Georgia Ladbury

12/08/2024

And the most uplifting (albeit slightly belated) story for World Breastfeeding Week goes to...

Thirty mothers take turns with their babies in front of Mujur, 19, to try to encourage her to bond with newborn

16/06/2024

Given how much I bang on about it, hopefully you're all now convinced of the joy that singing can bring to a person's life. Sadly there's not much by way of music in the education curriculum these days, and London Youth Choir is an absolutely fantastic charity that seeks to give every child in London the opportunity to sing in a choir, regardless of background.

Until the 18th June if you donate to LYC, the donation will be match funded (ie doubled) - so if you do have any cash spare in these testing times it would be ace if you could put a few pounds their way 🧡 More info below. Thanks!

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Join London Youth Choirs in supporting the next generation of young singers!

For two weeks only, donations to London Youth Choirs will be doubled via the Champions for Children Campaign.

The charity is aiming to raise £50,000 to improve access to transformational music opportunities, providing free places in LYC for those facing barriers to music making. This is more and more important with the current state of music education combined with the cost of living.

"We have what is starting to be considered a crisis in music education… Sadly there are now 20,000 fewer state school bands, orchestras, ensembles and choirs than there were seven years ago.” Parliamentary debate, March 2024

Donate before 18 June on The Big Give website and your donation will be doubled! Every contribution, whatever the size, will make a difference.

LONDON YOUTH CHOIRS | Charity no. 1151714

LYC is a place where you can learn, thrive and excel; a place of acceptance and encouragement where your voice means everything. We work with 2000 young people each year, creating community through choir. Funds raised will support the expansion of our work, making sure singing is accessible for all....

04/03/2024

Buy one get one free this week at Singing Mamas

♀️It's a special week for women with International Women's Day on Friday and Mother's Day hot on its heels on Sunday!

👭Here at Singing Mamas - South London we're celebrating with a Buy-One-Get-One-Free deal: for this week only, if you book yourself a taster session, your next session will be completely free of charge!

🎶So if you've ever wondered about trying out the group, now is the perfect time to go ahead and treat yourself ☺️

🧡You're worth it!

👀For more info or to book see www.georgialadbury.com/joinsingingmamas or find us on Happity

05/12/2023

Devastating to see these figures and while we all understand the strain the NHS is under, ultimately it's women and babies who pay the heavy price.

Having a doula and singing are two very different things which can nonetheless both be a real help to provide critical emotional support for mothers at that time when they really need it...contact me if you're wanting to explore doula options and for the latter, come join us at a Singing Mamas - South London group on a Tuesday or Thursday. Groups are free for pregnant women from 36+ weeks so that you can start building your postnatal community before baby arrives 💕

Exclusive: NHS figures obtained by Labour reveal 11,507 women sought care but did not get any last year

01/12/2023

Conspicuously missing from this list as should be at the very top:

* The tea after you've just given birth ❤️ *

29/11/2023

When two worlds collide...I had a fantastic time
bringing a little singing-for-wellbeing magic to my European epidemiology colleagues at the conference last week. Usually I do this for tired and overwhelmed mamas at my weekly Singing Mamas - South London groups, but fair to say that the global epidemiology workforce is also tired and overwhelmed as we stagger out of the past few years of the pandemic and begin to deal with its aftermath.

The songs worked their magic as they always do. Some tears, much laughter, and some musical tools to take home and use on the rough days.

"One day at a time..." 🎶🧡

06/11/2023

I don't know about you but I don't get the chance to flick through Stylist magazine on my commute these days so I just wanted to share this fab article about the magical benefits of group singing for mental health and wellbeing.

The interview is with Kate Valentine who founded the Singing Mamas Org movement - I run two Singing Mamas groups locally - details in comments - but if those groups don't suit your personal circumstances/preferences I would highly recommend finding another one that does (more suggestions in comments!)! There really is no better balm for the soul 🧡

“The emphasis is on how it feels for the people taking part, not how it sounds to people listening.”

