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Supporting you during pregnancy, birth and early parenthood

Plus... · Potty Training · Sustainable Parenting

Newsletter - Summer 2020

Godalming and Cranleigh

District NCT

In this issue…

Find out how to access NCT online support whilst in lockdown, readers share their experience of life in lockdown, information on the Godalming Community Store, a lovely book series for your little one and loads more...

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Godalming and Cranleigh District NCT Summer 2020

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Welcome from the Coordinator

Welcome to our Summer edition, and what a surreal new world it finds you in. Almost everything about our lives has changed. How we work, how we spend our free time, how we shop and even how we see our loved ones. The NCT is no exception of course. At branch level, we have had to cancel all our face-to-face events, including the much-anticipated Nearly New Sale – put the date for the Autumn one (4

th October) in your diary now! See page 11

for details. However, we have partnered with neighbour-ing branches and started some virtual events: a regular Expectant Mums’ online meet up and two weekday events for those with smaller babies. See the diary on pages 7-9 for details of all. We have provisional dates for our much-loved Bumps and Babies Summer Picnics (see pages 7-9) and truly hope the Government advice by then will allow us go ahead.

Nationally, the NCT as a charity has seen a big dip in its income – as low as 20% of normal levels at one point. And yet, now all courses have moved online, the NCT continues to deliver high-quality teaching on pregnancy, birth and the early days of parenting, thus enabling you to build a support network of parents at the same stage. Initial responses from online participants have been brilliant: “as engaging as if we were there in person”. I cannot recommend an NCT course enough – even if the format has slightly changed. Everyone reading this will be in a different situation and whatever yours is, I hope you have a constant supply of your favourite tipple and plenty of kiddie snacks to hand! Personally, I have been balancing a husband working non-stop in an attic office and two chil-dren running round like mad things. It’s not been easy, but I have enjoyed slow-ing down and spending an extended time at home... and I pray every day for the library and soft plays to reopen.

As a branch we are still urgently looking for an Advertising Coordinator, among other roles (see page 32). If this interests you, please do get in touch at [email protected]. Most roles require just a couple of hours a month

and can be done at any time; and the team are wonderful.

Here’s hoping that by our September issue things look more normal and until then Stay Safe and Stay Sane. And if either of those is in danger, then reach out. People are there and they care deeply. If nothing else, they can send cake.

Nic Pryor, Branch Coordinator

mailto:[email protected]


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In This Issue... Coordinator’s Welcome 5 Dates for your Diary 7 Diary of a Trainee NCT Teacher 13 Teaching Antenatal Classes on Zoom 14 NCT Courses Near You 16 Godalming Town Council’s Community Store 18 Birth Story by Emma Wilks 20 Virtual Coffee Mornings 22 Feeding Story by Mary Walsh 24 Local Mums Talk About Life in Lockdown 26

An Adorable Baby and Toddler Book Series—Woolly Tales 28

An Interview with… Mary McAllen 30 Join Our Team! Available Volunteering Posts 32

Recipes - Using Just 3 Ingredients! 35 Wonderful Welly Walks 36 Going Green During Lockdown 38 And Finally… Kids Say the Funniest Things 41 Committee Members and Volunteers Contact Details 44 Local Support Directory 49

Disclaimer: The information in this newsletter is for the benefit of NCT members and

beneficiaries. It may be used only in connection with NCT activities and may not be used

for any commercial purposes. The views and opinions expressed in this newsletter are

not necessarily those of the NCT. The information contained in this newsletter should not

be reproduced without the editor’s consent in writing.

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Dates For Your Diary - ALL WELCOME!

Date Time Event Contact

ONGOING

Mon 10am-

11.30am

Baby Talk on Zoom

Hosted by NCT Haslemere

and Sarah Bowsher, an ex-

perienced breastfeeding

counsellor.

Please email: [email protected] to receive the Zoom meeting link each Monday morning.

Tues 10.30am-

11.30am

NCT Guildford & Godalm-

ing New Parents Virtual

Coffee Morning

See our Facebook events or email: [email protected] to receive the Zoom meeting link

JUNE

Thurs

4th

8pm -

9pm

Virtual Expectant Mums’

Meet Up

A Zoom meet up for all preg-

nant women who want to

meet and chat. All welcome!

Email: [email protected] to receive the Zoom meeting link.

Tues

30th

8pm -

9pm


Meet Up

Email: [email protected] to receive the Zoom meeting link.

JULY

Tues

7th

10.30am-

12pm

Bumps & Babies Summer

Picnic

Broadwater Park

Farncombe

[email protected]

For bumps, babies, under 5s and their carers. These picnics will take place once guidance allows. For latest info, see our website/Facebook page or

email. Provisional date.

Tues

14th

10.30am-

12pm


Picnic

Broadwater Park

Farncombe

As above

[email protected]

Provisional date.

Tues

21st

10.30am-

12pm


Picnic

Broadwater Park

Farncombe

As above

[email protected]

Provisional date.








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Dates For your Diary - ALL WELCOME! Date Time Event Contact

AUGUST

Tues

4th

10.30am

- 12pm


Picnic

Broadwater Park

Farncombe

As above

[email protected]

Provisional date.

Tues

4th

8pm -

9pm


Meet Up

Email: [email protected] to re-ceive the Zoom meeting link.

Tues

11th

10.30am

- 12pm


Picnic

Broadwater Park

Farncombe

As above

[email protected]

Provisional date.

Tues

18th

10.30am

- 12pm


Picnic

Broadwater Park

Farncombe

As above

[email protected]

Provisional date.

Tues

25th

10.30am

- 12pm


Picnic

Broadwater Park

Farncombe

As above

[email protected]

Provisional date.

Tues

1st

Sept

10.30am

- 12pm


Picnic

Broadwater Park

Farncombe

As above

[email protected]

Provisional date.

Weds

2nd

Sept

8pm -

9pm


Meet Up

Email: [email protected] to re-ceive the Zoom meeting link.

Tues

28th

10.30am-

12pm


Picnic

Broadwater Park

As above

Provisional date.










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Dates for your diary - ALL WELCOME!

Baby Talk Mondays 10:00-11:30am

Baby Talk is an online session supporting local families and their babies. The host and sponsor, Angela Kennedy, and experienced breastfeeding counsellor Sarah Bowsher, would love you and your baby to join them for a chat and to answer your questions. Email Sarah at: [email protected] to receive the Zoom meeting link each Monday morning.

Virtual Coffee Morning Tuesdays 10:30-11:30am

NCT Postnatal Practitioner and NCT Qualified Mother and Baby Yoga Practi-tioner Catherine Wands would love all local new parents to join the conversa-tion with her in this Zoom meeting for sharing tips and asking all those burning questions you have as a new parent. Check our Facebook page or email: [email protected] to receive the Zoom meeting link each Tuesday morning.

