Join in on some prenatal and postpartum fitness fun in Winston Salem at the William G. White YMCA at 10:40a on Mondays and at 5p-5:45 on Wednesdays. I, Marisa, will be teaching the Wednesday evening class. What will it be like? Whatever you are looking for! Work up a sweat, take a few minutes to meditate, and/or a 45-minute stretch session...you tell me and we will make it happen!
Hope to see you there!
MLC
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/10/tamar-shugert-breastfeeding-in-bathroom-photo_n_6816086.html
Photos by JOHNATHAN WENSKE/KRIS HARO
Johnathan Wenske and Kris Haro, who are both juniors at the University of North Texas, drew up a mock ad campaign aimed at promoting a proposed state law that would protect women from harassment and discrimination when they breastfeed in public. whennuturecalls.org
Did you know that there are laws that protect woman breastfeeding in public? They exist! But could use a little sprucing up in a couple states...
Individual state laws can be found on the National Conference of State Legislatures website.
Be Well!
MLC
Our society has a ridiculously hypocritical view of breasts.Here's exactly why: http://bit.ly/1MpZDcgLike ATTN: on Facebook for content that promotes feminism.
Posted by ATTN: on Tuesday, September 15, 2015
We are just here to offer discussion. Tell us what you think, please!
We would love for thousands of moms and moms-to-be and heck, even dads to read our site daily, provide feedback, and help us grow the village; but, we know what's real. We may not even have 5 minutes to take a shower each day. Nonetheless, we hope you do check in often and pass our website address along to others! We also hope that we have been able to inspire every individual, not just women, with our thoughts, recipes, workouts, and challenges!
We came across a couple of pregnancy websites that we thought we cool and would like to share them with you. Cool stuff to check out when you have a minute ;-)
Be Well on Your Journey!
This post is not meant to persuade or put down any woman's birth plan or labor and delivery wishes. It is simply a post to bring forth a recent study discussing its finding: Home births not linked to increased risk of complications. (Click here to read the article.)
We wold love to hear your thoughts and your own experience with labor and delivery. Please share as you see fit!
It is certification renewal time for me. Luckily, all of my professional certifications are due at the same time every two years--makes it easy to remember! However, I tend to procrastinate and it is now crunch time.
For this go-around, Human Kinetics offered a course on prenatal and postpartum exercise design and I jumped on the chance to brush-up on the most current recommendations regarding exercise and pregnancy.
Recommendations have certainly evolved over the past century and even just the past several decades. What was once thought to be detrimental to the mother and the fetus is now thought to be extremely beneficial in aiding the pregnant woman throughout her pregnancy and the very physical event of labor and delivery.
Below, you'll find a photo of my course book detailing the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists guidelines regarding prenatal and postpartum exercise.
***If you are able to exercise and do not have any risk factors or contraindications to exercise, here are just a few of the benefits that await you:
1. Aerobic or cardiorespiratory exercise gives women greater energy reserves and helps them to handle the cardiovascular demands during the stresses of pregnancy, labor, and delivery.
2. Strength and endurance exercises and flexibility training enables the body to accommodate to the changes in weight and posture during pregnancy and assist in a faster return to pre-pregnancy fitness levels.
3. Exercise reduces the symptoms of pregnancy such as nausea, fatigue, leg cramps, excessive weight gain, constipation, backache, and other general discomforts.
4. Exercise improves self-esteem and body image and elevates mood as the pregnant woman adjusts to increased body weight.
5. Exercise can reduce insulin resistance, improve oxygen delivery, and decrease excess fat deposition.
Talk to your healthcare provider about your pregnancy and how exercise fits your specific needs.
Be Well on Your Journey,
MLC
Always consult with your healthcare provider. This is NOT a prescribed prenatal and postpartum exercise program.
***Resource:
Prenatal & Postpartum Exercise Design
Gwen Hyatt, MS & Catherine Cram, MS
The love in this photo is palpable!
One week ago today at 9:52pm, this beautiful baby girl joined her loving family. And yes, on Maternity Monday ;-) Welcome Liza Frances!
