Our journeys to and through motherhood are so completely unique and thereās much to be gained from sharing our stories. Ā With the Featured Mama Edition of our blog, we aim to highlight the power, strength and wisdom within our very own community! We are strong mamas, we are smart mamas! Ā Letās embrace one another with love and support. INTRODUCING, SARAH S! Tell us a bit about yourself: Iām a 39 year old working Mom. I’m currently on maternity leave from …
Meditate Your Way!
You know Iām a huge fan of meditation and if youāve attended group training, youāve likely given it a try! It seems like everywhere you turn, thereās a āmindfulnessā meme and/or someone else is shouting the benefits from the rooftops. Itās kind of like when someone begins exercising for the first time and then goes around telling everyone how amazing it is and the benefits they feelā¦even to those people who have been exercising foreverā¦any maybe to the very people …
Carley’s Birth Story: Welcome, Finnegan!
I am one of the lucky ones. Ā I had such a great birth experience. Ā Moms-to-be out there will probably agree that it’s crazy how many horror stories you hear once people learn you’re pregnant. Ā As if there isn’t enough anxiety around giving birth for the first time! Ā Well – spoiler alert, my experience was amazing and I only hope to be lucky enough to do it all over again. It was a Thursday morning, around 6:30 a.m. and I was …
Tara J’s Birth Story: Welcome, Conrad!
Tara J’s Birth Story: Again, my due date came and went.Ā I was eight days late with my daughter, so tried to keep up my normal routine.Ā I had finished my last day of work, so “normal” was entertaining my ever growing toddler and trying to get some exercise each day. Three days past my due date I began bleeding.Ā I had planned to go to yoga that morning so I called my doula to make sure she thought it …
Julia O’s Birth Story: Welcome, Elizabeth!
Julia Oās Birth Story: Elizabeth Rebecca Orme was born Saturday, July 23 at 10:30 a.m. Ā I canāt thank you enough for helping me prepare for labor, and hereās why. AtĀ 4:30 a.m.Ā on my due date, I started bleeding lightly and shortly thereafter having contractions 8 minutes apart for an hour. Throughout that day, I bled consistently and had contractions varying from 5 to 45 minutes apart, and they were painful! My husband, meanwhile, was sick and also in a lot of …
How To Exercise in the Second Trimester
EXERCISING DURING YOUR SECOND TRIMESTER If youāre in your second trimester,Ā you may be feeling more energetic now and relieved to be beyond the first trimester! There are so many milestones throughout pregnancy, congratulations on being here! You may be thinking more about exercise these days and although you may not start to āshowā until a bit later, you should bear in mind that certain considerations should be made to your exercise program as your body changes, the fetus moves …
Postpartum Guided Meditation
Every mom I know needs at least five minutes of quiet time and usually quite a bit more than that! I stumbled upon a beautiful guided relaxation originally meant for children by Mellisa Dormoy. Melissa is the founder of ShambalaKids and is on a mission to teach self esteem, stress management and goal attainment to children everywhere. Inspired by her work and this meditation, I adapted the original version for my postpartum clients. In fact, we dedicate the final minutes …
Safely Strengthen the Core and the Mind Simultaneously: Active Diaphragmatic Breathing
Strengthen the Core and the Mind Simultaneously? Ā Seems to good to be true, doesnāt it?! Ā However, Iāve got just the way to strengthen both at the very same timeĀ and it all comes back to your breath! Diaphragmatic breathing helps to keep you calm in mind, helps to reduce that āfight or flightā response that happens when you have feelings of anxiety or stress. Ā Itās that sensationĀ that takes over your body, your mind, sends butterflies twirling in your stomach and chills …
Diaphragmatic Breathing in Pregnancy & Postpartum
“Damn it!Ā What?!” I exclaimed, exasperated as my little one called for me for what felt like the 80th time in five minutes.Ā I again went to his side imploring, “I am right here, Honey, I’m just trying to cook dinner and I need to write a blog post about deep breathing tonight!” I immediately started laughing at the irony of the situation.Ā What I really needed was to take a time out for breathing myself! The laughter worked wonders …