birth story

Oh i cried when i read this...so beautiful. Also, it may have something to do with the fact that i am 7 weeks from my own guess date and i am so excited to meet my little one :)

Read the story HERE

Wee Textile

I love Lena Corwin's textiles and overall design style. She has a design blog and now, as she is almost due with her baby, has started another called Wee Textile.

my new boots!

I love my new purchase! Being VERY pregnant, there is not much that i can wear at this point and still feel/look good in...my tall boots are getting too difficult to pull on (well, it just bending over is gymnastics for me!)...i saw these faux leather boots..and coupled with some prego jeggings...i'm good for my last 8 weeks!!

Birth Doula Services

   I am a mother of three, wife, Herbalist, Birth Doula and Childbirth Educator. I have been attending births since 2006 and have a passion for helping pregnant mothers find their inner strength and courage for birth and future mothering!

 

  My doula services include:

- Prenatal herbal & nutritional consultation

- Three organic belly butters (Ovio Organico)

- Three visits (after the initial meeting) for discussing your birth plan, answering your questions, and childbirth education.

- Being on call 24 hours/day for two weeks prior to your "guess date", and two weeks after.

- Staying up to 2 hours after the birth (or untill breastfeeding is established).

- One postnatal visit to discuss any questions and concerns.

 

  My fee is $500.00 including all of the above, $200 to be paid at the second meeting as a retainer fee, and $300.00 to be paid within two weeks before your "guess date".

 

  Other services offered: 

 

 - Pregnancy photo session: 25+ photos to document this special  time in your life, your choice of location and partners welcome! $100.00

 

 - Nutritional Analysis with customised prenatal food and supplement plan. Suitable for vegetarian and vegan mothers, as well as for anyone wanting to nuture themselves and their growing babes with whole, real foods and proper supplementation. $50.00

 The first Doula meeting is free, to schedule an appointment:

 

 abarker54@gmail.com

  (250)376-8331

  (250)320-3980

 

 Blessings,

 Amanda Barker

 

An amazing woman...

Please read this post over at Marvelous Kiddo...its about Jeannine Parvati Baker ; a mother and midwife who changed many peoples perspective in her lifetime, and afterwards...

Allergies and Pregnancy

Many women suffer from seasonal allergies, and dealing with them when you're pregnant is not fun! As a Herbalist and Doula (and fellow hay fever sufferer), I get asked all the time if i know of any natural methods. I spoke with a Naturopathic Doctor and Midwife, and they told me about some remedies that do work well AND that you can take during pregnancy:

1. WATER! Drink plenty...minimum 8 glasses per day (flushes out the allergens from your system).

2. Homeopathics are safe during pregnancy and lactation. Pollinosan Tabs by A.Vogel help regulate your immune system. I use this myself and this literally worked overnight.

3. Echinacea is safe during pregnancy and is also great for regulating the immune system; making it strong enough to fight invaders, yet smart enough to know what to attack and what not to.

4. Vitamin C is an effective natural antihistamine, and you can take up to 2000mg/day. Try to spread 500mg doses throughout the day.

5. A healthy diet of anti-inflammatory foods! Follow The Gentle Birth Method nutritional guidelines for a healthy, glowing pregnancy and better birth.

  

Gloria Lemay's Anti-Bleed Tea

Recipe for Anti bleed tea

2 Tablespoons Shepherd Purse

1 Tablespoon Fennel

1 broken Cinnamon stick

Put all herbs in a big pot. Boil water separately and pour boiling water (at least 5 cups) over the herbs. Let steep. (You may have to re warm but do that with least heat possible. Leaf and seed herbs are not boiled).

Get your big mug ready before the baby is born.

Put 2 teaspoons maple syrup or honey in the cup with a spoon. Have bendy straw ready. Put tea strainer (small strainer with a handle) over the top of the cup. As soon as the baby is born one attendant runs to get a cup of the tea and the straw. Make sure it’s warm but not hot enough to burn mother’s mouth with a swallow. Give it to her and say “This tea will help your placenta come out smoothly, all in one piece.” Say this only once. Keep offering the tea liberally.


The mother’s body needs warmth inside and out after the birth and women seem to love the taste of this tea plus the hydration.


We use this tea for primips. With multips we use a crampbark/cinnamon tea for helping to reduce the afterpains. Barks and roots are boiled so there is a different method for preparation.



