By Heather Lopez

One day I received a beautiful package in the mail and I thought to myself that this must be a giveaway for the event I was holding in February, but secretly praying it was a belated birthday present for me. I found out that it was neither. What it was was a shipment from Club de Bebe. They were sending it to me to do a product review, but had neglected to tell me that before sending it. Christine, one of the companies founding sisters sent me an e-mail about a day or so later and I was pleasantly surprised.

                          

                                           

The first thing I came across was the Peaceful Mama Tea by Earth Mama Angel Baby. It is a relaxing tea, safe for pregnancy. The next thing up was a cd entitled "Your Present: A Half Hour of Peace" and I thought to myself,"How nice! Now if only I could get away from the kids for a half hour..." Next up was a cucumber calming candle from Bella Mama. It was very pretty, but definitely didn't smell like cucumber. The smell is a little strong until it burns and the scent does calm you down. There was also a face and body spritzer and citrus bath salts. They definitely had a different smell to them. And the piece de resistance:
 

By Theresa Gould

The Prego Planner is a neat little planner that is probably best suited for first-time moms. It comes in a binder that includes a calendar, OB/GYN/Midwife section, a section for Pediatrician research and appointments once baby arrives, a checklist section for your newborn, a gift list to keep track of all the wonderful things friends, family and co-workers supply for your new family member. Finally, the last section is for labor and delivery, which includes a place to record your birthing class notes, your birth plan, your preparation checklist, a place to record your thoughts of baby’s birth (weight, height, apgar etc.), a call list, a post delivery checklist and postpartum checklist.

This planner is very thorough and I can see it being of help to husband’s too, especially the checklists for birth, call list etc.

I love the poems and saying on each of the section dividers. The calendar gives an expectant mom a place to record when she hears baby’s heartbeat, feels his/her first movements, appointments etc. The Prego Planner is definitely a handy little tool to keep everything pregnancy related together in one place instead of scrounging around for little pieces of paper that may be in multiple places.

If you are already use to using a planner, then transitioning to a pregnancy planner won’t be a problem. But if you are new to using a planner, then it might take a bit of time to get use to recording everything, at least at first. Most expectant first-time moms want to remember all the wonderful things they experience and the Prego Planner just makes it that much easier to do so.

I like the idea of the Prego Planner and think it would have been more useful in my first pregnancy. Since this is my eighth live (actually my 13^th pregnancy) I actually haven’t found it as useful as I thought I would.  I think that is because I know what to expect, what to plan for and have most of my baby items already.  Plus, our family tends to do things differently now than when we were first starting our family.

You can win one for yourself this month (April), if you stop by our monthly giveaways page and complete the entry form.

Editor's Note: The planner comes in zebra, dressy, and brown and is made by Braelyn Bounty Bug. The above picture is of the dressy planner. Additionally, unlike most planners, this one is a small-sized binder that you can fit in a purse, as well as remove and/or replace pages.

By Shiloah Baker

It is very refreshing to have companies now recognizing the pregnant woman and her nutritional needs.  When I received the Be Nice drink mixes to try, I was very impressed with the fact that not only it is a refreshing drink mix to put in a water bottle on the go, but that it contains DHA, folic acid, B-complex vitamins and minerals.  In addition, it is sweetened with Stevia and not artificial and harmful sweeteners. 

B vitamins can give you a natural energy lift and are an essential vitamin for women.  I have two children with autism and another one with a neurological disorder called SID or SPD.  Currently, I am pregnant with my eighth child.  My naturopathic doctor strongly emphasizes the importance of my taking DHA for the growing baby, especially because I have two children in the autism spectrum.  All pregnant women should supplement their diets with DHA for the healthy brain growth of their unborn child.  There just isn’t enough DHA in the typical American diet today.

The Be Nice drink mixes come in two flavors: lemonade and berrylicious which is a blend of strawberry and blueberry.  Mix the drink in 16 ounces of water (a water bottle for an on-the-go drink.)  I enjoyed the berrylicious flavor, but for some reason (call it sensitive pregnant mama) I could taste a slight aftertaste of fish (DHA) in the lemonade.  After trying such a positive product for pregnant women and knowing the benefits I’m a new “Be Nice” customer. 

