If you're a regular at the Vancouver Island Baby Fair website, you might notice a change today - we've decided to get a little deeper into the blogosphere! Our previous blog was more of a news feed with alerts about upcoming Baby Fair events, prize giveaways in our e-Newsletter, and so on. That information will continue, but we plan to bring you much more with this new, expanded format.

Inside the Pea Pod will take you inside the Vancouver Island Baby Fair and the family that brings you this annual event. In addition to news and information about the Baby Fair, we'll also bring you the personal side of things - work/family balance, the ups and downs of entrepreneurship, parenting information, our community involvement, recipes, product reviews, and much more.

This blog is written by Vancouver Island Baby Fair producer Shirley Broback and her sidekick/co-producer/husband Mike Lowe. The couple are raising their 3-year-old girl and 6-year-old boy in Victoria, British Columbia, and bringing you the Vancouver Island Baby Fairs annually in Victoria and Nanaimo, B.C.

We are giving away a Milkie's Milk-Saver in our next Vancouver Island Baby Fair e-Newsletter coming out on March 8th!


Milkie's Milk-Saver helps moms conveniently collect and store breast milk and reduces the need for disposable nursing pads. Milk-Saver has a slim discreet design and comes with a travel case that keeps it clean, and also doubles as a stand to eliminate spills during your breastfeeding session. Simply slip Milk-Saver into your bra-cup on the non-nursing side before you breastfeed. It then collects the breast milk that is leaked out when your milk lets down. You can store this milk and save it for any time you need it.

Bellies in Bloom Maternity is proud to serve the breastfeeding community by providing more choice in nursing bras and other nursing products. Their goal is to make their breastfeeding customers feel confident, comfortable, and stylish. We do proper nursing bra fittings in the shop as well as being a breastfeeding friendly zone!

Sign up now for a chance to win a Milkie's Milk-Saver! Only subscribers to the Vancouver Island Baby Fair e-Newsletter will be eligible to win!

Vancouver Island Baby Fair producer Shirley Broback is now a featured blogger over at Today's Parent online. In recognition of her 2009 SavvyMom Entrepreneur of the Year award, Shirley is now sharing the "ins and outs of balancing business and parenthood" with readers of Today's Parent in the blog "Musings From a Mom Entrepreneur."

In her latest post, Shirley tackles the politics of Valentines Day in kindergarten... should your kid be forced to give a valentine to every kid in the class, even if she doesn't like some of them? Should he only give one to one or two special friends? Do you support the idea of Valentines Day at all? Read Shirley's latest post, and be sure to leave a comment!

The Photo Contest is always one of the most popular features at the Vancouver Island Baby Fair, with hundreds of new parents lining up to have a professional portrait taken of their little one for just $10 - which goes 100% to a local charity. We're looking for a photographer who is up to the task to run the photo contest at our upcoming event in Nanaimo on June 5 & 6.

We'll be conducting interviews later this month in Nanaimo. If you're a photographer in the Nanaimo area, or know someone who might be interested, please contact us ASAP for details. To learn more about the photo contest, visit the photo contest page.

Earlier today we were proud to present a cheque for $2450 to the Foster Parent Support Services Society - money we fundraised at the last Vancouver Island Baby Fair in Victoria though the Photo Contest, stroller parking, and face painting.

In addition, we provided the FPSSS with booth space at the fair to promote their organization and put the call out for more foster families. We provided logo placement in our marketing materials, the opportunity to speak on our main stage to attendees at the fair and further exposure through our website & e-Newsletters. Supporting local community initiatives is a very important aspect of the Vancouver Island Baby Fair and to our family. Thank you to those who come to the fair and make it all possible!

Foster Parent Support Services Society is a non-profit organization that is committed to providing meaningful and accessible support, education, and networking services for the foster parents of the Vancouver Island Region, which will continually enhance their skills and abilities to deliver the best care possible to the children in their homes.

Do you have room for one more? If so, please contact them today to find out how you can make a difference in the life of a child!

Pictured: Shirley Broback (middle) presenting FPSSS Executive Director Margaret Howley (left) and Lisa Argue with a cheque.

Registration is now open for the next Vancouver Island Baby Fair in Nanaimo, June 5 & 6, 2010 and in Victoria, Sept. 25 & 26, 2010.

All applications received by Dec. 31, 2009 will receive a 10% Early Bird Discount.
For more information, including downloadable application forms and floor plans for both shows are available on the Vancouver Island Baby Fair Exhibitor's page.

We are doing a little preliminary research on postpartum depression resources on Vancouver Island and postpartum depression in general, and looking for women to share their ideas with us.
If you can, please share with us the following:
1) Did you have post partum depression? how did you know? For how long?
2) Did you get help? Why or why not?
3) Who referred you to help? Doc, midwife, public health nurse, friend?
4) What kind of help did you get? Counseling, meds, postpartum doula, group, etc...?
5) Might some of your postpartum depression have been prevented somewhat or entirely? If so, how?
6) What kind of resources helped & what type of resources do you wish existed?
7) Where have you received any info on postpartum depression? Public Health nurse, doctor, midwife, friends, websites?

If you are not from Vancouver Island and you know of some great postpartum depression resources, please share with us!

Please send responses privately by email and feel free to elaborate on these questions if you have more to share. Thank you!