Bumps and Babies – Summer Picnics Over the summer holidays, Bumps and Babies normally relocates to an out-side venue for our annual series of ‘Summer Picnics’. This is an opportunity for adults to catch-up while the kids play. We sincerely hope that it will be possible to hold at least some, if not all, of these picnics this year (dates in the event calendar). Please keep an eye on our Facebook page for our latest, up-to-date information. If we can hold the Summer Picnics, we will meet by the picnic benches next to the playground in Broadwater Park in Farncombe. The ad-dress is: Summers Road, Godalming, GU7 3BH. Car parking is available off Nursery Road. Normally, we benefit from the close proximity of the play-ground, public toilets and the café at the leisure centre, but obviously, at time of writing, we are uncertain whether these facilities will be open. Bring your own blanket and picnic, balls/ride alongs etc. Here’s hoping we see you there…

Don’t Forget!

NCT Infant Feeding Helpline

0300 330 0700 (option 1)

8am – midnight 7 days a week

This service continues to run, where a trained breastfeeding counsellor can help and support you with any type of feeding issue or question you may have.


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Your Local NCT Are Here For You!

Supporting Mental Health Awareness Week

Instead of a green ribbon, our NCT Godalming and Cranleigh volunteers donned their green t-shirts to support Mental Health Awareness Week with a message to local parents supporting them at this time. Our team are normally busy organising events, meet-ups, the nappy library and Nearly New Sale. All are paused for the lockdown and we miss bringing local parents together! We hope to be back with you soon. In the meantime, we have been busy organising virtual meet-ups and providing support in other non-contact ways. All our antenatal courses are run-ning online (see page 14 to find out how teaching a class on Zoom is going), plus there is Baby Talk and Virtual Coffee Mornings (see page 9).

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Nicola has two children and is retraining to become an NCT Antenatal Teacher As this goes to press, I will be handing in the final essay of my degree-level course. As long as I pass that one, I will become qualified as an NCT antenatal teacher. I could not be more excited to begin my journey of support-ing expectant families in the local area.

My last assignment was supposed to be a practical session where I facilitated 30 minutes of a class to my peers, who were pretending to be expectant par-ents. My classmates and I had our fake names and costumes all picked out (cushions under flowing tops for the ‘pregnant women’, ties for the ‘birth part-ners’) and the nerves had started to rise.

Then came the spanner in the works – we weren’t allowed to congregate in per-son any more. After some nifty reorganising from our tutors, it was arranged that we would talk through what we would have done in a one-on-one session with an examiner over video chat. Somehow far less scary, although it didn’t feel like such good practice.

In the event, it seems that it may well be good practice for real teaching after all. The NCT have moved all their courses on to video calls for now and this may well continue into the summer and beyond, depending on the Government’s so-cial distancing rules, and particularly for pregnant women. So, my first ever course in September may be delivered via video. I’m a little worried, however my colleagues assure me that it’s not too much harder than in person – I just have to choose the right spot in my house as a suitable backdrop to delivering my classes!

Wish me luck with finishing my course and starting work – if all goes well, this will be the last article I write as a trainee teacher. Thanks for reading along with me.

Diary of a Trainee NCT Teacher - Part 7

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Tessa Masterton is an NCT Antenatal

Teacher. Here, she reports on teaching

her courses via video calls.

It’s 7pm, March 16th 2020. I’ve just

turned up at my venue to teach an ante-

natal session and as I’m getting out of

my car to unload everything, I receive

an email stating that, following govern-

ment advice, I must not teach this even-

ing or moving forward until further no-

tice. I get back into my car, frantically

ensure all the parents know that the

session starting in 30 minutes time is

cancelled and then I drive home. A

strange feeling of worry mixed with dis-

appointment. I was concerned that my parents wouldn’t be able to get all of the

information and support that they needed. I shouldn’t have worried; behind the

scenes, the NCT was preparing to launch Zoom classes.

I had used Zoom before but was apprehensive as to how it would work for my

classes which are normally really interactive and all about generating lasting

friendship groups. My first Zoom class was with the group that had missed the

session that Wednesday. It was so nice to see everyone and the session worked

really well, everyone stayed off mute and the conversation flowed.

The real challenge for me was my first new group. The group before had already

met in person and formed friendships; surely that was going to be really hard to

do via Zoom? I didn’t want to leap straight into facilitation so initially, after intro-

ductions, we just spent some time talking about how we all felt. There was a real

mixture of worry, excitement and apprehension, but in general everyone re-

mained positive and could see benefits of lockdown, such as both parents being

around more after the birth. We talked about how to make Zoom work, to keep

off mute and be as interactive as possible, to ask questions and share thoughts,

feelings and experiences. The first session went well and at the end, I left the

group for 20 minutes online to all chat informally and get to know each other.

This was well received and something I now do regularly after all of the sessions.

Despite my initial apprehension, once the online classes started, my confidence

in the success of these new style NCT sessions delivered via Zoom soared. And

I wasn’t wrong; I’ve taught six different groups since then and everyone has said

how pleased they have been with them.

Teaching NCT Antenatal Classes on Zoom

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Teaching NCT Antenatal Classes on Zoom

There are many benefits to delivering the NCT sessions via Zoom. No rushing to

get to the venue at night in the dark and driving home tired, sitting in the comfort

of your own home, the ability to turn mute on or video off for the practice relaxa-

tions and physical skill exercises, plus your own tea and snacks. It’s also been

lovely to see so many cats and dogs making an appearance as well!

It is certainly strange times at the moment, but it is reassuring to know that the

NCT can still offer the same quality via Zoom as we offer face-to-face, with the

same content and the same ability to form friendships that last for years.

Testimonial:

"The online NCT course has been fantastic and we are so glad we decided to go ahead with it, shortly after the COVID-19 UK Lockdown kicked in. Us-ing a combination of Zoom video conferencing software for the main ses-sions and chats and quizzes via WhatsApp, the sessions were fun and very informative, delivered by our friendly and knowledgeable NCT teacher. One concern that we had about doing the NCT course online, was would we still be able to easily get to know the other couples on the course. We shouldn't have worried. The frequent sessions and informal chats and discussions over Zoom and WhatsApp allowed us all to engage with each other and connect. We now have a group of friends who we can chat with and share ideas / experiences with, before and after our babies arrive. The fact that we are all in the 'same boat' during these rather unsettling times of COVID-19, makes this course and the friends we have made even more beneficial." Matt & Holly

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NCT Courses Near You NCT COURSES. SUPPORT YOU CAN TRUST. FRIENDS FOR LIFE.

Our NCT SIGNATURE ANTENATAL COURSES prepare you for birth and your new life as a parent while meeting other mums and dads to be in your area. We would usually run these courses in Godalming and Cranleigh, however, due to current circumstances, they are currently being run as live, online courses via Zoom.

You can search for a course that suits your due date on our website using the following link - https://www.nct.org.uk/courses-and-workshops/antenatal

WATERBIRTH WORKSHOPS

Are you or anyone you know thinking of using water in birth? There are so many

benefits and we have a brilliant 2-hour waterbirth workshops taking place in

Guildford on Friday 11th

September. Why not book a place and find out all

you need to know?

