Rebozos… Every hipster will want one.

What is a rebozo you ask? Well, it is a traditional Mexican scarf or shawl. The rebozo is not only a fashion statement but also a support tool during pregnancy and the actual birth process.

The Moorish first introduced the rebozo to Spain in the 15^th and 16^th centuries. The Spanish then brought the rebozo to Mexico. By the 19^th centurary, the rebozo had become an essential part of a woman’s traditional dress in Mexico. Women from all social orders in life wore rebozos.

The rebozo is said to represent the woman’s strength and courage, which I think is quite fitting since it usually accompanies a woman during birth- her rite of passage into motherhood.

As Gena Kirby, aka The Rebozo Goddess, says, “the rebozo offers support, pain relief, and empowerment to the laboring woman, and also her birth partner…the rebozo can be an aid in labor, a baby carrier, a knapsack, a cool weather wrap or elegant shawl. The rebozo is limitless”.

If you are pregnant, I highly suggest you take a look at Gena Kirby’s Rebozo Workshop schedule. If you and your partner are in the Los Angeles area, then you may be interested in the hour in which I teach birth positions (rebozo tips included). Email me with questions or if you are interested.

Workout 

Warm Up

Row 500m, 30 sec plank, 10m crab walk, 30 sec bottom of squat, 10m lunge with elbow tap. Repeat.

Advanced, Intermediate, Beginner

5 Rounds, Every 5 min.
Row 250m.
20 Wall Balls (8-14#)

Modifications

Use a ball that you feel like you can do 5 continuous wall balls. If you prefer running over rowing, then substitute a 400m jog. If you prefer neither, then try 50m lunges and bear crawl back. If the intervals are too close, then space out on the 6min mark or even 7min mark.

Cosleeping… The more the merrier.

Cosleeping, bedsharing, family bed, or whatever you may term the idea happens because it’s natural…It’s supposed to happen.

My definition of cosleeping is sharing a bed so that mother and baby or father and baby may have skin-to-skin contact, breathe the same air, etc. Other definitions state that cosleeping involves sharing a room and/or having the bassinet or crib next to the bed also constitute cosleeping.

I grew up with a “family bed” and did not think it was weird or different or even wrong. I remember nights when all five of us would be in the bed. I remember nights when one of kids would just lay next to the bed with a big ‘ol blanket because he or she wanted to be near the family.

It wasn’t until I had people close to me start having babies that I became witness to the way that our society deems appropriate in regards to an infant’s sleep habits. It is like nails on a chalk board to me when I see someone place a child down for bed in their new crib in their picture perfect nursery and then walk away, leaving the baby all alone crying in the dark room. Nails on a chalkboard.

The infant is left alone in a dark room to FIGURE IT OUT. The newborn baby is supposed to figure sleep out. How the hell do you expect for an infant to figure out sleep when he or she has spent the last 40 weeks in the mother’s belly? The mother has guided every life decision the infant has made directly or indirectly. Breathing, eating, and even moving have been influenced by the mother’s movement patterns.

Humans are born the most neurologically immature primate of all– 25% of brain volume. That means that we have to develop our brain biologically. Research has shown that an infant laying in close proximity to the mother mimics breathing and heart rate patterns of the mother. Physiological responses and natural reflexes are being programmed while the mother and infant sleep next to each other, touching each other, smelling each other, and moving in response to the other’s movement.

Cosleeping benefits:

• Encourages and makes breastfeeding easier.
• Nearly doubles the amount of breastfeeding sessions.
• Sleep-sharing pair usually sleeps in harmony.
• Babies sleep better.
• Mothers sleep better.
• Babies thrive as in reaching full potential.
• Reduces risks of SIDS.
• Promotes a deeper connection between baby and parents.

Consider breaking the societal norms when it comes to family bedtime habits. Though it may seem odd relative to many families in 2012, it’s fully normal in the context of our past. Furthermore, the benefits of cosleeping aren’t to be ignored.

Workout 

Warm Up

The Gut is the Game Changer

Did you know that the human GI tract houses about 70% of the immune system? That means that your intestinal lining is pretty much the game changer when it comes to health and the optimal performance of your immune system.

Our immune system protects us from foreign invaders and keeps up operating to our fullest degree. Our immune system offers up different levels of defense against bad guys trying to wreck havoc on our bodies. Anatomical barriers such as skin and mucous membranes like tears are the border patrol.

After that our immune system has two distinct paths. First, we have the innate or non-specific part of the immune system in which our bodies elicit a broad, general response to foreign invaders such as bacteria and/or viruses. Second, we have the humoral or adaptive and specific immune system in which our bodies learn and improve to repeated exposure.

So where does the gut come in? Our gut, intestinal flora, communicates with the immune system.  The exact mechanisms are still unknown. However, the gut does have an affect on the mucosa of the immune system, influences hormonal signaling patterns, and can affect growth of certain organs need for immune system functioning.

Our gut flora is compromised of foreign microbes living in a symbiotic relationship with us, the host. Our relationship with our gut flora is complex and constantly changing. We receive lots of benefits from our gut flora when everything is functioning in harmony.

You see, for adults, teenagers, and babies, the most common place for objects to go is in our mouths down our esophagus and into our bellies. Infants grab at everything to try and put them in their mouths. Our gut flora is the gatekeepers or the secret service. They cannot allow any foreign substances to penetrate the boundaries. If a bad guy creeps in, the immune system takes action to take them out. This is basically the alarm sounding telling the body that there is an intruder. If there are too many bad guys and our gut lining is under a chronic attack (intestinal permeability), then we are left with systemic inflammation and a less than optimal functioning immune system.

Systemic inflammation is good for no one. It means you are all out of whack. It means you need to take the proper steps to regain your health. This is why nutrition is so vital to me and BirthFIT. Clean up your diet, for life, and you lay down a solid foundation.

Workout

Warm Up

[VIDEO] BirthFIT Beginnings: Thanksgiving 2012

Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy your day with loved ones. Go on a walk, a hike, play cards, do something fun today. Thank you for following BirthFIT.

Legend in the Making

A little rockstar named Aly Willier of RxStars posted this the other day and I thought it fitting. Let’s do this! Legend in the making!

Workout

Modifications

Light weight is always an option. You can do two strict presses or as many as five. Listen to your body and go with what you feel comfortable with today.