I came across an article in Parents Magazine today about the myths associated with child birth. Some of them are promoted in TV and the movies, and some of them are real situations that just don’t happen to everyone. My child birth process was nothing like what I have seen in the media, but I was pretty prepared by my doctor and friends to not be too attached to my plan during this process.

My water did break at home, but it was nothing like the gush that we see ruining shoes on our favorite shows. It was more like a trickle, and I didn’t really know what it was until I spoke to the doctor! He advised me to eat a snack, take a shower, and take my time going to the hospital, as I was having baby #1, and it would likely be a few hours before we had any real action. He was right.

I had the notion that my doctor would be in or near my room most of the time until the baby was born, but this was not quite right. It turns out that he actually takes appointments at his office (across the street from the hospital) in between deliveries. This makes sense if you think about it – otherwise, how would he ever see non-delivering patients? I was also amazed at how calm the nurses were at every step. They actually gave me a time frame of when I could start pushing babsed on when the doctor would return. Amazing.

About halfway through the process, we had a slow down in dilation, and I was given a labor-inducing drug to help things along. I expected it to be fast, but it was a couple more hours before we were at 10cm. When it came time to push, this part of the festivities only lasted about 15 minutes, and Baby was welcomed to the world.

Of course, the part that no one tells you about is passing the placenta. I won’t go into detail here (Moms – you know the drill already), but it was definitely a lesson in anatomy and physiology, up close and personal. This I definitely was not expecting, and I have never seen it on TV, even on the TLC child birth shows, which I watched incessantly from month 8 forward. Someone should really mention that to first-time Moms. :)

Other myths listed in the story were that having intercourse will trigger labor, when your cervis is dilated, your labor will start soon, and your milk comes in immediately after birth.  Overall, my birth experience was uneventful, thankfully. And I have shared more information with my friends than was shared with me in the spirit of helping out the next generation of first-time Moms.

If you want to read the article, it’s in the March issue of Parents (www.parents.com). I couldn’t find it on the website. I hope you will share birth stories with us here!

Whew! December has really kicked life up a notch, hasn’t it? I realized today that with all of my running around, I have not blogged since Thanksgiving. I know you’re as busy as I am during the many holidays that happen in these months, so I’ll keep today’s post on the short side.

Bottle Snugglers is now affiliated with a great website called www.thefamilygroove.com. They have so much great info on all things family, from pregnancy through dinner ideas and everything in between. Today, I saw a great article with some baby shower ideas that I wanted to share.

I pay a lot of attention to baby shower articles since I own a baby product business (duh) and I actually attend quite a few of them. Luckily, a Bottle Snuggler is always the perfect gift, but it’s fun to see the games, decor, and refreshments that are offered at these events. At my baby shower, we played a really fun game where our hostess melted fun-sized candy bars into Pampers, and we had to try to guess what each one was. Tasting WAS allowed if you dared!  It was frightening to see people dig into a baby diaper with a spoon!

This post gives ideas for three very different showers from the invites to food and even decor and activities for each. I hope you can use them to add to your tool kit for the next shower you host. http://www.thefamilygroove.com/dec10_ShowerPower.htm

I don’t know about your kids, but my 4-year-old is a fanatic for cupcakes. Not cookies. Not cake. It has to be cupcakes, and the icing is the most important part. He has been known to eat the top of the cupcake and hand the icing-free bottom half back to me.

He definitely gets his sweet tooth from me. Luckily for him, I love to bake and experiment with different icing tips, colors, decorations and cake recipes. One of my latest victories was when I was out of Ener-G egg replacer (Max is allergic to eggs), and I used a combination of canned pumpkin and applesauce (1/4 cup for each egg). The cake was so moist, and I loved knowing that the extra nutrients from the fruits were in there. Stealth nutrition is just fine with me.

I was surfing the Web to find some new ideas for cupcake decorating, and I had to share this link. http://thecupcakerecipes.com/ They have SO many ideas that I will be busy for a while! Fall is my favorite season, so I am looking forward to baking some Pumpkin Patch cupcakes. Who cares that Halloween was last week?

