Book Review:: How to Love Your Labour: One Woman’s Journey from Freaking Out to Fearless Birth

When I was asked to review a book about birth, I quickly jumped at the chance! A bit of a birth junkie myself; I’m intrigued by the birth process and the stories of those that experience natural childbirth. In her book, Tracey Rose details her journey from being fearful about birth, to her completely painless natural childbirth using hypnosis.

While I haven’t experienced a painless birth, or used hypnosis, I’ve read quite a bit about the subject and completely believe it’s possible. Rose talks a lot about her education process and how she learned the risks of cesarean sections, induction and medicated birth. I too went down this path of self-education. Unfortunately, my own journey came after an unnecessary c-section.

The results were somewhat similar though. Like Rose, I came to realize I wanted the most healthy and best birth experience possible for not only me, but my baby. I share Rose’s opinion that the best is the most natural. She lists the many side effects and risks associated with surgical and medicated birth. This is great because many moms, especially first-time moms aren’t aware of the potential complications.

Rose admits in her book that medical intervention is sometimes necessary, and she’s grateful that it’s available when needed. I share those sentiments. However, birth is a natural, physiological process that a woman’s body is designed for. One of my favorite quotes that Rose uses in the book is:

“I think one of the best things we could do would be to help women/parents/families discover their own birth power, from within themselves. And to let them know it's always been there, they just needed to tap into it.”

John H. Kennell, MD

In the book, Rose details her experience with childbirth education classes and how she was able to prepare mentally and physically for the labor and births. She acknowledges the strong role that emotion and fear play and the process of eliminating these fears and fully embracing the emotion.

For example, when using hypnosis for birth, different words are used. Contractions become surges and pushing becomes breathing the baby down. The different word choices help the mother envision a peaceful experience rather than one filled with pain.

Rose gave birth in Australia, so I think there are some minimal differences between the hospitals and medical systems here in the US. Rose depicts her story extremely well. The possibility of a painless birth excites me. Although I don’t expect to have any more children, the book has definitely inspired me to further research hypnosis if I did. If you don’t believe that a painless childbirth is possible, I encourage you to get Rose’s book and learn about the method first-hand. You won’t regret it. Knowledge is power!

The book will be released next week, {you can purchase it here} but I do have one free copy to giveaway! If you’d like to win it, comment here with tell me why! To earn extra entries, like Market Mommy on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, like Natural Childbirth World on Facebook or follow TraceyRoseLive on Twitter. Please leave a comment {including contact information} for each completed task. The giveaway will end on Thursday, May 10 at 11:59 p.m. EST and we’ll draw a winner via random.org.

Book Review:: My Feelings are Hungry

Did you know that feelings can make you hungry? Ava Parnass has been a child and family psychotherapist for over 15 years and is a strong advocate for a comprehensive approach to a healthy lifestyle.

She developed a line of products, including the book she sent me, with children in mind. She hopes to help them better communicate their thoughts and feelings to their parents and loved ones in order to grow up in a healthier environment.

She sent me an e-copy of “My Feelings are Hungry.” The book highlighted reasons why a child might be overeating and ways to talk through feelings that may be causing it.

According to Parnass, “Children dont know what they feel and need to be taught the words to describe the feelings inside so they feel better and behavior improves. My Feelings Are Hungry teaches them to express themselves in a creative way while still knowing they are in a safe environment,” she said.

I really enjoyed the book and the character ‘Mushy The Magic Book’ helped make it entertaining for my six-year-old too. It was a great way to open up conversation.

To purchase the book, or check out some other great resources from Parnass, visit her website at Listen to Me Please.

Book Review:: Stop Reacting and Start Responding

I was recently asked to review Sharon Silver’s book, Stop Reacting and Start Responding: 108 Ways to Discipline Consciously and Become the Parent You Want to Be. And, I’m so glad I was. Like you, I’m a parent. And like you, my kids aren’t perfect. {If yours are, feel free to stop reading here.}

This book was jam packed with great tips and advice for parents of children ages 1 – 10. Just as I thought it would be. I took a good deal of notes as I read through and have already started to implement many of the strategies.

What I liked most about the book, in addition to the great tips, were the easy to read chapters. They covered topics like; behavior, choices, reacting, out in public, feelings, siblings and many more. Then each chapter was broken down into easy to understand tips. And, there was a ‘quick view’ after each tip so you could go back and easily review. Wonderfully convenient!

Most of the tips throughout the book resonated with me, but I did have a few favorites. I love the idea that Silver presents about teaching gratefulness at birthday time. She suggests creating a birthday wheel and spinning it to earn gifts, which revolve around spending time with others, not necessarily material possessions.

