My name is Cynthya Dzialo and I love working as a birth doula. I am certified with Childbirth International and work with all types of families in Atlanta. My job is to support a parent’s decision on how their baby is born into this world, whether they choose a vaginal or cesarean birth or plan to use an epidural or pain medication. I provide information on hospitals, maternity care providers and routine childbirth and newborn procedures. During active labor, I give continuous support at home and/or hospital and assist with the initial breastfeeding attempt.

Email Cynthia to schedule a free consultation or call 678-575-3742   www.happiestdoula.com

We are the BEST hypno-doulas in Atlanta!

Juno Maya specializes in maternity pampering, relaxation, and wellness offered in the comfort of your home. Relax, rejuvenate, and refresh with our specialty spa treatments. Also, choose from our selection of wellness services designed to support both you and your family during this special time. Services include: Lactation Consultation, Lactation Induction Program for the adoptive or surrogate mother,  Counseling, Reiki, Massage and amazing spa services – all designed for the expectant mother. Be sure to check out the Spa Shower Packages! We service areas of metropolitan Atlanta including Decatur, Buckhead, Sandy Springs, Marietta, Alpharetta and more. Call to schedule your appointment today: 404-883-1478, and mention Bright Birth for a special gift when you book a service.

www.junomaya.com

Remember! Today, Saturday November 26th is the second annual Shop Small Business Saturday! Support your local business with gift cards and holiday gifts purchased in our community!

Learn more about Small Business Saturday here.

Benefits of using hypnosis for childbirth:

• Fewer drugs or no drugs at all means less risk of side effects on mother and baby.
• Shorter labors – resistance of the birthing muscles as a response to pain is minimized or eliminated.
• An awake, energized mother, due to total relaxation throughout the birthing process.
• A calm, peaceful birthing environment.
• Breech and posterior babies can be turned using hypnosis.
• Fewer interventions and complications during labor.
• Babies who are better sleepers and nursers due to fewer drugs in their systems.

You may want to ask a prospective childbirth hypnosis instructor the following when you contact them:

• If they have a background in hypnotherapy. (this is helpful)
• If they have a background in childbirth education. (also helpful)
• Do they have any medical training. (very helpful)
• Have they personally given birth with the method they are teaching?
• How long they have been teaching hypnosis for childbirth classes, and where they teach the class. (Home, hospital, etc.)
• How many classes do they teach and how long is each one.
• What materials do they provide with the class.(Books, tapes, CD’s, scripts, phone help, etc.)
• How much is the class fee, and is it a group class or private.
• Do they attend births as a hypnodoula, and if so, how many have they attended. If not, have they trained any local doulas for this?
• Are they familiar with the local hospitals and popular care providers? Are they welcome in all the area facilities?
• How are partners included in class?
• How many of their former students have been successful using their childbirth hypnosis course. (they should know)
• Ask them about why they became a childbirth hypnosis instructor. Hopefully they have a passion for childbirth and a love of natural, comfortable birthing!
• Are they available to you after class is over for ongoing support or questions? What kind of referrals can they provide?
• IF you find that hypnosis is not for you, what other classes or instructors in the area can they recommend to you. It is so important that every family finds the RIGHT class for them – and that may not be hypnosis for some. Your prospective instructor should be open to that possibility, and have the knowledge to guide you in the direction of your heart.

It is well worth the time to look into hypnosis for childbirth as an option, both for yourself and for your baby. It is important to remember that many drugs given to a woman in labor reach the baby in less than 5 minutes, in an adult dose, so using hypnosis techniques can help avoid them. The deep relaxation has even helped many a nervous dad to cope as they prepare for their child’s birth! In addition, the skills you will learn for relaxation and hypnosis will benefit you for the rest of your life.

HypnoBirthing is the original hypnosis for childbirth course, and as such, has an excellent support network around the world! As a Registered Nurse, I have researched every class - The Bradley Method, Birthing from Within, hospital based prep, other local classes, Hypnobabies – and I always come back to HypnoBirthing as I have seen such success, integrity and feel it addresses all the levels families need work to prepare on – emotional, physical, medical, spiritual and mental – however you define it. No other course does this, and no other instructor in town is an RN to share those extra hospital tips that couples need to know! I hope to meet you soon. *

kelly@brightbirth.com

Remember! Today, Saturday November 26th is the second annual Shop Small Business Saturday! Support your local business with gift cards and holiday gifts purchased in our community!

Learn more about Small Business Saturday here.

Oh, that poor, angry, red rash that just WON’T go away!  All of my babies from time to time have been magically healed by this recipe. The ingredients cover all your bases – abrasion, fungus, bacteria and macerated skin due to exposure to moisture. When the other creams you have won’t work – and your baby is just so miserable – please give this a try.

1 part Bacitracin

1 part Mylanta

1 part Lotrimin (yes, like for athlete’s foot)  also known as Clotrimazole

1 part Zinc Oxide Ointment (like Desitin or Burts Bee’s)

Mix them all together in a sealable container. It is certainly a bit messy on their bottom, but trust me when I say it is magical.*

HYPNOBIRTHING WAS ON GOOD MORNING AMERICA TODAY! CHECK OUT THE EXCERPT FROM THE STORY AND THE LINK BELOW FOR MORE…..

Summoning Serenity During Labor

“They are so focused, they are in such control. It’s incredible,” Saba said. Though self-hypnosis is not a new idea, it is a rising trend in natural childbirth. Many people think a hypnotist as someone waving a pocket watch in front of a person’s eyes to make them do things they would not normally do. But when it comes to clinical applications, hypnosis is nothing like what you may have seen on stage, or in movies.

Women are encouraged to think of birth pains as surges or pressure rather than “contractions.” They are asked to picture themselves in a serene location, such as the beach. The hypno-birthing practitioner encourages them to feel waves of relaxation moving through their body.

Some 1,000 instructors are certified through the HypnoBirthing Institute, based in Epsom, N.H. — and the demand for the instructors certainly exists.  Lapointe cannot imagine giving birth without one.

“This was like heaven compared to the other two,” Lapointe said.

Pregnant mothers or patients who choose to learn self-hypnosis as a way to ease pain during pregnancy or surgical procedures use a combination of techniques to achieve  a state of hypnosis.

“Some of the basics are learning how to breathe properly how to let the muscles completely relax,” Saba said. “It really must be practiced at home, self-hypnosis gets better with practice,” she said.

Saba has her students attend five classes of self-hypnosis instruction. When they’re done with the classes, they continue to practice at home using tapes and the techniques they learned in class.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=126125&page=1

Best Beach & Sport Sunscreens | EWG’s 2011 Sunscreen Report | EWG’s Skin Deep (click to learn more)

The best sunscreen is a hat and a shirt. No chemicals to absorb through the skin, no questions about whether they work. But when you can’t get away from exposing your skin to the sun, use Eviromental Working Group’s top-rated sunscreens to provide broad-spectrum (UVA and UVB-sunburn) protection with fewer hazardous chemicals that penetrate the skin. Sunscreen and sunblock makers are awaiting FDA approval for a wider selection of UVA-blocking chemicals. In the meantime, all top-rated products contain either zinc or titanium minerals to help cut UVA exposures for sunscreen users.

Choose from among EWG’s top-rated sunscreens for broad spectrum protection with fewer hazardous ingredients. You will be surprised who some of the biggest offenders are!