ducks and swans ( although these creatures are so massively spoilt for choice that they now tend to turn their noses up at anything but the very best bread! ) chickens and rabbits wonder freely around and are tame enough to feed. There are also other animals in enclosures, a cactus park, another pond where you can remote control steer little boats, and most recently you can hire multi person bikes and little cars for the kids. There is also a massive play area which has recently been added to and improved upon, esp the bit for toddlers ... before it was okay, now it is really nice with new slides, a little house, a sand pit and climbing frames ...
There are cafes in the park and area's for picnic's as well as toilets. So it really is a great park for a day out.

I'm also a fan of Paloma Park because you can take dog's there ( on a lead ) We recently went to Battery Park in Torremolinos with our dog and were a bit cross ( to put it politely ) when we got there and found big signs barring dogs. As any dog lover and dog owner will tell you, a walk in the park with your beloved dog is one of life's pleasures and so it annoys me that a park doesn't allow dogs ... As long as owners keep their pets on a lead and clear up the mess then what's the problem?

Luckily there is no such silliness at Paloma where dog's are welcomed, even by the chickens and rabbits! Which really does make it my number one park for both children and animals ...

Home Office

2010-04-12T12:40:00.003+02:00

You have to be really organised when working from home. Because I'm also a full time mum I have to work in the living room to be around my daughter and laptop ... I'm a woman so I find multi tasking quite fun. A normal afternoon for me would be playing and watching TV with my daughter, organising her supper, snacks and bath and all the time keeping an eye on the orders, replying to emails, writing this blog and updating other sites and so on ....

After a year and a half of working on the dinning room table with the paperwork starting to spill over into the rest of the room I decided it was high time I got a desk. So on Saturday we popped into Ikea in Malaga ( I love this shop ) and I became the proud owner of a rather cool little desk ... the colours go perfectly with our room and other furniture and it's not too big so fits perfectly in the corner of our room. The desk cost around 70 euros and comes in a variety of colours ... there are also lots of other designs in the store too ....

It did take me a good few hours to assemble, but I enjoy DIY and so it was fun. I did have a bit of an argument with one of the drawers but we got there eventually ....

And so Monday morning and I am sitting happily and calmly at my desk in the corner of the lounge with everything nicely organised in my new draws and cupboards and as I result I am feeling highly motivated workwise too!

Magic Flowerpot Hairbrush

2010-04-06T15:19:00.004+02:00

I always thought that like in the movies my daughter and I would share wonderful moments when I would lovingly brush her hair and she'd exclaim in delight about her gorgeous curls and we'd all be happy ....

I have since found out that real life is not like the movies. My daughter, now 3, has never liked having her hair brushed. She also doesn't like having her hair washed, dried or in fact touched. This is a bit of a shame as she has ( like me ) naturally curly and rather unruly hair .... the type that is prone to looking messy and windswept, even if you've actually done nothing but sit in front of the TV. On lazy days I'm content not to go through the 3 hour fight to brush her hair, but even one day of not brushing means ( due to her hair type ) endless tangles and even matting.

Last summer we discovered a miracle ... the Tangle Teezer. You may remember this from Dragon's Den. It's a detangling hairbrush ... it doesn't actually look like it does much, but one run through even the most tangled hair and you really notice the difference. It's a great invention. We bought a bright pink one and although my daughter still doesn't like it much, on the occassions when I can get it through her hair it really makes a difference.

I was listening to the radio the other day and the interviewer happened to be interviewing the guy who invented the Tangle Teezer. I was intrigued to hear him say he'd invented a special Tangle Teezer for little girls, one that they'd love using .... ( suddenly this seems like the most obvious invention in the world, can't believe I didn't do it myself! ) and so was just browsing his site to look at it. It's called Magic Flowerpot and looks really sweet. I'm thinking I might make the £12.99 ( plus postage to Spain! ) investment .... but only if my daughter promises faithfully to brush her hair by herself or let me brush her hair and then we can all live happily ever after ....

Hmmm .... maybe real life's not like that either!

Indybel Interview on Expatica.com

2010-04-06T15:07:00.003+02:00

There are several websites that we follow with interest as they provide invaluable information for those living in Spain ..... one of my favourites is http://www.expatica.com/ a huge website with information for expats living all over Europe and dedicated sections for each Country and each topic.

It's quite exciting therefore that this month Indybel are the subject of Expatica's new series of interviews featuring Expat entrepreneurs! You can read the full article by clicking here. Plus take a look at the many other interviews on the site too ... they are valuable info for those thinking of moving to Spain or who might have a question about living or working abroad!

Buggy Fit

2010-03-30T17:55:00.003+02:00

It can be hard losing those extra pounds after having a baby ... well it's not hard losing the monetry pounds ... prams, cots, nappies and forumula takes care of that quite nicely ... losing the bodily pounds takes more effort unfortunatly ( although shopping does help! )

I was quite intrigued this morning to pick up a leaflet for Buggy Fit ... "the ultimate fitness class for mums and babies" .... I'm past the buggy stage myself at present but thought this might be useful for others looking to get fit and make friends with other mums because that's half the fun of this type of thing ....

Buggy Fit is basically power walking and re-toning ( walking fast with your buggy in other words ) ... the benefits of doing Buggy Fit as opposed to joining a gym are you don't need to pay for a creche or babysitter as baby comes on the walk with you, you get to chat with other mums and your baby gets to socialise with other babies and you can all motivate each other to keep going ....

If you fancy trying Buggy Fit in the Costa del Sol area then contact Sally on 628 679 689 or email sallyelisabeth@live.co.uk

Where to buy Easter Egg's in Spain

2010-03-30T15:30:00.006+02:00

My 3 year old loves chocolate and loves egg's ( the hardboiled and chocolate variety ) and loves Princesses so I was very excited to find the perfect Easter Egg for her in Iceland. It's a Princess box with a pink chocolate egg sitting in a Princess mug. It also comes with a Princess egg breakfast kit including a princess egg cup and spoon! Perfect ....

I have to say I love Iceland ... I don't think I ever shopped there in the UK but here I find it an economical and nice place to shop. The staff are very friendly and the food is well priced with lots of special offers ...

They have a fantastic Easter Egg selection with eggs to suit both kids and adults and all sorts of tastes .... don't forget to check them out after Easter too when they are bound to have all the leftover's on special offer!!

That's why mums go to Iceland .... obviously!!!

Service with a smile ....

2010-03-30T15:19:00.002+02:00

Poor customer service drives me mad. I'm no retail expert but I do know that when a customer calls or emails or I meet one face to face that it's important to smile and be nice ... in fact it's a pleasure to do these things because it makes someone elses day and someone else is asking for your advice and opinion.

