Pregnancy and Childbirth

With thanks to guest blogger Cara Shields for her wisdom and advice.

Breastfeeding can be a tumultuous journey. But here are some top tips to help the journey be a little easier.

1: Knowledge is Power
Doing some research and arming yourself with as much information as you can, can give you the best chance at success. Sure, for some the latch is perfect and there are few issues - but for many, the journey can get off to a rocky start. The best way to deal with whatever happens is to have an idea what to expect and what is happening.

All parents and guardians of children who are under the ages of 16 in Ireland are entitled to claim a child benefit payment from the state.
 
If you have twins the child allowance is paid at one and half times the monthly rate for each child. For triplets and other multiple births then the child benefit payments are paid at double the normal monthly rate for each child.
 
All child benefits are tax free.

How much is the child benefit in Ireland?

Child Benefit is €140 per month for each child.

Child Benefit rates for 2018

Breastangels Silverette Healing Cups are simple to use and truly effective.  No chemicals or creams are passed to baby through breastfeeding. They are skin friendly, non toxic and extremely hygienic. And they can be preventative as well as protective and healing so if you wear them before any irritation, soreness or cracks occur, you may never have any problems at all. 

It's your first baby and you are probably super excited and super anxious in equal measure. Once you start baby shopping it can become a little overwhelming with so many cleverly marketed items telling you they are 'must have'l but will more likely be gathering dust in months time.So we've compiled a list of items available from Earthmother that we think are essential for a healthy and comfortable start for you and your baby. And we've also listed some items we don't stock but you can find easily elsewhere.