Book Review - The Birth Partner Handbook

Women frequently report that they could have never gone through labor as confidently without their husband, friend, or other childbirth companion. When certified birth educator Carl Jones asks new mothers what helped most during labor the answer is always “my partner.” His latest guide, The Birth Partner Handbook: Everything You Need to Know for a Healthy, Positive Birth Experience (Sourcebooks; ISBN: 978-1-4022-3779-9; TP $16.99; July 2010) will give you all the tools you need to support a mother.  

Today 98% of fathers attend the birth of their child. With an increasing number of family and friends attending births, the need grew for a contemporary step-by-step plan written specifically for birth partners. Carl Jones understands just how important a confident and prepared birthing partner can be. Having a well prepared partner not only comforts and soothes the mother during the painful experience of labor, but also reduces her anxiety, reduces the actual length of labor, minimizes the chance of complications, increases the level of joy and elation for the mother, helps to initiate breastfeeding, and even reduces the chance of postpartum depression.

This book is a concise, contemporary guide for today’s birth partners, showing them exactly what they can do to help create a positive birth experience, whether the mother gives birth naturally or with medication, at home, in a childbearing center, or in a hospital.

The Birth Partner Handbook gives birthing partners all the tools they need for experiencing labor alongside the mother, including:

• Understanding and preparing for every stage of labor
• 8-Step method to help make childbirth less stressful
• Actively helping the mother through labor
• Massage and breathing techniques to manage stress
• Supporting with family and friends
• Ways to give continued support after the baby is born

About The Author

Carl Jones is a certified childbirth educator who has attended hundreds of births and is a popular speaker who organizes childbirth workshops nationally. In addition to his international bestseller Mind over Labor: A Breakthrough Guide To Giving Birth, he has written dozens childbirth books such as Sharing Birth and From Parent to Child. He lives in Whitefield, New Hampshire.

My Take on theBook

This book is a great resource for any birth partner to a mother to be. Filled with ideas for handling any situation, this is the type of book that any father or any other support person should read through at least once to give you an idea of some of the situations and issues that you may have to deal with in being a support for the mother to be.

As a father of two, I would have loved to have read this book ahead of time to assist J-Mom more along the birthing process (though I do think I helped in my own way). I highly recommend you take a look at this book if you are looking for a great hand on resource for step-by-step guidance on how to be that great partner!

If this book sounds like something that you would like for your own collection you can find it on Amazon!

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Terms of Use  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

New to the Divadom?

Please Subscribe to my RSS Feed! Subscribe in a reader

Questions?Drop me a line at dadofdivas@gmail.com

Caress NEW Whipped Soufflé Body Washes

Caress recently launched their NEW Whipped Soufflé Body Washes, which let women indulge in supremely soft, silky skin and offer the highest level of moisturization from the Caress collection. 

Caress also teamed up with award winning dancer and country singer Julianne Hough, to show women how to flaunt sexy skin on the dance floor, sharing beauty secrets to get gorgeous, as well as dance tips.

Dancing has never been hotter, thanks to beauties like two-time “Dancing with the Stars” champion Julianne Hough, who is known for flaunting sexy skin on the dance floor.  Now, women everywhere can see how she gets gorgeous for a “girls’ night out” dancing in a series of web videos for the launch of the new Caress Whipped Soufflé Body Washes.  She shares beauty secrets and dance tips for flaunting silky, sexy skin on the dance floor and gives women the chance to win their own girls’ night out in the hottest dance cities.

 “When I’m on the dance floor, nothing makes me feel more confident and fabulous than when my skin looks great,” says Hough.  Anyone can go out and “flaunt it” on the dance floor – all you need are a few of the right moves and sexy, silky skin that smells amazing to capture the spotlight.”

The videos are available at www.dancewithcaress.com, starring Hough, give an inside look at her getting ready for a girls’ night out and show women everywhere how to get gorgeous skin they’ll want to flaunt -- on and off the dance floor.  Fans can also see the award winning dancer show off some of her favorite dance moves and enter to win a girls’ night out of their own in the hottest dance cities, courtesy of Caress. 