Multip Postpartum Tea

2 heaping Tablespoons Cramp Bark

1 broken 4 ” cinnamon stick

Cover with 6 cups water in a metal pot and boil slowly on the stove for about an hour. Remove from heat. Sweeten with maple syrup or honey as for the other tea.

This tea will warm the mother inside and the Cramp Bark is very effective for reducing the pain of the uterus contracting down (”after pains”).

                  teacup cozy made by KnitStorm

BOOB

Maternity clothes can be so...typical. Boob maternity is an on-line shop out of Sweden that delivers original prego wear...even if its just to look at and be inspired by the interesting pieces. Its like Thyme maternity meets Forever 21.

Green and Prego!

Green Smoothies are wonderful for pregnant mothers (and lactating ones too!) They deliver food based vitamins and minerals in a easily digestible form. Check out Get Fit and Yummy for some great information and recipes!

Lift and Tuck for Back Labour!

I have had three back labours, and every time I get pregnant I hope to God that I will not have a posterior baby again...but I do without fail. I do all the tricks that I know of; get chiropractic adjustments, crawl around my house on all fours, and try to sit up straight against really hard chairs. But no..my babes always turn right side up after I am 10 cm dilated, and after i have endured the dreaded back labour. The pain of back labour is awful...even terrible, and it can prompt many women into having epidurals. The other day  I found this site and its looks very promising...it gives me goosebumps to think that women who have posterior babies may have another option!

Beautiful birth

The Homebirth of Lucia Mae from Sara Janssen on Vimeo.

Don't Push!

Here is a great article by Laura Shanley about pushing, or NOT pushing.

And here is an interview with Laura on www.mothering.com.

Kristy's Birth

 A friend of mine recently gave birth to her sweet little boy; Foster. Here, is her birth story...

Take a nap!

 This is a great post from The Idler:

  There’s a simple remedy for the exhausting hardships that life can throw at the idle parent. It’s not advertised on the television or in the papers, because it costs nothing and therefore no one makes money out of it. But indulging in it will without doubt improve your quality of life. I’m talking, of course, about that glorious care-charmer, the nap. The destruction of the nap has been a victory of Calvinist culture. Perhaps this is because the nap is so deeply pleasurable, and as we know, pleasure was frowned upon by the puritanical tendencies of the post-Medieval age. In our pell-mell Western economies, napping is seen as a waste of potentially productive time. Instead of taking 40 winks, we tend instead to power ourselves up with that ubiquitous, costly and dangerous stimulant, coffee. As the Protestant work ethic spreads its joyless gospel around the world, societies that used to nod off after lunch are dropping the habit. In Italy, for example, shops now stay open during the siesta hour to compete with the guy across the road. And in China, workers are giving up their afternoon doze, fearful that Western visitors will consider them lazy. Thankfully, idler-friendly countries remain, such as Mexico or Laos, where naps can be taken at any time of day without any sense of guilt. The nap is enjoyable for its own sake, particularly to sleep-starved parents. “I used to think booze and sex would bring me joy,” wrote P.J O’Rourke after becoming a father. “Now it’s a nap.”
A nap is useful, too. American research suggests that nappers are healthier. Napping reduces stress and lowers the risk of heart attacks and strokes. A study of pilots found that a 26-minute nap in the cockpit (while the co-pilot flies) increased alertness by 54 per cent. One report says that simply knowing that you are going to be able to nap later in the day reduces blood pressure. I know from experience that I am far more likely to be grumpy on days when I have not managed to nap. Sleep deprivation damages mood and, conversely, the nap is a great promoter of domestic harmony. The morning is improved by its anticipation, and the afternoon and evening are improved because you are not exhausted. There is also that immensely healing sense that you are being kind to yourself. For this reason, the idle parent should make napping an absolute priority. If you are at home with the children during the day, napping should be easy. The kids need a nap, too, so – while they sleep – resist the urge to get things done, unplug everything and go to sleep as well. At weekends, take turns with your partner to nap. One idle dad friend of mine offers to give his wife a break by taking the children to a matinee. Having installed them in the cinema, he creeps back to the car and dozes off. If you are stuck in the dark satanic mills of the modern workplace during the day, then more ingenuity may be required. On fine days, the park bench may afford a 20-minute kip in your lunch break. Deck chairs are very comfortable and are offered by many municipal parks. If it is raining, then creep into a church and find a quiet pew for some dozy contemplation. Or if you drive to work, then use the car for a bit of shut-eye. I have heard of dedicated nappers managing to take a snooze in public lavatories, or even at their desk. And if you are worried that your brain may not be able to switch off, then simply drink a pint of real ale or a glass of wine at lunchtime, and remember – no coffee! God gave us alcohol to help us relax: we were not made to toil for nine hours or more without respite.

