Now it’s time to nominate your favorite Richmond mom-to-be!

With the help of the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU we’re really excited to be able to shower one mom-to-be with a ton of great prizes from fantastic local Richmond businesses.

Read the directions carefully to have your best chance of winning.

Here’s how it works:

1. Nominate yourself or any expectant Richmond mom by clicking here* by November 6, 2015. In 1,000 characters or less tell us all about your favorite mom-to-be. You can nominate a mom for any reason, but please make sure you do not share any information that might be personal or confidential, your entry will be displayed for our readers to see. Nominations close at 7pm on 11/6/2015.  *Please note: multiple nominations do not impact winning status, only votes determine winners.

2. Vote for your favorite nominee. You’ll see your nomination here on the site (we’ll provide a link during the dates!) &  you may only vote once per person during November 11 – 22nd, 2015.

3. Keep an eye on your inbox. We will announce our winner on Richmondmom.com and in our newsletter which goes out at 7am on November 25th. (That’s the day before Thanksgiving!)

 Nominate your mom-to-be here
Nominations will end at 7pm (EST) on November 6.

Thanks to the amazing local business who’ve donated to make such a wonderful prize package for one Richmond mom.

1Z2Z3Z
$50 gift certificate towards baby & toddler fashion, room decor, toys, and books at 1Z2Z3Z

Aunt McRae’s
Everyone could use a little help. Aunt McRae will be providing one hour of new family support.

bbgb books 
Start your child’s library with a collection of books and gift certificate to bbgb books

Dream Dinners
A $200 gift certificate to pack your freezer full of a month of dinners.

Fit4Mom
Get fit with your baby with a month of stroller strides classes

Franklin Goose
Win a Babymoov Traveller Changing Bag in black
(Perfect to pack up as your hospital bag!)

Hayes and Fisk
a $500 gift certificate towards beautiful portraits from Hayes & Fisk photography.

Hip to be Round
Get yourself a baby shower outfit with a $250 gift card

Romp n’ Roll
Bond with your baby in a fun way with one month of classes at Romp n’ Roll

Science Museum of Virginia
Get out an explore with a supernova family membership to the Science Museum of Virginia

Virginia Rep

Save on a date night with tickets to a show at Virginia Rep

The post The 2015 Richmond Dream Baby Shower is Here! appeared first on RichmondMom.com.

NEEDS FOOD

Organizing meals is easy these days. Take Them A Meal is fabulous (as are all the other websites people use I’m sure), and people can sign up on their own so the person in charge is just creating the site and entering the emails. This is best started before the baby comes when the mom-to-be can use her nesting instinct to gather all the emails of her family, friends and neighbors for her meal fairy. Then when the baby comes, I just scheduled it to start for a few days later and sent out the email. I have a personal go-to-new-baby meal, baked ziti made in a a disposable dish so no stress about getting the anything back to me, and it’s just as good reheated.

NEEDS ERRANDS

When I got home from the hospital, I needed a few things — a much bigger nursing bra for starters — which my husband bravely sought out leaving me with a newborn for the first time. EEK. Other new moms need bottles to supplement, big kids to entertain, or larger diapers because they pushed out a 10 pound baby. But it’s hard to get out of the house when your bottom area is a little too sore for car rides and the baby seems to need so much stuff that the bag weighs more a newborn in a car seat. Spouses often don’t get much time off so a friend can really help. If the mama doesn’t need anything from the store, household chores like taking out the trash or cleaning dishes helps just as much

NEEDS COMPANY

The loneliness of early motherhood, especially after the first few weeks when the family and friends visits taper off, was shocking to me. My spouse was back at work, and I was just feeding and patting and walking and diapering 24 hours per day. It seemed like everyone had moved on and I was still in this never-ending cycle. I loved being a mom, but the life I had beforehand was not possible. I was too tired to keep up with my old self. The people who came over and sat with once the baby had fallen asleep or rocked the baby so I could cook dinner, saved my sanity.

Well, I’m off to run an errand! Have fun helping those new mama friends!

