Tag Archives: baby

Essential Oils for Childbirth Book – Review & Giveaway

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I rEssential Oils for Childbirth Book Coverecently I had a chance to review the book Essential Oils for Childbirth: Using Aromatherapy to Reduce Stress, Alleviate Anxiety, and Lessen Pain with any Birth Plan by Michaela Boldy, RN.

This book is a user-friendly reference guide to educate expectant mothers about the various the health benefits of essential oils, which can be used to improve their childbirth experience. This book has easy-to-understand information on how to safely use essential oils during pregnancy, afterbirth for recovery, as well as extra information for using aromotherapy to benefit your baby and your whole family.

About the Author
Michaela Boldy is a Registered Nurse, a Certified Aromatherpy Practioner, a Certified Infant Massage Instructor, and a Mother to 4. After the author successfully incorporated aromatherapy into her own childbirth, she founded Michaela Boldy Aromotherpy – specifically selling the two labour blends that she had created and used for her own labours.  She was successfully able to introduce the use of aromatherapy by midwives and doulas in the San Franscisco Bay Area. As a result of a small trial, aromotherapy was found to be very effective promoting relaxation and reducing anxiety during childbirth, both of which are very important for labour and childbirth.

Essential Oils for Childbirth has 8 Chapters to help you feel confident to use essential oils to ease your pregnancy and childbirth.  The information that it provides is research-based and includes information about various studies and personal experiences throughout. Don’t have any knowledge about essential oils or aromatherpy? No problem! This book is perfect for people with no background or some existing knowledge. It is also great for mothers, partners, childbirth professionals, or health care professinos.

You will learn about what aromotherapy is, how essential oils work, how to choose quality oils, different ways to use them, along with safety precaustions. Essential Oils for Childbirth also has bonus information about baby massage, little extras to make your baby happier, and even a chapter with research data on how aromatherapy may help to lower the number of c-sections. Essential Oils for Childbirth teaches mothers and partners to use different essential oils to enhance the birth experience, while offering a variety of easy to create recipes you can make yourself for labour and beyond.

Through my experience, I know that many expectant mothers report some level of anxietty and fear during their pregnancy and during childbirth itself. I’ve seem that aromatherapy can be an easy to implement comfort measure for mothers, regardless of their birth plan or birth circumstances. As a birth doula, I have my own list of favourite essential oils that I pack in my on-call bag, most of which are included in this book! I love that this book covers questions that parents often ask about what essential oils are safe / not safe, as well as how to use essential oils safely, which makes it easy even if they don’t have a doula.

Overall, I found this book an easy and quick read. This is a book that I will be proudly adding to the Bean Family Wellness Library.

Do you want to own a copy of this book? Visit your local bookstore or purchase your copy online on Amazon, or enter the giveaway below!

*GIVEAWAY*

Essential Oils for Childbirth Pregnancy Winnipeg Review & Giveaway

What can you win?
One winner will receive a paperback copy of Essential Oils for Childbirth by Mechaela Boldy, RN

This giveaway will end June 16, 2020 at 12:00 a.m. CST.  Open to residents of Winnipeg only.

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Good Luck!

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for review. Receiving this item did not in anyway affect the information that I shared in this article. All the opinions in this article are my own.

Interview with Certified Reproductive Reflexologist – Gloria Laing

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Today I’m very excited to introduce you to a local Manitoba Registered Reflexologist who is also a Certified Reproductive Reflexologist and the owner of Gloria’s Reflexology.

I have been following Gloria Laing for quite awhile now on social media and I love hearing all of the ways that she is helping families, and also helping to make families a reality for those who are having a difficult time in their reproductive journey. I’m happy to have the opportunity to share her business and her knowledge with you.

  1. A lot of readers are probably wondering…What is reflexology and how does it work with the body?

Reflexology is an ancient holistic therapy that, by applying strategic pressure to reflexes, removes communication barriers between your brain and organs/systems/cells in your body so that your body can regain it’s ability to heal itself and ward off disease and dysfunction. While there any many different types of Reflexology (reflexes are found on every inch of the body, much like fascia), some of the more common types are Foot Reflexology, Hand Reflexology, Ear Reflexology, Face Reflexology and Indian Head Massage.  I have certification in Foot, Hand, and Indian Head Massage Reflexology. Most commonly I work on the feet, and while the treatment feels like a delicious foot massage, its really so so much more.

 

  1. How did you become interested in helping families with their fertility journey, as well as through pregnancy, birth, and afterwards? 

In my previous life (as I jokingly call it), I was administration mixed with a bit of sales andmarketing. My last position in that career was in administration to a team of Midwives in

my region. As a late 30’s woman, I was suddenly exposed to things that I never knew existed! As far as I knew, if you got sick you went to the doctor, got a prescription and the sick went away. I didn’t know there was a whole preventative side and a wholistic treatment world and a natural approach to birth that didn’t immediately deem it a medical emergency. I was excited and inspired and I knew my next career would be in somehow helping women become the best versions of themselves naturally! Reflexology seemed to be that “way” for me and serendipity just led me down the golden brick road to Fertility Maternity and Birth Support Reflexology.