On Friday I wanted to buy some flowers for my mum so I went to a florist. I didn't particularly like any of the bouquets already made up so I selected several other bunches and asked the florist to make them into one bouquet. The florists face was as black as the sky at that moment ( we've had rubbish weather here on the Costa del Sol) ... really you wouldn't think I was a customer offering her business, money, and asking her to do her job ... no, I felt like an inconvienience! It's going to take me at least 10 minutes she snapped. Oh so sorry to trouble you , I thought. I had a cake in the oven and the clock was ticking so I decided to pop back home to take the cake out and then go back for the flowers. In the car I was fuming at the rudeness of the woman and was half inclined not to go back and find some flowers elsewhere, but I'm not that kind of person and felt that I couldn't be so rude as to do that. So I went back and the florist left her assistant to give me the bouquet which as actually incredibly nice. Just such a shame that her attitude didn't match ( the assistant by the way was lovely ) as I won't be getting anymore flowers from there again .... in case you are wondering it's a florist outside a well known supermarket in the Las Lagunas area ....

This morning I had to go to the bank to transfer some money. 'Good morning' I breezed to the unsmiling cashier .... no response okay ... so I asked her to check the amount in my account ... and got surly look for my troubles!

Really, what is the matter with people these days? Ok, the bank cashier could be having a bad day, she's not working for herself, she's just one of a large company and maybe she hates her job, but then again if she's taken a position working in the front line of customer service she should do her best to be nice to customers ....
The florist however has no excuse .... she runs her own business and if she wants to keep her customers she needs to be nice to them.

End of rant!

Congratulations ....

2010-03-25T15:34:00.002+01:00

As Spanish retailers ( and businesswomen ) for the very popular UK brand JoJo Maman Bebe we would just like to say congratulations to JJMB founder Laura Tenison who recently won the highly coveted Veuve Clicquot Businesswomen of the Year Award at a ceremony in London!

Laura Tenison started JJMB in 1993. Today the company have 27 shops and employ over 300 people.

Congratulations from all in Spain!

IVF in Spain

2010-03-23T10:55:00.002+01:00

Well, before you get to the pregnancy and baby stage you need to concieve first. Whilst I conceived very quickly first time round and had a text book pregnancy, I have since had a miscarriage and now find myself in a situation I never thought I'd be in ... with blocked tubes and told our only chances of having another baby is via IVF!

Dealing with infertility or secondary infertility in my case can be quite daunting. IVF is a big new world I though I'd never visit and yet at the same time it's quite exciting too....

While researching IVF I came across a website called ivfspain.com which is run by a fertility nurse called Ruth Pellow who was formally head of the egg donation programme at the centre for reproductive medicine at St Barts in London. Now she resides here in Spain and with her husband dedicates her time to helping British ( and Spanish ) couples who are seeking IVF treatment abroad ( in Spain or Greece ) ... everything from recommending and arranging clinic appointments to picking them up at the airport and arranging hotels.

Ruth is both incredibly knowledgable and incredibly helpful. She called me and patiently answered all my IVF and blocked tube questions, explained the differences between the long and short protocols and about some of the tests we needed to have done.

Sometimes it's just great to be able to talk things through with an expert who is not your doctor and who can offer advice and recommendations.

If you are in a similar position to me or are in the UK and thinking of coming to Spain for IVF then I'd highly recommend contacting Ruth for more advice ...

I'm sure I'll be posting here more about the trails of my IVF journey in Spain ..... so if this is something that has affected you then please do comment here if you'd like to share your experience ... I'd also love to hear from other people who have been through IVF in Spain and particularly any recommendations for either Ceram in Marbella or Clinica Fertia in Fuengirola.
If you'd prefer to email me privately please email samantha@indybel.com

Yoyuba Fuengirola

2010-03-22T10:51:00.002+01:00

The Yoyuba is a soft play center in Fuengirola. We went there yesterday so our little one could let of some steam and while it's not the first time we've been I always come away thinking it's a really nice little place and so deserves a bit of a write up!

The Yoyuba is situated on the Camino de Coin near the garden center. It's not a huge place but does have 3 different soft play areas. A baby area ( with all the usual baby play things ... ball pond, little slide, little house etc ) and then a larger area for toddlers upwards with two levels of soft play. There is also another section reserved for older children and presumably adults which has rock/wall climbing and rope climbing.

There is a party area, decent toilets, often someone doing face painting and a bar selling drinks and snacks. ( sweets and crisps really, although I think proper party food can be ordered )

It's Spanish run and very friendly. Sometimes ( not all the time ) there are staff moniteering the softplay but this isn't guarunteed.

The thing with the Yoyuba is that you really have to pick the right time to go, especially with little ones ... The Spanish love this place and so late afternoons it is often heaving and too busy for little one's who just get trampled on in the soft play. Yet if you go around lunchtime or early afternoon it is much quieter and you avoid the parties ( which tend to be late pm ) and so much safer for little one's who can run around with more freedom. We've been on a saturday morning which was fantastic as our little one and her friends virtually had the place to themselves and also yesterday we went at around 3pm which was also perfect as by 5 when it began to get really busy our's were exhausted and ready to go home ....

Price wise it's not bad .... we paid 4.50 for an hour and a half, if you stay longer than that you pay for unlimited time which is 5.50 ... not bad when you consider that for over 3's Kidz Kingdom is 10 euros. There is no pricing per age here, just pricing per time of play. I think there is also a cheaper tariff for just an hours play ....

A great venue for a rainy play date .... just ensure you pick the right time to go! ( Friday pm's are a no no by the way! )

To find out more visit www.yoyuba.com

Paramount to build their biggest themepark in Murcia!

2010-03-22T10:41:00.003+01:00

Considering that my daughter asks at every opportunity when we will be visiting Disney World ( or land, Paris or America is all the same to her, and the awnser incidentially is not yet! ) I know she ( and I ) will be very excited to hear that Paramount Studios have decided to build their biggest ever theme park right here in Spain.

The chosen destination is Murcia which is not that far at from where we live on the Costa del Sol. Hopefully this is an announcement that really will become a reality over the next few years as it would be a fantastic place to take kids and also be a great boost for the Spanish tourist and leisure industries. I remember hearing talk of an Alice in Wonderland world for the Costa del Sol a couple of years ago that never came to anything ... so fingers crossed for this one!

Here's the article in full ....

Paramount Pictures have chosen the region of Murcia for the construction of the biggest theme park in Spain, which aims to compete directly with Disneyland in Paris.

The project will have the added value of some cinematographic studios which will be the centre of all Paramount’s productions in Europe, according to the Murcian Councillor for Culture, Pedro Alberto Cruz.

Cruz has just got back from a trip to Dubai with a letter from the executive president of Paramount, Michael Bartok, who wants to start the ball rolling just as soon as it has been proven to be economically viable.

Cruz has said that the region of Murcia will become the “Leisure Centre of Spain, with a 2.5km² complex with 15,000 beds in hotels, creating 20,000 jobs, and attracting 3 million tourists to Spain. The amount of money to be invested will be decided next month, and private investors will be offered the possibility of putting their capital into the project.

