One of my favorite things about Italy (besides the great food, art and history) was that most businesses shut down every day for an afternoon Siesta or nap. Shops, restaurants and museums would close everyday between 3 and 5 pm. Siestas are a Latin tradition that we all should adopt.
Research has shown many health benefits to an afternoon nap. Psychological benefits, productivity and alertness and decreased risk of heart disease, to name a few. In fact in one study showed that regular napping decreased a person's risk for heart disease by 37%!!! WOW!
I LOVE naps and crave them. But lets face it - its rare when I get to squeeze one in. Most people do not have 20 - 30 minutes during the day to sleep. With that being said, I bet you have five minutes?! Take five minutes everyday to unwind and disconnect. The best time to do this is after lunch when our biological clocks actually signal us to slow down. Go outside, in your office or even your car and turn off everything - yes even your cell phone. Take five minutes to try to quiet your mind. Any thoughts that come to your mind just push them out. Focus on your breathing and relaxing of your body.
One easy way you can try to achieve balance today - instead of reaching for that coffee try a nap!
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
Birth Plans - There is no way to plan
I always smile inside when I talk to a friend who is pregnant for the first time and at 18 weeks prego has her whole birth plan/ idea mapped out.
"There is no way I am having a c-section"
"I am going all natural"
"I am having my baby at home"
and so on...
I smile because that's how I was. I knew what I wanted for this birth and there was no telling me otherwise. I was going to go all natural. There was no way I was having a c-section. I read every natural birth book I could find. I did the natural birthing class. I had birthing balls and mantras to get me through this right of passage as a women.
And then Hunter (my baby) had another plan. I should of known then that he had a mind of his own.
At 35 weeks he was breech. I was heartbroken when my Dr told me. How could that be? I was doing all of the yoga poses that encouraged him to turn and besides babies know what to do... its instinct!
There were options. I could have had him turned - external cephalic version- This included many risks and about 50% success rate. After 3 years of trying to conceive, taking unnecessary risks weren't an option. I could of tried to deliver vaginally anyway but again too risky. So after much internal debate, I decided to have a c-section. Once I made that decision I came to peace with it. What I wanted to happen really didn't matter. My birth plans were really Hunter's birth plans or God's, however you want to look at it. In the end it seemed so silly to have all of these plans and expectations when really the only plan should be to have a healthy mom and baby.
I have seen some friends hold onto their birthing plans so tight that they lose sight of what is really important or in some cases make risky decisions.
Remember the only real birth plan is for everyone to be healthy when it is over!
"There is no way I am having a c-section"
"I am going all natural"
"I am having my baby at home"
and so on...
I smile because that's how I was. I knew what I wanted for this birth and there was no telling me otherwise. I was going to go all natural. There was no way I was having a c-section. I read every natural birth book I could find. I did the natural birthing class. I had birthing balls and mantras to get me through this right of passage as a women.
And then Hunter (my baby) had another plan. I should of known then that he had a mind of his own.
At 35 weeks he was breech. I was heartbroken when my Dr told me. How could that be? I was doing all of the yoga poses that encouraged him to turn and besides babies know what to do... its instinct!
There were options. I could have had him turned - external cephalic version- This included many risks and about 50% success rate. After 3 years of trying to conceive, taking unnecessary risks weren't an option. I could of tried to deliver vaginally anyway but again too risky. So after much internal debate, I decided to have a c-section. Once I made that decision I came to peace with it. What I wanted to happen really didn't matter. My birth plans were really Hunter's birth plans or God's, however you want to look at it. In the end it seemed so silly to have all of these plans and expectations when really the only plan should be to have a healthy mom and baby.
I have seen some friends hold onto their birthing plans so tight that they lose sight of what is really important or in some cases make risky decisions.
Remember the only real birth plan is for everyone to be healthy when it is over!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)