Mama Matters

This! Pregnant women really are incredible!

A helpful reminder to anyone who needs it: Pregnant women are INCREDIBLE.

According to new research, women who are expecting are living at the edge of human endurance – on a level comparable to someone who’s completed the Tour de France.

Yep, scientists at Duke University in the US have discovered that women carrying babies are operating at the limit of what a human body can cope with, in a way that’s comparable to elite endurance sport.

The limit of what a body can deal with was investigated by analysing elite sporting events, including the Tour and a 3,000 mile run. The data showed that the maximum energy expenditure a body can cope with is 2.5 times the body's resting metabolic rate, or 4,000 calories a day for an average person.

When you’re pregnant, your energy use peaks at 2.2 times your resting metabolic rate.

TL; DR: There is a ceiling to the amount of energy that humans can plough through, and it’s pushed by pregnancy, as well as by crazy intense athletes.

School is the major theme with a baby born in August... from the parents’ initial worry that their baby will be the youngest in the year to the child’s delight as they get that little bit older and realise they ALWAYS celebrate in the summer holidays!

Do you have any concerns about having an August baby? We wouldn’t - a quick internet search shoes plenty of successful people born in this month, including our most recent princess, . I hope she receives British in her bouquet.

Is your baby due in August or have you already had an August baby? Let us know!

What a month to have a baby... you have a 50% chance of having the day off to celebrate during your school years and it is the sunniest month of the year in the U.K.!

The birthstone for July is Ruby... what a beautiful stone for a baby bauble for the new Mama, or beautiful name for your July baby girl! The flower for this month doesn’t disappoint either