Don't Miss Babypalooza!!

by Glenni Lorick, IBCLC
A week from this Saturday the VBC will be filled with expectant parents, new mommies and adorable babies and toddlers when Babypalooza comes to Huntsville! If you are looking for everything baby, then don't miss this fun event from 10:00 - 2:00 in the North Hall. The Babypalooza tour, sponsored by Blue Cross, Blue Shield of Alabama visits 5 different cities across Alabama as well as sites in Mississippi and Tennessee. Huntsville sponsors include Crestwood Hospital, Lexus of Huntsville, Alfa Insurance, WOW and Rocket City Mom as well as three local radio stations, Sunny 98.1, Star 99, and Rocket 95.1.

Natural Parenting Area

A Nurturing Moment is proud to sponsor the Natural Parenting Area. We will have a "Meet the Doula" option where local doulas will be available to answer questions and interact with moms. We will have both labor and postpartum doulas available. We will also have mini seminars on breastfeeding, cloth diapering and baby wearing throughout the day. In our nursing area, we will have a lactation consultant available as well as a baby scale that can actually measure how much your baby takes in a feed. 

Fun for Everyone

Babypalooza is a celebration of life. It is FREE to attend, and it is really like a big baby shower with raffles, complimentary samples, coupons, and interactive baby shower game stations. Giveaways will include car seats, diaper bags, strollers and more. Exhibitors include Babies R Us, 4D Mommies Ultrasound, Covenant Classical School, Nothing Bundt Cake Bakery. Rocket City Chiropractic, and a wonderful variety of other businesses offering amazing things for moms and babies in the Tennessee Valley. Attendees will also receive a goodie bag with lots of terrific samples. So mark your calendar for NEXT Saturday, and register here so the organizers will know you are coming! 

Top Ten Gifts for an Expectant Mother (Who Plans to Nurse)

By Glenni Lorick, IBCLC

Best Chairs Story Time Series chairs
are ideal for new moms!

Recently a friend asked me if I had a list of gift ideas for expectant mothers. I told her I would come up with one! So I immediately asked our ANM mamas for their suggestions. This list is based on their input combined with my own thoughts of what an Expectant mama really needs. Of course, the assumption here is that mom will be breastfeeding!

10. A comfy chair to rock and nurse baby. Some moms prefer a glider and some a recliner. Either is good, but it needs to be wide enough for mom to comfortably hold a nursing baby. Since this is a real investment, you need to make sure you get a quality piece of furniture that will last. Mom will spend many hours feeding baby in her chair, so she needs to LOVE it!

9. A place for baby to sleep right next to Mom and Dad's bed. A bassinet or Rock and Play will work. But our personal favorite is the Arm's Reach Co-sleeper. This unique co-sleeper adjusts to the height of the parents' bed and attaches securely to the bed via a strap that is secured between the mattress and boxspring. It allows baby to sleep in the separate but proximate environment recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, while keeping baby close enough to easily bring into bed for middle-of-the-night nursing.

The Arm's Reach Co-sleeper is great for new parents!

8. Comfortable nursing clothes, especially loungewear. One of my favorite lines is Baby Be Mine. The soft fabric and innovative styling makes their maternity and nursing sets a favorite of our moms! Any new mom will love the versatility of loungewear that works well for going out or staying home!

7. Motherlove Nipple Cream - this is the most soothing nipple cream I have ever seen. It goes on very easily and does not have to be washed off before feeding baby. Actually the very best thing for mom's nipples is a little bit of her breast milk expressed and allowed to air dry on her nipple. But if she has any soreness or dryness, the Motherlove Nipple Cream is amazing!

6. Gift certificate for a home visit from a lactation consultant. Any new breastfeeding mother will have some questions during those early days when she's home from the hospital. Having a lactation consultant come to her home will allow her to relax in her own environment and get those questions answered. The consultant can actually work with her in the chair she normally nurses in and with the pillow that she has. This is a huge peace-of-mind gift!

5. A massage for mom. A prenatal massage done by a massage therapist certified in prenatal massage is a safe, wonderful way for mom to relax. Some massage therapists are even able to do a massage that will help prepare mom's body for labor.