The project is estimated to be completed within 2 years.

From www.theleader.info

Indybel on Facebook ....

2010-03-22T10:35:00.003+01:00

Well we've known for ages that we should get a Facebook page for Indybel, afterall it's the thing to do in this day and age and good for advertising and marketing as well as just keeping up with our friends, customers and supporters ... so we can now announce that http://www.indybel.com/ has a .... drumroll ..... facebook page ...

Actually it's incredible how quickly Facebook can get your name out there, but most importantly for us how it can circulate our name to friends and supporters in many different Countries, which is crucial to a business such as ours ....

So, please take a look at our page, become a friend of indybel and follow us on facebook .....

Baby Show comes to Torremolinos ....

2010-03-15T10:58:00.004+01:00

Whether you are an expectant, new or seasoned parent in Spain here's a great date for your diary!!

The Salon Bebe y Nuevas Familias show is coming to the Palacio de Congresos Y Exposiciones in Torremolinos this May.

The three day event ( 21st - 23rd May ) will feature a large number of exhibitors, shops and baby experts as well as housing an extensive toddler play and entertainment area, baby feeding area, baby changing area and pregnancy area. There will also be yummy on site catering and the first ever Baby Olympics to hit Spain .... we'll post more about the Baby Olympics later but let's just say it's an event not to be missed and a chance for parents to compete for some amazing prizes!

The event promises to be informative and a lot of fun too ... To find out more or to download a discount voucher for entry check out

http://www.salonbebe.es/

Indybel will have a stand at the Salon Bebe show and look forward to seeing you there .....

The Best Mother's Day Gifts ...

2010-03-15T10:47:00.003+01:00

My 3 year old made me a gorgeous card yesterday and a tissue paper flower arrangement in her art class. She also insisted on buying me flowers while we were out shopping the other day ... of course I had to pay for them, but the thought was there ... all her gifts were so sweet and special because she made and choose them herself .... and it seems it's not just me, according to a recent survey us mums don't want expensive gifts on Mother's day ... we just want hugs from those we love the most ....

"You may have bought an extravagant gift for your mother today, but all she really wants is a big cuddle.

According to a poll, nine in ten say a simple hug will make their Mother’s Day. Second favourite to keep her sweet is a card – with those home-made by young children being the best.

The survey of 2,000 people found that, overall, sons are more generous than daughters when it comes to gifts.

Men spend more on their mothers than they do on their lovers for Valentine’s Day.!!!

They are also twice as likely to take their mother out to lunch than women.

Flowers were the top gift to mothers, with 42 per cent of men and 36 per cent of women giving bouquets.

The average amount spent on presents was £14.85.

Glaswegians were the least extravagant, while Essex mothers were the most spoilt with an average of £22.35 spent on them.

Those polled by mystery shopping firm Retail Active named actress Joanna Lumley as Britain’s most ideal mother – other than their own.

Retail Active managing director Julian Chamberlain said the poll results were ‘heart-warming’, adding: ‘From the mums’ point of view, a demonstration of affection and family unity are the most important things.’"

From http://www.dailymail.co.uk/

Dry Nights .... Toilet training at night ...

2010-03-15T10:36:00.003+01:00

Well at 3 years a bit, my little one has been potty trained during the day for nearly a year now and is a seasoned and expert toilet and potty user! We've continued to use nappies at night as quite frankly after going through daytime toilet training the last thing you feel like doing is the nighttime equivalent and anyway I reasoned that she wasn't ready yet as she still wakes up every morning with a full nappy ....

I'm a great believer in letting your toddler lead the way. I have friends who do everything by the baby book ... at xxx months your child must be doing this, that and a million other things and I've witnessed time and again harrassed parents trying to get their child to do what the book says as the time the book says it. Whilst I think these books work well as a guide for babies and young children, once your child hits toddler age and is vocal about their needs I think it's healthy to listen to what they want, when they want it too ....

We did this with formula. Rather than trying to wean my little girl off her beloved nightime bottle, I waited until she was ready and asked to try my 'big girl milk' instead ... the transision was instant and easy because it was what she and not I wanted ....

And so we decided to do the same with nighttime nappies, I decided that when she was ready she'd tell me and this weekend that time came! At only 3 I was quite surprised as I've read that often children are not really ready to stay dry all night until between 4 and 6, but we were prepared to give it a go ...

I must admit I was not expecting results. I thought I'd humour my little girl. Let her try without nappies and then when she wet the bed, explain that perhaps she was not ready yet. However she surprised me ... night one she got up twice and wee'd on the potty I left in her room and i had no need for the emergency sheet, pyjama bottoms and duvet cover I'd left ready for a quick middle of the night change!! Last night she didn't wee on the bed and didn't wee on the potty. Which just goes to show that when your child tells you they are ready, it really is so much easier than when you decide they are ready .... basically ... your child knows best!!!

We are only two nights in, and I know there will be wet beds, accidents and a bit of trauma along the way, but I'm immensly proud of my determined little one and will resolve to listen to her needs a lot more carefully in the future!!!

Mother's Day ....

2010-03-08T12:37:00.002+01:00

Don't forget ... it's British Mother's Day this Sunday ( 14th ) ...

Living in Spain can be confusing ... do you celebrate Spanish Mother's Day or British Mother's Day? Celebrating both seems a little excessive. We celebrate British Mother's Day as I am English and Spanish Father's Day as my husband is French .... hmmm that doesn't make much sense either!!!

Happy Mother's Day to all mummies this coming weekend!

March Movers and Shakers ....

2010-03-08T11:51:00.014+01:00

This month we have lots of brand new products at http://www.indybel.com/ .... you can find out all about them in more detail on our main site, but for those who want a sneak peak, here is our top ten of brand new must have baby and maternity product movers and shakers .... some are new to Spain and some just to Indybel, but either way it's all happening this month!

In at number 10 it's the ........ Flexibath .... cool, stylish, sleek and foldable ... this is the ultimate baby bath for the twenty first century!

At number 9 we have the Theraline Pillow .... comfy, safe and helps protect your babies head ....

At number 8 the beautiful, stylish and affordable Tarok Cot from BabyDan.....

Looking to send a memorable and totally gorgeous gift to a much loved family member who is expecting a baby in Spain? Look no further than number 7 ... the Sofie Crib

At number 6, another stylish nursery addition ... the sleek Scandinavia Cot by BabyDan

The latest BabyBjorn carrier is known as the Comfort Carrier because the emphasis is on comfort for both baby and parent. With the weight carried on the hip, this clever new design carrier ensures no back pains on long walks .... we love it at number 5!

The perfect gift or just treat yourself, with number 4, our new giftwrapped organic Hug Me bodysuits for newborns ... so cute!

At number 3 is the fanatastic new playpen from the king of playpen makers ... BabyDan. The Felix playpen can be used on two levels so it can be a downstairs cot or playpen meaning it is perfect for use from birth to 3 or 4 .... We love it, love it, love it !!!

