Just a quick update from your "Feet on the Street".  I was visiting my "high risk pregnancy" friend yesterday and saw something I've NEVER seen before.  She said her baby was very active all the time, but yesterday I saw for myself just what she meant.  We were sitting on her couch talking, and suddenly her dress started moving and flapping around.  At first, I thought it was just her moving, but I saw that her abdomen would push out in several different directions at the same time and it became very obvious that it was actually the baby.  We started laughing about it, and the baby really started moving. If I didn't know that she was in her third trimester, I would have thought she had a puppy under her dress. She said he moved like that a lot, and that she would used BabyPlus when she needed a rest.  She stated that BabyPlus has actually started putting the baby to sleep, so when he becomes so active as to cause her pain, she would bring out BabyPlus.

My friend and I have talked about the benefits of prenatal stimulation, so I'm very happy that she can use the BabyPlus Prenatal Education System to stimulate her prenatal child's development.  Lucky for her, she can also use it to enhance his sleeping schedule as well.

I know my friend will have a smart baby, but I wonder if she's ready for a future Olympic gymnast?

I'll keep you posted!!!

Your "Feet on the Street".   

 

OK you Dads-To-Be,  Listen up!  You guys are going to take really good care of the Mom-To-Be in your life. Remember men, she's the pregnant one, not you. She needs the TLC and you are just the one to give it to her.

Last time we talked about all the things that you have to investigate and learn about when you are having a baby. Fetal development, baby stimulation and how to have a smart baby are just a few. Not to mention all the infant sleeping schedules, breast feeding schedules and even something called prenatal learning!

Well let me tell you all that is fine and good, but if your Mom-To-Be is not happy, that's not good for anyone. So let's try to help her feel comfortable. It will result in a happier and healthier baby and mom.

Previously I explained how to give your lady a back massage, well how does a foot massage sound to you? I'll  tell you what, it will sound like heaven to her! No doubt about it. I'm going to give you a few pointer about foot massage.


Fill a large tub with warm water, and then add Epsom salts and eucalyptus oil. Place the tub on a towel in front of a comfortable chair or sofa. Have your Mom-To-Be sit down and place her feet in the tub and soak for 5-10 minutes. Then dry her feet with a soft fluffy towel.

Do basic stretches with the foot; pushing the top of the foot away from you and pulling the top toward you.

Warm up the foot by rubbing it all over and appling lotion or oil in a sweeping motion. Include the top, heel and arch. Gliding strokes work best. It is important to rub the entire foot first to warm it up. If you start to apply deep pressure to the foot before warming it up, there is a greater risk of causing injury.





Cup the foot with your hands and squeeze with the appropriate amount of pressure. You may move up and down as you are holding the foot.





Wrap your hand around the top of the foot, and then apply pressure with your fist to the underside of the foot. You can apply pressure by pushing in and out or in a circular motion.





Using your thumb and a moderate amount of pressure, start at the top of the foot on each side. Now glide toward the bottom along the sides of the foot. There are tendons that run along each side of the foot, these can be good to stretch.





Wrapping your hands around the foot from the front, squeeze firmly and pull upward alternating hands as you pull upward.






Rotate each toe starting the largest working to the smallest.




Finish giving a foot massage with a few sweeping strokes then gently rest your hands on her feet.

Trust me, she will love it!

Hey Dad-to-be! Pregnancy isn't just for women. If your woman is pregnant there is a lot you can do. I know you have been reading a bunch of articles on Prenatal development, baby stimulation and fetal development. You have seen everything there is about Critical period in prenatal development, having a smart baby and fetal brain development.

But what do you know about taking care of your new mom-to-be? Let me tell you that a happy mom-to-be = a healthy mom-to-be = a healthy baby. And you can do something about it. In the next several blogs I will tell you how you can pamper the mom-to-be in your life.

The Pampering Dad-To-Be Massage

The healthiest and safest time to begin having pregnancy massages is in your second trimester. Lying on your back is  not a good idea after the 20th week of pregnancy, so the position that works best is to have your mom-to-be straddle a chair, with the back facing her front. This works especially well if you place the chair in front of a table, and then stack one or two pillows over the back, allowing them to spill out on to the tabletop. This will enable her to lean forward during the massage and rest her head.

Now, lubricate your hands with either high-quality commercial massage oil, or one you make yourself. This can be done by combining a few drops of a relaxing essential oil, such as lavender or chamomile, with a carrier oil such as sweet almond or jojoba. Be sure to warm the oil by pouring a small amount into your hands and rubbing them together. This is an important step, since cold oil causes muscles to tense, causing her to feel stressed.

