In the frame

One of the most exciting moments of your pregnancy is when you get to see your little one on the small screen for the first time. Whether or not you've had previous scans in early pregnancy, it's usually the 12-week ultrasound scan when you get a close-up of your womb tenant waving, kicking and even sucking her thumb that hits you with that 'I'm going to be a mummy' feeling in full force. Most ultrasound units will offer parents-to-be a grainy photo of their little bean but as the months progress, the flimsy print-out is likely to get tattered unless you find somewhere safe to store it.



Get yourself a Baby Scan Photo Frame from The Gift Experience. This hinged frame features one side to slot your scan photo and another side where you can write details like the parents' names, date and the number of weeks of gestation. The Baby Scan Photo Frame comes in a creamy resin finish and is dotted with cute little stars and makes an ideal gift for newly announced mamas and papas. Available at The Gift Experience and good photo stores.

Top Summer Read

We were lucky enough to receive a copy of Brain, Child – the “magazine for thinking mothers” – and we can’t wait to recommend it to all our mama friends. The summer edition of this quarterly features insightful and incisive articles ranging from a cutting report on the inaptly named Camp Baby event for mom bloggers (no actual babies allowed) to an expose on the deception and debt that often lies behind those tempting ‘work from home’ business offers.

Our favourite elements of the magazine are the personal essays by mothers who write with intimacy, honesty and even humour about topics as difficult as miscarriage, disability and helping a child to handle the death of someone close. Brain, Child is the perfect antidote for new mums who are worried their grey matter has turned to mush and this edition definitely makes the Top 10 of our summer reading list. Visit the Brain, Child web site for sample articles and subscription info.