Dear {FIRST_NAME|Friends},

We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. We’ve got lots to look forward to in December, beginning on December 12 with our first ever Oh Mama! Holiday Bazaar. We hope you’ll join us for an afternoon of socializing, shopping, and fun! December 12 is also our designated CHIP of Greater Richmond day, and we’re offering special 1 class sessions of Itsy Bitsy® Yoga that are a great opportunity to check out these great classes while benefiting a Richmond non-profit whose work focuses on pregnant women and children.

Then on December 19th, we’ll offer an additional Itsy Bitsy® Yoga class for Babies to benefit the William Byrd Community House, a local non-profit that helps move children and their families toward self sufficiency.

We’re working hard, albeit slowly, toward our goal of being a full service maternity center, with classes and programs for new and expecting families. Please help us expand our client base so we can in turn expand our programs! OmMama students have always been our biggest promoters. Here are some ways you can help: join our Facebook Page for more information about events and special offers throughout December, and then invite your friends to join. And if our classes have been helpful to you, please refer your friends! Through our Referral Rewards program, you earn $5 in credit toward future classes for each new client who registers.

Also, be on the lookout for a survey asking for your input on classes and programming in the not too distant future. We want to hear from you!

Wishing you and your families peace and joy in December and a wonderful start to the New Year.

Namaste,

Leslie

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Birth Announcements

Congratulations to the following mothers and their babies:

Referral Rewards Program

Earn $5 each time you introduce OmMama to a friend . . .

Our students have always been our biggest promoters. Please help us grow our business by referring your friends and acquaintances to our classes. As a thank you, existing OmMama students earn a $5 credit toward future classes for each new student who registers for any of our programs. Refer 5 friends and earn $25. Refer 10 and you’ll have $50 credit.

What's New

• Oh Mama! Holiday Bazaar, December 12, 1 – 5:30 pm. Join us for our first ever holiday bazaar! We’ve rounded up a fantastic group of local vendors, artisans, and service providers that specialize in products and services for new and expecting families. Fabulous refreshments, discounts on chair massage, mini-photo sessions for you or your child, henna tattoos for bellies and hands, hip maternity and children’s clothing, eco-friendly baby gear, door prizes and more! A portion of the proceeds from this event will benefit CHIP of Greater Richmond.
• Upcoming Schedule Reminders
• Saturday, December 5: Classes canceled due to LGRA Event
• Saturday, December 12: Special 1 – day IBY Tykes and Babies classes to benefit CHIP of Richmond. Click here to register.
• Saturday December 19: Special 1 – day IBY Babies class to benefit William Byrd Community House. Click here to register.
• Thursday, December 24 – Friday, January 1: Studio closed for Winter Holiday. All classes resume on Saturday, January 2.
• Gift Certificates for OmMama are available on-line. Click here to purchase.

Birth Story

Ryker, born October 3, 2009

At my last class, September 26, I was one day past my "due date" but that didn't last long, Ryker was born on October 3rd and he is just perfect.

I had a completely natural labor and delivery, no pain meds and no epidural! Mary Callender was my Doula and she was just fantastic. My husband and I used a lot of the techniques that we learned from your Conscious Birthing class, we labored for 4 hours at home before going to the hospital. When we arrived I was almost 4cm dilated which is exactly where I wanted to be when I arrived at the hospital. I found the labor ball to be the most wonderful thing during labor and I would recommend it to all mothers. . .

Read Full Birth Story

Postnatal Article

Cat-Naps -- Making Short Naps Longer

By Elizabeth Pantley, author of The No-Cry Sleep Solution

Is your child a cat-napper? Does your baby fall asleep being fed, while in a car seat, sling, rocker, or someone’s arms? When transferred to bed, does your baby then sleep 30 to 50 minutes? That’s the exact length of one sleep cycle. These factors combined define the main cause of mini-naps: an inability to fall asleep or stay asleep without aid – your baby wakes fully at the end of the first sleep cycle, resulting in a too-short nap. I refer to this problem as One-Cycle Sleep Syndrome (OCSS). This leads us to understand the reason that many babies are cat-nappers and also directs us to potential solutions.

Cycle-Blender Naps

One way to help your baby sleep longer is to put him for a nap in a setting that will lull him back to sleep when he wakes between sleep cycles. Cycle-Blender naps occur in slings, cradle-swings, rocking cradles, or baby hammocks. Any of these can help cat-nappers extend their sleep time because when Baby begins to awaken the rhythmic motion can lull him back to sleep.