Now, place your hands on her lower back just below the waistline, and slowly begin sliding up her back on either side of her spine. Never massage directly on the backbone, or over the spinal column. As you reach her shoulders your hands should slowly move across the upper back, then down the opposite side of the spine, to the starting point. This up-and down motion should continue for at least several minutes, until the muscles of her back start to warm and relaxed.

Your can then begin applying gentle pressure to any area of her back where she is feeling pain -- using the heel of your hand or the pads of your fingers, bearing down slightly and continuing to move in a circular motion. The operative word here, however, is "gentle." The point of massage is to relax and soothe muscles, so a rubdown should never hurt. If it does, you are is pressing too hard -- so ask her if she experiencing discomfort.

Your massage finishes with a repeat of the up-and-down motion that started the back rub, done for a several more minutes. You should then wrap her body in a soft blanket or beach towel, to keep muscles warm. Have her remain in her massage position for five to 10 minutes.

The massage can be as short as 10 minutes, or as long as 60 minutes; it's not a good idea to go beyond that time limit, no matter how great it feels. During her second trimester, you can give her a massage once a week; during the third trimester, you can increase massages to twice weekly or more if needed. Again, never give her a massage during the first trimester, even by a professional therapist

 

Go green if you are pregnant or are thinking about getting pregnant. I’m talking about eating more green! It’s important not only for fetal brain development but also for mom’s health. The fact is, healthy prenatal development is up to you. What you do and eat will directly affect the development of your baby in every stage of fetal development. If you continue a healthy diet after your baby is born, you will enjoy better breast feeding and a healthier you.

Healthy Spinach-Stuffed Sole Recipe

Ingredients:

1 tsp olive oil
1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/2 lb fresh spinach, chopped
1/4 tsp oregano leaves, crushed
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 lb sole fillets or other white fish
2 Tbsp sherry
4 oz (1 C) part-skim mozzarella cheese, grated
as needed nonstick cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 ºF.

2. Coat 10- by 6-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

3. Heat oil in skillet and sauté mushrooms for about 3 minutes or until tender.

4. Add spinach and continue cooking for about 1 minute or until spinach is barely wilted. Remove from heat and drain liquid into prepared baking dish.

5. Add oregano and garlic to drained sautéed vegetables. Stir to mix ingredients.

6. Divide vegetable mixture evenly among fillets and place in center of each.

7. Roll each fillet around mixture and place seam-side down in prepared baking dish.

8. Sprinkle with sherry, then grated mozzarella cheese. Bake for 15–20 minutes slotted spoon.

 

Yield: 4 servings   Serving size: 1 filet roll

Folic acid it the nutrient to remember if you are pregnant or are thinking about getting pregnant. It is crucial for fetal brain development. You can’t start too soon adding more Folic Acid to your diet. The fact is that healthy prenatal development is up to you. What you do and eat will directly affect the development of your baby in every stage of fetal development. If you can keep track of your diet week by week during your pregnancy you can insure a healthy pregnancy and a happy baby.

Try this easy recipe alone or as a side to a grilled chicken breast.

Lentils and Rice

Ingredients

3/4 cup lentils, washed and sorted
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup grated Swiss cheese
1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Combine everything except 1/2 a cup of the Swiss cheese in a bowl. Pour into a 2-quart baking dish, cover, and bake at 350 degrees F for about two hours, stirring occasionally. Uncover and top with the remaining cheese. Bake another five minutes.


click on the bowl of rice to read more about pregnancy and nutrition

 

What Do the Experts Say?

Our patented prenatal curriculum is designed to strengthen your baby's learning capabilities with naturally derived audio lessons.  For your child, the developmental benefits of BabyPlus last a lifetime.

"For their child's lifetime development, every parent should hear about this discovery, an innovation representing the single most significant step science has taken toward increasing infant potential."  Rene Van de Carr, M.D., author of While You Are Expecting.

"The list of developmental benefits we've seen in our son, now age 4, is too long to go through in full.  Even my colleagues acknowledge he is an amazing child." Sarah Stroup, Ph.D., Professor and BabyPlus mother.