Halloween is almost here, Thanksgiving is around the corner, and Chanukah, Christmas and Kwanza are all coming in December.  That means upcoming crazy days for mothers who are already incredibly busy.  How do you cope and what can you do?

 First, ask yourself how stressed are you right now.  If you’re like most Americans, you’re very stressed. Career Builder.com says that 78% of American workers feel burned out. 1/3 of Americans say they’re living with extreme stress.¹ Nearly 80% of all doctor visits are stress-related and 43% of adults are sick because of stress.

 As a mother, that stress gets magnified, especially if you are a working mother. Despite their best attempts, many husbands are not much help at home and women carry the greatest burdens of housework as well as childcare and community service. And the more stressed you are, the more stressed your children are.

 ”Children absolutely sense parents’ stress,” says pediatrician Kenneth Ginsburg, associate professor at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. In 2009, 36% of kids surveyed said they worried more this summer than last; 30% said they worried about family financial difficulties. ²

 What Can You Do To Lower Your Stress Levels?


1. Sleep at least 7 hours a night.  According to the World Health Organization, anything less than 7 hours a night could cause cancer!  Less than 7 hours means you are 3 times more susceptible to colds and likely to gain more weight. The solution: go to bed earlier, no email before bed, no TV in bed.  Make your bedroom a sanctuary for sleeping, making love and resting.

2. Take Vacations:  Sadly, Expedia found that 34% of Americans don’t go on vacation at all! And yet for women aged 45-64, two weeks of vacation cut their incidence of heart attack in half, according to a Boston College study! ³  Expedia also found most people feel rejuvenated after vacation, are more productive and more satisfied with their marriage.

3. Use aromatherapy to help with stress. A few drops of vanilla oil on the wrists of a child can transform a cranky, whiny child into one who is happy and laughing. Peppermint extract on your forehead or temples can help relieve pain immediately.  It’s also great for concentration.  Lemon scent cuts keyboard mistakes by 50%!

4. Spend time with girlfriends The latest research shows spending time with friends creates the release of oxytocin, a neurotransmitter that relieves stress and promotes euphoria.  In a study, those who had the most friends over a 9 year time period cut their risk of death in the next 10 years by 60%.⁴

5. Cultivate Optimism Optimists live 7 years longer than pessimists, have better lung function and are far less likely to die young or die from cancer. The top 10% executives think differently from others: they are all optimists! So if you want greater success, achievement,  and joy in your life, become a more positive thinker.

Women have the ability to make a huge difference in the lives of others. As mothers, your greatest gifts are your love, wisdom and   care taking.  But only if you take care of yourself and manage your stress.

# # #

 Snowden McFall, professional speaker, trainer and author, is the owner of 27- year old Brightwork Advertising and Training and 14-year old Fired Up. She has written 5 books, including Fired Up!, which has sold  63,000+ copies, and her new book Stress Express! 15 Instant Stress Relievers. An expert on stress and motivation,  she has appeared on 300 radio shows, CNN Financial News, The Home Shopping Network, Bloomberg Television, Investors Business Daily, and foxnews.com. She was named National Women in Business Advocate of the Year by the Small Business Administration and was honored at the White House and Congress. She can be reached at www.firedupnow.com

For your free report:  The Top 20 Tips to Get Fired Up and Stay Fired Up, go to http://firedupnow.com/top20tips.html  

1.  “Stress in US Rises, Causes Health Problems,” The Scoop, The Meeting Professional, March 2008, p.442.

2.   Jayson, Sharon “ Kids ‘absolutely’ feel parents’ stress, 30% worry about finances,”  USA Today,  11/2/2009 http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-11-03-kids-stress-parents_N.htm

 3. Brown, Sarah,  “Clean Break,” Vogue, June 2003

4.  Taylor, S. E.; Klein, L.C.; Lewis, B. P.; Gruenewald, T. L.; Gurung, R. A. R.; & Updegraff, J. A. “Female Responses to Stress: Tend and Befriend, Not Fight or Flight”, Psychological Review (2000), 107(3), p.41-429.

I am thinking of organization a lot right now, as I have recently cleaned and reorganized my bedroom closet. I am so happy to have donated a huge load of clothing and shoes to a local organization that helps women get back on their feet AND to have a neatly hung closet where I can easily find what I need.

