Morning after pill

Just saw this item in the Sur in English newspaper ... From September the Morning-after pill will be avaliable in Spanish pharmacies without a prescription or age restriction ... here is the article in full ....

The morning-after pill will go on sale in pharmacies in Spain in September, the Ministry for Health has confirmed.

The emergency contraception was initially expected to go on sale in August but the health authorities have been working with various scientific organisations to establish the guidelines for selling the pill without a prescription. The ministry says that pharmacists will be advised on what information to provide to users.

It was announced in May that the pill would go on sale without the need for a prescription and without age restrictions in pharmacies throughout the country. Up until now it has only ever been dispensed by doctors.

The PP and Catalan conservative party CiU had opposed the Socialists’ proposal and were particularly against the idea of unrestricted sale of the pill. Critics feared that prescription-free sale would result in an increase in the number of women using the pill as a method of ordinary contraception, however, the government considers that allowing the sale of the pill will result in a decrease in the number of unwanted pregnancies and abortions.

Teeny Tiny Advertising

Today I was in the car with my two year old and she mentioned it was her birthday soon. ( Well, November! )

"Yes it is", I said, "and what would you like for your birthday?"

"I want Baby Alive" she said.

I was totally amazed by her awnser. Baby Alive is a doll we've seen advertised a few times on Nick Jr ... the dolly poo's in it's nappy ( charming ) hence the 'alive' title! What was incredible was that having seen this advert no more than maybe 2 or 3 times, she'd 'bought in' to the advertising message and was now asking me for a Baby Alive. It's fascinating that a child as young as 2 can 'buy' into a TV advert.

Okay, so clearly others have realised this before me, as channels such as Nick Jr and CITV are full of adverts for toys, but I always thought parents were the primary target market and so now I'm wondering why the people who sell advertising space don't use this great opportunity to help us parents by selling to companies that promote healthier activities.

For example you never see adverts with children exclaiming in delight over a fruit bar or cool sunhats or plasters, toothpaste or a breakfast cereal. It's all toys, toys, toys ... a bit of a missed opportunity to appeal to new markets and give us parents a bit of a smoother ride too ... after all how great would it be if I asked my two year old what she wanted for her birthday and she replied 'I'd like a nutritious bowl of museli please mummy' .....!!

A customer service rant!

At Indybel we believe absolutely 100% that good customer service is one of the most important parts of our business ... aside from the fact that we enjoy chatting to and helping our customers, we firmly believe that if someone makes the effort to contact us then it's the least we can do to respond to them and try to help them as much as we can. So, we always respond to emails straight away, try to help customers who have queries about our products and make sure we've done everything we can to ensure our customers are happy and satisfied. We still do this for people who are not our customers as it's just good manners. For example a lady emailed last year trying to find a particular dummy in Spain and we spent a good few hours researching dummies for her on the internet. Other customers have emailed us asking if we can help find products that we dont' stock, and even though it means no revenue for us, if we can help then we certainly will and frequently do.

So it always annoys me when other retailers don't see the importance of customer service and when I'm on the customer side it makes me even more esperated.
There is one shop in particular that does seem to wind me up the wrong way time and time again and yet I still go back ... and rant!

El Cortes Ingles is Spain's largest department store with stores dotted around Spain in all the major towns and cities. On the whole they have some nice stuff and I like the supermarket there and it's a good place for a browse on a rainy day, but after a few years of going there I can honestly say that in my experience the customer service is not good.

On the whole you seem to be greeted by unsmiling, unhelpful and unknowledgeable sales assistants who aren't that keen to 'sell' or help. The baby dept in particular has always seemed particularly unhelpful to me, but I had to go there last week to source a new mattress for my old pram in preparation for my sisters visit. As I bought the pram there and it's a major Spanish brand Jane, I thought they would be able to help me, but after a lot of shruggling of shoulders they told me that they don't sell mattresses and don't know anywhere that does ... oh I said, but I saw a mattess in another shop down the road ... to looks of great surprise ... eventually they mentioned a shop in Malaga that might sell the mattress but there was no question of them phoning the shop for me to make an enquirey. At my assistance they reluctantly got out their Jane catalogues and flicked through them but couldn't help and when I asked if the Jane website might sell them they didn't know. Maybe it's me, but surely assistants in a baby dept should know more about baby products? I recognise some of these assistants from 2 or 3 years ago, so it's not like they are new. The general attitude is of not really caring ... if it's there they are happy to sell it to you, if not then they don't want to know.