The post How To Help A New Mama Friend appeared first on RichmondMom.com.

Over the weekend I got a chance to visit MommyCon in Washington DC and I promised I’d report back on all the cool things happening there.

There was a wealth of great information at MommyCon, including a series of seminars on things from baby wearing to cloth diapering to potty training. There was also a huge selection of cloth diapers and baby wraps and soft structured carriers to peruse.

But hidden in the mass of diapers and carriers at MommyCon were some great new products that parents are going to love.  Here are a few gems I’m already hooked on from businesses big and super small…

Aiden + Anais Layette

The makers of the now ubiquitous amazingly soft and lightweight muslin swaddling blankets, now have amazingly soft and lightweight baby clothes!  Aiden + Anais added 5% spandex for a bit of stretch but the same softness and breathability perfect for hot-as-all-get-out Richmond summers and being in a warm carriers or carseats. See the whole line of Aiden + Anais layette here.

Siliskin Sippy Top

I loathe sippy cups. Partially because I inevitably lose the valve and partially because I find them in my car three months later and have to play the do-I-open-it-or-just-toss-it game of chance (please don’t let it be milk, please don’t let it be milk…). So we skip sippys in our house and just go straight to regular cups which does become a problem if we want to take something with us.

This, however might make me change my sippy cup tune. Siliskin Sippy Tops pop right over almost any size glass for an instant (valve free) sippy.  Prefer a straw? They’ve got a straw top too! All done with your sippy top? Send it back to Silikids and they’ll recycle it for you. Get one here.

Leche Libre

This mama from Chicago just launched a line of fashion forward nursing clothing that you can wear long after breastfeeding.  Andrea, the mom behind this fashion forward startup (pictured on the right) is passionate about designing clothes that integrate breastfeeding with her life and her style.

While I loved her edgier tunic with exposed zipper, the Little Grey Dress and Little Blue Dress offer amazing versatility in a flattering cut perfect for pumping at work. This line is brand-spanking-new and more styles are in the works. Find out more about Leche Libre here.

Kiinde

Kiinde (not to be confused with a kindle) simplifies all the parts and pieces into one simple system. Pump right into the breastfeeding storage bag, twist on the cap and store it in the freezer. When you’re ready to feed your baby, warm it up in the bottle warmer and simply pop the bag into the bottle and you’re ready to go.

Okay, cool. But what I love about Kiinde is that they’ve thought about all the stuff that pops up that you didn’t anticipate.  Kiinde has adapters to fit into any pump so it will definitely work with whatever pump you use, also here you’ve bought a whole bottle system and you baby only likes one type of nipple… use the adapter to use any nipple with the bottle. Got to supplement with formula? It’s okay, they’ve got a funnel to easily add formula to your bottle. Find out more about Kiinde here.

Go Chews

Mom and dietician created these dairy free, gluten free, soy free yummy chews loaded with lean protein, healthy fat and complex carbohydrates to keep energy up and support breastfeeding for new moms.  These snacks contain calcium, natural galactagogues (milk makers), folate, magnesium, vitamin E and other essential vitamins and minerals so you can feel good about grabbing something quick and easy when you need a snack.

Available in two flavors Turkish Apricot (vegan) which taste a little sweeter and Fig Ginger Sesame (nut free) which is a little bit savory/sweet. Go Chews are brand new, so they’re mostly located in the DC/Maryland/Virginia area but we think they’ll grow fast. You can order them online. Check them out here.

Element Shrub

Pregnant and seriously missing a delicious cocktail? Element Shrub was created by a dad to be who’s wife found non-alcoholic options pretty dull (and let’s face it, they are) and thank goodness she did because with Element Shrub you don’t even miss the alcohol. Seriously. Pour a little of the concentrate into some seltzer water for a complex, grown-up-but-not-alcoholic drink for any occasion, and after the baby is born- go ahead and make yourself an amazing cocktail.