If you have kids, you know the avalanche of “stuff” that can fall on you without notice. You look around their room and think, “When did we get all of this?” At least you multi-tasking Moms have your Bottle Snuggler so you have one hand free to start the cleaning out and organization process while your baby takes a bottle!

Maybe it’s the changing of the seasons that perks up my organizing efforts. To me, it’s a lot easier to keep a closet orgainzed than it is to keep my schedule, along with my son’s and my husband’s, plus our social calendar, our holiday obligations, and keep everyone healthy and happy. I often look online for help in this area, and I recently found Maria Gracia, an expert who offers free tips to orgainze all areas of your life.

If you go to www.getorganized.com, you can download a list of 50 tips. My favorite so far is the idea of using only one central calendar, rather than one on your desk, one on the fridge and one in your Blackberry. It’s tough to do, but I intend to put this tip to use. She also suggests to schedule time for yourself each day (why don’t I already do that?) and to take a few minutes to put things away each day, rather than trying to do it all on Saturday morning.

I hope you find the tips as helpful as I did. I will take any help I can get, especially free help, to get and keep my life in order these days. Enjoy the fall weather!

It’s easy to get  caught up in the breast vs. bottle feeding debate. There is such strong emotion on both sides. Personally, I try very hard to stay out of the debate altogether!

I breast fed my son for several months, pumping after the first couple of weeks so that my husband could participate and so that we didn’t lose any of the liquid gold that I was actually over-producing. So I can see both sides: knowing that breast milk is super nutritious and having to make a personal decision (or having it made for you by your body) to formula feed. I trust every Mom to make the right decision for her and to make sure that her baby is fed. Bottle Snugglers are perfect for breast milk and formula! In fact, it was during that time that I actually discovered them.

That said, because I remember going through a myriad of breast pumps to find the perfect one for me, I wanted to give a resource for a few that are on the market now. I found a great list on www.babylovesyourmilk.com grouped together by price. That site also has lots of articles on breast feeding and in depth features and info on each of these styles. You first have to choose whether you want an electronic one or a manual. I used electronic, but the manual models are somewhat cheaper. To each her own!

Personal Electric Pumps, $150 and up

• Medela Pump In Style Advanced Breast Pump
• Medela Pump In Style Original Breast Pump
• Ameda Purely Yours Breast Pump
• Avent Isis IQ Duo Breast Pump
• Playtex Embrace Breast Pump 

Electronic, $75 and up

• Medela Double Select Breast Pump
• Medela Swing (new in 2006) Breast Pump
• Bailey/Ameda Nurture III Breast Pump
• Avent Isis IQ Uno Breast Pump

Manual Breast Pumps, under $75

• Medela Harmony Breast Pump
• Ameda One-Hand Breast Pump
• Avent Isis (manual) Breast Pump
• Medela PedalPump Breast Pump

Have you noticed that, since the economy has been slow, customer service has seemed to take a nosedive? You would think that people would be more polite and helpful than usual in order to make/keep sales in such a competitive marketplace. My experience, and that of many of my friends, is the opposite. Salespeople with little empathy or motivation to help solve your problem seem to abound online, by phone and in person these days.

I am one of those people who learn by seeing something done wrong. To me, seeing something go downhill fast is an easy way to see the RIGHT way to handle certain situations. Some of my experiences have been with me as the consumer, and some are from my customers who need my help. Of course, I am learning something new each day, but here are a few tips for how to complain and get the outcome you want.

1. Assume that the person wants to help you and that the problem is a random mistake (a.k.a. not a conspiracy against you personally.) This is probably the most important tactic that I employ, and I have found that even less helpful people are more inclined to help you if you couch your complaint as something like, “I’m sure this is a random mistake and not something that happens all the time, so I’m hoping you can help me figure it out.” We all make mistakes, and we rarely do it on purpose. (or it wouldn’t be a mistake, right?)

This is in direct opposition to, “This is unacceptable, and it is not my problem; it’s yours. You need to fix this problem and make it up to me immediately.” Statement #2 puts the person on the defensive, and you will do better to have their favor, rather than attacking them. Plus, chances are that the person you’re complaining to is not the one who caused your problem. Even if they are, it’s very unlikely that it was intentional.

