My Baby Connection Newsletters

MyBabyConnection.com
Connecting You to the Best Baby Sites on the Web today!

June 2006 Issue

Hope you all are enjoying your summer and taking some time out for family and yourself!

Also, be sure to check out the Summer Hot Buys here too:
http://mybabyconnection.com/SummerHotBuysFlyer.html

Here's what you see in this month's issue:

1. New Product Arrivals
2. Feature Products/Websites
3. Article: Moms, 10 Reasons to Take Care of YOU!
4. Hot Sites to See
5. Motherhood Quotes

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NEW BABY PRODUCT ARRIVALS
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Cooling Blanket for Infants
by BodyTeq.com

"Heat Stress" is a Serious Problem for Infants

BodyTeq Apparel has develped a "cooling blanket" specifically for infants that helps keep your child cool and comfortable in hot weather. This remarkable product utilizes a high performance, cozy, and lightweight material that works thru nature's own cooling process; evaporation.

Click here to find out more about this "Unique Baby Blanket"
http://www.bodyteq.com/products/babywrap.html

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FEATURE PRODUCTS
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Mini Tots.com
"Exclusive Baby Furniture at Low Prices"

Shop online for exclusive baby furniture, unique cribs and nursery accessories, baby gear and lots of fun stuff for baby for the lowest prices. Free Baby Registry, too.

Visit MiniTots to see for yourself our HUGE Selection:
http://www.minitots.com

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THE NEXT GENERATION
"Unique Hand-painted Furniture and Personalized Children's Gifts"

The Next Generation specializes in hand-painted children's furniture, room decor, and gifts. Whether you're looking for step stools, growth charts, bedroom lamps, piggy banks, or table & chair sets, we have what you're looking for.

Visit us to see our large product selection.
http://www.nxtgeneration.net/

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LegalZoom
"Protect Your Baby with LegalZoom.com"

A Will or Living Trust could be the most important legal document you ever sign. Make sure that you -- not the courts -- decide what happens to your baby. It costs up to 85% less than what lawyers charge to prepare a custom, high-quality Will or Living Trust. Get the piece of mind that comes from knowing that your wishes are carried out and your baby is protected.

Click Here to Learn How to Protect Your Baby:
www.legalzoom.com/index3.html?CMP=ILC-mbc

(If link above does not work, copy and paste entire url into your browsers address line)

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Your Baby Steps Co.
"Adorable Baby Shoe Charms"

Our Exquisite Baby Shoe Charms are a perfect way to remember your child's younger years. Our charms are made of 14K Gold with Enamel, Precious Stones, or Diamonds. Adorable Baby Shoe Charms, Perfect for Mother's Day, as a New Mom Keepsake, or Grandmother Keepsake. We offer prices that are less than Half of Retail, Free Shipping on every order, and Memories that Last a Lifetime.

Click here to see all of our "Adorable Baby Shoe Charms"
http://www.YourBabySteps.com

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Protect Your Baby

Lifeline Cryogenics is a private cordblood bank in Stamford Connecticut. We process and store newborn's cord blood. We are accredited by the American Association of Blood Banks.

Banking your newborn's stem cell is one of the most important decisions an expectant parent needs to make. Cord Blood Stem cells can treat over 50 diseases.

Please call 1-866-967-2796 or email mwelch@lifelinecryogenics.com
for more information .

Click here to find out how to "Protect Your Baby"
http://www.lifelinecryogenics.com

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Best Nine Months
"Designer Baby Clothes and more!"

Your source for designer baby clothes, baby shoes, diaper bags, baby monitors and baby accessories. FREE shipping on orders over $99 or more.

Click Here to see the "Greatest Baby Products" on the market today.
http://www.bestninemonths.com

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ARTICLE: Moms, Here are 10 Good Reason to Take Good Care of YOU!
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10 Reasons to Take Good Care of a Mother

It's funny: during my pregnancy, I took really good care of myself plus
got a lot of attention and support from my doctor, husband, and
relatives. Even strangers would stop me in the market and remind me to
get lots of rest. But now, a year after Allie was born, I feel like I've
fallen off of everybody's radar. It's like you're expected to do life -
go to the job, do housework, drive around, shop, pay bills, get gas,
etc. - just like before, as if the infant you're still super responsible
for is not a factor at all. But she's a HUGE factor, of course! I think
about her all the time, I'm the person who mainly takes care of her when
I'm not at work, I still get up at night and don't sleeep that well, and
I feel, honestly, more and more run down. And she's just a year old!
Where is this going, and why doesn't anybody seem to notice?!

