After struggling through the depths of post-partum depression following the birth of my son 7 years ago, I was curious when I heard that there might actually be a way to prevent a repeat of that scenario. I was a little skeptical at first. Was it really possible to prevent post-partum depression (PPD)? Isn’t that just “one of those things” that some women go through following childbirth?

Prior to conceiving again, I was right smack in the middle of the certification process to become a childbirth educator…which meant I was doing lots and lots of reading! It seemed only natural to do further research in the prevention of PPD along with all my other studying. So what was this new-fangled way to prevent PPD? Well, it wasn’t really anything “new” at all, but rather an age-old concept that has been practiced for thousands of years, cross-culturally. It’s called placentaphagy.

“Placenta-what?!” It’s a big word but the concept of placentaphagy is quite simple: a female consumes her placenta following the birth of her child. Ok, don’t bail on me just yet! Hear me out on this one because it is such an important practice that most Americans know little about. I know the grossness factor may have about bowled you over at first, but stay with me.

The placenta is often referred to as The Tree of Life. The placenta is an amazing organ created by the mother’s body. It does a magnificent job of sustaining and nourishing her baby for 9 months…but it doesn’t stop there! Here are some of the benefits of consuming the placenta post-partum:

• Stabilizes the mother’s fluctuating hormones post-partum
• Helps prevent PPD and even the more common “baby blues,” as well being a mood-booster
• Helps prevent excessive post-partum bleeding and anemia (the placenta is rich in iron)
• Promote post-partum healing (placenta is chock-full of protein and vitamins)
• Boosts energy levels
• Boosts mother’s milk supply

So maybe you’re thinking, “Sounds great! Sign me up! But wait…I have to eat my placenta?!” Believe me; I know the grossness factor may turn some people off. But there is a very simple, easy way for a mother to “consume” her placenta without “eating” it: encapsulation. During the encapsulation process, a healthy placenta is carefully cleaned, slow-cooked at a low temperature, freeze-dried, pulverized and put into individual capsules. All the mama has to do is take a couple pills a day—simple as that.

Fast-forward to the birth of my last child and I was all set to encapsulate and consume my amazing placenta. In barely 24 hours after my daughter’s birth, I was already starting to feel a tremendous shift in my emotions. Then my placenta capsules were hand-delivered to me in a pretty blue jar by Briana, a certified placenta encapsulator. Just a few hours after taking the first dose, I already started feeling more stable. Suddenly I could think more clearly and didn’t feel on the verge of tears anymore! And for 7 weeks, those suckers made my post-partum experience a night-and-day difference from my experience after my first birth. I felt wonderful: I had so much energy, even while being sleep-deprived, I healed quickly from my birth and best of all, I didn’t have the teeniest inkling of PPD. I would do it over again in a heartbeat. (I even told ZenMommy about my experience and she wrote about! She decided to take the plunge and have her placenta encapsulated, too.)

For more information or to find a placenta encapsulator in your area, check out Placenta Benefits.

My neighbor thinks I’m crazy for making chicken noodle soup from scratch! Why, she says? You could buy it in a can.

I know. But my kids ordered it at Noodles & Co. last week and said how much they liked it. I tasted it and thought it tasted easy to make. I asked them, “You would eat that if I made it?” Yeah!!!!

My mom would be proud of me for my newfound ability to “wing it” in the kitchen. This is what I did:

I poached a couple of chicken breasts. For those of you who don’t know what that means… that’s okay, I didn’t either until my friend Sharon taught me how to make the now famous Chicken Pot Pie. You put the chicken in a pot of water with a stick of celery, an onion, salt and pepper, a cup of chicken broth (optional), and a couple of dashes of ginger powder (my addition) and bring to a boil. Then simmer on low for awhile (30-45 min).
When the chicken was done, I put them aside and once it cooled, sliced them into thin strips.
I strained out the broth to get all the gunk out.
I cooked the egg noodles.
I put the noodles, chicken, and carrots into a pot and added some of the broth. And added water until it tasted right. Cooked in on medium/low heat covered until the carrots were soft. Voila!

Sorry, folks. I don’t really “measure.”

My 6yo ate three bowls at dinner, two nights in a row. He said, “It’s even the same kind of noodles!”

My 8yo was equally pleased but her comment was, “Why do you keep taking pictures of our food?!”

Pointer: I made the chicken breasts ahead of time. And if you are buying a package of 5-6 breasts, you could also make them all at once and them make the Chicken Pot Pie some other night!

