A New Way To Give Back

We have found a really neat way to giveback and donate to deserving charities and we wanted to share it with all of our readers.  Maybe you're someone whose New Years Resolution was to give more to charity? If so, then this is for you. Dollar Per Month™ is a social giving site that you can impact the bottom line of charities by giving just $1 per month.    

This month, Dollar Per Month™ (DPM™) has announced it’s three charity partnerships for January 2013. The online non-profit fundraising site raises money for different charity partners every month, by having members donate as little as a dollar per month to their selected organizations. Proceeds from January membership donations will go to Generation Rescue, Giving ChildrenHope, and Kids in Need Foundation.   One of the founders of DPM, is Doug Clerget. You may recognize him from Emily Maynards season of The Bachelorette. At Binsi, we love Doug! Send him a tweet to @DougClerget.

Our favorite of the three charities listed in January is Generation Rescue.  They are the leading national organization that provides hope, information and immediate treatment assistance to families affected by autism spectrum disorders.  Jenny McCarthy is one of their biggest supporters, “I remember the day Evan was diagnosed with autism like it was yesterday. The doctor told me there was no hope or help for him. Thankfully I found Generation Rescue and was inspired by the parents before me to find a different answer” says McCarthy.  You can even enter to win one of her novels by CLICKING HERE.

Doug Clerget, co-founder of DPM™ says that "DollarPerMonth.org is a unique way to give to charity because it handpicks deserving charities monthly and quickly and conveniently presents them to our members, who often have busy lifestyles. More importantly, our members are exposed to new and important charity organizations they may not have been aware of previously.”

Each month, DPM™ selects three charities for their members to vote on. DPM™ then posts information about the charities to help members evaluate each and make their decision of which organization should receive their monthly donation. DPM™ has already carefully investigated and evaluated all three charities to ensure the charities are reputable, legitimate, making a positive impact on the world and that the vast majority of donations will go directly to the cause. After reviewing the charities, members vote for their favorite charity. The winning charity receives 50% of the community donations, the 2nd charity receives 30%, and the 3rd charity receives 20% – no charity loses!

To sign up as a member to donate to these great non-profits, please visit www.DollarPerMonth.org.

Holly Madison Is Expecting!

Holly Madison
Photo Credit CLICK HERE.

BINSI was excited to hear the news that Holly Madison is expecting with her boyfriend, Pasquale Rotella, the Electronic Daisy Carnival and Insomniac Events founder.  The Peepshow dancer and star of Holly’s World first broke the news to US WEEKLY in August of 2012.  Since the big announcement Madison has been sharing photos of herself and her growing baby belly online, telling US WEEKLY “Damn! My belly popped out of nowhere!”   Madison and Rotella are expecting a baby girl, and she is “really excited about decorating the nursery. We’ve already started buying things”  she said.

At BINSI, we love sharing our brand with great moms-to-be.  We sent a gift package over to Holly and Pasquale. Along with some girly girl dancewear for their future little dancer, and a little owl rattle, we wanted Holly to have all of our essential BINSI items.  Check out the labor and birth products we sent Holly, including:

1.     The BINSI® PrimaMama Birth Skirt®-  A great under belly fit skirt, perfect for maternity wear, labor and birthing.  Covers your rear when in the hospital for the more conservative mommy.

2.     The BINSI® Go Go Birth Bra™-  A perfect little sports bra for the mommy to be, or new mom.  Designed with adjustable front hoods and side snaps to accommodate medical equipment.  Allows immediate access for skin to skin contact which is a great way to bond with your baby and encourage breastfeeding.  

3.     The BINSI® Thankini™ Birth Tank™ -  This special little top is made for moms who want extra coverage and fabulous features. Once you’ve worn it you’ll be so thankful you found it!  Designed with breathability in mind and accommodates any medical equipment you may need or choose.   The top straps easily clip off for instant breast feeding and skin to skin time with your baby.

Join us in congratulating Holly and Pasquale on their growing family.  Tweet with the momma-to-be Holly Madison @HollyMadison, follow her blog athollymadison.com or LIKE her official Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/HollyMadison.

Read more: http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-moms/news/pregnant-holly-madison-my-belly-got-big-overnight-2012411#ixzz2BaAdmGE9

The Golden Bow

Our team at BINSI is proud to support UNICEF and the Golden Bow. Please join us in sharing it on your own blogs, website and social media. Protect, promote and support breastfeeding!

Why do we use The Golden Bow as the symbol for breastfeeding protection, promotion and support?

It's Meaning and Purpose:

Many social change efforts have used ribbons and pins to create a sense of belonging to a social movement. While The Golden Bow serves this purpose, but it is unique in that it is not simply a symbol for social change, but carries many meanings within its own design. The Golden Bow is, in and of itself, a lesson in the protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding.

