Article from People Magazine references this blog

http://www.people.com/article/paralyzed-bride-rachelle-friedman-chapman-necklace

See the Special Gift That Paralyzed Bride Rachelle Friedman Chapman Received from Her Surrogate

Rachelle Friedman Chapman, husband Chris and daughter Kaylee Rae

Rebecca Keller

By Michelle Boudin

@michelleboudin

05/07/2015 AT 04:55 PM EDT

When Laurel Humes was 20 weeks pregnant with paralyzed bride Rachelle Friedman Chapman and Chris Chapman's baby, she bought a very special necklace for the future mom.

The chime necklace, which is also known as a harmony ball, has been worn for centuries by pregnant women and is supposed to soothe the unborn baby.

"I got it when I was 20 weeks pregnant because that's when they say a baby can start to hear in utero," Humes, a 32-year-old stay-at-home mom, tells PEOPLE exclusively. The Chapmans and Humes welcomed baby Kaylee Rae two weeks ago.

The necklace makes a soft sound like a wind chime. Humes gave Rachelle the necklace at the hospital shortly after giving birth.

"I wanted her to have something sentimental that the baby heard when I had her and that she now can continue to hear," she says.

Rachelle says she was touched by the gift.

"It means a lot to have the necklace," Rachelle, 29, of Knightdale, North Carolina, says. "It's the most thoughtful gift, and I think it's cool it went from her and now I can wear it and one day I can give it to Kaylee."

The harmony ball pendant the surrogate gave Rachelle

Rebecca Keller

Speaking of her 11-day-old baby girl, Rachelle admits she's secretly glad she had a daughter.

"I know I'm supposed to say that I would have been happy with either – and I would have been – but I love having Kaylee," she says. "Just having the connection. I really wanted a girl because I was a daddy's girl and I'm best friends with my mom."

Rachelle was paralyzed from the chest down after a May 2010 accident at her bachelorette party. Doctors told her that the medication she's on would make pregnancy dangerous.

College friend Humes carried Kaylee and continues to play an important role in her life, pumping breast milk and shipping it to the Chapmans, who live just outside of Raleigh, four hours away from her Asheville farm. The families plan to stay in touch throughout Kaylee's life.

"The pregnancy was exhausting, but it makes me feel really great to see the photos and how happy they are," Humes says.

And while she says it is complicated, it wasn't hard to give Kaylee to her parents.

"I don't think of it as giving her up," she says. "I think of it as giving her back. She was always theirs. She came to me as a five-day-old embryo." 

Harmony Balls available at www.HarmonyBall.net.au

Birthstone Gemstones used on Harmony Ball Pendants

Birthstone Harmony Balls have even more Meaning

A Harmony Ball is a wonderful jewelry piece with Meaning, it has a story and in the case of pregnant women a definitive benefit (Advantages of Wearing a Harmony Ball During and After Pregnancy).

The addition of a Birthstone Gemstone adds even more meaning to the wearer - the pendant takes on a personal attachment with the Birthstone representative of the month of birth of the wearer.

For a woman who is carrying a child the wearing of a Harmony Ball with a Birthstone offers two choices, a Gemstone representing their own birth month or the expected birth month of their yet to be born baby. You can find a comprehensive range of Birthstone Harmony Balls here.

Wikipedia references this Harmony Ball blog

The following is a reference in Wikipedia referencing this blog - we are proud that our content is recognized by Wikipedia as being authoritative on the subject of Harmony Balls.

Bola (pregnancy bell)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Harmony ball)

A Bola is a bell worn by women on a long necklace during their pregnancy.[1] It is traditionally used in Mexico and Bali and is know under other names, such as harmony ball and pregnancy bell. The ball hangs low on the abdomen so the gentle chime soothes the baby as mother moves. When the baby is born, the baby is believed to be extra soothed by the sound because the child associates it with its time in the womb.
References
O'Shannessy, Mike. "What is a Harmony Ball?".

Categories: Human pregnancy, Types of jewellery

Benefits of Wearing a Harmony Ball Necklace During and After Pregnancy

Benefits of Wearing a Harmony Ball Necklace During and After Pregnancy.

A Harmony Ball is essentially a chime pendant, a lovely piece of jewelry originating from Bali in Indonesia. As the name implies a Harmony Ball can bring a sense of calm and harmony to the wearer as the pendant emits a soft but just audible chime sound with movement, creating a relaxing effect in a similar way that the sound of a rippling brook or small waves gently lapping the shore is relaxing. A harmony Ball is also known in Mexico as a Bola (Spanish for Ball) or Bola Necklace or Angel Caller. 
SHOP over 150 fabulous Harmony Necklace models at great prices - and read this article below about the 'Benefits of Wearing a Harmony Necklace During & After Pregnancy'.