Want to combine stylish eating with easy to fold and compact ... then you need the BabyBjorn Appeitite chair ... it's also strapless with the specially moulded seat and security table designed to keep even the most mischevious of little one's in place ... our number 2 ....

Finally, our March number 1 new product of the month is the .... BuggyPod! The stylish and clever solution for coverting a babies pram to add a cosy space for a toddler. Far more economical and weather proof than just a step!

School Registration ....

2010-03-08T11:46:00.002+01:00

I always find March very stressful ... why? Because it's school registration month ...

Here in Spain, parents must choose a school and fill out the enrolement forms for their children during March. Later in the summer they find out what school their child has got into ...

Infant education is non compulsary and is from ages 3-6
Primary education is compulsary and starts at age 6 ...

From what I understand you need to enrole to ensure your childs place every year ....

I learn't a new Spanish word today ... matricula / enrolement or registration!!

The Future is the .... FlexiBath

2010-03-03T10:12:00.007+01:00

Baby baths are traditionally rather cumbersome ... when my daughter was born we invested in one of those drawer units with a bath in the top ... well ... never again!

What a strange invention. Ok, so here you are recovering from a birth ( or caesarian in my case ) and you have to heave bucket loads of water into your childs bedroom, lift them to chest height to tip them into the bath. Then bath the baby ... then attempt to drain the bath through a rubbish tube which constantly gets stuck, then end up heaving the bath and water from the unit and carrying it into the bathroom to drain .... of course in the end we just took the bath out of the unit and had it in the bath ... we may as well have bought a plastic tub!

There are of course several plastic bath tubs that fit in and on your own bath on the market but they are difficult to store which is why parents sometimes opt for the unit option as we did. Most bathrooms don't have room for an extra bath and you don't want it sitting on the floor as it's not the most hygienic place in the house ... so baby baths are a bit of an issue ...

UNTIL NOW

The lastest baby bath on the market, and really it's such a simple and clever idea we can't believe it hasn't been done before ...... is the FlexiBath!

The Flexibath does as it's name suggests ... it's flexible, it folds up .... so you can bath your baby and then once dry, fold up and store the bath meaning it's nice and clean and tidy and ready for the next bath. Not only that but inbetween babies you can keep it safe and clean rather than with conventional baby baths which just end up in the bin as you get fed up of them sitting around in your home getting dirty and so end up forking out again when baby number two comes along.

So score 1 to the FlexiBath for compact hygienic storage qualities ....

But, that's not where the genius of the FlexiBath ends .... it's just full of lovely little features to make life easier, like oh let's see ...

* It's non slip ... simple but yet effective!

* It's got it's own temperature indicator, so stressed out parents can see if the water is too hot or too cold ...

* Thoughtfully the makers have done a lot of research and so this bath is BPA and PVC free ... in other words it's safe ... there will be no nasty little chemicals leaking from this bath onto your little one's skin ....

* And it's big, but not too big ... big enough for a child of 3 or 4 though, so in other words you can use it for years longer than most baby baths, you can bath 2 children together in it and it's still perfect for newborns too ...

* It travels well ... the fold up mechanism means the FlexiBath can go on holiday with you, on camping or caravaning trips, it can go for nights at the grandparents with little fuss meaning you don't have to buy double the stuff and it will just slide neatly into your car boot ...

Is it any wonder that already the FlexiBath is the winner of 3 awards including the 2008 Kund Jugen Innovation Award and has been called the 'must have' product of this year by the parenting media and on TV?

I'll certainly be recommending it from now on!

http://www.indybel.com/ now sell the FlexiBath in Spain. To find out more click where can I buy a FlexiBath in Spain?

My Daddy Cooks ....

2010-03-02T11:07:00.003+01:00

....Actually not my daddy, he makes toast and boiled eggs but that's about it ... no, My Daddy Cooks is the brainchild of my good friend Nick Coffer and I am proud and delighted that his venture is really taking off and becoming the talk of the UK!

My Daddy Cooks is a great blog following Nick and his little son Archie's adventures in the kichen. From baby led weaning receipies to fun family meals, Nick and Archie detail ingredients, methods and a lot of mess via the video diaries and written recepies on their site. So much fun and some really scrummy stuff on there too ...

Recently My Daddy Cooks has grabbed the attention of the media and I'm so excited because Nick is about to sign a book deal. The sky really is the limit now and I predict you will be hearing his name in the future ...

Do check out http://www.mydaddycooks.com/ for some great meal ideas and just because Archie is soooo cute ... ( and a friend of my little girl! )

Well done Nick, we are all very proud of you here in Spain! Looking forward to you inviting us for the dinner the next time we are in the UK too!

This month we are GIVING AWAY GIFT VOUCHERS ....

2010-03-02T11:00:00.001+01:00

Have you read it right?

Yes, this month we are giving away gift vouchers to all new customers who register their details at www.indybel.com

So that's it, register today and we'll email you a gift voucher which can be put towards any future purchases ...

Happy Spring from Indybel!

The Princess and the Frog

2010-03-02T10:53:00.003+01:00

Well we finally got around to taking our little girl to see The Princess and the Frog ( in Spanish ) and she really enjoyed it. It is a little scarey for the little ones with a rather nasty villian in the shape of a voodoo magician and his very scarey shadow sidekicks, but my little one took it all in her stride and didn't seem to bothered at all. I think this is because before we went we bought and read the book quite a few times so she knew what to expect and there were no nasty surprises ... a good tip before taking little one's to the cinema.

She also loved the whole cinema experience .... 'wow it's just like a big TV!'

From an adult point of view I found Tiana y el Sapo quite refreshing for a Disney movie. There are no flouncy princesses wafting around looking for Mr 'Prince Charming' Right in this film. Oh no, our heroine is a feisty hard working would be restauranteur, who's main aim in life is to find a fulfilling career ... of course this is Disney though so she does find it in the end but with the help of true love too! The movie is darker than your average Disney movie ( Snow White excepting ) but really beautifully done with the forest scenes standing out in particular. I like the fact that in this film Disney have returned to their roots ... good old fashioned animation with no special fx's etc ... great songs and a lovely wedding at the end .... well what else would you expect!

8/10 !!!

Win a Cuddledry this month at indybel.com

2010-03-02T10:47:00.003+01:00

The Cuddledry towel remains our favourite baby ‘must have’ product and so in celebration of all things natural this month we are running a fabulous competition!

Every customer who makes a purchase during March will automatically be entered into a prize draw to WIN a Cuddledry Towel!

The draw will take place on the 1^st of April and we’ll announce the winner on our site next month!

So, to be in with a chance of winning visit http://www.indybel.com/ now .....Good Luck!!

Disney on Ice - Review

2010-02-22T12:01:00.007+01:00

Well, as I promised last week here is a review of Disney on Ice which we saw on Saturday in Malaga ...

