Phoenix, AZ—One of the most common complaints during pregnancy is the inability to get comfortable while lying down to rest or sleep.  Pregnant women are advised to avoid sleeping on their backs and lying on a pregnant belly is uncomfortable and nearly impossible.  This leads to pregnant women all around the world spending sleepless hours trying to find a comfortable way to get a good night’s sleep.

In 1999, an Arizona OB/GYN had heard about the difficulties of sleeping from so many of his expectant patients that he decided it was time for a solution.  As a result, Dr. Harry C. Watters developed the Gentle Air Maternity Bed.  This patented product gives pregnant women the freedom to sleep comfortably on their sides and stomach due to its adjustable “doughnut hole” design.   Specifically, an inflatable pillow rests in a hole in the middle of the bed allowing women to adjust for the size of their growing midsections. 

Not only does the Gentle Air Maternity Bed allow women a comfortable resting position, but it relieves stressed back muscles, decreases leg swelling, and promotes blood flow to both the mother and baby.  Research on the Gentle Air Maternity Bed has demonstrated that its use reduces back pain during pregnancy by up to 90 percent and lowers the mother’s blood pressure by up to 11 percent!  Most importantly for tired moms-to-be, 90 percent of women reported more comfort while resting and sleeping and over 85 percent reported better sleep at night! The Gentle Air Maternity Bed is a must have for any expectant mom!

For added convenience, the Maternity Bed is lightweight, portable, and fully inflates in two minutes.  Additionally, after pregnancy, the pillow can be fully inflated to enable use as an extra place for tired guests.  

Due to the success of the Maternity Bed, Gentle Air has used its same creative thinking and innovative technology to create the first portable overnight bed designed specifically for children!  This comfortable bed is designed for children ages 3 and up and can hold up to 200 pounds.  It is inflates in just 30 seconds and when deflated, the Child’s Portable Overnight Bed folds easily into a backpack for convenient transport and storage.  This specially designed air bed consists of a large (50” x 25”) sleep area that is surrounded by a 4” safety air cushion that helps prevent children from rolling off the edge of the bed. It is easily fitted with twin size sheets and is built tough enough to withstand even the craziest three-year old!  The Child’s Portable Overnight Bed by Gentle Air gives children a sense of security and independence for all their big adventures!

Gentle Air is a company on the rise.  With their products, they are meeting the needs of moms and children around the world, and they are continuously using their cutting edge technology to develop new ideas that will make life a little easier.  Keep an eye on Gentle Air to see what they come up with next!

Sleep Easier on Overnight Stays With Children

Children are difficult overnight guests. Large beds are often uncomfortable for them, especially if kids are still of an age where they frequently fall out of bed. Bedwetting can also be an embarrassing and unwelcome accompaniment to housing children overnight. Parents face this problem frequently – in hotels, on camping trips and when visiting relatives or friends. The good news for parents and for kids is that there is a solution available. Generations Health Care products of Arizona has introduced The Child’s Portable Overnight Bed. The bed inflates in 30 seconds with an included rechargeable multi-use air pump. The bed features a mono air valve and a plush velvet finish which can be used with twin-sized sheets or without. The surface is easy to clean, should an accident happen, and the entire bed deflates in 15 seconds, storing in a backpack small enough for a child to carry easily.

“The Child’s Portable Overnight Bed is designed specifically with a child’s emotional and physical well being in mind,” states Dr. Harry C. Watters, designer of the bed. “The security a child develops from sleeping on their own bed can make naptime or overnight stays away from home a difficult experience. Not wanting to sleep in a strange place or not sleeping well is rough on the child and anyone caring for them. Knowing that their bed will be with them takes a lot of the anxiety out of sleepover trips for kids.” Because of its convenient stowage and easy inflation and deflation, this is the perfect companion for any overnight stay – whether it is at a relative’s, playmate’s, camping or in a hotel. Adds Dr. Watters, “The bed comes with a one year manufacturer’s warranty and is affordable enough that parents will sleep better, too.”

The bed offers a safety bumper of 4”, ensuring that kids will not roll off of the 50” x 25” sleep surface. The durable mattress holds up to 200 lbs, and is designed for children ages 3 and up.

