Blog Brag: We’re #1 on ‘Alltop Pregnancy’ Again

Posted on May 30, 2016

I just realized this weekend that the blog has returned to the Alltop.com category for Pregnancy. Alltop.com is one of the first websites that was focused on curating the top news and information from all the top sites around the web. Nowadays, content curation is big and everyone is doing it, but Alltop, founded by former Apple evangelist and New York Times and Wall Street Journal best seller Guy Kawasaki did it first.

The blog was on it for several years in the pregnancy category. The top 6 most popular stories of all the stories in each category get to be featured a Bellyitch post often was number one, each day.

At some point, we dropped to the number 2 spot and then eventually fell off the list altogether. I’m not sure if was during a time when the blog got hacked and was offline for a while or when it moved from one blog platform to another, but it was sudden and inexplainable.

It was devastating for me because being on Alltop gave the blog some added credibility (and traffic). I proudly posted the button on the blog. I re-submitted it for consideration and never hear back and just gave up.

I’m not sure how it landed on that site in the first place. Did someone submit my blog? Did the founders and folks who run the site discover it on their own. Who knows.

So it was quite a delight to accidentally stumble upon it once again to see Bellyitch occupying the featured blog post area again. I’m putting my button back too!

Happy happy ! Joy Joy!

Ok….back to the regularly scheduled blog posts we go.

Oh I also got honored as one of the Top 30 Mom Bloggers of 2016 by Maternity Glow! Woot!

Yay us! Thanks for the support and being loyal readers and followers!

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Memorial Day: Thank You To Those Who Gave the Ultimate Sacrifice

Posted on May 30, 2016

Memorial Day is today. The holiday was borne out of the Civil War and a desire to honor our dead.

Today, let’s think of the thousands and millions, maybe, of children who have grown up without a parent because she or he gave the ultimate sacrifice fighting for their country.

Children like Wyatt McCain, who was 8 in 2012 when this photo of the North Pole, Alaska boy went viral as he looked upon his father’s grave at the National Cemetery on Memorial Day in Arlington, Va.

His dad, Army SFC Johnathan McCain, was killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan in November 2011. Thank you Wyatt and family for bearing the pain of loss so we can feel free.

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The Y’s New Campaign Uses a Baby to Bring Family Issues to Forefront

Posted on May 28, 2016

ymca-zoe-for-president-change-is-coming-eventually-large-10

The YMCA has a very cute campaign to align with the heated presidential season that is underway in American politics.

Zoe For President is a campaign from the national organization to try to shift the debate to talking about issues that matter to families —like the achievement gap, safe spaces, and healthy living.

Last month, Zoe picked up another celebrity endorsement: Conan Obrien! In this funny cute video, the late night talk show host asks Zoe to consider running now rather than wait until the year 2064 when she will be in her 50s.

“I know you’re only one year old, but you’re already way more mature than all the other candidates. Run now, Zoe,” O’Brien pleads. “Run now.”

Funny!

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Look at NBC’s Shade-Filled Post about Donald Trump’s Unspoken Position on Pregnancy in the Workplace

Posted on May 26, 2016

Mainstream popular media organizations can give shade too, now.

Case in point: today NBC published an article about GOP Presidential Nominee Donald J. Trump which attempts to decode the presidential hopeful’s position on pregnancy in the workplace. The piece really backs into, but stops short of saying the man is hostile to pregnant women in business.

Note: Trump has never given an official position on this topic but this piece attempts to help the reader decode what that would be based on his past remarks.

Writer Ali Vitali leads with an interview with NBC’s Dateline in 2004 where Trump said pregnancy “it’s a wonderful thing for the husband, it’s certainly an inconvenience for a business. And whether people want to say that or not, the fact is it is an inconvenience for a person that is running a business.”

Hmmmm. Curious.

Watch the video from that interview for yourself and decide:

Then, the piece jumps several years to 2015 when the standard bearer for the Republican party told Fox Business‘ Stuart Varney, “you have to be careful with” paid family leave because it could impact keeping “our country very competitive” but “certainly there are a lot of people discussing it.”

