The Work at Home Woman
December 24th, 2009I made a conscious decision to stay at home after I had children. Since I married late (I was 35 when I got married), my husband and I reviewed our finances and, although we would not have a lot of extra income, we decided that we could afford if I didn’t work. I had suspected that I would have some trouble having children and the complicated road to having my 2 children lived up to my expectations. After two high risk pregnancies, threats of bed rest and a preterm labor with my first, I wanted to care for and raise my babies myself.
Prior to my daughter’s (my first) birth , I worked as a personal trainer and woman’s health consultant. After her birth and all the complications with my pregnancy I really began to focus on prenatal and post partum exercise, health and wellness. What I found was that trying to grow such a service, to be available to my clients as well as to my daughter proved nearly impossible. To keep afloat I began writing health care columns for local publications. Writing offered me the opportunity to work and earn some money, to provide comfort, information and support to other women and, most importantly, to be completely available for my daughter.
The work at home concept was just emerging when I had my daughter back in 2002. There weren’t the websites and support groups nor even the term “mompreneur” back then. People were just beginning to explore more flexible work arrangements and “work/life balance” was just gaining momentum. Women were just beginning to question and explore how they could work and help provide income for their families while still providing the bulk of the care for their children. Over the years some women have excelled at the work at home concept and one such person is Holly Hanna, owner and founder of a website called The Work At Home Woman. 
The Work at Home Woman website is a veritable plethora of information on working from home. The website contains information and questionnaires to help women decide if working from home is for them. There are pages and pages of resources on how to get started working from home, lists of various careers that lend themselves to working from home and how to set up your own home-based business. I visit this website often and each time gain valuable information I use to improve my now home based business. The Work at Home Woman has taken all the mystery and difficulty out of starting your own home based business.
As a mama on bed rest you may be wrestling with what to do with your job or career when your baby is born. After all you’ve gone through to have your little one, it’s completely natural to have reservations about leaving your child with another caregiver. Take comfort in the fact that you do have options. It may be necessary for you to work in order to help support your family, but now you can work and help support your family while at the same time caring for your child full time or at least the majority of the time.
If you do decide to work from home, I highly recommend that you visit The Work at Home Woman website. With it’s wealth of information and resources, you’ll be able to start your home based career on a solid foundation and successfully grow your career or business to suite you and your family’s needs.
Visit The Work at Home Woman website at www.theworkathomewoman.com
Working Options for New Moms
December 18th, 2009I always find it a a bit surreal when I see tv commercials with mothers looking very serene holding perfect little babies 
who are adoringly looking up at them. While this surely happens often enough, I think that it’s important to note that motherhood, especially in the early days is sometimes far from serene. I recall that after the birth of my son, my second, I was completely overwhelmed. He was a much more aggressive feeder than my daughter had been and nursed every hour and a half-from both breasts! Couple that with the fact that I had had a c-section and I had a 3 1/2 year old who was also vying for my attention and you can clearly see that I was quickly coming undone. My parents had come and stayed with me for 3 weeks following my son’s birth and their help was priceless. But they left one day after my husband set out on a business trip and 3 weeks post partum from a c-section I found myself on my own with two little ones. I was literally crying in the airport after my parents left.
According to a report titled, New Mothers Speak Out, National Survey Results Highlight Women’s Postpartum Experiences “new mothers in the United States struggle with chronic emotional and physical problems, often with little or no support from their husbands or partners, all the while trying to meet the needs of their newborns, and in some cases the pressure to return to work,” says Carol Sakala, Ph.D., director of programs for Childbirth Connection, a national not-for-profit organization. Sakala and her colleagues surveyed 903 new mothers ages 18 to 45 who gave birth in 2005. The researchers found that six months after giving birth, 43 percent of the women still felt stressed; 40 percent reported problems controlling their weight; 34 percent had trouble sleeping; 26 percent had no sexual desire; and 24 percent suffered from chronic backaches. Notably, 44 percent of the women said that their physical or emotional condition interfered with taking care of their baby in the first two months. The authors suggested that longer maternity leaves and more flexible return-to-work policies might help new mothers.
Maternity leave, or the lack there of, in the United States is a longstanding issue. Where many European countries offer new moms 6 months to a year off after delivery (with a guaranteed job to return to!), The United States offers a paltry 6 weeks, 8-12 weeks if delivery by c-section. Often times women return to work sooner out of fear of losing their positions. While many companies are beginning to entertain the option of flexible time or job sharing, many professional women avoid these options fearing they will be “mommy-tracked” and passed over for promotions and partnerships. The decision to return to work can be even more stressful for mothers who have had high risk pregnancies and were on prescribed bed rest prior to delivery. They may have used all of their maternity leave before they even had their baby (ies). Others may be reluctant to return to work-especially if their babies were born prematurely and/or have special needs
So what are women to do? Many women do as I did and simply leave the workforce while they have their children and raise their families. I was fortunate enough that my husband’s job and salary is able to support our family. Many other families are not so lucky. Today, often it is the woman who has the larger salary and/or the health care and other benefits to sustain the family. It just isn’t economically feasible for her to remain out of work for any appreciable amount of time.
Yet many women find that they just don’t want to stay home full time. Like me, they want to be available and present for their children, yet they want to do something that is intellectually stimulating as well as emotionally fulfilling. More and more, women are looking at work from home opportunities and starting their own businesses.