I also liked the tips she provided about getting the kids up in the morning, the clue word to use in public when things are starting to go awry, thank you bites, pig day {they can eat anything they want?!} and pretending to blow out birthday candles to release frustration. With two kids, ages four and six, these things were very relevant to our day-to-day lives.

Overall, Silver had great messages about discipline versus punishment and the benefits to knowing the difference. Throughout the book were great reminders about how we are modeling behavior for our children and they really are watching us every second.

I would highly recommend this book. It’s available as an easy download pdf eBook, which is a great option.  In addition to her book, Silver has downloadable seminars available as well. From now until December 2, all downloadable seminars are 50% off! Purchase one, or the whole set! This sale excludes books, coaching sessions and combo packages.

I encourage you to visit Proactive Parenting for a wide variety of resources!

*I was provided with a free copy of Silver's eBook in order to write this review, however all opinions are my own.

eBook Review:: Blogging Success: Tips for Creating Content, Getting Traffic and Monetizing Your Blog

Blogging is like running a business. There are millions of blogs and in order to be successful, you must set yourself apart. Holly Hanna, founder of the award-winning website The Work at Home Woman, has written a new eBook that tells you exactly how to do that. It’s entitled; Blogging Success: Tips for Creating Content, Getting Traffic and Monetizing Your Blog.

I’ve been blogging at Market Mommy for a few years now and feel like I’m pretty good at it. Hanna’s book went over a lot of things that I’m already doing, but it also touched on several that I’m not. It’s written very thoroughly and would be perfect for the blogger just starting out. However, many of the insights would be valuable for an experienced blogger as well.

Hanna is quick to point out that blogging is not a get rich quick gig. I like that because it is reality. She gives you the tools that you need to become successful, but she doesn’t sugar coat the fact that it will still take hard work and dedication. She notes that most bloggers quit in the first two to three months.

In her first section, Hanna gives great tips about creating content. First, she encourages you to be yourself and keep your blog simple and easy to navigate. She encourages lots of content that’s new, fresh and relevant. These things are all good for improving your SEO (Search Engine Optimization), which will lead to her second topic, getting traffic.

In addition to plentiful content, Hanna recommends things like visiting and commenting on other forums and blogs, being active in social media and participating in article marketing. Things like adding an XML site map to your blog and submitting it to various blogging communities can help increase your traffic as well. Section Two of the eBook is really full of great sites to visit, networking ideas, interview opportunities and ways to really increase your blog’s traffic.

She also suggests things like taking advantage of free advertising and sending out a press release. I couldn't agree more! That is exactly why we offer these things at Market Mommy!

In her third section, she details how to increase the money you are making from your blog. Hanna does a great job of outlining the ways you can earn money from your blog, like paid advertising, giveaways, affiliate marketing, paid posts, selling products, consulting and much more. There are many ways to monetize your blog, and she sorts them out for you.

The eBook concludes with personal success stories of other bloggers. This really works to put everything into perspective. It’s encouraging to see how others have succeeded using some of the same tools mentioned in the book.

You can purchase your copy of Hanna’s eBook for $37 by clicking here. You won’t regret it!

  *I received a free copy of this eBook in order to write the review but the comments and opinions contained in this post are my own.

Review:: StinkyKids and the Runaway Scissors!

With the many, many toys and books on the market today it is refreshing to find some that help teach life lessons to our kids. Inspired by her daughter, Britt Menzies has created 10 StinkyKids characters that are unique and fun.

The name “StinkyKids” comes from the phrase “little stinKers”, which Menzies used to describe the innocent behavior of her two kids when they were little. The StinkyKids characters learn to make good decisions through their mistakes.

I received a t-shirt in the mail to review as well as Menzies’ new book, “StinkyKids and the Runaway Scissors.”  In addition to the t-shirts which feature the StinkyKids characters, there are also plush dolls available.

My kids loved the book and listened intently as I read them the story about Britt’s dilemma that involved some gum, some hair and a pair of runaway scissors. The book had a great message and helped kids to realize that sometimes their parents help is needed to solve problems.

Throughout the StinkyKids books and other products, the message to “always be a leader of good” is repeated. I was encouraged by the book and happy that companies are working to produce such products for our children.

In addition to the great message within the book, the illustrations were also amazing. The bright and colorful pictures kept my children’s attention and made the book that much more enjoyable. Overall, I was very impressed.

After taking a look at the StinkyKids’ website, I realized that the company also donates a portion of all profits to Books, Bears, Bonnets, Inc., a charity founded in honor of Menzies’ aunt who died from uterine cancer. The organization delivers gift boxes to both children and adults who are suffering from cancer and other terminal illnesses.

To meet the StinkyKids and learn more about their adventures, visit their website or find them on Facebook. There is also a section to print coloring sheets, share your own story of “being a leader of good” and much more.