Gold: The use of the gold colour for the bow symbolises that breastfeeding is the gold standard for infant feeding, against which any other alternative should be compared and judged.

A Bow: Why do we use a bow, rather than the looped ribbon of most campaigns? Each part of the bow carries a special message:

One loop represents the mother.

The other loop represents the child.

The ribbon is symmetrical, telling us the mother and child are both vital to successful breastfeeding - neither is to the left nor to the right, signifying neither is precedent, both are needed.

The knot is the father, the family and the society. Without the knot, there would be no bow; without the support, breastfeeding cannot succeed. The ribbons are the future: the exclusive breastfeeding for six months,a nd continued breastfeeding for 2 years or more with appropriate complmentary feeding, and the delay of the next birth, preferably for 3 years or more, to give the mother and child time together to recover and to grow, respectively, and to five the mother the time she needs to provide active care for the health, growth and development of this child.

Origins: While we have not been able to identify the origins of this symbolism, it has been in scattered use for about 8-10 years.

Much has been written about breastfeeding as "the gold standard" for infant feeding (http://www.naba-breastfeeding.org will soon carry an article first published in 1995 on this issue).

The Future: UNICEF is proud to launch this symbol and educational campaign on the 12th anniversary of the Innocenti Declaration. Please wear it proudly, and tell everyone who asks of its many meanings.

Enter To Win A BINSI Skirt!

We are excited to announce our next BINSI giveaway. We're giving away a BINSI Birth Skirt of your choice.  It's easy to enter on our Rafflecopter widget.   You'll get entries for:

* Visiting our blog and leaving a comment.

* Subscribing to our blog.

* Following @BirthinBinsi and @BirthBinsi on Twitter.

* Tweeting our message on Twitter.

* Liking us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/BirthBinsi

* Signing up as a Buddee on Brandbuddee.com for free at: http://brandbuddee.com/campaign/4157326

Terms and Conditions:

Contest ends November 30th, 2012. No cash value. Void where prohibited. One prize per person awarded. Value is a maximum of $65. Winner will be able to select size and prize will be mailed to them at no charge.

CEM + Binsi  gives a complete release of Facebook + Twitter by each entrant or participant in this contest. We acknowledges that this promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook or Twitter. Participants are providing information to CEM + BINSI and not to Facebook or Twitter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

BINSI Partners With Brandbuddee to Reward You!

BINSI is excited to announce that we have partnered with Brandbuddee.com to reward our most active BINSI social media fans with $35 free towards our website!

How does it work?

Brandbuddee is a social media discovery and content distribution platform that rewards you as a “buddee” to discover interesting stories from your favorite brands {like us!} and share it on social media. Have you ever wanted to be the first to know what we’re doing at BINSI? Have you ever wanted to be the one that got rewarded when you shared something you thought was cool on Facebook or Twitter? Have you ever wanted to be recognized and treated like royalty from the brands you love, including BINSI? Here is your opportunity!

Sign up at BrandBudde as a “buddee” for free and by sharing stories about the brands you love {including us!}, you can earn many different types of rewards. BINSI is a freatured brand on BrandBuddee, earn 50 points and you’ll earn $35 to use on our website, just like a free gift card! 

Right now, BrandBuddee is something that everybody is talking about, sign-up today to get in on the fun. Their commitment to the social media market is to ensure that you get exclusive content and rewards from brands you love.   And, they provide brands like us, an opportunity to have our story shared by the people that matter most to us, YOU!

So, tell your friends and get on board with Brandbuddee today. You never know what your favorite brands are up to unless you’re subscribed and you’ll never get the rewards or exclusive access Brandbuddee provides unless you’re on the list. :)

How to Redeem Your BrandBuddee Reward From BINSI.

Once you have signed up as a BrandBuddee user, there is a limit of one $35 reward per user. Once you earn 50 points as a Buddee, you'll receive an email directly from BrandBuddee with a unique redemption code that you can use online, on our BINSI website. Offer not valid for merchandisers who carry our brand. You can share on your social media networks as many times as you would like until you earn the reward, but they are given out on a first come, first serve basis. This prize is valued at approximately $35 and cannot be transferred or redeemed for a cash value. By reaching the minimum point value, you will receive the reward.  Brandbudde and BINSI have capped the rewards to 10 total Buddee’s that will receive the $35 gift, so hurry and earn yours today!

Click HERE to sign up onBrandBuddee. 

Please note: BrandBuddee is a new platform still in a “beta test”. This means there may be occasional “bugs” or user issues. Please report these issues directly to BrandBuddee. If you feel you have earned the “reward” and were not contacted you may contact our team at BINSI as well.

Also, if you have attempted to access Brandbudee and were alerted that their “beta test” is full, contact us and we’ll get you access to the BINSI reward. Email mailehager at yahoo.com for access.