In the next several blog entries I will explore the options women have for creating work/life balance. We’ll look at options such as working from home, starting businesses, flexible and job sharing opportunities and in general, how women can take better care of themselves so that they can take better care of their families. I will include interviews with women who are experts in the field of work life balance as well as starting their own work from home enterprises. Stay tuned!
If you are a woman who has started a successful enterprise or successfully navigated working and having a family, please share your story with me. I’d love to feature you and I am sure other women would love to learn from your wisdom!
Cold Remedies for Mamas on Bed Rest
December 11th, 2009I think I’m getting a cold. The other day I was teaching a fitness class, bent over and nearly fell on my face. My head got that “full” feeling and I thought, “Oh no, not now!” I have been feeling tired and have been burning the candle at both ends to get everything done for the holidays before my kids get out of school for winter break. I suppose I may have over done it a bit.
I hated being sick when I was pregnant and with each pregnancy I got at least one cold. Because of the stress of pregnancy on the immune system, pregnant women are at greater risk for contracting various cold and flu viruses. In this era of H1N1 it’s hard to know just what to do if you get sick. Many obstetricians allow pregnant mamas to take a few over the counter cold remedies; Tylenol, Sudafed and Benadryl are commonly regarded by obstetricians as safe to take. But if you are on bed rest, sometimes the recommendations are different-especially if you are taking medications for diabetes, high blood pressure or to halt preterm labor. Because of drug to drug interactions, if you are taking medications for any one of the aforementioned conditions or for some other reason, you need to be especially careful and consult with your obstetrician or midwife before taking ANY over the counter could products.
When viruses strike during pregnancy, it can be helpful to employ some of the “old timey” remedies that our mothers and grandmothers may have used to relieve the symptoms. Most of these remedies come from items in your pantry and are safe to use in pregnancy. But always check with your obstetrician or midwife to be sure.
Congestion
Vicks Vapor Rub (For chest): Apply a warm towel or hot water bottle over your chest after application to help relieve chest congestion and tightness.
Saline Nasal Washes: Saline nasal sprays are an excellent and safe way to clear congested (and runny) nasal 
passages. If you want to help clear the sinuses, use a Neti pot or other nasal irrigation system in combination with the saline. Saline solutions are easily made with 8 oz of warm water and 1/4 tsp of non-iodized salt.
Vaporizer/Humidifier: Many people recommend cool mist humidifiers, but I found that when I am sick I am typically cold and prefer a warm mist humidifier. I suppose that this is a personal preference but you may want to ask your doctor or pharmacist if you are undecided.
Sore Throat
Tea: Tea is far and away my favorite thing to relieve a sore throat. I like to make tea as hot as I can stand it and sip it. Of course when you are pregnant, you want to avoid caffeinated teas as the caffeine will cross the placenta and babies don’t clear caffeine as easily as we do. Non-herbal teas such as Green and Black teas contain caffeine. Depending on your situation, your OB or midwife may not want you to have caffeine so you may need to avoid these and other caffeinated teas. If you are unsure, ask before consuming these teas.
According to the American Pregnancy Association, many herbal teas and most commercial herb teas (Celestial seasonings teas for example) are safe during pregnancy. Many herbalists and midwives may disagree so if you have questions, definitely consult with an experienced herbalist. However, the American Pregnancy Association advises caution with the following herbs:
Dandelion-Insufficient, reliable information exists regarding safety in pregnancy
Chamomile-Insufficient, reliable information exists regarding safety in pregnancy
Nettles-Natural Medicines Database gives nettles a rating of Likely Unsafe , even though it is used in countless pregnancy teas and recommended by most midwives and herbalists.
Rosehips-Insufficient, reliable information exists regarding safety during pregnancy
Alfalfa-Possibly unsafe
Yellow Dock-Possibly unsafe
For more information, visit the American Pregnancy Association Website, www.americanpregnancy.org.
Saline Gargles
This ancient remedy is still very effective at relieving a sore throat. Place about one teaspoon of regular table salt in about 2 cups of warm water. Gargle as needed. The good thing about this is that you can do it as often as you like.
Cough
Honey-I recently learned from some pediatricians that a teaspoon of honey taken every few hours can alleviate
coughs. No one seemed too sure about the mechanism, but I would imagine that the honey coats the throat and may relieve the cough reflex. No proof here, just a thought on my part. When viruses strike during pregnancy, it can be helpful to employ some of the “old timey” remedies that our mothers and grandmothers may have used. Most of these remedies come from items in your pantry and are safe to use in pregnancy. But always check with your obstetrician or midwife to be sure.
Vick Vapor Rub-This is by far the most “out there” remedy that I had heard, but I tried it myself last year and it did allow me to sleep. You apply Vicks Vapor Rub to the soles of your feet and then put on thick socks and climb into bed. Now I don’t know why it’s effective; perhaps the socks help the Vicks to be absorbed into the soles of the feet and then the effects travel all over the body. I really can’t explain this and wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t tried it and had it work. While it may not be effective, it is something you can try that won’t harm you or your baby.
Now remember, these are a combination of “wives tales” and old time home remedies and while some may scoff at them, some are effective. Likewise, since home remedies can be effective and are essentially using products “off label”, you should check with your OB or midwife before using them. But in most cases, they are far less toxic than some of the over the counter and prescription remedies (and often far less potent) and may provide some much needed relief.
