“As the jeans capital of Africa, Lesotho produces 26 million pairs of denim jeans
and 70 million knitted garments a year, mainly cotton, at 25 factories.”

The Economic Policy Institute notes that “the growing US trade deficit with China cost 2.8 million jobs between 2001 – 2011, with 1.9 million in manufacturing.”

Those numbers don’t even count Central and South America, NAFTA or any of those places like Lesotho that you need to Google to figure out where they are.

Much of that production used to take place here in the Carolinas, where country roads are littered with shuttered textile mills and the unemployment rate has improved to a still unsavory 10%.

With this trend repeated around
the country, regions which relied heavily on their manufacturing bases are equally hurt.

Legendary Eastman Kodak finally declared bankruptcy today, citing foreign competition as a cause.

But tune into How it’s Made, on the Science Channel and you will get a glimmer of imagination in your eyes that comes from the creative process of making something.

Family legend has it that my first childhood factory tour was to Chocolate World in Hershey, PA. The Hershey Chocolate World now takes you through a simulated experience, but back then you went through the real factory. Imagine the smell of that much chocolate!

Ironically, I chose my career based on a factory tour. Located at the corner of 54th St. and 6th Ave. from 1970 – 1980, the Burlington Mill was intended to showcase Burlington’s products. It totally mesmerized me from my first glimpse.

“Visitors were invited to step onto a 155-ft long moving belt called a “rideway” for an 8 ½ minute ride through the amazing world of textiles.”

Accommodating 500,000 a year, The Mill hosted more guests at the time than the New York Stock Exchange or The United Nations. Few seem to remember The Mill now, but it changed the course of my life.

Craving more factory tours, I’ve since been through the Crayola Factory in Easton PA, the Celestial Seasonings Tea plant in CO, The Pendelton Woolen Mills in OR, and most recently a local craft brewery in Charlotte, NC. And then – there was Stoke-on-Trent in the UK, where my husband got to see so many plates that he almost lost his appetite for dinner. I was in Spode heaven though.

Intended as a fun peek at our Belevation maternity underwear facility, contact us if you’re in the neighborhood and you’d like to see more. As I said, I do love factory tours.

Earlier in her pregnancy, Kacie purchased our Boyshorts upon the recommendation of SE OB/GYN physician Dr. Salvemini, who used our products during her own pregnancy (I just learned this yesterday). Dr. Sal has also sent many of her patients to Belevation as well.

Word of Belevation’s prenatal support products was brought to SE OB/GYN by their ultrasound tech Heather, who joined the staff after a stint at my own GYN’s office, (where Heather had done our product testing during her first pregnancy).

An added bonus of meeting Kacie in the waiting room of Southeast was that I finally got to say thank you to Dr. Sal and her team. ( I missed seeing Heather unfortunately though, as she had yesterday off.)

With the US government poised to implement new rules requiring drug and medical device companies to disclose payments and gifts to doctors, (a very good new law for consumer protection), I had picked an odd day to shower SE OB/GYN with gifts. It wasn’t really much, for full discloser – just some healthy granola bars, herbal teas bags, Decaf Chai from Stash and a musical snowglobe with Belevation photos.

A long overdue thank you after several years recommending Belevation to their patients at SE OB/GYN. So glad you love our products!
Thank you Dr. Sal, Heather & Kacie for being Belevation Prenatal Underwear fans!

Unfortunately, we can only send out a few free samples every month or else we won’t be able to pay the electric bill. (It takes a lot of juice to make maternity panties.)

Just before Christmas, we sent out some samples to two favorite websites. For northern moms we selected – Baby Alert Canada, because we like blogger Lina Zussinos emphasis on helping readers save money. Here’s Lina on You Tube:

Read Lina’s review of Belevation’s Yoga Pant. Here’s what she had to say:

“I wore the pant to a prenatal yoga class, the other ladies quickly noticed my added support around my tummy and lower back, questioning where I had bought them. I wear the Belevation yoga pant all the time even when I’m not doing yoga! With having a small petite frame the added weight is giving my
back a hard time, but wearing the Belevation Yoga pant really helps.”

Look out Lululemon, Belevation has arrived in Canada at 1/2 the price of your bottoms. Belevation products are seamless and are designed for prenatal yoga.

We can’t forget our other review this week from Amber Stiles, a writer for AskMissA. Technorati describes Andrea Rodgers, MissA as a DC Socialite, with abundant impeccable taste and Southern charm who dishes out advice, reccomendations and her views.

A site where charity meets style, MissA has been building an empire with hundreds of writers in 20 US cities, highlighting topics of interest to women. Chick Power!

Belevation is pleased to be featured on AskMissA and is delighted that writer Amber Stiles ordered a bunch more Belevation briefs from our website after completing her review. Every girl knows that one pair of great Maternity panties
is never enough. Be sure to read Amber’s review and to use the MissA coupon code on the Belevation website check-out screen for 15% off on all products.

Charged with closing an under-performing moccasin plant, Hopkins emotionless character has a change of heart after he assists workers at a slot car race.