NCT INTRODUCTION TO SOLID FOOD WORKSHOP

Are you thinking of weaning your baby soon? The NCT run really fantastic work-

shops which will help you to decide when to start introducing solid food and what

approach you wish to take, be it spoon-feeding or baby-led weaning or maybe a

bit of both. The 2-hour workshops are suitable for parents of both breastfed and

bottle-fed babies between the ages of 3-6 months. It doesn't matter if you have

already started giving your baby solids when you come to the workshop.

Our next workshop will be held online on Monday 27th

July at 10.00am.

BABY MASSAGE COURSES

Baby massage can help you relax, soothe and connect with your baby. Learn

and practise baby massage skills during one of our five-week courses. It’s also

great to get out and socialise with other new parents and carers.

We hope that these courses will resume in September.

https://www.nct.org.uk/courses-and-workshops/antenatal

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NCT Courses Near You

EARLY DAYS POSTNATAL COURSES

If you have recently had a baby, why not think about joining one of our Early

Days Postnatal courses? You’ll get to meet other mums with babies of a similar

age, make friends, develop new ideas, gain support and encouragement and

have a hot drink! Discussion topics include sleeping, baby play and develop-

ment, relationship changes after having your baby, returning to work (or not),

helping you to make informed decisions in a friendly and welcoming environ-

ment.

Courses run in Farncombe over a five-week period with a new course starting

quarterly. Each session lasts for 2 hours.

Our next courses start:

Monday 21st

September at 10:30am at Broadwater Park Community Centre

– for babies born between May and August.

Private workshops: If you have other friends or mums in your antenatal group who are interested, we can organise a private session for you. We would need at least five people to arrange this and one person prepared to host the ses-sion. Just get in touch – [email protected]

Spaces are limited on all of our courses and booking is essential. To reserve a

place, please complete the enquiry form online or email [email protected].

Discounted places are often available – please ask for further details.


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Godalming Town Council and the Farncombe & Go-dalming Coronavirus Community Assistance Group have collaborated with the St Marks’ Food Bank to pro-vide additional support to our community by opening a free Community Store, located at the Wilfrid Noyce Centre, for those who find themselves in need of some assistance during these difficult times. The Community Store opened on 20 April 2020 and provided over 650 days’ worth of food to the community in its first 7 days.

Residents may have found themselves in un-imaginably difficult circumstances: becoming furloughed, unemployed or waiting for Univer-sal Credit. People in the community may never have thought they would need to use a food bank or similar and for some this will be difficult to come to terms with. The Godalming & Villag-es Community Store has a variety of food, toi-letries and household products available free of charge to support people living in Godalming and the surrounding villages.

The Community Fridge is donating fresh produce daily, COOK Godalming are supporting the Community Store with frozen meals and the Acorn Restaurant is turning donated food items into ‘ready meals’ and desserts. Donation points have been set up around the town where, goods can be donated on Tuesday mornings between 9.00am and 11.00am. The donation points are located at:

Binscombe Church

St John’s Church

Busbridge Church

Milford Village Hall

Tesco Express Milford

Godalming College

The Borough Hall

Donations can also be made directly to the Community Store during its opening hours (Monday-Friday 10.30am-12.30pm). In need items are all in-date, uno-pened, tinned and packaged food items, sanitary products and domestic clean-ing products. These are very much appreciated.

Council’s Collaborative Community Store Opens

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Please visit the Town Council’s website for details of other much needed and welcomed items and the Council is indebted to all those who have already do-nated.

In order to manage social distancing, it is requested that appointments are made to come and pick up from the store; the store is not open to walk-ins. When the Council is contacted, residents are given a timeslot to visit the store. This is for the benefit of both visitors and the volunteers working at the Community Store. Social distancing rules are being observed (one-in-one-out). Only one adult family member is al-lowed into the store and store staff are on hand to pro-vide assistance.

A recent visitor to the store said, “Can I just say how much spirits were lifted to-day in our house after I brought back my food and household items. The kids were excited to see some treats in there too, so a huge thanks from us here. You guys are cheering people up during this time.” The Mayor of Godalming, Councillor Penny Rivers said, “In times of crisis, the community has come to-gether to help each other out! We are here for you, so please don’t go without.”

The Store is open Monday-Friday from 10.30am–12.30pm (excluding Bank Holi-days). You do not need to have been referred to access the store. To make an appointment to visit the store, please call the Town Council’s Community Store Helpline on 01483 523575 (Monday-Friday 9.00am-5.00pm) or email

[email protected]

If a resident is isolating or shielding, this should be mentioned at the time of calling. If residents are unable to pick up from the store, please call St Mark’s Food Bank on 01483 418741 Mon-Wed 10am-1pm.

For more information on the store please visit the Town Council’s webpage:

www.godalming-tc.gov.uk/community-store/

Council’s Collaborative Community Store Opens

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Birth Story by Emma Wilks

Emma Wilks had her second child, Freya, 2 months ago. Here she tells her story about giving birth during a pandemic.

Having a baby in lockdown, in the mid-dle of a global pandemic, wasn't quite what I had in mind for my second preg-nancy. Leaving my busy job in London to start my maternity leave, I was look-ing forward to two weeks of relaxing. Then the Government announced lockdown and suddenly there was no more pre-school for George (my 3-yo), no chance of seeing friends and family nor any pre-baby pub lunches!

I was booked in for an elective c-section and I’d managed to see my midwife face-to-face in the weeks run-ning up to the birth. But a week before my section, lockdown had started to impact the NHS interactions. Usually, the day before your section you would go to the hospital for a pre-op meeting with the midwife, but this was now an over-the-phone meeting with drive-through tests at hospital. It was a strange experience having your blood taken via a car window!

The next day was “C-Day”. I woke up pretty calm but nervous. I'd had an emergency c-section with George which had ended in general anaesthet-ic, so this was constantly in the back of my mind - having not been awake for George to be born, I really didn't want that to happen again.

We arrived at the Royal Surrey and once inside the delivery suite, it was such a smooth process. The midwife who met us was fantastic; we were first in line and everything was very calm. Although Coronavirus was very much on all of our minds, it was put to one side and everyone concentrat-ed on what was happening that day - a baby being born. There was, of course, even more handwashing and hand sanitizing than usual but that was to be expected.

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On time, we were rolled into theatre - everyone was super friendly and professional, so I felt fully looked after and safe. The anaesthetic took hold quickly and the team talked me through everything they were doing. Thirty minutes later and out Freya came, chubby-cheeked and thoroughly indignant at being pulled from her nice cosy home! She was perfect and within moments she was placed on me for skin-to-skin. My husband was with me the whole time and was, as he always is, my absolute rock.

Once we were on Shere Ward, it was also very much business as usual – the staff made sure of that. My husband left by late evening as there were no overnight stays for partners or visits from friends or family thanks to COVID-19. Despite the great care, we still had all our fingers crossed that there would be no complications so we didn’t need more time than necessary in hospital. I am sure this is what everyone hopes, but the vi-rus had heightened this feeling. Thankfully, all went smoothly and we were told we would be discharged the next day - if you didn't need to be in the hospital, they discharged you pretty promptly.

