Itâ€s the time of year when we often hear, “Best Wishes for 2019.” It sounds really nice and desirable. Yet, what does this phrase really mean? And, what do you actually wish for in the coming year?

I think itâ€s a good question to reflect on from time to time. Ask yourself: What do I wish for, for myself and for my family?

Others may not wish for us what weâ€d most want. Usually not malicious, just different. What you want over this next year is unique to you. Only you can articulate that. So…

What do you wish for your child(ren)? 

Peace, happiness, self-sufficiency, to feel cared for, to stand up to others, to grow and develop in certain ways? Something else?

For me, I want my kids to look to themselves (and not to anything or anyone else) to know and create what makes them most happy.

What do you wish for yourself as a parent?

To feel confident, to know youâ€re surrounded by the resources you need, peace, proud moments, to build your skills in a certain area, to feel great about your parenting choices? Something else?

For me, I want to feel present with my kids and create some awesome memories.

When you identify what you wish for, then the next time someone says, “Best Wishes!,” you can envision your unique wishes coming true!

Best wishes for 2019!

The post What do YOU Wish for in 2019? appeared first on Loving the Pregnant You : Pregnancy Coaching.

Most of us hope to have a deep and growing relationship with our children as they move through the phases of life and become who they are meant to be, but how?

Authentic Leadership.

Like leading a business or building a team, parenting requires authentic leadership that creates a place of trust, values and passionate risks – probably even more so.

Iâ€ve described the importance of authentic leadership this way,

“Why should you care about being an authentic leader? Quite frankly because others trust and follow authentic leaders. And, more notably, they follow these leaders for the long-haul and to achieve audacious results. Authentic leaders are seen as reliable, trustworthy and genuine individuals. Because they know themselves well and are clear about their values and passions, their words match up with their actions and with their facial expressions and body language. We see and sense the alignment in them. They mean what they say, their passion comes through over time telling us a story, and if we like the story, we want to be a part of it! Authentic leaders generate followership.”

As we seek to encourage our children to grow with us and each other, here are some ways we can lead well. Keep Reading.

The post Leading and Loving Your Kids Well appeared first on Loving the Pregnant You : Pregnancy Coaching.

A huge ah-ha moment occurred for me when I was talking to my life coach (who I purposely hired because she was a mom and an independent business owner) and trying to determine how to work my next tropical-destination vacation around my hopefully soon-to-come pregnancy. I didnâ€t want to “waste” my vacation time while I was pregnant because I wouldnâ€t be able to drink margaritas, I might be fat, I might be sluggish, etc. My coach asked me, “Do you want to be pregnant sitting in your house in Chicago in the winter or do you want to be pregnant strolling the beaches of Mexico?” Ah ha! I want the latter. 

Why had I not seen that? This was a huge insight for me. I wanted to continue to lead the kind of life that I had created for myself, with entrepreneurship and flexibility in my days, and frequent vacations. And, I could continue to do that as I was pregnant. I could be “me” during my pregnancy. I could continue to live life “my” way. I didnâ€t have to carve out 9 months in which Iâ€d downscale or pause my life. It was a huge, empowering mindset for me.

At the same time that I was working to shift my thoughts to more positive ones, I didnâ€t try to pretend that I wasnâ€t frustrated, disappointed, ashamed, or other negative emotions at times. I didnâ€t try to slap a Pollyanna view on top of what I was feeling.

For example, when I first started to share with people that I was pregnant with my first baby, people were over-the-top excited for us. My husband and I had been married for a while, and others werenâ€t sure whether we were going to become parents. They were so excited to find out that we were! And, I was ashamed and confused because I wasnâ€t nearly as excited as they were. My excitement was dimmed by my feelings of anxiety and overwhelm. I noticed my reaction to others†enthusiasm, and I did my best to let my negative emotions be. I knew that there was always something to be learned from our feelings and that all our feelings are valid. I didnâ€t try to talk myself out of my shame and confusion.

Instead, I saw that my emotions made perfect sense. And so did the emotions of my loved ones. Of course they were excited. And, of course I was anxious and overwhelmed. Deciding to have a baby was a big responsibility. I didnâ€t want to take it lightly. I viewed my feelings as a good sign – a sign that I was fully cognizant of my actions and the consequences.

I choose not to feel bad about myself because I felt some “negative” emotions. I could feel confused and uncomfortable, yet not have to judge myself as a “bad” person or mom. And, I realized that even though I may experience “negative” thoughts or emotions during my journey, that doesnâ€t mean that I have to declare the whole pregnancy “negative.” I can have both.

I can have a range of feelings. I can have unwanted emotions and reactions inside of what I consider to be a wonderful experience!