The best nipple cream ever!

4.  A Baby Carrier. Being able to wear her baby makes a mother's life so much easier. Ring slings and Baby K'tans are the easiest for nursing a newborn. Soft Structured carriers like Tula, Boba or Beco are nice as baby gets older.

3.  A good book. There are several great books that are terrific for new mamas. The Baby Book by William Sears is a classic read for every new mama. Another terrific book is Attached at the Heart by local author Lysa Parker and Barbara Nicholson, the founders of Attachment Parenting International. Finally, the La Leche League classic, The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding is a great read for every expectant mom who is planning to nurse.

2.  Create a Meal Plan. This great site will allow you to set up a schedule for the new mom and invite friends, family, co-workers, neighbors etc. to be involved by bringing her meals during the first few weeks postpartum. This is a terrific idea because the last thing she needs to think about for at least 6 weeks is cooking. This was one of the top gift ideas suggested by our ANM moms!

1. Housecleaning Service. The other top recommendation from our mamas was the gift of a housecleaning service. Mom's job is to take care of the baby and to get breastfeeding established. Giving her several months of housecleaning by a professional is one of the gifts that she will probably cherish the most!

The BAKE and Babypalooza Back to Back!

Huntsville is a terrific place to be in September if you're a parent! Whether you are trying to get pregnant, are expecting, have a baby or have an older child, you are in luck!

The BAKE

This Saturday (Sept. 21) at the Bridge Street Westin Hotel, Chattyclaire.com is presenting the BAKE. This is NOT a cooking show and the only recipe you'll get there will probably be the one we give you for lactation cookies! The letters BAKE stand for Baby And Kid Expo. It is sponsored by the US Space and Rocket Center, and will feature exhibitors and information for parents with children of all ages. There are some terrific raffle prizes, as well, including a Britax Boulevard 70-G3 car seat and a birthday party at Alexander's Martial Arts.

Exhibitors at the BAKE include A Nurturing Moment, Alexander's Martial Arts, All Women's Obstetrics and Gynecology, Attachment Parenting International, AuPair Care, the Breaking Boundaries Foundation, Cindy Shaver Photography, Covenant Classical School and Daycare, DoTerra, Genesis Pure, Gleneagles Family Medicine Associates, Huntsville Ballet School, Hypanobirthing, Infant Swim Resource, Initial Outfitters, Jockey Person to Person, Kidventure, La Leche League, Madison Martial Arts Academy, Mary Kay, Mindgear Labs, Meghan Newsome Photography, LEAN coach Freida Houck, the Montessori School of Huntsville, Morgan Stanley, Orgao Gold, Origami Owl, Premier Schools, the Rise School in Huntsville, Rocket City Chiropractic, Safe Kids (car seat installation), SciQuest, State Farm Insurance, 31 Gifts, US Space and Rocket Center, Usborne Books and More, Quilting Sew Beautiful, and Wish Upon a Star with Karen(Disney Vacation Planning).

A full schedule of speakers and demonstrations during the day will make for an event that is both educational and entertaining.

Babypalooza

The following Saturday (Sept. 28) Alabama Baby Magazine is bringing the Babypalooza Baby and Maternity tour to the VBC from 9:30 - 3:00. Sponsored by Blue Cross, Blue Shield of Alabama and Crestwood Medical Center, this promises to be an exciting event for both new and expectant parents! You may have heard ads on the radio from sponsors WDRM 102.1, WTAK 106.1, The River 100.3 and KISS FM 106.5. AL.com, Comcast and Rocket City Mom round out the list of Babypalooza sponsors. 

