07/29/2010 - 6 Things to Consider Before Your 3D UltrasoundHaving a 3D Ultrasound during your pregnancy is one of the most exciting moments of the journey. Words cannot describe the joy a new mom feels when she sees her baby’s face for the first time. Years ago, women had to wait 40 long weeks for that incredible moment. Now, we are able to offer remarkable images of your baby developing and a way for parents to experience the excitement of seeing detailed images of the baby throughout the journey!
There are many factors that effect what kinds of pictures you will get -- Most of these factors are outside of our control (remember they still are in the womb!). The sonographer might move you around to try and obtain different angles but the position of the baby, fluid level, and the density of the tissue we scan though all impact the picture quality. Here are some things I tell our clients to consider before having a 3D / 4D ultrasound and ways to help get the best pictures possible:
1. Know who is scanning you! -- Believe it or not, in many states (including Ohio) you do NOT have to have ANY medical training to perform ultrasounds. When choosing an elective facility be sure to ask what type of education and training the technicians receive. Becoming Mom is the only elective Cincinnati area 3D Ultrasound facility that employs sonographers who have gone through an independent and accredited multi-year program in medical ultrasound and also have extensive experience in OB/GYN scanning. This allows us to provide you with both peace of mind and reliable imaging.
Ask if the person performing your ultrasound is RDMS Certified (Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographer) ... a nurse or someone that has been trained for a few weeks to take baby pictures is NOT the same thing and has not received the extensive training required to know what it is they are looking at on an ultrasound!
2. When to do an ultrasound--This is a very common question and there are a few different things to consider when picking a time to do an ultrasound.
Gender can be accurately after 17 weeks. At this time you can see more of your baby and the amazing development already underway.
Between 24-26 weeks facial features are becoming more defined. If you are having multiples this is also a good time to capture 3D pictures of the babies.
If you are only going to have one elective ultrasound, between 27-32 weeks is the BEST TIME. The baby has had time to build up body fat, but still has room to move around.
Between 33-37 weeks is also a great time, if baby will cooperate. Because the baby is getting larger and may start to drop… getting the desired facial pictures becomes a little more challenging.
3. Drink plenty of fluids-- Drink plenty of water in the DAYS leading up to your ultrasound. This will increase your amniotic fluid level which helps with the picture quality.
4. Eat before your appointment-- Try to have something light to eat (sandwich, salad, small bowl of pasta, etc.) about 45 minutes to an hour before your appointment. This will get the baby a little more active.
5. Have a glass of fruit juice-- Drinking a glass of orange juice, apple juice, etc. will also help get the baby more active. Juice works better than soda. The caffeine in the soda does get the baby active, but has a negative affect on fluid levels. Natural sugars in juice create a longer active period, which is ideal. Try to have a glass about 30 minutes before your appointment.
6. Wear loose clothing.-- You will need to have your pants slightly below your hips during the ultrasound. Make sure they are comfortable at that position, since ultrasounds can take anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes.
Most importantly enjoy this special experience!
Ally Osborne, Assistant Manager
05/04/2010 - Heal Your Headaches Naturallyby Dr. Maoshing Ni
One in six Americans experience chronic headaches. Headaches are especially common at this time of year when allergies wreak havoc on your sinuses. Luckily, Chinese medicine has an arsenal of natural remedies to help soothe your aching head.
Your body is trying to tell you something
According to Chinese medicine, pain is your body's signal that there is a blockage of energy and blood. Your body is asking you to notice, evaluate, and change the behavior that caused the pain in the first place. For example, a headache may be pointing to improper diet. It is best to treat pain using natural methods, so you can avoid side effects and also become more aware of your body's unique needs.
What is happening when you get a headache? In a migraine, blood vessels contract, causing pressure, inflammation, and a throbbing, pounding pain. Tension headaches are often the result of muscle tightness and spasm in the neck, upper back and shoulder areas pulling on the scalp. Most headaches, whether migraine or tension, are most commonly triggered by sinus problems, muscle tension, eye strain, jaw clenching, a virus, stress, hormonal imbalance, lack of sleep, or allergies.