Allowing myself to fully feel and learn from my negative feelings and concerns – without having to write off the whole experience as “bad” – was a highly valuable endeavor.

How have your mindsets affected you? When have you chosen to shift your mindset? …and how did you do it?

The post Pregnancy, Mindfulness and What We Really Feel appeared first on Loving the Pregnant You : Pregnancy Coaching.

You will learn:

• How to work music into your days
• How to use music to increase open communication between you and your child
• How to use music to help with transitions and other moments in the day
• How to make parenting easier

At Bucktown Music, they believe that all students are musical and have the ability to benefit tremendously from studying music.  Their teachers are chosen not only based on their experience, but also on the way they relate and connect with students to inspire and meet their needs.  They truly care about the goals and needs of each individual student.

Learn more about Bucktown Musicâ€s Childrenâ€s Programs here.

Learn more about Bucktown Musicâ€s Adult Programs here.

The post Bucktown Music…let the music begin! appeared first on Loving the Pregnant You : Pregnancy Coaching.

In a postpartum session with Deb, you learn:

• What modern society is forgetting during the postpartum time (hint…the new mom)
• Creating a toolkit for your postpartum
• How to develop a postpartum plan and why you should
• How to support your partner in her postpartum
• The differences between the postpartum period and postpartum depression
• How to find support after your birth

Debâ€s company, Birth Before and After, provides individualized childbirth education and postpartum support for the modern family through a variety of classes and one-on-one support.

Contact Deb to learn more or to schedule a session.

The post Preparing for Postpartum with Deb Pocica appeared first on Loving the Pregnant You : Pregnancy Coaching.

Nichole founded Radiant Heart in 2010.  Nichole is a mother, certified yoga instructor, birth doula, and childbirth educator.  Pregnant with her second daughter, Nichole created RHY after moving to the Dundee-area and finding a lack of resources for pregnant women. Feeling lost, disconnected, and isolated, she envisioned building a studio and community of moms to support one another as they transitioned into motherhood. Starting out as 2 small prenatal classes held in Nicholeâ€s home 5 years ago, RHY has since flourished into an independent yoga studio that encompasses yoga classes for women and children, childbirth education, massage therapy specifically for women, as well as support groups for new moms and women.

Check out Radiant Heart at their West Dundee location.  For a full schedule of their classes click here.

The post Prenatal Yoga at Radiant Heart… Nichole creates the BEST environment! appeared first on Loving the Pregnant You : Pregnancy Coaching.

Lotus Blossom Consultingâ€s mission as patient advocates is to arm consumers/patients with information and education to make the best medical choices domestically and internationally.  Providing clients with targeted questions specific to their diagnosis, educating patients on differences in medical care and treatment costs when traveling internationally and identifying surrogates and egg donors to suit individual criteria while securing a team of unbiased multi-disciplinary professionals are all essential elements to successfully overcoming infertility.

Check out one of their most recent Testimonials:

“Lotus Blossom offers extraordinarily professional, accessible and high touch services for clients around the world. Mindy is completely knowledgeable and skilled in the surrogacy world and consistently offers outstanding matches with almost no waiting — often in only a few weeks.  She is also a wonderful communicator and problem-solver and she understands the importance of attentiveness and availability, resulting in a great balance of no-nonsense purposefulness and personal hand-holding.” —Dr. Michael B Doyle, MD, CT Fertility, Bridgeport, CT

To contact Lotus Blossom Consulting, click here.

The post Are you considering surrogacy? Lotus Blossom Consulting can help. appeared first on Loving the Pregnant You : Pregnancy Coaching.

For women who have uterine abnormalities, have had a hysterectomy, or have a history of recurrent miscarriage or stillbirth, surrogacy can be a viable solution for a live healthy baby. Intended mother or egg donorâ€s eggs and intended father or donor sperm are harvested and fertilized through a process called In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF).  The resulting embryo(s) are transferred to the surrogateâ€s uterus rather than to the intended mother.  For those who have lost all hope and/or suffered multiple miscarriages, surrogacy can make dreams come true.

Though this procedure sounds simple, it is often complicated for couples to navigate on their own. Financial, legal, and medical aspects need to be considered before entering into a surrogacy arrangement. IVF cycles are expensive, and it may take several cycles to achieve a successful pregnancy. Intended parent(s) are responsible for paying the surrogateâ€s medical costs for the pregnancy and the delivery. Legally, the laws in each state vary, and itâ€s important to understand the steps needed to establish legal parentage over your baby after the birth. You will also need to work with a reproductive specialist who has experience with surrogate IVF procedures, to help arrange a successful transfer of your embryo(s) to the surrogate.