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Practical Mommy is Ria Sharon, co-creator of the Yoga Parenting course. Are you ready for parenting to be easier, more fun and less stressful?

Out of the blue, my 8 year-old declares, “I’m into chores now!” in that that slightly amusing way that only a tween girl can declare. So at our next outing to Target, she went in search of a chore chart. Then at home, she and her 6 year old brother went about the serious business of filling it out. (No sarcasm here. Really.)

This is serious. They are taking it seriously and so am I. After all, the more buy-in from Team Sharon, the more cooperation I’m going to have, right?

I heard a friend of mine say once, “You can’t get mad at your teen for not doing any chores if they’ve never had to do it before.” Good point.

Them: What should we put down?

Me: You could put down the chores you are good at and like to do.
(How’s that for Yoga Parenting?!)

Them: So how much do we get when we get all our stars?

Me: Huh?

Son: How many dollars?

Me: You don’t get paid for chores! You get a clean room, dishes to eat off of, and happy dogs.

(crickets)

Me: …and an extra 30 minutes of screen time, IF you each earn 3 stars a week.

Over the next two days, the boy vacuumed and put everything in the playroom away. The girl made the bed and fed the dogs. Together, they emptied the dishwasher. Wow!

I’m going to call this a successful lesson learned from Ann Jordan on responsibility. They took ownership of the whole thing and so far, it’s working.

I’d love to hear from YOU on how you manage chores in your house. But don’t say you do them all yourself!!! Leave me some pointers, will ya? … in the event that this is just a blissful “phase.”

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How to Empower Our Kids: Responsibility

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Practical Mommy is Ria Sharon, co-creator of the Yoga Parenting course. Are you ready for parenting to be easier, more fun and less stressful?

Scary moments on Monday. I had to go to the hospital because I was having major cramping and back pain during the morning show. They  hooked me up to monitor Skittles and me. He was okay but the doctor said my uterus was very active and irritable. He told me that getting up at 1:15 in the morning for work and the routine stress during my shift is causing it.

Well, I can’t avoid those two things so I am playing mind games with myself in the morning to try and stay calm.

The natural adrenaline rush television reporters get while they are on air isn’t unhealthy but apparently pregnant woman have more adrenaline in them any way so the combo is too much.

A lot of people think morning news anchors just show up, do their hair and read.

John and I get to work earlier than most morning anchors. We are here by 3AM and help write the two hour show plus we read over the scripts and rewrite them. We are never done by show time so we are also writing during the show when we aren’t on camera.  I’ve been anchoring this show for four years so I’m used to the stress… but Skittles apparently doesn’t care for it.

I told you how he kicked my so hard last week I was doubled over in pain. I think that was him telling my to be quiet and let him sleep

I feel better now.  Plus, COLLEGE FOOTBALL STARTS ON SATURDAY!!!!

ROLL TIDE!! There are six Alabama games until Skittles gets here. I think he will be here on game day #7. You better believe he will be wearing one of these that day.

Who knows, he’s already a kicker and if he has his dad’s football skills, he may be playing for the Alabama Crimson Tide one day..at least he could go to school there. I’m still working on his father about that. Can you believe that? We are already discussing where he will go to college!

Oh My Gosh! I just can’t wait to see his face! And now I’m crying….6 more weeks!

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Virginia Kerr is a morning news anchor on News 4. You can watch her Monday – Friday from 5AM to 7AM.

A few Saturdays ago, I ran out of gas. Literally. This is not the type of thing that should happen to a fully functional adult. But, there you are. I rolled the dice one too many times with the empty light and came up short.

My Mommy Friend Meggan Pole Dances to Change Up Her Workout

We’d been in a rush to get to my daughter’s soccer game (what else is new) with not a moment to spare for gas. After our mad dash though, the game was delayed. Figures. I really, really wanted one more cup of coffee. So, I jumped in the car and started for the bakery — not the gas station. Good priorities.  

Almost immediately, the car started losing power. I turned into a pizzeria parking lot and rolled to a spot before the car died.

Darn.

I was out of gas. I laughed at the ridiculousness of my situation. The “I told you sos” from my husband would be unbearable. I figured I had an hour to solve this problem on my own if I wanted to keep it secret. (And I did.) I considered calling a friend or the police but decided it would be too much of an imposition. Not to mention, too embarrassing. Instead, I sprinted the mile to home and grabbed a gas can from the garage. In our other car, I sped to the gas station and filled up the can. Back at my own car, I poured it into the tank and hid the can in a shopping bag. I made it back to the game in time to see it end.

