Moms tell us these classes are like heaven to them. Where sleep deprivation, non-showered and make-up-less is the standard. But they’re all in the same boat, so everyone feels right at home. Most moms stay after class for hours to continue to chat and make plans for the upcoming week to get together, before their next Itsy Bitsy class.

We’re really excited here at Bellani to be able to offer moms this wonderful class and the chance for them to feel connected to others experiencing the same stages of parenthood. Fall registration is open. You can enjoy Baby Itsy Bitsy Yoga on Tuesdays at 10:30 or Saturdays at 11:45 am starting September 6th. Call 401-234-1279 to register.

Join us this Summer on Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday mornings and let your little artist explore their creativity! Our award winning art classes always fill up quickly. Register now

Can new motherhood be overwhelming? You bet. We know; we’ve been there. It’s a magical and wonderful time but also a time of transition. New moms need other new moms to build a support system for this wonderful time and our New Moms Group offers just that. Our New Moms Group brings moms together to compare poop notes, to talk about feeding their baby, to gush about their sweet baby, to vent about the state of their homes, to share with each other what works and what doesn’t. They come together to say, “Hey, I know what you’re going through.” Our New Moms Group is the perfect setting for new mamas to share their experience and be heard.

Give us a call today and sign up for our next New Moms Group starting up Tuesday, November 2nd at 12:00 pm. Get out of the house, kick back, relax and make new friends with your new bundle of joy!

I am a self proclaimed control freak who plans everything down to the minute detail. If I could plan my own funeral I would. However when I gave birth to my son Zachary almost 3 years ago I lost that side of myself in all the excitement of decorating the nursery, creating a baby registry, etc.  I should probably mention that I’m also incredibly impatient which is why when pregnant with my son I jumped at the voluntary induction the doctor offered. I had wanted a natural childbirth but being hooked up to Pitocin meant excruciating contractions. As a result I had an epidural and was confined to the hospital bed until I delivered.  My son’s birth went smoothly. I delivered a healthy 6lb. 7oz baby boy with no issues. So why go out and pursue natural childbirth if I had a positive experience the first time? Well…why not? I knew I could do better for myself and my baby.

With this pregnancy I made sure that if I was genuinely sincere about my desire for a natural, drug free birth, I was prepared. I took a hypnobirthing class, hired a doula, wrote a birth plan and read several childbirth books.

I was due to deliver my daughter on April 27th, 2010. I figured this being the second pregnancy I’d have this baby well before the due date. Well…definitely not the case. This baby decided that being an overachiever was not as important as being fashionably late and as a result week 40 came and went.  I started to become nervous when week 40 ended and my doctor started talking “what if’s”.  I had worked so hard to ensure that this would be the experience I wanted and really felt like it was slipping from my fingers. My doctor asked to see me back in the office in a few days when I was 41 weeks.  Tuesday May 4th marked week 41 and much to my surprise I was 5 centimeters dilated. My doctor insisted I had a laboring cervix and sent me over to Kent Hospital. I was 6cm dilated when I got there. Did I feel like I was in labor…nope…but my doctor decided to admit me thinking if I had left I’d be on the news for birthing my baby on Rt. 95!

I phoned the troops: my husband, my sister and my doula. I made sure my son was taken care of as our wonderful daycare provider kept him overnight (which he loved).  By 10pm on May 4th I was 7cm dilated. I was in fact in labor but did I feel like it….no! Morning came and I was still pregnant, still 7cm dilated and exhausted not having slept at all the night before. I consulted my “team” and decided to have my membranes ruptured.  Once my water was broke things moved very fast. I popped in my hypnobirthing cds and walked the halls with my sister Jamie and my doula Shelley. Now I felt like I was in labor! Transition came and I was really uncomfortable. My sister was such a cheerleader insisting I could do it! Each contraction I became unfocused and eventually I begged for an epidural. Unfortunately because I did not have an IV, I would need to wait 30-45minutes before enough IV fluids were in my system to receive the epidural. In the meantime Jamie and Shelley refocused my attention allowing me to breath the baby down further into the birth canal.

My doctor came into the room just as I started to feel the urge to push. I sat up straight in bed with my legs crossed in front of me and began to push. Pushing felt exhilirating! Pushing made the pain go away; pushing meant I could end this! I pushed 3 times and the last push I felt her truly leave my body; head then shoulders until she was entirely born. Because the hospital gown covered my legs nobody knew I had just delivered my baby until the nurse peeked beneath the gown to see if she was crowning. My doctor hadn’t even donned gloves!

Belle Victoria Bradley was born at 10:48am on May 5th, 2010, less than 2 hours after my membranes were ruptured. Her birth was perfect, everything I wanted, everything I worked so hard for. Not only did I immediately walk from labor and delivery to post partum but I asked to be discharged the next morning and drove myself home (because my husband and I both had our cars there)!

I am so grateful to my husband who supported my desire to have a natural birth, my doula Shelley for guidance and coping techniques when things got tough and especially my sister Jamie who never left my side!

Thank you, Melissa!  We’re so happy to hear your experience turned out just how you wanted it!

Bellani Maternity’s New Moms Group is just what you need as a new mom. Our class brings together a small group of moms in a safe and welcoming setting. Each class is an opportunity to share your joy as a new mom, discuss any challenges you might be having and to ask questions. We see our New Moms Group as a way to connect new moms and give them a space where they can be themselves.

