Mother's help

Every mother dreads it: the non-stop crying, fussy and gassy phase that's known as colic and can make your bundle of joy turn you into a bag of nerves. Nobody can explain what causes colic exactly but when it happens the first thing you'll want to know is how to make it stop.

The First Years Colic Massage Pad, by Learning Curve, is a natural solution that some parents describe as a godsend. This battery-operated pad uses a circular motion, white noise and soothing vibrations to keep baby on an even keel. Spread it across your lap or over your shoulder and lay your little one on his tummy to help ease and maybe even release some of that gassy pain. The First Years Colic Massage Pad is soft, easily washable, portable and available at Babies R Us. More info at the Learning Curve web site.

Babe in a basket

Brand New Mama is happy to share that we have a new addition to our family. Little Big Cheeks, as he shall be known on this blog, will be two weeks old tomorrow and is already adapting to Cheeky family life.

One of our favourite gifts for the baby has been a gently-used Moses Basket, originally from ultra-chic store Mamas & Papas. LBC uses it as his day bed in our living room and always has at least two or three hour blocks of sound sleep, even with his toddler brother clattering around him.

All Mamas & Papas Moses Baskets can be coordinated with their stylish interiors collection and each includes a sturdy maize basket with adjustable hood, machine washable bedding and can be fixed on a selection of rocking or stationary stands. The store is currently on sale so visit the web site now to take advantage of their special offers.

Yummy mummy

In the hectic days after the birth, every new mother needs a helping hand - especially in the kitchen. When you spend what seems like every waking minute with baby attached to breast or bottle, it can be easy to forget or hard to find a moment to feed yourself.

What you really need is a New Mummy's Yummy Gourmet Box, a fabulous gift idea from Babes with Babies. This consists of 20 hand-made, healthy frozen meals by award-winning company Chef on Board, delivered to your door. The gift box contains two helpings of such tasty dishes as Beef Lasagne, Coq Au Vin, Moussaka and Luxury Fish Pie and contain no artificial additives or strong spices to affect the little one if you're breastfeeding.

Chef on Board can also cater to any special dietary requirements including fare specifically for vegetarians. Get a gourmet box for one of your expecting buddies or just treat yourself by special order from the Babes with Babies web site.

Soothe a fever

Tis the season of coughs and sniffles and one of the most worrying times for any Brand New Mama. If you've got an infant who's under the weather, you'll want to be certain he has a fever before reaching for the Calpol. But how to get your poorly little wriggler to stay still long enough for that oral, armpit or rectal thermometer to get a precise reading?

Grab yourself one of these nifty Digital Soother Thermometers from Bruin. It looks and feels like a regular pacifier but will glow red when a fever is detected. It can be used in both celsius and fahrenheit and has a memory feature to recall previous readings. Soothing for baby and simple enough for the most sleep-deprived mum, these Bruin Digital Soother Thermometer can be found at Babies R Us stores or online.

Brownies for baby mamas

Gushing phone calls, texts, cards and even flowers are all very well when you've had a baby. But after going through the resplendent drama of childbearing and birth, every Brand New Mama deserves something a little more indulgent. That's why the canny folk at Silver Bee Bakery have come up with a range of packaged goodies for mum and child.

With my second baby's arrival imminent in the next couple of months (ah, the 'secret' is out!), what I'm craving is a New Mummy's Pampering Kit complete with balms for lips, face and feet, organic soap and a sweet Anne-Claire Petit knitted rattle for the bubba. And of course the star attraction -- a huge tin of Chocolissimo brownies to keep my energy and spirits up during those 24 hour feeding-changing-feeding sessions.

I had a chance to sample one of these brownies at the London Baby Show and I have to say that they are hands down the most gooey, chocolatey, tongue-twistingly sensational brownies I've tasted in a long time. Give someone you know a new mama/papa/baby or Xmas gift to remember with an order from Silver Bee Bakery.

Easy queasy

Probably one of the worst aspects of early pregnancy for many women is morning sickness – that unsettling feeling ranging from mild nausea to uncontrollable vomiting. Although I was one of the lucky few who didn’t suffer badly, the mere sight of certain foods made me gag and I soon realised that ‘morning sickness’ can actually last 24 hours.

Common advice includes drinking ginger ale, sucking on ginger lollipops or sipping on ginger herbal tea (apparently ginger helps alleviate symptoms). But if you’re not down with the flavour and you still want a natural remedy, you could opt for a sniff of QueaseEASE. The handy purse-sized tube contains a unique blend of essential oils (peppermint, lavender, spearmint and yes, ginger) designed to cure all sorts of nausea including morning sickness and motion sickness. There are no side effects and you can use it as often as you like. Simply remove the cap, inhale deeply for a few breaths and let the oils work their magic. Available via the web site Soothing Scents.