PINK

I am going to be planning a baby shower for a friend very soon, and i found this on the NonChalantMom blog ..some great ideas for decor and food!!

enfant terrible

I am planning on taking my daughter with me to France next year, and with all things French on my mind, i came across this on-line shop;  Enfant Terrible. Please, check it out! (PS. It's Canadian!)

Breech documentary!

Ovio!

  My organic skin-care line, 'Ovio Organico' will soon have pregnancy, birth, new mama, and baby kits available! I've been thinking about doing this for ages now, and since i am always telling women what herbal teas to drink, homeopathics to take and what salves to use, i figure its time to put all i recommend and make for those special times in one package! I am open to more ideas for those "must have items" for pregnancy, birth and beyond. Cheers!

Photo taken by Tina Modotti 1929
'Mother and Child'

Circumcision

Marilyn Milos is the compassionate nurse who founded NOCIRC, the National Organization of Circumcision Info and Resource Centers. Here Milos speaks of her early motivations, influences, and remembers humanist Ashley Montagu.

(taken from http://www.mothering.com/ )

Herbs for pregnancy- what to use & what to avoid

This is such a great resource! If you have some time read it through and make notes :)
Article taken from Childbirth Solutions

Wise Use of Herbs during Pregnancy

by Linda B. White, M.D.

To make love with the goal of creating a child represents longing incarnate. It is an act both wonderfully irrational and a bit reckless. Once the child within takes hold, you are no longer one, even after the birth. Being pregnant reminded me of those Russian Matrushka dolls with tiny women nestled one inside the other--only in pregnancy, the figures are strung together by umbilical cords. Motherhood can evoke feelings that run the gamut from profound to mundane, rapturous to maddening.

A woman and her fetus are literally connected--spiritually, emotionally, and physically. If you desire a child, now is the time to optimize your health. A few weeks--critical ones for organ development--typically pass between conception and the realization that you are pregnant. Susun Weed, herbalist and author of Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year, offers the following advice: "Basically, what we should be doing every day of our lives is taking care of ourselves--getting sufficient rest, eating well, exercising, making sure that we're touched lovingly, that we're supported by people who believe in us and encourage us."

Herbs Commonly Used during Pregnancy

Although herbs are not necessarily needed by all women during pregnancy, the following herbs are recommended by experienced herbalists and have been used safely by women for centuries. Kathryn Cox, owner of Motherlove, an herbal company for women in Laporte, Colorado, suggests generally choosing herbs that can be eaten as food: nutritive herbs rich in vitamins and minerals such as red raspberry leaf, nettles, alfalfa, and dandelion. Rosemary Gladstar, author of Herbal Healing for Women, stresses that with these traditional pregnancy herbs the whole plant is meant to be used, preferably eaten as a vegetable (in the case of dandelion greens or nettles) or in some cases taken as a tea or tincture. Unless under the care of a health practitioner, pregnant women should not use concentrated botanicals that isolate a few chemical properties. Also, do not exceed recommended dosage guidelines unless advised to do so by your healthcare practitioner.


Red Raspberry is a tonic that has been used safely by people in North America and Europe for hundreds of years. Catherine Hunziker, owner of WishGarden Herbs and an instructor at the Rocky Mountain School of Botanical Medicine in Boulder, Colorado, calls it "the best all-around herb for a healthy pregnancy. It's a nourishing, building herb that has an affinity for the reproductive system."

This nutritive herb is rich in calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, potassium, vitamins B, C, and E, and the alkaloid fragarine--the constituent that contributes to the plant's potency as a pregnancy tonic. It increases fertility in men and women (especially when combined with red clover), tones the uterus, eases morning sickness, and assists in plentiful milk production.

If you have a history of miscarriage, some herbalists recommend that you should delay using the common variety of red raspberry (Rubus idaeus) by itself, especially as a tincture, until after the first trimester. You can then drink one to two cups of tea a day every other day. Also, if your previous labor has been under three hours, red raspberry may be contraindicated. Check with your health practitioner.

To make a tea, add one to two tablespoons dried leaf per cup of boiling water and steep ten to 20 minutes. You may want to alternate red raspberry with other nutritive herbs such as nettles or combine it with other nourishing herbs. Motherlove's "Tea for Two" recipe contains red raspberry, red clover (blood cleansing), nettles (nourishing), alfalfa (also nourishing), and spearmint (tastes good and calms the stomach).

