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 consciousrelationship 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.
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.
Tasha Mulligan, a physical therapist and athletic trainer, often get the question from young moms -- some pregnant, some who have young babies or toddlers: “What is up with this pee thing? Why am I wetting my pants now when I cough, and when I have to run after my little one, there is no way I can hold it. What is going on with my body?” The “pee thing” can be a bit alarming, but understanding why it’s all happening always helps.
Visualize our pelvic floor as a very thin, muscular tissue that has the responsibility of controlling the passage of solids, liquids, and air from our body, as well as holding up our bowel, bladder, and uterus. This can help us understand how this muscle can have some difficulty doing all it’s supposed to do as the weight and size of our uterus increases throughout pregnancy. Incontinence reaches its peak in the third trimester, when the uterus grows most rapidly. So this gives us insight into why we leak during pregnancy, but what about those of us who delivered months or years ago? Why are we still leaking? The answer is that our pelvic floor muscles were stretched beyond their limit, damaging the muscle tissue. When this occurs, there is no guarantee that our muscles will just bounce back on their own and resume normal muscle firing and coordination. Just like after knee surgery, we have to do exercises to ensure that our quadricep muscle will fire again and resume normal strength, we should also exercise our pelvic floors after the trauma of pregnancy and delivery to get our pelvic floor to keep us continent and “supported.” Hopefully that answers the “why” and now I want to give you some direction toward a solution.
I am a mother of three and a physical therapist who feels there are a few missing links of information when it comes to dealing with symptoms of incontinence. First of all, women need to know that they can rehabilitate and strengthen their pelvic floor because, most often, this is a muscular issue! And second, women need to learn how to do it. The bottom line is, you simply have to do more than Kegel exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor.
Did you know that our pelvic floor muscles not only tighten as if to stop the flow of urine, but they also elevate to give better support to our bowel, bladder, and uterus? It is this elevation of our pelvic floor that most women don’t get. In order to achieve optimal pelvic floor contraction, you have to perform both actions. Beyond these two actions of the pelvic floor, there are also several other muscles that enclose the front, back, and sides of our abdomen, what I refer to as our “abdominal basket”. These muscles work in a coordinated fashion with our pelvic floor muscles to enhance their contraction, so working your entire abdominal basket is the final key to regaining control of that “pee thing.”
Tasha Mulligan is an experienced physical therapist and athletic trainer as well as a mother of three. She has both personal and professional familiarity with the symptoms of a weakened pelvic floor, so she knows firsthand the embarrassment, confusion, fear, and frustration you may be facing. She found that good information is not easily accessible to people at large and therefore many women are willing to accept the changes occurring with their body and the restraints on their activity level. To learn more and purchase the DVD go to www.hab-it.com.
If you’re 35 or older and you’re thinking about having a baby or maybe you just found out that you’re pregnant, you may be excited, but a little nervous too. Some women wonder—could I be too old for a healthy pregnancy?
The good news is that most women over 35 can have successful, healthy pregnancies. We believe that a skilled prenatal care team along with your commitment can result in a healthy baby and a healthy you!
There are some important things to know about:
Women can take longer to become pregnant, and their risk of miscarriage is somewhat higher. It’s important to take folic acid prior to conceiving, and to seek early prenatal care to confirm a viable pregnancy.
Due to natural hormonal influences or fertility treatments, the rate of multiple pregnancies is higher in this group, so it is especially important to determine the number of babies at your initial visit.
A detailed fetal anatomy ultrasound is routinely done in the midtrimester to ensure that the fetus and placenta are developing properly.
Women have a number of options for genetic screening or prenatal diagnosis, since the risk of chromosome abnormalities (such as Down Syndrome) is higher in this age group. Speak with your doctor about the risks and benefits of the various available tests.
We check women periodically for signs of gestational diabetes and for preeclampsia, a pregnancy-related high blood pressure disorder, and watch for signs of premature labor. Cesarean delivery is more common as well; your doctor may advise you regarding situations in which cesarean is recommended.
With a few precautions, the outlook for healthy moms and babies is excellent, and we encourage you to speak with your health care provider about plans for a pregnancy to learn more. So we say--NO, you’re not too old to have a baby!
Cathleen Harris is the co-founder of AMOMI Pregnancy Wellness ~ Spa and Scottsdale Perinatal Associates. Dr. Harris received her medical degree at Loyola Stritch School of Medicine. Along with her expertise in managing high-risk pregnancies, Dr. Harris is also highly knowledgeable in the area of traveler’s health and public health issues affecting pregnant women. She has served as the Medical Director of the Women’s HIV Program at the University of Chicago and worked internationally in Lithuania, Latvia, Kosovo and Peru. Dr. Harris is the Director of Ultrasound and Prenatal Diagnosis for Scottsdale Perinatal Associates. For more information on AMOMI Pregnancy Wellness ~ Spa, please visit www.amomispa.com.
We all remember our childhood homes. As moms we have the opportunity to create a space that is not only the backdrop but also part of the experiences. For kids it can go past just being pleasant to feeling magical.
When designing a space it is good to view it from the kid’s perspective, get on your knees and see how differently you see the space. It will influence the design, even where you hang the art to having built in stools at vanities and such. Think through the activities and functions, the kids will be performing in the space, reading corners, play area with storage for toys, nooks that can magically turn into anything from a castle to a grocery store.
