If you’ve been following my blog, months back you would have read what I wrote about the well-intended but amusingly inept efforts of a husband attempting to massage his pregnant wife. In retrospect, I feel I may have left you hanging. As a massage therapist myself, I feel an obligation to keep the positive reputation of prenatal massage intact and offer some pointers for partners who want to help mom feel more comfortable during pregnancy.

Pointer #1: Longevity is Key! – Your hands will get very tired if all you do is the “grip, grip” method of rubbing her shoulders. If you massage the muscles as if kneading bread, I can pretty much guarantee that within no time, your hands will feel achy and you’ll want to stop…which may or may not be an option.

Instead, try using the heel of your hand to do massage circles on the shoulders; and then continue that movement down the back – one side of the spine at a time. Be sure you are not on the spine, but rather right next to it working the “speed bump” muscles that run along the sides.

Use your body weight to help with the pressure of your touch. If mom is sitting on a chair, stand behind her and lean into her rather than having all the pressure come from your hands and forearms. This will help keep you from feeling sore yourself. She’ll tell you if it’s too much pressure – pregnant women aren’t shy! But don’t be afraid to use a firm touch – pregnant women aren’t fragile either!

1. Pointer #2: Help Relieve Her Headaches – With mom sitting, put one hand on her forehead so she can rest her head forward slightly with support. With your other hand, put your fingers on one side of the back of the neck, the thumb on the other, and do little massage circles from where the neck rests on the shoulders up to where the head sits on the neck. When you get to that ridge, right under the base of the skull, do little concentrated circles to release tension in these sub-occipital muscles. Then “shampoo” all over her head. Muss her up!

Pointer #3: Massage What?! – You can use these massage circles on the gluts (otherwise known as the “butt muscles”), too. The hips and low back are usually an area of real discomfort for mom, especially as the baby gets bigger and lower. Alternate using the heel of your hand with using your fist.

These are just a couple of simple techniques you can use that are amateur-friendly (no offense intended – I know many partners who have a natural talent for massage!). But this just scratches the surface. There’s so much more you can do! Just ask mom about her calf cramps, swelling, carpel-tunnel-like symptoms, achy legs, etc….

Partners, why not make it easier on yourself and at the same time be the hero that gives her regular massage? For more techniques and hands-on training, join us for our very popular Couples Massage Workshop. We offer them several times a year, and just your luck, one is coming up this month – July 31^st in Arlington!

Trust me, you’ll score major points with mom; and if you play your cards right…there may be reciprocated massage, too, (probably after the baby is born!).

Becky Morgan

Wellness Program Lead

Traveling by plane over the summer? These are our top tips for flying with your baby.

Plan and pack wisely. Bring extra diapers, wipes, snacks, toys, three changes of clothes for your baby and a clean shirt for yourself. Extra zip-top bags come in handy. If traveling with your partner, send him/her on for pre-boarding while you and your baby have a final restroom visit, diaper change and feeding – only get on the plane with your baby at the final boarding call – you’ll save 30 minutes of waiting while everyone else boards and gets settled.

If possible, purchase a seat for your baby. Children under age 2 can fly as “lap babies” but they are safest when buckled in a car seat. If the flight is not fully booked, you may request an empty seat next to you. Bring your child’s car seat to the gate – if there are no empty seats available, it will be gate checked or checked through with luggage. The gogo Kidz Travelmate adds a set of wheels to a convertible car seat so you can roll it through the airport with ease. If bringing the car seat is not an option, the FAA-approved CARES aviation restraint is a great option for toddlers and preschoolers.

Wear your baby in the airport. Wear baby in a sling, frontpack or backpack, and use your stroller to tote your diaper bag and carry-on luggage. Bring the stroller right up to the gate and check it there – it will be immediately available when you deplane at your destination.

Understand security requirements. This prevents unnecessary delays. Remove your shoes and place all bags (including diaper bags, breastpumps, car seats and folded strollers) on the belt for x-ray, have your baby out of their carrier and carry them in your arms through the metal detector. Current TSA regulations allow you to carry breastmilk, formula, juice or water “in reasonable quantities” when traveling with a young child. Aside from the baby’s milk, you may only pack one quart-sized plastic bag of liquids and gels such as diaper cream and hand sanitizer so find sample sized versions of these items that are 3 ounces or less. See TSA guidelines for more info when traveling with children.

Young babies enjoy being held, fed and talked to, and their ears are not usually bothered by the pressure changes so don’t stress about timing feedings to coincide with take off and landings if your baby is under 9 months. Older babies and toddlers might react to the “pop” of their ears, so offer them something to eat or drink to help equalize their ear pressure, and have some new toys and books to entertain them with. Our center associates have recommendations for quiet toys to keep children of all ages busy and engaged during travel, so stop in and ask for suggestions.

“Like” our Facebook Page to read the recent discussion about which airlines are the most baby-friendly. (It’s on our Wall.)

Frequent flyer? What are your tips and tricks for flying with a baby?

Many parents start thinking about what to name their baby from the moment they learn they are expecting. Some even have already planned what to name their baby long before they even get pregnant.

But what if you have no idea where to start? Google “baby names” and hundreds of websites appear offering thousands of name choices. Yikes!

Enter The Baby Name Wizard. This amazing book (and the equally-as-amazing set of online tools) is the ideal jumping-off-point for finding the perfect name for your baby.

So much more than just a dictionary of baby names, this book recognizes that naming your baby is both an art and a science. It presents information about popularity (both national and regional, past and current day), origin, meaning, nicknames and variants. And that’s just the first half of the book.

