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BabyGym 1 Tutorials We would like to thank you for your patience with regard to the loading of the tutorials for BabyGym 1. Catching our guru, Melodie, in between training sessions and international flights for the recordings has proven to be more demanding than anticipated. Furthermore, our highly trained (NOT!) video technician, Cozette, has realised her limitations when it comes to sound quality, visuals and camera angles and had to be redone on a few occasions. The videos as they appear on the Instructors site are our BESTEST BEST for the moment. We do realise that the videos’ orientation is faulty, the recordings where done with the video camera turned in the portrait position so that Melodie and the doll fits the screen tightly, at the stage it was not known to us that the screen orientation cannot be changed post recording. If you are handy with a camera and the editing of the recordings please let us know, we would greatly appreciate your expertise! We would like to offer you high quality and professional tutorials, but also depend on resources within the Institute as these resources are offered free of charge. The BabyGym 1 tutorial consists of 4 x 6 minute videos, the manual is comprehensive as is- the videos are really just an added extra! Enjoy!

BabyGym Babble The Institute’s initial unofficial quote for the Babble cruise was R1400.00 pp which has subsequently gone up to R2595.00 pp This price EXCLUDES conference facilities, flights, airport transfers, duties, drinks onboard, Institute expenses and the list goes on and on and on... Cozette has gone to great lengths to query the price and negotiate the best possible rate - the quote however, remains unchanged. Seeing that we are 2 months further into the year it makes securing a booking for a suitable venue EXTREMELY difficult. If we want to organise a BabyGym Babble for somewhere between August- November 2012 it needs to happen in the next 2 weeks. We all have demanding schedules and budgets, so please help us and send all Babble suggestions to institute@babygym.co.za before the end of April. It is going to be difficult to come up with a concept or idea that will match the excitement of a cruise but let’s give it our best!

BabyGym 1 PoE Remember that you need to complete the Portfolio of Evidence for BabyGym 1 and receive full marks for the assignment before you will receive Part 2 of the manual via email. We look forward to qualifying you!

Medi Clinic parenting week A big thank you goes out to each and every single BabyGym Instructor who represented BabyGym at Medi Clinic’s national Parenting Week during February. This event is always well attended and the feedback from the Medi Clinics is always so positive, the BabyGym presentations really are a highlight on the program! It is a privilege to work with Instructors who take their work so seriously, the Medi Clinic personnel are starting to think of BabyGym as a hospital necessity, something that has taken a lot of hard work and relationship building. It wouldn’t have been possible without YOU! Thank you

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BabyGym 1 Apgar score Well done to Joanie Strauss from George for receiving full marks for her BabyGym 1 PoE and including this informative Apgar table, we trust you will benefit from it too:

Apgar Scoring

Apgar Sign 2 1 0

Appearance

(skin coloration)

Normal colour all over (hands and

feet are pink)

Normal colour (but hands

and feet are bluish)

Bluish-grey or pale all over

Heart Rate(pulse) Normal (above 100 beats /

minute)

Below 100 beats / minute Absent (no pulse)

Grimace(responsiveness

or "reflex irritability")

Pulls away, sneezes, coughs, or

cries with stimulation

Facial movement only

(grimace) with stimulation

Absent (no response to

stimulation)

Activity

(muscle tone)

Active, spontaneous movement Arms and legs flexed with

little movement

No movement, "floppy" tone

Breathing

(rate and effort)

Normal rate and effort, good cry Slow or irregular breathing,

weak cry

Absent (no breathing)

Kids health, 2012. About the Apgar Score. Reviewed Hirsch, L. and Serdar, H. 2011 [online]. Available from: http://kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_center/q_a/apgar.html#

BabyGym in the media... Media 24 wrote:

S.African prison babies get the keys to childhood By Justine Gerardy (AFP)–1 day ago

CAPE TOWN — Unathi Jack's baby son was terrified when she put him down outside for the first time, after months in a cramped South African jail cell cut off from the world. Now, one-year-old Chibueze confidently roams about in the country's first dedicated unit to ensure that babies in lock up are not punished for their mothers' crimes at the notorious Pollsmoor prison. "He's got space now to move up and down," said Jack, who is serving a five-year sentence for drug possession. "When he's outside, he doesn't want to go inside the house again -- he wants to be there outside." Sitting in the unit's cosy creche filled with toys and learning aids, Jack is one of four mothers who have moved into a quiet part of the prison grounds that is a child-friendly oasis behind razor-wire topped walls.

Unlike the grim womens' prison, where 518 women live in a space meant for 329, the inmates here share a former staff house where the bedroom doors are ordinary wood and the front door stands open during the day. The women are free to move about, with a yard and a spacious grassy playground, and even get to cook their own food in an unusually liberal jail setting to allow as normal an environment as possible behind bars for a child.

