Dear Friends,

We have been blessed the last few days with weather that is more reminiscent of autumn than the middle of August in Richmond Virginia. The early mornings have been delightful on my back porch, with a good book in hand. I hope that you too are enjoying this pristine weather and the last few days of summer.

We have been busy behind the scenes getting ready for our first fall season as a solo enterprise. I am thrilled with the fresh talent that OmMama is drawing and delighted to be able to announce our new fall schedule. It is very humbling to me that even though we are not yet in our permanent location, we have already begun the process of moving toward our vision of a maternity center. We’ve got lots of wonderful new programs beginning the second week of September. I hope you will be as excited as I am when you read the class descriptions, and look forward to seeing you (and your little ones) in one of our many new offerings this fall.

So check out our schedule, website, and the newsletter. Please e-mail or call if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions. We love hearing from you! And enjoy the rest of your summer – we’ll see you after Labor Day!

Namaste,

Leslie

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Birth Announcements

Congratulations to:

• Kim E and daughter Ada Laine, born July 20, 2008
• Julia C and son Benjamin Lee, born July 17, 2008
• Jennifer M and daughter Elena Ivy, born July 12, 2008
• Alison A and daughter Marley, born July 10, 2008
• Michaelann C and daughter Lucia Yolanda, born July 5, 2008
• Ashleigh M and son Sean, born June 26, 2008
• Marigny R and son Chase Roberts, born June 25, 2008
• Katie H and son Andrew Scottlan, born June 24, 2008
• Amy F and son Cash Riot, born June 16, 2008
• Katherine F and son Anthony, born May 23, 2008

Submit your birth announcements and stories on ommama.com!

What's New

• On-line Registration Now Available
  We now have state-of-the-art on-line scheduling and registration software. You can purchase and reserve classes on our secure on-line scheduler, check your account to see how many classes you have remaining, and view the class schedule for teacher substitutions and updates. From the OmMama website, click on the schedule link. Then click on the "Welcome" tab for general instructions for setting up a log-in and password. On-going classes are listed under the "Classes" tab. "Series Classes" have their own tab, as do "Workshops and Events". It’s as easy as pie! Or if you prefer you may register by calling 804-612-6366 or bring a check with you to class (we don't yet have computer access at our studio site). 
• No classes Monday August 25th through Monday September 1st
  Mary Jo and I are heading out on vacation. Our regular schedule resumes Tuesday, September 2.
• Expanded Fall Schedule Starts September 8
  We are pleased to announce a whole new season of returning and new classes, series, workshops and events for our Fall 2008 schedule. Returning classes include Itsy Bitsy Yoga® classes for Infants and Tots. And we are expanding the Itsy Bitsy offerings to include Tykes classes for ages 21 months through 4 years.
• We are also bringing back the Conscious Birthing workshop, which will be offered on a monthly basis. This popular half-day workshop is a great way for couples to learn skills to help you move through childbirth with courage, grace, and a deeper connection with each other.
• Our students have repeatedly spoken of the need for postpartum support. So we are very excited to be offering two new Mom & Baby groups this fall, one a six-week series focusing on the notorious “Fourth Trimester”, and the other a facilitated drop-in group for moms and babies anywhere from 2 weeks to approximately 9 months postpartum.
• Finally, we are again joining forces with TRIgirl Training to sponsor another Healthy Mamas Prenatal/Postnatal Walk/Run Team for the nTelos 8k on November 15th. This is a great way to build your aerobic capacity and stamina before and after baby in the company of other women at a similar life stage. We’ll also be raising awareness and funds for CHIP of Greater Richmond, a great organization that works in partnership with parents to improve the health of at-risk children in the Richmond Metropolitan Area. Please check our website for further information or to register for classes, workshops, and events.
• Welcome New Instructors
  We are very pleased to announce that the OmMama family is expanding. Erin Butterworth, MSW and Karla Helbert, LPC are joining us to lead our Mom & Baby groups this fall. And Candy Beers, DTR will lead the Itsy Bitsy® Tykes classes. We welcome these new instructors and hope you will have an opportunity to enjoy their many talents this fall.
  
• The Pregnancy Connection Directory will launch in the next week or so. In the next few days, when you click on our Resources page, you will be re-directed to an upgraded Directory that we are starting to populate with businesses and services geared toward expecting and new families. If you have any suggestions for businesses or services you’d like to see listed in the directory, please send your thoughts to info@OmMama.com, and we’ll follow up.
  