19/10/2023

Just another standard Thursday morning of solo school and childminder run on a day when it's chucking down with rain and I've got a particular train to catch to get to Singing Mamas - South London on time.

Of course the kids slept in and we couldn't find a cardigan and then once we'd finally loaded onto the cargo bike we only got a few metres before the bike nearly tipped as a bungee cord I hadn't noticed had got caught in the wheels. Cue having to ask a kindly man at the bus stop to steady the bike with the three kids on it while I knelt down and pulled it all out in the rain.

Nonetheless, everyone got to school on time; I got back covered in filth and had four minutes to clean up and change into Serious Office Wear as am headed to my desk job after the session.

But I am now on the train to Singing Mamas, definitely flustered, definitely sweaty, but looking forward to 90 minutes of song and connection to calm my nerves and set me up for the rest of the day.

Never underestimate how much your Singing Mamas Org leaders need this time as much as you!!

See you there 🧡

Tuesdays 10-1130 Vestry room adjoining Holy Redeemer Streatham Vale

Thursdays 10-1130 Coffee Lounge Herne Hill Baptist Church

02/10/2023

As the leaves turn from green to gold and the days are drawing in, are you perhaps also feeling the urge to quieten? To shrug off your heavy load, slow down, and reconnect with yourself; with the world around you; with generations past?

If so, we would love to welcome you at Singing Mamas - South London. At this women-only singing group, we re-discover the time-honoured tradition of singing together, purely for the pleasure of wellbeing and connection. There are no auditions and there's no need to have done anything musical before. And while babies and older children are absolutley welcome to come along (and invariably love the session), this group is about YOU.

Through the power of simple songs taught by ear, you will feel your stress slip away, connect with other women in your community, and improve your wellbeing. There's also a hot cup of tea and an indulgent cake at the end, too - what could be more "hygge" than that?

Book now at www.georgialadbury.com/singing

Tuesdays - 1000-1130 - The Vestry room adjoining Holy Redeemer, Streatham Vale

Thursdays - 1000-1130 - The Coffee Lounge, Herne Hill Baptist Church, Herne Hill

Hope to see you there x🍁🍂🧡

23/09/2023

When I was pregnant, I read a baby book that said something along the lines of “If you’re feeling angry, please put your baby in a safe space and walk away.” I remember thinking “Wow, who gets that angry?! That’s crazy, poor babies!” Well, as with many things, I soon learned that I was one of those people who needed to take a step away from my screaming infant. I was an experienced childcare practitioner and had significant amounts of training in child development and psychology, but STILL I found myself needing to place my tiny, distraught baby in his cot so I could safely go to another room and calm myself down. What I wish I could have told past me is this:

We are not designed to do this alone. Throughout the whole of history and across most cultures, parents are surrounded with practical, visible support networks. In the West (and particularly the UK and US) we are left, often alone, day in and day out with our babies. While WE are adjusting to our new lives as parents, and while our baby is adjusting to life Earth side. Of COURSE you might reach your limit. You don’t have a “village” to tag in, and you are HUMAN. Take a moment, take a breath, and try again. Stepping away doesn’t make you a bad parent, it’s not a sign of weakness, or an inability to manage your anger. It’s an excellent strategy that keeps you and your little one safe in a moment of high stress. And that tells me you are in fact an EXCELLENT parent.

15/09/2023

Yes, I can sing every word of the Spice Girls' greatest hits but can't remember where I put the kids' swimming kits.

Come and make memories with us (literally!!) in Streatham (Tuesdays) and Herne Hill (Thursdays)

When a song comes on the radio that you haven’t heard in years, it’s amazing how all the lyrics flow back to you seamlessly without even thinking about it.

We can store so many songs in our brains (and we recommend Heardle to put your memory to the test!).

But why can I remember all these songs from way back when, but not where I put my keys five mins ago?