Working with someone who specializes in surrogacy arrangements can greatly ease the stress of this process. Rather than navigating it alone, an Infertility Consultant like myself guides couples through the step by step process, ensuring that they are aware of all the financial and legal possibilities. As an unbiased professional, Iâ€m able to help couples overcome the emotional and information overload that often accompanies this journey.

Choosing a surrogate is a big decision, and itâ€s important that you determine the factors that matter most to you, such as the surrogateâ€s successful pregnancy history, her family background, her lifestyle habits, and her thoughts on terminating the pregnancy should problems arise. Based on your determining criteria, a pool of potential candidates will be presented. Working with an infertility consulting firm such as Lotus Blossom Consulting, that has a large network of qualified and available surrogates, can help reduce the time it takes to find a suitable candidate, moving you to embryo transfer and parenthood that much faster.

For couples who cannot conceive on their own, surrogacy offers new hope. Working with an experienced Infertility Consultant can help guide you to a successful surrogacy arrangement, overcoming infertility and having the family you always envisioned.

Lotus Blossom Consulting was founded by Mindy Berkson to arm consumers/patients with information and education to make the best medical choices. The consultancy was “born” from Mindyâ€s personal experience through infertility and has blossomed through strategic alliances she cultivated from her deep seeded background in venture capital. Mindy works with individuals taking into consideration clients†emotional, physical and financial infertility issues.  Mindy orchestrates nationwide teams of unbiased professionals to accomplish a treatment cycle. For more information about Lotus Blossom Consulting, LLC, call 847-989-8628, email  mindy@LotusBlossomConsulting.com or visit the web at www.LotusBlossomConsulting.com.

The post Guest Blog: Working with a Surrogate to Achieve Pregnancy appeared first on Loving the Pregnant You : Pregnancy Coaching.

I think it’s such a gift to share…

When I was reading from the Loving the Pregnant You book at the NPN event, I got really present – once again – to the generosity and graciousness of the women I interviewed for that book. They shared so vulnerably and have offered up their experiences to help others, with nothing in return other than my profuse thanks and the knowing that they’ve contributed to other moms.

To all you moms who share your stories – good, bad, neutral – so that others might get ideas, inspiration, and clarity on how they want to proceed. It’s a great gift!!

Here’s the excerpt from the book with my Thanks to all the moms who took the time, energy and thoughtfulness to conduct an interview… and if you’re a mom who shares your experiences to benefit others, these thanks go out to you too!

Acknowledgements to the women I interviewed

Of course this book would not be possible without all the women who told me their pregnancy and childbirth stories!

A very special “Thank you!” goes out to all the moms who generously gave of their time and themselves to tell me their pregnancy and childbirth experiences for this book. I am so inspired by each of you who opened up the storybooks of your life and shared authentically about what you thought and felt and experienced during pregnancy. You shared both your successes and your struggles, and I appreciate your graciousness in that.

It was an honor to be a witness to your journeys, to hear a first-hand account of what worked and inspired you and conversely concerned and dismayed you. It was so moving and motivating. You shared the “whole” story, and readers will see what it looks and feels like when a woman does it her way.

Youâ€re amazing. Youâ€ve given the readers of this book the gift of your experience. Thank you so much.

The post Thank you for sharing! appeared first on Loving the Pregnant You : Pregnancy Coaching.

Ideas from an 8-year-old

Weâ€re trying a different summer camp, and the kids are not loving it. Now I know they are OK. They have interesting stories to tell, safety is a focus, and they are hanging out with a diverse group of friends.

Itâ€s also provided an opportunity for us to explore how to make your own fun inside of circumstances you donâ€t like. One morning I asked my 6-year-old to be on the lookout for every little thing that he liked about camp. Honestly, I wasnâ€t sure heâ€d remember. He tends to be a wonderfully in-the-moment kid. To my delight, he marched up to me at pick up and declared, “I have 2 things on my list! Sports in the morning and… I canâ€t remember the other one!” Ha! Awesome! He was all smiles and reported it a good day.

His 8-year-old sister and I went a little deeper. She made a commitment one day to have as much fun as she possibly could. We talked about ideas like skipping and humming a tune. At the end of that day, I was impressed when she pulled a small notebook out of her backpack (didnâ€t know that was there!) with a list of things sheâ€d done to have fun. She hadnâ€t wanted to forget. Neatly written out (see picture!) were actions such as: “I smiled a lot.” “I made the most of my swim lesson.” and “I played all the games.” She declared it the best day ever at camp!

She has the power to make the unfun fun! (so do we!)

How will you make the unfun fun today?

The post How to Make the Unfun Fun appeared first on Loving the Pregnant You : Pregnancy Coaching.