It's not very often that you get a hug at work.  But that is exactly what I got at a recent conference I attended. A nurse walked into my booth, wrapped her arms around me, and said "Thank you for BabyPlus". (I wished I could take credit for it, but I told her "your welcome" anyway.)  She proceeded to tell me that I had given her a BabyPlus Prenatal Education System at a conference we had both attended.  Her baby was now four months old, and she credited BabyPlus with her child's very calm demeanor, his very contented nature, and that he was a very good sleeper, but she said the most noticible thing about her baby was that he nursed like a pro from the very beginning. (As a mother of two, I know what a struggle breast feeding can be.)  I was happy to tell her that many first time parents who used the BabyPlus Prenatal Education System, have reported the same thing to lactation consultants. I'm excited to hear from this wonderful mother in the future about her childs developments.

See you next time!
From Your "Feet on the Street"

 

The real question is, "Why wouldn't you use BabyPlus?"

The BabyPlus Prenatal Education System is safe, scientifically validated, and the benefits are remarkable. The benefits are a baby who more readily nurses, has an increased ability to self-soothe, is more interactive and responsive, and is more relaxed and alert at birth.  In order to give your child every advantage, you take care of your health while you're pregnant - eating right, taking prenatal vitamins, avoiding alcohol, etc. Basically, you commit to taking care of the physical environment of your developing baby. 

The great news is - you can also begin taking care of your baby's early cognitive development.  The scientific research community is in agreement with your natural instincts.  Why not start educating your child as early as possible - with an age-appropriate curriculum for the stages through pregnancy - based on your own heartbeat? 

Click on the picture to see some of the research behind the use of baby stimulation week by week during pregnancy.

About the Comfort Pouch

The BabyPlus Prenatal Education System includes a comfort pouch.  You put your system in the pouch to wear during these critical times in child development.  One question we often hear is "How do I adjust the size of the comfort pouch?"  Click on the picture of the comfort pouch straps for directions to "re-size" the comfort pouch.  Some moms even buy two or three pouches to have extras on hand!  The pouch should be worn snug to your belly, and your baby will hear the sounds similar to a mother's heartbeat sounds.  This is how learning begins! 

If this is your first pregnancy, I know that you are concerned about your infant's development.  Prenatal care is so important to not only your baby's infancy but to his health and welfare throughout his life.  One element of prenatal care should be the use of BabyPlus.  One mother of a BabyPlus child wrote recently on BabyCenter.com about her child's early benefits and her baby's development after birth.

It seems to live up to its claims!
As promised, my daughter (25 months) was born with her eyes wide open, relaxed, not crying, and nursed well in spite of being a few weeks early. Early on, many people commented on how alert she is, and now they comment on how friendly, happy, and verbally advanced she seems to be. My mother works with an early childhood education program and gave me developmental charts that professionals use, and my daughter seems to be off the charts cognitively and verbally, and somewhat ahead emotionally as well. We haven't really been pushing hard to teach her things, but she knows at least 10 colors, several shapes, and about half the alphabet and the numbers 1-9 on sight. She can count to 12 solidly, and sometimes tries to get up to about 20, is up to 4 word phrases, and engages in lots of pretend play. She doesn't get upset very easily, and if she is upset, she recovers very quickly. I don't know how much of this is just her nature, but when I read the descriptions on the BabyPlus website, I have to believe it had something to do with it. My only word of caution is that it was louder than I expected which was a little annoying and made be worry a bit about the volume for my daughter, but her hearing is just fine!
Michelle, mom of one, happy customer, Hawaii

Born Learning - Already!

All parents know that learning actually begins before your child goes to school.  Learning really begins in the womb.  Everyone knows that baby development after birth is important.  However, the research now confirms that the critical period in prenatal development - especially early brain development - is impacted week by week in pregnancy.  Using the BabyPlus Prenatal Education System - a simple set of sounds similar to the mother's heartbeat - helps during the stages of prenatal development.

Don't wait to begin teaching your baby after he or she is born - help them to be born already learning!

266 Important Days

 

As the founder of the BabyPlus Company, I have noticed much in the last decade.  Just ten years ago, the notion that the most a pregnant mom could do for her developing child during her pregnancy was to eat right and take a vitamin.  Today we know better!  I fully believe that (obviously) a prenatal child’s surrounding environment should not be unhealthy or toxic.  All scientists and physicians agree about the importance of these weeks, and the reasons are obvious.  I do not even think that this very environment should be neutral, because so much is known today!  The impact of these 266 days on long term development is so important that it is the expectant mother’s sincere obligation to enrich the environment. 