Wow, you definitely said it there. You're totally right: having a child
is absolutely a big deal, and there's no longer the strong network of
social support for it - from relatives, friends, and neighbors - that
there was in generations past, let alone in the hunter-gatherer groups
in which humans evolved. And many fathers have not stepped up to fill
the vacuum: the average mother is working away about 20 hours a week
more than her partner is, whether or not she's drawing a paycheck. As
result, the day-to-day -- minute-to-minute -- activities of caring for a
young child usually fall mainly to the mother.

Precious Work
It's precious work, certainly. But like everything in life, it has
effects. Over time, everything you pour out, everything you do, adds up.
Most mothers report feeling pretty worn out and often frazzled by the
end of their baby's first year, and our experience is that actually the
deepest slump typically occurs a few years after the baby is born,
especially if there's been a second child or another significant
stressor (like a move, mom goes back to paid work, or the child has a
real challenging temperament).

Inevitable Effects
As a result, studies have shown that having one or more children -
especially when there's not much support for her role - increases the
chance that a woman will experience physical or mental health problems,
including fatigue, depressed mood, anxiety, feeling overwhelmed, Type 2
diabetes, nutritional deficits, or autoimmune illnesses. Lack of support
also wears on a relationship, breeding resentments, the sense of being
let down, no interest in sex, and lots of quarrels. The bottom-line:
many mothers get physically andpsychologically depleted during the early
years of parenthood, some to the extent that we have proposed that there
can be an actual Depleted Mother Syndrome (DMS).

Impacts on the Family
None of this is good for the mother, to be sure. And it cannot help but
spill over onto the children, both in terms of less patience and energy
for them as well as the impact on them of problems in their parents'
relationship. Plus it naturally affects fathers, too. Researchers have
found that fathers who are more involved in the daily life of the family
and strong teammates with the mother have better mood, more sense of
pride in their competence as a parent, and a closer and more satisfying
relationship with their partner. Not bad!

A Crying Shame
Even though the effects of maternal stress and depletion are plainly
visible in well-documented research - an affect society as a whole
through increased healthcare expenses, lost workforce productivity, and
the social costs of divorce - there's been shockingly little attention
to the needs of mothers.

You're right: as a mother, you disappeared off the radar of the
healthcare system after your final postpartum appointment and whether
you had a child became medically irrelevant. At the National Institute
of Health or the Centers for Disease Control, there's zero attention to
the long-term health and well-being of mothers. Few psychology graduate
schools teach anything about how to help women with the unique and
chronic stresses of raising a family, or how to help couples with kids
be strong teammates while preserving an intimate friendship.

In the culture as a whole, a positive sign is a growing willingness to
help with postpartum depression and with the longer-term challenges of
bearning and rearing children. Nonetheless, mothers still get routinely
told that their weariness, blue mood, and out-of-whack bodies are "just
in your head, get over it." There's guilt and shame about not being able
to live up to models in the media of the woman who can work full-time,
have cute and well-mannered kids, stay trim and fit, and have a shiny
clean kitchen sink. With the common lack of support for childrearing at
many levels - from fathers, from extended family, and from government
policies - many mothers feel torn between giving their children the very
best and giving their occupation/career the very best . . . . and few
are entirely happy with whatever compromise they end up making.

Adding insult to injury, a lot of this gets internalized within mothers,
making them feel weak or guilty about doing "selfish" things for
themselves, asking for help, or insisting that others pull their fair
share of the weight.

It All Starts with Motivation
It will probably be a long time before much changes at the level of
government policies or culture. And in our experience, to be blunt, many
fathers do not just wake up one day and see the light on their own.
Consequently, it is usually up to the mother to take a big breath, stand
up, and assert why it's right and proper for her to get appropriate
attention, support, and care. Those good reasons are motivating for her
and for others -- and that's where everything starts in life: with our
intentions.

So please take a look at the box for our list of ten good reasons to
support mothers. They're all based on solid experience, research, and
ethical reasoning. There's no special treatment here: if men were the
ones having babies, the same list would apply to them. And feel free to
add reasons of your own!

In Conclusion
Mothers get stressed and depleted over time through the accumulation of
a thousand little things. Therefore, it is through doing little things
each day that are good for you that you accumulate a growing pile of
positive resources for your health, well-being, strong teamwork, and
lasting love.

10 Reasons to Take Good Care of a Mother
These are worth knowing for a mother herself, and for anyone who knows her.

1. She's a person - Every human being deserves a chance to be happy and
healthy.

2. Her cupboard was already pretty bare - Before their first pregnancy,
most mothers don't consume all the recommended vitamins and minerals.
Those shelves need re-stocking.