Headaches may be due to severe medical conditions like glaucoma and brain hemorrhaging. If you experience severe, debilitating headaches that don't respond to over the counter medication, visit your physician or the emergency room immediately.
Here are 6 all-natural remedies to alleviate headaches:
1. Press Valley of Harmony for headache relief
Recently, a patient's eight-year-old child was suffering from a headache. I was able to bring her the benefits of acupuncture without the needles. I simply used my own fingers to administer acupressure on an acupoint in the web between her thumb and index finger called Valley of Harmony. Within five minutes, her headache was gone.
Find the acupoint Valley of Harmony (Li 4) on yourself. It's in the web between the thumb and index finger on both hands. Apply steady pressure with your thumb until you feel soreness. Hold for 2 minutes. Repeat on the other hand.
Find the acupoint Great Yang (taiyang), which is in the indentation of the temples. Stimulate the point with the knuckles of your thumbs or the tips of your index fingers. Massage in circular motion for 5 minutes.
2. Massage your headache away
Give yourself a simple spa experience to help relieve a headache. Put 5 drops of lavender essential oil in 1 cup of warm water. Soak a small towel in the water, wring it dry, and then place it on your forehead as a compress during a headache.
You can also apply tonic oil, which consists of oils of camphor, peppermint, eucalyptus, fennel, and wintergreen, to your forehead and massage gently in a circular motion
3. Heal with white light
How often have you uttered these words in a stressful situation, "This is giving me a headache!" It turns out that the human brain is genetically programmed to translate physical and emotional stress into headaches. Headaches can typically be prevented by relaxation or stress releasing techniques like meditation and tai chi. Here is a simple visualization meditation called White Light Meditation that I have taught to my patients to reduce stress and headaches:
1. Sit or lie down comfortably. Clear your mind, relax your body, and breathe deeply and slowly.
2. Inhale and visualize a white light or clear mountain spring water entering your body at the top of your head and flowing down to your abdomen.
3. Exhale and visualize the white light or water continuing its downward course from your abdomen to the bottom of your feet, where it drains out.
Repeat for 10 minutes. Usually you will experience a quick reduction in symptoms right after this exercise.
4. Be free from headaches with vitamins
B-complex vitamins are one of my recommendations for headaches -- not only for their pain-relieving properties, but because they are crucial for energy production and help the nervous system. Vitamin B6, in particular, can be very effective for alleviating pressure headaches. Use supplements of B-complex vitamins to relieve pain when a headache strikes and take them daily to prevent headaches.
5. Herbal tea helps headaches
• Sichuan lovage, or ligusticum, has for centuries, been a traditional Chinese remedy for agonizing migraines. The usual dosage is 300 to 500 mg daily, or it can be taken as tea, 2 or 3 cups a day. You can find ligusticum (not to be confused with European lovage) in health food stores, online, and at the offices of acupuncturists and Chinese herbalists.
• Ginger, a natural anti-inflammatory, has been used for thousands of years by the Chinese to cure pain. To make ginger tea, you can cut up the root, boil it for 10 minutes, then strain the water and sip as tea; or, use ginger tea bags available in health food stores.
• Plum, mint, green tea will help release tension. Boil 5 dried plums, 1 tablespoon of green tea, and 2 tablespoons of mint in 3-1/2 cups of water for 15 minutes. Drink 3 cups a day until the headache subsides.
6. The Food Factor
What we eat on a regular basis affects the energy flow in our body. The foods we eat eventually end up in our blood and meridians in the form of energy. Good eating habits help maintain a good flow of energy and blood to the head, preventing headaches. Some common headache-causing culprits to cut back on include sugar, wine, cheese, and caffeine (although caffeine may alleviate one temporarily, especially if you are addicted to it).