Thank you and HAVE FUN!

Hurricane Sandy Babies: Myths and Realities

Courtesy Robyn Moreno

Robyn Moreno and her husband were evacuated from lower Manhattan during Hurricane Sandy on October 29, 2012, only two weeks away from her due date.

A NOTE FROM BINSI-

Susan Donaldson James is one of our favorite journalists that we at BINSI enjoy following. She is a Pulitzer Traveling Fellow and often writes for ABC News.  

We were both excited and saddened to read the stories about women giving birth during the storm known as “Sandy”.  We are strong advocates of natural childbirth and find it to be very scary that fewer and fewer doctors are getting training in the experience of natural childbirth vs. medical childbirth that requires all the conveniences of a modern hospital. Had more doctors had training in natural or at home childbirths, there would have been less problems preparing for all the babies that came during hurricane Sandy. None-the-less, we appreciate Susan Donaldson James and her coverage of “hurricane Sandy Babies.”

By SUSAN DONALDSON JAMES

Oct. 30, 2012

Robyn Moreno, due to give birth, paid little attention to Hurricane Sandy, until police circled her Battery Park City neighborhood in Lower Manhattan and ordered mandatory evacuations in anticipation of a record tidal surge.

Just before the historic storm hit New York City, the 36-year-old freelance writer and her husband had talked about taking a short vacation in the Hamptons, on Long Island's East End, before the baby arrived.

"I was looking forward to a relaxing week," said Moreno. "We fixed the nursery, and put the crib together and suddenly the big rainstorm came. Holy cow – what are we going to do? I am going to have a baby in the middle of a storm, and I live in Zone A?"

Read the entire article by CLICKING HERE.

Molly Mesnick Has BINSI!

Jason & Molly Mesnick

BINSI was excited to hear the news through People Magazine, that Jason and Molly Malaney Mesnick are expecting their first child together in March 2013.  On October 11^th, 2012 Molly announced she was just entering into her second trimester and told people magazine she “feels really good”.  Jason and Molly met on season 13 of ABC’s The Bachelor, and later settled down in Seattle, got engaged, and then married in February of 2010.

At BINSI, we love sharing our brand with great moms-to-be.  We sent a gift package over to Molly. We wanted her to have all of our essential BINSI items.  Check out the labor and birth products we sent Molly, including:

1.     The BINSI® PrimaMama Birth Skirt®-  A great under belly fit skirt, perfect for maternity wear, labor and birthing.  Covers your rear when in the hospital for the more conservative mommy.

2.     The BINSI® Go Go Birth Bra™-  A perfect little sports bra for the mommy to be, or new mom.  Designed with adjustable front hoods and side snaps to accommodate medical equipment.  Allows immediate access for skin to skin contact which is a great way to bond with your baby and encourage breastfeeding.  

3.     The BINSI® Thankini™ Birth Tank™ -  This special little top is made for moms who want extra coverage and fabulous features. Once you’ve worn it you’ll be so thankful you found it!  Designed with breathability in mind and accommodates any medical equipment you may need or choose.   The top straps easily clip off for instant breast feeding and skin to skin time with your baby.

Join us in congratulating Molly, and encouraging her through her pregnancy! Tweet with her @MollyMesnick or LIKE her official Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/Molly-Mesnick.

 

Want some free BINSI products of your own? Head over to our BINSI facebook page for updates on Enter To Win contests from BINSI. http://www.facebook.com/BirthBinsi

Announcing Our Facebook Giveaway Winner

Thank you to everyone who shared our contest on Facebook! We agreed that when there were 25 total "shares" we'd give away a basic BINSI skirt of your choice!

We held a random drawing and "Encourage. Empower. Educate" is our winner! Thank you for your entry. Please contact Maile to claim your prize. You can email her at mailehager at yahoo dot com.

You can check out their entry at https://www.facebook.com/Encourage.Empower.Educate.

Disclosure:

• BINSI gives a complete release of Facebook by each entrant or participant in this contest.
• BINSI acknowledges that this promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.
• Participants are providing information to BINSI and not to Facebook.

Trying to Take Back Childbirth

A Note From Carri:

It is very scary that fewer and fewer doctors are getting training and experience in natural childbirth. It only widens the gap between natural and medical childbirth, and I think is a huge disservice to women. I live in a very open and natural birthing community, but I know that is not true everywhere. I had to seek medical care for my daughter in upstate New York and I thought the doctor was going to call child services because I gave birth to my daughter at home and was not on schedule for all of my vaccinations. I couldn't wait to get home and near the doctors that I trust, and allow me (without condemnation) to do what I believe is best for myself and my children. I am inspired whenever I hear of women going outside the box and birthing the way that is best for them. It takes incredible amounts of power and confidence, and you ladies pave the way for many more women in the future!

