Jill Amery, Author at Urban Mommies

Browsing Articles Written by

Jill Amery

Jill Amery is a mom of 2 small boys and the Publisher of UrbanMommies, a stylish digital lifestyle magazine filled with fitness, style, health, recipes and savvy mom advice to help you through pregnancy, birth, and raising your kids.

How Can Your Partner Help During Early Labour?

FAM, pregnancy By Jill Amery August 10, 2009 Tags: bloody show, cervix dialating, cervix softening, contractions, Doula, early labour, fatigue, labour, Midwife, OB-GYN, signs of early labour, TENS No Comments

SO many spouses and helpers ask how they can help during early labour. Often the pregnant woman gets irritated if her partner doesn’t know exactly what to do, and everyone ends up frustrated and stressed – which doesn’t help the birth process. Early labour is usually the longest phase of labour.

What’s happening in early labour?
– The cervix softens (ripens), begins thinning (effacing) and dilates to 3 cm.
– You may have show.
– 10-12% of women have their bags of water break at the beginning of labour
– Soft bowel movements increase

Often contractions are sporadic at the beginning of labour. Gradually they develop into a rhythm becoming longer, stronger, and closer together. Often they are quite short at the beginning (15 to 20 seconds) and they become longer as the labour progresses. The contractions begin, peak and end. They come like waves. The pain ebbs and flops with the contractions.

Baby’s Eyes Needs UV Protection Too

baby, FAM By Jill Amery August 5, 2009 Tags: baby eye care, baby sun, baby sunglasses, childrens eye care, summer 1 Comment

Even though babies can’t wear traditional sunglasses, they still require UV protection for their eyes, warns the B.C. Association of Optometrists. Cranbrook optometrist Dr. Bednarczyk says damage from ultra-violet light has a cumulative effect, so it’s better to start protecting children’s eyes while they are young. “Over time, UV radiation can damage the cornea, lens or retina of the eyes, and can be linked to a number of eye disorders including cataracts, macular degeneration and cancer,” says Dr. Bednarczyk.

Exercising while pregnant

FAM, pregnancy By Jill Amery August 5, 2009 Tags: exercise, exercising while pregnant, inversions, lying on back, supine back positions No Comments

Q. Although I know it is good for me, I’ve had many people tell me that I should avoid exercising while I’m pregnant because of the potential risks. Is there any merit to this?

Prenatal Vitamins

FAM, pregnancy By Jill Amery August 1, 2009 Tags: Conception, folic acid, neural tube development, prenatal, vitamins 2 Comments

Q. Besides taking prenatal vitamins, are there other nutritional guidelines I should follow before getting pregnant?

Tips for Watching Fireworks with the Family

LIVE, play By Jill Amery July 30, 2009 Tags: activities, beach, Celebration of Light, Danica Longair, event, events, Family Fun, family fun in vancouver, fireworks, summer, summer events, Symphony of Fire, Toronto Symphony of Fire, vancouver, Vancouver events, Vancouver summer activities 5 Comments

Summer may be over but Halloween is just around the corner! Here are some tips for enjoying fireworks with the family – including your kids and babies:

1. Bring ear plugs or leave babies, very young ones and other easily frightened children, with a sitter. The noise of the fireworks can be very scary for little ones and you want to avoid causing them to develop an early fear of fireworks. Ear plugs or head phones should do the trick (if they keep them on).

2. Bring a blanket, water, sunscreen, snacks and activities if you’re staking out a spot early. There are often summer treats at fireworks events. It’s OK to have a treat but make sure the kids have enough nutrition too.

3. Be aware of who is around you. Some fireworks events have a history of attracting a few rowdy folks. That shouldn’t deter you from taking your family, but just keep one eye on who is around you and if you’re concerned about someone’s behaviour, don’t hesitate to find a different spot before something happens near your little ones. Alternatively, you can alert an event organizer or event security if you are concerned about someone’s behaviour.

4. Take your garbage with you. Before it gets dark, round up all of your garbage and make sure to dispose of it properly. It’s important to help keep our beaches and parks clean for other families who will visit them the next day.

5. Enjoy the fireworks! They are an awe-inspiring feat of chemistry and artistry! You can use the time to teach your kids what science can do and feel the magic of the moment at the same time.

-Danica Longair

Go Green With gDiapers

baby, FAM By Jill Amery July 22, 2009 Tags: baby diapers, cloth diapers, diaper alternative, diapers, earth, eco-friendly, environment, gdiapers 4 Comments

>Bye bye perfume, no more chlorine. Flush them down and your life will be green.. Ok, so maybe not a great ditty, but we haven’t stopped singing since we tried these fabulous diapers. A mix between cloth and disposables, the inner liner pops out and you can flush it – or get this… stick it in your compost bin to decompose within 3 months and give soil directly back to the earth. (Add this to our fun list of things to do with kids in the garden). For those of you who are mortally offended, not only by the landfill factor of using disposable diapers, but by constantly seeing Elmos and princesses on your dear one’s tush, these are the solution.

Famous Adopted People

FAM, kids By Jill Amery July 20, 2009 Tags: Adopted, celebrities, famous adopted kids, famous adoptees No Comments

Adopted Celebrities There are many famous faces who have been adopted over the centuries.

Though by no means a complete list, there are many celebrities and thinkers who were raised by parents other than their biological ones. After reading this list of successful people, maybe you’ll want to get adopted too! (Or at least try your luck at first lady.)

Finding Summer Childcare

LIVE, play By Jill Amery June 13, 2009 Tags: nannies, nanny, summer break, summer childcare 1 Comment

Summer Childcare WHEN: Start Early. Beware the ides of March…because after that, before you know it …It’s June 15th. Heads up, If you are looking for someone to start in June… you should start your search at the end of March. Great, organized, on the ball nannies/babysitters/employees will also be looking early. If you leave it to the last minute…pickings can get quite slim.

Get Creative for Father’s Day

Featured By Jill Amery June 7, 2009 Tags: dad gifts, fathers day, gifts fathers, just for dad, memorable father gifts No Comments

Are you ready? Why not skip the tie and cufflinks. Meaningful, special gifts could turn into heirlooms and make him smile for a whole year. We welcome you ideas as well, but for now, here are a few of ours…

1. Find an artist and get a painting or sketch made from his favourite photograph.

Cut it up

EAT, snacks By Jill Amery June 6, 2009 Tags: baby food, baby food pieces, choking baby food, cut up food 1 Comment

We’re a bit lazy. But clever. The next time you need to cut up some of the baby’s food, don’t get out the cutting board and knife, then chop off your manicured nails while getting the pieces small enough for your little princess. Put the food in a bowl and cut it up with scissors held vertically. Throw them in the dishwasher and voila! Manicure saved. You can also do this with our easy first foods ideas, and freeze small pieces instead of puree.

Scissors are also a great way to get kids involved in the kitchen. Even child-safe scissors are a great option, held vertically, to chop cooked carrots or beans into tiny pieces.

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