By Heather Lopez

 I was contacted by Cherry Pharm to do a review of their tart cherry juice. They informed me that up until now, they had been marketing their juice to athletes because of the juice's potent combination of nutrients, but they had also discovered that the juice could be very useful for new & expecting moms. I agreed to review their juice with no other compensation other than the samples to try out. 

Facts: The juice is not from concentrate. It contains anthocyanins, flavanols & flavonols, plant hormones, phenolic acids, vitamins & minerals, and terpenes. It contains more polyphenols than acai, blueberry, noni, & pomegranate. Studies have shown that cherries can reduce pain, lower cholesterol, and inhibit tumor growth.

My thoughts: The first juice I tried was the "Natural Light Tart Cherry Juice Drink." True to its name, this juice is tart. My tongue had a slight tinging sensation. There was also a slight cherry flavor. The bottle says that the 8oz drink is only 90 calories and is equivalent to 40 cherries.

Next I tried the "Natural Health Tart Cherry Juice with Reconstituted Apple Juice" This one was even more tart than the light one. This one boasts the equivalency of drinking 50 cherries and only 130 calories. The cherry flavor was much more apparent in this drink, almost a dark cherry flavor.

Last up was the "All-Natural Juice + Protein" drink. This drink also contains the 50 cherries, 160 calories, and 8g of protein. The overall flavor came off as a combination between the strong tart flavor and a hint of those protein drinks you get at a GNC.

Overall, the strong tart sensation made it hard for me to finish the drinks. I must admit that I am slightly biased as I am not much for natural cherry flavored anything, so this made it even harder for me to drink. Compared to the deep rotten berry flavor of acai, the strong tartness of cranberries, or the hold your nose and down'em pomegranate samples I tried at Costco, I would say that these drinks taste better and give you more bang for your buck if you are going for healthy. If you are not one for drinking the health drinks though, you might want to prepare your tongue as if you were about to bite into a lemon. Cherry Pharm offers a $9.99 sample pack of four 8oz bottles (like the one I tried out) with free shipping on their website, so you can see for yourself if their juice is right for you.    

By Abbey Fatica

If you are in the stage of your life where you are nursing a baby then the Undercover Mama is definitely something that you need to invest in. You don’t want to be stuck at home all the time when you need to nurse the baby but you also want to keep a little modesty when out in public. The Undercover Mama is great for this because it is a shirt that attaches to your nursing bra to function as an undershirt to keep your belly and back covered while breastfeeding. You will feel like you are wearing a regular cami under you shirt, but when you need to nurse you still just have to undo the flap on your bra and Undercover Mama opens with it- No extra flaps or hooks to deal with each time. Undercover Mama’s generous length make them great to layer under your shirts and allow you to nurse comfortably.

When I got the Undercover Mama in the mail last week, I was so excited to try it out. I had two occasions this week where I was going to be visiting with family members and knew that I would have to nurse the baby while they were around. I hate being quarantined to the bedroom or other room just because I have to whip out my boob and then the rest of me is showing as well. It’s no fun being alone when the rest of the family is out socializing in the other room. With the Undercover Mama, I was able to feel comfortable nursing the baby while being able to hold a conversation without feeling exposed to the world. I love this product because I can wear a non nursing shirt on top because the Undercover Mama is there to cover you up!

So for all you MoMs out there who want to nurse your baby in public but don’t want to show the world your belly then you need to check out the Undercover Mama.

BUY IT: Check out Undercover Mama on Living My MoMent to find out how you can purchase this product!

WIN IT: This month, Undercover Mama is giving away a coupon for a free shirt of your choice. Go to our giveaways page to enter.

Several of our product review team members got to review the Preggie Pops & Drops, made by Three Lollies. Here is what they wrote: 

Shiloah Baker

"What are Preggie Pops?

Preggie Pops are naturally flavored and specially formulated lollipops made for pregnant women. For generations, women have sought out certain natural therapies to ease morning sickness. Preggie Pops offer relief via a combination of essential oils, aromatherapy and our unique delivery system."-Source: Three Lollies

I have been given the opportunity to try and review the Preggie Pops and Drops. I have used the Preggie drops in past pregnancies with good success so I was excited to try them again with this pregnancy. This beautiful baby in utero is giving me lots of nausea.