Currently Element Shrub is only available locally in the DMV area and if you order it online. Don’t let the price hold you back, it’s a concentrate so one bottle is actually 25 servings. I tried Chai Pear (a must during the holidays) and Lemon Mint (super refreshing) the only reason I didn’t stay to taste more was the sheer crowd trying to get to this goodness. News of something tasty travels fast! Find Element Shrub online here.

Bundle Organics

How about something yummy you can get locally? Pick up Bundle Organics at your nearest BabiesRus.

These juices are pasteurized so they are totally safe for pregnancy and chock full of vitamins and minerals (like folic acid, calcium and iron) needed to grow a healthy baby.  I figured if any one of these was going to be the grossest it was probably the kale… so naturally I tasted that one.  To my surprise, it was good! -Even at room temperature which is even more impressive. Check out what’s in it and why here.

Shoosha Organics

Baby’s skin is 10 times thinner, and far more vulnerable than mama’s skin so you want what you put on their skin or be as gentle as possible. Shoosha’s line of organic products for mom and baby are a great place to start. Their cloth diaper friendly bottom balm is one of their top selling products for baby (and smells like almost nothing because there are not artificial perfumes that can irritate skin).

But the most amazing thing is their stretch mark oil which helps fade stretch marks and scars.  After seeing a pretty compelling user-submitted before and after photo I decided to give it a try for myself. I promise to report back. Find Shoosha Organics products here.

Fresh Wave

Drop the Febreze and put the Glade away! Fresh Wave promises to eliminate odors without harsh chemicals, synthetic fragrances, alcohol and 100% Phthalate free.

Fresh Wave uses natural ingredients (read: water and essential oils) to eliminate odors at its source on the molecular level without just covering it up.  Does it work? I picked up a few sample and put it to the test with a leaky kitchen sink (kitchen sink water smells terrible in case you were wondering).  Guess what? the gross smell is GONE and isn’t replaced with an equally irritating smell of odor eliminator. So, I’m pretty set on this one… next up: the diaper pail. Fresh Wave just hit Target stores this month.

Which products are you most excited about? 

The post Best New Products for Mom and Baby Found At MommyCon 2015 appeared first on RichmondMom.com.

I see many new moms in my office with complaints of neck and upper back pain.  The obvious reason is carrying around that newborn bundle of joy!  Most of us will constantly carry that ever-growing bundle around in the same arm out of habit or just because one arm is stronger than the other.  Why does this contribute to neck pain?  Think about how you would carry around a 10 pound weight.  You’d probably carry it using one arm with that arm hanging down by your side.  The muscles that attach to your shoulder blades would have to work harder to keep your arm from drooping down on that side.  

Those same muscles also attach to your neck.  

When you are holding, carrying, nursing, or bottle-feeding your baby, you are maintaining what’s called a static contraction of those muscles.  A static muscle contraction causes decreased blood flow to the muscle.  At the same time, the normal waste products from metabolism are not being carried away leading to fatigue, soreness and injury. 

Combined all of this with the constant pulling of a muscle on the bone it attaches to (in this case, the vertebrae in the neck) and those bones can be pulled out of proper alignment over time.

Here are some examples of common feeding positions with guides on how to improve your posture to minimize static muscle contractions.

Nursing

At 5’8”, I’m only slightly taller than the average woman.  I found with using a nursing pillow and the “football” or “cradle” holds, that the baby was still so low on my chest I had to twist awkwardly for her to latch on.  You can try boosting your baby up with an extra pillow under the nursing pillow, but then you have to have two pillows every time you nurse. 

Notice how far I’m leaning to the side and forward to get into position.  Holding this angle through the head and neck for a prolonged period puts added stress on these muscle groups.  I found the extra pillows and leaning forward still doesn’t get my baby close enough, so I’m manually holding her up to the proper height.  From this position, my biceps, trapezius and spinal muscles are all firing to maintain this hold.  In babies’ first days, nursing sessions frequently last 30 minutes and are happening 8-12 times a day for up to 4-6 hours of static muscle contractions.  