Nettles are rich in biochelated iron, calcium, and protein, as well as a host of other important nutrients. "It is virtually a pregnancy tonic by itself," says Gladstar. The benefits of drinking nettle infusion before and throughout pregnancy include nourishing and strengthening the kidneys, increasing fertility in men and women, nourishing the mother and the fetus, diminishing leg cramps and childbirth pain, preventing hemorrhage after birth, reducing hemorrhoids, and increasing the richness and amount of mother's milk. According to Sharol Tilgner, ND, president of Wise Women Herbals in Creswell, Oregon, nettles should be picked prior to flowering to avoid bladder and kidney irritation. Although use as a tonic is considered safe in pregnancy, concentrated extracts of stinging nettles (such as used to treat hay fever) can act as an abortifacient.

Alfalfa is loaded with vitamins A, D, E, and K, eight digestive enzymes, and numerous trace minerals. It is particularly helpful in late pregnancy because the vitamin K it supplies promotes proper blood clotting, thereby reducing the risk of postpartum hemorrhage.

Dandelion. Both the leaf and root of this common garden "weed" provide many essential nutrients: vitamins A and C, iron, calcium, potassium, and many trace elements. The root is said to be a specific remedy for the liver. The leaf is a mild, nonirritating diuretic, which can reduce water retention during pregnancy. You can eat flesh leaves as salad greens, cook them, or steep them as a tea. However, because dandelion is rich in vitamin A, a fat-soluble vitamin that can accumulate in the body, use only in moderation.

Herbs to Avoid during Pregnancy

Experts agree that pregnant women should avoid herbs that have strong medicinal or potentially toxic effects. Francis Brinker, ND, author of The Toxicology of Botanical Medicines, notes that many of the herbs not recommended help initiate menstrual flow, particularly in nonpregnant women. For women who miscarry easily, higher doses of these herbs in early pregnancy may increase this risk.

Under professional guidance, a woman may be advised to take some of these herbs to treat specific conditions, including complications of pregnancy. For instance, herbalists have traditionally used black haw, false unicorn root, cramp bark, and wild yam root for threatened miscarriage. Both blue cohosh and black cohosh are sometimes recommended during the last weeks of pregnancy to prepare the uterus for childbirth or to stimulate contractions. Shepherd's purse has been utilized to abate hemorrhaging during childbirth.

The point is not to self-medicate with the following botanicals. It is also important to realize that the examples in each category do not represent an exhaustive list.

Herbs that stimulate uterine contractions: birthwort, blue cohosh, cinchona, cotton root bark, ergot (as in commercial preparations for migraine headaches), goldenseal, gotu kola, Peruvian bark.

Herbs that stimulate menstrual flow: agave, angelica, bethroot, black cohosh, chicory, feverfew (in flower), hyssop, horehound, lovage, milk this-tie, mistletoe, motherwort, mugwort, nasturtium seed, osha, fresh parsley leaves (especially placed vaginally), pennyroyal, poke root, pulsatilla, rue, saffron, sumac berries, tansy, thuja (white cedar), watercress, wormwood, yarrow.

Herbs high in volatile oils (which can stimulate or irritate the uterus): eucalyptus, nutmeg, osha, yerba mansa, and the mint family members basil, catnip, lemon balm, marjoram, oregano, peppermint, pennyroyal, rosemary, true sage, and thyme. For the common culinary herbs, the concern lies with the use of high doses in women susceptible to miscarriage, not with using herbs to flavor food.

Plants high in alkaloids (which can also stimulate the uterus): barberry, blood root, broom, goldenseal, coffee, mandrake, tea.

Herbs that affect hormonal function: dong quai, hops, licorice, motherwort, wild yam.

Harsh herbal laxatives: aloe, cascara sagrada, purging buckthorn, rhubarb, senna, and yellow dock (in large amounts).

Strong diuretics: juniper berries, uvaursi (bearberry).

birth without violence

Frederick Leboyer, M.D. was a French physician who was responsible for creating the awareness in maternity wards of the intact an functioning senses of the newborn. Many doctors at the time even thought newborns to be blind at birth! His revolutionary book "Birth without Violence" changed the way in which many parents and professionals bring babies into the world.

