Indeed it is time I put my money where my mouth is.
I’m overweight. Very much so. But that’s all changing.
I’m going to be 40 in a few months and I have decided that I want to be fit and forty not fat and forty. So I thought I’d better see a hypnotherapist!
Although I have great success with clients who want to address their own weight issues I haven’t tackled my own issues and didn’t want to do it on my own. To be honest, I need someone to challenge me more than I would do myself and someone to provide support when the going gets tough – but then, don’t we all? So I needed a great hypnotherapist to work with me on that one. Cue Caroyln Arnold of Nurturing Life Hypnotherapy.
I “met” Caz through Twitter about a year ago and formed a great friendship with her online. I have only actually met her once and that was briefly at the Baby Show in Birmingham this year. But we had good rapport and I felt I was in safe hands when I asked her to be my hypnotherapist. She had already asked me to be her weight loss hypnotherapist and it seemed like a good idea to set up a reciprocal arrangement. The only problem was that she lives some 150 miles away in Newport, Gwent. Cue SKYPE.
We are now in the process of giving and receiving hypnotherapy over the internet. And I’m finding that it is working really well. There are a few obvious issues to consider, like making sure that we have a good internet connection and that no one else in the house uses the internet at the same time, like not being able to rely on seeing some subtle movements that would previously have given us clues as to each other’s depth of trance or subconscious responses to questions. But we are finding a good way to work. So much so that I am thinking of trialling it with a few other people and then opening it up to the general public as an option for accessing hypnotherapy – especially useful for those with problems travelling or who simply live too far away for regular face to face sessions.
So I am now working towards a goal. I am personally going to lose the weight of a whole other person by this time next year. On the way towards that goal will be my fortieth birthday and the best birthday present I could give myself is to know that I am well on the way to being fit and forty!
Izzy’s was the 7th comment on the blog and number 7 was the one picked at random by by DH. Well done Izzy.
She wins:
Cariad Hypnotherapy Relaxation CD
Zita West’s Beautiful Belly Balm
Zita West’s Back Ease Massage Oil
Zita West’s Pre-Conditioning Down Under
Zita West’s Vital Essence 3 – supplements for weeks 28-40 of pregnancy
£25 voucher for bras4mums (thank you to T-J for donating this)
£25 voucher towards a HypnoBirthing Class or hypnotherapy session with Cariad Hypnotherapy
A big thank you to everyone who posted comments and liked my Facebook page. I hope you keep in touch and let me know how you all get on (and for those of you entering for friends, then let me know how your friends got on).
Last month I stumbled upon a video of babies involved in studies taking place at Yale University’s Infant Cognition Center. It was really interesting and more than a little cute (I’m a sucker for cute babies doing cute things!). If you want to take a look yourself, click here to access The New York Times website.
So, a few days later, I was interested to see a stall at the Baby Show for the Infant and Child Laboratory at the University of Birmingham. I had a chat with a lovely lady who is a student at the University (sorry, I didn’t make a note of your name) and took away a few leaflets. I’ve now been and had a look at their website.
The Infant and Child Laboratory was set up by the University to study child development and they are looking for parents with children aged birth to 6 years to participate.
If you live in Birmingham or the surrounding area why not consider helping out, it sounds like a lot of fun. Your child is invited to participate in a fun and engaging game or task, something similar to an everyday activity, in a safe and friendly environment (I think the word laboratory makes it sound more scary than it really is!). There’s even a supervised play area for siblings. And, get this, in appreciation of your time and effort your child will be awared a “young scientist” certificate and a small present.
If you are interested in taking part in any of the different projects contact icl@contacts.bham.ac.uk or telephone 0121 414 7219.
They are also, currently, looking for breastfeeding mothers who haven’t yet introduced solid foods to take part in the “Comparison of vegetable acceptance in infants weaned at 4 months vs 6 months”. This research involves 3 home visits where they film your baby eating vegetables and a questionnaire to fill in at each visit. You will be given a free 10 day pack of organic pots of vegetables and a £20 voucher to spend on baby at the end of the 3 visits.
