A new decade is just a few days away! In the spirit of a new decade, a new year and new connections, Sherry Anshara of QuantumPathic Center of Consciousness gives us a glimpse into the impact of connecting with our children from the very beginning…

The joy of pregnancy is deeper for mothers and fathers, when they allow themselves to still their minds and mindfully connect to their babies as the babies experience their nine month journey of physical, mental, spiritual and emotional evolution. Parents and babies have the extraordinary opportunity to know each other at the deepest levels of awareness from inception, to connect with each other at that pure cellular level of unconditional love. The new children, sometimes identified as Indigo and Crystal Children, bring to the Earth, a clearer awareness of who they are and their purpose.

Parents who are blessed with these children have unlimited opportunities to learn from them. Keep them chemical free, nurture them with healthy foods and love them unconditionally. Keep in mind that a healthy parent/child relationship begins from inception at the cellular level. Be open…while pregnant talk about yourselves to the baby, sing your favorite songs and play music for the baby. The baby will respond as you create healthy memories right from the womb. Through each stage of the baby’s nine month development, you have the opportunity to create a healthy conscious relationship with the baby right from the very beginning of his or her life.

Medical intuitive Sherry Anshara is founder of her Scottsdale, Arizona-based QuantumPathic^® Center of Consciousness, developer of the QuantumPathic Energy Method®, and teacher/developer of the Intuitive Powers/Practical Applications courses. In her private practice she teaches individuals, couples and families locally, nationally and internationally how to connect to their cellular memory by using their intuition to consciously create their lives. For more information visit Sherry’s web site at www.quantumpathic.com.

Follow Myryka as she teaches the sexiest moves for staying fit. Pregnant or not, these moves will deliver!

The term “Belly Dance” originated with Napoleon’s soldiers who were most likely the first Europeans to see the dance ritual. They labeled it “Danse du Ventre”, which is French for “Dance of the Stomach”.  Sacred dancing featured the abdomen, the source of the Goddesses’ fertility.  It is believed that belly dance was used to help pregnant women through the birth process. The mother-to-be was surrounded by concentric circles of women who danced with repeated abdominal movements while the woman gave birth. Sometimes the mother-to-be would dance with them as the movements relaxed her muscles and increased the flexibility of her hips and eased labor pains.

Belly Dancing reduces stress, increases energy and flexibility and improves strength, posture, muscle tone and coordination. It has been said that it heals and balances the body, mind and spirit all at once. Belly dancing can also burn as many calories as power-walking or riding a bike.  It’s a great way be creative and expressive.

This video provides advice on exercise and fitness. Amon Maternity encourages you to consult your physician prior to engaging in any of the activities or exercises presented on this website.

Myryka Nunya won the 2006 Bellydancer of the Universe People’s Choice & Congeniality Awards. She began her career as a showgirl at the age of 18 at Bally’s Jubilee, and quickly went on to work in shows at The Flamingo, Stratasphere, & Ceasar’s Palace in Las Vegas.  Myryka teaches pre-natal belly dance classes in Scottsdale, AZ.  More information can be found on her website www.myryka.com.

The experts say that sleep is very important during pregnancy.  Your body is creating another human being…you should be tired.  However, the aches, pains, and discomfort of pregnancy can rob you of that precious commodity.  There’s no sure fire way to be certain you will get 12 hours of beauty rest each night but here are three ways to make sleep come a little easier during your 40 weeks of baby-making.

1.  Be hydrated.  Pregnant women need to drink lots of water as they are prone to dehydration, especially if they are active that day.  They lose 2-3 quarts of water each day through perspiration and urination.  Also, during pregnancy there is about one quart of amniotic fluid surrounding the baby and your body completely replaces that fluid every two to three hours! So drink up! However, cut off liquids close to bedtime to minimize the number of time you will need to go to the bathroom during the night.

2.  Be supported.  Finding a comfortable position in bed is not easy when you’re pregnant.  Laying on your left side is what most experts recommend to allow for the best blood flow to the baby, your uterus, and kidneys.  Buying a good pregnancy pillow will help with this.  The Utterly Yours pregnancy pillow is a great option for sleep support for pregnant women.  It costs from $39.95 to $54.95 depending on size and can be bought on line.  (Author’s note:  After surrounding myself with all sorts of pillows for my first two pregnancies, I finally tried out a new pregnancy pillow from Utterly Yours.  I love it!  It supports both my back and my stomach and I wake up feeling more rested.  Why didn’t I have this before?  I highly recommend it for all pregnant moms.)

3.  Be comfortable.  Start a bedtime routine. (You will do this for your child soon enough so why not start with you?)  Make it consistent and soothing like a warm shower, a foot massage, or a cup of decaffeinated tea to help you relax and ease into sleep each night.  Having a supportive sleep bra or nightgown with shelf bra helps to avoid the breast soreness you may feel as your pregnancy progresses.  Comfortable panties is also a must.  A favorite is Amon Maternity’s “skivvies” boy shorts which can be bought on line.  They help relieve the lower back pain caused by a growing belly.  They are slimming under evening clothes and are great for working out too.  They are non-binding and supportive.  There’s nothing worse then trying to sleep with elastic digging into your legs and stomach.  Plus, it may sound unbelievable but they are actually pretty sexy, especially in black.

Article by Maria Smith, Atlanta Stay-at-Home Moms Examiner

Free shoe fittings at Road Runners Sports last Thursday is helping mom’s gear up for the holiday!