Here's an uncommon food remedy: Drink a glass of fresh carrot juice every 4 hours until the headache subsides.
If you are suffering from the headaches that come with allergies, try Allergy Tamer, a traditional Chinese herbal blend that promotes temporary relief from nasal congestion, sneezing, itchiness and watery eyes.
If all-around head health is what you're after, try Super Clarity, an herbal blend that nourishes the brain and clears the mind.
I hope you have found ways to heal your headaches naturally! I invite you to visit often and share your own personal health and longevity tips with me.
May you live long, live strong, and live happy!
-Dr. Mao
This blog is meant to educate, but it should not be used as a substitute for personal medical advice. The reader should consult his or her physician or clinician for specific information concerning specific medical conditions. While all reasonable efforts have been made to ensure that all information presented is accurate, as research and development in the medical field is ongoing, it is possible that new findings may supersede some data presented.
01/15/2010 - Forty Pounds Jeanne Bowerman, our very own Business Development Manager, recently won an Essay contest with this fun piece...
Forty pounds. No one told me how easy it was to gain forty pounds. Gee, maybe those daily Peanut Buster Parfaits from Dairy Queen were a bad idea. Nah. They were delicious. Every. Single. Bite. My baby made me eat it.
Being my first pregnancy, I took monthly pictures of my growing belly to chronicle my girl’s development… or perhaps it was to throw back in her face if she ever became an obnoxious, smart-mouthed teen. “Look how fat I got for you,” as I shove the ancient pictures of my exploding belly in her face. By the way, if any of you are thinking this ploy might actually work, let me tell you now, it doesn’t. They’ll simply gaze dumbfounded at the aforementioned ancient pictures and comment on your lack of fashion sense or bad hairstyle. Teens are a whole other breed of payback. I now crave the ease of newborns… and tequila.
Back to my peanut-buster butt. I will admit, after the three days of labor (yes, three), and pushing that girl out my cabbage, I felt pretty darned skinny. I could see my toes. I could wrap a robe around my body. I could fit into my overalls (in the mid-90’s, maternity overalls were big… don’t judge me). I strutted around that hospital like Angelina Jolie… or was it Angela Lansbury? But let’s be serious, losing eight pounds of baby and a placenta does not a skinny girl make. I had a good thirty pounds stuck to my butt. I was in denial.
People told me I’d easily lose it nursing. No problem. Maternity gave me the gift of 42-F utters. I produced more milk than a herd of heifers. Problem being, heifers are young cows that haven’t had babies yet, hence they produce no milk whatsoever. This must be why my body clung to those last 10 pounds like a teen boy to his first Playboy.
Nursing stopped at nine months when she almost bit my nipple off, but I embraced the fantasy that once I stopped being her personal cow, the weight would just fall off. I also believed in leprechauns, unicorns and finding gold nuggets in my cereal box. Alas, after my beautiful baby girl turned one, I was still wearing my very sexy maternity overalls.
One glorious day, as I lay reading to my girl, my husband tapped my chubby shoulder. I turned to see a pair of running shoes in my face… my running shoes. He simply stated, “It’s time.” Ouch.
Who does he think he is? If not for his seed, I would most certainly be a fashion runway model by now! Like making his baby and permanently deforming my va-jay-jay wasn’t work enough, he now expects me to RUN? I hated him. I hated him so much I was going to go for that run and prove my body would never be back to pre-pregnancy weight no matter how many miles I logged. No one tells me what to do…. so I did what he told me to do… all in the name of proving him wrong, of course.
I ran. I ran like a marathon runner. I ran forever. I ran until I could run no more. I ran… a half a mile. But, to my surprise, it felt good. Would I admit that? No way in hell. The next day, while he was at work, I snuck out and ran again, and I continued to run three times a week, working up to 3 miles each time. Guess what? The weight came off. By the time my girl was 15 months old, I was rockin’ hot.