“Julianne is an amazing dancer, singer and actress with gorgeous skin who definitely shows that you can have it all without compromising,” said Rob Candelino, Unilever U.S. Marketing Director, Caress.  “Now, with the new Caress Whipped Soufflé Body Washes, every woman can have it all in one body wash – great fragrances and ultra-moisturization – for gorgeous skin they’ll want to flaunt too.” 

Available in two great fragrances, Blackberry Cream (whipped with blackberry and vanilla essence) and White Peach Cream (whipped with white peach and a blend of silk blossom), Caress Whipped Soufflé Body Washes offer the ultimate in everyday indulgence.  The bottles even feature a new Silky Fragrance Infusion icon that shows women they can get silky, moisturized skin with amazing fragrance – all from one body wash.  

Julianne Hough’s Tips for Tantalizing Skin You’ll want to Flaunt:

Step 1:	Buff. To flaunt fab skin in the city, use a pumice stone to treat dry spots, like elbows and heels.
Step 2:	Hydrate. Boost your water intake - it will help you feel refreshed and vibrant all night long.
Step 3:	Indulge. Before you hit the town, maximize your shower and make skin flaunt-worthy with the new Caress Whipped Soufflés. These ultra-light, yet creamy body washes deliver both incredible fragrances and moisturization in one.

See more of Julianne’s beauty tips for flaunt-worthy skin in her new videos at www.dancewithcaress.com.

In the meantime, Caress has launched a new Facebook community page, so you should definitely check out www.facebook.com/caresskin for the exciting things that are happening!

My Take on the Product While I gave this product to J-Mom to try, she mentioned that she loved the scent and how thick the body wash was. She mentioned that she did not feel that she ever had to reapply and that instead a little went a long way. I liked the scent myself, though as a guy I do not think I would specifically use it, it was light and fruity and lingered on J-Mom's skin after using it, which was a nice treat!

Ming Wang Provides a Stylish Gift for Moms

Ok dads, are you looking for a stylish gift for your wife? If you are you should definitely look into

The collection itself offers a versatile collection of chic, effortless knitwear for the modern woman. Machine washable, wrinkle-free, and color-guarded, the line is ideal for the active woman dedicated to style and practicality. Its separate pieces pair vibrant colors and bold patterns with fitting timeless neutrals, making it perfect for wardrobe building and transitioning from day to night.

I gave this dress to J-Mom and she was very excited. Her first impression of the dress was that it was a classic style that wouldn't go out of stle and one that could be dressed up or down. She was amazed that it arrived folded up in a box and there was not a wrinkle on it.

When she tried it on she looked reat (of course) but she said that it was very comfortable and especially in warmer eather she coud see herself wearing it and not being uncomfortale at all.

I was very impressed by the qality and style of the dress and best of all, J-Mom loved it. Guys, if you are looking for a dress that will let your special someone look and feel great, these dresses will definitely do the trick.

You can find dresses like these on http://www.mingwangknits.com/


All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Terms of Use  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.




-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New to the Divadom?
Please Subscribe to my RSS Feed! Subscribe in a reader
Questions?Drop me a line at dadofdivas@gmail.com

Review of Read & Share Toddler Bible

I joined recently a review panel with Thomas Nelson to review some of their books from time to time. The first one that I had the chance to review was the Read and Share Toddler Bible by Gwen Ellis.

One of the things that first jumped out at me with this book was the artwork and the simplicity but meaningful stories that they share within. All of the stories are on the childs' level and make it easy for the child to understand and for the parent to explain. The stories themselves are both from the Old and New Testament so your child wll be able to learn about some of the main stories such as: Creation, Noah, Moses, Abraham, Isaac, Joseph, David, to Jesus’ birth, miracles, death, and resurrection.

I was also impressed as within the Bible itself there are suggestions for parents about how to act out parts of the story or other ways to again help your child better understand the context and the meaning behind the story itself.

The book also comes with a 60 minute DVD that engages your child at a different level.