2. Have your facts easily at hand, i.e. receipts, emails, warrantees or notes. This will help the person to look up your purchase (or whatever your event) and get to the bottom of the situation faster.

3. State your problem clearly (and politely) and state what result you want from the complaint. Do you want a refund, an exchange, a store credit? Do you need an apology from a nasty salesperson? Or do you just want to find out why your item hasn’t arrived and estimate a new shipping date? Perhaps you feel you deserve a discount on your purchase because of this hassle. These may all be acceptable solutions, which the vendor may be willing to extend to make a customer happy. Definitely ask for what you want, but do so in a polite way. You never know; the vendor that you demand a refund from in a not-so-nice manner may have been planning to give you a refund AND a gift certificate for a later visit (or night at the hotel, dessert at the restaurant, etc.)

4. If your problem is not resolved on the first try, resist the urge to argue with the person. Ask for his/her manager. Most of the time, a manager or supervisor has the authority to make things happen that a sales person doesn’t. They can extend special treatment when needed. Definitely don’t give up, but do keep your composure and treat everyone with respect (even if they are not reciprocating.) This is hard, but it’s always the right choice.

5. When a problem is resolved to your satisfaction, resist the urge to bash the store, restaurant, hotel, or other business online.Remember that mistakes are made all the time, even by you and me. It is important in today’s Internet-focused marketplace to manage corporate reputations carefully. If someone mistreats you and refuses to make it right, then that is information that a future customer should know. It may save them from having the same experience. But if you find that a business made an honest mistake and they corrected the situation to your satisfaction, there’s no need to bash them for it publically afterward. That doesn’t serve anyone.

I have been on the giving and receiving end of customer complaints, and I can assure you that being polite and assuming the best in a person is always the way to approach this situation. My grandmother says, “You catch more flies with honey than vinegar.” In the case of resolving complaints, I definitely agree.

When it comes to fruit, my 4-year-old is one picky kid. And with the foods we already avoid because of his food allergies, this can be very limiting, to say the least.

He loves bananas. LOVES them. Especially sliced into rounds and drizzled with a little honey. Applesauce comes in a close second. (Not actual apples, mind you. Just applesauce.) And he likes strawberry jelly, though that doesn’t exactly count as a fruit, does it? Other than these, it’s nearly impossible to get him to swallow a grape, raisin, peach, watermelon or any other fruit.

We recently discovered a product that is available under many names, but it’s basically squeezable applesauce with other fruits mixed in. It’s natural, unsweetened, organic…and expensive! So I figured out how to make it at home with fruit that I already have on hand. So far, he has liked all of the combinations, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this trend continues. Here’s how we do it:

In your blender, make a puree of two fruits of your choice until it’s smooth, then mix in a couple of spoons of the puree into a bowl of applesauce! I have found that thawed or fresh fruit is easier to puree than frozen, at least in my blender, and I sometimes have to add a dash of apple juice to get the right consistency. You want it smooth but not too liquid (though, if you go too far, it shouldn’t be a problem.)

Put 1/2 a banana and 5 strawberries (or 1/4 cup blueberries) in the blender until they make a smooth puree. Then mix 2 Tbp of the puree with 1/2 cup of applesauce, and voila! Applesauce with a twist. Then just store the left over puree in the fridge until the next applesauce treat and mix it in at that time.

And just think about the extra nutrients and fiber that you’re sneaking in to their little tummies! I love it when a plan comes together. Hope your little ones love it, too!

We’re always giddy when we get a great review from Moms.

I wanted to share this review from www.momfinds.com from July 22, 2010 (today), which always has great ideas for useful products. Happy shopping! I will post the link here, along with the copy.

http://www.momfinds.com/2010/hands-free-feeding-made-easy-with-bottle-snugglers/

By Mom Jeanine

We’ve all been there. You just sat down to feed your little one and then the phone rings. You’d reach over and grab it, but then you’d have to let baby’s bottle drop or try to prop it up with a pillow all before the fourth ring. Finally, there’s a solution. Bottle snugglers.