So I gave up on the mattress and went to the toy dept with my toddler. She wanted a slide. There were two possibles on display. One at 34 euros and the exact same one next to it with added stickers at 40 euros. I waited about 15 mins for a sales person and then asked to buy the 34 euro slide. Oh no, he told me, we don't have this one in stock, it will take 5 days to order. 5 days to order a 34 euro slide ....??? Why bother having it on show then? I'm pretty sure the consumer has the right to be able to buy goods on display if it's suggested they are for immediate sale. So I asked him if I could purchase the exact same 40 euro slide for 34 euros as they didn't have the 34 euro one in stock ... not a chance!!

Feeling dejected I headed to the supermarket. The thing that really annoys me about the supermarket in the Cortes Ingles is that you are only allowed in one end and it' s the far end the furthest away from every staircase, escalator and lift ... so you huff and puff all the way there with your bags and a toddler and then have to go through the rigmarole of having your bags bagged up ... then if you exit without buying anything you are only allowed down one tiny weeny ailse ...

I do know it's my choice to shop there, but I also feel that good customer service, especially in such a large institution, is a right and not a priveldge. If small shops can manage friendly helpful service why can't huge institions who have access to staff training programmes and management programmes? When I go back to the UK I can't help but sometimes compare the customer service in shops such as El Cortes Ingles to their British counterparts such as John Lewis and Marks and Spencers and sadly there is a lot lacking here in Spain. I think in time these shops will have to begin to take customer service more seriously but until then I will either just have to practice deep breathing exercises or shop elsewhere!!

First Time Mums!

My sister recently became a new mum and is coming over to Spain soon to visit us for 5 weeks with her ( then ) 8 week old son! As excited as we all are about this impending visit, I am starting to feel like it's becoming quite a lot of work! Once you've had a baby, got through the first year and then into the second, you forget a lot about the worries new mums have. Once your child has eaten from the floor, drank their bath water ( complete with wee wee ) eaten their own poo and slept in dirty sheets you don't panic as much as you did in the early days about every tiny thing they may or may not come into contact with.
Of course I was Panic Queen ... It was a joke amongst my friends that I had to ween myself off sterilising after Bella turned one, and she only touched or went near brand new things ... of course with a second I wouldn't be half as fussed.

But my sister is a new mother and so has issued me with the following list of things to prepare for her visit in 2 weeks time.

1. Buy a natural non toxic washing powder ( luckily www.indybel.com stock Bio D for just this reason so I skiped that one! )
2. Wash my baby gym and all possible toys that her baby may play with or touch
3. Find and wash my 0-6 month Grobags
4. Buy citric acid ( impossible I've discovered ) and clean and de scale my sterilizer
5. Find, wash and clean my baby bouncing chair
6. Find my old travel system and thoroughly clean
7. Go to my parents appartment, clean the travel cot and source a new mattress
8. Source and buy a new mattress for the pram
9. Buy sheets for all the above appliances
10. Buy a mozzie net
11. Wash my baby towels
12. Stock up on size 2 nappies
13. Find, clean and put batteries in the old cot mobile
14. Buy a box of Apatmil 1 ... just in case!
15. Supply of batteries ... just in case ... in case of what I wonder? Her leg's break down!

I'm just wondering if there is anything else she'd like me to do ... perhaps go to England and personally escort the baby to Spain or arrange sanitization of the beach and a secured shaded area for the duration of her visit, or wash the dog ... actually probably should wash the dog ...

Ha ha ... I'm only joking ... it is of course a pleasure ( although a difficult one with a toddler on school holidays in tow ) to do all these things for my sister, but it does make me realise how much first time mums and seasonal mums differ in their attitudes, but more how much we are also so similar ... Well as you can see no time for blogging today, so better get on!

It's good to laugh!

Someone sent me these and I thought I'd post them here ... it's good to remember there is humour in pregnancy and birth! And even in those sleepless weeks after ....

Am I more likely to get pregnant if my husband wears boxers rather then briefs?
~Yes, but you’ll have an even better chance if he doesn’t wear anything at all.