By SUSAN DONALDSON JAMES
July 28, 2008

Pregnant with her first child, Julie Speier prepared to deliver with the help of a midwife at a New York City birthing center. But in June -- three weeks before the due date and 600 miles from home -- her water broke.

To read the rest of this article click here

A Tale of Two Births: The Baby-Friendly Rap

Wait! Don’t Wash That Newborn!

Posted by Jennifer Azzariti

Do you ever watch a television show where a baby is born and laugh as they hand the new mom a clean, approximately 8-week old baby? Most people are well-aware that babies are born with a slimy mucus-like covering on them. For years, I just assumed it was from being inside the mom’s uterus—leftover amniotic fluid or something that surrounded the baby while in the uterus. Well, it has a name—vernix. And by definition, it’s “a white cheeselike protective material that covers the skin of a fetus.” But, what is it, and why do babies have it?

To read the rest of this article click here.

5 Ways to Get Through a Long Labor

By Robin Elise Weiss, LCCE, About.com Guide

While the average length of a first labor is typically 12-18 hours, not including inductions, there are labors that last longer. Some labors last longer because of physical issues, the baby moving into a better position, mom’s body opening. Other labors are longer because of emotional issues like fear of your surroundings or of becoming a parent, or that your husband won’t make it on time. These can be very real things. For the women who have to deal with lengthy labors, it sounds like it’s a lot of pain. Though having had six labors of my own, I’ve had a wide variety of times: (in order) 36 hours, 45 hours, 8 hours, 11 hours, 4 hours, 2-3 hours, and 45 hours. The easiest labor was actually my 45 hour labor. The reason? Because I managed my labor well. And I’ve also seen it happen many other times in my time as a doula. So here are tips on making the most of a longer labor.

To read the rest of this wonderful article click here.

Is a Painful Childbirth all in Your Head?

This is a question that is massively poignant to me, and isn't one that I ask lightly. Seasoned medical professionals and women who have experienced painful births are no doubt baring their teeth. Whilst I don't wish to trample on their experience, I am due to give birth in six weeks and I'm hoping that the title to this piece may be truer than we are currently able to anticipate.

To read the rest of this article click here.

A Home for Births

By opening a freestanding birth center, perinatologist Steve Calvin is determined to make maternity care more satisfying for women and cost effective.
By Kim Kiser

Standing on a sidewalk on Chicago Avenue in south Minneapolis, Steve Calvin, M.D., is at the intersection of high-tech and high-touch health care. Behind him is the 100-year-old Victorian home he bought two years ago and turned into a freestanding birth center—a place where women can deliver their babies in much the same tradition as their great grandmothers. Across the street, a crane is busy at work on construction of the Mother-Baby Center on the campus of Children’s and Abbott Northwestern hospitals—a place where women will have access to some of the most sophisticated maternal and neonatal services in the Twin Cities.

To read the rest of this article click here.

As January Jones admits to eating her own placenta, experts reveal the health benefits (and the cooking instructions)

By Victoria Wellman
January Jones has certainly been mysterious about the paternity of her son, but one thing she hasn't been shy to admit is how she ate her own placenta following his birth.

Eating the placenta however, is not an uncommon practice these days, and has become something of a trend among new mothers interested in the much talked about health benefits.

To read the rest of this article click here.

"Pregnant and I Know It" MUSIC VIDEO (Parody of "Sexy and I Know It")

It's a Baby, Not a Gallon Of Milk

If your baby’s date has come and gone fear not! Your baby is just not ready yet. If you find your self in this place, now is a good time to:

To read the rest of this article click here.

The Most Scientific Birth Is Often the Least Technological Birth

When I ask my medical students to describe their image of a woman who elects to birth with a midwife rather than with an obstetrician, they generally describe a woman who wears long cotton skirts, braids her hair, eats only organic vegan food, does yoga, and maybe drives a VW microbus. What they don't envision is the omnivorous, pants-wearing science geek standing before them.

To read the rest of this article click here.

Apologies To The Parents I Judged Four Years Ago

By Kara Gebhart Uhl from The Huffington Post

To the Parents I Knew Four Years Ago: I'm Sorry

I have come to realize many things since having three children. For example, I now know that I can read "We're Going on a Bear Hunt" seven times in a row without going insane. No matter what people say, throw-up is throw-up and I don't care if it is my daughter who is throwing up but her throw-up makes me want to throw up. I am a really fast diaper changer. And it's true: love does not split, but grows with additional children.

To read the rest of this article click here.

Set Up a Birth Altar For Focus and Guidance During Labor

When prepping for birth, there are so many medical and physical factors to consider – but your emotional state is also something that is incredibly important. Along with learning deep breathing, and methods such as Hypnobithing to help you through labor, there are things you can put together to help give you focus as well. One of those things is a ‘birth altar.’

To read the rest of this article click here.