Well firstly I need to comment on the directions ( or lack of them ).... The event was held at Palacio de Deportes in Malaga. Now according to google maps that was at junction 235. The show started at 4 and we went to a nearby shopping center for lunch first aiming to leave at approx 3. Unforuntatly the restaurant we picked for lunch was the slowest in the world and so by the time me and my friend got our two excited toddlers back in the car it was 3.30 ... still the Palacio was only 5 mins down the road, so we should be okay ...right?

Wrong!!

Off we went looking out of exit 235. We actually saw the building on our right and the next exit was 234 ... after a quick debate in the car we decided we are both sticklers for written directions and therefore we should carry onto 235. We realised the error of this when passing 234 and seeing a sign for the palacio. Urrrggghhh .... why, why, why can't google give us correct directions ...

Oh well, we though, we'll just get off at 235 which will prob be correct as well ... right?

Wrong!!

Because, 235 didn't exist. Hmmmm ... thanks Google! 236 existed and we got off there, but it took us all the way into Malaga and then out again in the opposite direction. At this point it was 3.45 and our two toddlers were getting a bit upset that the building with the princesses was now whizzing away from us in the opposite direction! Suddenly we saw a sign for the Palacio and veered off the main motorway onto another ... after 5 mins there were no more signs for the Palacio and we were still heading in the wrong directino. Fantastic signage ...well done Malaga!

With no other option, we headed back to the shopping center where we started, turned around and back to exit 234. Now remember at exit 234 there was a sign for the palacio. Well there were actually two lanes, one signed and one not. Yet our written directions told us specifically to follow the one not signed... we did and arrived. Again, well done Malaga ... great signing! Once we arrived at 4pm parking was an issue .... in the end we chucked the car on the pavement and ran in, arriving at our seats as the first skater hit the ice!

So, with all the getting there drama over, how was the show? Well it was lovely. Obviously the skating was lovely and due to my crash course in skating over 4 years of watching Dancing on Ice, I could appreciate and recognise many of the techniques including when Cinderella did a headbanger!

Basically the show was split into small stories, each one introduced by Mickey, Minnie and Tinkerbell. First up was Aladdin and we saw him dance his way around the market, meet the Genie and finally Princess Jasmine. Next came Snow White who danced around her wishing well, met the 7 dwarfts and had a dance with her Prince .. ... and so on ... you get the idea. Ariel was colourful and my daughter was delighted to see Flounder the fish on ice. There were also thousands of bubbles .... Mulan was striking and Cinderella very funny as the two ugly sisters crashed and bumped their way across the ice and into the audience. The highlight was definitly sleeping beauty and a huge fire breathing dragon who was defeated on ice by the handsome prince. The show ended with all the princesses dancing round Cinderella's carriage which was alight with fireworks.

Each segment was short enough to hold attention, and although it was 6 when we left the stadium the show didn't feel like it had lasted as long as it did.

An absolute delight for both parents and little ones .... a definite 9 / 10 .... one mark deducted for the rubbish signposts!!!

Disney on Ice is still on in Malaga, then in Barcelona from 25th - 28th Feburary, Madrid from the 4th - 7th of March and Seville from the 18th of March ....

Pregnancy after miscarriage ...

2010-02-19T11:34:00.002+01:00

As someone who has suffered a miscarriage I can understand how devestating it is and how as much you know that it's 'just one of those things' and 'nature's way of ending a pregnancy which shouldn't have been', you can't help but feel sad and even guilty.

Yet in some ways I am lucky, I know women who have had 2, 3 or more miscarriages and subsequently find it harder to concieve after each one. So I was really interested to read an article in today's Telegraph online about a woman who has just given birth after 18 miscarriages!!! In short, she eventually found a fertility expert who identified that she had a high number of 'killer cells' normally used to fight infection, but in her case they were 'killing' the foetus too. The treatment was simply a two week course of pills before ovulation and very low cost. She subsequently had a succesful pregnancy and now has a baby girl. Click on the link above to read the full story.

I think this is a great story as it will be inspiring to the many mums to be in the world who are despeartly trying to have a baby after miscarriage. Although miscarriage is very common there is very little investigation done into why it occurs until you have had 3 or more. So for someone like me, even though there might have been a 'cause' for my miscarriage, which could be prevented next time, I was not offered any investigation or explanation. Personally I think an undiagnosed underactive thyroid was the cause ( I found out about my thyroid just before miscarrying and my levels were very hight ) but both my endocrine specialist and gynocologist said this was not the case. How come then according to research, a very large proportion of miscarriages are down to undiagnosed thyroid problems?

Having suffered from both an over active and now under active thyroid during my life, I know from personal experience how important the thyroid is in just normal every day life. The slightest move beyond the normal thyroid levels can lead to your body's funcion becoming completely imparied. Knowing this and knowing that there are many many people walking around with undiagnosed thyroid problems, I find it incredible that thyroid testing is not a standard and routine part of doctors tests both before and during pregnancy and in fact, throughtout life.

Vaccinations in Spain ....

2010-02-18T11:19:00.003+01:00

Well yesterday I took my 3 year old for her booster MMR jab which you have to have at 3 years old in Spain. I wasn't really looking forward to it as my daughter has recently started to enjoy going to the doctors and whereas when she was a baby she'd kick and scream, she now giggles and plays and is happy to be examined if necessary. So I was thinking that having a needle jabbed into her would not be a positive experience and would put us back to square 1 in terms of co-operating at the dr's!

I couldn't have been more wrong and I'd like to say that the whole experience was fantastic. I'm a bit embarrassed to admit that this was our first foray into the Spanish social security healthy system. As we also have private health care I've always taken my daughter to private paediatricans finding it easier to get a quick appointment and being able to choose when and where to take her. Yet on top of the cost of private insurance every vaccination also costs around 70 euros. Between birth and now she had around 16 vaccinations, so that's a lot of money!!!

As I now work and pay into the social system I decided that this time round I'd make the most of it and take my daughter for her jab at our local health care centre. Our appointment yesterday was at five pm and we went armed with books and food expecting a long wait. We arrived at ten to five and were the only people there and so went straight in. The paediatrican was lovely, very smiley and funny ... chatted to my daughter and gave her some toys to play with. He was encouraging with my pidgeon Spanish and we made ourselves understood.

When it was time for the jab I couldn't have been prouder of my daugther. Expecting to 'drink' the medicine she was intrigued that it was going in her arm. Before she'd had time to see the needle it was in and out and her only comment was a slighly cross 'Oww that hurt!' before the doctor made her giggle again.

We were out by five pm and the whole experience was positive and dare I say it ... fun! I shall certainly be making more use of my local health service and feel ashamed for having been anything less than enthusiastic about the Spanish health care services in the past....

