Children's Health, Food and Nutrition, Women's Health and Issues, Sleep, Relationships, Behavior

Marin Mommies is excited to present another guest article by a Marin County professional: aromatherapist, bodytherapist, birth doula, and childbirth educator Samantha Stormer of Sacred Beginnings Birth Services, based in Corte Madera. Ever wondered what exactly a doula does, and whether you need one? Samantha explains what a doula is and the role a doula plays in the childbirth process.

What Is a Doula?

Doula is the Greek term for servant. Throughout thousands of years, women have always been in service of other women to assist during the birth process, providing an intuitive and practical knowledge of just what is needed at the right time.

A birth doula (birth assistant) is a woman in service to the laboring mother and father to provide physical, emotional, and hands-on support from early labor until the baby is born. She delivers continuity of care from home to hospital, easing the transition from home to the hospital environment. Traditionally, in years

Get ready for back-to-school at Novato's Whole Foods Market. Swing by this evening, August 21, from 5 to 7 pm and you can make a free healthy school lunch for your child. Whole Foods will provide you with all the ingredients to make a great healthy school meal, and you'll get a kid's lunch bag to hold it all.

It all takes place on the mezzanine level of the market. There's a limit of one lunch per family; lunches are first come first served, while supplies last. Novato Whole Foods is located at 790 De Long Avenue, in the Millworks building. For more information, call them at (415) 878-0455 or visit www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/novato.

Guest contributor and Marin dentist Dr. Steven McConnell gives us some tips on oral hygiene for babies, young children, and parents. Good oral health begins at day one, so make sure you get your children on track for a lifetime of healthy habits.

• Caring for kids starts with caring for yourself, not only because periodontal disease can be contagious, but it is always good to lead by example.
• For babies be sure to use dental friendly pacifiers and bottle nipples. The classic is the Nuk design.
• Always avoid putting babies to bed with any bottles as the pooled milk or juice can lead to severe decay.
• On babies, before teeth are present, use single gauze or thin wash cloth to gently displace bacteria-rich film that sticks to gum ridges. As they get teeth, continue to use gauze or wash cloth. Be sure to use dental-friendly pacifiers and bottle nipples. Never put them to bed with a bottle as the pooled milk or juice can lead to severe decay.

Discover the essential knowledge of natural movement development, social interactions and self-motivated learning in the baby’s first year in the Amazing Babies Moving Program for Educators, Professionals and Parents. The Amazing Babies Moving Program provides participants with a unique two-part framework for understanding natural movement development in the baby’s first year. The benefits of this approach is that it provides a clear guide to understanding movement development, pre-verbal communication and self-motivated learning in babies. Parents, educators, and professionals will find it an effective way to communicate this important information to actively support parents and babies in the first year.

The Amazing Babies Moving Approach covers natural movement, communication and learning development from birth to walking.

• The Pre-Locomotion Baby: Newborn–5 months
• The Locomotion Baby: 6–12 months

When we last wrote about our adventures in vegetable gardening, we were just some seedlings emerge. That was a long time ago, but it did seem like it took forever for any of them to get to the size where they could be planted in the outdoors. I'm sure our unseasonably cool weather had something to do with it. The carrots and radishes were something of a bust, since it turns out that nobody really likes radishes all that much and the kids got impatient with the carrots and pulled most of them out well before they were ready. We ate a lot of baby carrots as a result. They were pretty good, too.

It seems now that summer is really here and as a result, so is our garden. It seems that it was just yesterday when all the plants were little seedlings, but now they're well on their way to producing some veggies. We transplanted the tomatoes, all of which are doing quite well, and direct-sowed some summer squash (Costata Romansca zucchini and Pattison Strie Melange, a French heirloom variety). In our raised bed we also planted some heirloom Dragon's Tongue beans which should produce beans that are yellow with purple stripes, as well as some regular own green bush beans.

Marin parent coach, family therapist, and sleep researcher Angelique Millette has helped countless parents, especially in the area of getting babies, toddlers, and children to get the good night's sleep they need. She is also the creator of the Hands-to-Heart Sleep Swaddle, a combination swaddle and sleep sack that helps babies go to sleep the natural and safe way.

If you're a parent, you're either actively involved in swaddling your baby to try to get her to sleep, or you remember doing it. I always thought it was incredible the way the Marin General maternity staff wrapped up both our kids snug and tight. When we tried it, they'd invariably develop amazing "Houdini Hands" skills and wriggle their way free from the swaddling, no matter how snug and comfy we thought it was.

Traveling with an infant or toddler can be a unique challenge, especially when getting them to sleep. Marin parent coach, infant/toddler sleep researcher, and family therapist Angelique Millette has complied the following list of handy tips for traveling with children.

Angelique works throughout the Bay Area and across the country supporting families and helping them meet life's challenges. You can learn more about her and her services at www.angeliquemillette.com.

It's the summer time and many parents have been calling with questions about traveling with their young ones. I've put together a list of tips and suggestions, many of them tried-and-true, by parents:

Marin Mommies is pleased to present another guest article by Marin County fitness expert John Spongberg.

When you started your weight loss routine, you knew it would be a process. After all, you didn’t gain the weight overnight. You couldn’t have expected it to come off that fast. Unfortunately, you’ve hit a bump in the road and your motivation level is starting to wane.

How can you get past a weight loss plateau to see the results you really want? First off, don’t give up! You can bust through your obstacle to see the rewards on the other side. The key is in learning how to keep your motivation high through your plateau and continuing to work in the right direction.

With our copious amounts of rainfall this season, it's little wonder that we're seeing lush amounts of vegetation in Marin's forests and meadows. Unfortunately, much of this otherwise beautiful greenery is in the form of poison oak, an irritating plant that anyone participating in outdoor activities this summer should be wary of, especially children who may not be on the lookout for this distinctive shrub with leaves grouped in threes.

Please note that this post should not be a substitute for proper medical advice—if you suspect that someone in your family has developed a reaction to poison oak, go see your doctor or a dermatologist.