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"We are hoping that this will expose them to life that is close to normal but will also contribute in breaking the cycle of crime," explained Nontsikelelo Jolingana, national chief deputy commissioner for development and care. With the first years of a child's life the most important, babies growing up in cells are shaped by prison life and often traumatised on leaving. "They haven't seen anything other than the four walls that they were kept in. Therefore even the mental development of the child becomes affected," said Jolingana. "So we thought that if we opened facilities of this nature, we are giving these children or these babies a chance, because our emphasis is that they have not created a crime."

Marlise Howell, an instructor with BabyGym, helps teach baby massage and motor skills which she also volunteered before the new unit opened last August.

Marlise wrote: “Hi Melodie, ek het jou mos vertel ek is so spyt omdat ek nie gister by die tronk vir BabaGim mammas kon fotos neem vir gradeplegtigheid nie… wel daar daag toe sommer ‘n Franse TV crew, 2 joernaliste, 3 kameras, en 7 van DCS (“department correctional facilities” - streeks en landwyd) se TOP BOKKE daar op net soos ons begin met ons sessie!!! Ek was uit die veld geslaan – het niks daarvan geweet nie. Een fotograaf het belowe om die fotos by die mammas uit te kry. Hul was sooo bly! Almal het by die lessie ingesit – mammas was amazing – ek het sommer oorsig van hele 5 weke met hulle gedoen – en hulle het elke vraag kon antwoord – en elke beweging akkuraat uitvoer. Mense was VREESLIK ‘impressed’. TOP BOKKE het vreeslik met BabaGim en die suksesse in hul tronk gespog by die joernaliste!! Mammas het vertel van verbeteringe en hoe dankbaar hulle is! Dit was ongelooflik!! Joernaliste het toe die mammas en my ge-‘interview’ en gevra of hulle 2 minute van ‘n paar BabaGim oefeningtjies mag verfilm. So BabaGim en jou naam (het natuurlik gesê dat Dr de Jager die Founder is van hierdie Trots SA produk) is oppad Frankryk toe – as ek reg verstaan wil die tronke daar Pollsmoor as Pilot gebruik om iets soortgelyks daar te doen. Dit was 'n wonderlike ervaring! Ek raai ALLE BabaGim Instrukteurs aan om van die geleentheid gebruik te maak wanneer dieselfde Mommy and Baby Units in tronke naby hulle oopmaak. Soli Deo Glooooriaaaaaaa!!! Groete Marlise”

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Parent feedback: “Hi Tania, I saw your baby on Facebook, she is gorgeous. Tumelo is 14 months now, I can't believe it! He was 8 weeks when we started the Babygym classes last year, it feels like just yesterday. Gee how time flies. I always watch him when he sleeps, he still looks like a foetus when he sleeps. I've been very consistent with applying the principles we learned in class. He is very busy, he would rather go outside and explore than stay inside. He started crawling at around 6 months and walking at 10, I definitely think it's because of all the tummy time. Babygym really worked for us, even his grannies are astonished at how well he is developing. He is a good sleeper, he has been sleeping through since 6 months, no hassles, till today, we are having full nights. I really believe that a lot of it has to do with the Babygym foundation he had. He has done so well and we really like to keep the momentum. Thank you so much Tania, Hugs Mapuleng and Tumelo” “Hi Elma, the BabyGym experience has been wonderful for my Baby, Nanny and myself. We have now been made aware of the many ways to stimulate my baby both physically and emotionally. We are diligently doing the BabyGym dance and massage daily and my baby thoroughly enjoys it! Not only was the class fun but also very educational. Many thanks to Elma for the kind support and encouragement. The classes were so enjoyable! Regards, Nam and Baby Aaarav” “Hi Janet, I hope you can still remember me, my son Phenyo attended your baby gym classes in 2010. At that time he was going up to 11 months and he was not crawling as yet. Happy to tell you that now he is a 27- month old toddler who never walks but runs all the time. He started walking at 15 months. I am so taken with BabyGym, and intend to train as a BabyGym Instructor in future so that I can offer the BabyGym classes at the informal settlement for free. Many thanks for everything, Tebatso Mogale”

Doc Melodie says...

