What fun to see Jonny Moseley (he and his wife, Malia, prepared to give birth with McMoyler Method in SF) at the Bay Club in Marin, where he was working up a sweat in the weight room-literally propelling himself from one corner of the room to the other!

Trying to respect his work-out time as well as his celebrity status, I approached him and said “are you Baby Moseley’s Dad?” He responded with his million dollar smile and we went on to chat about life with Jack, who at two, is evidently zooming faster than even Jonny can keep up with!

*** as seen on www.giggle.com/giggle_gurus

Each time I teach a childbirth class, the biggest concern among pregnant woman is, without question, the Fear Factor…worried about whether they will be able to DO THIS! I faced my own mental/physical/emotional challenge on Sunday when I finished my first Triathlon; it was part of the Mermaid Series in Santa Cruz: open water ocean swim, cycling and running. The transition from one to the next is what I was concerned about…as well as staying on the bike (I have fallen several times recently while learning how to get in and out of clips and cleats!)

I was struck with how much support and encouragement there was and how much it meant to me as I made my way through this event…reminded me of course, of women preparing to give birth and how imperative it is that they have that unconditional support to help move through the inevitable fear factor…

It’s true; the Bay Area has become a bit more Newsomier! We are so pleased to extend our congrats to Daddy-Mayor Gavin and New Mommy Jen on the safe arrival of their new baby daughter! She is now officially one week old, and according to the media doing a stellar job at all things baby-including fussiness at night-a right of passage for all new parents….

Flipping through the magazines in the dentist’s office, I came upon photo after photo of gorgeous pregnant, extremely well dressed movie stars and super models. While I am all for looking great and being fit, the concern is: will they be able to shift into mom-mode once this baby arrives? Will they allow for no make-up, hair straggly and staying in jammies for hours cuddling their baby?
My concern is the glamorization of the birth and baby industry…in the end, the fact remains- a new human being is arriving on the planet…have celebrities become role models for beautiful pregnancy and parenting?
I remain concerned…
* reproduced with permission from www.giggle.com blog

A big thank you to the expectant parents attending classes in San Francisco who shared in the fun with the SF Chronicle article that came out on Monday, August 17th. It appeared in Sam Whiting’s column: Healthy Obsession in the Datebook section. He was interested in interviewing me because I experienced such tremendous support while preparing for the Paris Marathon, that I ended up having the race of my life…the analogy of course is that women preparing for birth need to feel unconditionally supported, which provides a firm base for them to spring from on the day they actually go into labor.

I had a great phone call from a recent McMoyler Method graduate yesterday; the essence of our conversation: be ready to deal with anything in labor. She had an epidural that provided initial relief and then stopped working…while the anesthesiologist worked to remedy the situation; she relied heavily on her partner to help her cope: “I literally thought I WOULD LOSE MY MIND FROM THE PAIN!” She said that her husband got in her face and helped her vocalize through the peaks, and held her in his arms in between contractions. Eventually the epidural kicked back in and she once again received pain relief… …for those who are focused on having an epidural-be ready to deal with the many twists and turns that labor often presents!

Today we celebrate the national holiday…every day there are literally thousands of women laboring to bring their babies into the world; here are just a few things about labor that may surprise you:
• A mucous plug exits the body- a sign that labor is coming
• The water does not have to break to be in “real” labor
• If you see chunks of white stuff in the water after it breaks-this is vernix, the cream layer coating the unborn babies body
• As labor progresses, there will be ‘bloody show’ which is a sign of progress (the cervix develops tiny little paper cuts as it slowly opens)
• And yes, she might poop in the labor bed…this is a sign the baby is moving in the right direction-towards the exit sign!