For me, running worked. For you, there may be another form of exercise that you enjoy more. Remember, it takes almost a year to gain the weight, so don’t expect it to come off in a few months. Only freaks, anorexics and stars who hire expensive trainers do that. Whatever your form of fitness torture is, you just might need someone to piss us off enough to take the necessary action. I wonder if clinging to our baby fat makes us moms feel closer to our pregnancy and our children – a reminder of them curled up safe inside us. After all, our fat is their cushion from the cruel world.
As much as I loved being pregnant, I admit, I love having my body back and feeling healthy. But, beware: After I got rock-star hot, my husband was the one now running after me, and I was pregnant again in one month’s time. This pregnancy, I wasn’t going to eat Peanut Buster Parfaits though. I learned my lesson. I switched to toasted Thomas’s English Muffins, smothered in butter and peanut butter with a good dose of cinnamon sugar sprinkled on top. No calories there.
It’s amazing how easy it is to gain forty pounds back.
12/17/2009 - Gift Giving Guide for Dads to Be
It can be hard enough to figure out the perfect gift for the woman in your life... but trying to do it for a woman with swollen feet, an achy back and who's full of raging hormones, can be downright treacherous. So, we want to help...
SHE'S JUST FOUND OUT
You're both excited and scared at the same time. Now is the time you want to learn everything you can about the new human being about to enter your life. Some possible gifts:
- Books: Whether it's "Your Pregnancy Week by Week", "Feed the Belly", or "Belly Laughs" by the hilarious Jenny McCarthy, books can help her feel more in control of what's happening to her body and what to expect
- Gender Determination: If she's at least 10 weeks, you can buy her the IntelliGender home test kit. If she's at least 17 weeks, a Gift Certificate for an Ultrasound will literally let you see for yourselves.
- Help with the early "fun" stuff: Whether it's morning sickness or heartburn, it can really put a damper on the excitement. But the good news is there are products like B Natal loaded with B6 for morning sickness and Pregnancy Heartburn Comfort tablets that can help.
SHE'S STARTING TO ACHE ALL OVER
She's finally past the yucky sick feeling, and now her ankles are swelling, her back is sore and there are things happening to her no one ever told her about. Now is the time to pamper her:
Pregnancy Massage: A Pregnancy Massage by a Prenatal Certified Massage Therapist can work wonders on all the aches and pains she is dealing with. And, it can even help her have a shorter/easier labor... now that's a gift she will appreciate!
Pedicure: A Pedicure is perfectly safe during pregnancy if done by someone familiar with how to care for pregnant women... and the right kind of pedicure will help with Achiness and Swelling as well. At Becoming Mom, we offer a Hot Stone Pedicure and a Chocolate Cherry Indulgence Pedicure among others.
Facial: On top of everything else, her face is breaking out like it hasn't since she was 15! She needs skin products that are safe for her and her baby... and that target the specific issues she's having. The Get That Glow Facial is a perfect choice... or for even more pampering she will love the Naturally Nurturing Hot Stone Facial.
Not sure what Spa Services she would enjoy? Get her the Pregnant Gets What Pregnant Wants Package and she can pick any three services. How can you go wrong?
SHE'S COUNTING DOWN THE DAYS
3D/4D Ultrasound -- What better gift than the ability to see her baby for the first time... even before he/she is born?
Belly Cast/Sculpting -- Whether you buy an at-home kit or have it professionally sculpted, this is a way to preserve her beautiful pregnant form long after baby is born. Makes a beautiful addition to the nursery decor.
BABY'S HERE!
Getting Back to Normal - The baby's here, but now everything is out of alignment! Our Postpartum and Baby Blues Massages can help! We also have Belly Bandits that will help get her waistline back so much sooner!
Designer Diaper Bag -- It's not just a necessity, it's a fashion statement. At Becoming Mom, we carry a wide variety of beautiful bags. Let her pick or buy her a gift certificate and pamper her with some retail therapy.