3. Her body's carried a big load - Taken as a whole, pregnancy,
childbirth, nursing, and weaning are the most physically demanding
activities most people will ever do. Big outputs require big inputs.

4. She does hard work - Studies show that raising young children is more
stressful than most jobs. Any kind of demanding work calls for respite
and replenishment.

5. She contributes to others - Mothers get worn out not because they've
been eating bon-bons, but because every day, for twenty years or more,
they've been making a family for innocent and precious children. Their
giving gives them moral standing, a valid claim on society's care.

6. It's good for the children - A mother's well-being affects her
children in a thousand ways, shaping the the lifetime course of a human
life. The best way to take good care of children is to take good care of
mothers.

7. It's good for her partner - A mother is much more able to be
even-tempered, affectionate, and loving when her mate is an active
co-parent, shares the load fairly, and is just plain nice. It's
enlightened self-interest for a mother's partner to take good care of her.

8. It's good for the marriage - Mothers who are well-nurtured and have
supportive partners are much more likely to stay happily married than
those who do not. Besides the rewards for children and their parents,
lasting marriages benefit society in many ways, such as bringing
stability to communities, lowering demands on the court system, and
fostering respect for family.

9. It helps the economy - Maternal stress and depletion increase the
nation's medical costs, and they decrease workforce productivity.
They're public health problems, and addressing them would add hundreds
of billions of dollars each year to our economy (with related benefits
to tax revenues).

10. It's good for society - A culture that values caring for those who
are vulnerable, giving, and engaged in long-term wholesome projects
(like raising children) - e.g., mothers - will be generally more humane
and infused with positive values. And that's good for everyone.

And a bonus reason: Being compassionate, considerate, and generous with
a mother feels good in itself. It's also a deep form of spiritual
practice to "love your neighbor as yourself" - even the one sitting with
you at the dining room table.

Mother Nurture
� Rick Hanson, Ph.D. and Jan Hanson, L.Ac. 2006

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Worried about the Bird Flu?

Find out what can you do today to help prevent your family
from getting the bird flu. Learn how to improve your body's immune system to
fight off this potentially deadly virus. Plus, print out a FREE "Basic Essentials"
Disaster Survival list. If our top government officials and disease control
experts are preparing their families for a possible bird flu pandemic,
why aren't we?

Click here to find out ways to protect your family and to be prepared for such a disaster:
http://www.BestBirdFluPrevention.com

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ATTENTION MOMS: Work at home - the way YOU want!

Love scented candles? A fun, simple concept for those
looking to earn extra income . Work online, offline,
fundraising - tons of possibilities. No start up cost.

Click here for more information and to register to WIN FREE CANDLES:
www.candlemomz.com

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HOT SITES TO SEE
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Memories in a Stitch - http://www.memoriesinastitch.com

Stork Baby Gift Baskets - http://www.storkbabygiftbaskets.com

Thumb Sucking Help Book - http://www.oliverthebear.com

Jet Set Babies - http://www.JetSetBabies.com

Nette Knits - http://www.netteknits.com

The Baby Bib Store - http://www.baby-bib.com

Infant Exchange - http://www.infantexchange.com

Baby Gifts & Gift Baskets - http://www.baby-gifts-gift-baskets.com

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MOTHERHOOD QUOTES
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Mothers are the pivot on which the family spins,
Mothers are the pivot on which the world spins.
- Pam Brown

It will be gone before you know it. The fingerprints on the wall appear higher and higher. Then suddenly they disappear.
- Dorothy Evslin

Children and mothers never truly part -
Bound in the beating of each other's heart.
- Charlotte Gray

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August will be the next drawing for the WINNER!!!

Be sure to tell your Mommy friends to sign-up for the free newsletter for their chance to win!

Send this link to your friend:
http://mybabyconnection.com/Newsletter_Sign-Up.htm

When you subscribe to MyBabyConnection.com Newsletter you become eligible to be included in this quarterly drawing to WIN these GREAT PRIZES!!!

1) $20 WALMART GIFT CERTIFICATE FOR DIAPERS
2) CHILD DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM from MyLittleSteps.com
3) $20 GIFT CERTIFICATE from MyMiracleBaby
5) BIG BROTHER/SISTER PERSONALIZED KEEPSAKE BOOK from BuddingFamilyPublishing.com
6)ONE PAIR OF PEDIPEDS SHOWS FROM BabyLifeSpan.com

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Be sure to tell your friends and family to sign-up for the MyBabyConnection.com Newsletter so they will have a chance to WIN these GREAT PRIZES!! They'll thank you for it!!

Oh, yeah, they'll also thank you for telling them about a great site http://www.MyBabyConnection.com

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