The Princess and the Frog

2010-02-18T10:55:00.003+01:00

As I have mentioned before, my 3 year old is currently at the age where she is obsessed by the Disney Princessses ... she has all the costumes and shoes and countless books and princessy toys. Actually regarding the costumes I find it incredible how the price differs between the UK and Spain. On a recent trip to the UK I was surprised to find very nice Snow White, Cinderella, Tinkerbell etc costumes in all the supermarkets and they were very reasonably priced from as little as 10 pounds a costume.

Here they only seem to be avaliable in the high end toy shops and the pricing certainly reflects that. I bought my daughter a box set containing a Snow White and Tinkerbell costume at Toys R Us and that cost around 25 - 30 euros. The costumes are not that well made considering the price. For Xmas, my daughter wanted a Cinderella dress. We eventually found one in El Cortes Ingles which was in the sale for nearly 40 euros. Quite frankly we were loathe to part with that amount of money for a 3 year old's dressing up dress but it was her Christmas present and it is a very well made dress ... however compared to what you can get online or in the UK it is ridiculous.

I recently saw boxsets of a characters dress and shoes in the Hipercor for nearly 50 euros!!!!! Incredible. My friend recently started selling fancy dress costumes on a little stall ... I think she'll do really well!!!

Anyway back to my original point ... The Princess and the Frog is the latest Disney movie to hit the screens and my daughter has seen the trailers on TV and is desperate to go and see it. Now I know we live in Spain and we do embrace the language, but I feel that for her first cinema trip it would be nice to see the movie in English. There are a lot of VOS ( orginal sound version ) films on in this area so I presumed that The Princess and the The Frog would be showing somewhere in it's original version, esp as it's half term. But no, it's been out for 3 weeks now and I'm searching and searching all the local cinema's and it's not on ... what annoys me is that they have been showing VOS versions of Avatar for about a month now .... come on ... change the movie!!! If nothing else the cinema's are missing a trick as there are a huge amount of foreign children living here on the coast who would go to see a VOS version of Tiana y el Sapo.

If anyone knows where we can see the movie in VOS in the Malaga to Marbella area ... please do let me know .... otherwise we are going to bite the bullet and see it in Spanish next week, which I know is probably better for us anyway!!!

Cuddledry Baby Gift Box ....

2010-02-17T11:43:00.008+01:00

Recently we've noticed that many of our customers seem to be looking for gifts for friends or family in Spain who have recently had a baby. We are therefore really excited to now be able to offer the brand new Cuddledry Baby Gift Box. Fans of the Cuddledry brand ( you may remember them from Dragon's Den ) will be aware of the fantastic quality of all the cuddledry products which are organic, innovative and award winning!

We currently stock the best selling Cuddledry Apron towel and the cute and cuddly Cuddledry Toddler Towel. Both these items have proved constantly popular since we launched nearly two years ago. We now also stock the Cuddledry Baby Gift Box, a unique and inexpensive gift which is presented in a gorgeous gold gift box. The contents include a natural wood baby hairbrush, a cute natural ducky nailbrush and an organic cotton and bamboo supersoft first facecloth. At just 15.99€ and with more and more new mummies loving natural products, this lovely gift is the perfect choice.

To buy your Cuddledry Baby Gift Box click here!

It's Carnival Time!

2010-02-17T11:30:00.004+01:00

One of the things I love about living in Spain is the constant celebration of all things fun ... here life is often one long fiesta ... with street parades, parties in squares and processions being an important part of local life.

This month it's all about Carnival, and being English and bought up in a country where Carnival is not really celebrated, I do find the whole thing very exciting and colourful.

Nowhere is Carnival more excitedly celebrated than the local nurseries! Last year my daughter went as a fairy, this was more my doing as being only 2 she didn't really know what was going on anyway. This year she's very excited and has decided she wants to go as Cinderella ( with a nod to Dorothy by wearing her red ruby slippers! ) Her little boyfriend is going to be Spiderman and the pair of them are very very excited!

All this talk about Carnival made me wonder about it's orgins. I don't want to post essays on the subject but did find some trivia that I thought might make interesting reading ...

Where did the word “carnival” come from?

Hundred and hundreds of years ago, the followers of the Catholic religion in Italy started the tradition of holding a wild costume festival right before the first day of Lent. Because Catholics are not supposed to eat meat during Lent, they called their festival, carnevale — which means “to put away the meat.” As time passed, carnivals in Italy became quite famous; and in fact the practice spread to France, Spain, and all the Catholic countries in Europe. Then as the French, Spanish, and Portuguese began to take control of the Americas and other parts of the world, they brought with them their tradition of celebrating carnival.

In many parts of the world, where Catholic Europeans set up colonies and entered into the slave trade, carnival took root. Brazil, once a Portuguese colony, is famous for its carnival, as is Mardi Gras in Louisiana (where African-Americans mixed with French settlers and Native Americans). Carnival celebrations are now found throughout the Caribbean in Barbados, Jamaica, Grenada, Dominica, Haiti, Cuba, St. Thomas, St. Marten; in Central and South America in Belize, Panama, Brazil; and in large cities in Canada and the U.S. where Caribbean people have settled, including Brooklyn, Miami, and Toronto. Even San Francisco has a carnival!

If you want to read more about Carnival take a look at this site! And if you've got a little one heading off for their first carnival ... enjoy!

Choosing the perfect baby name ...

2010-02-16T13:03:00.007+01:00

Some people know their babies future name from the moment their little bean is fertilized while others are still dithering on the way to the labour ward and even on the first car journey home. Some claim that once they see their baby they will definitly know what name suits while others prefer to bestow a family favourite or let their partners decide.

Personally I love more unusual names but even I'm not as wacky as some of our favourite celebrites who seem to take great delight in choosing the most bizarre and sometimes odd names for their offspring. Here is the 2009 Ten Best Celebrity Baby Names List ... curtosy of babynamesgarden.com ... if you're having trouble choosing the perfect name for your baby then just check out the list below or babynamesgarden for some more classic suggestions!

· 1. Sparrow James Midnight

There is always at least one celebrity baby name each year that people love to hate, and this year, Sparrow James Midnight was the one. Actress and singer Nicole Richie, and husband Joel Madden came up with this wildly unique name for their son, born in September. It's a worthy follow up to the name of their first child, daughter Harlow Winter Kate.

· 2. Petal Blossom Rainbow

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver and his wife Jools are no strangers to exotic baby names. With two daughters named Poppy Honey and Daisy Boo, what could they possibly come up with to keep the tradition going? Petal Blossom Rainbow, that's what. Little Petal was born in April, and confirms the Olivers as trendsetters in the world of celebrity baby names.

· 3. Mars Merkaba

Singer Erykah Badu caused quite a stir when rumors were rampant that her daughter, born in Brooklyn in February, was going to be named Twitty Milk. Some bloggers called it too early. It wasn't Twitty Milk. Badu, and longtime boyfriend Jay Electronica, named their daughter Mars Merkaba. But they did Tweet about it.