Help with Fussy Baby -- Whether is a HappiTummi wrap for baby or a Moby Wrap for Mom there are lots of products that make those early days SO much easier.
STILL NOT SURE? STOP BY BECOMING MOM OR GIVE US A CALL AND WE'LL BE HAPPY TO HELP YOU FIND THE PERFECT GIFT.
Happy Holidays!
09/24/2009 - Comfort Tips From KatieOkay so it’s been far too long since my last blog, where does the time go? During the past several years that I have been at Becoming Mom, I have grown as therapist to see more clearly the needs of mothers and mothers to be. I would like to share some ideas that I have formed from my work with the pregnant mothers in this community. Every woman is different, just as every pregnancy, and every baby. With that being said, we see a lot of things every woman, pregnancy, and baby have in common. For instance every woman has difficulty getting comfortable in bed, and we can help. Every pregnancy adds stresses to the woman’s body, with added aches and pains, and we can help. Every baby needs a healthy, loving, and happy mother, and we can help. Sometimes we just don’t feel good, and neither do our babies. Here are some tips from your therapist:
· Do you have a headache?
Soak your feet in hot water and put a cold towel behind your neck, while you drink a cup of red raspberry leaf tea (spearmint tea for nausea). 70% of headaches are from tension in the neck. And, when you come in for a massage tell your therapist.
· Are you getting cramps in your legs?
We carry books that can show you proper stretches for each trimester of your pregnancy. Also, a banana and a glass of milk before bed with your stretches should help. Your therapist can do long strokes on your legs, to move extra fluid out and improve circulation.
· Is it hard to get comfortable in bed?
Your Therapist at Becoming Mom can show you how to set up your bed at home. Sometimes there are sleeping habits that we form that can cause us muscle problems, and your therapist can help you to correct them by showing you the proper way to lay.
· Are you having fears or anxiety about delivery?
Massage can help prepare a woman’s body for the ultimate task, delivery. It can also lower your anxiety. Remember to do your stretches. Flexibility makes delivery less painful as well.
· Are you suffering from postpartum blues?
You are not sleeping, and everything is out of whack, and not completely back in place yet. Massage helps to speed recovery, balance hormones, and calm your nerves.
There are many reasons to visit Becoming Mom. I want to share an experience that was really cool, and you’ll see one reason why.
A mother came in with her new baby girl on a Tuesday, our “baby friendly” day! She had the precious one in the pumpkin seat and was getting a postpartum massage. I noticed very soon that the little one was going to make it difficult for mom to relax. As a therapist, I take my responsibility for the client to relax seriously. So I suggested we include her baby in the massage. I simply set her up on her side and tucked the baby in next to her. Unfortunately that was not enough for baby to relax. One of the skills acquired over time as a therapist is making people comfortable, and babies are people too (very intelligent ones). So I also took responsibility for the baby’s comfort. By resting mom’s hand on her baby’s belly, and show her how to give her the attention she demanded first, we were then able to start on a very relaxing massage for mom… that she desperately needed. It’s important to take good care of yourself, and then you’ll teach your precious ones to do the same. What a great experience! If your baby has a hard time relaxing, as prenatal therapists we can show you how to massage your baby. Let love grow, and please share. I look forward to seeing you at Becoming Mom!
Katie
06/16/2009 - Ultrasound Experience I just wanted to let you know that my two daughters, son-in-law and myself went to Becoming Mom Spa Sunday and had the most awesome experience. I had to let you know how wonderful your ultra-sound tech Becka was. She was very patient when at first it was difficult to get a good look at the baby’s face. She worked with Nikki (my daughter) having her role to her side, drink water and finally, got the most wonderful pictures I have ever seen. I was totally amazed at what the Baby does inside the mother’s womb. She got a picture of the baby smiling, sucking his thumb and even picking his nose – which was hysterical. We had the best time and the pictures are super clear and worth every penny. Nikki and Keith were totally thrilled. I posted the pictures on my face book and mentioned it came from Becoming Mom to bring you more business. I can tell you our experience with Becka was great and if all of your technicians are half as attentive as Becka, I can see why you have such a thriving business.
