Sami's Baby - Sami Lukis's quest to become a mother

Wanting a baby, but not being able to conceive - or not having found a partner with whom to have children - must be one of life's most heartbreaking predicaments.

And it's one happening to Australian TV and radio identity Sami Lukis.

On Monday March 21, Sami will reveal onscreen what she has been through in her quest to have a baby - on her own.

In the premiere entitled Australians Exposed - Sami's Baby, Sami lays herself bare. She has a successful media career, a great group of friends... but she feels something is missing.

Just before Sami turned 40, her grandmother passed away. When Sami and her multi-generational family came together during this emotional time, it suddenly hit her: “Where’s my family?” she asks herself.

Sami is about to discover some confronting statistics. The proportion of women remaining childless has increased over time in each age group. For women aged 25 and 29 years in 1981, 25% were childless, while in 2001 59% of women in the same age group were childless.

In the program, cameras follow Sami as she begins her journey, with the doco following Sami as she 'searches' for a family. She meets fertility experts, herbalists, asks her flatmate for his sperm, checks out international donor sperm websites, grills her married friends, and keeps up the search for a partner - the latter of which happens.

So now what?

Watch the world premiere of Australians Exposed - Sami's Baby, Monday 21 March at 9.30pm, on LifeStyle You, available on Foxtel and Austar.

Cord Blood Storage: A Lifesaver

Did you know that over 50% of Australians diagnosed with a blood cancer and other life-threatening blood disorders orders each year, do not have a histo-compatible related or unrelated bone marrow and/or blood stem cell donor to treat their illness? It's scary stuff; my family has been touched by a life-threatening blood disorder, and while they are now cured, I shudder to think of this stat.

Finding a compatible donor can take valuable time and may even be unsuccessful, which is heartbreaking to think about.

The storing of your child’s umbilical cord blood at birth has often been talked about as a procedure that could potentially save a child’s life.

Here's how it works: a child’s umbilical cord blood is an invaluable resource as it contains their own stem cells – a perfect match. These stem cells are the building blocks of your baby’s blood and immune system, currently used worldwide to treat many life threatening diseases including immune system deficiencies, blood disorders and some cancers.

Graeme Moore, Cyrosite Director says, “Many parents see the storage of their baby’s umbilical cord blood as a worthwhile investment. The knowledge that your child’s stem cells are stored and readily available makes their decision to store their baby’s cord blood a highly satisfying one.”

Channel Nine’s Shelley Craft, who uses the service, also comments, “As a new parent all you want is to provide the best possible life and care for your child. I believe this starts with the collection and storage of the vital cord blood at the time of birth.”

Cryosite is the industry leader in umbilical cord blood banking, and was Australia’s first private cord blood bank and has safely stored thousands of children’s cord blood stem cells.

“Cryosite provided me with a wealth of information on the subject, helping me to make an educated and informed decision on cord blood collection. The pack was delivered to my home and all I had to do was take it to the hospital with me at the time of delivery. Our doctor did the rest and the package was collected from the hospital within hours of me giving birth to my beautiful baby girl. I pray that she will never need to call on it, but I now know that should my child ever need this invaluable cord stem cell information in the future, it is readily available and I have given her the best possible start to fighting cancer,” says Craft.

Unlike other companies, Cryosite has its own highly secure laboratories, dedicated to processing, cryopreserving and storing cord blood stem cells. Cryosite’s comprehensive service includes processing and storage onsite where there is multiple levels of backup in place to safeguard the integrity of cord blood.

For more info, see: http://www.cryosite.com.au/

(Photo courtesy Channel Nine).

Baby swaddling: one of life's great mysteries. Enter 'Wrap Me Up'.

Ahhh, swaddling.

Before I had my twins I'd barely even heard of the term.

Yes, we went over the basics in our twin prenatal class, but the concept slightly terrified me. What if I didn't do it right? Would it mean by bubs would be destined to stay awake and be terrible sleepers - forever?

Perhaps it wasn't life or death, but it was certainly very crucial to them getting good, unsettled sleep.

It was mid December and hot. So we used calico wraps - we had about half a dozen in high rotation.

But the cheeky little bubbas knew how to wriggle themselves out of them. And this often meant they woke. Which in turn meant settling allll over again. Not fun for any new, sleep deprived. Not even borderline funny for a mum of twins.

Oh how I wish this little helper was around then.

Wrap Me Up is the original and innovatively designed, patent pending swaddle that is fast becoming the essential item for new parents - changing the way they wrap their babies.

Allowing your baby to be snuggly wrapped with their arms positioned upwards, it’s an easier, more natural way to swaddle young babies and gives your baby vital access to their hands when sleeping – important for self-development and allowing them to self soothe.

Giving babies the opportunity to self soothe means parents and bub will have much better quality sleep, with less intervention from the parent to put baby back to sleep.

A unique and ingenious design, Wrap Me Up allows babies to sleep with their arms in the wing position - a natural instinct for babies, whilst still calming startle reflex and creating that desired womb-like fit.

Launched at the start of 2010 and already tested on thousands of bubs, the innovative design boasts a genius twin zipper, allowing for sneaky nappy changes at any hour without having to wake and unwrap sleeping bub. Oh my, genius! I cannot tell you how important this is.

Other highlights include a label-free inside, inside-out seams, toggle tent and a lush neck band to ensure no irritation for the baby. There’s even seatbelt access so you can move a sleeping bub from pram to cot – a feature you will soon realise is super important for babies who travel.

Inventor of Wrap Me Up and former fashion designer, Hana Krawchuk, 32, noticed a huge gap in the market for a product like this after she had her son, who would always wriggle out of his wraps and hated having his arms bound down. Holding a 1st Class Honours Bachelor Degree in Textiles and Fashion and drawing on her experience as a former fashion designer, Hana started designing prototypes in between feeding and nappy changes. Since formally introducing the product in October 2009, the response has been overwhelming, and is now stocked in over 250 retailers nationally and internationally.

“We’ve reviewed a great deal of medical research and spoken to many experts to create a product that will benefit babies. Medical research shows that when wrapped in this position with their arms up, babies have access to their hands which not only helps them self-soothe and sleep for longer, but also can aid their development. It’s a must-have for bub, mum and dad,” said Hana.

Developed in consultation with various childcare health experts, approved by INPAA (Infant and Nursery Product Association of Australia) and supported by extensive reviews ofmedical research studies, and designed in Australia following the SIDS and KIDS safe sleep guidelines, Wrap Me Up is one of the safest swaddles on the market. Ergonomically designed, it reduces the risk of tangling in loose wraps or blankets and also means that bub will be less likely to do the sneaky wriggle.

The Wrap Me Up from Love Me Baby is available in three sizes: small (3 - 6kgs), medium (6 - 8.5kgs) and large (8.5-11kgs). Colours include: white, grey, pink, blue. RRP: $39.95.

Also available in an organic wrap using certified organic fabric RRP: $44.95.
A special summer weight Wrap Me Up LITE has been introduced for summer 2010 RRP: $41.95

For stockist details visit www.lovemebaby.com.au

For product safety information and media research references see: www.lovemebaby.com.au/loveme-baby-research.htm