· 4. Mason Dash

It's a dashing name. It sounds like a name right out of the 1920s -- unique, memorable, and just a hint of rogueish -- but in a cool way. Reality T.V. star Kourtney Kardashian, and boyfriend Scott Disick came up with this one for their son born in December.

· 5. Atlas

Who shrugged? Certainly not Anne Heche, when she and boyfriend James Tupper had to come up with a baby name to hold its own with the name of Heche's first child, Homer. Heche and Tupper rose to the occasion. What better name to match the ancient Greek poet Homer than the ancient mythological figure Atlas? Heche's second son, Atlas, was born in March. (But not on the Ides of March, luckily).

· 6. Bandit Lee

Celebrity rocker babies often end up with some of the wildest baby names, and Bandit Lee, daughter of Lyn-Z and Gerard Way is a case in point. Bandit Lee is the daughter of two bands, Mindless Self Indulgence and My Chemical Romance.

· 7. Gunner

Speaking of badass rocker celebrity baby names, how about Gunner? This little guy, who arrived in August, would probably get along just fine with Bandit Lee. Gunner is the second son for Killers frontman Brandon Flowers and his wife Tana. Flowers said they wanted something that held up against the surname Flowers!

· 8. Louisanna Ray

This is one of those clever trick names -- at first you think it's "Louisiana", but then you do a second take, and realize it's spelled differently. Maybe it's a combination name, Louis plus Anna? Is it a boy or a girl? It's a girl's name, of course. The first child for actress Leelee Sobieski, and her fiance, fashion designer Adam Kimmel. Louisanna arrived in December.

· 9. Seraphina Rose Elizabeth

OK, so this isn't one of those wild and crazy celebrity names we all love (or hate, as the case may be). But it's such a beautiful, classic set of names, we couldn't resist adding it to the list. And it didn't hurt that mom and dad are Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck. Seraphina was born in January, and judging by reader responses, most of you loved the name.

· 10. Bardot Vita

Last, but certainly not least, in this year's round of the best celebrity baby names, is Bardot Vita, an exotic and unusual name with echoes of Brigitte Bardot. This little Bardot was born in August, and is the second child and first daughter for Bones star David Boreanaz and his wife, actress and former model Jaime Bergman.

Baby on Board!

2010-02-16T12:50:00.004+01:00

Well it seems that all good baby products companies have their own 'baby on board' car stickers and so we thought it was about time Indybel had one too!
We've just got the first batch back from the printers and are really pleased with the results as we feel our sticker is stylish and striking while still staying true the company colours and ethos ...

We'll be proudly displaying the car stickers on our own cars and of course giving them away to all indybel customers. Already customers always receive one of our cotton reusable indybel bags when they make a purchase so now you get two free gifts everytime you shop with us!

Let us know what you think of our baby on board stickers ... and keep a look out for them while you are driving around!

Disney On Ice comes to Spain ...

2010-02-15T16:53:00.004+01:00

We are going to see Disney on Ice on Saturday in Malaga and I don't know who is more excited ... my little girl or me!!!

All little girls love princesses so it's great that this particular show is called Princess Wishes and features all the favourites including Snow White, Cinderella, Belle, Ariel, Tinkerbell, Sleeping Beauty, Jasmine and Mulan ... and of course no Disney spectacular would be complete without appearances from Mickey and Minnie!

My little girl has probably only 'got into' the whole princess thing in the last 6 months or so, but she has all the outfits and loves all the stories so I think she is going to love this. We saw a Snow White panto at Christmas in the UK and she loved that ...

As for me, well I was happy to go along with the whole outing, but having seen the Disney on Ice Spanish website complete with video, I have to admit I'm rather excited. The whole extravaganza looks stunning with great music, fireworks, special fx and acrobatics and being a fan of 'Dancing on Ice' I can appreciate that the skating itself looks spectacular too ...

So, one rather excited mummy and daughter! I'll provide a full review next week, but in the meantime check out the Disney on Ice Spanish site and take a look at the video for yourself ... the show starts in Malaga this week and then continues throughout Spain with shows in Madrid and Barcelona as well as selected Spanish cities ... Not to be missed!!!

Don't have sex during pregnancy ... and other myths!

2010-02-09T11:31:00.002+01:00

I came across this article today at timesonline which made me smile as it does cover a few of those things that pregnant women wonder about ... some of it could be taken with a little pinch of salt though!

The truth about pregnancy and old wives tales!

Don’t dye your hair

For many women, the prospect of nine months without attention to their roots and highlights is almost too much to bear. Fears about hair dyes stem from small studies that indicate that some chemicals penetrate the scalp. Hair colourists exposed to dye on a daily basis have been shown to be at a slightly higher risk of miscarriage. However, there is no direct evidence that hair dyes are harmful to the foetus, and many of the studies were based on unfeasibly high levels of chemicals.

“Hair highlights are applied to the hair shaft not the scalp where chemicals can be absorbed, so highlights are considered safe during pregnancy,” says Bonds. “With other hair dyes there is not a 100 per cent guarantee that no chemicals will be absorbed through the skin, but the amounts are so tiny that the risk is thought to be minimal.”

Having sex during pregnancy can harm the baby

According to Bonds, a doctor might caution against sex in the third trimester for a minority of women who have a history of premature labour, vaginal bleeding or placenta previa (when the placenta covers the cervix) in case it triggers early labour, but for most women the message is that sex won’t harm the foetus.

Dr Sarah Jarvis, a GP and author of Pregnancy for Dummies, says that there is some truth in the belief that, in the later stages of pregnancy, sex prepares the body for labour. “Love-making stimulates the body to produce the hormone oxytocin, which can help your cervix ripen in readiness for labour,” she says.

“The partner’s semen also contains hormones called prostaglandins, which can cause contractions.”

Morning sickness is a sign that a foetus is healthy

Morning sickness has nothing to do with the health (or gender) of a foetus. The increased nausea and vomiting are associated with higher levels of hormones produced by healthy placental tissue combined with low blood-sugar levels, says Bonds. One theory suggests that morning sickness — which can occur at any time of the day — may help women to avoid foods that could harm a foetus.

A few studies have linked morning sickness to lower rates of miscarriage, however many other studies have failed to find a link. Bonds says: “It is just another symptom of pregnancy and doesn’t indicate whether a baby is thriving.”

If your bump is high, you are carrying a girl; if it’s low, it’s a boy. But is there any truth in the myth that you can tell the sex by the shape of your bump? Bonds says that, other than an ultrasound scan, there is no way to determine a baby’s gender.

How you carry your bump can predict gender

How a bump is carried is as much to do with the mother’s body shape and muscle tone. With first babies, the muscles and ligaments tend to be tighter so babies are carried higher. But a bump’s position is also determined by the baby’s presentation (whether it is breech or transverse), and its gestational age and weight. “Gender has nothing to do with any of it,” Bonds says.