Here’s the science bit...

🧡 EMOTIONAL RESPONSE 🧡

“Music is inherently bound up with personal identity; music can trigger the reminiscence bump in autobiographical memory.” (Dr Kelly Jakubowski)

Does listening to a specific song take you back to a certain moment? Perhaps it was on an album your parents always played in the car or your favourite CD in your Walkman when you travelled to school?

“Emotional stimuli are remembered better than non-emotional ones.” (Fiona Kumfor)

If a song was played over and over again, then repetition has a role in why you remember it so well. But perhaps more interestingly, so does your emotional response. Songs that were played or sung at a time of happiness or even a period of change in your life will take you back to that feeling.

“Orientating yourself towards the emotional message actually helps you remember the actual music better.” (Dr Andrea Halpern)

🧡 A LEARNING TOOL 🧡

Music can be used as a mnemonic device, ie to aid memory. That’s why teaching children the alphabet is a lot easier when done to a song.

“Singing the lyrics to a very well-known song is a form of procedural memory – ie a highly automatised process, like riding a bike: it’s something we are able to do without thinking much about it.” (Dr Kelly Jakubowski)

“The features of music serve as a predictable ‘scaffold’ for memory. Rhythm and beats give us clues to the next word in a sequence, ie signalling that a three-syllable word fits next. Songs also make use of literary devices like rhyme and alliteration, which further facilitate memory.” (Dr Kelly Jakubowski)

So singing about where I’m putting my keys down when I’m doing it is a genuinely helpful idea...

🧡 MUSIC & DEMENTIA 🧡

Singing has been found to improve memory retention, so it can be used to help support people living with various neurodegenerative disorders.

“When we sing we get more blood flow to precortical areas, which are areas usually preserved in dementia, concerned with autobiography and emotions. Sometimes a song does something really strong and visceral, and that feeling is really important - it awakens people with dementia and makes them feel more involved.” (Dr Simon Opher)

Singing is proven to be so valuable for people with memory-related conditions that music therapy is available for care homes, there are charities that support dementia with music, such as Mindsong, and there are specific singing groups, such as the Alzheimer’s Society’s Singing for the Brain.

“My favourite memory of singing is that of a man in the later stages of dementia who was played Edelweiss. He started singing the tune but to the words ‘I belong, I belong’.” (Maggie Grady)

🧡 RESOURCES & MORE INFO… 🧡

Dr Kelly Jakubowski is Associate Professor in Music Psychology, Durham University

Dr Andrea Halpern is Professor of Psychology at Bucknell University

Fiona Kumfor is Research Officer, Neuroscience Research Australia

Dr Simon Opher is a Family Doctor & Clinical Lead for Social Prescribing

Maggie Grady is Director of Music Therapy at Mindsong

Can singing improve our health? BBC CrowdScience podcast, 2019

theconversation.com/the-science-of-why-you-can-remember-song-lyrics-from-years-ago-204167

londonsinginginstitute.co.uk/what-happens-when-we-sing

time.com/6167197/psychology-behind-remembering-music

14/09/2023

It genuinely blows my mind how often I hear "I've been told I have to stop breastfeeding because I've been prescribed medication X/will be having surgery under anaesthetic" etc etc.

Often the healthcare practitioner is quite simply mistaken, because they haven't had much education about breastfeeding and end up giving out poor advice.

The Breastfeeding Network is a really useful resource for breastfeeding women who want to double check what they've been advised:
https://www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/drugs-factsheets/

For healthcare practitioners: the GP Infant Feeding Network and Hospital Infant Feeding Network are super resources for plugging those CPD holes so you can better support your breastfeeding patients.

https://gpifn.org.uk/
https://www.hifn.org/

These factsheets have been compiled by our Drugs in Breastmilk information service team of pharmacists. If you are unable to find the information you are looking for below, or you still have questions, you can contact the team by sending a private message via our page or via email. Please p...