The Baby Comes Out Where??

February 24, 2012 By 1 Comment
The baby comes out where?

Why aren’t women educating themselves about childbirth? If our rising maternal death rate, high Cesarean-section rate, and abysmal childbirth education attendance isn’t enough to prove—or at least strongly suggest—the need for more education about birth, let me share this with you: Early in my 20s, when I had it all figured out but was typically clueless about life, a pregnant friend who was a few years older posed an important question: “Where exactly,” she asked, “does the baby come out?” She was clear about her basic bodily functions, namely elimination (or, in … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Birth, Birth, Before and After, Parenting, Pregnancy Tagged With: , , , , ,

40 Minutes Later…

February 23, 2012 By Leave a Comment
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Today is that day. The one with so much to do that it feels impossible to know where to begin. The day when my work-from-home status isn’t sure whether it’s dedicated to clean-the-house work, pay-the-bills work, feed-the-soul work, or keep-this-whole-Mann-Fam-operation-afloat work. I’m stuck. Every room in the house calls for my attention and a claim on my time. I want to snuggle up with the DVR remote and clear that sucker out … 2 episodes of a show I don’t even like yet … 4 doses of 30 Rock … a nerd-heaven documentary about dolphins. The brain candy awaits, right. over. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Birth, Before and After, Bodymind Bliss, Parenting, Self-care Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Is Your Self Care a Pile of Poop?

February 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment
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As I pulled into the driveway at a friend’s house this weekend, I noticed her in the backyard. She had on her cozy sweater (don’t we all have that sweater?!), well-loved pajama pants, and a pair of hard-soled slippers. Then I noticed the plastic bag in one hand and the shovel in the other. She was scooping the dog poop. I went around back and teased her about the glamorous chore. She laughed, and then confessed: With a baby and a just-turned-3-year-old, she no longer had time for gardening. Picking up dog poop was about as close as she got, she said, and actually, it had a sort of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Bodymind Bliss, Parenting, Self-care Tagged With: , , ,

Tell Your Love About Your Love

February 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment
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The fast-track to reminding your love of your love? How about a “partner appreciation week”? Relationship experts Gay and Kathlyn Hendricks recommend that you “publicly appreciate your relationship.” Do that, and “you inspire the heartfelt participation of your larger community.” When I saw that advice on their Conscious Loving Relationships facebook page, I wondered whether we might, as women and mothers and wives, get a lot more value out of Valentine’s Day if we upgraded it to Beloveds Appreciation Week. Hallmark might not hop on that bandwagon, but what if we … [Read more...]

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Birth Story: Safia Rose

February 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment
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As a prenatal yoga teacher, I love a birth story that includes a little yoga! So I adored getting this note last spring from mama Ellen, who filled me in on the birth of her beautiful daughter Safia Rose… Safia was born April 2 at 1:48 p.m. She was 7 pounds 8 ounces and 19-1/2 inches long. I was in labor for 15 hours and yoga really got me through! Especially the Sat Nam mantra - which got me through the hardest parts and helped push the baby out! The Sat Nam mantra we often used in class was inspired by the lovely Prenatal Kundalini Yoga and Meditation for Mothers to Be DVD by … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Happy Birth Stories, Hospital Births, Natural Births Tagged With: , , , ,