Our behold band supported Emma + baby who’s expected to make her arrival soon. It was wonderful to team up with our friends from StrollerStrides, At One Yoga and Amomi Spa in helping support mom’s in our community. Many thanks go out to Greta who provided information on her Doula services. Don’t miss Greta explain how acupressure can help relieve your morning sickness!

You can apply firm pressure with the thumbs to stimulate the self adjusting and healing mechanisms of the body. There are different pressure points that can be used during labor for baby rotation or descent, to speed up stalled labor, against nausea etc.

The Inner Gate point can alleviate nausea during labor or also helps when you experience morning sickness during the pregnancy.

The point is located on the inside of the wrist, three finger widths below the wrist line on the hollow between the two bones of the forearm. Take your thumb and index or middle finger and press firmly on the points on both sides of the wrist when you feel nauseous.

You can also purchase or make your own wristband that applies pressure to the correct spot. They usually have a knob or flat button positioned over the acupressure point. You might feel relief as soon as you put it on, but after your body grows accustomed to the pressure, you’ll need to press down on the acupressure point for extra relief.

 

Greta Sprenkeling of AZ BirthConnection, LLC is a certified doula, prenatal massage therapist and pregnancy yoga instructor. Since 1995 she has supported over 300 families to have a healthy pregnancy, better birth and easy recovery. Learn more about Greta by visiting her website www.superdoula.com.

We will be at Road Runners Sports in Phoenix tomorrow from 10am-12pm. Please stop by to enter in for raffle prizes and receive 15% off your purchase of running shoes! Click on the picture below for all the details.

Amon Maternity proudly participated in and sponsored the 2nd annual Race for Maggie’s Place on Sunday, November 8th! Maggie’s Place is a community of homes that provide for pregnant women who are along or living on the streets.

The 9k running race represented the months of pregnancy along with a 3k stroller push and Kid’s Dash. This year A Race for Maggie’s Place had over 800 participants and more than 200 kids!

Many thanks to Boot Camp Babes who joined us at Tempe Beach Park.

We are very grateful for our Shadow Racers in Charleston, SC and Virginia Beach, VA who raced in their own town. Thank you for making this years event a wonderful success!

Nesting is inevitable during pregnancy. Internally, our bodies create a sacred “nest” for our babies to grow and develop. Externally, we often receive an instinctual impulse to clean and redecorate our homes just in time for the arrival of our children. Interior Designer, Anita Lang challenges us to consciously reflect our family’s values when we are nesting.

Interior Design is past pretty rooms.  It is a way to create emotional responses, create function and organization and reflect who you are to the world. In this process there is a great opportunity to highlight the values and habits we want to pass on to our kids as part of their heritage.

One area is Sustainable Design and teaching responsible stewardship of our earth. Do we have an organized, easy area for recyclables for our family? When it comes time to a freshen space, can we look for ways to repurpose furniture or other items instead of adding to a land fill. A fresh coat of paint can go far.

If we involve our kids in the design of a space it helps create respect for belongings and a pride of ownership. I have had clients tell me that they’ve never seen kids keep their rooms so neat before. By thinking through function and organization in designing a space we can help develop some good habits that are easier for kids to implement. It’s easier for kids to put toys away when they know the games go in this drawer and the dolls go on this shelf.

Taking the initial time to think through the interior design of our homes is worth the effort since it becomes the backdrop of our family’s life.

Interior Motives, Inc was founded by Anita Lang, a member of American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) for over 17 years. She has been recognized with 24 ASID Design Excellence Awards over the past seven years. As well as the Designer of Distinction Award in 2008 for the work her firm does within the community. As an extension of her philosophy of the power of good design, IMI’s Inspire Foundation, a nonprofit 501(3)(C) corporation was created to benefit local community organizations as well as nurture young design talent. For more information, visit www.interiormotivesaz.com.

Water is the essence of life and is needed by every cell in the body. It is the main ingredient for all body fluids including the blood and lymph.

Knowing that, it makes sense to understand that water is required for circulation and the all important elimination of wastes from the body. Drinking enough water makes a huge impact on sluggish circulation and bowels with almost immediate effects, especially during pregnancy. Dehydration causes stress on the body, so sip water daily trying to get two liters every day. Recommended book: Your Body’s Many Cries for Water by Fereydoon Batmanghelidj.

Heidi Golden’s career began in 1994 and she prides herself in giving attention to each client’s individual needs, working with them to provide the most beneficial massage & home protocol recommendations at each visit. Heidi is currently working with Macrotherapy of Scottsdale, under which she is working with microcurrent therapy for post surgical massage & adhesions. Heidi’s hobbies include essential oils, mineral & crystal collecting & designing. She incorporates her hobbies into her massage practice.

Are you experiencing back pain? This week the Get Comfortable video takes us inside the Prenatal Yoga Center (oh yes! a yoga studio specifically devoted to pregnant women). Debra Flashenberg, Founder of Prenatal Yoga Studio in Manhattan teaches us simple moves to improve our health. Now we can all look and feel as fabulous as the expecting moms of NYC!

Whether your pregnant or not, take a peek and don’t be afraid to cat/cow. Instant back relief DELIVERED.

Watch

ALLEVIATING BACK PAIN WITH PRENATAL YOGA. The Prenatal Yoga is the first yoga center in New York City to focus on moms and moms-to-be. Over the past 7 years, over 6,000 women have come through their door to take classes and workshops. For more information or to contact The Prenatal Yoga Center please visit http://www.prenatalyogacenter.com.