Gina Rapp
05/09/2008 - Welcome Rylee!Many of you know Marnie, one of our Massage Therapists and our Business Development Manager who has been with us since we opened the doors. On Wednesday, she had a beautiful baby girl names Rylee. Rylee was a little over 8 ounces and a little over 20 inches long.
04/01/2008 - From a Massage Therapist's Point of View...We are all so different but we are all so much the same too. We are all affected by stress in our bodies, but some more than others. I feel for a living, it is what I do with my hands, is to feel. Since I have been a massage therapist I can tell that there has been an increased awareness as to where stress is bound up in the patient.
As a prenatal massage therapist, I am always keeping the baby and the mother in mind, and avoiding any areas that could stimulate labor, unless agreed upon by the patient and therapist at the time of her due date. This is a great way to enter into labor as in that it prepares the client to manage their pain through relaxation and meditations. My intentions for all the mother’s that come to see me are to address the areas of their discomfort, and to prepare their bodies for labor and delivery. I will always intend to be on the gentle side of the clients desired pressure, and with calming strokes.
I am very grateful to be apart of Becoming Mom, because I know that all of the services that are offered are provided with real compassion from qualified therapists. We know that every birth is unique and has it’s own circumstances, all are very personal and our whole lives revolve around them. I see the importance of touch, because I see the difference in the clients I see at Becoming Mom. It’s fascinating how much stress we hold in our bodies without realizing it. For example, the client will be holding muscles tight, even while lying in a relaxed position. I cannot just feel the difference in the muscle after being massaged; I can see the change in the clients resting position, breathing rate, and overall uplifted state when the massage is complete. I love working at Becoming Mom because we all believe a Happy Mommy is a Happy Baby, and we want to provide mother’s with great ways to enjoy and remember their journey through motherhood.
Yours truly,
Katie Bell~
Licensed and Pre-natal Certified Massage Therapist
03/27/2008 - I adore this place03/13/2008 - Our ResponseI was recently made aware of some postings on a local blog site that accused Becoming Mom of being disrespectful to women who have had miscarriages because of an advertisement we are running on TLC that says that pregnancy massage has many benefits, including the ability to reduce the chances of miscarriages.
My staff and I were very saddened that women would think that we are being disrespectful. In fact, several of the women that work at Becoming Mom have gone through miscarriages themselves and have devoted their careers to helping women not only have more enjoyable pregnancies, but healthier ones as well… ones which reduce the chances of complications and miscarriages.
We certainly would never claim that massage would help prevent all miscarriages. There are many, many reasons why women miscarry. But stress does create an in-hospitable environment for pregnancy... it's one of the reasons why women find it hard to conceive when they are stressed and why local fertility specialists recommend that their patients come to Becoming Mom for massages during their infertility treatments. Even if we can only prevent a fraction of these women from miscarrying because of stress (and the physical ailments that can result from stress), than we want to help those women!!!
We base our beliefs not only on our own personal experiences and the experiences of our clients during the 4 years we’ve been in business, but also on multiple reputable research studies.
One other thought for today. One of the other postings on this same site questioned the safety of massage during the first trimester. There is a common misconception that massage is not safe for the first and last trimester. This comes from the fact that many mainstream spas will not massage women in their first and last trimesters. But, that is only because they do not have prenatal certified massage therapists. A prenatal massage therapist can not only give a women a safe massage during her pregnancy, but also relieve many of the typical aches and pains of pregnancy (such as sciatica).
Happy Pregnancy!