"There is a secret in our culture, and it's not that birth is painful. It's that women are strong." -Laura Stavoe Harm
Whether you have given birth, adopted, or are about to give birth: You can do it. Stay within yourself. Think only love.
We anxiously await to hear from our Lauren! She's due any day.
I can’t believe I’ve made it to this week. It’s kind of surreal. I am now 39 weeks and 3 days and am due this Friday. This week I’m feeling very grateful. Not only because it’s Thanksgiving, but because I have been healthy and well this pregnancy and my baby continues to grow and kick inside me.
I finished work yesterday morning. It was a great last night and it went by smoothly; all my coworkers were begging to check me and get things going so they could be around to meet this little one! I didn’t let that happen, mind you. I would like some days of rest prior to having this baby. I couldn’t imagine working a 12hour shift laboring patients and then sending myself into labor right after. So, needless to say I’m taking the more natural route. I am letting things take their course and trusting that labor will ensue when it should. After all, I want this baby to come when he or she is ready. I don’t want to force anything on it just yet.
I am so grateful for the time I’ve been pregnant…Seeing that this is probably the last time I will do this, there have been many moments where I’ve just focused on my belly and the miracle growing inside me. I try to take time out every day to just enjoy my one on one time with Summer, too. Realizing that soon it will be four of us in this house and the dynamic is about to change in a big way. I’m doing my best to enjoy every moment and to focus on the present, knowing full well that contractions can start at any minute and I will be giving birth. It’s such an exciting prospect. I know I am present at labors and births every day I go to work, but something is very different about going into the hospital and being on the other side. There is something empowering about labor yet extremely vulnerable too. I wonder what will happen and how it will all transpire. I have great faith and put my trust in the higher power to get me through it.
I am also thankful or the love and support of family and friends. The texts come in daily asking how I’m feeling and if anything is happening yet. Everyone is on pins and needles waiting to hear the news. I feel very loved and cared about. The village I choose to surround myself with is amazing and I am so very blessed to have them in my life.
This could very well be my last Maternity Monday post. It has been lovely to be able to chronicle my pregnancy and have an anonymous group of readers along with me for the journey. Thank you to all of you out there who have read my posts and supported me through this! I feel all the positive vibes coming my way. I look forward to sharing the news of our new addition soon! Until then…
Be Well,
LEW
...for our Lauren! We are thinking about you, Laur, and all the other pregnant women out there! Yes, the last couple of weeks are rough. We wanna meet our little bundle of joy that kick us until we pee our pants. Sure, the aches, pains, swollen feet, sleepless night...we are done with, but the anticipation of meeting our baby is what makes those days go by so slowly.
Hang in and take time to treat yourself daily: feet up, massages, stay hydrated, eat well, go for walks, and smile. Life is good.
MLC
So I'm going to be balls out honest here. I'm in that edgy, irritable, not so fun part of pregnancy. I'm feeling a little uncomfortable, somewhat nervous and overall just not 'me'. It's not something I'm proud to admit. I wish I could say I was glowing and blooming and felt a surge of energy at this last hurdle of pregnancy; but I don't. I feel a little fed up and ready to be back to my own body. And yet, I know that once my little newborn is here and I'm in the postpartum period I'll be exhausted, and drained and not myself either. However, all of that seems more appealing than the state I'm in right now. And on top of it all, I am very aware of all that's ahead of me. Whether labor starts spontaneously in these next 2.5 weeks or I have to be induced, I know what it all entails. And yet there are still a lot of unknowns. Will I be ok? Will the baby be healthy? Who will we call to take care of Summer if it all happens in the middle of the night? It's all very anxiety producing.
My sleep is now getting more broken and uncomfortable too--perhaps mother nature's way of preparing us for sleepless nights while up breastfeeding our little ones? But, as my sister said a long time ago when she was pregnant, "I think mother nature could prepare me a whole lot better by getting some solid nights' sleep". Very true! My hips are hurting, so I toss and turn and readjust my million pillows around me about 52 times a night. I'm waking up with crazy pregnancy dreams--the one I had last night I dreamt my baby came out weighing 9lb 6oz! Let's hope I'm not going to give birth to that after my first was only 7lb 3oz! And then I woke with a gnawing hunger at 430 am and went downstairs to eat a banana. I haven't done anything like that since first trimester. So basically I'm all over the place.