I love the preggy drops and pops for quick calories when I'm out and about and my blood sugar gets low too. Preggie Drops and Pops are drug free and all natural. The ingredients are: Brown Rice Syrup, Evaporated Cane Juice, Citric Acid, Natural Flavors (made with essential oils), and Natural Colors. The flavors include: Sour Raspberry, Sour Lemon and Sour Tangerine. My favorite is the sour raspberry.

The Preggie Pops also includes ginger for nausea. If you get the variety pack it also includes peppermint, spearmint and lavender. I used these in the past and enjoyed the lavender flavor.  They also have organic Preggie Pops.

It is so nice to have special products for pregnant mothers, especially products that are made naturally.  It is especially wonderful to have products that are drug free to help with nausea.  Love the Preggie Drops and Pops!

Shelagh Cummins

There is nothing worse than morning sickness.  In fact, I don't know why it is called morning sickness.  When I was pregnant with The Girl it was morning, noon, evening and nighttime sickness.  I was one of the lucky ones though.  I wasn't a vomitter.  I was a dry-heaver.  I would walk into a store, get a whiff of any random smell and start dry heaving on demand.  Walking down the street was great fun, past the hot dog vendors.. dry heaving.  People would keep well away as I waddled down the street, dry heaving.  

I was out shopping for new maternity clothes one day when something caught my eye.  And when your pregnant, and nauseous, and a food source that is appealing catches your eye - you go for it.  Preggie Pops and Preggie Pop Drops. They jumped out at me, and I had popped one in my mouth before I had even paid for it.  And I immediately felt better.

The cynics in the crowd will say it's psychological.  But after 5 months of nausea... I did not care. Psychological or not... I was a convert.  I kept packs hidden in easy to locate spots; my purse, my desk, cupboard etc.. and when I couldn't stomach anything else, I would have Preggie Pop.  

So what are they, and how do they work?  Here's what the threelollies.com website says:

Childbirth educators have historically recommended sour flavored pops for labor because they were perceived to be less likely to exacerbate queasy stomachs. Lavender has been widely used in aroma therapy for relaxation and sometimes for upset stomach as well. Mint has long been used in both oral and aroma therapies for upset tummies. Ginger is an ancient remedy for tummy troubles and research shows that mint has been used for over a hundred years.We use the natural essences from these sources to flavor our Preggie Pops. For nausea caused by hypoglycemia, even the sugar and corn syrup in our pops can be effective. In fact even the mode of delivery is therapeutic as only a small amount is delivered to the stomach at a time. So, part of why Preggie Pops work rests on where your morning sickness is coming from, which is still rather poorly understood. The overwhelming response from our customers is that our special formulation does work for most women.

Here's the thing with pregnancy and nausea.  Your body is your own and you know what works for you.  I was at the point where I would honestly ingest an eye of a newt and a witches eyeball if it would make me feel better.  The Preggie Pops didn't make the nausea go away, but they absolutely helped and that was enough for me.

Lauren Jacobs

Struggling with morning sickness during your pregnancy? Looking for an easy, natural cure? Then steer clear of Preggie Pops and Preggie Pop Drops!!!

Made by Three Lollies, these natural candies seem harmless enough. All natural, made with brown rice syrup and cane juice, they look quite inviting and delicious. But once I put one in my mouth I was overwhelmed with the strong flavor. Granted, Ginger is a strong flavor to begin with, but I literally had to spit this Preggie Pop out before it made me sick!! If you're already dealing with morning sickness, why do you want to make it worse by sucking on one of these things?!

Not being one to write a review without fully testing the product, I tried the other flavors: Sour Raspberry, Green Apple, Sour Lemon, & Sour Tangerine are the flavors of the drops. Peppermint, Spearmint, Lavender, Ginger, Sour Lemon, Sour Tangerine, and Sour Raspberry are the flavors of the pops. Peppermint and Lavender were by far my favorites, maybe because they tasted like I expected them too. All of the other flavors were too overpowering. A few minutes after trying all of the flavors (mind you I just took a few licks of each and didn't finish them) the inside of my mouth was torn up. You know the feeling when you eat sour candy and the inside of your cheeks are raw and sore? Yeah, that happened with these...

I really wanted to like these, because I think many women are constantly battling nausea and are always looking for natural solutions. I made a sincere effort to like Preggie Pops & Drops, but I just couldn't bring myself to write a positive endorsement. I'll be sticking to Ginger or Peppermint tea and saltine crackers...