Sleeping on your back can harm the baby

In the 1960s and 1970s research showed that blood flow can be compromised in women made to give birth lying flat on their backs because a major vessel, the vena cava, underneath the uterus becomes compressed. But those findings don’t necessarily mean it is dangerous to sleep on your back while pregnant.

Dr Philip Owen, a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at North Glasgow University NHS Trust, says that the best resting position when pregnant is to lie on your side with your knees bent, which “makes the heart’s job easier because it stops the weight of the baby applying pressure to your large veins”.

However, in a normal, healthy pregnancy, experts say that a baby can generally accommodate any sleeping position that the mother adopts to ensure she gets a restful night.

Stretch marks are avoidable if you slather on creams

Diligently applying expensive creams and potions from day one of pregnancy must surely pay off. But according to research by Professor Alexa Boer Kimball, a dermatologist at Harvard University medical school, there’s no proof that any of the creams and oils that claim to prevent stretch marks actually work. The most they can achieve is a reduction of itching caused by dry skin during pregnancy.

Stretch marks develop because of changes in the elastic supportive tissue that lies just beneath the skin. No one really knows why about half of pregnant women get them, and the rest don’t.

Kimball says that genetics play a role but that how much and how quickly your skin has to expand during your pregnancy is also a factor. “The skin is very elastic,” she says. “But weight gain in pregnancy can be pretty dramatic, and sometimes it’s more than the skin can handle.”

Don’t take up exercise when you are pregnant

Thirty years ago the advice to pregnant women was that a gentle stroll was their physical limit and they should cover no more than a mile a day. Now researchers have confirmed that more exercise is not only safe but beneficial, even for women who have never been active before.

In a study of more than 150,000 pregnant women by exercise physiologists at the University of St Louis, most did not meet even the minimum requirement of daily activity — 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day for healthy expectant mothers. Many wrongly believed that exercise can damage an unborn child by starving it of blood and oxygen. In fact, said the researchers, a woman’s heart pumps more blood than normal to ensure the foetus is not deprived when she works out.

“Women who worked out before should continue in the same vein provided their pregnancy is healthy, avoiding only contact sports, scuba diving or other activities that might cause abdominal distress,” says Louise Sutton, of the Carnegie Centre for Sports Performance at Leeds Metropolitan University. “But there is no excuse not to start exercising in pregnancy — the first step should be moderate, non-weightbearing activities, such as brisk walking, swimming or cycling.”

Don’t fly in the first trimester

The consensus among experts is that air travel is safe for most women. Although radiation exposure does increase at high altitudes, only frequent fliers approach anything near the upper safety limits.

“Flying is considered perfectly safe for pregnant women,” says Bonds. “Only women who have had a previous history of miscarriage, premature birth, low placenta or bleeding in pregnancy will be advised to avoid it by their doctor.”

However, she adds, because pregnancy and sitting down for long periods on a plane increase the risk of blood clots, it is particularly important to get up and walk around to avoid deep vein thrombosis.

Don’t sit in front of a computer

There is no scientific evidence to suggest that a women needs to limit her exposure to a computer screen. While tiny amounts of low-frequency electromagnetic radiation are emitted from the back of computers, none comes from the front.

Obstetricians at Montefiore Medical school in New York found that radiation is minuscule, particularly now that LCD screens are used.

A bigger risk, says Sammy Margo, a spokesperson for the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, is the painful wrist complaint, carpal tunnel syndrome, caused by prolonged use of a keyboard and bad posture, especially with ligaments becoming more lax as pregnancy progresses.

Natural birth is better than a Caesarean section

One in four babies in the UK is delivered by Caesarean section according to the latest NHS statistics, double the number 20 years ago. Emergency Caesarean sections, for problems such as foetal distress, prolapsed umbilical cord or failure to progress in labour, still account for the lion’s share, as both midwifery and medical staff are increasingly likely to err on the side of caution if either mother or baby seems to be getting into trouble. But are mothers who have Caesarean deliveries selling themselves and their babies short?

“Most mothers would probably like to have a natural vaginal birth but if this is not possible, Caesarean should not be viewed as a failure,” says Bonds. “The recovery after a vaginal birth is quicker and easier than for mothers who have had Caesareans, but the best way is the safest way for the baby and mother — whichever route that might be.”

Breastfeeding helps you to lose weight

Contrary to popular belief, breastfeeding doesn’t necessarily help new mothers to shed weight any faster. Producing milk uses 200 to 500 calories a day, on average. That’s about the number burnt off in a gym workout and equal to those in a cheese and pickle sandwich.

However, breastfeeding mothers also produce the hormone prolactin that not only prompts milk production but stimulates appetite. The upshot? In many cases, women who breastfeed offset the calorie debt by consuming more food overall.

In a 2004 study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers from the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Centre studied new mothers. In the first six months, the 81 non-breastfeeding mothers lost fat from their whole body, arms and legs faster than the 87 breastfeeding mums, who were shown to snack on more calories throughout the day.

Cash on delivery

2010-02-09T11:22:00.003+01:00

Up until recently we only offered paypal and wire transfer as payment methods when you buy online at indybel.com

We offer paypal as we believe that it is a secure method for our customers and we know many people already have paypal accounts these days and find paypal an easy system to use ... However we also realise that many of our customers prefer to deal in cash rather than credit and so are now delighted to be able to offer our customers the payment option of ...

CASH ON DELIVERY!!!!

Customers in Spain can select Cash on Delivery now in our payment section and choose to pay the courier when he/she arrives with your products.
It's really as simple as that! Just make sure you choose a delivery address where you will be when the courier arrives and that you have enough cash on you!

So far cash on delivery is proving to be really popular and more and more customers are choosing this option as opposed to the credit card options, showing that consumers would rather pay for their goods with cash. As ever our aim is to make the shopping process as easy and comfortable as possible for our customers, so we are delighted that feedback suggests cash on delivery has been such a success ...

Keep an eye on our site as more PAYMENT OPTIONS will be coming to indybel in the next few months ....

WANTED ... Nearly New and Second Hand baby items ...

2010-01-26T14:52:00.002+01:00

This year we are aiming to expand our store with a second hand / nearly new section.

We are particularly looking for large products ( prams, cots, pushchairs, car seats, sterilizers, breast pumps etc )

Sellers will need to send us an accurate description and photograph of their product.

Advertising your product on our site is free but we will take a commission if the item is sold.

Do you have baby items that you'd like to sell????

If you have baby or pregnancy items to sell and would like to find out more please contact samantha@indybel.com

This month everyone's loving the ....

2010-01-26T14:47:00.003+01:00

... Dream Genii Pregnancy Pillow ...

Well, we don't know if midwives are suddenly recommending it, or there's been some sort of article or advert in the press, but suddenly customers throughout Spain can't get enough of the Dream Genii Pregnancy Pillow ... in fact we've sold out, but don't worry new stock has just arrived ... so order yours now to avoid disappointment ....