As a graduate of Organic agriculture, Lynoa Cattanach was shocked to find out how few 'ethical/natural ' choices were offered to expectant mothers via the NHS.
Lynoa 's lifestyle and career took a u-turn upon discovering she was pregnant. This wonderful 'surprise ' brought a lot of change and as a result, financial pressure.
As someone fairly well-informed about environmental and ethical issues but also needing to save money Lynoa did more research into natural approaches to parenting and discovered that by using real nappies, re-cycling, buying second-hand, breastfeeding, sharing a vegetable box with a friend and cutting out unecessary toiletries and household products she could save thousands of pounds as well as give her baby the most healthy start in life.
There was a wealth of information out there ... it 's just finding it that was the problem!
Despite Lynoa 's best efforts all she was given by the NHS was clinical advice and mass-market product information designed to persuade mums-to-be to part with their hard-earned cash for products they didn 't really need.
It 's not easy seeing all those glossy adverts for things like 3-way baby travel systems with integral mountain terrain suspension and knowing they 'll never be part of your lifestyle. Does that make you a worse mother for not having these products? And what about the young mums who don 't have the money or the knowledge to look for alternatives? Surely everyone has the right to make informed decisions about what 's best and most cost-effective for bringing up their children?
At this point Lynoa met Susan Oak (who was to become her business partner) at a local mother and baby clinic. They went for a coffee and Lynoa had a bit of a rant. Susan was shocked that she didn 't know about any of this natural parenting information. Susan had run her own business and had extensive experience in sales and marketing and asked Lynoa if she wanted to do something about the problem? And it all went from there!
Work began in Susan 's spare room four and a half years ago on a free natural parenting magazine called BabyGROE (Green, Recycled, Organic, Ethical). Produced annually, it is distributed to every pregnant woman via hospital midwives throughout the UK.
Down to earth and humorous, the BabyGROE Magazine gives everyday information about how to raise a green baby and save money in the most practical way possible. The 4th edition of the magazine has just been published, and as well as providing editorial the magazine also aims to showcase as many ethical British/local companies as possible. There is also a website of the same name
BabyGROE achieved charitable status in 2004 and is now part-funded by DEFRA and the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation which has enabled the charity to offer parent friendly employment and opportunities for volunteers throughout the UK and to develop the website www.babygroe.co.uk
Lynoa and Susan 's daughters provided their inspiration and much of the research was conducted whilst breatfeeding! BabyGROE has had a huge impact on their lives but now the charity is on its way to ensuring that BabyGROE becomes a houshold name because every UK family deserves to make an informed choice!
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