About Gentle Air:  Located in Scottsdale, Arizona, Generations Health Care was founded by Harry C. Watters, MD. Dr. Watters has been practicing medicine for more than 25 years, his practice making him sensitive to the special needs of children and mothers. Generations Health Care produces products that aid in the process and ongoing challenges of having and raising children. Innovative products include the Child’s Portable Overnight Bed and the Gentle Air Maternity Bed, which allows pregnant women to rest on their stomachs. The company’s website is located at www.gentleair.com.

The Business Journal; Phoenix

Generations Health Care Products of Scottsdale offers an air mattress that allows pregnant women lie on their stomachs. The Gentle Air Bed, designed by obstetrician/gynecologist Harry Watters, has a recessed area for mother's growing abdomen, allowing her to sleep on her side or stomach without causing stress on the developing fetus. The inflatable Maternity Bed is available for purchase at www.gentleair.com. The recessed area can be inflated to convert the product into a spot for guests or for a camping accessory. More information is available by calling  800-492-8424 .

The Arizona Republic

What Works For Me:
Who: Dr. Harry Watters, an obstetrician/gynecologist at Women's Health Care Associates in Chandler.

What: The Gentle Air Bed, a "sleep system" that has a recessed area for a pregnant woman's tummy but can be inflated to use the bed for guests or camping.

Where: Available at www.gentleair.com.

When: Watters researched companies that could develop his idea into a product and began working with Aero International, an air-bed manufacturer. It tweaked his design, included a pump, and sent him the prototype to test. Early results have been positive, he said, with mothers-to-be reporting their back pain significantly reduced and in some cases eliminated.

Why: "After 25 years of obstetrics practice and more than 11,000 patients, the same complaint seemed to be repeated, "My back hurts because I can't sleep on my stomach," Watters said. "I looked for a solution."

How Much: $169.99

Scottsdale Tribune

Gentle Air Bed Delivers Relief To Sleepless Expectant Moms:

About 25 weeks into her pregnancy, Evalyne Cheasbro experienced a great awakening. And it took her a long time to get back to sleep. "I would just be up all night long, "said the Scottsdale mom-to-be, whose legs hurt because of circulation problems. "I'd finally fall asleep from exhaustion at 5 a.m." And work, Cheasbro, an operations specialist for IBM Latin America, couldn't concentrate or remember things. She tried prescription sleeping pills, but had a severe allergic reaction to them. "I didn't want to loose my career, so I was going to take a leave from work, "she said. Then, she saw a television news segment on the Gentle Air Bed developed by a Chandler obstetrician/gynecologist. Cheasbro ordered the bed and brought it home. "The first night, I slept eight hours and I have ever since, " she said. "It saved my sanity, it saved my job, it saved everything. Everything's normal again." Dr. Harry Watters designed the bed to help his pregnant patients rest easier.

In 25 years of practice, he's seen about 11,000 patients -- and all had the same complaint: "My back hurts because I can't sleep on my stomach."

The Gentle Air Bed inflates to 18 inches and has a doughnut hole in the middle, where an inflatable pillow fits. The pillow's air volume can be adjusted to accommodate the woman's growing belly. When the recessed area is fully inflated, the bed becomes a regular air mattress-good for guests or camping. "it's probably the toughest thing for all obstetricians in America…to help your patients because they're so uncomfortable –their back hurts, they can't sleep and they're of course trying to avoid prescriptive medicines, " Watters said. "This is a very natural sleeping position for the mom and it's a drug-free Environment for the baby." Sleeping on the side or stomach helps relieve pressure on a pregnant woman's overworked back muscles, Watters said. It also increases the flow of blood and oxygen to both mom and baby.

During her high-risk pregnancy, Niki DeZeeuw of Gilbert spent lots of time in bed. Kidney stones blocked her uterus on both sides, causing her kidney's to swell with excess fluid. Drainage tubes, inserted through her back into her kidney's, kept DeZeeuw from comfortably sleeping on her side. When DeZeeuw was about 25 weeks along, Watters, her doctor, recommended she try the inflatable bed. DeZeeuw said being able to sleep on her stomach reduced her reliance on painkillers. And, the baby no longer rests on her swollen, tender kidneys. "Now, when he moves and kicks, he's not beating me up from the inside, " she said.