The Curioser and curiouser.

Finally, Vitali brings up the March 2016 praise the business man had for his own daughter Ivanka Trump after she rushed to appear at a campaign stop with him only 10 days after giving birth to her third child.

“You know, she had a baby like 5 days ago,” Trump praised her during the rally, which was actually held 10 days after Ivanka gave birth. “She did a good job. So I should not say Ivanka, you’re fired, right? I promise.”

Well, when you say it like that!

To cap off the unspoken and indirect prognostication, Vitali quotes Trump saying that women love him but follows up with a quote from its own joint poll with the Wall Street Journal which has 63% of those polled saying that Hillary Clinton would be best at dealing with issues of concern to women, while only 16% of voters felt that way about Trump.

But don’t be swayed. Make up your own mind. (smile)

Sneaky. Sneaky. ha!

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New Law Forbids Clubs From Denying Entry to Pregnant Women

Posted on May 26, 2016

When I was working as a publicist about a decade ago and pregnant, I was refused entry into a nightclub where my client was gigging at because I was visibly pregnant. Now if this event had happened today in New York City, it would be against the law for that club to deny me entry, thanks to a new law under the city’s Human Rights Commission guidelines.

Among other expansive protections for pregnant women for the purposes of protecting them from discrimination is a provision that says mothers-to-be can’t be kept out of bars or denied alcoholic drinks just because they’re expecting.

“Judgments and stereotypes about how pregnant individuals should behave, their physical capabilities and what is or is not healthy for a fetus are pervasive in our society and cannot be used as pretext for unlawful discriminatory decisions” in public venues, the new guidelines say.

And as you could guess, there is a lawsuit at the heart of this new law. A NYC agency lawyer, Lauren Elfant, told the Associated Press that the commission is looking into a case concerning a pregnant woman denied entry to a bar or club.

The law also protects those women who choose to have a glass of wine while pregnant as it is not against the law.

One woman AP interviewed for the report, Carlota Fluxa, said she occasionally ordered a glass of wine with dinner during her pregnancy as that is no big deal in her native Spain. While no one denied her the wine, Fluxa said she felt that “in general, a lot of people are paying attention to whether you’re drinking or not drinking.”

Read more about the intriquing report here.

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Every Couple Should be in Counseling, Here’s Why

Posted on May 26, 2016

Many couples think of counseling as a reparative treatment only, and if they feel that everything is OK, then they shouldn’t need counseling, right? This can lead to little issues being brushed aside and piling up over time into a big, fat problem.

It’s not only for couples battling problems or dealing with infidelity. It can keep your relationship on track and keep the communication open.

Also, marriage counseling isn’t just for couples who are battling addiction or dealing with adultery. It can help keep your relationships healthy and strengthen bonds.

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Make-A-Wish: 10-Year Old Cancer Patient’s Animated Short ‘Wish’ Came Out Wonderfully

Posted on May 25, 2016

I absolutely LOVED seeing the animated film that Stage 4- cancer patient 10-year old Nesham Ryman created as part of her Make-A-Wish foundation wish.

Neshama loves drawing and art and inspired by Pixar animation in films, she came up with a wonderfully imaginative story about invisible characters that are clumsy (like most of us). The “Klumz” wreak havoc on the lives of a family but only they don’t think they are causing trouble but actually creating fun and magic and art!

“I love drawing and I love movies,” explains Neshama, who has undergone several reconstructive surgeries in her life. “For my wish, I wanted to combine them by making an animated film.”

Make A Wish The Klumz by Neshama Ryman YouTube

It’s a marvelous tale brought to life with the help of the people from Boston-based animation studio Fablevision. The project was funded by Macy‘s “Believe” campaign. For every letter a child wrote to Santa last year, the retail shopping store donated $1 to the @MakeAWish through the end of last year 2015.

And the result is this fantastical short film which Neshama and her siblings narrated and starred in as well! Enjoy it here and the behind-the-scenes short after!