Every one of my friends who have been here before can relate. So when I text them that I'm in this stage they all say, "Ah yes, I remember it well. But you can do it! You're almost there." So, for those of you who are first timers, take heart. This too, shall pass. And you will look back on these days and nights and realize it's actually not so bad. It's hard work growing a life. It has to take its toll on you somehow. I suppose I should consider myself blessed that I have gotten to 37+ weeks relatively unscathed….and I do see an end in sight. It's just completely up in the air as to when that will be. Kinda exciting, kinda scary. But I'm embracing it and choosing to believe that everything will work out exactly how it's supposed to. And it will for you, too. Trust the process...
Be well,
LEW
I had my 36-week prenatal appointment this week and my fundal height measured smaller than my gestation so they ended up sending me for an ultrasound to confirm that the baby’s growth was on target. When I was having the ultrasound done, I got a little freaked out thinking that if something wasn’t right I’d have to possibly be induced…and soon! Thankfully baby measured just right and all is well; but as the female ultrasonographer scanned my belly we started chatting. I had told her that because I’m considered ‘advanced maternal age’, (which for those of you who don’t know, is any woman over 35 who’s pregnant) it was recommended to me by one midwife to have weekly ultrasounds and non stress tests of the baby from now until delivery. I asked if I really had to do it and the ultrasound woman said, “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.” And that struck me. She was right. I did feel like it was a bit much--after all I am only 37! But wouldn’t I do everything I had to to make sure my baby and body were ok from now until delivery? I had given into the idea and was going to do whatever it took to keep my baby healthy and safe.
This interaction got me thinking about women who come into labor & delivery completely unarmed with information or any knowledge about the process. They willingly hand over care of their bodies and their babies to the health care team -- no questions asked. They accept any and every intervention we throw at them and don’t challenge a thing. As a nurse and patient advocate, I always tell women they have the right to refuse any of the recommended interventions and that they have a voice and a vote. Many do not realize this. They think ‘Doctors know best’ and just let them do what needs to be done. This never ceases to amaze me. Most of my patients are well-educated women and they just relinquish control and say, “Do whatever you need to do”. Now don’t get me wrong, in some situations challenging medical intervention is not safe. If you take this into your own hands, you have to realize you are accountable for your choices and assume the risks that go along with your decisions. It’s a fine line for sure. I would recommend consulting with your partner and health care team to make the best, most informed choice. I am in no way encouraging patients to come in and be non-compliant. I’m just suggesting that we don’t accept any and all of the medical interventions that are thrown at us. It is also the responsibility of your nurse and medical provider (whether it be a doctor or midwife) to provide you with all the information, side effects, risks and benefits of each medicine and procedure. All in all, I’m encouraging you to ask questions, be armed with knowledge and make the best decision for yourself and your baby. It’s your pregnancy and birth experience and you should be an integral part of the process.
As I was perusing facebook today I stumbled on an article that was published on GOOP.com entitled ‘Postnatal Depletion’. It addresses the intense fatigue, brain fog and guilt many mothers can feel in the postpartum period right up through the first decade of your child’s life! Imagine…it’s not just a myth. It’s real, ladies. And the main contributor to this depletion is that women feel alone and that all the focus goes to the baby after the baby is born. Moms are usually second or last in the pecking order to receive any good rest, nutrition or TLC. That is one reason Marisa wanted to start this website. As outlined in our mission statement: it takes a village. We are not alone. But unfortunately it often feels that way. Why are we so reluctant to reach out, be vulnerable and ask for help? Many of us feel it’s admitting defeat if we say, “I can’t do this, I’m stressed, and I need help.” But honestly, after my first daughter was born 3 years ago, that’s when I felt the most heard by my own husband. I was crying and overtired and feeling very overwhelmed. My daughter was probably 6 weeks old at the time. I was trying my hardest to maintain a clean house, stock the cabinets with food, feed my husband and myself while also trying to fit in a daily shower--mind you this did NOT always happen. But as I cried to him I finally admitted, “I’m struggling. I can’t do it all”. And you know what? He had NO idea. He thought I was just sailing along without any issues. It’s because so many of us have that feeling that we need to be supermom/super wife. And so we wear the brave face, don the cape and say, “I’m good. I’ve got this”.