Should I have a baby after 35?
~No, 35 children are enough.

Can a mother get pregnant while nursing?~
Yes, but it’s much easier if she removes the baby from her breast and puts him to sleep first.

My husband and I are very attractive. I’m sure our baby will be beautiful enough for commercials. Whom should I contact about this?
~Your therapist.

I’m two months pregnant now. When will my baby move?
~With any luck, right after he finishes high school.

How will I know if my vomiting is morning sickness or the flu?
~If it’s the flu, you’ll get better.

The more pregnant I get, the more often strangers smile at me. Why?
~‘Cause you’re fatter than they are.

My wife is five months pregnant and so moody that sometimes she’s borderline irrational.
~So what’s your question?

Do I have to have a baby shower?
~Not if you change the baby’s diaper very quickly.

Under what circumstances can sex at the end of pregnancy bring on labor?
~When the sex is between your husband and another woman.

What position should the baby be in during the ninth month of pregnancy?
~Head down, pressing firmly on your bladder.

When is the best time to get an epidural?
~Right after you find out your pregnant.

How long is the average woman in labor?
~Whatever she says, divided by two.

What does it mean when the baby’s head is crowning?
~It means you feel as though not only a crown but the entire throne is trying to make its way out of you.

What is colic?
~A reminder for new parents to use birth control.

Our baby was born last week. When will my wife begin to feel and act normal again?
~When the kids are in college.

... if MEN got PREGNANT!

~ Maternity leave would last for two years....with full pay.

~Natural childbirth would become obsolete.

~Morning sickness would rank as the nation's #1 health problem.

~All methods of birth control would be 100% effective.

~Children would be kept in the hospital until potty trained.

~They wouldn't think twins were so cute.

~They'd stay in bed during the entire pregnancy.

ha ha !

Congratulations!

Congratulations to our friend Sarah who gave birth to her second daughter at the USP in Marbella, Costa del Sol yesterday .... after studiously drinking her ( Indybel ) raspberry leaf tea for the last few months of pregnancy, Sarah enjoyed a short ( just a morning's ) labour and gave birth to her little one just two days after her due date. Congrats from all of us at Indybel!

As a gift we've given Sarah one of our fantastic slings. She was looking for something which she could use to carry her new daughter, while attending to the needs of her toddler .... as well as something which she could use to cover herself while breastfeeding in public. The sling is great for both these things and she loves it!

I've always been quite interested in hearing stories about the USP as it's a hospital we are eligable to use, if and when number 2 decides to come along! So I shall be grilling Sarah on her birth experience next week and will post her views on the hospital and it's facilities. She had her first baby in Estepona, so it will be interesting to see how her experiences compare ...

Well until then well done Sarah and enjoy your first weekend with your ever growing family!

The heat is on!

I recently came across this article about pregnancy and the heat. I have one or two very heavily pregnant friends at the moment and they finding being pregnant in Spain in August pretty uncomfortable. Yet the heat can also be potentially dangerous for pregnancy so it's important that all mums to be keep themselves out of the sun as much as possible and drink lots of water. Here's the article in full ....

I have always had a low tolerance for the cold and prefer warmer temperatures. All that changed during my first pregnancy. I turned the office air conditioning down to a low setting and had a fan on at every opportunity. The heat was almost unbearable.

This heat intolerance is true for many pregnant women since, in general, they have a reduced tolerance to heat. The summer is here and most people would agree that it is very hot. I can certainly empathise with the discomfort of women who are pregnant during the summer months.

However, prolonged exposure to high temperatures can lead to more than just discomfort. It can lead to a serious condition known as hyperthermia. This condition occurs if someone's body temperature becomes higher than its normal level. It is different from a fever in that a fever is a controlled rise in body temperature usually as a protective response to different factors such as infection. In hyperthermia there is an uncontrolled rise in the body's temperature, which may be due to impairment in the body's temperature regulation system or its cooling system.

Unfortunately, there are risks to the developing baby if a pregnant woman has this condition. If she develops hyperthermia early in pregnancy, her baby is more likely to have a birth defect, especially neural tube defects which are abnormalities involving the baby's spine and/or brain. Later in the pregnancy the condition can raise her risk of preterm labour (labour before the pregnancy has reached full term).