Interview with Midwife Cara Mulhahn

Cara Muhlhahn, CNM, and midwife featured in The Business of Being Born (documentary film)

Why did you decide to become a midwife?

I knew from a very early age that I was destined for a medical profession. A series of events led to the decision, but the first birth I attended is what got me hooked. So much of what we do is helping women navigate their own process by giving them reflection and feedback about the normalcy of what’s going on from the outside—when they think they’re dying, splitting apart, falling into oblivion.


You started your career as a lay midwife in your early twenties. What made you decide to become a certified nurse-midwife?

When I was apprenticing for home birth I heard about a maternal death at home. I immediately thought, “I need to pay attention so I’m doing the safest thing.” I knew there was more education I could get. I also wanted legitimacy and legal protection. I didn’t want my entire career to be at risk in the event of an unavoidable bad outcome.


Did you ever consider becoming an ob/gyn?

When I went to college, everyone wanted me to be a physician because I was first in my premed science classes. I did consider becoming an ob/gyn for a while, but the one thing that held me back was that I did not want to do surgery. I was worried about becoming inured to the sacredness of the body and possible intervening unnecessarily in a natural process. Midwifery seems to be a better fit for me.


What made you choose to practice in a home setting?

I worked in a freestanding birth center for four years in New York. I loved the birth center, but I had to leave that setting in order to graduate to midwifery based on experientially honed clinical judgment call, rather than what I view as restrictive protocols. Adherence to institutional protocol can be a first step, an essential one for securing safe outcomes while working as a novice. Practicing at home allows me to make clinical birth plans based on the unique circumstances of each birthing woman’s labor and contributes to lessening the interventions that often make up the slippery slope of the descent into resolution by cesarean section.


How do you view your colleagues who practice midwifery in hospitals?

I’m not interested in promoting a division between home birth and hospital midwives. All midwives are making headway in the battle to bring the power of birth back to the woman—who is actually doing most of the work. If we legitimize home birth and hospital birth, people are going to naturally find their comfort level. Opponents of midwives will just use the old “divide and conquer” to keep us from our deserved triumph.


How did you get involved with The Business of Being Born?

Abby Epstein, the film director, approached me by telephone and said she was working with Ricki Lake. Synchronistically, a couple of weeks earlier, I said to one of my student midwives who had just gone to film school that we needed to make a film. Abby and I first met at a neighborhood café, Ciao for Now, and talked about the proposal. And I said “The film you are proposing is the one I wanted to make, but not being a filmmaker, I’d rather you do it.”


What was it like making the film?

It took us over two years. I created a persona that could completely tune out the cameras most of the time. If I hadn’t been able to do that, I can imagine things would have been quite difficult. Allowing the filmmakers into such an intimate personal and professional space was clearly an act of faith. At the end of it all, I can pretty much attest to Ricki and Abby´s adherence to portraying midwives as we would like to be seen.


How do you feel about how you are portrayed in the movie and what would you like to have changed?

First of all, I want to say that I’m very grateful for this film. However, it leaves some questions unanswered. One is that there is no clip of me listening to the baby’s heart beat in labor. I’m one of the stricter home birth midwives in terms of how closely I follow ACOG guidelines for intermittent fetal heart rate monitoring. It would have been better for the public to know that we do check on their babies when they’re in labor.


Abby ends up being one of your clients in the film, but it looks like she visits several care providers during the course of the movie. Were you Abby’s prenatal care provider?

I was not until very late in the game. I had two prenatal visits with her and another scheduled two or three days after she went into preterm labor at 35 ½ weeks. At 32 weeks, I knew the baby was breech.


The film ends with a lot of drama when Abby goes into preterm labor at home. What do you think about the transfer scene?

They don’t show all of the clips of me executing the decision to go. They don’t realize the drama in the lobby scene makes it look like I was not in charge of the transport. We were only at the house for about an hour, and Abby and I arrived at the hospital before the physician. I was in the operating room during the cesarean section at Abby´s head.


What do you envision as a positive future for midwifery?

The Business of Being Born can help initiate a necessary conversation between the birthing public and birth professionals. Here is an opportunity for an honest exploration and evaluation of what home birth midwives really do instead of reliance on the convenient and self serving projections of a suspicious and undereducated governing body. We need to make a stance and we need to make it strong. The women of this country desperately need midwives on their behalf to help them birth normally.


The Transfer Scene: What the Cameras don’t Show

If you’ve seen The Business of Being Born, you probably have some questions about the preterm labor and the cesarean section at the end. ACNM member Cara Muhlhahn, CNM, shares the details that didn’t make the final cut.


