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Archive for February, 2010

A review

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

I’ve decided to do a review on something I use all the time.  Just for the record, I have purchase this item with my own money, no sponsorship or freebies have been given, and I actually do use this item.

Today’s review is on the Ergo baby carrier.

This carrier is fantastic.  After Little Miss was born, my back was ruined.  I think I tried every baby sling and carrier on the market trying to find one that didn’t cause my back to spasm after a few minutes.  Eventually, I found the Ergo.  I was in love.

The waist belt spreads the weight on your hips, not your back, meaning less strain and pain on your upper back and shoulders.  The wide padded shoulder straps don’t dig in and the clips are easy to use.

I loved that you can use the ergo carrier from birth right through to toddler hood and I still use ours with Little Miss (aged 2 and a bit).  Babies are carried on the front snuggled up to mum.  The carrier positions bub in the best position and because they are close to you, bub’s relaxes and dozes.  Some mums can even breastfeed while bub is still in the carrier.

When bub’s has become bigger, the carrier can be worn on the hip and lastly, toddlers can be carried on the back.  Little Miss loves being carried on my back because she’s up high so she can see what is going on and where we are going.  We’ve even mastered the art of getting her in the carrier when we’re out by ourselves.  It’s great for when Little miss is tired of walking and wants to be carried.  Yay, she’s carried, my hands are free and we can keep going without a tantrum.

There’s also some really useful accesories available.  I highly reccommend the back pack attachment so you can have all the nappy bag stuff at easy reach and it attaches to the carrier!  For newborns there is an insert required.

Another reason I loved the ergo was an extension for the waist band.  As an above average woman, many of the carriers just didn’t go around me.  Yay!

All the clips and adjusters have a safety loop.  If for any reason the clip comes undone, the safety loops kick in.  The carrier also has a very cool snooze hood for when bubs has a snooze.  This is especially great when they’re a bit older and need something to rest their heads against.

Absolutely worth every cent.

The announcement!

Wednesday, February 17th, 2010

Ok, I said I’d be back with a big announcement.  Well here it is!

THE PREGNANCY SUPPORT SYSTEM HAS ARRIVED!

This support system means a pregnant woman can have a massage lying face down!

I’m so excited about this.  When I was pregnant, I had massages on my side and once with this system.  I think just spending the 20 minutes lying on my tummy was worth it!

Spread the word.

Em.

My butt hurts…..

Wednesday, February 17th, 2010

Hi everyone,

Big announcement on it’s way.  Will tell you more later today!!!!

In other news, I was chatting to a fellow practitioner yesterday about how I seemed to have become an expert in buttock massage. 

Sciatic nerve pain is nasty.  It’s a sharp, burning, aching pain that starts at your buttock and runs all the way down to your knee and possibly your foot.  Makes getting in and out of the car difficult and sometimes even walking is a challenge.  The majority of my pregnant clients have sciatic nerve pain from postural changes, relaxin (pregnancy hormone) flowing and just the weight of the uterus but also my non pregnant clients seems to have this pain too.  Is it because we sit at the computer far too long?  Do we not stretch and walk around as much as we should?

The techniques I use are really effective, a little painful during treatment, but worth it.  I know this because they’re the same techniques used on me when I have sciatic nerve pain (whilst pregnant and now).  Other options for when you can’t get a massage quickly are heat packs, very gentle stretching, and laying flat with your leg straight.  Maintaining your pelvic floor muscle exercises is a great preventative measure and all women should do this anyway. 

It’s always a good idea to have any long lasting pain checked by your doctor.

So until the big announcement.  Have fun.

Em.

Reading

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

Today I revisited a book that makes me cry.  Not sad cry exactly.  More from being moved and it’s not exactly a book you would expect that kind of reaction.

It’s “Australia Unbuttoned” by Kerry Cue.  It sub title is “Australia’s culture exposed”.

Why does it make me cry I hear you ask.  Well, the first time I read the book was just after my grandfather passed away.  The book looks at different rituals and traditions in Australia including death and funerals.  That’s the first reason it makes me cry.  The second is the chapter on new life and birth.  There are some examples of baby blessings that are beautiful and it reminded me of just how disappointed I was at Little Miss’s baptism.  So as a starting point for my investigation into traditions surrounding birth, this was a good start.

There’s also a very interesting insight into other celebrations and rituals.  Including the habit of not RSVPing.

Worth the read.

Em.

Interesting

Sunday, February 7th, 2010

In the last three days we have had 300% increase in traffic.  Maybe I should support (sorry) the cause more often…

Still, the world keeps turning and I’ve been working.  Always a good thing.  Most people complain about going to work but I love it and getting paid is a bonus.  Which is something I’ve been thinking about lately.  So I ask you, what job would you happily do, even if you didn’t get paid?

When I was studying my diploma we were told massage can only be worked on a part time basis.  This is mainly to prevent injury and needing more massages than you give.  The most I could ever work on clients is 25 hours a week.  This doesn’t include the time I take cleaning, paper working and linen washing.  I’m telling you this as a result of a conversation  yesterday.  Another natural therapist and I were discussing what we charge for a session.  I charged more than her and she looked surprised that I get clients.  Why do I charge more?  Simple, I can’t work full time hours but have the same bills as everyone else, I have spent time post training to increase my knowledge in my specialised field, and because I’m worth every cent!  This is not a vanity thing either.  In fact I charge less than the local beauty therapists charge for a relaxation massage but I have more skills.  I genuinely care about all my clients and you do get what you pay for.  My massages can potentially be claimed back on private health insurance too.

So what are you worth?  Are you charging your customers and clients enough?

Open up and Show Your Support

Friday, February 5th, 2010

I’m sitting at my In-law’s house writing this post.

A few posts ago I mentioned a little adventure I had with Amanda (Mad Cow) and Renee (Bra Queen).

Well it’s time to tell you what it’s about.

To show my support of depression awareness, a portrait of me was taken showing my “support” i.e. my bra.  Given that one in 5 (that’s 20%) of the population suffers from depression, there really isn’t much awareness of the condition that can kill.  From my own experience, it’s terrifying.  The constant cloud of doom and feeling like everything was grey.  The way your energy is zapped and not being able to “just snap out of it” is horrible.

I was recently talking to a friend and she was feeling just like I was when pregnant.  She wasn’t even aware of the services available.  I don’t think I’ve written downs a bunch of phone numbers so quickly.

So for her sake, every-one’s sake and my own:

I’M SHOWING MY SUPPORT!

Showing my support

Thanks Maree for the awesome photos!

So I now ask you to join in and show your support by either writing a post about depression and adding a photo of you in your support, join the facebook group or leave a comment of support. 

There’s no point keeping depression in the dark.  Bring depression out in the open!