Emma is seven months old, and still breastfeeds like an absolute champ! I'm very lucky in that all four of my babies have fed well (even through some initial hiccups like premature births and tongue ties!) - I've been at this nursing gig for some time now. I wonder how many hours I've been feeding over the last decade - I think it would be a pretty impressive figure! 

I was so pleased when the lovely team at Cake Maternity reached out to see if I'd be interested in trying and reviewing some of their favourite nursing bras. I've followed their brand for some time now, but hadn't had the chance to purchase - so this opportunity was perfect. Before we start, here's a little about the brand: Cake Maternity are nursing bra specialists who are passionate about breastfeeding and the many benefits it offers to both mum, bub and the environment. Breastfeeding, whilst natural, doesn’t always come naturally and they understand that every woman’s experience is different and at times challenging. Their mission is to empower women as they mindfully navigate the world of motherhood and help make breastfeeding easier, through experience-driven innovation.

When you're breastfeeding, it's important to choose bras that are not only supportive, but also comfortable - if there's one time in your life you're going to be up close & personal with your breasts, it's now! After confirming my measurements and using the fit guide, we narrowed down the selection to three styles:

Do your kids love to draw? If you've got a Creative Kid like Georgia, you need to check out the Wacom Intous - it's the perfect tool to get those imaginations running! We've been playing with it this past week, and it's been an absolute breeze to use.  

All you need to do is connect your Intuos pen tablet to your PC or Mac, get your kiddos all set up, and you're good to go! It's a great, visual way for your kiddos to create, draw and explore, and really encourages creativity. 

You can start simple with younger kids, and take it to the next levels when your children are older - the options are endless! Georgia decided to draw up her own pamphlet on looking after the ocean... completely of her own accord. It was a great conversation starter too! 

Did you know you can use your $100 Creative Kids Voucher on a Wacom Intuos of your own? 

Now's the perfect time to redeem it before the year runs out. Make sure you visit Wacom Australia and snap one up today - what will your tiny humans create on theirs?

We are thrilled to have been one of the first families in Australia to use the brand new CONNECT™ PLUS Baby Carrier recently released by Redsbaby.

This collection has been thoughtfully crafted to nurture a connection between parent and child, and is so comfy to wear. It has a versatile tri-layer system that keeps it at an ideal comfort level for both warm and cooler weather, the only carrier to seamlessly convert between three layers within moments and it's lovely and breathable. The padding is perforated to provide airflow and comfort, and it stops you from getting sweaty under the straps while baby-wearing. And... did I mention it has POCKETS? You can slip your hands in to cradle baby skin-to-skin and provide soothing/comfort as you're wearing them.

Having a baby with hip dysplasia has had its challenges - especially as our journey hasn't been a short one. Finding baby products that are hip-harness friendly has been a huge learning curve for us. Amelia has always worn a Rhino Brace, which keeps her hips abducted by splaying them widely in the correct position - which means that she doesn't necessarily fit into the things the way a regular baby of her age does.

That rang true for her bassinet (which she could not fit comfortably in with the harness on) as well as most regular sleeping bags, and even certain high chairs and prams. 

We were recently sent a Redsbaby Skip Stroller to test drive, especially for those times when Amelia is out and about in her harness. Her current regime is to wear it for all sleeps, including day naps. If we are headed out for the day, it's important that she can still wear it while she is sleeping, to ensure she has the maximum amount of harnessed time as she can. The great news? She fits SO well in this little stroller!

The stroller itself is pretty nifty. It folds and unfolds so easily, and it can literally be carried over your shoulder - it's compact, lightweight and user friendly. This is the perfect travel companion, great for when you don't want your full-sized pram taking up loads of space. And when I say lightweight, I mean lightweight: it only weighs 6.5kg! 

If you're after a lightweight option, or a second pram, I highly recommend the Skip. It ticked all of our boxes, and it's the perfect throw-in-the-boot option for all new parents!

EXCITING NEWS: Redsbaby are having a MASSIVE sale on prams and selected items as part of the Spring Frenzy, with 20% off until the 12th November. Grab a bargain while you can! 

I've been having discussions with fellow mum friends lately, about the internet & all that comes with it. I've used this space for such a long time now, it's second nature to share posts without a care in the world. Without it, I wouldn't have met so many of you lovely folks, and some of my closest friends.

I love finding new Australian retailers, particularly ones that have lovely customer service. I came across Hippo Blue earlier in the year when looking for items for my daughter. At the time, I didn't end up purchasing - but when I was approached a few weeks back asking if I'd be interested in taking a look at some of their personalised stationery products, I was VERY excited!

I was hoping to receive a few different items so that I'd have a better idea of what the products looked like in person, but I received the personalised calendar planner on its own.

Don't mind the security blur on the images - but as you can see, it was made specially for our family. The monthly planner came with enough individual sheets to last a year, and they are unlabelled - so you can add in your dates whenever you receive them. It's also got enough room down the side to add in extra information that might not fit within the smaller squares.

I'm constantly telling hubby when we have things on, and he's constantly forgetting what I tell him - so this works well for both of us! This picture was taken before I filled it in with the dozens of Christmas & holiday things we have going on - but it's perfect for the fridge door. No excuses for not remembering what's coming up now! :)

It was very simple to use the website: pick your item of choice, choose your design & colours, add in the personalised text you're after & choose a font. After that, it's as easy as waiting for your items to be despatched.

The paper is lovely & I was really happy with the colours I chose - the only thing that could make it better would be if the sheets came on a pad of some kind, instead of loose sheets of paper.

They have lots of goodies on the website that would make great Christmas gifts, so check them out! What sort of items would you find useful to be personalised?

Breathe Gently was provided with a personalised monthly planner from the folks at Hippo Blue - all reviews are my own. If you are interested in a product review appearing on Breathe Gently, please email me.

We're almost a quarter of the way through 2014 already, can you believe it? I thought I might take the time to update on how things are going around these parts, because I'm feeling pretty darned great about this year.

• Georgia ~ I've been taking lots of pictures, and watching her growing up from a wee baby into this cute little toddler. In the last few weeks, she seems to have shot up again - her face has changed, she's lost a lot of her chunky baby thighs (sniff) -- growing too fast. She's been through the wars with some more teething & a cold, and we've been starting to wean; meaning we've had a clingy, sad wee one for a while. Thankfully we're coming out the other side, and that trademark cheeky grin has come out again. :)

• Read ~ I'm currently reading 'Twelve Years a Slave', which is book #5 of the year so far. I've also just purchased all of the 'Game of Thrones' novels as a bundle for $20 - so I have a LOT of epic reads ahead of me. I've read the first two, but I keep getting distracted...
  
• Move ~ I have consistently exercised every Monday/Wednesday/Friday since January 1st, with no excuses. Mostly runs, but sometimes workout DVDs and/or walks. I'm down almost 7kg and feeling really good, running 5km stretches now.
  
• Cook ~ I'm really proud of how much I've cooked so far this year. We haven't spent a lot on eating out at all, apart from the odd Thai food meal with friends. And, best of all, I'm lucky enough to be getting a shiny new cooking device for my 30th, which will help to REALLY spice things up in the kitchen.
  
• TTC ~ Watch this space; not a great deal of things to report here yet, but we're working on it!