After my daughter was born, I was so eager to get back into shape. I had no idea where to even begin, so I mostly focused on crunches. mamalates specializes in prenatal & postpartum pilates. Stroller exercise groups and other activities that involve working out while having your child with you is a growing market where mom’s are finding that not only are they effective, but provide a great support system. Wendy Foster is the creator of mamalates and the master trainer for all mamalates certification programs. She’s been teaching pilates since 1999 and practicing yoga for 18 years. If you’re one of the lucky readers in Portland, OR you can attend Wendy’s classes in person. If you aren’t, fear not, she’s made some wonderful items for you to benefit from the same exercises in your own home.

The mamalates mom+babe dvd + kit is the perfect tool for any mom postpartum. I know I’m always struggling for what to bring my friends at the hospital or at their home right after they deliver their child. I admit, I’ve been the girl that bought a cheesy stuffed animal because I had no idea what else to bring to the hospital. This is about the time that all the gifts seem be to tailored towards the baby and the mom sits on the sidelines. It’s so nice to give a gift that will be tailored just for the mom and her changing body aka her insecurity. The exercises can be done 6 weeks after delivery whether you had a vaginal or cesarean. The kit comes with the DVD, a small therapeutic red ball, a medium resistance band and a pelvic floor exercise card. They all come packaged in an adorable mamalates reusable bag. The DVD starts out explaining proper form and reminding you of things to remember as you’re exercising. She even thoroughly discusses diastasis, how to check if you have it and how to help repair your abdominal muscles. You then go into 8 minutes of stretching and then 30 minutes of the workout that you do WITH your baby. I know that I used to stress out about how I’d work out during my maternity leave because I was afraid to not be stimulating my daughter every second she was awake. I love that you actually use your baby in these exercises so that not only are you getting a great workout, but you’re bonding with your child. Those little pumpkins make a great weight as you’re working out. Wendy makes it so easy for you by packaging it all up together, that it’s hard to find a reason not to use mamalates after delivery. The exercises help you focus on your pelvic and abdominal muscles, since they are often injured in both vaginal and cesarean deliveries.

Her program is easy to follow and will help you begin feeling stronger, heal faster and help you mentally feel better about your body. Read more about mamalates here and all the benefits it can have on your recovery time. Purchase a mamalates mom + babe dvd + kit for yourself or a new mommy here or you can buy the items individually.

Special thanks to mamalates for providing a sample kit for review.

I remember a close friend of mine talking about how painful showers were after she had her daughter and her milk came in. I never quite understood it, or really thought it was as bad as she made it out to be. That was until my daughter was born. Oh. My. Gosh. My breasts were engorged for what seemed like three weeks after my milk came in. The water that would run down my chest felt like mini daggers stabbing me to death. I’d attempt to lean forward, cover them, pretty much do anything I could. Only solution would be to make the showers as fast as humanly possible. I recently just found the Shower Hug made by Belmama & Cherub.

The Shower Hug is a piece of terry velour cloth with a velcro strip that is meant to be wrapped around your chest to protect you from ever having a painful shower again. It comes in sizes XS/S, S/M, M/L and Goddess; you want to be sure that the fit is rather snug in order to provide you with the support you need during the shower. So if you’re in-between sizes, I’d suggest going one size down. The material incredibly soft and it stretches to wrap around your body, even after the shower hits it. I was worried at first that the water might weigh it down a little and cause it to rub on my chest too much, but it stayed completely in place. What’s nice too is that the warm water hits the Shower Hug and it soothes your breasts as you shower. We’ve all heard from our lactation consultants that you shouldn’t wash your breasts or nipples with soap in the shower when you’re breastfeeding. The Shower Hug allows you to completely clean your breasts without the direct contact with soap.  You can even use it outside the shower with ice packs, heating packs or as you sleep to prevent nighttime leaks.

Belmama & Cherub also add that you can use the Shower Hug after C-section deliveries. Simply wrap the Shower Hug around your hips and lower abdomen and it will help support your tummy in and out of the shower as well as block you from those harsh shower sprays. Ouch. So many uses for one item that helps to make a very painful time, much more tolerable. Remember that the Shower Hug can help not only mom’s after labor/deliver, but they can be an essential item for any woman after a mastectomy, augmentation, reduction, reconstruction or even lifts.

Head over to their Hug Shop and check out their Original Shower Hug or their Earth Friendly Green Shower Hug.

Special Thanks to Belmama & Cherub for providing a sample for reviewing purposes.

I hear daily that I am not the only mom with a picky toddler.  Babies can be even pickier, in my experience.  The baby food sold in your local mega-mart can be somewhat limited and, well, pretty awful tasting.  I wouldn’t give my child anything that I wouldn’t eat.  The only option then is to just make it yourself, which is fun at first, but then just a huge pain.  Yummy In My Tummy is not only fresh and tasty, IT’S DELIVERED TO YOUR DOOR STEP!  Completely made of environmentally sustainable, organic ingredients, Yummy In My Tummy is a safe and delicious option.

Yummy In My Tummy makes food for the infant to toddler, with a wide range of choices.  They offer
Stage 1 purees (simple and smooth purees), Stage 2 purees (purees with textured), Stage 3
(chunky mini meals), and frozen Yummy Meals.  For snacks they offer dried fruit and veggies, and finger foods like mini-bite spinach pretzels and carrot muffins. Foods arrive in 4.5 0z BPA-free, phthalate-free plastic containers.  Stage 1, 2, and 3 foods are only $1.33-2.75 a serving!

Yummy In My Tummy is graciously offering In The Know Mom readers a coupon code for %15 off your order!  Just enter ITKM15 when checking out.

My 2 1/2 year old is almost impossible to please when it comes to actual meals.  She is much more a grazer and prefers snacks like fruit, veggies, cheese, and crackers.  I hoped that she would show some interest in the meals, and interest she did show! I started her with the Salmon Cake Meal: salmon cakes, sweet potato mash, and broccoli.  I pulled the tray out of the packaging and read the ingredients.  I was happy to only see ingredients like “fresh Atlantic salmon” and organic EVERYTHING… nothing that I couldn’t identify.  After a quick heating, my daughter grabbed a fork and gobbled it down.  She even asked for more!

Day two, we tried the Chicken Enchiladas with Mexican Rice and Chunky Apples.  Again, all fresh, organic ingredients.  This one was even more a hit.

During our baby taste test, we separated the infants into three groups, Stage 1, Stage 2, and Stage 3.  Each baby was designated a savory puree, along with a sweet fruit puree.  Every single baby ate most of their meal, to the shock of some parents.  The other parents and I tasted all the purees and they were so fresh and delicious tasting.  Rave review from everyone involved.  Even my 2 year old was sneaking Stage 3 foods just saying “mmm yumm” over and over.

Stealing the babies’ food at the taste test… I believe this one is the Vegetable Stew with Cous Cous.