Featured Women's Health & Wellness Bundle: Curated By Julie Spencer, DPT, from The Restoration Space
We’ve asked Julie Spencer, a women’s health and pelvic floor physical therapist in Bethlehem, PA, to curate-her-own Nurtured 9 gift box filled with maternity health and wellness items that she feels will support moms-to-be from a women’s health perspective.
“I have my own integrative health clinic and we have a large focus on pregnancy and postpartum (as well as other aspects of women’s health), called The Restoration Space. I have been building educational and informational offerings with Shehabilitation: the Women’s Health Hotspot, the goal of being a voice to share information and education for pregnant and postpartum women - especially things that we just don’t talk about, but should!” - Julie Spencer, DPT, The Restoration Space.
Here are Julie’s must-haves:
1. Baudelaire Dry Brush: Organizing our sensory system is key in calming down our sympathetic nervous system, more popularly known as that “fight or flight” response. Basically, it is a way to treat our anxieties and nervousness. Like taking calming breaths, or even a bath, the idea here is to bring ourselves and our bodies into a calming state. Breathing is amazing. But brushing gives us a grounding connection to our bodies as well as bringing us a sense of calm and relaxation. Brushing increases circulation which is amazing for the often-experienced leg and calf cramps during pregnancy. Oh, and bonus: brushing is amazing in exfoliating your skin which tends to dry up during pregnancy.
2. Kari Gran Essential Hydrating Lavender Tonic: Perfect for a refreshing moment in all 3 trimesters, during delivery AND postpartum. Hormones love to ravage our skin during pregnancy and for some can cause your skin to lose elasticity and moisture, despite the often-mentioned “pregnancy glow”. Enter facial spray. Also amazing for a post-workout refresher, or during and after a day outside. Additionally, lavender promotes relaxation and can aid in relieving symptoms of anxiety, depression, insomnia, eczema, and nausea. You’re welcome.
3. Nurtured 9 Maternity Robe: A robe may not seem like a very “PT/Women’s health” item, but I could not love the idea of this robe MORE! I have had 3 pregnancies resulting in 4 children (yes, twins!) and as I sat in the hospital, finally freshly showered, nothing made me feel more beautiful than laying in my pretty robe holding my gorgeous new bundle (or in some cases, bundles). There will be many non-showered days; and many days you won’t even remember if you showered or not. But put on this robe you remove the clothes that made it through diaper blowouts and spit ups (and a spritz of the Lavender tonic we mentioned above) and you will feel like a new woman. At least for a few minutes ;). And THAT is very “PT/Women’s health. And of course, it is the perfect nursing accessory, easy to open, and a “cinch” to close.
4. Earth Mama Organic Nipple Butter: Pregnant nipples seem to dry out even BEFORE the baby is born! But if you choose to nurse your new little bundle, it is inevitable that the learning process will lead to cracked irritated nipples and breast tissue. When that happens, Nipple Butter becomes your new best friend; you won’t know how you’d live without it. And don’t worry about wasting any, the beauty of this nipple butter is that you can use it on any dry patches (hello hormone-induced eczema), cuticles, lips, elbows, heels…I’ve even used it as diaper cream in a pinch!
5. Nurtured 9 Birthing Mantra Cards: These are everything. In fact, not only are they beautiful, mindful and empowering reminders during your labor, but they are beautiful, mindful and empowering reminders on the days when you are exhausted, sleep-deprived, feeling alone, feeling like you don’t even know what day it is. Because all of that is common; it will likely happen. And these cards will remind you that you, mama, are everything.
BONUS: 6. If I had one more, I would add the bkr Glass + Silicone Water Bottle, because staying hydrated is so super important during pregnancy and postpartum.
We love these maternity health and wellness gifts! Thanks for sharing, Julie. You can find her on Instagram @therestorationspace and @shehabilitation.