Make A Wish The Klumz by Neshama Ryman YouTube2

Neshama’s mother, Lamelle, said in the behind-the scenes short that she believes that the film reflects the struggle of families with children who have cancer.

“Seeing her idea become reality, the image of a bottle of beet sauce splattering all over the table, made me think that, in some ways, it’s representative of the experience of a family dealing with a child’s cancer diagnosis,” said Lamelle. “A giant glass of beet sauce has spilled on your white tablecloth and you need to figure out how to make this the most positive, uplifting journey as possible.”

Heart-warming! I’m rooting for Neshama!

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VIRAL: Chewbacca Mom Rides Infectious Laughter to Internet Fame

Posted on May 25, 2016

Last week, a mom Candace Pain, posted a video on Facebook that has since been the most viewed in the social media site’s history: 141 views (and counting) in three days. Pain says in the original video that she purchased a mask of Star Wars character Chewbacca from Kohl’s after making some returns from the Star Wars fame for herself as a birthday present, not for the kids. It cost just $17.99. (though it’s selling for $146 on Amazon right now)

After putting it on, she exploded in infectious laughter. She was able to ride that joy to fame. She was invited to appear on James Corden‘s CBS late night show and even got to do one of Corden’s famous “drive arounds” with celebrities but with the director of the latest Star Wars film, “The Force Awakens”, JJ Abrams.

During her appearance, Peter Mayhew, who plays the real Chewbacca in all of the films invited her and her family to a private meet and greet and to get complimentary VIP tickets to a Star Wars convention stop.

This week, she got flown out to Facebook’s headquarters and treated some more. It pays to be authentic, and fun and to spread joy.

Watch the videos and see how it played out:

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STUDY: Babies Can Recognize their Mom’s Voice, also a Key to Social Development

Posted on May 24, 2016

A new Stanford University study discovered that not only can babies tell their mom’s voice from other female voices, but even a small amount of noise from mom stimulated a large amount of brain activity – auditory, emotional, facial recognition, memory and reward processes, MRI scans showed.

The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that the strength of the babies’ inter-brain connections predicted the child’s social communication scores later in life (between ages 7 and 12).

This study may help developmental researchers better understand social development disorders like autism, especially given the importance of a child being able to associate with voices during development.

The study did have a very small sample size of just 24, but is still a precursor for more research.

h/t

WTOP

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VIRAL: This Breastfeeding Pole Dancing Mom is a Zen Master

Posted on May 23, 2016

You thought you’d seen it all until you heard of a mom who breastfed her baby while pole dancing.

Ashley Wright posted a video to her Facebook page of herself pole dancing while babywearing and breastfeeding.

Wright told The Huffington Post that she’s been a pole dancer for eight years and started doing a few moves with her baby once she was about 1-year-old.

“I didn’t start climbing up the pole with her (in a carrier), until she was one or a little closer to two years of age,” Wright told the site. “There are moments in which she would rather spin around with me, than to sit on the floor and do something else. And I, as her mother, am completely okay with having to adjust my pole practice to have her on me.”

Since going viral back in January this year, Wright has used her new found fame to attract more people to the art of pole dancing.

On her blog, Ms. Wright’s Way, Wright calls herself a “badass breastfeeding, babywearing, attachment parenting, pole dancing, yogi mama.”

Wright told BabyCenter that to protect her daughter Shannon’s neck during the performance, she wrapped the little girl’s head so it would remain stable. She said Shannon watched educational videos on a cell phone as she danced.

As one would expect, she has had to explain and defend her decision to pole dance with her daughter and has taken down the original video that gave her a lot of attention.

Wright said that babywearing has helped her stay active while also tending to her daughter’s needs. She says she didn’t set out to breastfeed and pole dance at the same time, but it just naturally happened that way.

Her daughter is now two and copies her moves in some of the videos. Cute!

Editor’s note: Bravo for baby wearing and attachment parenting and pole dancing is a great way to stay fit. I tried a class once and totally sucked and will never be going back so hats off to those who can.

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