We arrived home and George was so delighted to meet his little sister. My mum had to break the lockdown rules to provide us with some child-care but left the next day and since then we've, obviously, had no visitors. Freya hasn't met her extended family or our friends. As I write this, she is 6 weeks old and there is little sign that lockdown will let up soon. They say it takes a village to raise a baby and I seriously miss our village. So whilst post-birth life is a challenging balancing act on limited sleep, it won't be forever, and we will come out the other side. As for Freya, she will always be able to say she was a lockdown baby!

Birth Story by Emma Wilks

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Virtual Coffee Morning for New Parents

My creation of a virtual coffee morning for parents of babies In Godalming,

Cranleigh, Guildford and beyond!

Currently, every Tuesday morning, I can be found opening up a Zoom meeting

and wondering who will join me today. I’ve been running a “virtual” coffee morn-

ing for parents of new babies since the beginning of lockdown and I hope it’s

provided some positivity and support at a tough time for anyone coping with life

when you have a new baby in the family. The coffee might be “virtual” (unless

you bring your own), but the chat and companionship is very real.

As coronavirus lockdown finally hit us and the NCT suspended classes and

courses with immediate effect, I was part way through 4 different sets of Mother

and Baby Yoga classes between Guildford, Farnham and Liss in Hampshire. By

the end of the week, my family had stopped school and we had whisked my eld-

est daughter back down from university in Scotland. Life had changed entirely!

My immediate reaction was a feeling of helplessness when I realised that all the

mothers and babies in my classes would not be able to get out and about and

meet up with each other anymore. I also realised there must be a whole new set

of mothers and babies starting out in life together, who would have no chance to

meet up with other new mums to have those all-important chats. You know, the

ones where you realise that life is equally chaotic and verging on the edge of out

-of-control now you’re negotiating coexistence with a small, demanding and to-

tally dependent new member of the household. These meet-ups with other moth-

ers with babies was what kept me sane and gave my life some direction when I

was an uncertain and rather nervous new mum.

I’ve spent the last 10 years trying to provide a similar support network for new

parents by running classes and courses for mothers with new babies. At the

centre of my work has been the aim of bringing mothers together to share expe-

riences with others at the

same life stage, helping them

to normalise their new way of

life. When they see that eve-

ryone has the same sorts of

questions and worries, it reas-

sures them that they might be

getting some of it right after

all!

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Virtual Coffee Morning for New Parents

The virtual coffee morning started off with me reaching out to mothers in Guild-

ford (where I live) and then Nic and her colleagues from the NCT Godalming

and Cranleigh branch reached out to me, so we joined up and started advertis-

ing through their local branch Facebook page too.

Mothers who have joined me on Tuesday mornings have told me how relieved

they felt to be able to connect with other mums, exchange experiences and

share tips and ideas on life in lockdown with a baby. With no baby groups run-

ning, no visits from health visitors and no weighing clinics to go to, feelings of

isolation have been a common theme through our discussions; as is how an

immunisations appointment at the surgery is now a major social highlight! I’m

just really happy to be able to provide a space where parents with babies can

still meet up together and provide some mutual support. And there’s a

WhatsApp group too! This was naturally conceived as an ‘add-on’ to the coffee

mornings, so mums can keep in touch throughout the week and not only on

Tuesdays. If you are a new parent with a baby less than 6 months old, then do

join us as this is the perfect meet-up for you.

I have also moved my Mother and Baby Yoga classes online, so I can continue teaching them during the lockdown. I’m currently charging a much-reduced fee (just £4 for a drop-in or £12 for a 4-class pass) and am keen to enrol some new recruits! If you would like to find out more about these classes, go to https://bookwhen.com/catherinewandsyoga or email me at: [email protected] My Virtual Coffee Mornings take place every Tuesday at 10:30am and last about an hour. You can find out more details on the Godalming and Cranleigh District NCT Facebook page and the Guildford NCT Facebook page too. You will need a Zoom meeting code to access the meet-up and to obtain one, you just need to email: [email protected] or you can email me directly at: [email protected]. I really hope to see you there!

Catherine Wands is an NCT Postnatal Practitioner (Early Days Postnatal Courses) and NCT Qualified Mother and Baby Yoga Practitioner

https://bookwhen.com/catherinewandsyoga





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Feeding Story by Mary Walsh

Godalming mum Mary Walsh tells us about her experience with extended

breastfeeding.

I began my breastfeeding journey with all the enthusiasm in the world; I was definitely going to do this. It was my choice to breastfeed! But when it started, I had no idea how hard it would be, initially at least. The pain was just toe-curling and then bleeding! Cracks! What the hell? I just couldn’t under-stand what I was doing wrong. I had decided I was going to do this, so why wasn’t it easy? I went to a few breastfeeding counselling groups, where the midwives were kind and encouraging, but all I wanted to do was cry and say PLEASE can you look DIRECTLY at what I’m doing and tell me what’s wrong? When we got home after the birth, I started trying to pump a bit. I was told that it would give my nipples a rest from the suckling. I was loaned a pump from a friend before the birth and presumed ‘this is just what you do’. But I think in hindsight, there were a couple of things that pumping didn’t help with (and this is just my experience - I have friends who loved them and pumped exclusively for months). When I pumped, I became totally focussed on what was coming out. It was fascinating to actually see milk coming out, but then I started to fo-cus on how much was coming out…in exact millilitres…and I started to worry about how little there was. Then, I would try and feed this tiny amount to Ted-die through a bottle, which no matter how well designed, isn’t a nipple. Occa-sionally, my partner would do this to give me a break (which I most definitely needed), but often painful wind followed due to Teddie’s bottle-feeding posi-tion, the extra air consumed and the fast flow of the teat. It all became a bit of a disaster!

But when I look back now, I realise that there was nothing wrong in the first place. Breastfeeding in the beginning can just be bloody hard and (at times) painful, and no one ever told me that! The relief when, after a few weeks, things started getting easier was most welcome and the joy when I realised I didn’t actually need to pump to lessen the pain of feeding was fantastic. Feed-ing soon felt easier at the boob than through a bottle so I just pumped less and less. Then I didn’t need to sterilise bottles anymore and I had less to carry around with me; my boobs were with me wherever I went and my milk was always the perfect temperature!