Along with modern classics like Tommy Boy, The Efficiency Expert falls in a special genre of films about saving small businesses.

When actor Chris Farley’s father Big Tom dies, Tommy goes on the road with side-kick David Spade trying to help their brake-pad company. With unforgettable scenes like the pair driving with a buck in the back-seat and Tommy setting a fire on a clients desk, the laughs are numerous.
In a last minute cliff hanger, Spade and Farley prevail and the factory is saved.

Similar messages replay in other favorites from this genre including 2005 British-made Kinky Boots. After inheriting his families manufacturing business, Charles Price learns that Price & Sons Shoes is failing. While in despair about his many unsuccessful attempts to save the company, a chance encounter with a drag-queen, cabaret singer named Lola, helps Charles take the firm in a new direction.

Then there’s Renee Zellweger in the 2009 flick New In Town. Like Hopkins, in
The Efficiency Expert, Zellweger thinks she understands business until she is captivated by life in this Minnesota town. While corporate sees the workers of Munck Foods only as numbers, Zellweger finds a way to turn Munck around.

Make a resolution that 2012 will be the year you join the movement supporting
local businesses. Shift Your Shopping maps out organizations throughout the US and Canada dedicated to re-energizing our retail and manufacturing economy. American Express got on board publicizing their 2nd annual small business Saturday, the day after Black Friday. Make this a year-round effort & bring back jobs to America. Why not buy some American-made maternity apparel today?

Published in 2009, Bovis-Nelsen’s book has definitely made a big hit on the mommy scene, with it’s fun cocktails and great photographs.

The recipes center around healthful fresh juices and herbs and are especially great for baby showers. Cleverly organized by trimester, there’s something for everyone in this pocket size manual, with a few alcohol cocktails offered to keep things interesting for Dad.

Perfect for those expecting this New Years Eve 2012, if you still want to enjoy the festive holiday atmosphere and great if you’re currently breast feeding too. Many of Natalie’s (aka The Liquid Muse) wonderful recipes can be found on the Thoughtful Entertaining tab of the Fre Wine website.

Too late to turn back now, 2012 is definitely right around the corner. So, how about enjoying a Merry Berry Basil Mojito? (Watch Natalie making one on the below You Tube video.) Like Belevation on Facebook to be entered to win your own copy of Preggatinis in February. All the Best for 2012 from Belevation Maternity Support!

Natalie Bovis-Nelsen, author of Preggatinis, Mixology for the Mom-to-Be

I first learned about Wattenberg’s book and accompanying website while listening to an NPR program
on baby naming. Her impressive research and groundbreaking computer models examine name usage and popularity over the last hundred years in the 2005 book.

Quoted in recent articles in both the New York Times and Time Magazine, Wattenberg, once a name-searching mom herself, said that people hunger to be different these days. Name hostility is a by-product of this trend, as others may have strong opinions about the unique baby names that you’ve selected.

A result of the internet, a 2010 survey on the pop-culture website Lil-Sugar indicated that 64% of new parents Google their baby name picks before making final choices. Makes sense to see what unknowns may be lurking on your child’s “domain” prior to taking the leap.

If you are in a name shopping mode, it’s important to enjoy the process, even though it is one of your life’s most important decisions. With tools like Wattenberg’s Baby Name Wizard, there are now amazing resources to help you with the search.

While reading the Times article, I learned about Kick to Pick – a newly released iphone app that claims to let your child pick their own name. Also available for iPod Touches, the app “ generates names while monitoring the baby’s movements. Any kick detected will then stop the generator at the baby’s chosen name, ready for the parents to accept their child’s choice or dismiss the name and start their search again.”

Available for .99 cents, it’s definitely a game-changer to think of your baby participating in picking their own name. Don’t know if I like the idea of putting a cell on your stomach while pregnant, but it’s amazing to consider.

If you are interested in upholding more parental control, here’s a simple method. You and hubby can make separate favorite lists from a baby name book, narrowing the search to a few alphabet letters that honor loved ones (deceased or alive depending on your tradition). Hopefully there will be at least one name in common on each of your lists, and that will be the name! No matter how you do it, possibly combining several of these methods – have fun!

Several months ago, we decided to add a XL size to our line of Belevation Maternity garments. We began making Support Bands and Boyshorts in the new Plus, pre-pregnancy 16-18 size. Everything was going well, but two problems dragged out the process of adding the new size range.

For one thing, my husband/our technical director – is a perfectionist. Months had gone by while he continued to perfect our seamless Belevation Support Brief.  I began to wonder if we would ever be ready to add our new XL sizing? Finally, after much attention – sculpting and perfecting the brief, it was time to find a fit model to give them a test run. And then that evening, out of the blue – I received a note from Monique. “Are you going to add plus sizes ever” she asked?

Monique is herself an army veteran, a military wife and the mother of six boys ranging in age from 21 to 1!  Twenty-four weeks pregnant with her seventh, Monique explained “that depending on if something runs large or small”, she
wears anywhere “from an 18-20 to a 22-24 (or 2x/3x)”.