J-Mom and I tried reading some of the passages to Diva-PJ and with the length of the passages (typically about 3 minutes in length) she listened attentively. She also enjoyed watching the DVD as well.

I would definitely recommend this book to other parents as it provides your child a fun way to gain knowledge about some of the passages of the Bible that we all remember now as parents.
If you are interested in learning more, you can read a few passages from this book here.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New to the Divadom?
Please Subscribe to my RSS Feed! Subscribe in a reader
Questions?Drop me a line at dadofdivas@gmail.com

Nature Made Cholestoff

Do any of you remember the commercial that was out a while back regarding a cholesterol medicine that stated something to the effect that you get your Cholesterol from Uncle Ned or Fried Chicken...well they used cute rhymes that I can't remember now. I am a great example of what genetics can do to someone even though it may not look like there is anything wrong from the outside. I have been battling rising cholesterol issues for some time and today was my D-Day to see where my levels were after a 3 month stint. Now I am not saying that my levels are such that I should be taking medicine, at least not yet, but I have been concerned at the rising levels, even when I am eating healthy (rabbit food for lunch as J-Mom says) and a healthy breakfast. My meal with the most cholesterol of the day is dinner. So where does this all come from? Well I hate to point fingers, but it comes from my mother's side of the genetic tree. Again, you would never know it in looking at the very petite woman that my mother is, but she has the same issues as I and works hard to control it without medicine. I have been trying to do the same thing, as I really do not want to be on medicine for this. So what have I been doing...well, I have been eating a healthy breakfast and lunch. My exercise routine has gone out the window unfortunately since Diva-PJ was born. The other new thing that I have been doing over the last 3 months was that I have been taking a new product from Nature Made called CholestOff. This product uses plant stanols to limit the amount of Cholesterol that binds to your intestine walls (thus getting absorbed into your bloodstream). For optimal results you have to take 2 capsules 15-30 minutes prior to breakfast and dinner. The website for the product states that you can take them with your meal, but you will not have the same results. I started to use this after my mother (who has higher levels than I) decided to try this so that she would not have to be medicated and at her next check her levels had substantially decreased...to the extent that her Physician stated "whatever you are doing, keep doing it." Hearing this made me decide to try it myself and I am hoping (as you can guess) for similar results. I have found this product to be easy enough to take and there is no unpleasant taste or aftertaste, and I have had no side effects (though I don't think there should be any). The only problem that I sometimes had was remembering to take the medicine prior to the meal. You truly have to consciously think about taking the medicine and plan ahead of time when your meal actually will be so that you take it in enough time. Also, I will state that the product is not the cheapest, but the way I look at it, if I have to pay a bit more for a natural way to cut my cholesterol, so be it. Also, I have come to find that you can get this product at some of the drug store chains (Walgreens & CVS) at buy 1, get 1....so you can definitely stock up every now and again. Beyond this, once you start buying Nature Made vitamins/products, you can start collecting points that can be redeemed for coupons for money off, so the price altogether can be decreased. I should have the results of my test within a few days so I will have to let everyone know if this experiment was successful or not, but I tend to be uber-optomist, so I am certain that the experiment was successful! I thought I would leave this post today with a few additional links for your information on how you can manage your cholesterol:

• Discovery Health



• Keeping Cholesterol Under Control



• Natural Ways to Lower Bad Cholesterol, Boost The Good, Improve Your HDL Factor and Get Healthy



• Lower Your Cholesterol Naturally



• Natural Ways to Reduce Your Cholesterol 

So how else have you worked to control your cholestrol issues?

UPDATE
Ok... I promised the results so here they are... may I have a drum roll please!
January
Cholesterol - 232
Triglycerides - 77
LDL - 139
HDL - 83
Ratio - 2.8
July
Cholesterol - 207!
Triglycerides - 54
LDL - 116
HDL - 77
Ratio - 2.7


So what does this all mean??? Well..it means that the CholestOff definitely worked, and that if I keep it up and if I start exercising more regularly, that maybe I can get the levels below 200! The only thing I did not like to see was that my HDL lowered and the my Triglycerides went up...go figure!