Well, I’m five weeks away from delivery now and I vow to reach out this time and ask for help when I need it. I’m not going to be a hero. I’m going to be real and true to myself and admit when I am feeling fried, in need of a nap or just can’t make the dinner that night. I’m going to call on girlfriends and ask them to stop in so I have some adult company. I’m going to ask that when my friends come visit, they turn a blind eye to the mess that surrounds them and focus on my beautiful new baby and me. I don’t think people usually come visit moms and babies expecting a clean house; however, I always felt the need to keep up appearances for my visitors. Well, not this time. This time I’m taking a lesson from my daughter Summer’s favorite song and mantra and am going to “LET IT GO”! Because, after all, we promote the baby’s rest and nutrition like nobody’s business, but who’s saying to us “Go lay down. Take a break. EAT. I’ve got the baby”? If it’s not being offered, seek it out. Voice your needs. Don’t feel alone and don’t let yourself feel depleted. Motherhood is fulfilling in so many ways. Let’s fill each other up. Let’s reach out, lend a hand, make a meal and pass NO judgment. After all, we are all just doing the best we can.
When I was pregnant with my first baby, I had no problem working out, riding my bike, or running. I never felt sick, I didn't gain very much weight, and I slept, well, like a baby. I know what you are thinking, but don't worry... The second time around wasn't nearly so easy. I gained a lot more weight, I couldn't work out like I wanted to, and my back hurt all the time. Yoga was my saving grace. And though it is not recommended to practice ALL yoga moves while pregnant, cat/cow pose was absolutely delicious. It was the ONLY position I could feel comfortable. I recommend trying this at least 3-4 times a week, or as much as possible. Your back AND your baby will thank you.
Be well!
BHW
[A]. Kneel on all fours, abdominals drawn in. Inhale and gently arch your back, tipping your tailbone up, eyes looking up toward the sky (previous slide).
[B]. Exhale and round your back as you tuck your chin in toward your chest (this slide).
[C]. Sit back on your heels into Child's Pose and relax for 1 breath (next slide).
Repeat sequence 10 times. Remain in Child's Pose for 5 slow breaths to cool down.
You can use this move during labor.
He showed the words “chocolate cake” to a group of Americans and recorded their word associations. “Guilt” was the top response. If that strikes you as unexceptional, consider the response of French eaters to the same prompt: “celebration.”
― Michael Pollan, In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto
Pregnancy is a blessing. It is a beautiful blessing. But for many, the challenges and the pains of pregnancy through shade at those miraculous 9-months.
Nausea, vomiting, swelling, heart burn, back pain, leg cramps, pee'd in pants, headaches, insomnia, and constipation are just a few of the struggles pregnant women have to overcome and gracefully continue with their normal everyday busy lives. At some point, we all hit a wall and something has to give. And at some point, we are faced with the dilemma of taking care of ourselves while leaving others to fend for themselves. Some of us are faced with a decision to treat our own illnesses without knowing for sure how it effects our fetus. Mother's guilt.
Yes, you need to put your own oxygen mask on before applying it to others.
Who out there is faced with dilemmas that seem like all lose-lose situations? Please, don't be shy! No judgement passed here. Talk about it. Hash it out.
Be Well,
MLC
Yikes. Yep, I said it. Too often we hear celebrities or individuals in the public eye comment on their "guilt-free eating" during their pregnancies. Here are a few examples:
Jessa Duggar Seewald: "Lunch date with my man," Jessa wrote on Instagram while snapping a selfie with her husband. "Yeah…because ‘the baby' was craving Arby's. I love being able to use that excuse."
Carrie Underwood: The typically vegan eater said on The Rachael Ray Show, "I ate Pop-Tarts. I haven't done that since college," adding that she's "giving myself license to have things I might not normally have. Sometimes I'll wake up in the middle of the night and I'll be like, 'Man, I'm hungry' and then I'll get up and have a midnight snack, which I've never done before."