Fortunately, a pregnant woman's risk of developing hyperthermia is low. Nevertheless, the higher temperatures of summer can lead to other conditions. A recent study done in Israel showed that the rate of oligohydramnios was higher for pregnant women in the summer months as compared to the other months of the year.

Drink enough water

Oligohydramnios is a condition in which the volume of amniotic fluid surrounding the developing baby is lower than normal. It has been associated with a higher risk a foetal distress and an increased risk of a pregnant woman having a caesarean delivery.

So what can a pregnant woman do to avoid some of these possible complications?

She should keep well hydrated by drinking several glasses of water daily, at least 10. She can employ the use of fans or air conditioning where possible to keep cooler. She should wear cool clothes such as those made with cotton material in light colours that reflect the sunlight.
She should avoid direct sunlight as much as possible; use a large rimmed hat or an umbrella in situations where shade is not readily available. She should avoid being outdoors at the hottest times of day; use sunscreen to protect her skin as sunlight exposure can worsen pregnancy - induced darkening of the skin. Finally, swimming is not only a safe exercise for most women in pregnancy, but it is a fun way to keep cool in these hot summer months.

Dr Monique Rainford is a consulting obstetrician and gynaecologist

Baby Scans ... can they sometimes tell you too much?

Going for your scans during pregnancy is usually an exciting and reassuring experience. Scans show you amazing images of your little one, such as fingers and toes, that vital and wonderful heart beat and sometimes even facial features. Plus of course for some scans are a chance to find out the sex.

Yet for a percentage of women, scans can bring frightening and worrying news, details of possible problems and illness in the foetus and can result in a worrying pregnancy and sometimes termination of the baby.

Last year my sister became pregnant with her first baby. Everything was great until her five month scan started to show problems. Between her fifth and sixth month she had several scans with various specialists. The scans 'indicated' kidney problems, a bladder problem which could mean the bladder would have no function and turned in feet which could be an indicator of a deformity or abnormality. Rather frighteningly given todays modern technology, the scans highlighted these issues but failed to be able to determine how severe any of the issues were or even if they would be a problem after birth. Dr's said the different issues could indictate neurological problems but they couldn't be sure. The kidney may or may not be an issue, the baby could be fine or he could die at birth.
At six months my sister and her husband were offered a termination. After much soul searching they decided to go ahead with the pregnancy. They felt that there was insufficent evidence as to how serious or not the problems were for them to abort their child.

My nephew was born last month. Happily the problems are nowhere near as severe as indicated by the scans. Yes he has issues with his kidneys but they are stable and improving every day with little medical help. His bladder problem has currently been resolved with a small operation and will hopefully be fine in the future ... and the feet? Well there is no problem at all, a specialist has confirmed they are normal baby shaped feet! He is healthy, feeds well and appears to be a normal bouncing baby. The kidney specialist recently stated that she couldn't believe a termination had even been suggested.

So are scans really helpful or can they actually increase worry and stress during a pregnancy? In this case there were clearly issues that needed highlighting and my sister and her husband were all the more prepared to cope with them as a result, but the scans were in some cases inaccurate and facts were missing or unable to be provided by medical staff. In many ways there was no reason for this pregnancy to be cloaked by so much negativity and misery, and modern medicine with all it's miracles proved to be a little bit of a let down. And yet they care they received overall was excellent and supportive.

The point of this post is to reassure others who might be going through a similar thing. Scans are not conclusive, they can be misleading or simply indicative. Mums to be should trust their instincts, seek more than one opinion and overall try not to worry.

Is a breast feeding dolly taking things a little too far?

It's National Breast Feeding Week this week and at Indybel we always strive to support organisations that highlight issues for women. I found it amusing however when browsing the weeks news stories when I came across this rather bizarre article ... as the dolly in question was actually made in Spain it's certainly worth a mention here!

Bebe Gloton, Breastfeeding Doll from Spain, Causes a Stir

Rob Kuznia--HispanicBusiness.com

We've heard of dolls that eat, drink and sleep, but breast-feed? That's the concept behind a controversial new doll, available only in Spain. Called Bebe Gloton ,which translates loosely into "greedy baby", the toy is meant to promote the idea of breast feeding to young future mothers.