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Feeding Story by Mary Walsh

The only other pains I ever felt was the dreaded MASTITIS! I found I was more prone to getting it whenever there was a change in demand from Teddie. If she started napping longer or went through a growth spurt and particularly when she started sleeping through the night, my supply would go a bit haywire and would need time to adjust. I found the best way to navigate these changes was to feed, feed, feed. I learned to hand express as well, to alleviate my breasts when they felt full and uncomfortable and I also learned to look out for a little thing called a ‘bleb’ or milk blister as these can lead to blocked ducts which in turn can lead to mastitis. Soon the months rolled by and then the years. Having often chatted about when I’d stop, apparently, I said “2 years is my absolute hard limit - I can’t go beyond that...” But then 2 years came and went. Bedtimes were infused with “boobie” and sleep quickly followed, so I didn’t want to stop that quick natural response and I always found it such a lovely time for connection and a beautiful way to end the day. So my “2 year limit” turned into me thinking i’d be happy to feed her as long as she wants, if we can just limit feeds to one upon wake up in the morn-ing and at bedtime to help her sleep. And so, we worked at dropping nap feeds and day time feeds or generally just on-demand feeds! Distraction was my friend during these times; a favourite snack or game or whatever was her thing at the time and soon we wound down to bedtime feeds only. We got to 3 years and started talking about getting Teddie a new loft bed, which she was very excited about, but that it was high and Mummy couldn’t get into it for boobie. So we fed on the floor for a bit before she got into bed, which was good because it meant she wasn’t feeding as she fell asleep (and therefore not waking up thinking where the hell is that boob that was just in my mouth?!) And finally, at 3 years 10 months we stopped. WAY longer than I had expected. WAY longer than most of my relatives thought was appropriate. But luckily, I never faced any negativity towards our extended breastfeeding journey and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. Next time though, I can be a little more relaxed that I’m not doing it wrong. I have enough milk. I am enough for my ba-by. I am everything she needs :-)

Follow us on Twitter! Calling all Tweeters… we would love you to follow

@GodalmingNCT for updates on events and what’s hap-

pening in the local area. And please use our handle when-

ever you tweet about our events to help spread the word.

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Life in Lockdown

My partner and I are key workers so we have

to work and have had to send our daughter

(2.5) to a different nursery. We have potty

trained her as well as transitioning her to a

temporary nursery. She is very aware that we

can’t see family and friends or even visit her

poorly Granny. She has surprised me in

many ways. I have enjoyed the extra time

with my family but hating the fact I can’t pop

round and see my poorly mum. Facetime

isn’t the same as a face-to-face conversation.

Becca, Mum of 1, Godalming

The first 3 weeks of lockdown were a revela-

tion. My overwhelmed nervous system finally

calmed down. I could get off the hamster

wheel and be present with my children for the

first time in about a year. We did not miss soft

play, shopping, restaurants or parties. But as

time passes, the problem of working, parent-

ing and teaching young children presents a

new set of challenges. This is a particularly

gendered problem and something I’ve strug-

gled with more acutely than my husband. I’m

the juggler in the family; I’m the one keeping

most of the balls in the air. Normally, my con-

nections with other mothers would provide a

space for regeneration and often these con-

nections take place in person, away from the

confusing hum of social media and numerous,

overwhelming messages. Face-to-face con-

nection, where immediacy and closeness

provide the antidote to our daily struggles is

something we all need to stay emotionally

healthy and the only real thing myself and my

family have truly missed during this experi-

ence.

Hayley, Mum of 2, Farncombe

Lockdown has been a time of monumental

highs and epic lows for my family. The first

4 weeks went by like a dream. We had

tons of fun and enjoyed our time together.

Plenty of messy play, trips to the woods

and long bike rides. My eldest daughter (6)

was delighted with the lack of uniform and

laissez-faire attitude to home learning. My

youngest daughter (3) loved having her

best friend at home 24/7 and the two of

them got on exceptionally well. Then week

5 hit and it hit us hard! We all went a bit

mad and didn’t want to do it anymore. This

has been the pattern of lockdown for us.

Now heading into week 9, I feel we have

learnt a lot as a family and how self-

contained we are as a unit. Lockdown has

been more difficult for us adults than for

the kids. I’ve learnt how resilient and

adaptable they are as little people. I think

the battle for us now will be getting them

back into nursery and school when that

time comes. I’m quite daunted about life

going ‘back to normal’ in a lot of ways.

Yueli, Mum of 2, Farncombe

Myself and my partner feel relatively lucky; I’m on maternity leave and he has been furloughed, so we are both looking after the kids without work pressures. However, we are still absolutely exhausted! The ba-by wakes us twice a night and most morn-ings at 5:15am, but it’s been lovely for my partner to spend extra time with him that he wouldn’t normally have had. Our 3-yo does not play independently and requires our input all day long, but every week we have seen his speech improve and his imagination grow and it’s a delight to see. Alyte, Mum of 2, Farncombe

How has your experience of Lockdown been? Local mums share their thoughts and feelings…

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During lockdown, I have enjoyed home nurse-

ry with Poppy (4). I haven’t spent much time

on structured learning, but she absolutely

loves writing numbers and letters so we do

that when her sister is napping. I’ve loved

watching my two girls build a bond with each

other. Aside from the usual disagreements,

there have been some real tender moments

between them and hysterical laughter. The

negatives, rainy days are the most challenging

as time seems to drag more. I really miss play

dates and it is obvious Poppy does too. Video

chats were exciting at first, but the interest

quickly waned.

Sally, Mum of 2, Guildford

The longer lockdown has gone on, my 3-yo’s awareness has grown and it’s heart-breaking

seeing him get upset cos he can’t visit his friends and family. I want to fix things and I can’t.

My husband and I are struggling most with not having any plans and nothing to look forward

to. Every day is Groundhog Day. We’re both shattered by 7pm and turn into mumbling zom-

bies. However, the community spirit on our road has been incredible and I really hope it con-

tinues once we’re through all this. Mary, Mum of 2, Godalming

I am somewhat ashamed to say I am en-joying this time in lockdown. I have my fam-ily around me when normally we would all be off in different directions. I have also found this whole experience to be very grounding. I feel it has made us more con-scious of how fortunate we are, how im-portant nature is and how important being a good citizen is. We are content in our world and are trying every day to remember how lucky we are at this time. My children are aware of why we need to protect other peo-ple, but are quite sheltered from the media and so seem to be coping quite well. They are enjoying each other’s company and time with both parents, something which would normally be reserved for holidays. I hope we keep hold of this sense of grati-tude and staying connected when all this ends. Jennie, Mum of 3, Godalming.

The past 8 weeks have been cra-

zy! Juggling a young child and working and

volunteering and keeping the house (semi)

clean has been challenging and overwhelm-

ing. Every night, my husband and I have

collapsed into bed wondering if we have hit

middle age early. I honestly thought we

would throw the radio out of the window

when we heard suggestions of new hobbies

to try now we had so much time on our

hands apparently. As if! But there have

been some real highs and a lot to be grate-

ful for. Who knew afternoon tea at 8pm

could be quite so fun with the best NCT

gang in the world? Or that virtual dinners

with grandparents could actually work? The

community spirit and special moments with

my family have made me feel centred

somehow. Emma, Mum of 1, Guildford

As lockdown enters another week, it is sad

to see my 3-yo accustomed to the situation

as his new normal. He often states matter-of

-factly that, ‘everything is shut’ and outward-

ly seems like the situation is not bothering

him. Yet every so often at night, when I am

giving him a good night cuddle, he asks

after his nursery and his friends and states

he wants to see his grandparents in their

house. It is at these times I realise I have

underestimated the impact this situation has

had on him. However, we are spending

more time together as a family which is a

silver lining. It has made me consider our

ordinary work/life balance and realise that

we need to adjust this to prioritise family

when all this is over.