What do you think about how you are portrayed in the movie and what would you like to have changed?

First of all, I want to say that I’m very grateful for this film. I feel that midwives are portrayed in a very positive light. However, there are a few lapses that leave some questions unanswered. One is that there is no clip of me listening to the baby’s heart beat in labor. I’m one of the stricter home birth midwives in terms of how closely I follow ACOG guidelines for intermittent fetal heart rate monitoring. It would have been better for the public to know that we do check on their babies when they’re in labor.


Abby Epstein, the film director, ends up being one of your clients in the film. But it looks like she visits several care providers during the course of the movie. Were you Abby’s prenatal care provider?

Not until very late in the game. She was undecided about her choice of birth site and provider until after 28 weeks. Her early prenatal care was done by the physician in the film, Dr. Moritz. I had two prenatal visits with Abby and another scheduled two or three days after she went into preterm labor at 35 weeks. At 32 weeks, I knew the baby was breech.


Can you explain the events that led to your decision to do a transfer to the hospital?

The night Abby called me, she didn’t sound like she was in labor on the phone. She said that she might be having contractions, but she didn’t know. Since I live in the neighborhood, I decided to walk over and spend some time with her face to face. When I got there, I checked the baby. The baby was fine, but still breech. Abby was lounging in the tub, but I was watching her contract and saw that her affect had become less rational. When I examined her, she was already 3 – 4 centimeters. I also knew that Abby’s mother had a six hour labor with her first child, which meant that Abby was likely to progress quickly. So that’s when I said, “Let’s get this show on the road.”


The transfer scene seems pretty rushed. What are your thoughts on that scene?

Of course documentaries are edited for dramatic effect, which may be the source of my discomfort with how Abby´s labor transfer is portrayed. It appears that we were home for hours, which isn’t true. She had a precipitous labor for it being her first baby, which didn’t give us a lot of time. But they don’t show all of the clips of me executing the decision to go. They don’t realize the drama in the lobby scene makes it look like I was not in charge of the transport.


You and Abby take a taxi to the hospital. Why didn’t you call 911 instead?

911 is a slower transfer. It takes the ambulance an average of eight minutes to get to the house and a lot of important time can be lost just registering the patient to EMS. EMS would also take Abby to the hospital of their choosing, allowing institutional protocol to outvote my judgment call as an experienced midwife.


After Abby’s water breaks, you do not appear on camera during the rest of the transfer and cesarean section. Were you still with Abby?

Yes. Abby’s water broke in the driveway of the hospital. I examined her in the wheelchair on the elevator ride so that I could hold the head up in the event of a cord prolapse. (The baby ended up having the cord around his neck, which is why he didn’t turn vertex.) Abby and I arrived at the hospital before the physician. I was at Abby’s head in the operating room during the cesarean section.


Although Abby’s baby boy arrives safely, the physician says that Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR) occurred. Do you want to talk about that?

In the film it appears like the baby was starving, everybody missed it, and the doctor saved the day. But the situation was misconstrued because of a critical detail that was lost during the emergency transfer. The physician who received the transfer was under the impression that the baby was 40 weeks. Abby’s baby was actually born at 35 ½ weeks. A 3 lbs, 5 ounces baby at 40 weeks would have been much more serious than at 35 ½ weeks.

   Cara Muhlhahn's Home Birth Stats:

Years of CNM Experience: 18
Years in Homebirth: 16
Number of Births Attended: ~800
Transfer Rate: 9%
C-section Rate: 3.5%
Article taken form Peaceful Parenting

                                          Midwife Cara Muhlhahn

Midwives assisted UC?

  Interesting article on midwives dealing with UC'ers  (Unassisted Childbirthers)  from the Navel Gazing Midwife Blog.

beautiful birth & great soundtrack

The birth of baby Koa! from Rachel Shepard on Vimeo.

Raw Vegan diet and Pregnancy

Please go to Raw Ragamuffins for information regarding a raw vegan diet during pregnancy.

adorable

Blog Love: Rummey Bears

Boho Birth has a website!

                                                   


                                     http://www.bohobirth.com/

Singing during labour

I remember singing during my labour with my second baby...i was so calm being alone in my bathtub, singing and rocking back and forth. Having nurses and doctors present while in a hospital enviroment doesn't make a woman want to start singing...and sometimes even having your husband or doula present can damper the freedom you would've had if you were completely alone. I encourage women to take time alone during their labours so they can have some time without feeling like they're being watched, its amazing what time alone can do to ease pain and anxiety.

vaginal births with multiples

These women are incredible!!