Zoe Saldana: While pregnant with twin boys Cy Aridio and Bowie Ezio, born November 27, 2014, Saldana confessed to a bizarre food craving on E!'s Untold With Maria Menounos: eating baked goods and preserved meats together. And on "The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson", she admitted that she used pregnancy as an excuse to indulge in whatever she wanted. "You trick yourself, working in Hollywood. You trick yourself, going, 'That burger's disgusting. That burger's awful,'" Saldana said. "But now that [I'm] pregnant, [I'm] like, 'I can eat all this together, at the same time. Like, I can have the pickle with the donut, and it would probably be life-changing."
Many women, including myself, admire these women in various ways. I am sad to hear that they feel they need to use pregnancy as an excuse to indulge. As if they have deprived themselves of these treats their whole life.
And I suppose it isn't just the celebrities, I hear friends talk about not caring what they eat and use pregnancy as an excuse to eat the French fries they wouldn't eat while not pregnant. Eating habits aside, pregnancy is the time to take your health and wellbeing and place it pretty much at the top of your priority list. It is the time to eat better than you have ever eaten, taking into account your nutritional needs as you help to develop another human being.
If you are pregnant or trying to become pregnant, I hope that you let go and indulge with moderation. But remember that now would be the time to eat with purpose, compassion for yourself and your baby, and to respond to the nutritional needs of your ever changing body, mind, and spirit.
Be well,
MLC
Last Friday I did a barre class at the gym and when we were on our mats doing core work, I raised up and strained something that felt like what could have been a muscle tear in my lower right abdomen. The pain lasted a few minutes and definitely took my breath away. Of course just then I decided to stop and rest and didn’t continue on with that particular exercise. The pain lasted for most of that day. Even trying to walk the dog later I had to turn around because it was too painful. I never had this experience with my first pregnancy. I worked the following night and it still felt heavy and sore in that lower right quadrant. I decided it was most likely a strain that would subside. I did yoga the next day and that seemed to help a lot. I definitely go by the motto to listen to your body while exercising. If it’s too sore, stop. The baby has been kicking like usual and everything else seems just fine but I really don’t want to feel that pain again.
Yoga in pregnancy is a great form of exercise. I joined a prenatal yoga class in my first pregnancy and loved it. Having a toddler this time around has made fitting in an exercise regime a bit tougher-- especially because many yoga studios do not have childcare options. I do subscribe to a yoga website called Yogaglo that has online classes of every type of yoga with different durations and levels. They have prenatal and postpartum yoga classes that I need to take more advantage of. It’s a pretty reasonable monthly price of $18 and it’s unlimited. The beauty is you can do it in the comfort of your own home and when your other children are asleep! I need to start making it part of my daily routine. It not only helps keep you in physical shape but it has huge benefits mentally and spiritually. The breath is your saving grace in labor. It helps get you through. If you practice breathing techniques in your pregnancy and during exercise it will only prove beneficial when it comes time to give birth. Go out and try a class today. NAMASTE!
Necessary and paramount, maternity leave allows mothers to bond with their newborns and with the rest of their family members. Time spent as a close knit unit is crucial for not only the newborn to make a connection with it's mother, father, and siblings but for everyone to connect and become grounded in one another's love.
There was no shortage of opinions when Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo, announced one week ago that she is pregnant with twins girls and would be returning to work two weeks after giving birth. Click here to read her statement. And since she is the CEO of Yahoo, I'm sure she was ready for all the good, bad, ugly, terrible, and inconsiderate opinions and messages hurling toward all of her social media accounts.
Creating a discussion regarding this topic is extremely important and offers relevance to the importance of maternity leave and paternity leave and giving top priority to the development of that crucial connection within a family unit. But unfortunately, people seem to have a hard time discussing certain topics without becoming just down right rude at times. So, how about we take a stab at offering thoughts on the topic that are insightful and helpful!
Please, tell us your thoughts about her decision on our Facebook Page!
I just finished working three nights in labor and delivery and I have to say, I see it all. I see the patients who sail through pregnancy without an ache or pain and I see the patients who seem to get every symptom under the sun--they are so over being pregnant that they can't wait to have the baby and be done with it all. I'm lucky.