Dawn
12/10/2007 - Not Only a Massage Therapist, but also a Client (and Pregnant.... yeah!) - MarnieOne day, I was doing some research on the internet about massage therapy, and I ran across a website for an organization called the National Association of Pregnancy Massage Therapists. I had been working as a Medical Assistant in a local OB/GYN office for 8 years at the time and was very shocked that I had never heard of pregnancy massage. Everyday, I wished that I could recommend something that would help our patients with all of the discomforts they suffered from. I, myself, wished with both of my pregnancies that something could help me with the sciatica and back pain that I was experiencing. When I learned of pregnancy massage, I knew immediately that I wanted to become a Prenatal Massage Therapist. I have been practicing prenatal massage for 6 years now and have been working at Becoming Mom since we opened in 2004. This is the most rewarding work I have ever done! I love seeing the smiles on my clients' faces after their massages, or seeing them walk normally up the hallway when they could barely walk coming in. It constantly reminds me why I chose to do this work. I am now learning the benefits of prenatal massage first hand. I am currently 16 weeks pregnant and receiving regular pregnancy massages. I am extremely amazed at the difference it has made for me during this pregnancy versus my previous pregnancies. I feel great knowing with each and every client that I have made such a difference in their day and in their pregnancy journey.
Marnie Gosser
Licensed and Prenatal Certified Massage Therapist
Link: http://www.becomingmomspa.com/spaservices_massages.php
11/16/2007 - Little Miracles... Special Moments - MissyI've worked in hospitals and with doctors for 18 years as a registered x-ray technician and sonographer and have scanned thousands of babies, but I am still amazed everytime I see those little miracles in 4D on the big screen. I love the enthusiasm of the girls I work with. Everyone here at Becoming Mom dedicates themselves to the care of every mom, whether a new mom with lots of concerns or an experienced mom who needs an escape. Not many people can say they love coming to work, but I can, and because of that I can give my best to each and every mom I scan. I get to share a special moment of seeing their baby for the first time with them and their family and I wouldn't trade that for the world.
Missy Moone, RDMS
11/08/2007 - The Beginning - DawnToday I am submitting my first blog entry... anywhere, ever. In the future this blog will contain entries from our Becoming Mom team and from our customers (if you want to submit a blog entry, for now just email it to me throgh the "Contact" tab on this website). But I thought as the owner I should probably kick it off. As I considered what I should write about at the beginning of our new blog, I ultimately decided to write about just that... our beginning.
Pregnancy is a special time in a woman’s life. But it’s also one that can be stressful and extremely uncomfortable. If you’ve ever experienced the constant, debilitating pain of sciatica or feet that have swelled to at least two shoes sizes beyond the ones they’re in, you would know what I mean. My goal in opening Becoming Mom was to make the whole experience of being pregnant more enjoyable.
I’ll never forget the week I opened Becoming Mom. When I heard the jubilant cheers of “It’s a boy!” coming from the ultrasound room… when I saw a woman, who had barely hobbled into the spa only an hour earlier, literally dancing in the reception area after her massage because it was the first time in months she was free of pain… … when I had a woman call to tell us her doctor had said that her ultrasound at our facility had probably saved her baby’s life… I knew I had chosen the right business!
We designed our Pregnancy Spa & Imaging Centre Concept to cater to both the physical and emotional needs of our clients. The 3D/4D ultrasound technology allows mom and her family to see their baby’s face and count his/her fingers and toes for the very first time in a comfortable environment and with the assurance that that they are in the care of an experienced medical professional. This is not only an incredible bonding experience, but can also facilitate a renewed commitment to a healthy pregnancy.
The spa allows mom to experience services that are designed for her unique physical and hormonal needs… ones that are safe for her and her baby! But these spa services aren’t just for pampering. For example, massages performed by our specially trained prenatal certified massage therapists can reduce the chances of miscarriage/complications and can even reduce the time and pain associated with labor. What expecting mom wouldn’t want that?! And, if you've been on massage page, you've seen that we even have massage techniques that can improve the odds of becoming pregnant.. something that I didn't even know existed when I first envisioned Becoming Mom!
Almost every day we hear “Where were you when I was pregnant?” And I think, "Yep, I'm in the right business!"
Dawn Bierschwal