Waldorf babies

Here is a great article on parenting babies Waldorf style.
A friend of mine sends her children to a Waldorf school on the Island, she always has these really inspiring stories of nature festivals and how her children are learning all about the natural rhythms of life, and celebrating them!

What are the rhythms that you celebrate?

Here is another great link exploring the different festivals that are celebrated in the Waldorf communities.

fresh blog babies!

I have decided to start a couple of new blogs that include all the other "selves" of me that are unrelated to birth. Boho Birth will just be about pregnancy, birth and babes, and any other lifestyle musings i may have will be here: http://www.ragamuffinliving.blogspot.com/
And for you foodies out there: http://www.rawragamuffins.blogspot.com/
Thanks for reading!

Labourless labours and painless births

This is has not been my personal experience, but i have enjoyed my births in all their pain and glory nonetheless... this would be a dream though!

Taken from http://www.unassistedchildbirth.com:

The scene is a familiar one. A woman in labor is lying in a hospital bed surrounded by masked men and women. Her forehead is sweating, machines are beeping, and she's screaming at the top of her lungs, "I can't do it! I can't do it! It hurts! It hurts!" This is the way women give birth. Or do they?

The fact is, many women don't find birth to be painful or difficult. Call them lucky if you wish, but I tend to believe it has more to do with the attitude of the woman giving birth, and the people she has chosen to surround her. If you interview a woman who has had an easy birth you may find she has a very relaxed attitude about her body and her sexuality. Perhaps she has always been this way, or maybe she has consciously worked at overcoming her fears and learning to trust her body. Either way, her babies are born with grace and ease.

True, at this point in time these women may be the exception rather than the rule, but I still find their stories fascinating. If we can at least entertain the idea that perhaps birth can be painless and easy, maybe more of us will be able to experience it this way. In any case, it makes for some interesting reading. Here are some stories I've collected over the years about laborless labors and painless births.

* * * * * * * * * *

I was six days from the due date of my third child. On Jan. 6, 1991 at 11:13 p.m. I started to have very mild cramps, so I called the doctor. He said to meet him at the hospital. So, I woke up my husband and got my aunt to watch our other two girls. We left at 11:45 p.m. and headed to the hospital, which is about 10 minutes from home, and I felt the need to push. I pushed one time and the head crowned. The rest of the baby followed. It was a girl. She was 6 pounds and 19 inches long. I did it by myself while my husband was driving. She is now 8 years old and in the second grade.
-From "My Husband Drove While I Delivered" by Lori

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I know for a fact that completely painless labour and birth does happen! This is the tale of three different women...two of whom are my own sisters.

Firstly my eldest sister Karen didn't even realize she was in labour till she was told by her doctor at her 39 week appointment. He sent her straight into hospital. The staff there didn't believe she was in labour as she was wandering around happily laughing and joking with them and the other mothers. She felt absolutely nothing until an urge to bear down came along. Five minutes later Tara was born. Karen swears the only thing she felt besides the urge to push was her perineum stretching over the baby's head.

Her second daughter was stuck in breech position for her birth. Karen was in hospital at the time, she had gone over her due date and the doctor was planning to induce her. She woke up in the morning and refused breakfast even though she was feeling fine. She was sitting up in bed joking with one of the nursing staff when suddenly she felt something wet between her legs....it was a little FOOT! She looked up at the nurse and said there was a foot sticking out. The nurse didn't believe her til she pulled the covers back and saw for herself. She ran to get the doctor. In the mean time the other foot appeared along with most of the length of the legs. The doctor came running and Karen delivered 9 pound 4 ounce Adele in two more pushes. There wasn't even time to transfer her to the labour suite, she just delivered in the general ward!

(By the way, we're all kinda short in my family, Karen is only 4 foot 11 inches.)

My other sister Erika was under the "care" of an obstetrician so unfortunately she copped an episiotomy with both her births. She says it was the only pain she felt for the entire births of both her son and daughter. She only knew she was contracting because she felt her belly hardening every few minutes.