 

Recently, I visited a Mimi Maternity store in Chicago that was selling the BabyPlus Prenatal Education System.  One of the sales associates was 20 weeks pregnant.  I asked her whether or not she was using the BabyPlus system since she was selling them to customers.  She replied that she was not using one because she was more of an "earth momma" and didn't believe that we needed to be "pushing" babies in the womb to learn.  She felt that once her baby was born that she would have plenty of time to teach her baby what he needed to know. I told her that BabyPlus is not actually "pushing" your child to learn but is helping the child's brain to develop so that it will reach more of its full potential. Research has shown that the mother's heartbeat sounds, which the baby hears 24/7, trigger early brain development during pregnancy. BabyPlus offers a new sound like the mother's heartbeat, but different enough that the baby's brain will automatically compare that sound with it's mother's heartbeat.  Then, as the BabyPlus curriculum changes over time, the baby's brain will compare each new sound to previous sounds.  This comparing and contrasting helps enhance the baby's cognitive development so that when the baby is born, he will have "exercised" his brain and it will be receptive to learning at a higher level.  At that point, the sales associate said that explanation made a lot of sense to her.  She was not forcing her baby to learn in the womb but offering him an opportunity to strenthen his learning ability.  Kathy ended up buying a BabyPlus and wearing it to work to talk to other mothers about the importance of prenatal learning.   

Posted by LJ Russell

 The idea is so simple - yet AMAZING! 

Learning in the womb.  Pretty simple.  BabyPlus "kick starts" learning in the womb.  The results are noticeable immediately after birth, and the effects last a lifetime.  Usage of the BabyPlus during critical times in child development is important because you are giving your baby even more of a "head start." 

Prenatal development facts are very consistent.  Stimulate your baby week by week during your pregnancy, using the Babyplus (which is the mother's heartbeat sounds), and see a baby who more readily nurses, self-soothes, and reaches pediatric milestones earlier. 

BabyPlus is a great baby gift! 

Considering that you use the BabyPlus Prenatal Education System during the critical times in child development, who wouldn't want to give this gift to any child? 

Read any article on prenatal development, and you will see that the benefits of learning in the womb can last a lifetime.  Whether this is a first time pregnancy or not, the prenatal development research all says the same thing.  Think about the research - every child development assessment tool will measure what has happened up to that point in a child's development.  The current research strongly indicates that the womb is so important when a baby is developing.  Give a baby a gift that lasts a lifetime!

There is a new generation of moms emerging. You may be one of them or you may know someone who is. They are called the Millennial Moms.

These mothers are between the  ages of 16-28. There are a whopping 55.5 million of you out there. These women relish their independence and are able to create their own solutions from blogging to childbirth. They are confident and want to do things "my own way"






Millennials are savvy and  able to see through the hype when buying products or services. They research everything.

When these moms are pregnant they ask questions like, "What happens to my baby during the critical time in fetal development and child development ?"

They want to know about things llike early brain development during pregnancy, the benefits of infant stimulation and learning in the womb. The BabyPlus Prenatal Learning System is something they feel strongly about and are using it to enhance their babies’ development. They want a better nursing baby, a baby with a healthy sleep schedule.



They believe that the BabyPlus is a natural "no-hype" product because it is built on the simplest yet most powerful language of the prenatal child; the maternal heart beat sound in the womb.

 

Millennial Moms are an amazing new generation of mothers who know what they want and know how to get it.

Pediatricians and researchers alike have observed and measured the benefits associated with the BabyPlus Prenatal Education System.  Many of the benefits observed relate to the baby's development after birth. However,learning in the womb can have many long term benefits.  Babies that have benefited from BabyPlus are reported to reach early childhood milestones, such as the ability to point to body parts on command, walk and talk ahead of their peers.  Utilizing such milestone assays as the Clinical and Linguistic Auditory Milestone Scale (CLAMS test) and the Vineland Social Maturity Scale (school readiness test), these children have shown an increased attention span, enhanced memory skills and measurably improved school readiness.  These child development assessment tools illustrate that BabyPlus can lead to long term benefits in learning.  Parents have also reported that BabyPlus children exhibit greater creativity and independence. All of these traits can help your child to become a strong learner, leading to success in school and life. Why not do all that you can to help your child be successful in the future? 

A critical time in child development is the early brain development during pregnancy. Expectant mothers are increasingly more interested in fetal development and spend much time researching and learning about the latest in prenatal care. Learning in the womb has become an issue that is getting a lot of attention. Having a smart baby is a goal for most parents. Watch the video about prenatal learning and see what other parents are saying.

First time parents will appreciate the benefits of The Babyplus Prenatal Learning System. Watch this video to see how it has enhanced the infant development of these babies. Hear what these families have to say about the mother's heartbeat sounds.Find out what they think about the critical times in child development. Click the link below to watch this video