These adorable, cozy stuffed animals rest softly on your little one’s chest, while the stretchy elastic ring on top holds baby’s bottle in place. It’s designed to hold the bottle at the same angle a person would so feeding is still comfortable for your little one. And because the probability of leakage is high, these plush proppers are machine-washable and can go in the dryer.

Have twins or triplets? Use Bottle Snugglers to ensure everyone is fed on time without trying to hold three bottle simultaneously by yourself.

Bottle snugglers are available in several animal styles including the cuddly cow, a charming teddy bear and a precious puppy.

The copy below was originally printed in the Jacksonville Business Journal on July 16, 2010.

By Dolly Penland

They say necessity is the mother of invention. In Jennifer Marko’s case, it spawned an Internet search. Marko was the owner of a public relations firm when she had a baby in 2006. She took only two weeks’ maternity leave.

“I had an image of myself working at my desk as usual and the baby quietly sleeping in the bassinet behind me,” said Marko, president of Marko Holdings, DBA Bottle Snugglers. However, “Max, my son, would not stay in the bassinet at all. So, I only had one hand to work with. And when he had to eat, I had a bottle in one hand and a baby in the other. Feeding time would last 20 minutes. So up to four times a day I was unproductive. I would find myself so stressed.”

Thinking she couldn’t be the only one with this problem, Marko searched online for a product to help. She found three. “Only one worked and it was a Bottle Tender,” Marko said. “It was like magic. I could hold the baby and it would hold the bottle, and I could still finish the report I was doing or send an e-mail. That lightened my stress level immensely.”

Marko later tried to place another order, but she kept getting a “sold out” message. “I finally called the owners and said, ‘What’s happening? I love the product and want to buy another.’ They said they both had other jobs and were busy. It was a mom and dad who created and patented the product, but never optimized it and never advertised. [My husband and I] made an offer to buy it,” for $100,000.

In 2008, Marko transitioned out of PR while planning the new company, renamed Bottle Snugglers. Entirely self-financed, the business officially opened in January 2009. “In January of 2009, you couldn’t get a loan,” she said. “We just believed in it and knew there was a niche in the market, so we put our own dollars behind it.”

Although Marko said it is worth it, she was initially surprised to learn about the different costs associated with operating a goods-based business versus the service-based business she had successfully run. They included costs associated with design and engineering, safety certifications, industry trade shows and insurance.

“We spent $25,000 in the first year in legal fees alone,” she said.

Bottle Snugglers are sold on the company’s website and in baby boutiques.

“A lot of people come in looking for them and a lot of people register for them,” said Kacey Roache, owner of the baby boutique lulu. “They are just a cute, practical gift.”

People bought 1,000 Bottle Snugglers in 2009 and more than 650 so far this year. Marko is now trying to get them into big-box retail stores.

“The previous owners sold several thousand over five or six years,” Marko said. “We sold 50 percent more in 2009 than they sold in their best year ever because we changed it to make it more marketable.”

To help get her business going, Marko sought advice from another business owner in the industry who not only shared his insights into the retail industry, but also introduced her to a local importer. “I owned a business, my husband owns a business, but the retail industry and particularly baby retail is very different from PR,” Marko said. “There are so many things you can’t know until you come across a problem.”

She also joined one of the Jacksonville Women’s Business Center’s business advisory councils. The councils are made up of small groups of women business owners with similar annual gross revenue who share their experiences, advice and best practices.

“Each of the women is really the sum of her own experiences, and all that comes to the table for the benefit of the other members,” said Linda Nottingham, a council facilitator. “We deal with any challenges or problems or issues that one business owner is facing and it can be anything. It can be as simple as what kind of gift to buy a client to something as complicated as dealing with employees.”

Marko said she enjoys learning from others and is happy to share her experience as well.

“It’s OK to ask for help,” she said. “I think it shows strength, not weakness, when you ask for help. Everything is not common sense. I have never had anyone turn me down when I asked for advice or a meeting to pick their brain, and in return I have never turned anyone down. If I learned a lesson, I will pass that on to you and we’ll both move forward.”

Read more: Stress gave birth to a new business – Jacksonville Business Journal