Suz Besecker

Preggie Pops

Thankfully, I never had to deal with morning sickness for either of my pregnancies. I threw up a grand total of four times with both of the girls. But morning sickness can effect up to 90% of pregnancies. With that fact in my head, I consider myself very blessed that I didn’t have to deal with it.

While I never up-chucked (what a great word, huh?), I did have that nauseous, icky feeling for half of my 2^nd trimester with Turtle. I tried everything to avoid that horrid feeling. I binged on crackers, I ate every two hours, and I napped every day. Nothing really worked.

I’d always heard of Preggie Pops, about how they can cure your morning sickness.

When I finally got my hands on some, I was delighted at how yummy they tasted. If you read the ingredients, your first thoughts may just be like mine: wholesome tends to be icky.

But not the Preggie Pops. The good for you, natural ingredients are actually that… good. While they are a tad bit sweet for my taste, I brought along some samples to our last play date at the park with some preggo friends and they loved them. 

From their website (link back to http://www.threelollies.com/): “Preggie Pops are naturally flavored and specially formulated lollipops made for pregnant women. For generations, women have sought out certain natural therapies to ease morning sickness. As healthcare professionals, we have developed a solution: convenient, delicious, high quality and all natural lollipops. Preggie Pops offer relief via a combination of essential oils, aromatherapy and our unique delivery system. In addition, our Preggie Pops alleviate dry mouth, provide quick calories and energy during labor, and are an overall soothing and comforting way to address the needs of pregnant women. Preggie Pops are also drug free and healthcare provider recommended.

Also from their website (link back to http://www.threelollies.com/): “Created by popular demand, our Preggie Pop Drops offer a more discreet form of our highly successful Preggie Pops. Preggie Pop Drops are an all natural remedy for morning sickness. Made for women searching for a drug free method to combat a queasy stomach in pregnancy, our products have met with great success. Developed by healthcare professionals these delicious sour fruit drops have the same special formulation used in Preggie Pops. Each flavor has been specially selected. This special recipe includes essential oils which not only provide an effective way to soothe the tummy, but also alleviate dry mouth and give you a quick energy boost. Pure enough to carry a Kosher certification and made in the USA.”

Preggie Pops and Drops can be purchased at local baby stores and online from their website (link back to http://www.threelollies.com/).

Theresa Gould

Last week, I received a surprise box in the mail because I somehow missed the memo that all the expectant mamas on The Healthy Moms Review Team would be receiving Preggie Pop Drops and Preggie Pops. It was a delighful surprise and came on a day I was experiencing some of my worst nausea in this pregnancy.

First of all both the Preggie Pop Drops, small fruit flavored hard candies and the Preggie Pops, medium sized fruit flavored lollipops, tasted very good. The only flavor I didn't particularly enjoy was the ginger flavored Preggie Pop. Loved the sour lemon, raspberry, tangerine, speriment, green apple, lavendar and peppermint.

I found that they did ward off the nausea, but only for a short time. I would need a large supply of both products to get me through the whole first trimester! That and I have a sweet tooth anyways!

I could see myself using the Preggie Pop Drops and Pops in early labor, but not during hard labor because I need to breathe and whistle (yep, I whistle).

The other nice thing about Preggie Pop Drops and Pops is that the ingredients include: brown rice syrup, evaporated cane juice, citric acid, natural flavors (made with essential oils) and natural colors. Now, usually I'd like to know what exactly the natural flavors and colors really are, but...they don't list them. Too bad.

These two products for being all natural are decently priced - $3.95 for a box of 7 Preggie Pops and $5.50 for 21 Preggie Pop Drops. They may be purchased at Three Lollies.

By Suz Besecker 

Normally women don’t encourage belly growth of any kind. Of course, when you first find out you are pregnant you wait and wait and wait for the first signs of a belly to appear. I remember when I was pregnant with Roo I would spend hours in the mirror checking for the slightest sign of a curve. With Turtle’s pregnancy my belly popped out immediately.

With both pregnancies I adored (and am still adoring) my belly. It’s such a sign of being a woman.

And of course as your belly grows, people starts asking how big around you are.

Enter the Mommy Measure.

By Abbey Fatica

1/25/2010: If you live in parts of the country where the weather gets super cold then you know how chapped your hands can get just walking the stroller from your car to the inside of the warm mall. Gloves are great but what happens when you have to pick up something quick that your baby just dropped and the best way to save it is with nimble hands. You are fidgeting to get your gloves off and by now the baby is screaming and the toy is wet and dirty and that's why you totally need to invest in the Mommy Mitten.