 

  1. I also read that you offer reflexology for babies! How does reflexology help babies? 

It’s true! Along with my Maternity and Birth Support Reflexology training, I learned special protocols that help babies with issues such as colic, constipation, shoulder dystocia at birth, precipitous birth consequences (i.e.: musculoskeletal trauma due to very fast birth), sleep issues etc.. the treatments for babies are significantly less time than for an adult, but no less effective. And I always show the parent how to perform the treatment at home to their baby so the healing can progress more rapidly and with less trips to my studio. Afterall, who LOVES taking baby to appointments.
😉

 

  1. What is your favourite aspect of your job as a reflexologist?

I love the challenges that present themselves each and every day. While my specialties and passion are Women’s Health Issues, I see clients with stroke consequences, Repetitive Head Injury Syndrome, Anxiety and Stress Disorders.. I just love working with each client to help solve their puzzle and watch their symptoms reduce or resolve completely.

 

  1. How can families find you?

On the web I can be found at www.glorialaing.com. I’m also on Facebook and Instagram.

Physically my private home studio (yes it’s absolutely private to the rest of the house) is located just South of Landmark MB. An easy 20 minute drive south east of Winnipeg.

 

Learn more by visiting Gloria’s Reflexology website today!

A big thank you to Gloria for participating in this interview. Thank you for sharing more information on what reflexology is all about and how it can help families through conception, birth, the baby years, and beyond!  I look forward to having a chance to talk with Gloria more in the future and share her knowledge with families in Manitoba. Have a question about reflexology and how it relates to some of these topics? Email pregnancywinnipeg@gmail.com and I will try to include it in a future post!

Have you tried reflexology before? How did it help you or your family?

Improving Sleep for Your Baby with White Noise

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I used to be a ‘bad sleeper’. That is, before kids. After kids, sleep definitely changed, and my definition of sleep has changed with it. But because I seemed to need it more than before, falling asleep wasn’t as big of an issue as it used to be. Instead, my kids getting to sleep became the primary issue. But, I quickly realized that somtimes, things that helped me get to sleep before, would help my babies too.

As a doula and a childbirth educator, sleep is a topic that frequently comes up with parents before baby arrives and after. It is one of the biggest changes to routine that parents experience after the birth of a baby.  When babies are born, they are nocturnal and often don’t sort out their days and nights until at least 3 months, but often 6-9 months after birth. Which means your sleep routine will be changing too. In addition, they are also used to the comfort and safety of the womb. Knowing that can help us to figure out what will help to calm our babies after birth.

Photograph by Imagery by Bean (www.imagerybybean). Imagery by Bean Specializes in Maternity, Birth, Baby, and Family Photography in Winnipeg and Rural Manitoba.

When teaching prenatal classes we talk about the 5Ss, which is a system founded by Dr. Harvey Karp, author of the popular book ‘Happiest Baby on the Block’. The 5Ss are a simple system of 5 ways to help calm your baby whether they need to sleep, or just need to be calmed and comforted to a happier level again.  It’s a system, and a book that I highly recommend to new parents. If you are looking for more information, you can learn more through his books, on his HappiestBaby website, or on his YouTube channel.

One of the 5Ss that we discuss is Shushing or Shhhhhh-ing. The Shushing or Shhhhh-ing is a type of white noise that helps to mimic the muffled sounds that babies hear while they are in the womb, which can help them feel more safe and secure once they are born. This is something that you can learn to do yourself to provide white noise anytime and anywhere.  Why would you want to do this? Because, white noise like this is a well known/studied way to help calm babies, children, and even adults as well.

What is white noise?

Furthermore, white noise is essentially background noise – other examples aside from what I’ve talked about above include: the sound of a radio station with no music but static instead, the sound of the dishwasher (or a washing machine), the sound of a vacuum or a fan, or the sound of a car (which most experienced parents will tell you often puts a baby right to sleep).
There are many options listed above that you already have available to you to provide white noise.  To get a break from ‘being’ the white noice machine, some people like to buy special white noise CDs or actual white noise machines. Some items for babies like bouncers or swings often have sounds built in – many are music or nature sounds, but some offer white noice options as well.

Do you find that white noise helps to calm your baby, older children, or family as a whole? What other types of white noise have you found effective?

Save $20 on a Prenatal Childbirth Class with Bean Family Wellness

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Winnipeg Prenatal Class Promotion - Save $20 off with code LITTLEBEANS20

Winnipeg Prenatal Childbirth Class Promotion – Save $20 off with code LITTLEBEANS20 – Valid April 18-25.

Bean Family Wellness is hosting a special promotion April 18-25, 2018 on Prenatal Classes. Just in time for Spring and Summer babies!

Details:
Register between April 18 – April 25, 2018 to save $20 off your choice of prenatal class. Your class can occur at any time in the future.

This promotion includes: Group Prenatal Childbirth Classes, Private In-home Prenatal Childbirth Classes, and Refresher Childbirth Classes.

To register, visit and use coupon code LITTLEBEANS20: https://www.beanfamilywellness.com/winnipeg-manitoba-childbirth-class-register/

This promotion cannot be combined with any other offers, promotions, or gift certificates.