I want to wish my Mom a Happy Mother's Day.

My Mom has always been there for me. She has told me from the time I was a little girl that I could do or be anything I want to be.

So, because of my Mom, here I am today with a web-based company with a motto of "strong women transforming health." That's my Mom. She's one strong woman.

Mom has always been so supportive. She's sitting here working in the office today. She donates her time to EmpowHer. She believes in what we're doing because she lives it every day. She's helping me make my dream become a reality.

This mom is in the throes of postpartum depression and could use a big hug from our community. Let's all visit her blog, read her story and leave her a comment to show support.

http://hopefeelsgood.blogspot.com/2008/0...

Elizabeth Lee Vliet, MD, is the founder and Medical Director of HER Place®: Health Enhancement and Renewal for Women, Inc.®, whose programs examine and evaluate the hormone changes that affect women physically, emotionally, and socially.

08-08-08 is the magic date: when the Beijing Summer Olympics begins. There will be some gold medal moms headed that way, moms who have proven that they can have their families and still compete as elite athletes. They were probably watching Joan Benoit Samuelson, who just ran her last Boston Marathon and Olympic trials - at the age of 50! These Olympians, these moms, are incredible, and they're still pursuing their dreams with kids in tow.

10th May 2008

Hello everyone and thank you for all your lovely supportive replies to my introduction to Breast Cancer.

Yippeee!!! I have no further metastasies!!!

It was not like they all said. Mine has been a journey of self-discovery both physically and emotionally.

Just 5 years ago,I weighed about 506 lbs. I was in an awful place both physically and emotionally. Treated as though I didn't exist or as though I wasn't a human being. I only got two looks from most people; one of pity or disgust. It was always in the eyes. I had been overweight since the age of 7. I was placed on my first diet when I was 8 years old. Gaining and losing weight throughout the next 38 years.

Postpartum Support International offers Spanish-language support on its toll-free warmline, at 1-800-944-4PPD (press 1 for Spanish). This is such a helpful resource!

Andrea Zas Jimenez is the support coordinator for the Spanish Warmline, and Stephanie Morales will be coordinating PSI's national resource list for Spanish-speaking support.

Please help spread the word about this resource for Spanish-speaking new moms who may need PPD information and help.

(In the coming months, EmpowHer will also be in Spanish, which we're so excited about!!)

Studies have shown that baby bottles made by the major brands Avent, Evenflo, Dr. Brown’s and Disney/First Years leached BPA when heated. BPA is a very dangerous estrogenic compound that has been found to be toxic at low doses and is linked to breast cancer, early onset of puberty and prostate cancer. The Breast Cancer Fund web site is hosting a petition where you can easily sign it and send it on to these big baby bottles manufacturers and let your voice be heard! They need to stop manufacturing bottles with BPA!! Playtex has already stopped, so why won't they??

Mothers ages 35 to 54 trying to balance child and parental care are more stressed than any other group, according to a survey by the American Psychological Association. While nearly two in five women and men in this age group report high levels of stress, more women than men said they're suffering extreme stress and manage their stress poorly.

I recently went through a little health scare, which I have documented through the following journal entries below:

3/15/08

“Life is what happens while you are making other plans.” It’s a famous quote that resonates in all of our lives from time to time. I personally was reminded of this quote on Friday, when for the first time ever my yearly well woman exam did not go as smoothly as normal.