Sarah, Mum of 1, Aldershot

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Championing local businesses! Woolly Tales is a series of lovely little pic-ture books designed for babies and tod-dlers. Each book is a short simple story with a woolly main character and bright, fun imagery and quirky stories. As an added bonus, at the back of each book is the knitting pattern and instructions to make the character in the story. The idea being that the adults knit the characters for the child who can then play along as they are being read the story. All Woolly Tales picture books are written and created entirely by husband and wife team Andy and Nicola from their home in Godalming. Andy is a self-employed graphic designer, illustrator and photographer. He designs the charac-ters, sets and books. He also takes the photos for the stories. Nicola is a lawyer for a charity. She knits the characters and writes the knitting patterns. She also makes the sets, props and creatures for the stories. It is very much a collabora-tive effort which sees Andy and Nicola working extremely closely when creating the books (the room they use to do the photos is quite small and cramped after all!). The inspiration for Woolly Tales came to the couple when they were living in London and thinking about starting a family. Nicola loved to knit small animals for their friends’ children and Andy loves to design silly characters. Initially, Woolly Tales was going to be a knitting pattern book for their creations. After moving to Godalming and having their first child, they decided to write some silly stories to go along with the woolly creatures to read to their son and Woolly Ta-les was born!

Woolly Tales - A Delightful Book Series

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Andy initially storyboarded each book, which they then read to their son for his final approval before taking the photos for the finished books. The stories were all then shot and designed during their son’s nap time and in the evenings after bedtime; then thoroughly tested by him in the daytime! Andy and Nicola found that by reading the books with their son, they could ensure that the pictures had plenty to capture any toddler’s attention! They are full of felt flowers, real peb-bles, cardboard trees and knitted characters. Each story has a fun noisy ending which is perfect to encourage little ones to laugh along! Their son still enjoys reading them at nearly 3 years old; his current favourite being Sprackle the Mole. Nicola and Andy hope that his baby sister (born during lockdown) will also enjoy them in due course. There are currently 10 books in the series including Woolly the Warthog, who loves get muddy! Myrtle the Pig, who can’t stop falling off things! Pauncefoot the Rabbit, who loves to play hide and seek and Furwig the Sheep, who is always off on exciting adventures! The knitting patterns in the books are easy to follow and are aimed at fairly nov-ice knitters. The best thing about knitting toys is that a) they don’t take too long, b) you don’t need much yarn nor to think about gauge and c) if your Woolly Ta-les character ends up either being overly large or teeny tiny, it really doesn’t matter - unlike knitting a jumper! Woolly Tales books are sold on Etsy and are stocked in a few independent knit-ting shops. The books are priced at £4.99 each and include free UK delivery. You can find more information on their website https://woolly-tales.com/

Woolly Tales - A Delightful Book Series

https://woolly-tales.com/

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An interview with: Mary McAllen

.

Mary McAllen, our Newsletter Editor shares what she has learned and gained from parenthood. What has NCT done for you?

It gave me a fantastic group of friends. We did our NCT antenatal course in Guildford whilst still living in Wimbledon, and every week for a year (before we finally moved to the area!), I would hop on the train with my new baby and come down to meet my NCT friends. We are still a tight group today, meeting once or twice a month. Last week, we held a virtual baby shower together to celebrate the latest addition due to join our gang any day now. When we moved to Go-dalming, Bumps and Babies was the first toddler group I attended and I met so many wonderful mums through that.

What drew you to volunteering for NCT?

I cannot deny that the NCT has played a crucial role in helping me settle into motherhood and into the Godalming community, so when Nic approached me and told me about the Editor’s role, it was an easy decision to accept so I could help the organization that gave me so much.

What roles do you perform within the branch?

I am the Editor of the newsletter magazine you are reading now! It’s been great getting my teeth stuck into something new. I’m constantly thinking about what might be an interesting topic to cover in the next issue.

Why should someone volunteer for NCT Godalming & Cranleigh?

Like all charities, the NCT can only exist when there is a group of invested vol-unteers developing it and continuing its good work. It would be a real tragedy if they had to stop operations in Godalming because there weren’t enough people to keep it going.

Is there anything that has surprised you about parenthood?

How mucky it is. Whilst pregnant with Thomas and pondering motherhood, I had totally accepted in my mind that babies/toddlers were mucky, however it never occurred to me how much of that muck would transfer onto me – on my clothes, on my skin, in my hair! The power of nursery rhymes; many a car jour-ney has been saved from being totally hellish by a family sing song. How quick the baby stage is and suddenly you have a toddler accomplishing new skills and become this incredible human being. I spend a lot of my time marveling!

This newsletter is circulated to local GP surgeries, cafes, groups and health visitors, but all NCT members receive a complimentary copy in the post each quarter. If you are a mem-ber and are not receiving it please check whether you have opted out of NCT mailings—seems a shame to miss out on getting it sent directly to you. NCT Membership also offers a number of benefits (see previous page for more details) and many of our sponsors—such as Big Yellow Storage—offer discounts for NCT members. Please consider joining

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An interview with: Mary McAllen

What’s been hard to get used to since having kids?

Having so little time to myself and quality time with my husband. Parenthood is all consuming and it grows as your kids grow. I think, at the beginning, my hus-band and I still clung onto the fringes of our old life. Thomas was young enough that we could still go to pubs/restaurants and even the cinema and just take him with us. That changed as Thomas grew and now with his brother Leo making up our family, life is all about, well, family. Sometimes I mourn that I can’t have a lie-in anymore, spend hangover days horizontal on the sofa or do anything spontaneous, but without a shadow of a doubt, I wouldn’t change anything about my life and the thought of not having these two little humans in it is unthinkable.

How has being a parent changed your life?

I don’t think I would ever have discovered the won-derful, loving, hilarious delight that is Hey Duggee if I hadn’t become a parent! It’s the crown jewel of the BBC.

What is your favourite thing to do in the area?

Before lockdown, with the kids, it was hanging in the park as there’s so much to do there. We’ve really missed it. Since lockdown, I have got on my bike for my daily exercise (and me time!) and I am loving exploring the area, especially around Munstead.

Update your membership details online now!

You can use our new online registration system to check and update your membership details, such as your address or other contact details. This system

is part of our self-service portal, which helps us better interact with you and support you more effectively. Please visit the following for more information:

http://babble.nct.org.uk/~forms/2ndpart/Volunteer_Registration/

A few good reasons to join the NCT…

• Meet new friends through your local NCT branch

• Regular newsletters from your local NCT branch

• Early entry to NCT Nearly New Sales

• Partners join for no extra cost

• Receive a monthly e-newsletters NCT Matters

• NCT Members Club

• Becoming a member is a way of saying YES to supporting parents

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Follow us on Facebook!

Visit www.facebook.com/godalmingnct or scan the QR

code to ‘like’ our Facebook page and you will receive

We are always on the look out for new volunteers. By volunteering, you will be part of a close-knit team and helping to change the lives of pregnant women and new parents alike. Here are some of the ways you could help:

Advertising Coordinator – Approx 2 hours a month

We are looking for an organised individual to lead on the advertising co-ordination

for our quarterly newsletter and events e.g. bi-annual Nearly New Sale. It's a real-

ly fun and varied role with flexible time commitment.

