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Original poster

Emmas Diary?

36 replies

fudgecat · 19/03/2010 15:21

Hi all

I had my first midwife appointment this week and was given lots of things to read. One of them was a Emmas Diary book. Is it worth filling out the registration card and sending it off so i can get the goodie bag or should i not bother?

Anyone had any experiences of them?

thanks

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
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3l15a8eth · 19/03/2010 15:57

I did some of the stuff you get is worth having free nappies etc but don't do it until 13 weeks as I did mine as soon as with my first pregnancy I got nappies and other thing that I didn't need as I had a miscarriage I found it harder to deal with as this stuff kept coming. But maybe it stopped be forgetting which could of been good. Happy mum to two now. Good luck with it all.

Scrudd · 19/03/2010 15:59

Dear me, is Emma still pregnant?

I hated smug emma and her stupid husband.

But yeah, fill out the form because you get freebies, everyone likes a freebie!

narmada · 19/03/2010 16:01

If it is anything like bounty (and I think it is...you will come across bounty later) I would say dont do it. They are just after your details so they can sell it to marketing companies who will then proceed to bombard you with advertising material for a hundred and one things you never knew you needed for your new baby. Just my humble opinion..!

sockmonkey · 19/03/2010 16:09

I signed up just for the free stuff and vouchers. I don't mind junk mail.
Emma has had the same pregency 3 times with me now. Her use of the word "flump" is a tad annoying.
I am a saddo who thinks the best thing about pregnancy is the freebies. I've signed up on loads of sites to get the goodies!!

SmilerJane · 19/03/2010 18:37

hiya fudgecat

how far gone are you?
I'd def say send off for all free goodies as it not only gives you something to read it gives you lots of advice (even if not needed lol) and you get to try lots of bits you may not of otherwise tried.
but i agree with 3l15a8eth wait untill your approx 13wks

Congrats on ur preg hunni

MamaGoblin · 19/03/2010 21:40

I thought they'd discontinued that daft bint. Because of links between Emma's Diary and the way in which they sell on your details. Thread on MN, a few months back?

Anyway, don't bother. You can get a Bounty bag with the same --useless- crap freebies and fliers further on down the line. What they really want from you is your due date and your personal profile (income, job, etc) so that you can be bombarded with crap forever. The diary itself is horribly patronising and bland.

I'm someone else who filled in something from Emma's Diary the first time I was pregnant, and then miscarried at 12 weeks. I had a lot of leaflets and even phone calls around the time I would have had the baby. Not nice.

smallorange · 19/03/2010 21:51

Emma's Diary. Such a load of patronising rubbish. I'd forgotten the flump thing.FFS

BranflakeGirl · 19/03/2010 21:52

Get the free stuff but make sure you tick (or not, depending on their wording) boxes to prevent junk mail. I loved the Peartiser and Nature Valley bar I got free in mine.

BUT avoid the website/forum...bitchy as hell! And don't bother reading "The Diary" cos as others have pointed out...smug bitch! Lol!!!

porcamiseria · 20/03/2010 10:39

agree its a wank and just a marketing con to get 3 free nappies

nomorewine · 20/03/2010 10:53

I was told by my midwife that they had stopped handing out Emma's diary as some of the info was outdated.

BranflakeGirl · 20/03/2010 11:41

nomorewine...nope, it seems to still be going strong. It's even online now...which reminds me, I have to unsubscribe cos the silly tart (fictional though she is!) keeps e-mailing me her naff, smug diary.

nomorewine · 20/03/2010 11:58

I was told that they might be able to provide me with a copy of it if I really wanted one, but I declined!

Nymphadora · 20/03/2010 12:52

I just got mine & I don't think it has changed since I got it first time 10 years ago

Original poster
fudgecat · 20/03/2010 13:43

Thanks everyone

I will have a good think about it and weigh up the pros (freebies) and cons (junk mail) and decide when I am a bit further gone as I am only 8+2 at the moment

I do agree that her "diary" is rather nauseating to read

OP posts:
AmeliaEarhart · 20/03/2010 14:49

Arghh! I got handed my copy at the GP's surgery yesterday. There was a form stuck to the front which the receptionist told me to fill in and give back to her so I did (she gave me a load of other stuff to fill in so I just wasn't really reading the small print). Have I sold my soul? Am I going to get bombarded with unwanted crap?

I've has a glance at the booklet and wasn't too impressed. There's only one small paragraph on miscarriage in the whole book, and "Emma's" bit set my teeth on edge. Couldn't the smug cow at least have had some early spotting or developed piles or something??

Original poster
fudgecat · 20/03/2010 15:12

haha - I have just been having another flick through and have come to the conclusion that it is aimed at the less intelligent market.

The section on scans says "if you look at the monitor, you'll see a picture of your baby on the screen"

What really? Not the Eastenders omnibus then?

OP posts:
sungirltan · 20/03/2010 15:20

i got a flier for emmas diary in my bounty pack. i duly fetched it from argos and appreciated the free crap but i am getting sick of the junk mail. also i suspect they sold my details to next directory since i was sent some of the blasted directories and when i rang up to tear strips of them complain they said 'oh we don't have anyhting to do with bounty packs' so it must have been ed.

Tyson86 · 20/03/2010 15:25

I got mine from Lloyds and the freebies were better than the first bounty pack, BUT the granola bars in the mum to be pack had bloody peanuts in. Everyone know your not meant to eat them so why put them in there.

BranflakeGirl · 20/03/2010 15:40

Tyson86 - the Nature Valley bar?! OMG!!! I've been regularly munching on these for energy since I got my freebie! YIKES!!!

fudgecat and AmeliaEarhart...2 very good points!

cat64 · 20/03/2010 15:54

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

nickytwotimes · 20/03/2010 16:05

Ugh, I hate Emma's DIary with a vengeance.

So bloody condescending.

It is basically a marketing tool, like BOunty.

Avoid, avoid, avoid.

MudandRoses · 20/03/2010 19:56

tyson that advice on peanuts has been revised by the powers that be - you are now advised you can eat them unless you have a serious peanut allergy yourself (like, d'oh!!)
Some of the literature hasn't been updated but i double checked cos i am fairly obsessed with snickers bars and peanut butter at the mo!

gingertoo · 20/03/2010 20:05

My midwife gave me my pack on Thursday and told me it was 'all the usual stuff' except that Emma's Diary was not in there. She said that they (locally? not sure) had taken them out of the packs because they were trying to promote breastfeeding and they had a couple of issues with adverts in Emma's Diary....

I won't really miss it, although I do agree that it was quite nice first time round (now expecting my 4th )

Tyson86 · 21/03/2010 17:32

Ok thanks mudandroses, i gave it to my brother already now and he loved it

Gingertoo I joined emma's diary online and downloaded my vouchers, got my mum to be pack and the baby to bump pack that your meant to get at 7 months at just 11 weeks. If you want the pack it was really easy.

Hermya321 · 21/03/2010 17:52

Nymph You got your info pack, they haven't given me anything like that yet. In fact I haven't got any pregnancy related information from them as of yet apart from my notes.

Fudge What else did they give you?