Clocks are springing forward.....

For us mums struggling on minimal and interrupted sleep as it is, missing out on another hour this weekend when the clocks go forward is a bit of a daunting prospect, however lighter evenings  (better find the black out blinds for the little monkeys windows) and the knowledge that summer is on the way makes it all worth it!! Yippee.

Raising Awareness...

 One of our little Monkeys was featured in the Local Newspaper the Argus last weekend to raise awareness about the pioneering cooling technique used at the Trevor Mann baby unit at Brighton Hospital :

 

Brighton boy frozen back to life

The Argus 9:30am Saturday 5th March 2011

• By Siobhan Ryan, Health Reporter »

Little Forrest Crawford is a typical active and happy two-year-old, the picture of health.
But the youngster is only alive and well because doctors froze him for three days shortly after he was born.
When his mother Heidi gave birth at home, Forrest was not breathing, his body was limp and his skin was blue.
He was rushed to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton but it took more than 30 minutes for medics to eventually get him breathing.

Doctors were worried about brain damage so used a pioneering cooling technique to give his system a chance to recover.
They deliberately dropped his temperature from a normal 37C to 33.5C, low enough to bring on hypothermia.
The procedure, which was inspired by trapped climbers' ability to survive freezing conditions, reduces the pressure on the brain, allowing it to recover from trauma.
After watching him closely for 72 hours, staff at the hospital's Trevor Mann baby unit felt the time was right to start warming Forrest up again.
Tests and an MRI scan showed his brain was functioning normally and he was able to go home after eight days.
He has never looked back since and now, aged 27 months, he is developing perfectly normally.
Mrs Crawford, 35, of Victoria Street, Brighton, said: “It was absolutely miraculous."

Organic Monkey Celebrates Fairtrade Fortnight!

Organic Monkey Celebrates Fairtrade Fortnight

It's Fairtrade Fortnight (28th February - 13th March) and Organic Monkey are celebrating the fact that they are the first and only baby skincare company to have been awarded Fairtrade certification by the Fairtrade Foundation.  This year the Fairtrade Foundation are asking the nation to show off about buying Fairtrade which offers 7.5 million people in the developing world a more secure future.

Organic Monkey use as many Fairtrade ingredients as are possible to source for their skin care range to ensure the best quality raw ingredients and Fairtrade provides a better deal for producers in developing countries, creating opportunities for farmers and workers to improve their lives, their communities and protect their environment.

Take the raw shea butter used in their Bumfluff nappy balm for example. This is produced in Ghana by the Akoma Co-operative Multipurpose Society who process nuts gathered from the karite tree grown in Bolgatanga Upper East Region Ghana. The Fairtrade premium received is helping members of the village of Pisi-Namogo, particularly the more vulnerable women, children and elderly, to rise out of poverty.