The class is designed for a small, intimate setting so participants are limited to 8 and
is on a first come, first serve basis. Please refer to the dates listed below for
upcoming sessions. Moms are welcome to join us with their babies from birth until 18 weeks; you should consider signing up prenatally or between the time your child is newborn until 6 weeks. The class runs 8 weeks and each meeting lasts 90 minutes.

The New Moms Group is also an opportunity for moms to use their time with their new baby to do a little good for others. Payment for the New Moms Group is “pay what you can” and all money received goes to the March of Dimes, a charitable organization committed to improving the health of babies.

Feel free to give us a call with any questions or to sign up for one of our upcoming
sessions.

To register click here

October 6th: Tuesday: 12:00 – 1:30 pm (Full)

November 17th: Tuesday 10:30 – 12:00 pm

January 5th: Tuesday 12:00 – 1:30 pm

February 9th: Tuesday 10:30 – 12:00 pm

March 16th: Tuesday 12:00 – 1:30 pm

April 20th: Tuesday 10:30 – 12:00 pm

At our Baby Food Making Workshop last week at Whole Foods in Cranston we all sampled Apple Chicken Balls.  What a big hit! Here is the recipe, as promised:

Makes 20 balls

Suitable for freezing

You will need

1 tbsp light olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and grated

2 chicken breasts, cut into chunks

Half tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh thyme or sage, chopped or a pinch mixed herbs

1 chicken stock cube, crumbled (from one year)

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

Salt and freshly ground pepper (from one year)

Plain flour for coating

Vegetable oil for frying

Directions

1 Heat the olive oil in a pan and sauté half the onion for about 5 minutes.

2 Using your hands, squeeze out a little excess liquid from the grated apple.

3 Mix the apple with the chicken, cooked and remaining raw onion, herbs, stock cube (from one year) and breadcrumbs, and roughly chop in a food processor for a few seconds.

4 Season with a little salt and pepper (from one year).

5 With your hands, form into about 20 little balls, roll in flour and fry in shallow oil for about 5 minutes until lightly golden and cooked through.

Recipe is from New Complete Baby and Toddler Meal Planner by Annabel Karmel published by Ebury Press

Enjoy! -Kelly

How we do that:
1. In between each class all the mats, bolster and any materials used in class are sprayed with an antibacterial spray (child friendly, no bleach or chlorine).

2. Each night the floors, doors, door knobs and bathrooms are sanitized.

3. We have foam sanitizer in each classroom as well as the front counter.

4. We have a no-tolerance policy for sick children in classes. If you or your child is sick, you will not be allowed in class. Please use our make-up policy when you are feeling better.

5. We request our Bellani Team to stay home if they are not feeling well.

Please DO NOT come to class if you or your child…
1. has a fever

2. has nasal discharge

3. has a productive cough

4. is vomiting or has diarrhea

5. has a sore throat

6. has the chills or muscle aches

Tips to help prevent H1N1 or any other virus:

1. Wash your hands often with soap and water.

2. Use waterless alcohol-based hand gels (containing at least 60% alcohol) when soap is not available and hands are not visibly dirty.

3. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Try to cough or sneeze into your sleeve rather than your hand. If you use a tissue, wash your hands after.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to ask!
-Shannon

• Being a new mom is “wicked hard” no matter where you live
• You are not the cup size you think you are
• Massachusetts is far away
• Being around another Mom is more priceless than I ever imagined
• Dads rock
• A-NO-JUDGMENT here rule does apply
• We all read the same books but not one parent does exactly as the other
• Everyone – EVERYONE has something very interesting about them – you just need to ask the right questions
• Babies grow up VERY fast
• The right parent was chosen for each baby
• We were all outstanding parents until we had kids
• Moving furniture/yoga mats/carpets, gymnastic mats is a stress reliever
• Chocolate makes everything all better

Til next time~

Lisa

As time went on I still did the picking for who my son and I were going to hang out with. I would scope out the parents and the child and make a date. Life is easy then. You are the judge and the jury.

Flash forward 6 years and now these friendships are being formed by my sons and not by me. Not by me at all. They decide who they like to be around and I have to kind of “go with it.” I don’t know these families from a hole in the wall and I am being thrust into this whole awkward…”dating” thing -getting to know this family my son is smittin’ with.

Why am I writing this? I just had a playdate over here and I am still feeling my way through this. The Mom seems really nice but…we were awkward. While the kids ran off to play – we stood there. Of course we chatted but this is like a whole other level of motherhood. The Mom left and here I was in charge of this whole playdate. The child was a darling and I saw quickly why Noah found this person fun.

But here is my problem – tomorrow they want Noah to come to their house. Do I do the whole “sure – call me when you need me to get him.” Or do I do the whole –“do you have guns? Do you have dogs? Do you know CPR?” thing? I don’t want my son blacklisted because his Mom is crazy.

I’ll let you know what I end up doing – maybe something in the middle.

Take heed – your child is learning about friendship everytime they are around other children – the park, bellani classes, etc. You are giving them the opportunity to see what feels good about being with others and even what doesn’t feel good.

Yeah – I guess I wish arranged marriages were still around but it seems so far that my boys are making some nice choices.

Namaste,

Lisa