Butter up

It may not be top of your Christmas list but any new mama who's already cracking up from breastfeeding will be beyond thankful to find a jar of Nipple Butter in her stocking. One of the bestselling products from top store Earth Mama Angel Baby, this nipple salve is the first organic, all-natural, plant-based balm that's lanolin-free (so no hint of pesky pesticides). The cream is made from shea butter, cocoa butter, mango butter and healing calendula. And if that sounds pretty edible that's because it's safe for baby to eat so there's no need to wash it off between feeds. Yummy mummy.

New Pregnancy Checklist: Baby Yourself

Nobody may be able to tell you're pregnant yet, but that doesn't mean you're not feeling the pressure. Growing a baby is exhausting work from the outset and the first 12 weeks leaves most women feeling drained. One of the most important things you can do is to take regular, relaxing breaks to keep both mind and body on an even keel.

Indulge in a Pregnancy Pampering Kit from Earth Mama Angel Baby that includes morning wellness tea and a bottom balm to counter any haemorrhoids-in-waiting. Mama Mio offers sensuous massage oils and a list of spas that provide their deluxe Mama's Touch treatments. Bumping Brits can splash out on Nurturer's personal services including anything from biking waxing to household maintenance. If you're in New York, don't miss out on the brand new Peppermint Reflexology technique at Maternal Massage and More.

Photo via Maternal Massage and More

New Pregnancy Checklist: Don't Blow It

Before you blow your budget shopping for yourself or your impending, take stock of your finances. The average cost of raising a child today is around one trillion dollars (cue Dr. Evil laugh and pinkie in mouth). Seriously though, once you're up to your neck in nappies and formula, you may regret frittering away your savings on non-essentials.

If money's a touchy subject, print out this family budget planner from Pregnancy Weekly and sit down with your partner to sort things out like grown-ups. BabyCenter has a fantastic range of resources ranging from a cost of a child calculator to tips for bargain hunters. For UK readers, NetMums will guide you through the maze of maternity pay, tax credits and Child Trust Fund accounts.

Photo via BabyCenter

New Pregnancy Checklist: Shop til u Pop

It's too early to splash out on baby gear, but it's never too soon to do a little window shopping for yourself. Gone are the days when mou-mous and man-shirts were the only options for a swelly Betty. Babealicious stars like Angelina Jolie, Gwen Stefani and Madonna have turned bumps into a high fashion accessory. Doing your style research early is the yummy mummy's trick to preparing for the curves ahead.

First rule: while your changing body's a great excuse to experiment, don't suddenly try to dress like someone you're not. Remember, comfort is key. If you're looking for functional but style-conscious clothes, pop into 1 in the Oven. Celeb haunt ProMom Couture does sassy tees that make a statement. Destination Maternity is a great one-stop shop for a range of figure-flattering lines. Isabella Oliver offers sleek, designer fashion for the metropolitan mama. And Crave Maternity has a wide collection of everything from smarts like this sexy wrap dress to nighties to see you through delivery and beyond.

New Pregnancy Checklist: Dining a Deux

Let’s clear one thing up. The phrase ‘eating for two’ doesn’t mean scoffing down double portions. After all, even at birth your baby weighs less than a 10th of your poundage. In fact you only need an extra 200-250 calories daily and that’s not until the last trimester. Think quality not quantity, especially in the first trimester when cravings abound and the sights/smells of even your favourite foods could give your belly the heave-ho.

The UK Food Standards Agency has a guide to eating well whether you're trying to conceive or heading for the labour ward. At Pregnancy Today, you'll find a list of foods to avoid when you're with sprout. If that makes for depressing reading, cheer yourself up with a copy of the Healthy Pregnancy Cookbook. It offers more than 100 safe, tasty and satisfying recipes for the mama-to-be.

New Pregnancy Checklist: Burn, Baby, Burn

You feel sicker than a dog and lazier than a llama. The last thing you want to do is exercise. Surely pregnancy's the perfect excuse to slouch around and anyway, won't all that jiggling hurt the foetus? Wrong on both counts. As this Mayo Clinic article explains, staying active helps to ease a lot of the aches and pains that come with pregnancy, aids with labour and delivery and speeds up recovery. Just make sure you get the all clear from your doctor and work at a natural pace. Don't suddenly start trying to run marathons if reaching for the remote makes you break a sweat.

Start easy by registering with BabyFit for a free personalised exercise and nutrition plan or join Blooming Fit for a small fee. Invest in a good maternity sports bra and clothes that appreciate your shape. Fit Maternity has a great range of sportswear to kick you and your bump into gear.