If you are interested in finding out more about this study please contact Dr Helen Coulthard at h.l.coulthard.1@bham.ac.uk or telephone 0121 414 4899.
I think it’s all really useful stuff and fascinating too and if I lived nearer to Birmingham I’d sign up both of my little ones.
If you decide to take part in any of these projects or have any experience of other baby scientist programmes I would be interested to hear your comments.
A couple of weeks ago when I set up the Cariad Birthing page on Facebook I promised that I would launch a competition when the page got 20 fans. And, I’m pleased to say, on Monday this week we hit the 20 mark. So here goes!
I am giving away an Expectant Mum Pamper Package worth £125 (RRP)
To enter the draw you have to do BOTH of the following:
Post a comment on this blog about your birth preparations – for example have you been to any antenatal classes (NHS, NCT, HypnoBirthing), are you planning to birth at home or in hospital and your reasons for choosing to prepare in this way etc.
The Pamper Package will go to the first person drawn at random from a list of entries at 12 noon on 21st June. This also marks the start of Breastfeeding Awareness Week.
One entry per person please – but feel free to tell you family and friends to enter.
I’m sorry but I can only post to the UK.
It would be useful if you used the same name to post your comment on the blog as you use on Facebook so I know who you are – thanks!
Expectant Mum Pamper Package contains:
Cariad Hypnotherapy Relaxation CD
Zita West’s Beautiful Belly Balm
Zita West’s Back Ease Massage Oil
Zita West’s Pre-Conditioning Down Under
Zita West’s Vital Essence 3 – supplements for weeks 28-40 of pregnancy
£25 voucher for bras4mums (thank you to T-J for donating this)
£25 voucher towards a HypnoBirthing Class or hypnotherapy session with Cariad Hypnotherapy
More information about the Zita West products can be found in the Gifts & Treats section of this website.
By the way, the giveaway is open to anyone – you don’t have to be pregnant yourself, you can give it as a gift to a friend or loved one if you like – in that case you can comment about birth preparations you have made in the past, would have liked to have made, or would consider making in the future.
On Sunday I joined in the Race for Life at Alyn Waters, Wrexham. I would like to say that I ran, but mostly I walked. I walked quickly mind – no dawdling for me!
I also thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience, in spite of the searing heat. I amazed myself that I managed to run the last hundred yards to make sure I impressed Rhian who was waiting at the finish line (well as much as a 4 year old can be impressed by her Mum plodding and puffing along).
I was also somewhat amazed to find that there were no aches and pains the next day – must be all that training I did beforehand
Anyway, I’m pleased to say that I raised £130 plus Gift Aid for Cancer Research.
I didn’t wear a back sign on the day but was really touched by the messages of those that did. If I had remembered to take my back sign I would have had “Grandad Jack” on mine.
I’ve finally gotten round to creating a Facebook page for Cariad. This one is specifically for the birthing and baby aspects of Cariad and hence is called Cariad Birthing (see what I did there….)
It would be really nice to get a few fans/likers and what’s more I’m going to launch a couple of competitions shortly, one for an Expectant Mum Pamper Package and another for a New Mum Pamper Package. So watch this space and tell your friends.
Give me a few more days and there should be a Cariad Fertility and Cariad Hypnotherapy pages too (guess what part of the business they are for!).
This week I’ve been trained in how to fit maternity and nursing bras by T-J of bras4mums and am now one of their agents and home fitters. T-J kindly wrote about it in her support4women blog.
I’ve believed in the benefits of a well fitting bra for years now but, until my training, hadn’t realised how important it is to have a well fitting bra in pregnancy and during nursing before. In fact, with hindsight, I recognised that my own nursing bras had been dreadful (they were uncomfortable, unsupportive and unattractive, but I thought that was the best I could expect). I had been professionally fitted for my nursing bras too, but, I understand now that although the fitter was a probably very experienced in fitting bras she probably hadn’t taken into account the changes that were taking place in my body that are part and parcel of pregnancy and breastfeeding.
