"When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives means the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving much advise, solutions or cures, have rather chosen to share our pain and touch our wounds with a gentle and tender hand."

-Henri Nouwen

Life is Terminal

Blossoms fall and weeds grow wild

Enjoy the ride dude

-Craig Kyusen

nursing panda

I have always loved pandas....and now this! Nursing Pandas!! Beautiful!

Healing from a Traumatic 1st Birth

This morning I woke up with a text from a past client who gave birth to her 2nd baby boy early this morning. She gave me the stats of the baby and wrote "Great birth!" I was so happy to hear this as her first birth was quite rough and left her feeling unsure about what she wanted for her 2nd birth. This time around, she ended up achieving what she wanted the first time: an all natural birth. This is the 2nd time in the last couple of months that I've had a past client contact me to tell me similar stories. It got me thinking about birth trauma and how subsequent births can truly HEAL some of the scars from traumatic births.

If you have experienced a traumatic birth, you may be frightened the next time around, as was the case with this client of mine. We met early in her pregnancy to discuss her birthing options. She expressed to me that she really wanted to try again for a natural delivery but was afraid because of what happened the first time around. When we met, she had been seeing her primary OB/GYN and wasn't sure if she should switch because he was very C-Section happy. I encouraged her to explore other options and she did end up switching to a very well-known midwife in the area. She signed up for hypnobirthing classes. She prepared for this 2nd birth and worked through her fears.

So when I recieved the text from her this morning that said "Great birth!" I was immediately curious as to how it went! She had a perfectly natural, uncomplicated birth. Here are some good resources about preventing traumatic birth as well: http://givingbirthwithconfidence.org/2-2/traumatic-birth-prevention-resource-guide/

Birth in the Squatting Position

Birth in the Squatting Position

GRAPHIC!

I saw this awesome video at my doula training. It is a must watch!!

happy friday :)

Happy Friday! This story warms my heart: Bulldog Adopts Litter of Orphaned Kittens

a lovely homebirth story

http://celebritybabies.people.com/2012/08/15/josie-maran-blog-homebirth-backyard/

Check out the link above for a beautiful homebirth story. My favorite part is when she tells how she was wearing her necklace that was made for her by the ladies in her life at her shower. A necklace with blessings for her birth. This is my favorite part of a baby shower :)

Here is how I do it:

-Include a little note in the invitation for each lady to bring a bead of her choice along with a story, prayer or blessing about pregnancy, birth or mothering (or you can specify birth wishes only, its up to you)

-At the shower, gather all the ladies together and go around the room to have each lady present her bead with her story/prayer/blessing to the mother-to-be

-Have someone designated to create the necklace as you go

Voila! A beautiful momento for the mother to take home

a new cousin to love

Today I am reminded of how lucky I am to be part of a such a huge, wonderful family. My cousin gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby girl this morning, they named her Emma. When my grandparents had 8 children, I am sure they had no idea how much love would come from these little creations. Now we have a family full of love that keeps growing each year. I feel so blessed to be one piece of this puzzle of two hearts that were joined together. Congratulations to my cousins, Katie and Len, on their new bundle of love.

Home Birth Debate goes on

“What we're talking about is felt risk rather than actual risk,” explains Barbara Katz-Rothman, professor of sociology at the City University of New York and author of much scholarship on birth, motherhood, and risk. Take our fear of flying. “Most people understand intellectually that on your standard vacation trip or business trip, the ride to and from the airport is more likely to result in your injury or death than the plane ride itself, but you never see anybody applaud when they reach the airport safely in the car.” The flight feels more risky. Similarly, we can look at data showing our risk of infection skyrockets the second we step in a hospital, “but there's something about the sight of all those gloves and masks that makes you feel safe.”

From the article: How to Scare Women by Jennifer Block

"The midwife considers the miracle of childbirth as normal, and leaves it alone unless there's trouble. The obstetrician normally sees childbirth as trouble: if he leaves it alone, it's a miracle." —Sheila Stubbs

"Pain is good...it lets you know your alive"

I am currently taking anatomy and physiology 2 at a local community college and have "fallen into" a couple of conversations with women in my class that somehow turn into talking about childbirth. Of course I always run with it and ask the women as many questions as I can. One of my classmates, Sue, went into detail about her pregnancy and birthing experience with her 1 and only child. She told me some crazy stories: riding motorcycles, going off roading and just living the way she normally would. When she described her birthing experience, she told me she didn't take any drugs. She said she enjoyed being in control of the situation and participating in the labor. When we talked about the pain, she said "Pain is good....it lets you know your alive." Needless to say, I thought she was a pretty cool chick and appreciated her honesty about her birth experience. She said she wouldn't have had it any other way.

birthing tip of the day

Simple advice from a new mom:

GET A DOULA GET A DOULA GET A DOULA

(I didn't ask her to say this)

What really matters after the birth...

"Write off the six weeks after birth. Don't blame yourself for a single thing and expect nothing of yourself. This is what matters: that the baby is fed somehow, held, kept warm, and that you get enough sleep that you don't go crazy, and that you are both healthy. This is what doesn't matter: anything else - not whether the baby is on a schedule, not what either of you wears, not whether that other woman who was due around the same time is doing better than you are, not whether you love the baby yet, etc." -anonymous

Check your ego at the door

Advice from mommy Sam:

1. Get the puj tub! Nothing has saved my back more, haha. It's this fold up tub that conforms to your sink so you don't have to bend over a newborn in a big tub. Love it.

2. Even if it gets really tough, you have to keep in mind that it will always get easier. My first was so hard, but it did get easier.

3.don't take it personally if you have a tough baby. It's not because you're a bad mother! Babies are born with their own, separate personality and some are just grumpy. Has nothing to do with you and all you can do is ride it out!

4. Check your ego at the door and accept as much help as possible. The beginning can be rough and you need your strength.

tip about sleep(less) shock!

"...biggest shock for me was the sleeplessness and early 5 am wake up calls. I knew about the frequent wake ups in the first 3 month but did not know it would last even till now, 18 months old, even with trying cry it out, it does not work. He periodically sleeps 2-3 weeks through the night, but than has weeks of waking up...i think teething. So I wish someone had told me to expect not to have a child who sleeps through the night. Everyone always asks, how does he sleep? Is he sleeping through the night? I have tried everything the books say and he doesn't. I thought it was me or I did something wrong, but now I think it is all temperment . Most people whose kids sleep did nothing to make it happen. So I wish someone would have told me it's okay if they don't sleep though, it's tough, but there is nothing wrong, it's normal, it's okay and you're okay!"