There have been lots of stories about how pregnant women should not dye their hair as it can be harmful to their unborn child. Is it fact or fiction?

Well there hasn’t been any links found between dyeing your hair and causing any harm to your baby. The chemicals found in modern hair dye are not thought to be highly toxic, either to the mother or the baby.

However if you are still worried and want to avoid any chemicals there are some other methods to consider!

• Ask your hairdresser to give you some highlights or lowlights using foil or easy meche, this way the chemicals used to dye your hair will not actually have contact with your scalp.
• If you really want a full head colour then ask your hairdresser about any herbal or vegetable dyes they have, if they don’t have them they could always order some in for you.

Remember though that due to all the hormones you will be producing due to being pregnant and the fact the thickness of your hair will also be affected it can alter the final result. A colour that you may have used for years could turn out looking a little different!

Keep up the hair and beauty treatments as your body is doing a very special job and you deserve to feel good about yourself!

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Going away for a holiday in the sun can be fun for everyone, especially the children. They can really enjoy the outdoors and make the most of the beach or pool.  

We’ve all seen plenty of advice about sun safety and we should all be aware of using plenty of high factor sun creams and staying out of the mid-day sun.  

What other things can we do to enable them to make the most of their holiday without spoiling it or constantly nagging them to come back to have their sun cream reapplied. 

• Get your child a ‘legionnaire’s hat or big floppy hat that covers their neck. The neck is one of the worst places for sunburn and can cause sunstroke. You can even get legionnaire’s hats that are made of swimsuit material so they are protected in and out of the water.
• We all know children should wear a high factor cream but it can be a pain getting them to keep still whilst applying it. Why not get a coloured sun cream? Maybe get a green one and play the monster game where they have to cover themselves in monster camouflage. You will be able to see any areas missed and they will enjoy putting it on. You can get some really funky coloured sun blocks for their nose and cheeks.
• Cover them up in long sleeve t-shirts over their swimsuits. If you are out and about away from the beach or pool, you will find that a thin long sleeve cotton top is just as cool as a t-shirt and will protect their arms.

Have fun, take some after sun just in case and pop it in the fridge. Enjoy your holiday but just remember how powerful the sun can be, you don’t want to put your children at risk of skin cancer later in their life!

Experiencing a miscarriage is devastating, it can cause you to feel alone and isolated and probably even ask yourself if you were to blame. 

There are many reasons why a miscarriage can occur. 

50% of pregnancies miscarry before implantation in the womb takes place and even early after plantation 30% of women may miscarry, but why? 

• Bad luck is one reason. When you conceive half the genes come from the sperm and the other half from the egg, so sometimes when conception happens and the genes merge they may miss some of the information and the pregnancy is destined not to be.
• It could also be that the baby did not implant itself properly.
• Other medical factors are related to maternal age, poorly controlled diabetes and smoking to name a few.

If you have experienced a miscarriage don’t put blame on yourself, by thinking that if you hadn’t eaten spicy food or maybe didn’t rush around so much things may have been different. Many women miscarry and many more than once. Talk to your partner and discuss your feelings. 

You may feel like you want to start trying for another baby straight away but it is recommended that you wait until you have had three periods after a miscarriage. 

Don’t forget to ask your doctor for any advice on proceeding with a new pregnancy.

Stretch marks are generally associated with pregnancy, although they are often caused by rapid weight gain.  

They are the result of the skin stretching rapidly which causes the dermis to tear. They first appear as reddish or purple lines but with time will generally fade to empty silvery lines.  

Do creams or oils help? 

Other effective moisturisers containing delicious smelling ingredients could not be proven to prevent stretch marks or improve the appearance of them but did improve skin texture. Not good news really but a study did find that pregnant ladies who used creams containing centella asiatica extract, vitamin E  and collagen-elastin hydrolysates had fewer stretch marks than those who used no creams at all. 

So ladies plaster on that cream every morning and evening and just hope for the best. 

Should you find that you really can’t cope with your stretch marks there are plenty of treatments such as carboxy therapy, this involves injecting CO2 gas into your stretch marks. It’s said to have great results but can be more expensive than a pot of cream. 

If you do get a few, don’t worry, your body has just done an amazing job and has some marks to prove it!

Being a parent is an exhausting business and it is not always easy to find time to cook or eat properly!  Often it’s easier to grab convenience food and this is not always the best option for keeping you fit and healthy. Celebrity Mums and media also add to the pressure to be back into your pre-pregnancy clothes as soon as possible. All this added pressure to look your best, whilst taking care of a child, can prove to be difficult. Many celebrities have their own chefs and caterers to cook their meals for them, a luxury many of us don’t have! It is hard work looking after a child and you’ll need to keep your energy levels up even if you are desperate to get back into your pre-pregnancy clothes.

How to keep your energy levels up…..