Question: Hi Melodie, Talita is nou 11 maande en begin loop as mens altwee haar handjies vashou, maar sy loop

met haar voetjies buite toe, nie reguit vorentoe nie. Is daar fout, of is ek onnodig bekommerd en is daar iets wat ons kan doen? Baie dankie! Sanet Fourie

Answer: Dankie vir die vraag, begin by die begin… kan sy: self optrek teen meubels en kan sy om meubels

“cruise”? Wanneer voetjies uitdraai is dit om haar basis te verbreed (net soos om sywieletjies aan ‘n 2-wiel fiets te sit). Dit beteken haar kernspiere is nie sterk genoeg nie, dus BAIE optrekke, reguit en skuins-oor, en seker maak sy trek self op en “cruise” voor hul haar handjies vashou om te loop. Laat weet wat is die antwoord op bogenoemde en indien moontlik, stuur foto, dit help altyd. Groete Melodie

Question: Hi Melodie, ‘n mamma het gevra hoe gereeld en vir hoe lank sy sal moet masseer om by 50 000

herhalings uit te kom, ek het die som gaan maak; sal ek reg wees om dit so te verduidelik: Elke deel van die lyfie wat masseer word, verteenwoording ‘n beweging. Ons raak 8 areas deur die lyfie aan met die maseering x 3 = 24 So 24 x 7 (week) = 168 x 52 (weke van ‘n jaar) = 8736 kere p/jaar. 50 000 deel deur 7644 = 5,7. Dit wil sê ons moet ons babas tot die ouderdom van +- 5 jaar, 2 x per dag masseer, elke dag, om effektief padjies te bou?

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Answer: Hi Charlotte, ek hou van hoe jy dink! Babas kry BAIE masserings/ herhalings terwyl hul in utero is om

die waarheid te sê word hul 7 dae van die week 24 uur per dag deur mamma se maagspiere gemasseer. Baba begin dus nie by geboorte by nommer 1 nie. Wanneer baba gebore word moet sy reeds sensitiewe vel net aanpas by die omgewing en daarvoor werk ‘n daaglikse massering vir die eerste jaar skitterend. Indien ‘n baba bietjie swaar gekry het tydens geboorte, baat hul by meer gereelde massering om die baba se vel te de-traumatiseer. Weens die noue verband tussen die vel, die spysverteringskanaal en die brein is gereelde massering bevorderlik vir spysvertering en die afskeiding van breingroeihormone…alias die navrosing van Tiffany Field in die VSA. Dankie, vir die lekker vraag! Groete, Melodie

Question: Hi Melodie, ek wil jou vertel van Juane, sy rol van haar sy na haar magie........sy kon nog nooit rol nie,

dit is n baie groot stap vir haar. Haar beentjies buig makliker as van tevore en haar nekkie is heelwat sterker (maar nog glad nie so sterk om haar kopie lank op te hou nie). Iets wat baie interressant is, is dat sy nou haar hande in haar mond begin sit en haar vingers suig, sy het dit nooit gedoen nie (sy het haar hande begin suig voordat sy begin semi-rol het). Sy vorder ongelooflik mooi, Mamma en Pappa is baie gelukkig met die vordering. Dit is net dat hulle dokter vir hulle ges het dat as sy teen 4 jaar nog nie loop nie sal sy nooit kan loop nie. Sy is nou 3 jaar en n paar maande oud en hulle wonder of dit dan die moeite werd is on aan te gaan met haar werk. Hulle het my gevra of sy ooit sal kan loop, ek het net gesê hulle moet aanhou werk met haar sodat sy ordentlik kan rol, baie magie-tyd en ruggie-tyd en dan werk ons net nog meer met haar, want Juane doen nou wat die dokters gese het sy sal nooit kan doen nie. Ek sien hulle eenkeer ‘n maand en praat met die mamma eenkeer elke twee weke en herhinder hulle heeltyd dat sy eers moet rol,sit, kruip en dan loop. Is daar meer wat ek kan doen? Groete Tania

Answer: Hi Tania, watter fantastiesae nuus!!! Geen “quick fix” bestaan nie, so dit wat jy doen is wat nou gedoen

moet word. BAIE werk aan nekkie masseer en balwerk op magie en rug, as die koppie stabiliseer sal die res volg. As sy nie teen 4 loop nie dan loop sy bietjie later GEEN rede waarom dit voor 4 MOET wees nie. Hou aan verduidelik hoekom gebeur ontwikkeling soos dit gebeur, dit help ook die ouers om vas te byt. Stuur my ‘n foto en hul eposadres dan bemoedig ek ook bietjie. Groete, Melodie

Getting out of those wet nappies… Liesel Brummer

Life after the Babble has surely been interesting and has been a great adventure and life lesson for my entire family. Those of us who were at the Babble would remember Stef du Plessis and the tough talk we had on “Getting out of those wet nappies”. Last year was quite a though one for me and after the Babble I went home and took a very close and hard look at my life. Unfortunately I did not quite get out of those “wet nappies” immediately, I first felt sorry for myself a little longer and in doing so gained 8kg in two months.