Mommy Mitten is a hand warmer that easily secures around the handle bar of your baby stroller to keep your hands protected from the elements without having to deal with clumsy, easy to lose gloves or mittens. And what a great product this is. I took the kids to the mall the other day and my Mommy Mitten came in handy when I to bend down and grab my daughter's glove to save it from the wet muck in the street. Another great use for the Mommy Mitten is on grocery carts. Those suckers can get bitter cold when they are sitting out in the parking lot. I hate taking my toddler's mittens into the store cause they always seem to get lost but she gets cold otherwise and complains about it. So I had her use the Mommy Mitten and it kept her hands warm and kept her entertained as well. 

I would recommend this product to any mom out there who needs the warmth of a glove but the convenience of your own bare hands. Thanks to Amy at Mommy Mitten for coming up with such an innovative and useful products for our Midwestern cold handed MoMs.

BUY IT: You can purchase your own Mommy Mitten for 29.99 on their website!

By Heather Lopez

So you really need to run to the store quickly and it shouldn't take your more than 5 minutes in and out, but it takes you 15 minutes to pack-up and lug around your regular diaper bag, on top of having to strap the baby into the car or stroller. Jeez! Who knew that adding a baby into the mix would make you carry around 2 bags and make you at least 15 minutes late to wherever you are going? Well, we found something really stylish and convenient to try and help with that little problem, The Diaper Clutch. It is small & cute, but really packs a hidden punch. When closed up, it is a small purse-sized item, with a wristlet. It actually holds 2 diapers and a small container of wipes just right. I have checked similar items and  they usually only fit 1 diaper safely, which does me no good because I have 2 in diapers. Plus, it has an ID holder to stash your license and some cash. And the Piece de Resistance, it's got a hidden diaper mat attached inside. The mat folds out to a a full-sized square large enough to lay your baby down. Plus, it comes with a fashionable fabric pattern, so you can be styling even while in the public bathroom changing a stinky diaper.

Okay, so I know what most of you are thinking. She's just telling me this product is great because they are paying her. But you are wrong. I did not get paid for this. I just got a sample that I got to testdrive. Trust me, the bag is going places. It was just featured on TV and even Sarah Jessica Parker loves it. Who knew that I'd get a chance to sport something that SJP was too! Can you say trendy? To top it off, it is made by a mompreneur like me named Laura Page. I love supporting mom-owned products and I was happy to get the chance to review her marvelous Diaper Clutch.

In the meantime, to prove that this is an honest assessment I also provide my suggestions for improvement: 

1. The ID tag could be alittle better quality. It is sort of like one of those plastic ID badges you get at a conference, with those little metal clip things from the lanyard badge holders. Perhaps a fabric edge on the plastic and a stronger clip would make this better.

2. The patterned fabric is on the opposite side of the mat, so when you are changing the diaper, no one can see the cute pattern on it. All you see is the plain black fleece, and the nice fabric might be getting dirt wherever you are laying them down to change them. On the one hand, the black protects from baby mishap stains and is soft for baby, but on the otherhand, Prissy Designs might want to consider using a patterned fleece and a solid material for the part that touches the the ground/table/etc.

3. Waterproofing & Longterm Durability: While this particular bag has strong denim and strong stitching to hold it together, I couldn't help but think that there should be some sort of plastic/ waterproof lining in between the fabric pieces to ensure that there are no soak-through accidents. 

Feel free to visit Prissy Designs and check out their other patterns!

Here's the skinny on the MYA Diaper Clutch I got to review:

We are accepting limited applications to be part of our product review team.  

Benefits for you:

• Get to receive products and services for free in exchange for completing a review.
• Can post your review on you own blog, if applicable.
• Be featured on our Happy and Healthy Mom Team page 

In order to be eligible, you must:

• Be 18 years of age or older.
• Be pregnant or have a child 1 year old or younger as of the date of application.
• Be willing to write an honest product review by deadlines provided without monetary compensation.
• Be willing to complete reviewer profile packet.

Application does not guarantee you a position on the review team. If approved, we will do our best to match you with products that best fit your demographics, but this does not guarantee you will receive anything.