Members of the Crestwood Nursing Staff will be on hand to answer questions about labor and delivery, childbirth education, breastfeeding and anything else related to having a baby.  The Tender Care Pediatrics physicians will also be there. The Little Gym will offer demonstrations, and Babies R Us will be on-site to help with nursery design and baby registration. 4D Mommies Ultrasound will offer onsite ultrasound packages for just $50. Rocket City Mom will be collecting diapers for The Great Diaper Drive to benefit Manna House. Finally, A Nurturing Moment will have a full schedule of events for the day:

• 9:45 Cloth Diapering Class
• 10:30 Big Diaper Swap
• 11:15 Sling Wearing Class
• 12:15 Big Sling Swap
• 1:00 Meet & Greet with Midwives and Doulas
• 2:00 Breastfeeding and Back to Work

Be sure not to miss the sling-wearing fashion show at 11:45 on the main stage!

Other exhibitors include, Abbott Nutrition, Alabama Dept. of Public Health, Agape of North Alabama, Alabama Pediatric Dental Associates, Benders Gym, Covenant Classical School and Daycare, It Works, Lagniappe Newborn Portraits, Landers McClarty Subaru, La Petite Academy, Lifetouch Portrait Studio, March of Dimes, Marx Optical/Vision Master, Mary Kay Cosmetics, Mommy & Me Bootcamp, North Alabama Dental Associates, Origami Owl,  PAL-Alabama Parenting Assistance Line, Redstone Federal Credit Union, Rocket City Sitters, Salinity, Southern Cord, and Thirty-One Gifts.

It's Free!

The best thing about both of these terrific events is that they are free. So there is no reason to miss either one! Although a small handful of exhibitors (us included) will be at both events, there are many exhibitors unique to each. And each event has a slightly different focus. Whether you are planning to get pregnant, currently pregnant or already have a baby or child, you need to mark the next two Saturdays on your calendar so you don't miss any of the fun and great info at the BAKE and Babypalooza!

What a Mom Wants...What a Mom Needs

As you read that title, think Christina Aguilera....

I see expectant moms every day here at A Nurturing Moment. We sell all sorts of cool things from baby slings and soft-structured carriers to cloth diapers to amazing products for breastfeeding mothers. We have post-partum belly wraps and snot-suckers. We have Baby Legs and Baltic Amber teething necklaces. And I am really thankful for the wonderful moms who shop with us and make up the ANM family.

But when it really comes right down to it, you don't actually NEED a lot of things for baby. You need loving arms and a heart full of love....of course, breasts that produce a lot of milk don't hurt either! However, there are two very important items that I think are pretty essential for new moms. In fact, I have them both prominently displayed within feet of each other in my store.

1.  A comfortable place to nurse your baby.

You will spend hours every day nursing your little one. You need a place that will provide you comfortable support for your back and arms when you are nursing. You don't have to have a boppy or special pillow (although it is nice to have one), but you at least need a firm bed pillow to support baby at your breast. Your nursing chair needs to have plenty of room for you and your pillow, and it needs to have comfortable arms that give you a place to rest your arms.

We sell the StoryTime Collection from Best Chairs. Made in Indiana, these chairs offer superior quality and workmanship at affordable prices. We always have several chairs available for sale on the floor, or you can order a chair in the fabric of your choosing, and receive it within 8 weeks. If you would like to take a look at the options available, check out the design center.


2.  A safe place for baby to sleep right next to your bed.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that infants sleep in a separate but proximate sleep environment. This means they need to be in your room as close as possible to you without being in your bed. The Arm's Reach Co-sleeper actually attaches to your bed and allows your baby to sleep right next to your bed, making it easy to nurse baby during the night. Available as either a mini-co-sleeper or a full size co-sleeper, it allows mothers who really don't want to sleep with baby in the bed or who don't have a firm mattress to enjoy the many benefits of proximate sleep.

We sell the full range of Arm's Reach products. You can order your co-sleeper and will generally receive it within a couple of weeks.

Whatever Makes You Happy

I asked our moms what two things they would say a new mom needs. Here are some of the top suggestions

• A good support network - suggestions included friends who breastfeed, an encouraging husband, an older experienced mom to babysit and a lactation consultant. 
• A baby carrier to wear your baby; several moms specified a ring sling.
• Somewhere comfy and quiet to nurse
• Foods and snacks that can be eaten with one hand
• A fridge stocked with water

What would you add to this list? Leave a comment with your input!