New Pregnancy Checklist: Shoot Yourself

There's no better time to own a camera than when you're expecting a baby. Apart from the crazy photographer/stalker (or mamarazzi) you'll become once your bubba's born, it's a great idea to start taking photos of yourself right from conception. Even though nothing's showing yet, your body will never look exactly the same and there's still something deeply emotional about the sight of your flattish belly with its secret life inside.

You can keep a paper and photo journal tracking your body's changes - not just the size of your belly but your blooming bustline, hair and nail growth, or newly popped belly button (we call it the umbilical cork). You can even share these photos with loved ones or an intimate circle of millions via a private or public photo blog. Or you can go one step further and hire a professional like UK photographer Tina Bolton to record this journey. It may cost a bit, but the memories are priceless.

New Pregnancy Checklist: Go Surfing

From the minute I found out I was pregnant, I was online Googling for pregnancy info, advice and trivia. Many hours supposedly working were actually spent calculating my due date, scoping out belly photos, and signing up for programmes to track my pregnancy week by week. I also figured out my baby's horoscope and did the Chinese gender predictor test. This form of 'research' was one of the fun things about a first-time pregnancy. But if you don't have time to waste, here are our top 5 tried and trusted websites that will see you through the next nine months and more:

Babycenter.com - winner of a 2006 Webby award
Pregnancy.org - watch birth videos, share stories and more
Babyworld - top UK site, great forums and fab shopping
Storknet - practical and accessible info
Pregnancy Weekly - all about pregnancy

New Pregnancy Checklist: Show and Tell

So your pee has produced a thin blue line and you're itching to tell somebody. You could surprise your partner using one of these ideas from Baby Center members. You might want to share with a few close friends and family members with a bold yet understated pregnancy announcement, Hip & Little style. Or perhaps you just want to shout it out from the mountain tops. If you're ready to tell the world even though you've not hit the 12 week mark, try on one of these Shhh...Baby Sleeping t-shirts from Foxy Mama Maternity. It's direct yet discrete, will grow with your figure and the message will last until your baby comes screaming into the world.

New Pregnancy Checklist: Stop Fuming

It stinks. It kills. It rots your teeth, causes wrinkles and burns a hole in your pocket. And you still can't put it out. But if you won't quit the cancer sticks for yourself, do it for your unborn child. Smoking is linked to a host of problems for the foetus including birth defects, abnormal lung development and stillbirth. Read the March of Dimes foundation's fact sheet for a quick anti-nicotine fix. If that doesn't shake you up, see the pregnancy and smoking section at Why Quit. For direct help in kicking the habit, visit the US Surgeon General's consumer guide.

And don't think that just because you're a non-smoker, you're off the hook. Second-hand smoking can also affect your baby, so try to avoid smoky areas. Persuade those around you - especially your partner or housemate - to stop puffing in your presence. If you're timid of tongue, this slogan t-shirt should get your message across loud and clear.

New Pregnancy Checklist: Get the Bible

There are tonnes of books out there about the waiting game, but the undisputed bible of first-time pregnancy is What to Expect When You’re Expecting. It’s practical and reassuring advice although, like the Good Book, some may find it a little alarmist in places. I bought this along with Pregnancy for Dummies which appealed to me mainly because of the title. Even if you’ve witnessed pregnancy, birth and the whole shebang up close, there’s something about going bump yourself that makes you feel quite clueless. For a wittier, hipper and downright ruder take on going belly up, check out The Girlfriend’s Guide to Pregnancy by Vicky Iovine.

New Pregnancy Checklist: 10 Things to Do

There are many thoughts that may run through your head when you find out you're expecting: At last! Oh no, not again! Why me? I'm so blessed. A whole nine months? Hooray, maternity leave! Here comes the fat chick. Who's the daddy? Perhaps none, maybe all of the above.

But there are loads of things you should do, so many in fact that you're probably feeling drained already. Here's our top 10 Things to do when you find out you're pregnant (and you're planning to keep the baby):

1. Quit smoking. Now. Seriously, there's no better reason.
2. Announce it. To the daddy, to a friend, to a doctor. Somebody else has gotta know!
3. Go buy the book. It's the ultimate guide to What to Expect.
4. Eat healthier. It's not just folic acid and Omega 3 supplements.
5. Go window shopping. Being a hot mama takes planning.
6. Bookmark pregnancy sites. You need advice you can trust.
7. Get active. Your baby, and your body, will thank you for it.
8. Budget. The cost of a child is the cost of a lifetime.
9. Start a photo journal. You'll be amazed by your changing body.
10. Take a break. A pregnant body needs rest and lots of pampering. Indulge!

Comment board: What are your Top 10 tips for mamas-in-progress? What was the first thing you did when you found out you were pregnant?