Made by Spanish toy manufacturer Berjuan, the doll's mouth latches on to the flower-shaped nipples affixed to a strap-on halter-top.The doll cries when its hungry and makes sucking noises when it is feeding. After the meal, it can be burped.

Some parents have criticized the doll, saying it promotes teen pregnancy. "That's not cool," Lori Reynolds, of El Paso, Texas said. "No, I would never get that for my child."The doll has created quite a stir in the blogosphere, prompting praise and criticism alike

"It is rather refreshing to see a doll that doesn't come with bottles and that shows breasts and nipples (or, eh, nipple blossoms) in a non-sexual situation," writes Alex Alvarez of Guanabee.com. Dad-blogger Eric Ruhalter was less amused, scoffing incredulously at that the toy-maker's claim that the doll is the first of its kind."If I invented the combination Baby-Changing Table/Table Saw it would be the 'first-ever,'" he wrote. "But that doesn't make it a good idea."

The entire teapot tempest calls to mind a similar uproar earlier this year over a doll, called Baby Wee Wee, that soils itself.

Hmm ... well it's certainly an interesting one and I can see both sides to the debate. Having just come back from a trip to the UK with my two and half year old to meet her new baby cousin, we were amused by how fascinated she was by breast feeding. After a few days of watching her aunt feed the new baby she took to taking her dolly along and lifting her top and feeding her dolly whenever her baby cousin was being fed. Actually she eventually tired of the feeding and hasn't mentioned it since returning to Spain, but rather than being worried we felt this was an entirely normal 'play' idea. Afterall last night she spent hours putting her dolly to bed and telling dolly off because she wouldn't go to sleep exactly as I do ... so again she's simply playing at being mummy which is both her favourite game and in my opinion one of the most harmless and healthiest games.

Of course at two and a half she's not really going to remember all this, but surely promoting the idea of breast feeeding as normal and healthy to a small child is a good thing. My objection to Bebe Gloton ( apart from the fact that surely a baby who is hungry for milk shouldn't be labelled as greedy!? ) is the rather breast feeding top that comes with it and the non sensical flowery nipples, which are creating an odd false reality and yet still drawing young girls attention to the idea that they need to reveal themselves in public to breastfeed.

I'm not sure I believe that Bebe Gloton would necessarily promote teen pregnancy, I'm sure most teen's are far to interested in other things such as pop music and Hannah Montana to want to breast feed a doll and those younger girls like my daughter will get tired pretty quickly of the demands of Bebe Gloton

Other than that I feel Bebe Gloton is a bit of a fad and would be surprised if she catches on ...

Still milk for thought? What do you think, let us know!

Sizzling Hot Summer Sale!

Yes it's August and so we have now launched our Sizzling Hot Summer Sale!!

Everything .... yes EVERYTHING in our summer section is now in the sale ... so from maternity beach wear, to toddler towels, to baby sunhats, to the fab shade a babe and even our UV tent ...

All summer items are now less 25% meaning YOU can make some massive savings if you buy now!!

Summer in Spain lasts well into October so this is a great opportunity to buy some brilliant summer baby and pregnancy products that will last well into the autumn ...

Check out all our sale items at http://www.indybel.com/ now .... our sale items can either be found in the Beach and Sun section of the Baby Store or head straight to the sales section on the main menu at the top ....

Happy Birthday Indybel!

It's August which means http://www.indybel.com/ is one year old!!

As with a baby we've had our teething problems this year, we've lost a lot of sleep, we've spent a lot of money!! and our daily workload has increased month by month ...!

Yet despite some difficult desicions and a few set backs we've had a great first year. Launching in the middle of a credit crisis was never going to be easy, but we are still here and surviving and growing and have had an amazing response from customers all over Spain and beyond!

We wouldn't still be here without your support ... so thank you for all your lovely messages, ideas and of course for buying from us! Keep checking back on us, we've got lots of ideas for the future, and have full intentions of growing, evolving and fingers crossed announcing our second birthday this time next year!!

Fab Birthday Competition!!

By the way we are running a great competition on the main site indybel.com in honour of our birthday ..... EVERYONE who buys something this August will automatically be entered into our prize draw which will be drawn on Sept 1st 2009. The winner will be sent a great prize from http://www.indybel.com/ .... so to enter simply visit the main site and buy something NOW!!