The second half of the book sorts names by cultural/ethnic origin, and most interestingly, by “theme”. Choose a name that’s Italian, African, Nordic or Biblical or get creative and choose a name that’s “Nickname Proof” (Iris, Damian), has “Antique Charm” (Annabelle, Silas) or even “Macho Swagger” (Ranger, Slade).

My son's name was popular in Wisconsin the year he was born. Who knew?

On the companion website, there are some snazzy tools for those who enjoy graphs and charts.  Type in any name, and the Name Mapper will show you on a map how popular the name is across the USA and over time (data goes back to 1960), or click the Timeline tab to see even more detailed results on a chart. Want to know if the name you’re considering was popular with Missouri Republicans in 1985? The Name Mapper will tell you.

Lots of other tools are available with data going back to the 1900’s, such as the Name Voyager, which allows you to track popularity letter by letter (how popular are names that start with E today compared to 20 years ago?). There’s also a blog with insightful articles about baby naming, which is fun to read even after you’re done naming your children.

Have fun thumbing through the book and playing around on the website. I know I did, and I’ve already named my kids. But if anyone wants my opinion, I’m rather partial to Juliana and Riley. Leo is cute, and I’m intruged by Tiernan. Oh, and how about Piper, or Olive?  Okay, stopping now…

Labor is an endurance exercise. Just like long distance runners and other endurance aficionados, laboring women should maintain adequate nutritional intake for energy, sufficient fluid intake for hydration and proper breathing techniques for ideal oxygen delivery to the uterus and baby.

When a working muscle does not receive adequate blood sugar there is a build up of lactic acid which can cause severe cramps – think of the marathon runner that ends up with an excruciating charlie horse! A laboring woman who has had nothing to eat for several hours can experience this same lactic acid build up which leads to extreme uterine pain – a pain that is beyond the norm for labor. Severe pain leads to more fear and tension for the laboring woman, increases her stress levels and often leads to one medical intervention after another.

So Why Is Oral Intake Restricted?

Why, then, do some hospitals, providers and anesthesiologists limit laboring women to ingesting ice chips and small sips of water? Because they fear that the woman could be at risk of inhaling stomach contents while intubated under general anesthesia which could lead to Mendelson’s syndrome, a severe damage to lung tissue. Sounds like a reasonable concern; however, the vast majority of women use regional anesthesia (epidural and spinal) which requires no intubation. General anesthesia is very rarely used except for certain emergency situations. Also, general anesthesia techniques are much improved in recent years. For these reasons, many have questioned the reasoning behind restricting women’s dietary intake while they are exerting great physical and metabolic energy and when dehydration and exhaustion could negatively affect labor progress and birth outcomes.

Results of Recent Cochrane Review

The good news is that a 2010 Cochrane review has shown that these restrictions on oral intake may be outdated. The review looked at the results of 5 pooled studies and compared women who had ice and sips of water to those who ate and drank a variety of foods and fluids. There was no difference in c-section rates, operative delivery rates, Apgar scores, incidence of nausea and vomiting, use of pain medication, length of labor, labor augmentation and NICU admissions. Mendelson’s syndrome is so rare that it was impossible to determine if eating and drinking in labor made any difference at all.

The Take-Away

Women who are at low risk of needing emergency surgery should be able to choose whatever foods or fluids they prefer during labor to maintain their energy and promote a positive labor and birth experience.

Chris Just, RN CNM

Director of Prenatal Education

My six year old son loves babies – always has. In fact, I have to monitor him around other people’s babies because he has a tendency to give them big hugs…around the neck. And sing loud little songs…in their faces. And dance toys…on their heads. All out of love, though, truly!

So now that he has two of his own at home, twin infants, he is ecstatic. Sadly, he still hugs their heads. And when I tell him to get off his brothers, his favorite response is, “But I’m loving them!” To which I reply, “Then stop smothering them!” He is so proud to introduce them to people…all people…everywhere we go.

Knowing how enamored he is with them, I figured I wouldn’t have to deal with jealousy issues – but I’m starting to notice subtle ways in which he is acting out. For example, when I have a baby on one leg, he attempts to occupy the other. When I’m lying down and his brothers crawl all over me, he wants to join them – all 3-times-the-size of him! When he started with the baby talk and “Mommy, look at me, I’m rolling over, too,” I got the message. I’ve asked him if he is jealous of all the time I have to focus on the babies, and he says no – but I don’t quite believe him. At six, I don’t expect him to completely understand his feelings.

So I’ve been intending to do some things with him – just him and me. Special time with mom. Somehow, though, it never seems to work out that way. I take him to the movies, to McDonald’s, on a walk – he wants his brothers to come. Then I thought of something we could do together that would combine all the things he loves – time with momma, time with his brothers, and helping me take care of them – infant massage!

I used to teach infant massage workshops. They are so much fun – babies and parents have a ball! And the studies show that babies who are massaged eat better, sleep better, digest better, have fewer fussy times…all good things, right?!

At first, the twins wanted nothing to do with this. After all, they’re almost walking now. Lying still for a period of time is not that appealing to them. But I picked a time when they were comfortably full and slightly drowsy, played some soothing music, dimmed the lights and warmed the room.

My older son sat next to me on the floor in front of one baby and I had the other. I talked him through a massage routine, and he really concentrated on doing it well. And more importantly, he enjoyed it. As for the twins, absolutely in awe of the experience, wiggles and giggles segued into calm and wide-eyed. Then they both fell asleep – slowly, peacefully, one at time. It was beautiful.

After carefully putting them in their cribs, my older son and I enjoyed a DVD and popcorn together. And me, well, I consider myself mother of the year!

Becky Morgan, Wellness Program Lead