The wonderful lactation consultants I saw at the hospital introduced me to the “biological” or upright nursing position.  There are many benefits of this position besides feeding the baby from an upright, symmetrical posture.  This is a great position to promote skin-to-skin contact in the early days, which is shown to help baby regulate body temperature.  I found I had less soreness and less difficulty with the baby latching on in this position.  My daughter is 6 months old in this picture and now rests easily on my thigh.  When she was smaller, I would lean farther back and let gravity hold her onto my chest.  Even within a few hours of birth, she was able to bob her head around and get herself into position.

Bottle Feeding

I liked the nursing pillow better for bottle feeding than nursing!  It helps to bring the baby up to you so she is resting on the pillow and not being held up by your arm.  Notice how level the shoulders are in this position.   Using pillows under your arms so that your muscles are relatively inactive during this activity.  This will help minimize strain of the shoulder and spinal musculature.

Spoon Feeding

It’s a little harder to master a symmetrical spinal posture when your child begins eating solid foods, largely due to handedness and working around the high chair.  Here my baby is positioned a little too far away from the high chair so that when feeding, the right arm is elevated and your trunk is twisted in order to reach the baby.  Try positioning yourself closer to the high chair and if possible, adjust its height so that the baby is sitting closer to your shoulder height.

Just remember to be comfortable no matter how you are feeding baby!  The key to preventing injury is to minimize asymmetrical postures which decreases muscle strain.  See a lactation consultant if you continue to have difficulty with nursing positions.  If you have a neck or back issue that doesn’t resolve with improving posture, then make an appointment to see your physical therapist. 

More great information from Tidewater Physical Therapy:
Rebuilding Core Strength After Pregnancy
Pain in Pregnancy: Common, Not Normal

Diana Brooks, PT, DPT earned her Bachelor of Science with a concentration in Sports Medicine from the University of Virginia, and her Doctorate of Physical Therapy from the Medical College of Virginia.
Make an appointment with Diana at the Iron Bridge Location.

Tidewater Physical Therapy is a sponsor of Richmondmom

The post Neck Pain and Nursing (and Bottle-Feeding and Spoon-Feeding!) appeared first on RichmondMom.com.

I’m due in about 2 weeks. Ask me what I’ve done to prepare for baby #4 and I’ll tell you I’ve done nothing.

I say I have done nothing because we have no crib, the baby clothes are still in the attic, and an additional car seat has yet to be installed. In fact, if you walked into my house, you’d be hard pressed to find any evidence that we are actually expecting to have a baby… a hurricane perhaps, but not a baby. If you look closely, you may find a package of newborn diapers sitting on the floor and a couple of side snap baby shirts because last week I thought to myself, “I should do something to get ready for the baby.”

However, I have been preparing in a different way.  There are 3 other small humans in this house that rely on me and I’ve found that preparing for subsequent children is less about buying things and getting ready for the baby, and more about prepping for siblings who are still going to expect to be fed regardless of how much you’ve slept.

So in the weeks leading up to babies number 2, 3, or (in this case) 4, the “prep” is really making sure that the house can continue to run somewhat smoothly without the need of both your hands or any of your brain cells.

Here are some things we’ve done or almost finished on the baby 4 checklist:

– Declutter/home maintenance.
If it needs fixing, fix it,  if it needs painting, paint it, and if it’s piled up on your dining room table, trash it/recycle it/put it away.
Of course there are things you can’t anticipate — I think my most hectic day after #3 was born was about a week postpartum when an appliance or something had broken and the guy came to fix it right as a friend was bringing some dinner and I’m holding the baby and the dog escapes and one of my children was outside in the backyard in his underwear for some reason… it wasn’t my best look. Those things happen. But if you’re dying to get a home project done, do it pre-baby; otherwise, it’s on hold for at least the next three months (or years).

– Set up the house so that your kids can be more self-sufficient.
The number of times kids want a drink or snack or something feels like it goes up exponentially when you have a newborn.
Set up your fridge and kitchen with some “anytime snacks” that are easily accessible. For example, kids can have water anytime and the glasses are within reach. Grapes are pre-washed and in the fridge in an easy to open container.  Pay attention to the things the kids need help with the most and see if you can make adjustments so they can be a bit more self sufficient.