    

Pregnancy Necklace

Aside from bringing a sense of calm and harmony to the wearer, the Harmony Ball has been worn as a necklace for centuries by pregnant women in Balinese and Mayan cultures for the calming effect it can have on the unborn baby in the womb. Unfortunately this is where western society’s interpretation of the benefits of a harmony ball stops, the ‘during pregnancy’ phase. This doesn’t make a lot of sense really – does the unborn baby in the warmth and comfort of the womb need calming? I think not, there is no reason for the baby to be stressed inside the womb. Stresses in life begin after we are born, right.

So if this is the case then what is the real benefit of wearing a harmony ball during pregnancy? Why have women in Balinese and Mayan cultures been wearing these chime pendants for centuries?

The pregnant woman will wear the harmony ball on a long chain or cord so that the harmony ball pendant rests somewhere on her ‘bump’. As the mother-to-be goes about her daily tasks the pendant will move emitting the soft chime sound which is only just audible. This sound will penetrate into the womb and will be even softer.

An unborn baby will begin to hear at about 20 weeks gestation so your unborn baby will begin to hear your soothing voice and your loving words, and the baby will also hear the soft chime sound of the harmony ball. Of course the unborn baby will hear other sounds too however particularly in the quiet surroundings of the home away from loud noises the baby will hear the soothing chime sound every time mum moves, whilst doing her housework, or simply getting up off the sofa to make a cup of coffee and even at the supermarket or walking down a quiet street - anytime she moves. Aside from mum's own voice the sound of the harmony ball will be the most frequently common sound a baby in the womb will hear (sorry Dads).

The real benefit of the Harmony Ball worn during pregnancy comes after the baby is born!

The real benefit comes during breastfeeding.  In the short term after coming out from the warmth and comfort of the womb breastfeeding can be a stressful period for the newborn (and that can affect mum too). Newborn babies have one priority and that is to feed. Breastfeeding (nursing) is often a wonderful experience however it can be a very stressful time for baby and mum at times.

Soon after birth mum will shorten up her long harmony ball pregnancy necklace so that it is now around her breastbone area so whilst breastfeeding and gently rocking her newborn the chime sound from her harmony ball will be heard by the baby. It is a familiar sound to your baby, a sound associated with warmth and comfort. In addition to mums soft soothing words as her baby feeds the newborn hears the familiar chime. We are all much more comfortable and relaxed when we are in a familiar environment with familiar sights, sounds and smells – so too is baby.

As the newborn grows he or she will extend their little hand to touch that shiny thing around mums neck and play with it and enjoy that familiar sound. Because baby is calmer then so is mum – many of the stresses often associated with breastfeeding for some mothers, are now taken care of – not necessarily on every occasion but often enough for there to be a tangible benefit.

And as time passes and mum stops wearing her harmony ball there are times she may bring it out of its place of safe keeping and give it a shake or two to entertain or calm a young toddler.

    

In Balinese culture a harmony ball becomes a keepsake, passed on from Mother to Daughter. 

Harmony Balls come in a wide variety of designs with many having gemstones and are made from Sterling Silver making then a lovely piece of jewelry suitable as a keepsake. In fact many women wear harmony ball necklaces simply for the reason that they are a beautiful and often stunning piece of jewelry - you do not have to be pregnant to enjoy wearing a gorgeous Harmony Ball Necklace.

Harmony Necklace with Birthstone Gemstones add another dimension – not only are they a fabulous jewelry item but also mothers-to-be can choose to wear a harmony ball with their Birthstone gemstone, or as many do they select a Harmony Ball with the Birthstone which is for the expected birth month of their baby, adding even more significance to the jewelry item becoming a keepsake and being passed on to the child. Even if the baby is a boy it can be a keepsake from his birth that he could eventually pass on to his daughter – or even mum to her daughter-in-law.

a few examples of over 250 Pregnancy Harmony Ball designs available

The custom of wearing a harmony ball has been carried out for a long time in Balinese and Mayan cultures so the benefits to mum and baby are likely to be realized in western society also. My personal experience is that it works, at least to a degree and any help is good help.

Mothers of newborn (and older) babies have searched for centuries for ways to keep a baby calm, quiet, entertained – we use pacifiers, rattles, music, singing, rocking, toys and mobiles dangling over the cot(crib, bassinet) and many other things – put many of these together and you have …. a Harmony Ball.

** footnote -  Before buying a Harmony Ball please read this article FAKE Sterling Silver Harmony Balls ... Don't be misled into buying Fake Chinese Copies