Part 1 – Prenatal Yoga

It’s of no great surprise that pregnancy, childbirth and childrearing take a pretty hefty toll on the body, (she writes as she groans with neck and shoulder pain from hauling and breastfeeding an increasingly heavy baby). I am a yoga instructor, and yet even since being in utero, young Maisie has given me a better work out than an Ashtanga class at a local gym. With this in mind, here are some sample stretches to help keep you in tip-top physical and mental shape, in this part, before baby, and next week, post baby. Bear in mind, that if you attend a class rather than just practicing at home, you have the added benefit of potentially meeting some new mommy and baby friends along the way.

Prenatal Poses:

Pelvic floor exercises otherwise known as Kegels:

I think we all know what these squeeze and hold exercises are as well as their benefits without me having to spell this one out.

Reverse Namaste Position:

To strengthen wrists and prevent carpal tunnel syndrome, as well as opening the chest to alleviate future hours spent cradling and feeding your infant. Sit in a comfortable cross-legged position (you can also sit on a folded blanket, bolster or chair). Bring your hands gently behind your back and carefully point your fingertips upwards and bring palms together in reverse prayer.

Side Lying Leg Pulses:

To help strengthen your hips and thighs for childbirth. As the name suggests, lie on your side and pulse your top leg. Repeat on other side.

Squats:

To help strengthen your hips, thighs and stamina for childbirth.  Stand with your legs wider than hip width and sit down into a squatting position, either with your back against a wall or away from a wall, and either staying still or moving up and down in a moving version of the pose.  

Legs up the wall Pose (Viparita Karani):

To alleviate swelling in legs and ankles in late pregnancy. Elevate your feet on chair or up the side of a wall. Breathe and relax.

Final Resting Pose (Savasana):

To rest, relax and meditate on the wonder of your pregnancy. Lie on the ground with knees bent or supported on a rolled blanket. Close your eyes and connect with your baby.

My body is beautiful and strong

My baby is growing perfectly

The universe loves and supports me and my baby

I am preparing for the divine plan of my life to unfold

Pregnancy is natural and normal, safe and divine

My body knows how to give birth and I will let it

I feel calm and relaxed

I send love to my baby

My body is beautiful and strong.

Namaste.

I've asked some of our AuPairCare families what their favorite things are about being host families. Some said the authentic Greek/ El Salvadorian/ French food or adding family members from around the world and learning about where they live. Mine is hands-down sharing the child-related chores.  I love cooking, but I hate cleaning, sorting and organizing, so coming home to a house that only has MY stuff laying around is such a relief.  (My husband confines his mess to the garage!)

There were lots of different responses, but these were the top ten (from my casual, totally non-scientific survey):  

10.  Having a bedtime fairy to help get the kids to sleep.

9.  That my kids can have playdates after school.

8.  Not paying daycare late pick-up fees.

7.  Not having to drive to two different schools on the way to work.

6.  The second-language my kids are learning.

5.  The friendships my kids are developing with each other.

4.  The fact that my mom says I'm a better mom, wife, and worker because of my au pair.

3.  The margin it creates in my family's life.

2.  The standing date night I have with my husband.

1.  The affordable flexibility that I didn't have with daycare.

Do you have a favorite part of the program?  What is it?  How has it changed your family and work balance?  

This week, I heard from a host mom who was helping her au pair fill out her paperwork for her return flight.  This paperwork, like the extension application, is due to headquarters the first of the month before the au pairs program year ends, and allows her to choose her top choices for departure dates and cities. 

Louisa and her host mom wondered if Louisa was allowed to say in the area after her year ended.  Her plan was to stay with her host family for a week to visit friends, go on a trip for a week, and then come back to her host family home for a few days to sat her final goodbyes and pack. 

I let them know that this was a fine arrangement - at the end of their year, au pairs are allowed to remain in the US for up to one month.  This is a perfect time to travel and see sights they missed during their year.  Louisa was thrilled for the chance to spend a little extra time with everyone she had grown to love during her year before returning home to school.

If you Google, "cultural exchange", there are an amazing number of current news articles that come up.  Cultural exchange is important to parents in the United States and the news reflects that interest.  In fact, there is an entire bureau in the State Department titled the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

A prevalent reason many families choose an au pair for childcare is the cultural exchange.  Even if families first begin to think about an au pair because of the flexibility and affordability, they are often won over to the program because of the cultural influx into their household.  I have started many host family interviews with the question, "How important is cultural exchange to your family".  Often, the parents will look at one another, shrug their shoulders, and say, "Well, it is important".  I can tell they have not given it much thought.  As we progress in our discussion, I tend to give little examples of how an au pair has shared her culture with a current host family.

For example, I have a Serbian au pair that cooked Serbian food for her host family for a week to celebrate a holiday from her home country that we do not celebrate in the United States.  I have another au pair that makes little toys for her host children out of paper, similar to the toys she played with as a child.  There are many examples of au pairs sharing their culture.

As we continue with the host family interview, the host family realizes how excited they are to have another culture in their house.

Here are some ideas that you or your au pair can do with your children to increase the cultural exchange of having an au pair.

• Toys:  Choose toys and offer activities that reflect a variety of cultural backgrounds
• Language:  Talk about language.  Some languages have more than one word for what English speakers think of as a single entity.  Ask your au pair if there are any examples in her language.
• Body language:  For English speakers, nodding the head signifies "yes".  In some cultures, nodding means "no".  Ask your au pair what body language in her country is different from body language in the U.S.
• Folklore:  Each family has its own folklore, a set of beliefs, myths, tales, and practices.  Ask your au pair about their special holiday games or food from their childhood; whether they know any dances, songs or language from "the old days" and if they know of any special "family rules."  (For instance, one family sets the rule that you can only eat one piece of popcorn at a time out of the bowl.)
• Books:  Read books that feature other cultures.  For a great book lists organized by age groups, visit Kids Activities.
• Watch Foreign Films:  the Oscar Nominations for Foreign Language Films are out and although not appropriate for children, it is interesting as a host parent to see what foreign countries are nominated.  For foreign films that are appropriate for children, PBS has some suggestions.
• Music:  Ask your au pair about the music she or he listened to as a child.  See if you can download any of them for your children.  If not, the Putumayo Kids record label produces upbeat, culturally authentic music including folk, Celtic, reggae, Latin and African music.