Jeans Altered for Maternity

For those of you who want to have your favorite jeans altered for maternity, you have come to the right place. We can alter your jeans for you. The alteration works best on low- and mid-rise jeans that have some stretch (preferably 2% lycra in the fibre content). Simply go to the shopping page and click on maternity accessories and find “Belly Band Alteration”. Follow the instructions to mail us your jeans and voila we take care of the rest.
If you live in the Lower Mainland, you can drop your jeans off at our retail location at 4372 West 10th Avenue in Point Grey Village.

Birth Doulas and Expectant Moms

Have you considered having a doula at your birth? Doulas provide support during pregnancy and childbirth. Whereas the main focus of a midwife or doctor is the well-being of the baby; a doula’s main concern is the comfort and well-being of the mother. In fact, from a doula’s perspective it’s all about the mom (well maybe a little about the partner too).

Your doula will help you define and create the type of atmosphere you want–at home or in the hospital. She will remain with you throughout your labour and childbirth, attending to your emotional and physical comfort.

It is important that you find a doula who ‘fits’ with your personality and philosophy; thus, you may need to interview a few perspective candidates prior to finding your doula.

In British Columbia you can get more information about doulas through the Doula Services Association of BC at www.bcdoulas.org. .

Green Baby Shower. You’re Invited!

Forget pink or blue! It’s time to go green for your growing baby. You’re
invited to the Green Baby Shower at Belly & Beyond on June 8, 2008. Enjoy green
cupcakes, green tea, and presentations on how to live a more eco-friendly life
so your children can grow up happier and healthier.

Raising a green baby is on everybody’s mind. Glitterati mamas like Halle
Berry, Julia Roberts, Marcia Cross and Gwyneth Paltrow are all doing their part
to eco-proof the lives of their little ones.

Don’t make your baby suffer from irritated skin or rashes caused by abrasive
fabrics. Head to Belly & Beyond for organic baby clothes by Lola & Lucas,
Bamboobino, Parade, or Fig (spotted on Julia Robert’s little princess). And
keep your baby’s bottom smooth with safe skincare products like Bug &
Pickle’s Baby Butter, Dimpleskins Bum Bum Balm, and Substance’s Pamper Me
Baby Powder. Even Coco Arguette tells her mummy, Courtenay Cox, to buy Little
Twig for bath time!

Belly & Beyond has teamed up with Vancouver Mompreneurs to share more about
living the green life. Come talk to Bonnie Campbell from Watkins
(watkinsonline.com) about natural cleaning solutions, Justine Pearson from
Cherish Childbirth (cherishchildbirth.com), and Annemarie Tempelman-Kluit, the
author of Healthy Mum, Happy Baby: How to Feed Yourself When You’re
Breastfeeding Your Baby and founder of the hip online site Yoyomama.ca.

Entertain your preschooler for hours at playtime with a kit from Craft Caravan
(craftcaravan.com), spend more time running after your toddler than in the
kitchen with healthy and organic options by Meals For Mums (mealsformums.com),
and pick up a pamphlet on maintaining a carbon neutral lifestyle prepared by
Bamboobino’s (bamboobino.com) owner Sharon Chai.

The Green Baby Shower is on June 8, 2008 from 10:00am-12:00pm at Belly & Beyond
(bellybeyond.com), located at 4118 Main Street in Vancouver.

All About Stretch marks!

How to prevent stretch marks from pregnancy

Stretch marks are a form of scarring generally associated with pregnancy, obesity, bodybuilding and puberty. They result from over stretching of the skin, which disrupts the normal production of collagen, causing a scar. They are also called striae, striae atrophicae, vergetures, striae cutis distensae, striae gravidarum, lineae atrophicae, striae distensae, linea albicante.

Stretch marks are a common worry for pregnant women. In fact, they are the most frequent marks of a pregnancy.

What do they look like?
They are reddish - purplish ridges which gradually turn to a pearly white color, indicating actual scarring of the skin.

What causes them?
During pregnancy, under the effect of hormones, the fibres of collagen and elastin which ensure the skin’s structure and elasticity, pull apart. They are replaced by new fibers which are thinner and irregular. The skin covering them is also stretched thinner. The result is a visable scar on the surface of the skin.

Why do they appear?

* Basic hormonal factors
* Tightening skin as a result of weight gain
* Age of mother; pre-pregnancy weight; quality of her natural collagen; and genetics.

Did you know?

* Stretch marks affect more than half of all mothers-to-be
* They occur more often in young women
* There is no connection between the presence of stretch marks and weight gain
* The number of previous pregnancies has no effect on the occurrence of new stretch marks.

So how do we get rid of stretch marks from pregnancy? Here are a few tips

1. Prevent and minimize new and recent stretch marks. Start treating your skin when you first find out you are pregnant with stretch mark creams with AHA moisturizers (they promote cellular activity and growth) and softening oils that help preserve your skins elasticity.
2. Make sure you take care of the skin in the areas where stretch marks is prone to show up. Usually sensitive areas such as: abdomen, breasts, hips and upper thighs.
3. Confirm that any products applied to your body can be used during breastfeeding as some products will be excreted in your breast milk.
4. Like any scar, a stretch mark must not be exposed to sun without appropriate protection.
5. Cream to prevent stretch marks should be applied in a circular massage movement, twice a day. The massage itself is beneficial, as it promotes good circulation and relaxation.
6. Any woman who experiences an abrupt or excessive weight gain may be exposed to the risk of stretch marks. Such weight gains should therefore be avoided.

At Belly & Beyond, we carry a great selection of Stretch mark solutions. Check out our skincare category online!

Source information from: www.mustela.com

Communicate With Your New Baby!

A lot of you New and Expecting Mommies may be thinking about how to communicate with your new baby. My son is 8 now, but when he was an infant, I taught him sign language. Before he was able to verbalize, he was able to tell me with his hands, when he was thirsty, hungry, full, tired, all done, etc. His ability to communicate his needs, did us all a world of good, and cut out a lot of the frustration that little non-talkers have.

Today he is a very well spoken child, with advanced language and reading comprehension skills for his age. I am certain that his early experience with sign language, was a great part of his language development. But don’t take my word for it, consult the experts.

I recently found a great link to some fabulous information and resources from all over Canada, about signing with your baby. If you are interested in learning more please go to signingstore.ca . Happy signing Mommies!

http://signingstore.ca/

Sincerely, Rachael Chatoor!

A Great Blogger Worth Checking Out!

Hi Mummies,

I just thought I would let you all know about a fantastic Blogger I met through the Yummy Mummy contest.

I am a huge fan of this woman, and I highly recommend you take a few moments out of your day to click the link below, to read the hilarious musings of Sharon, as she takes us on a clever, witty, and incredibly relate-able journey of her experience of Motherhood!

http://motherhoodtheultimatesurvivor.blogspot.com/

All best, Rachael.

Yummy Mummy Contest

Just want to share a very special link dedicated to all the Yummy Mummy’s out there. Enjoy, and if you love it, please vote!

Our very own yummy mummy Rachael Chatoor.