• To manage advertising email account

• Confirm the adverts for the newsletter each quarter with the advertisers

• Check for updates artwork

• Send a list of advertisers and artwork to the newsletter editor for each issue

• Newsletter proofing for adverts only

• Send address list of advertisers to Newsletter Editor for distribution

• Liaise with treasurer for advert invoicing

This role can expand if you are interested in exploring opportunities around adver-

tising packages, sponsorship opportunities, proactively contacting new advertisers

etc, or it can be more of an administrative role.

Interested? Any questions? Contact Nic: [email protected].

Donations Coordinator – Nearly New Sales – Approx 3-4 hours twice a year

Join our growing Nearly New Sale (NNS) in a new role to liaise with people who

want to donate items for the sale rather than sell, with 100% profit going to the

NCT charity. This involves liaising with donors on what can and cannot be sold,

the logistics of dropping items off and post-sale thank yous.

Interested? Any questions? Email Charlotte: [email protected]

Join Our Team!



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Bumps and Babies Volunteers – Approx 1-3 hours once a month

We’re always on the look out for volunteers to help at our weekly Bumps and

Babies playgroup. We ask volunteers to commit to one shift a month, and this

can be just set up or pack away if that fits with your routine better.

Tasks include:

- Setting out the toys and setting up the room

- Taking orders for teas/coffees and making them

- Packing up the room and putting the toys back in the cupboard

You will never be working alone – there are always at least two volunteers

scheduled. And all of us have our children with us while volunteering.


Newsletter Distributor – Approx 2 hours four times a year

We publish four newsletters a year, reaching hundreds of families around Go-

dalming and Cranleigh. We’re looking for someone to help get newsletters to key

locations (nurseries, surgeries, community centres etc). The committee can be

used to assist with distribution, so this is partly a coordination role.

Key tasks include: taking delivery of newsletters, working with our volunteer com-

mittee to drop off at locations around Godalming and Cranleigh (we have a list).


Coffee Morning Host – Maximum 2 hours per month

Would you like to host our popular coffee mornings? Help new parents get out of

the house and enjoy coffee, cake and chat. The commitment is 1.5 hours once a

month on a weekday morning of your choice, plus around half an hour every 3

months planning for the next quarter. Venue is flexible, as long as it is not too far

from Godalming centre and buggy friendly – we have suggestions of previous

venues.

This is a low commitment role which might suit someone who wants to support

the local community, but perhaps can’t spare a huge amount of time.

Interested? Any questions? Contact [email protected].

Join Our Team!




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Thanks to lockdown, parents are more exhausted than ever with mealtimes being just one of the many things that need to happen daily. Here are 2 recipes using just 3 ingredients each—Simple!

Recipes - 3-Ingredients Only!

Teriyaki Chicken Serves 4 Ingredients:

900g chicken thighs, sliced into chunks

240ml soy sauce

110g brown sugar Method: 1. Sear the chicken thighs evenly on both sides in a pan 2. Add the soy sauce and brown sugar, stirring and bringing to a boil 3. Stir until the sauce has reduced and evenly glazes the chicken 4. Serve with rice, if desired!

Chocolate Hazelnut Mug Cakes Serves 4 Ingredients:

600g chocolate hazelnut spread

4 large eggs

60g self-raising flour Method: 1. In a mixing bowl, whisk together 450g chocolate spread and the eggs 2. Fold in the flour and evenly distribute into 4 mugs 3. Microwave each mug for 2 minutes, then leave to cool for 5 minutes 4. Use the remaining chocolate spread as icing and serve warm

Both recipes came from www.tasty.co

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Welcome to Wonderful Welly Walks!

At the time of writing, we have just been given news that we will be allowed to meet one other person outside of our household for a socially-distanced walk. Not much help to most of us parents who are desperate for some socialisation!

Anyway, I hope this newsletter finds you all well and you have managed to get out and enjoy the colours, sounds and smells of spring. It has been a tough two months for me, not being able to arrange beautiful walks with you to see bluebells, spot new buds on trees and count duck-lings together. I was devastated when all planned walks

were cancelled; we had such an exciting list of places organised for you. Reality hit home mid-March and it felt like a very dark time for a while, even with the sun shining after months of rain. I feel so lucky to have a garden we can enjoy and have created a mud kitchen for my daughter that she loves. We are also incredi-bly lucky to live in Godalming with so many great walks on our doorstep; keeping that all-important social distance. To be in nature helps so much at a time when you feel no control over what is going on all around. Thank goodness we have had some lovely weather!

If you have any outdoor space at home, or when you go on a walk, why not create your own treasure hunt? You can find something hard, something soft, something smooth and something rough. Or maybe find as many dif-ferent colours as you can; take photos to look at later.

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Follow us on Twitter!

Calling all Tweeters… we would love you to follow

@GodalmingNCT for updates on events and what’s happening in

the local area. And please use our handle whenever you tweet

about our events to help spread the word.

Welcome to Wonderful Welly Walks!

You could also try your own piece of nature art, collecting sticks to make a frame and a collection of treasures to make your scene. If you have space to place this in the garden then let it develop over time, seeing leaves change colour and replacing things that are blown away. Or if you are making it on your walk, then take a picture to print and keep. If you have some chalk with you, sign your name so others walkers can admire your cre-ation! We also love to make magic potions

with things we find, which can be made at home or out walking if you can take an empty jar to collect the ingredients in!

At this stage, no welly walks are planned for June or July at all. However, as soon as we are allowed, they will be appearing on our Facebook page. We are so keen to get out and see you all, but keeping you safe and healthy is our top priority. Asking a toddler to keep a social distance is not an easy task – let alone finding an emergency toilet! I expect our first walks will be by the river or around Broadwater Lake, as we will be avoiding car travel for a while unless essential.

Do keep an eye on our Face-book page and website as they will be updated the quickest when there is news to share.

I do hope to see you all soon for a walk in the sun, but until then, keep in touch with nature, it real-ly is beautiful out there.

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Confession time: my green credentials have been adversely affected by this pan-demic and I write from a partially hypocritical position. With apologies for ignoring the obviously awful impact of this crisis on many things, I’ve compiled a list of things which, environmentally speaking, have been worse and things which have been better:

L is for Loser

• Increase in disposable items: gloves, masks, sanitiser, wipes

• Reluctance to take own containers to shops or buy loose produce

• Increased laundry and washing

• Less choice in shops can lead to being forced to buy more plastic

• Packaging waste from online shopping – this is a big one for me

• Closure of public recycling centres; recyclable refuse landfilled or fly tipped

• Increased use of streaming and data – researchers have found that stream-ing a two-hour high-definition film equates to boiling over 10 kettles of water

• Buying more packaged snacks and new toys for the kids to keep them happy

• Libraries and other sharing economy entities (eg freecycle) forced to close. Reluctance to shop second-hand

• Possible shift away from public transport due to virus spreading fears

• Distraction of the pandemic allows politicians to push through unpopular envi-ronmental policies under the radar

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

• All transport use has plunged dramatically – almost no planes, far less driving. I’ve used less than a quarter of a tank of petrol in 2 months, which makes me really happy

• Reduced air pollution and emissions is great news for public health. Europe’s Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air estimates that the coronavirus lock-down has “already resulted in 11,000 fewer air-pollution-related deaths, 6,000 fewer cases of child asthma, 600 fewer preterm births, 1,900 fewer asthma-related emergency room visits and 1.3 million fewer days of work absence.”