I fall somewhere in between. I'm neither symptom free nor am I riddled with the plight of every ailment in the book. However, I am finding that leg cramps are interrupting my sleep lately...they hit you like a ton of bricks and all you can do is bolt upright out of bed to stretch.
The joys of it all....
Although on the flip side, I'd say I'm in that sweet spot of
pregnancy. I'm now 27 weeks and I don't feel pregnant most the time
and then the baby kicks and I'm suddenly reminded, 'oh yea, there's a
little person growing inside of me.' It's pretty cool. I am reveling
in the times when the baby moves. I even pulled my scrub top up at
work the other day and sat and watched my belly (it was pretty slow at
work). All my coworkers gathered around me eagerly saying, "awww I
want to see!" and they all put their hands on me to feel the baby kick
and acted as though it was the first time they'd ever witnessed such a
cool thing. Mind you, every one of them has had children and works in
the business of having babies...But that's just it. It never gets old.
Each one there would chime in with "I didn't love being pregnant but
wow do I ever miss that feeling of the baby moving" or "That was my
favorite part of pregnancy" and "Isn't it just the BEST?" One of them
even went on to say "See...men will NEVER know this feeling. Isn't it
awesome to be a woman? Look what our bodies can do!" It was a special
moment for me. I felt surrounded by utterly amazed women who have all
been through this process before but yet who all still have such awe
and admiration for the woman's body and creation in general.
I feel so blessed to have the ability to carry a child and to know the
special feeling of life growing inside me. As women, we are capable of
so much. I hope this has made you relive the moments when your baby
kicked inside your womb or has made you yearn for the day when you get
to experience it. Because no matter what, I've yet to meet a woman who
regrets doing it or wouldn't go right back through it and do it all
again. It's a wonderful ride!
It's all over the news and online social media: the pregnant meteorologist. And yes, you will find us bring it up here, just in case someone missed out on how awesome this woman is.
To recap, unfortunately, this woman (a public figure) faced nasty and in appropriate comments regarding her beautiful pregnant body (she is carrying twin girls). She is in her 9th month of pregnancy. Fortunately, she is 9 months pregnant. And she is still able to work! Hurray! Mothers carrying twins often have to deliver early or their bodies' take over and they deliver earlier than what may be considered safe for the newborns.
It is sad to see this aspect of humanity...the rude, inconsiderate, and thoughtless. Below, you will find the conversation and actual news article.
Here is this super bad a$$ and loving mother's facebook page (we 'liked' her): Katie Fehlinger
We hope that you read this and instead of responding with anger to her 'haters', you continue to be a patient advocate for women and mothers. We promise to do the same.
Here is a link and quote from Pennsylvania news channel WPXI:
"Frankly, I don't care how 'terrible' or 'inappropriate' anyone thinks I look," Fehlinger wrote on her Facebook page. "I will gladly gain 50 pounds & suffer sleepless, uncomfortable nights if it means upping my chances to deliver 2 healthy baby girls. Now it's about more than aesthetics. I want these babies to have the best start possible. And that hopefully means my belly that 'looks like it's about to explode!' will continue to grow the next few weeks."
Here is her Facebook statement:
It really does take a village. As mothers, caregivers, professionals, partners, and individuals we assume to Be The Village. Modern day lifestyles can leave most families to survive and thrive on what may seem like an island. That is where we come in. Let's be a village. Let's offer each other support, freedom to vent without judgement, humor to make light of any situation, and empower each other to accomplish what is in our wildest dreams and simply be the best person we can be.
Overall wellness lies at the heart of a thriving individual and family unit. Without it, dis-ease can exists. Our goal is to ignite conversations and provide information regarding health, fitness, nutrition, motherhood, staying healthy and active during pregnancy, and overall wellness.
Calling all FEMALES! Former athletes, current athletes, non-exercisers, pregnant, trying to become pregnant, new-to-exercise, and all Moms of the World...we are here to keep you MOVING!
Join us as we discuss overall health and wellness topics including healthy recipes, workouts (for all family members), lifestyle tips, organizing tips, general rants & raves, resources, and product reviews.
We hope to foster fellowship, inspiration, education, and empowerment.
