Privacy Policy

Welcome to IAmExpecting.co.uk (“we”, “our”, “us”).

We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information responsibly. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and the choices you have when you visit our website, use our tools, subscribe to our newsletter or contact us.

1. Who We Are

IAmExpecting.co.uk provides information, planning tools and resources for expectant parents and families.

Data Controller:
John Meadows
Email: john@iamexpecting.co.uk
Website: iamexpecting.co.uk

2. Information We Collect

Information You Give Us

When you subscribe to our newsletter or due date reminders, we collect:

• Your email address
• Your first name (optional)
• Your baby's due date, if you ask for reminders from the Due Date Calculator
• A record of your consent: the wording you agreed to, when you agreed, and when you confirmed your email address

If you email us, we will receive your email address and anything you include in your message.

Information Collected Automatically

To protect the newsletter sign-up from abuse, we store a scrambled (one-way hashed) version of your IP address when you subscribe. It cannot be turned back into your IP address.

Like most websites, our hosting provider keeps standard server logs (such as IP address, browser type and pages requested) for security and troubleshooting.

Only if you accept analytics or advertising cookies, Google will also collect information such as your device, browser, approximate location, pages visited and how you arrived at our site. See Cookies.

Information That Stays On Your Device

Our Due Date Calculator and Baby Budget Planner save what you type in your own browser (using “local storage”), so your figures are still there when you come back. This information is never sent to us. You can clear it at any time by clearing your browser's site data.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

• Send the newsletter and due date reminders you asked for
• Tailor reminders and tips to your stage of pregnancy, if you gave us your due date
• Respond to your enquiries
• Understand how the website is used and improve it (with your consent)
• Show advertising that helps keep the site free (personalised only with your consent)
• Prevent spam, fraud and misuse

4. Lawful Basis For Processing

Under UK GDPR we rely on the following lawful bases:

Consent

For our newsletter and reminders, and for analytics and advertising cookies. A due date can reveal that you are pregnant, which is health information, so we only collect it with your explicit consent when you ask for reminders. You can withdraw any consent at any time.

Legitimate Interests

For keeping the website secure, preventing abuse of our forms and keeping server logs.

Legal Obligation

Where we need to keep information to comply with the law.

5. Email Newsletter

We only add you to our mailing list after you tick the consent box and confirm your email address using the link we send you. We may then send:

• Pregnancy reminders and planning tips
• Budgeting advice
• Product recommendations
• New articles, tools and resources

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any email, or by contacting us. Unsubscribing does not affect the lawfulness of anything we sent before you withdrew consent.

6. Cookies

Cookies are small text files stored on your device. When you first visit, we ask which cookies you are happy for us to use. Nothing other than essential cookies is set until you choose, and rejecting is as easy as accepting.

Change your cookie settings

Analytics and advertising cookies are only used if you accept them. If you later switch them off, we delete the cookies we can and stop the services from running.

Our pages also load fonts from Google Fonts. This does not set cookies, but your browser connects to Google's servers, which receive your IP address. You can also block or delete cookies in your browser settings.

7. Analytics

If you accept analytics cookies, we use Google Analytics to understand:

• Which pages and tools are popular
• How visitors find our site
• How well the website performs

We look at this information in aggregate and do not use it to identify you. Google Analytics is provided by Google Ireland Limited. You can read how Google uses information from sites that use its services.

8. Advertising and Affiliate Links

We use Google AdSense to show adverts, which helps keep our tools free. AdSense only runs if you accept advertising cookies. Google may use cookies to show ads based on your previous visits to this and other websites. You can manage personalised advertising in Google's Ad Settings.

Some pages contain affiliate links. If you click one and buy something, we may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. The retailer or affiliate network may use cookies to record the referral.

Sponsored content or advertising will always be clearly identified.

9. Sharing Your Information

We do not sell your personal information. We share it only with service providers who help us run the website, and only as needed:

• Our web hosting provider, which stores the website, our subscriber database and server logs, and sends our emails
• Google (Analytics and AdSense), if you accept those cookies, and Google Fonts

We may also disclose information if the law requires it.

10. International Transfers

Google may process information outside the United Kingdom, including in the United States. Where this happens, transfers are protected by safeguards recognised under UK data protection law, such as the UK Extension to the EU–US Data Privacy Framework or the UK International Data Transfer Addendum.

11. Data Retention

We keep personal information only for as long as we need it for the purposes in this policy:

• Newsletter subscribers: until you unsubscribe. After that we keep a minimal record of your email address and unsubscribe date so we don't email you again, plus the record of your consent in case we need to show you agreed.
• Unconfirmed sign-ups: if you never click the confirmation link, we don't email you again, and we delete the details periodically.
• Google Analytics data: deleted automatically after the period set in our Google Analytics account.
• Your cookie choice: 6 months, after which we ask again.

12. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your information against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure and loss. Examples include encrypted (HTTPS) connections, confirming email addresses before we send newsletters, and scrambling IP addresses.

However, no internet transmission or storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

13. Children's Privacy

Our website is intended for adults and expectant parents. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that we have, we will delete it promptly.

14. Your Rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the right to:

• Access your personal information
• Correct inaccurate information
• Ask us to delete your information
• Restrict certain processing
• Object to certain processing
• Withdraw consent at any time
• Receive your information in a portable format where applicable

To exercise any of these rights, please contact privacy@iamexpecting.co.uk. We will respond within one month.

15. Complaints

If you have concerns about how we handle your personal information, please contact us first so we can try to put things right.

You also have the right to complain to the:

Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
Website: https://ico.org.uk
Telephone: 0303 123 1113

16. Changes To This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be published on this page with a new “Last Updated” date. If we start using a new kind of cookie, we will ask for your consent again.

Contact Us

For any privacy-related questions, please contact:

Privacy Officer
IAmExpecting.co.uk
Email: privacy@iamexpecting.co.uk