Mambo Mom: Susan Peach

My name is Susan Peach and I've been involved in the fitness industry for over 20 years, since 1983. I had my first son, Brian, in 1986, and my second, Josiah, in 1988. Both of my sons were what Dr. Sears calls "high need babies" and I spent countless hours nursing, rocking and soothing them as best I could. They slept very little and were often fussy and hard to settle, especially in the early months. I was exhausted more often than not, and to be honest the last thing on my mind was exercise!

They say every cloud has a silver lining though, and I suppose my fussy babies were mine. You see, I've always loved to dance. It doesn't matter what the music, I just can't help moving! And it didn't take too many colicky evenings for me to discover that babies also love music and dancing. Whether it was disco, swing, or a children's lullaby tape, my babies always loved it when I scooped them up and danced around to the beat.

When all else failed, dancing to music helped the fussiness melt away, encouraged an overtired infant to slip peacefully off to sleep, and even managed to soothe small hurts and "boo boos." I also shared many giggles and good times dancing with my babies, especially as they got a bit older and could really let me know what they liked best!

Because my babies were calmer and more contented when they were dancing, I was more relaxed and less stressed out too. And, a great side effect of all that "baby dancing" was that I quickly lost my extra pregnancy weight and got back in shape almost effortlessly.

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