– Have dinner ready.
The baby isn’t going to know whether or not their nursery is finished but you can count on your family wondering (demanding) what’s for dinner every night. Even if you are lucky enough to have a spouse with leave, you’ll both be tired and busy. Having some meals in the freezer can be a life saver.
Last time around I started making double batches of dinner, and freezing some and cooking ahead while my kids were in school… but this time around I’ve got a two year old and two jobs and 3 kids total so I took the easy route and headed to Dream Dinners.  I was out in an hour with 10 different meals (33 servings) with everything from Steak Gorgonzola to Cornflake Crusted Chicken Tenders.
What’s for dinner? Check the fridge.

– Have some (quiet) fun stuff to do.
Newborns = lots of naps (and sneaking in a nap when you can). We’re packing up a “Big Brother Box” with quiet or outdoor activities the kids can enjoy while I take a nap on the couch care for the baby.  In the box we’re putting a bubble machine and water toys (for outside time) and new books, puzzles, popcorn and a movie for inside activities. The boys will open this up when they come home to see the baby. (Memberships to museums, passes for outdoor activities are another great thing for this box so the big kids can go out with one parent so the other parent stays home to nap take care of the baby.)

So when this little hurricane finally comes, the house is prepped, the fridge is stocked, the kids have entertainment and we can spend a little time getting used to being a family of 6.

… We should probably also get a crib.

What are your best tips for getting ready for a new baby when you have older siblings?  Leave a tip in the comments below to pass along to other moms…

The post Preparing for Baby #2, #3, or in this case #4 appeared first on RichmondMom.com.

Sophia and Olivia are slipping but Noah and Liam is holding strong!
For the second year in a row Noah tops the list for baby boy names and Emma is back (a resurgence from 2008) at the top for girls 2015.  The Social Security Administration has released the most popular names for babies born in 2014… Is your baby name on the list.

Most Popular Boys Names of 2015:

1. Noah
2. Liam
3. Mason
4. Jacob
5. William
6. Ethan
7. Michael
8. Alexander
9. James
10. Daniel

Most Popular Girls Names of 2015:
1. Emma
2. Olivia
3. Sophia
4. Isabella
5. Ava
6. Mia
7. Emily
8. Abigail
9. Madison
10. Charlotte

Most popular names in Virginia will be out May 14th.
What do you think? Does a name’s popularity influence your baby name decision?

The post And The Most Popular Names of 2014 Are… appeared first on RichmondMom.com.

I always knew I would breastfeed. It never occurred to me not to. It never occurred to me that there was some question, because everyone I knew did it. My mom did it. My sister did it. My friends did it. It made perfect sense to me that my body made perfectly good, free food for my babies, and that I would give it to them.

I remember in my early 20’s, though, seeing that mom. The mom with a baby nursing in a sling and a toddler strapped on her back, her broomstick skirt swishing through the organic foods aisle at the grocery store, her hemp sandals flip-flopping with each step, her bangle bracelets tinkling beautifully with each graceful. As she swept her pile of reusable bags aside to make room for her Pirate’s Booty snack and variety of Yogi Teas, she absentmindedly nuzzled her baby’s cheek, her patchouli scent wafting my way as I pushed the mini-cart containing bagged salad and chips and salsa.

It never occurred to me until years later that that mom was the picture of breastfeeding in America.

Apparently, breastfeeding is viewed as something engaged in by a certain type of woman. Moms who stay at home and espouse themselves to ideals very far outside the mainstream – those are the breastfeeders. Moms who work, who watch TV, who let their kids listen to rock and roll, eat gluten, drink pasteurized milk, moms who buy Gerber baby food…those moms don’t breastfeed. And if they do, they don’t do it for long. So society tells me.

WHAT THE HELL?

I started to hear one horror story after another about moms who tried to breastfeed and failed because they

“couldn’t make milk” or whose “baby didn’t like their milk” or whose “baby had reflux on breastmilk and could only drink soy formula” or any number of other horrific stories.

