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A couple of years ago, Cheers actor John Ratzenberger, came through our southern county on a national bus tour for his television show, Made in America, which ran on the Travel Channel from 2004 through 2008.

The following short film was shown to the audience, in the old court house in Rock Hill, South Carolina. With textile machines of our own that no longer hum with the sweet sound of productivity, the issue hit close to home.

All of Belevation's production, assembly and components are made entirely here in North and South Carolina. In today's globalized marketplace, that makes us rather unique. Life as a dinosaur, is not easy though. Mom and Pops have been driven out of our quaint downtown's.

Big box stores have conquered the turf in the hardware, drug and office supply markets (to name just a few) all across America. And when you pick up most of the products in those cavernous buildings, you will be hard-pressed to find much still made in the USA.

As we watch our national trade-deficit continue to balloon, there are those across American trying to reclaim our manufacturing and retail past, like John Ratzenberger and folks in Oregon, at this cool Portland based buy local group.

In the past month, Belevation's US made production has been featured by several of these organizations. On the terrific Still Made in USA website, Belevation Maternity can be found under both the active wear and lingerie categories.

Stephanie, the sites webmaster notes that "The loss of American manufacturing jobs has meant hardship for families and entire communities. Many (domestic companies )are barely hanging on, and unless consumers make an effort to support them, the choice to buy American-made will be gone."

Consider what opportunities you have in your daily life to support local businesses and buy American products. By doing so, you are making a huge, positive impact in your community for our collective future.

Last night I had a real treat, an hour long conversation with cookbook author Karen Gurwitz, owner of New York based Mothers and Menus. "Created to support new mothers and their families during the hectic few weeks before and after the birth of their child, Mothers and Menus provides clients in the NYC area with healthy, home cooked meal delivery." I discovered Karen's 2007 book, The Well Rounded Pregnancy Cookbook while doing research on prenatal nutrition. 

As I looked over the 100 healthful Mothers and Menus recipes Karen shares with her readers, I felt as if I had found a kindred spirit. Her common sense approach shines through from the beginning. All of the recipes are made with readily available, healthy ingredients and choices are offered to make modifications based on your preferences.

As the owner of a cupboard full of cookbooks, I have yet to find one as plain-spoken and accessible as this one.  Chapter 2, called Feeding Your Body really covers the essentials of healthy eating, with an emphasis on nutrition during pregnancy.

I know that I will enjoy reaching for The Well Rounded Pregnancy Cookbook for delicious recipes and Karen's great nutritional tips. That said, start looking for product give-aways, like this fabulous cookbook, on our Belevation Facebook Page for folks who become a Belevation Fan.....

What else did Karen and I talk about? Well - Belevation of course!  From my description of Belevation's products, Karen understood right away. What makes our maternity undergarments different than others on the market?  She said it, Belevation provides "Serious Support!"

Whether you're running in a race at 20 weeks - like Nikki in San Francisco, or if life just feels like a race, like mine does. Belevation's Maternity products offer a feature-rich design, with our unique integral Belevation belly support panel. Just what mother has been asking for, that plus a good, hot meal!  Look for cookbook give-aways coming soon on Facebook.

Whether it's carry-on luggage or carrying-on your families legacy, most woman are always schlepping something. It is certainly no easy feat to carry around that most important package, your baby for 9 months. Your growing pregnant belly will be putting a lot of strain on your back and abs.

These muscles are straining to support your belly, while your center of gravity is shifting, causing you to lean backward, putting even further pressure on the spine. Affecting up to three-quarters of all pregnant women, lower back pain can worsen dramatically during the time between the sixth and ninth months of pregnancy.

According to physicians, sitting up straight is one of the key factors in reducing backache, as stated on the Mayo Clinic website. A gentle exercise regime can also help improve back pain issues. The American Pregnancy Association website highlights many ways to mininize back pain during pregnancy.

Wearing a support garment under the lower abdomen has been found to help. Based on our enthusiastic feedback from wearers of Belevation's Maternity Support Garments, Belevation products are helping pregnant women carry-on with their normal lives during these physically demanding months.