You can also create a Cycle-Blender nap in a stroller. Take a daily walk outside (it’s good for both of you!) or bring your stroller in the house. Walk your baby until she falls asleep, and then park the stroller near you. If she starts to move about, resume walking or give her a bit of a bounce and jiggle.

Once your baby gets used to taking a longer nap in the stroller, you can make a transition to bed naps. Start by reducing the movement, rolling slower and for less time. After your baby is asleep, park the stroller, using the jiggle if she wakes mid-nap. Over time, let your baby fall asleep in the stationary stroller parked next to his crib, and when the nap habit is in place, change to naps in the crib.

Create a Sleep-Inducing Bedroom

To encourage longer naps, keep the sleeping room dark so bright light doesn’t keep him alert between sleep cycles. To soothe your child through sleep cycle changes, use white noise (a recording of nature sounds), or relaxing music. Keep this on all through naptime. This creates a sleep cue and will mask noises that can wake a child who is shifting through sleep cycles.

Build a Better Bed

To entice your baby to have a longer nap, recreate the crib into a cozier nest. Use softer sheets, such as flannel, plus a thicker, softer crib mattress pad. You can also warm the bed surface before naptime with a towel fresh from the dryer (remove this and test the surface before laying your baby down.)

Make the Bed a Familiar Place

Let your baby have several play sessions in his crib during waking hours. Stay with him, engage his interest and introduce a few new toys. Let him see you as a part of the crib experience so that he gets a happy feeling being there. This way, when he is put in his crib for naptime and wakes up mid-nap it won’t be a lonely, foreign place, but one that carries familiar memories of fun times with you. This can help him accept it as a safe place for sleep and allow him to fall back into slumber after that first sleep cycle. 

Interpret Signs of Tiredness

If you put your child for a nap before he is tired, or when he is overtired he won’t sleep as well as when you hit that ideal just-tired moment. Observe your child for signs of tiredness, such as losing interest in toys, looking glazed, becoming cranky, or slumping in his seat. Put your child for a nap the moment you see any sign of fatigue. If you take note of the time that this occurs over a week you should see a pattern emerge. This can help you set up a daily nap schedule that suits your child’s tired times perfectly.

Gauge time spans between naps

In addition to signs of tiredness also watch to see how long your child has been awake. Children can only stay happily awake for a certain period of time until they receive a biological pull towards a nap. Once that “pull” begins your child becomes fatigued and his cheerful mood begins to deteriorate. Each child has unique sleep needs, but this chart shows the typical span of time a child can stay happily awake:

Keep in mind that children grow and change and their nap schedule should change with them. What’s perfect today may be different than what is perfect next month. Keep your eye on your baby and on the clock.

From The No-Cry Nap Solution: Guaranteed Gentle Ways to Solve All Your Naptime Problems by Elizabeth Pantley (McGraw-Hill, January 2009). Here is the link for information and more excerpts:  http://www.pantley.com/elizabeth

Featured Community Service Organization

CHIP of Greater Richmond

CHIP of Greater Richmond provides primary and secondary prevention services to pregnant women and families with children up to the age of 6 years. The organization utilizes a proven team approach that provides mentoring, educational, and behavioural health services in the family’s home. Click here for information on this organization’s accomplishments.

CHIP is OmMama’s designated non-profit recipient for our December 12 Holiday Bazaar.

OmMama Work/Trade Program

OmMama is looking for enthusiastic, reliable folks to help us expand our services. Work/Trade gives you an opportunity to earn some credit for any of our classes or workshops, while giving us a pool of talented folks to turn to when we need some extra help.

How do I apply?

• Send an email to info@OmMama.com with Work/Trade in the subject line, and your name, address, phone number, and email in the body of the email. If you have any special expertise, please be sure to let us know. Resumes are always welcome. You’ll then be entered in our Work/Trade contact list.
• We’ll periodically send out emails to Work/Trade contacts regarding work-trade opportunities as they arise. If you want to take advantage of the opportunity, just follow the instructions to apply.
• When you have completed the task, we’ll note your credit in your account.
• Trade credit is typically $12/hour in credit. Credits may be used toward any OmMama class pass, series class, or workshop purchase. Your credit never expires!

Thank you for trading your time for classes!

The Pregnancy Connection Directory

Check out the new Pregnancy Connection Directory for local maternity care and service providers. It’s growing all the time.

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