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“Getting out of wet nappies” -what a journey! And I call it a journey, because that is exactly what it is, a journey. It takes time and making conscious decision every day, it is uncomfortable as every day is filled with choices that you have to make in order to grow our of those horrid “nappies”. I very quickly realised how this choice had affected every area of my life and that of my household and that everything had to change for good! So first things first, I needed to get rid of the clutter inside and out… Boy it is amazing to see how much you can hang onto and have a hard time letting go of, I got myself the emotional help I needed to work through those very hard and still very “eina” things. Whilst going through that process I found myself growing very tired of all the clutter in the house as well, so one for one, I tackled the cupboards and wardrobes too. I am sure you can imagine the look on my husband’s face when one day he got home and the entire house was lying on the floor: kitchen, dining room, lounge, bathrooms and all three bedrooms’ content was lying right there in the middle of the room, in one big pile. Every day as I was sorting through the mess the mountains on the floor grew bigger and bigger till we literally couldn’t cross from one room to another without having to climb over many piles of things. The state of my house was something you only see in horror movies and it stayed like that for quite some time too. I was a drill sergeant of note- everyone had a hard time deciding what should stay and what should go, but I was not going to allow a single item back into a cupboard or drawer if it did not have meaning or could not add value to our lives. Each item had to earn its way back into our lives. Step 2 -losing the 8kg… Well my husband, Paul, and I worked out a balanced eating plan that we were both happy to stick to. The challenge turned into fun and gave Paul and me a common goal- something our marriage desperately needed. During the challenge Paul and I where each other’s mentors, encouraging each other every day to just keep on going. I am very proud to say that I have lost all 8kg and Paul has lost 15kg with just another 5kg to go. Our new eating plan has changed the way we look at food, and even the kids have joined in. Our son, Dewald, now 12 years old had also learned to love fresh foods and salad and has taken in his place next to me in the kitchen. The girls joined dad in the garden planting fresh herbs and enjoy watering the plants daily. Of course this has grown into another opportunity for stimulation as Ingrid-Mari and Carla are learning the smells and names of all the different herbs. Step 2 lead to step 3- getting fit… I distinctly remember saying how I disliked jogging and telling my husband how he was more than welcome to dust off his running shoes, but that he shouldn’t expect me to do the same. If you remember correctly Stef said that “getting out of those wet nappies” meant sometimes making conscious and very uncomfortable decisions. Well this was one of those decisions. Sure enough, I dusted of my pair of tekkies after Paul very gently reminded me that I couldn’t walk around moping about my dissatisfaction with my figure without doing something about it- a really big “wet nappy” moment! I still can’t believe I’ve been jogging for two months now, and sure enough, I love it! I jog three times a week for a distance of 5km and whenever life gets tough- I grab the tekkies once more. This whole experience has been such an eye opener; not only am I getting fitter and stronger but I really feel I am well equipped to deal with the strains and stresses of life. Now instead of swearing at my husband for making me put on those darn tekkies, I greet each hill with a smile as I know I’m almost at the top. Life still presents its challenges, but as long as I have God, my husband, my kids and my running shoes by my side- I am ready to face whatever comes my way.

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Frequently asked questions 1. How do I know what details I need to obtain from mom, dad or caregiver for the electronic registration form?

Download all the latest baby registration documents for the different category’s from ‘downloads’ on http://instructor.babygym.co.za. The registration docs mirror the fields required for the electronic registration form.

2. Is it possible to view the automated email mom, dad or caregiver receives once the registration is complete?

Yes, each of the automated emails are available as email templates under ‘downloads’ on http://instructor.babygym.co.za

3. Do clients still need to sign terms and conditions before the start of class?

Absolutely! You file a signed registration form (which includes the terms and conditions) for each baby registered. The BabyGym Institute can request to see the signed documents at any point in time.

4. Once I’ve registered a baby, can I change the category?

No, none of the registrations are reversible. Please double check the info before you proceed to register the baby’s online. Corrections are charged for by the webmaster at R250.00 per correction.

5. Once I’ve registered baby for BabyGym 2: Firm Foundations, can I change the category to special needs?

No, mom, dad or caregiver completes a registration form and indicate whether baby has a medical condition or syndrome so that baby is registered under the right category from the start.

6. Can I register a baby as community service and special needs simultaneously?

No, you only earn points for either of the categories. Choose either special needs or community service.

7. Once I’ve placed my BabyGym order on the Instructors site, how quickly should I process payment?

Payment with the correct reference should reflect in the bank account of the BabyGym Institute SA within 72 hours of placing the order.

8. Do I still need to complete and submit a BabyGym monthly report?

No, the Bubble point table on your HOME screen replaces the monthly report, no further report is required.

9. Where on the web do you get to the place where you can fill in the “progress” of a registered baby? Go to registrations, click on the relevant baby’s name and click on ‘add a note’, see images below:

Please do not hesitate to contact Cozette with any further questions and queries; we will gladly include the questions in the FAQ for all Instructors’ benefit. Kindly email queries to institute@babygym.co.za

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New report function Our new ‘spiffy’ web based admin system enables us to provide monthly reports about our BabyGym activities. The following report will be included in the monthly BabyGym News from now on! Enjoy the stats!