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February Heartful Thanks

February, the month we celebrate the magic of the heart.

I will be blogging about Valentines Day, Love, and Cardiac Health.

I have been studying how stress affects our health and our hearts. And I have to tell you, it can make you a little stressed knowing how much our lifestyles influence our well being. I remind myself not to become paranoid when I am researching women’s health issues like heart health and breast cancer.

However, today after a morning cup of coffee my heart did a little racing. It probably has every morning, but today I noticed it. I found myself waiting apprehensively for my ticker to find its rightful rhythm. Yes, my little power friend, beating away faithfully 100,800 times a day; pumping the life giving nourishment throughout my body. I usually take its’ work for granted, but today I am grateful, appreciative, for the amazing job my heart does for me. And I agreed to take good care of myself and to help it keep ticking for a few more decades.

So with heartfelt thanks, take a deep breath with me, eat your veggies, and remember “A merry heart is like good medicine.” To see more Heart Comfort Facts.

Comfort for Preemies

November is Prematurity Awareness month and we wanted to share how Comfort Silkie makes a difference for preemies in the NICU. As a Comfort Therapist and founder of Comfort Silkie company I design products and education that empower parents to soothe their babies in the NICU. For the past two decades, bringing comfort to precious preemies and their parents has been our mission. The NICU can be an intimidating and heart rendering environment. Simple comfort techniques make life-long emotional markers for both baby and parents. Comfort Silkie’s Original patented Security Blanket is recommended by Neonatologists and NICU Nurses around the country to enhance bonding and create a scent connection. This small comfort blanket is designed with special features that soothe: The cuddly flannel feels like soft skin and the silkie satin feels like the fluid within the womb. The small, light weight size is easy to work with and easily absorbs parent’s unique comfort scent. The Comfort Silkie encourages normal nurturing interaction and help parents feels connected and close to baby. The Comfort Silkie encourages self comfort behaviors that will continue with baby’s ongoing care and development.

Additional Preemie recommended products: The Silkie Nest: Provides soft boundaries and silkie comfort touch. Infant Swaddler: Designed to comfort “womb wrap” baby: preemie and regular size. Comfort Message Isolette/Blanket Cover: Write your love message on the satin side and use to cover isolate. When baby leaves the NICU it can be used as a blanket and memory item.

Comforting Your Precious Preemie:
Click here for Comfort Tips for Preemie Babies and Their Parents.

- The Mother of Comfort

www.comfortsilkie.com

"I bring high risk babies into this world, but I am glad to know that we have such a valuable partner in Comfort Silkie." Dr D. Adair, Director of Maternal Fetal Medicine

"Nothing can replace a parent’s love and gentle embrace, but Comfort Silkie is the next best thing. I am a NICU nurse, babies need comforting and soothing touch especially under stress, such as prematurity or other life threatening medical problems. Comfort is a powerful medical treatment." P. Ferenbacher RN

"My baby was born at 25 weeks gestation. I took a Comfort Silkie to her while she was in the NICU for 4.5 months. It was so soft and soothing for her to lay on and even though she couldn’t be home with us she had her mommy’s scent with her. I love your products!" C.K.

“I am Neonatal RN, your Comfort Silkie’s are the perfect thing for our tiny babies.” A. Qick RN

The Comfort Silkie:

Winner of the JPMA Award and National Parenting Center of Approval
Supporting and addressing psychosocial needs within the NICU environment.

Comfort Silkie has been a part of the healing environment of many NICUs across the country and Foundations that support Preemie Care. Including: Graham's Foundation, Jim Moro Foundation, The Bearman, Rook, and Ganahl Family Foundations, Loma Linda University, Children’s Hospitals, Rockford Memorial, and St. Joseph Hospital.

Bringing Comfort and Joy.

Especially at Christmas, we have NICU families that purchase a Comfort Silkie for every baby in their NICU. Find out how you can be apart of bringing Comfort Silkie to your local NICU or support a Foundation working with preemies by emailing me at jeanelle@comfortsilkie.com or call 800.266.2229.

Comfort Silkie & Celebration of Babies

Award Recipient Donna Holloran & Jeanelle Troncone

Comfort Silkie was a part of the March of Dimes Celebration of Babies at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills. I had the joy of seeing my friend Donna Holloran of Baby Group receive the prestigious March of Dimes Community Award. It was a star studded event recognizing the need to join the fight for preemies. Through the years Comfort Silkie has been a part of bringing comfort to many tiny lives and their parents. So it was a privilege to have Comfort Silkie be part of the Celebration of Babies Luxury Boutique.