I learned loads of new things, of course because that was the aim of the day, and I wanted to share a few useful snippets with you now.
Bras all fit differently, even from the same manufacturer, even in different colours in the same style – the style and the colour is as important as size.
Bras are at their best in the first 6 months (yes that says months not years – perhaps I need to do some sorting out of my underwear drawer later!). After that you will find that support and stretch declines.
There are some really attractive maternity and nursing bras (who’d have thought it?!).
Various health problems can be caused by ill fitting bras including:
Back ache – unsupported breasts can cause posture problems which lead to back ache.
Constricted breathing – ill fitting bras can push on the rib cage and put pressure on the diaphragm.
Irritable bowel syndrome – a study by the British School of Osteopathy found that IBS and constipation can be linked to wearing inappropriate bras.
Mastitis – even during pregnancy the breasts are getting ready to feed a baby, so pressure on milk ducts can cause blockages and then mastitis.
Sagging breasts – caused by the partial deterioration of glandular tissues and some stretching of the tissues connecting the breasts to their muscles.
So now I am pleased to be offering a home fitting service for pregnant and nursing mums in the Wrexham, Chester and Nantwich areas and I am able to offer the full range of bras4mums maternity and nursing bras and accessories.
I saw this brilliant film on YouTube this morning and though it was too good not to share!
There’s not much I can say about it, the film says it all. Enjoy.
Just one thing, please don’t think that just because your little one didn’t breast crawl or if skin to skin contact didn’t happen that breastfeeding will be more difficult – that’s just not the case. I found breastfeeding my little boy (no immediate skin to skin contact) much easier than my little girl (immediate skin to skin contact).
I’ve just read a fun blog and meme by ReadyForTen.com. I’m not totally sure what a meme is but I’m going to join in anyway because it seems like fun! I’d love you to join in too and leave your comments and/or write your own blog about it.
ReadyForTen suggested that we interview our kids (always an interesting activity which often has surprising outcomes) about Spring and have come up with six questions for you to try, although you can just use it as a starting point to get as creative as you like.
I tried it with Rhian (who’s 4) and she was very excited to be asked some questions and even more interested to think that her answers were going to be put on the internet for everyone to read.
1. How does the world change in Spring?
Errrm….. I don’t know….. the trees and plants start to grow. Colours turn red and white and blue and yellow.
2. Lots of babies are born in the Spring. Where do you think baby animals are born?
Errrm….. in their sheds and in their fields and in their stables and in their kennels.
3. What did Mummy do before you were born?
Errrm…. I don’t know because I was in your tummy *giggles*
4. Spring is a good time to play outside. If you and Mummy could spend a whole day playing outside, doing anything you want, what would it be?
I would be playing football and bouncing on the trampoline.
5. Did you know we moved the clocks forward onto British Summer Time? Why do you think we do this?
No….. because it’s springtime.
6. How long is it until Summer?
About 16 days away *big smiles*
I always suspected as much, but now it’s been confirmed that Rhian doesn’t comprehend that I had a life before I was pregnant…..
I’m not so sure I like the idea of playing football and bouncing on the trampoline all day although at least we’d all sleep well that night!
And, I’m thrilled at the thought of Summer in 16 days….. bring it on.
So now over to you!
I don’t know how to do an official meme (perhaps someone can enlighten me) but perhaps a handful of my yummy mummy friends on Twitter (@tums2mums, @dougggie, @voiceovergirl and @enhance_me) could start us off with their interview answers. Everyone else join in too please
Hope the Easter Bunny gives generously to you all on Sunday!
Wordless Wednesday brings you a 3D medical animation of the birth process.
So now I am pleased to be offering a home fitting service for pregnant and nursing mums in the Wrexham, Chester and Nantwich areas and I am able to offer the full range of bras4mums maternity and nursing bras and accessories.