Kids rooms don’t need to be over designed or thematic. In fact keeping a looser design, still well done, with interesting colors, textures, and patterns and of course scale creates an environment that has a positive emotional response. Its better to have a design that becomes a platform for your children’s imagination versus it laid out in a theme specifically. You can use interactive finishes that allow for input such as touch or white board, chalk board paint, or metal wainscot with magnets for display.
Design is a powerful tool that can be used in creating an amazing experience for your family.
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.
During pregnancy, could your thoughts and feelings be communicating with your baby? What types of connections are made before the baby is born? Sherry Anshara shares her “ipod” metaphor in the following video and article:
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 consciousrelationship 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.
Grab a brush and watch how easy it is to Get Comfortable. We asked Heidi Golden, a certified massage therapist, ” What can all mothers do to better both their health and the health of their baby while pregnant?” Heidi shares Dry Brushing.
The skin is the largest organ of the body. It eliminates more than one pound of waste per day. If the skin becomes inactive by build up of millions of dead skin cells clogging our pores the impurities remain within the body. We wash it daily and protect it from the suns harmful rays but we forget one of the healthiest things we can do for our skin and ultimately our overall health -- “dry brushing”.
Dry brushing stimulates movement of the circulation & lymphatic systems. Lymph is considered part of our immune system and is made of white blood cells called lymphocytes and the interstitial fluid that bathe our cells, bringing our cells nutrients and removing their waste. All detoxification occurs first and foremost through the lymph. Our bodies contain far more lymph than blood, so you can see how important this might be. Dry brushing literally moves the lymph containing large proteins and particulate matter that cannot be transported in any other way back into circulatory system.
Dry brushing can remove cellulite, strengthen the immune system, remove dead skin layers, tone muscles and help digestions. Dry brushing during pregnancy is a great way to keep toxins flushed, enhancing and cleansing the lymph system which can become sluggish during this time and creating unwanted swelling. Of course, brush very gently on your belly, more vigorously on arms and legs.
To dry brush, use a soft natural fiber brush with a long handle, so that you are able to reach all areas of your body. One with a removable head with a strap for your hand is a good choice. Some guidelines, always brush towards the heart. Treat major lymph areas first -- e.g. armpit area before the chest and arms and the groin area before the legs & abdomen. Before your morning shower is a great way to start of your day with a clearer mind and boosted spirit.
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. Heidi is a nationally accredited licensed massage therapist.
In the video and article below, Dr. Stephanie Mancuso gives a straight-forward approach to help us Get Comfortable with healthy eating.
Nutrition is of the utmost importance during pregnancy. You have to remember that your body is creating another human being and foods are the building blocks for that creation.
Eating smaller more frequent meals throughout the day is best. Those meals should be balanced meaning each meal should contain healthy organic sources of protein, vegetables, salads, fruit, unprocessed whole grains and healthy fats.
Some examples are:
Protein -- organic chicken, turkey, deep sea fish (not farm raised), lean red meat (preferably grass fed) and eggs
Unprocessed Grains/Legumes -- wild rice, brown rice, lentils, chick peas, black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, quinoa, sprouted breads
Healthy Fats -- olives, olive oil, avocados, coconuts, coconut oil, fish oil, flaxseed oil, grape seed oil and raw nuts like almonds, cashews and walnuts (peanuts tend to be very toxic -- so it’s best to avoid)
Despite the overwhelming and contradictory information out there about nutrition, eating well can be very simple. Eat foods as close to their natural state as possible. Ask yourself if I living in the forest 200 years ago what would I eat? The answers to that question are the foods you should be eating on a daily basis.
Please notice I do not have a dairysection on this list. Many people believe that the only way they can obtain enough calcium is by consuming large amounts of dairy products and that is just not the case. Dairy products are pasteurized and pasteurization destroys many of the valuable nutrients found in raw milk like iodine, vitamin A, vitamin B complex, Vitamin C, lactose and interestingly enough Calcium -- the main reason many drink milk in the first place. Pasteurization also destroys the useful lacti acid bacilli. Hence, the milk cannot sour, quickly decomposes and harmful germs multiply. For these reasons, I am a proponent of raw milk (if your body can tolerate it) even during pregnancy and for infant feeding. While controversial, it should be an area that you look into and research for yourself. The following are some excellent resources -- www.mercola.com, www.realmilk.com. Calcium can also be obtained by eating dark green leafy veggies like kale, spinach, broccoli, oranges, peas, black beans, baked beans, salmon, sardines, sesame seeds, blackstrap molasses, almonds and oat straw tea.
Dr. Mancuso has been combining her love of chiropractic and nutrition and helping patients create health from the inside out, without the use of drugs or surgery for the past 10 years. In 2002, Dr. Mancuso opened the Infinite Potential Center for Healing in Scottsdale, AZ. Over the years, she has observed the effects of poor nutrition on the structure and function of the body and has centered her practice around empowering people to take charge of their own health through superb nutrition and lifestyle changes. For more information or to contact Dr. Mancuso please visit http://infinitepotentialcenter.com.
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