Halle Berry, Hank Azaria, and Nicole Richie and other celebrity parents attended the event to champion the health of babies during Prematurity Awareness Month. Some of our favorite celebrity families that have had premature babies have personally seen the difference that Comfort Silkie can make. The Comfort Silkie Security Blanket is used in Neonatal Intensive Care Units across the country helping parents bond and make a scent connection with their precious preemie.

Even in this difficult economic time babies are born premature and their parents need our continued support and comfort. Comfort Silkie is dedicated to this mission – Find out how you can be apart of bringing Comfort Silkie to your local NICU or support a Foundation working with preemies by emailing me at Jeanelle@comfortsilkie.com. We'll be sharing more about this event and our comfort mission throughout the month of November. Comfort Silkie - Supporting Healthy Mamas & Healthy Babies

Comfort for Breast Cancer

We are coming to the end of October the Breast Cancer Awareness month. Unfortunately, we have not come to the end of this disease. Most of us have someone in our lives who has been touched by cancer. We all wonder what we can do to make their journey easy – that is one of the reasons the Hope line of comfort is so important me. Comfort really is the best gift. This year we encouraged women with breast cancer to have those who are loving and caring for them to sign their Hope throw. (A permanent marker works fine) Then everyday, when they do their “surrounding” comfort techniques, they wrap the blanket around themselves, feeling the embrace of the love, prayers, and healing thoughts of those who love them. Letting go, surrendering stress and tension and embracing the power of comfort.

My dear friend Kimberley Blaines’ sister Jammie was diagnosed with breast cancer in June of this year. Jammie is fighting her cancer battle and Kimberley sent me these comments and pictures.
"Jeanelle, Your blanket is a life saver. Whenever, my sister Jammie, gets her chemo, she wraps herself in your Comfort Silkie."

I am humbled to be apart of the healing comfort that every woman who is carrying the burden of this disease deserves. “Until they find a cure, we will comfort.” JT

For more information about Comfort Silkie Hope line for breast cancer comfort: www.comfortsilkie.com/hope or call 800.266.2229

The Labor Comfort Factor

Published in The Bump Magazine.

From the moment of conception your body begins to quietly change. Two tiny cells carry the unique design that in nine amazing months becomes your child.

Creating tiny bones, teeth buds, little organs and over 4,000 little brain neurons is a lot of work! By the time you give birth, your heart will be pumping one-fourth more blood. You body will have made, and then completely refreshed, the silkie fluid that surrounds your baby every two hours, every day.

Ask questions, read and take care of yourself. Think comfort, drink a lot, rest more, moisturize your skin, eat healthy, because now... you are the mom.

Comfort yourself, preparing physically, by learning breathing and relaxation techniques; emotionally, by confronting your fears; spiritually, by opening your heart, and mentally, by learning about birth and parenting.

When your baby is due, your womb, the uterus, is the largest, strongest muscle in your body. The muscle fibers of your womb have grown two inches in thickness just to house your baby and prepare for birth. During birth, these muscles that surround your baby “labor” rhythmically, contracting and releasing as they shorten and openthe cervix for your baby to be born. Your baby was designed with this miracle in mind. Don’t be afraid of your labor. Your bones, muscles, and hormones, all work together in a symphony of birth. Learn how to embrace each contraction by breathing deeply and slowly. Relaxing every other muscle in your body reserves your energy, lowers your pain perception and helps the uterus to work more effectively.

Simple comfort techniques can bring amazing relief. Use an Effleurage Labor Massage Blanket to stroke over your tummy for rhythmic distraction and soothing comfort. Bring reheatable packs to soothe muscle cramps and cold packs for cool refreshment. Pack lip and skin balm for massage and moisture.

Your baby emerges from the quiet, soothing environment of the womb to our noisy, bright world. Don’t rush the first minutes after birth. Ask to hold your Baby skin-to-skin as soon as it is born, warming Baby with the Bonding Blanket and creating the soothing scent connection.
Bring the Infant Swaddler Blanket to the hospital so you can wrap baby in a womb-like, soft cocoon. Swaddling has a calming effect on baby, and the wrapping style helps position baby for holding and feeding.
Be comforted in the fact that you are everything your baby needs.

Comforting words from Jeanelle Troncone, a Childbirth/Early Parenthood Educator, mother of six and owner of Comfort Silkie. She can be reached at jtcomforts@gmail.com or www.comfortsilkie.com.

©Jeanelle Troncone 2009. No part of this article may be reproduced in any form without written permission.