Unsure how our new Belevation XL size would measure-up, we sent a package to Monique, in Fort Bragg. One of the largest and busiest military complexes in the world, Bragg is home to almost 10 percent of the Army’s active component forces.

We were glad to help Monique and were hopeful that she would like what she received. An email arrived from her in my inbox around noon time the next day.

“I received the package and I love them! I will say that its definitely NOT a 16-18. Its more like a 20-22. That is my normal size for most maternity clothes, and I fit in these just fine with room to grow the belly and no pinching etc. These are sooo comfortable! I am really impressed!”

Monique’s feedback was an affirmation that our new Belevation XL size will be comfortable for a wide range of larger women.  I guess all that special attention to detail paid off. And our other problem, our X-large labels had gotten lost on their way from CA and had to be remade. Well – finally they arrived today!

With patience and a bit of divine intervention, all things are possible. Just ask Monique about patience, as she is soon to be the mother of her seventh boy! Please give our new Belevation Plus size a try. We definitely know you’ll like it!

Belevation Belly Band >>

As a new company, Belevation probably wasn’t around when you were carrying your other children. But I understand what you mean,
as that’s how I feel about Florida Physical Therapist, Micky Marie Morrison’s book, Baby Weight.

I had done some Yoga in college and loved it, but I didn’t stick with it consistently enough to make a difference in my life. Then pregnancy came and hit me like a ton of bricks. Morning sickness stretched into afternoon sickness, and lasted a full four months. After that finally passed, I somehow viewed myself as kind of fragile.

OB-GYN researchers now understand that during most healthy pregnancies it’s prenatal inactivity – not exercise, that puts moms-to-be and their babies at risk.

Micky Marie Morrison’s new book Baby Weight, released in Oct. 2011, offers a comprehensive look at
the changes the body goes through during pregnancy.
Her unique vantage point as a health professional, prenatal fitness instructor and a mother makes Baby Weight an important new pregnancy resource.

Good practice nutritional principles and information on hormonal and body mass changes are highlighted in a manner that raised my scientific IQ on the subjects.

Building upon this technical info, Morrison makes a strong case for the benefits of sensible, prenatal exercise. Minimizing excess weight gain and building stamina for delivery are certainly two compelling reasons to get moving during pregnancy.

The second half of the book includes terrific photos of Morrison’s Yoga based CoreFitMama exercises, with modifications for your skill level and trimester. But then it gets even better. As an International Childbirth Education Association certified fitness instructor, Morrison mentors moms continuing with the program after delivery – helping themselves regain stamina, lose pregnancy weight and
fight off postpartum depression.

Skillful guidance is articulated on how moms can also incorporate their babies and
toddlers into these sessions. What a wonderful way to bond with your child, while fostering positive attitudes about healthful living right from the beginning.

Somewhere between Weight Watchers and Gymboree – I wish that I had
Micky Morrison’s excellent book Baby Weight, now available from Amazon,
Barnes and Noble and as Belevation’s January book give-away!  So, Like Belevation on Facebook to be entered to win!

As you will see from critic Richard Roeper’s below review, the film was a bit of a disappointment. That said, we still can’t forget that mom-burn-out is very real and alive on your block and mine!

In my own family, my thirty-something cousin from Long Island reached the brink of her mom-burn-out recently. The mother of two elementary school age girls, she has been juggling the mom thing for many years, while holding down a high power, full-time professional gig.

Then one day, a post came from her Facebook page. “Enough of this“, she said. “Watch for something new – coming soon!”

Her new business venture, Out of the Box, provides custom-tailored, keepsake gifts for all your special occasions. I love the unique, hand-made look of all the items. They are not your typical store-bought – seen it a million times type of gifts.

Check out her neat assortment of new baby gifts on the Out of the Box Facebook page – from one-of-a-kind family trees, to new baby gift baskets!

For those in the New York area, craft workshops are offered too.

For pricing and information about upcoming workshops: Contact jessica@outoftheboxshop.com

And the benefit of being there to document all those special – precious moments – priceless!

Although the numbers may look gloomy, Belevation is still experiencing strong interest in our products from hundreds of moms around the country.

Since we started doing Belevation product give-aways, we are contacted many times each week by mom bloggers who want to review Belevation products. Alba Garza is a pregnant Latin mom from Houston, who works full time in an office and writes a really informative Blogger format blog, called IndependentMami.

Her post Oct. 11th post was about a new program from the AllState Foundation called Purple Purse, which supports efforts against domestic violence. Thanks Alba for getting me up-to-date on this important new program. (Purple was a really hot European color this fall – so it’s coming our way…)

Here’s what Alba had to say about our Boyshort:

“I work full time in an office. I dress up everyday of the week in my dresses. The Belevation Boyshort is perfect under my dresses and has made life easier for me. I have been wearing biking shorts under my dresses along with my undies and boy oh boy is that not comfortable after a full day of work. I really loved the seamless Belevation four-way stretch microfiber construction that is made with moisture wicking, breathable mesh.

***Disclosure-No monetary compensation was received. Product was provided to review. These are my honest opinions.”

Thanks Alba – We’ll wait to hear the give-away winner from you!