Earlier in the month of May we received this email from Nikki, a pregnant mom in California: "Hello! I am doing the Bay to Breakers race in San Francisco and am 20 weeks along. My back has begun to ache at times and I researched extensively the other support options and really want the Belevation Belly Band." We express shipped the Belevation Band to Nikki in time for the race, and asked her for product feedback. Here's what she had to say:

"I absolutely loved the Belevation Support Band. It was amazing! I planned on walking the 7.5 miles, since I really hadn't run since the very beginning of my pregnancy, but as I started walking, I was feeling so good, that I ended up running about 4.5 miles of it. I felt great, a bit sore afterwards, but a healthy sore. I can't tell you the difference that it made for me! I didn't even have any round ligament pain, or any lower back pain. My husband ran the whole thing and he then tried to find me to finish up with me, but apparently I was going so fast, that he completely missed me.

It was such an amazing feeling to feel good and run again! This is my 3rd pregnancy and I know how it CAN feel. I even ran into a friend I hadn't seen since high school (20 years ago!) and he said I looked exactly the same since he'd last seen me. Love that!!!! I have been talking Belevation up to my prenatal yoga group and they are all super interested. Thanks again for such an awesome product!"

Here's several links to helpful websites about running during pregnancy: Running During Pregnancy from BabyCenter.Com Running During Pregnancy from BabyFit.com Running Goals During Pregnancy From RunnersWorld.com Always listen to your body's signals, as Nikki did during her recent Bay to Breakers Race, so you don't push yourself too much. Check out our other maternity underwear and clothing.

Belevation Maternity Support was reviewed by Jen Thomas from Mommies with Style on March 16th, 20011. It is a cool mom-resource site from the Philadelphia area with a lot of great coupons on there! Here's what she had to say about the products she tested: 

"At 28 weeks pregnant with my third child, I am pretty big. Yet I am still active chasing my two boys around, working, and trying to stay fit at the gym and playing tennis. However, lately, I have noticed how hard it is wearing my regular underwear and feeling a total lack of support.

I happened to have some Belevation under- garments in my drawer that they were kind enough to send me to sample. I gave them a try and was SO THRILLED with the comfort and support that I had throughout the day around my belly. I wish I had tried these undergarments sooner! I tried both the Brief as well as the Belly Band. Both were great and so supportive.

I loved that the brief was comfortable, didn’t ride up (or fall down, a problem I have been having with my regular underwear!), and fit perfectly around my belly and waist. The Belly Band is perfect to wear for layered looks. All of the Belevation products are made with a unique, seamless, four-way stretch microfiber construction with moisture wicking, breathable mesh that is extremely comfortable. 

Now that I have discovered and tried the Belevation undergarments, I will not go to the gym or play tennis without wearing one. It’s almost a necessity to keep me comfortable. Every mother-to-be should have a pair or two of these great products to keep them feeling as comfortable as possible. Enjoy!"

January 2011.  Even South Carolina is looking like a frozen tundra this week.  So, under the circumstances, a bad economy and iced-over roads, the occasion is perfect to dig-into your Netflix account and tour the world for nine dollars a month. 

Who can forget Julia Roberts depicting the true story of Erin Brockovich uncovering information about toxic dumping in her town? Haven't seen it? Well, change that up when the kiddies get to bed tonight.

Another wonderful Mom-Flick that will pull at your heartstrings is the true story of two 9-11 widows who each gave birth shortly after losing their husbands. Through their common tragic circumstances, depicted in the film Beyond Belief, Susan Retik and Patti Quigley made an instant connection with one another.

Needing to get beyond their grieving, they find the strength together to embark on a spiritual bike ride from Ground Zero, home to Boston. Conceived as fundraiser for Afghan widows, this beautiful film chronicals their travel to Afghanistan and the two womens realization that we are all connected. Their goal lives on through the organization they founded, Beyond the 11th.

Speaking about fundraisers, another personal favorite is the 2003 British success Calendar Girls, also a true story about a bunch of old girls who go bare to raise money for a couch in the local hospitals cancer wing.  To date, they have raised more than two million British Lbs. for Leukemia research, leaving the role of a determined woman not to be underestimated. How's that for Mom inspiration on a snowy day?

The abundance of choices on the net these days for moms is nothing short of amazing. New to motherhood? Well, isolation is a thing of the past, thanks to the thousands of quality sites that have popped on the mom-web galaxy. Nowadays, all geographic areas have mom sites that highlight that locales upcoming events and resources.

Boston Mamas, founded in 2006 by Christine Koh, (a Beantown Mom with a Ph D in music and brain science),   "is a one-stop resource for families in the Boston area and beyond". On Boston Mamas you can find out what's happening weekly from Arlington to Wellesley, and everywhere in-between. The easy to navigate search engine helps users swap baby gear, find families with similar age kids or adhere to the shop locally movement.

