London’s premier antenatal class provider Lulubaby are delighted to announce that from April 2016 their courses and classes will be available at the world-class central London-based private hospital, The Portland Hospital. These sound like exactly what I was looking for when I was pregnant, but could not find. 
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Lulubaby's classes are open to everyone, not just  those having their babies at The Portland. The classes at The Portland are perfect for women who work in the central London area and want to attend a class after work. They are also useful for local mums-to-be in the Marylebone,  St John’s Wood and Islington areas who will be able to meet new friends due at the same time for that much needed support during pregnancy and once their baby arrives. 
Lulubaby’s antenatal course consists of 6 evening classes run by many different healthcare professionals including a midwife, obstetrician, anaesthetist, paediatrician, GP, women’s health physiotherapist and lactation consultant.  Ladies receive up-to-date, evidence-based information which is balanced and unbiased. At least half of  Lulubaby’s classes focus on what happens after baby arrives – sleep, soothing and all the practicalities of managing birth and coping with a new-born. 
Partners are invited to most of the sessions and Lulubaby provide a detailed handbook for their clients to take home for reference.  They have a team of breastfeeding counsellors on hand to support once the baby has been born and they also provide paediatric first aid sessions and refresher classes for 2nd time mums.  They recently launched a maternity nurse and night nanny business, Lulunannies, to help provide their clients with top quality support at home once their baby has arrived.

The first Lulubaby at The Portland Hospital course is scheduled to start at the end of April 2016 for mums with babies due end May/ June. The cost is £525 per couple.  Lulubaby also recently launched their new service ‘Lulunannies’ - DBS checked maternity and night nannies on request.
visit www.lulubaby.co.uk for more info

New Tata Isa French music session starting at marylebone library Wednesday 10th Sept at 10.30am

Tata Isla French Music classes arrive in Marylebone - Designed for preschoolers from 6 months old to expose them to the French language through music and song in a fun interactive way using puppetry and musical props. 

The classes will run on a regular basis from September and be drop in at Marylebone Library  . For further info anyone can contact at isebohn@gmail.com 

As my little one seems to be growing up so fast, I thought I should start looking at what our options for schools are in the area. Within minutes of starting my research, I was not only thoroughly confused but also a bit down-beat. On the face of it, St Vincent's, Hampden Gurney and St George's are all great state schools on our doorstep, but they are faith schools so we are a bit stuck. There are many private schools in the area but the "register at birth" stories make it difficult to understand how to navigate that system, plus knowing about feeder schools etc adds so many dimensions to the research you need to do. 

Feeling (more than) a bit confused, I was lucky enough to meet someone who is a governor at a state school in the borough, as well as having experience navigating the private sector. She promises to answer all my questions, no question is too silly (and boy do I have some basic silly ones for her), and hopefully help me understand what our options are and how to start thinking about schools. 

Not only has she offered to answer my questions, but she is happy to talk to a group of Marylebone Mums - please let me know if you would be interested, or if you have questions you would like answered. We will hopefully be meeting her at the end of July - date announced soon!