I’m not saying they aren’t true, but we as a society stacked the deck against them. Chances are situation was a bigger factor than biology in mom’s low production or fussy child. If you took just the stories I heard about breastfeeding when I was pregnant, and nothing else, you would that no mom ever successfully breastfed.

So social media, and parenting sites, and just the world, created this crunchy mother earth image of breastfeeding moms that made them seem to do nothing but breastfeed and eat an occasional organic snack, dedicating their lives solely to nursing their children, all their other desires and ambitions going unfulfilled.

For a long time, I thought I was a crunchy person. If you don’t know what that means, you probably are not

one. A “CRUNCHY” person is defined by urbandictionary as follows:

Adjective. Used to describe persons who have adjusted or altered their lifestyle for environmental reasons. Crunchy persons tend to be politically strongly left-leaning and may be additionally but not exclusively categorized as vegetarians, vegans, eco-tarians, conservationists, environmentalists, neo-hippies, tree huggers, nature enthusiasts, etc.

Modified derivative of granola.

Nothing about that definition seems absurd to me, and for a long time, I thought I was pretty crunchy. I

make an above average effort to recycle. I think hybrid cars are awesome. I once used tea tree oil. I take probiotics. I don’t litter. I think that the preservation of our natural resources is our responsibility. Crunchy, right?

So I had a baby. There I was thinking I was this crunchy mama. And then… I met that mom in person (that

mom being a collection of those moms who truly do embody crunchiness). That Mom was so much crunchier than I was. I worked full-time after my maternity leave. I didn’t make baby food. Or clothes. I don’t buy organic anything. I believe that the market for supplements is a bit of a racket by the supplement makers that convince people that putting more things into their body is somehow more helpful than a healthy diet and exercise. I take a variety of prescriptions. I think homeopathic medicine can be hokey. I let my children watch TV. Before they were two. Kind of a lot. We eat chicken nuggets and pizza. And chocolate. Kind of a lot. My kids go to day care.

Compared to that mom, I was something I never would have described myself as before meeting that mom.

I was mainstream. Absolutely, positively mainstream.

You may wonder what I am getting at here. And, in fact, I have labored over how to phrase this writing so as to be inoffensive to both the crunchy moms and the mainstream moms (and those who fall somewhere in the middle).

I am not only a mom who breastfed, but a breastfeeding advocate. And it’s not because I think that formula

feeding is bad (GASP! The breastfeeding counselor just said formula isn’t bad!). I don’t honestly believe it is scientifically the better choice, but I also know plenty of awesome kids who had formula and are just fine.

But I also know that our mainstream world wants us to believe that breastfeeding is really hard and inconvenient. Especially for working moms. Especially for moms who aren’t that mom. That moms who work are doomed to fail, so why not just go ahead and use the “easier” choice?

Oh by the way, the formula companies (who sponsor the mainstream world) want you to believe that breastfeeding is harder than formula feeding.

But you don’t have to be crunchy to breastfeed. You don’t have to be a stay-at-home mom to breastfeed. You don’t have to eschew television and synthetic fabrics and meat and social acceptance. You do have to want to do it. You do have to commit to doing it, find a support system, and believe that it’s possible. And there are lots of people who are willing to help. Pretty much any breastfeeding mom I know would help you. And Breastfeeding USA has trained volunteer counselors ,  who are chomping at the bit to get your call and help you.  And lactation consultants, midwives, OB’s, and maybe even your mom.  And I assure you… none of them will tell you to wear hemp or eat tofu if you want to breastfeed.

So get it out of your mind that you have to fit some kind of mold to be a successful breastfeeder, because you just don’t. I don’t and didn’t. Breastfeeding moms are moms whose breasts make milk… so pretty much any mom who wants to.

Megan Hartless is a mom of two sons and one stepson. When the boys aren’t keeping her on her toes, she is volunteering as a Breastfeeding USA Counselor in Virginia’s Staunton-Augusta area, blogging about breastfeeding, and running a monthly support group for nursing moms. In her “spare time,” she has a full-time job as the Associate Director of Financial Aid at Mary Baldwin College.

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