“Mom, why do you smell like gas?” my son asked when he saw me. My husband looked at me. Darn. The gig was up. I shrugged and spilled the beans. My plan to retrieve the other car (now abandoned at the pizzeria) had been sketchy at best. My husband had a good chuckle at my expense.

On the bright side, I ran into my friend Meggan at church the next day. Turns out she’d had car problems too. She’s a mom of three and in her spare time she teaches Zumba classes and sometimes…pole dancing. So, you guessed it, mild mannered mother of three Meggan was stranded with a broken down car in FULL pole dancing attire — gaudy makeup, tight clothes and maybe even leg warmers.

Needless to say, several men stopped to ask if she needed help. Plus, every neighbor within 100 miles saw her and stopped to make sure she was OK. Anyway, her story made my plight feel better.

It’s funny how the friends you keep shape how you look at the world. For Meggan’s 40^th birthday she decided to give Girls Night Out a whole new twist with a Zumba class and a pole dancing lesson. She’s not going quietly into this good night of 40.

Zumba is a great big dance party of Latin and International music. It’s like the aerobics of the 2010s, only hipper. And Meggan’s certainly got the beat. At her party, she taught the class with a thoughtful compassion for the dancing impaired (me). After the Zumba part, we pulled out drinks and snacks and out came the poles. Meggan’s friend led the pole dancing instructions. It’s amazing how donning a sexy pair of Lucite platform heels can make you feel like you can do anything. I swayed and sashayed through a few steps and even successfully spun on a pole.

“I have new respect for pole dancers,” I heard a lady near me say. I nodded in agreement. Pole dancing was a workout, especially after a glass (or two) of frozen Sangria. And, I must say there is something totally liberating about arching your back to a pole, spinning, swooping and sliding.

Another partygoer mentioned she’d just taken up pole dancing when she turned 40 as a new way to get in shape. She said her husband had been surprised and asked, “Does this mean you’re going to wear skimpy outfits, put a pole in our bedroom and be practicing on it all the time?”

“I guess so,” she replied.

“Who are you anymore?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” she replied. “I turned 40 and I have no idea.”

From running out of gas to learning Fireman spins on a pole, I’m not really sure I know who I am either. One thing I do know for sure, is that with friends like Meggan who keep me laughing, I’ll be just fine.

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by Expert Mommy, Margee Moore

Margee Moore is an advertising copywriter, mother of two and author of the first narrative iPhone app by a mom, “Sleeping With the Laundry.” Now available on your Apple iPad too!

“So Mom, do you want to play this game with me? You go first with the ‘I feel…’ part.”

“Okay…,” said distracted me to my eight-year-old daughter, who had been wanting to play a game. “I feel like eating ice cream.”

“I feel sad when my dad lies to me.”

Whoa. I stopped doing the dishes, while emptying the dishwasher, while making lunch, while cleaning off the counter, while changing the trash bag. We were playing a game, weren’t we?

Seeing the look on my face, my daughter said, ”Want me to read the instructions again?” And she continued without out pause: “Talking about feelings hurts no one. If I say,’ I am angry,’ that doesn’t hurt you. If I say,’I am lonely,’ that lets you know me better. The secret is to start by saying, ’I think, I feel, I want.’ Ready Mom?”

I nodded.

But let me back up.

My daughter had gone to my desk in my pseudo-office in our living room. On it, she went to the *stack* of books (er…eight of them now) I am committed to doing reviews on. And she gravitated towards Liking Myself by Pat Palmer.

In case you are new to my single mom world, the summary is that her dad enjoys talking about me constantly when she is over there. It’s been almost seven years since my divorce and guess who was just in court again? Yes, me. This is one tumultuous divorce that keeps on giving.

“Okay mom, I’ll go again – but why don’t you come sit here with me? Ready?”

I nodded. Again.

And my little lovely says,” I want my mom to stop worrying about me.” Umm…okay? I can’t? I know you have it tough over there – so I’ll try not to? I pause for an eternity.

And then, my daughter and I have one of the best conversations we have ever had about feelings, desires, and goings on in her head – and in her heart. She reads the book, cover to cover, that Saturday.

Given our circumstances, I am constantly working on how to get her talking and get the “ouchies” out. But honestly, even if you don’t have such drama and want to help your child express him/herself, this is a great place to begin. This book made it so easy for us to talk (I would like to ask for a parent’s guide for when I’m floored though).