Going Green During Lockdown

39


• Plunging demand for oil and plummeting prices make the global oil and gas industry look even less attractive as a safe financial bet

• More opportunities for wildlife – who hasn’t noticed the increase in bird song everywhere? Especially at 5am!

• An increase in people getting out and about enjoying nature

• Increased public awareness of food supply chain fragility, leading to...

• An increase of interest in ‘grow your own’ and backdoor gardens

• The lockdown has seen greater bonds and connections grow within commu-nities

• Greater interest in cloth nappies, particularly in the early days when nappies started disappearing from the shelves

• Rise of video conferencing; bodes well for reduced business travel in the future

• More appreciation of local shops like greengrocers, butchers and bakers

Globally, we could be heading for a 5% drop in carbon emissions, according to some sources. However, unbelievably, this is still less than what scientists say is needed every year this decade to avoid disastrous climate impacts for much of the world. As ever, the message is to take steps (or giant leaps, if you can) to consume less. Now is no time to be complacent. Let’s take these newfound les-sons and build on them to emerge from this difficult time to a new and better world.

Going Green During Lockdown

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41


And Finally...

Our adorable toddlers really do say the funniest things:

Mispronunciations you never want to correct:

Do you have any gems you like to share? Email them to me and they could fea-ture in our next issue: [email protected]

Mum finds kids wearing stethoscopes checking the temperatures of all their teddies Mum: What are you doing? Kids: Playing Coronavirus Mummy

Mum walks in on kid playing with trains: Kid: Choo choo, next stop is Lockdown Station.

Kid: I think horses would help tackle the coronavirus because they helped us in the war.

Pen suitcase for pencil case Gogglings for Goslings Nursery Candle geese for Canada geese

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43


44


Committee members and volunteer contact details

Branch Coordinator Nic Pryor [email protected]

Deputy Branch

Coordinator VACANT

[email protected]

Branch Secretary Michaela Sauveur [email protected]

Membership Secretary Elizabeth Sharma [email protected]

Treasurer Natalie Lovegrove-

Nottage

[email protected]

PSA Link Nic Pryor [email protected]

Parent Support Coordina-

tor Alyte Podvoiskis

parentsup-

[email protected]

Events Coordinator VACANT [email protected]

Fireworks Coordinator Heléna Lawrence [email protected]

Newsletter Editor Mary McAllen [email protected]

Newsletter Distributor Mary McAllen [email protected]

Website Manager Michaela Sauveur [email protected]

Recruitment Coordinator Heléna Lawrence [email protected]

Advertising Coordinator VACANT [email protected]

Press and Publicity Coor-

dinator VACANT

[email protected]

Nearly New Sale Coordina-

tors

Nic Pryor

Charlotte Carlborg [email protected]

Goody Bag Coordinator -

NNS Becca Stow [email protected]

Bake Sale Coordinator -

NNS Tabitha White [email protected]




























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Committee members and volunteer contact details

Bumps & Babies

Coordinator Alyte Podvoiskis [email protected]

Coffee Morning Host VACANT [email protected]

Welly Walk Hosts Kate Telfer

Johanna Steiner [email protected]

Expectant Mums’ Supper

Club Host Tabitha White [email protected]

Forest School Coordinator Jess Broom [email protected]

Cranleigh Representative Johanna Steiner [email protected]

First Aid Coordinator VACANT [email protected]

NCT Breastfeeding

Counsellers

Jo Donoghue

Polly Yu

[email protected] [email protected]

Class Bookings Claire Brooke-

Wilson [email protected]

Class Organiser Sarah Swinhoe [email protected]

Antenatal Teacher Jane Young-

Trawber [email protected]

Postnatal Teacher Catherine Wands 01483 452593

Donations Coordinator -

NNS VACANT [email protected]

BFPS Project Coordinator

& NCT Breastfeeding

Counsellor

Polly Yu [email protected]

Social Media Coordinator Charlotte Carlborg [email protected]

Artwork Coordinator Michelle Watson [email protected]

Nappy Library Coordinator Clare Weightman [email protected]














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Ad copy date for Spring issue: February 26th

Advertisers

COPY & ENQUIRIES TO:

[email protected]

Activities: 4, 11, 12, 15, 17, 34, 36,

39, 40, 42, 43, 48, 51 & back page

Cleaning services: 42

Schools, Nurseries & Day Care: 2,

3 & 50

Storage: 47

Advertising Index

ADVERTISING RATES

Full page Colour: £80 + VAT

Full page Black and White: £70 + VAT

Half page B&W: £40 + VAT

Quarter page B&W: £22 + VAT

10% discount for booking 4 adverts

over a year.

ADVERTISEMENT SIZES

Full page: 110mm w x 175mm h

Half page: 110mm w x 85mm h

Quarter page: 50mm w x 85mm h

All artwork must be to the correct size.

Any amendments required will be

charged to the advertiser.

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Storage

48


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NCT Pregnancy and Birth Line

Call 0300 330 0772 (10am to 8pm,

Monday to Friday) to talk to a qualified

antenatal teacher about issues relating

to your pregnancy or your baby’s birth.

Personal Bra Fitting Service

For a free personal bra fitting call

0300 330 0770 to find your nearest vol-

unteer bra fitter

NCT Breastfeeding Counsellors

Kate Nevett 01428 684096

Jo Donoghue 01483 274452

[email protected]

Polly Yu [email protected]

Pelvic Girdle Pain/SPD

www.pelvicpartnership.org.uk

01235 820921

Breastfeeding Support Lines

Feeding Support Line

0300 330 0700, then choose option 1

(8am-midnight, 7 days a week)

La Leche League of Guildford

0845 1202918, 24 hour helpline

Association of breastfeeding mothers

0207 8131481

Premature Babies

www.bliss.org.uk/index.html

Family Support Helpline: 0500 618140

Breastfeeding Support Groups

See pages 6-8 for details

Pre-eclampsia

www.apec.org.uk/index.html 0208 427

4217

Breastpump Hire

Please visit Loseley Children’s Centre in Farncombe.

Gay Parents

Gay Surrey parents 0800 0811947

Surrey Lesbian Parents Group: www.2mums.com

Postnatal Depression The Cedar House Support Group www.postnataldepression.com Liz 07773 283556 [email protected]

Multiple Births Tamba (twins and multiple birth associ-ation) www.tamba.org.uk. Twinline is open everyday from 10am to 1pm & 7pm to 10pm, call 0800 138 0509

This directory lists just a few of the support organisations in this area. If you run

a support group that you would like to see listed, please contact us with the de-

tails and we will try to print them in future issues.

Local Support Directory

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