Calling all pregnant people and birth partners! Please join me on Saturday, June 2, from 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm for a playful and educational Prenatal Partner Yoga and Massage Workshop at Thriveability Yoga, You and your partner (spouse, significant other, parent, sister or friend) will deepen your connection with baby, enhance your communication skills, and build trust and confidence in preparation for labor and birth. The presence and participation of a birth partner during labor and birth is a powerful aid for the mother during this significant physical, emotional and spiritual transition.
During the first half of the workshop, we will practice yoga positions, breath awareness, relaxation, vocalization and visualization techniques that can be used to encourage labor progress and ease fear and discomfort. In the second half, we will emphasize massage, relaxation and non-verbal communication via touch, including acupressure techniques. Women in any stage of pregnancy and their birth partner are welcome. No yoga experience is necessary. Please wear loose, comfortable clothing, eat a light meal before class, bring a snack and a water bottle.
Register by May 28th to pay only $70 per couple. After May 28, the cost is $80 per couple.
Find my other yoga class offerings (prenatal and postnatal) on my yoga class page.
Come meet other yoga students at all stages of pregnancy in this safe and supportive environment at the 10:30 a.m. Prenatal Yoga Class. Prepare your body for birth, increase circulation, and reduce pregnancy discomforts through specific prenatal postures, breath work and guided relaxation. The studio also has a Sunday 5 p.m. weekly prenatal yoga class taught by Tonia.
We also offer a 4-week Parent/Baby Postnatal Series from noon to 1:15 p.m. on Thursdays.
I will be teaching the next series starting on March 1. (No class on March 22nd). Safely get back to a yoga practice post-baby, while being in a supportive and caring environment with other parents and their pre-crawling babies. Release tension in the neck, shoulders, back and hips from caring for baby and enjoy safe core work. Please wait 6-8 weeks postpartum before attending to honor the body’s healing process.
Mother Nature plays a key role in San Francisco’s new UCSF Mission Bay 36-bed Women’s Hospital, opening February 1.
Natural light pours through the large windows inviting the outdoors inside, adding garden greenery and spacious skies. From a hallway window you can look out to the Pier 70 ship repair yard, San Francisco Bay and the Oakland Hills. Patients can walk outside to the terrace roof gardens designed to reduce storm water runoff and keep pollutants out of the bay.
February 1 should be an auspicious opening because it falls on the same day as the Gaelic festival Imbolc which celebrates the coming of spring. Derived from the Old Irish word, “I m bolg,” it means “in the belly” and refers to the pregnancy of ewes. Originally associated with the pagan fire and fertility goddess Brigid, the Imbolc festival later came to honor the Christian St. Brigid, who in Ireland represents the aspect of divine femininity in her role as patron of:
babies; blacksmiths; boatmen; cattle farmers; children whose parents are not married; children whose mothers are mistreated by the children’s fathers; Clan Douglas; dairymaids; dairy workers; fugitives; infants; Ireland; Leinster, mariners; midwives; milkmaids; nuns; poets; the poor; poultry farmers; poultry raisers; printing presses; sailors; scholars; travelers and watermen.
The media wall could work great for playing music, sound recordings of nature, guided relaxations and birth affirmations to help moms relax during labor. The rooms also have a sleeper sofa for family, refrigerator, rocking chair, and wireless Internet. A volunteer doula program will support low-income women in labor. Just like at the Parnassus campus birthing center, nitrous oxide, “a lower-tech alternative to epidural for pain control” is available. Let’s hope they leave behind the photos of Indira Gandhi and Margy Thatcher!
I could not figure how they count 36 beds for the birthing center. According to the floor plan (see below) there are 12 antepartum rooms, 9 labor & delivery rooms, 9 triage rooms plus 24 postpartum beds. Let me know if you can figure it out.
The adjacent Children’s Hospital houses the Emergency Room and serves all patients young and old, pregnant or not:
UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital, 1975 4th Street at the corner of Mariposa.
Please share any information you have about the new hospital in the comments box below. May UCSF and the mothers who will be birthing during Imbolc have an easy and smooth transition as they birth themselves into being. Wishing you all of the best. Many blessings from St. Brigid!
What a laboring woman in transition probably sees upon arriving 🙂
I encourage prenatal yoga students to “graduate” to parent & baby yoga classes once their babies are 6 weeks old (8 weeks for women recuperating from cesarean birth). Singing and moving with your babies is fun and energizing. Moms, dads, partners, caregivers, grandmas, friends and, of course, babies love to experience and enjoy the rewards of postnatal yoga, including opportunities
for self-care
to grow your bond with your baby
to learn new songs and grow your baby’s vocabulary
to foster community with other families and caregivers
Babies’ eyes sparkle, and everyone laughs when they feel the rhythm of their movements and hear themselves sing fun and silly lyrics. Having your baby in your arms, on your tummy, resting against your thighs or sleeping peacefully at your side is a delightful way to bond with children and witness their growth from week-to-week and day-to-day.
We do the bridge position (setu bandha) with baby resting on our hips while singing “Bumping Up and Down,” a song made popular by Raffi. This is amazing ab and gluteal muscle work! You are most welcome to come to class to experience it. I’m subbing postnatal yoga tomorrow at 11 a.m. at Integral Yoga Institute and teach postnatal yoga at St. Luke’s Hospital on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month.
Car seats are vital safety devices that reduce the risk of fatal injury by more than 70% for infants and by 54% for toddlers. Yet, 3 out of 4 child car seats are installed incorrectly.
Car Seat Installation
The good news is that California parents and caretakers can receive a FREE car seat inspection from AAA and can book an appointment (allow 6-8 weeks) at the local AAA office.
Here are some additional car seat tips, and recall info that you may want to know about. If you’re shopping for a new car seat, the American Academy of Pediatrics has a comprehensive guide to everything you need to know.
NonToxicMunchkin has info on manufacturers who make car seats free of added flame retardants that are linked to cancer and other serious health problems. HealthyStuff.org is testing for chemical hazards in car seats, and has started with the Graco My Size 65 Convertible Car Seat. For more background on why flame retardants are used in the manufacturing of car seats and other products, and an overview of California policy changes to remove them, visit SproutSanFrancisco’s thorough piece.
Finally, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration demanded that Graco and Evenflo recall infant and toddler cars seats because of faulty buckles. The seats were manufactured between July 2010 and May 2013. You can check to see if your seats are included by going to www.GracoBuckleRecall.com or by calling 877.766.7470.
If you’re not driving, experts suggest you keep your infants and babies out of car seats to lessen their chemical exposure, prevent flat heads and enhance motor development. And, don’t forget to come to my Parent/Baby yoga class where we make sure that your babies get tummy time and opportunities to roll over, do the cobra and even fly high!
Today is the first of three full-moon “supermoons” in 2014. The supermoon designation means that the center of the full moon and the center of Earth are closer together compared to other months, creating higher-than-usual tides in the days ahead.
The July full moon is known as the Thunder Moon, Buck Moon or Hay Moon, but I shall call it the SuperMom Moon in honor of all the expectant and new mothers who attend my childbirth education and yoga classes. Swivel your hips ladies, and lift your tides high to the lunar sky!
Here are 3 variations of Moon Salutations for you courtesy of YouTube. Enjoy:
will be teaching the next series starting on March 1. (No class on March 22nd). Safely get back to a yoga practice post-baby, while being in a supportive and caring environment with other parents and their pre-crawling babies. Release tension in the neck, shoulders, back and hips from caring for baby and enjoy safe core work. Please wait 6-8 weeks postpartum before attending to honor the body’s healing process.