I could not possibly give this book higher marks if I tried. Liking Myself targets 5 to 9 years-olds in how it’s written (and obviously it works) and how it is visually depicted (the writing is printed like a kid or teacher write it neatly using the large lined paper I learned cursive on), with lots of simple sketches along the way (there are also books targeted to other age groups, like Teen Esteem).

Dr. Palmer is now in her eighties and these books have recently been brought back into print (thank goodness) by a friend, publishers, and fellow author, Dr. Louise Hart. This book has also been translated into five languages and the English version alone has sold over half a million copies.

I was also sent a second book by Dr. Palmer titled The Mouse, the Monster, and Me. It’s about being assertive (my daughter has no problem with this – I coulda used it when I was little though). The book is illustrated in the same manner – and I do recommend it as well – especially if your child’s assertiveness wanders into begging, whining, crying (“mouse behavior”), or hitting, shouting and sulking (“monster behavior”). The book helps kids ask for what they want and deserve (like respect) in productive and powerful ways.

Seriously, get the books. Links to purchase appear below.

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by Expert Mommy, Swati Bharteey

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by Expert Mommy, Swati Bharteey

One of the added perks of expecting a new member of the family is designing that very precious nursery. For me, that was really fun! During my visit with Corey Goellner, owner of Goodnite Rooms, she shared the latest trends in nursery design.

Makes me want to do it all over again! Well, the nursery… not so much the pregnancy/baby part!

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Practical Mommy is Ria Sharon, co-creator of the Yoga Parenting course. Are you ready for parenting to be easier, more fun and less stressful?

As we begin the 2010-11 school year, I’m needing to remind myself of this:

As parents it is important to allow our children to fail, to fall down and to be disappointed. Sound harsh? Believe it or not, it actually helps our kids build their self-esteem when we refrain from “saving” them from life.

What have you done when your child has left his or her lunch/homework/gym shorts at home??!?!! Do you remember being a kid and learning from life when it gave you a skinned knee or two? I’d love to hear about it.

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Suzanne Tucker, aka Zen Mommy
In addition to mommying to two magical girls born in 2000 and 2003 and twins born in February of 2010, Suzanne co-owns a holistic health center with her husband Shawn in St. Louis, Missouri  where she practices as a physical therapist, Certified Infant Massage Instructor and health education teacher. Certified in a number of healing and life education approaches, Suzanne is the co-creator of the Yoga Parenting approach to positive parenting.

Those little nudges in my belly that I thought were so cute have grown into full blown karate chops! Skittles almost took me out twice today during the newscast.

Thank goodness I wasn’t on camera when it happened because it had me doubled over in pain.  Can’t get mad at the kid though. Just 30 minutes before I was worried because I hadn’t felt him in several hours.

The Mom is Born Virtual Shower was yesterday! It was so much fun.

Look how I was greeted when I rolled up to Overlook Farm in Clarksville, MO.

The shower was held in one of the cottages on the 200 acre grounds.

The chefs and director went all out with the “R” because they know Skittles real name begins with an R.

They served Skittles and even made personalized sugar cookies. One read “Skittles” another “Bama Baby.”

And my mother in law Lynn, sister in law Christy and close friend Jill all came to participate in the Holding Hands bracelet ceremony. My good friend Afton from Channel 4 was there as well as friends Jill and Christy, all three of which who are pregnant, too.

The Holding Hands ceremony was so touching! Now we each have a birthing bracelet with beads that represent each other. Mine also has one from my mother in law, sister and mother and Zen Mommy and Practical Mommy. I will wear it into the delivery room so I can remember each of them and what their beads symbolize.

The online shower was so fun and such an eye opener.  I could not believe 1200 people logged on and watched. I want to say thank you to the viewers and all the sponsors for the donations to the March of Dimes. You all helped raise more than $6500!!!!

Here’s a clip from the shower, if you couldn’t watch.

Until next time…seven weeks to go!!!!!! Seven weeks of duke it out in my belly!

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Virginia Kerr is a morning news anchor on News 4. You can watch her Monday – Friday from 5AM to 7AM.

Many parents have to suffer the death of a child, (during pregnancy) at birth or at a very young age. There probably is no greater suffering than losing a child, since it so radically interferes with the desire of a father and mother to see their child grow up to be a beautiful, healthy, mature, and loving person. The great danger is that the death of a child will take away the parents’ desire to live. It requires an enormous act of faith on the part of parents to truly believe that their children, however brief their lives, were given to them as a gift from God, to deepen and enrich their own lives.