Birth Story

Benjamin Lee

Born July 17, 2008

Well, I was not in yoga last Thursday either as I had the baby early that morning!  Everyone is healthy and happy, though a little sleepy. Please share my birth story with everyone in class - I could not be happier with how everything went and of course with the end product, our beautiful baby boy Benjamin Lee C II . . .

Read Full Birth Story

Postnatal Article

Physical Therapy for Postpartum Recovery
By Amanda Lee Miller

You’ve just worked hard for nine whole months to be as healthy and physically fit as possible, and you finally get your reward in the form of a tiny new bundle of joy. So now what happens to your fitness? Unfortunately, most women put aside their pregnancy-induced healthy habits while adjusting to life with a new baby, when this is actually one of the most important times in a woman’s life to be physically fit. Your musculoskeletal system experiences dramatic changes during pregnancy, labor, and delivery. The postpartum period is a time for you to rejuvenate your mind and body after pregnancy and childbirth to decrease your chance of injury and increase your quality of life.

The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology 2002 Guidelines for Exercise in Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period state, “pre-pregnancy exercise routines may be resumed gradually as soon as it is physically and medically safe.” This will vary from woman to woman depending on a variety of factors including your level of condition during pregnancy, and whether or not you experienced complications during your pregnancy, labor or delivery. Some women are able to resume an exercise routine within days of delivery; others take much longer. No known maternal complications are associated with resumption of training.

Childbirth stretches the muscles of your belly, pelvic floor, and back: if exercises to target these areas – the abdominal corset – are not resumed, they can remain stretched and weak. Restoring strength to the abdominal corset is vital because it provides the primary support for your spine and pelvic organs. Pelvic floor muscle strength and endurance prevents the pelvic organs from dropping out of their normal position, which sometimes results in urine leakage.

Beginning with the studies of Arthur Kegel, MD in 1948, the importance of pelvic floor rehabilitation after pregnancy for urinary incontinence has been recognized. More recent studies have also demonstrated the value of postpartum physical therapy to decrease or alleviate conditions that may be triggered by pregnancy and childbirth, such as pelvic pain, low back pain, and separation of the abdominal muscles (diastasis recti), by targeting the superficial and deep pelvic floor and abdominal musculature. Physical therapy also provides safe and effective interventions for other pregnancy-related musculoskeletal conditions such as pubic symphysis pain, sacroiliac joint mis-alignment, upper and lower back pain, and peripheral nerve entrapment such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and DeQuervain’s Syndrome, a condition some women encounter from repeatedly picking up their infant in the same way.

Unfortunately, the evidence has not transferred over to standard practice in the United States In most industrialized countries, the present standard of postpartum care is much higher than the US. In France, for example, new mothers receive free physiotherapy vouchers redeemable for a complete pelvic floor check up and treatment if necessary. In Singapore, all women who have a delivery requiring instruments such as forceps are immediately referred to physical therapy. Forceps or other instrumental deliveries can cause increased trauma to the pelvic floor muscles. Physical therapy can help those muscles regain integrity and strength.

In the US, the postpartum period traditionally begins one hour after delivery of the placenta and lasts until the uterus has returned to its pre-pregnancy state at approximately six weeks. This narrow focus on recovery of the reproductive organs tends to neglect the new mom’s overall physical and mental health. Women in the United States deserve more attentive musculoskeletal care during the childbearing year, but many are unaware of the options available. Physical therapy provides safe and effective treatment for general musculoskeletal and pelvic floor muscle problems that may begin during pregnancy and persist into the postpartum period. Ask your doctor today for more information.

Amanda Miller, SDPT is the Research and Education Coordinator for Women’s Health Physical Therapy in Richmond, Virginia. Recently, she helped establish the second Women’s Health Residency Program in the nation. Amanda is also a third year candidate for a Doctorate of Physical Therapy degree from the Medical College of Virginia campus of Virginia Commonwealth University.

Prenatal & Postnatal Resources

OmMama’s website features one of the best compilation of local and national resources for expecting and new families. Click here to view our online resource list.

Do you provide a service or business of interest to childbearing families in the Richmond Metropolitan area that you would like to list here? Please email info@ommama.com for information about our listing guidelines.