New York has Big City Moms created in 2003 by a pair of truly amazing sisters, Risa Goldberg and Leslie Venokur, as well as a more recent entry The Pregnant New Yorker, founded last year by Janet Markovits, a prenatal massage therapist.

Here in the Carolinas there's Charlotte Parent, a part of the Parenting Publications of America (whose members include more than 100 parenting publications and websites around the US and in Canada). 

Then, there are the huge sites like Cafe Mom which claims to be the # 1 Internet site for moms and is a virtual empire of motherhood.  Users can join online groups on Cafe Mom based on your location, religion, hobbies or hundreds of other criteria that meet ones needs.  

Or start a new group around a particular topic of interest to you with just a few clicks. When discussing Internet sites for moms, how could we ever forget the trio of slick commercial sites The Knot, The Nest and The Bump .  To prepare you for any life cycle moment a twenty-something can think of, these three linked sister sites are a vast retail encyclopedia targeted toward those who are marrying, setting up a home or expecting the stork.

And lastly a new personal favorite of mine, Babble which recently voted for their 2nd annual 50 Top Mom Blogs. Entries are categorized by type : funniest, best design, most useful, best written etc.... Babble is the 2011 version of your mothers Good Housekeeping Magazine, except so much more. It's linkable, clickable and updated continually instead of in monthly installments which were outdated by the time they arrived at moms mail box or the supermarket check-out counter.

The diversity is extraordinary so there's something out there for everyone in this vast world of mom Internet resources. As mesmerizing as it is though, don't forget to get to the park after nap-time to discuss your finds with the real live moms sitting beside you on the bench.

On March 24th, 2009 Belevation staff traveled to New York's 5th Avenue to the top floor of The American Girl Store, where Big City Moms holds their annual "Biggest Baby Shower Ever" event.

An expatriate New Yorker, this Belevation staffer enjoyed the thrill of hundreds of pregnant woman all in one room for this exciting event. It was a great opportunity to get feedback from so many sophisticated expectant mothers all at once, as well as viewing other exciting products new to the maternity marketplace.

Among the many terrific people I met that evening were Vivian Chiang, co-founder of Orbit Stroller and the wonderful ladies from Keeping Babies Safe. Check out more about the Big City Moms Biggest Baby Showers Ever events. We <3 it! 

Belevation, LLC is pleased to announce the launch of their new collection of maternity support products available for direct on-line sales. Just what expectant moms have been asking for, Belevation™ products combine the most advanced technologies in seamless garment design with the best in ‘smart fiber’ engineering. Comfort-driven seamless knitting which has been utilized in active wear and undergarments, provided a perfect fit for maternity apparel.

Available in a Mid-thigh PettiPant, a Brief and Support Band, Belevation Maternity garments are designed with a symmetrical, highly engineered support panel extending through the lumbar region and under the belly. The breathable four-way stretch fabric used throughout provides a gentle lift and smoothing control.

Conceived by a Mom and Pop team in South Carolina, this unique line of Belevation mother-to-be products surpasses all other support garments currently on the market due to its sophisticated feature-rich construction. 

More than just another bellyband holding up pre-pregnancy jeans, Belevation was created as an under-layer, imparting the ultimate in comfort and support where it is needed most.

Richly embellished with a jacquard design on the breathable tummy pouch, and an embroidered logo, Belevation garments are outstanding due to their state-of-the-art features.  It is these carefully crafted details that set Belevation apart from other similar products made overseas with lightweight fabrics that offer little real support.

It was the gracious assistance of numerous pregnant volunteer models and product testers, that made the creation of Belevation products possible, and the response has been truly overwhelming!

“ I love the product so much! I wear them daily!” Whitney, Charlotte, NC “I have enjoyed the support band. I wish I had one for my prior two pregnancies. Great for exercising.” Carrie, Fort Mill, SC “Wearing your Belevation Boyshort I was able to sit on the floor with my toddler and read five books, when usually I can only read one before my back starts aching.  I have worn it everyday since I received it because it has made such a difference.” Joy, Torrance, CA "I definitely feel a difference at the end of a long day after I’ve worn my Belevation – less back pain” LeeAna, Charlotte, NC

Produced with pride in the USA, Belevation products will add much needed comfort for expectant mothers.