Okay, I did say three. This one is from a magazine article a few years ago. A fifteen-year-old girl was experiencing mild tummy pains and diarrhea. She assumed she had some sort of stomach bug and had a bath to relax and put herself to bed early. She woke up some hours later, aroused by the cries and the sensation of something bumping her legs under the blankets. Alarmed she pulled back the covers to find a wriggling, pink baby girl still attatched to her via the umbilical cord lying on the bed between her legs. No doubting where that came from! She wasn't even aware that she was pregnant! In shock she scooped up the infant and ran into her parents' room. Her boyfriend, who had been staying over the night sleeping on the couch, took one look at the girl, the baby and her parents heading down the hallway and into the loungeroom and leapt up and ran out the front door heading for the hills in his pajamas. He probably thought that "Grand-dad" would be looking for his rifle next!
-Peta Hewitt

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"In a letter to me Dr. Douglas states that he was called about 6 A. M., Sept. 26, 1828, to attend a Mrs. D., residing on Eccles St. On his arrival he found the house in the utmost confusion, and was told that the child had been born before the messenger was dispatched for the doctor. From the lady herself he learned that, about half an hour previously, she had been awakened from a natural sleep by the alarm of a daughter about five years old, who slept with her. This alarm was occasioned by the little girl feeling the movements, and hearing the cries of an infant in bed. To the mother's great surprise she had brought forth her child without any consciousness of the fact."

"A lady of great respectability, the wife of a peer of the realm, was actually delivered once in her sleep; she immediately awakened her husband, being alarmed to find one more in bed than there was before."

"I have elsewhere mentioned the case of a patient of mine who bore eight children without ever having labor pains. Her deliveries were so sudden and void of sensible effect that in more than one instance they took place under most awkward circumstances, but without any suffering."

"Dr. J. King, in his work on Obstetrics, speaks of attending cases where there was no sensation of pain. He found that by placing the hand upon the abdomen, the muscular contractions were distinctly felt, and examination proved the progress of labor, while, excepting a suppressed breath, the patient experienced no change from the ordinary condition."

"Some very marked cases have come to my own knowledge proving the possibility of painless labor. I attended a neighbor of mine in four different confinements. I never was able to reach her before the birth of the child, although I lived across the street, and according to her injunctions always kept my shoes 'laced up.' She sent for me, too, at the first indication of labor. There was always one prolonged effort and the child was expelled. The heads of her children were temporarily distorted, showing pliability of the osseous structure."

"Another lady patron had two children without a particle of pain. With the first she was alone with her nurse. During the evening she remarked that she felt weary and believed that she would lie down. She had been on the bed no more than twenty minutes when she called to her nurse, saying: 'How strangely I feel! I wish you would see what is the matter,' when to their astonishment the child was already born."

"Two years later I was summoned to the same lady about ten at night. The membranes were ruptured, but no other visible indication of labor. Investigation revealed dilatation of the cervix and although she soon fell into a quiet slumber, I noticed regular and distinct contractions. The child was born about two in the morning without any sensation of pain. I have no doubt that in her previous confinement the contractions went on the same, and if she had been one to mark her symptoms closely, she would have felt them as one feels muscular contractions in the performance of other natural functions."
-From Tokology: A Book for Every Woman by Alice B. Stockham, M.D., Copyright, 1911

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"If you suffer, it is not because you are cursed of God, but because you violate his laws. What an incubus it would take from woman could she be educated to know that the pains of maternity are no curse upon her kind. We know that among Indians the squaws do not suffer in childbirth. They will step aside from the ranks, even on the march, and return in a short time bearing with them the new-born child. What an absurdity, then, to suppose that only enlightened Christian women are cursed."

"But one word of fact is worth a volume of philosophy; let me give you some of my own experience. I am the mother of seven children. My girlhood was spent mostly in the open air. I early imbibed the idea that a girl is just as good as a boy, and I carried it out. I would walk five miles before breakfast, or ride ten on horseback....I wore my clothing sensibly....I never compressed my body....When my first four children were born, I suffered very little. I then made up my mind that it was totally unnecessary for me to suffer at all; so I dressed lightly, walked every day...and took proper care of myself. The night before the birth...I walked three miles. The child was born without a particle of pain. I bathed it and dressed it myself."
-Elizabeth Cady Stanton, early feminist

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"Weill describes the case of a woman of twenty-three who gave birth to a robust boy on the 16th of June, 1877, and suckled him eleven months. This birth lasted one hour. She became pregnant again and was delivered under the following circumstances: She had been walking on the evening of September 5th and returned home about eleven o'clock to sleep. About 3 A.M. she awoke, feeling the necessity of passing urine. She arose and seated herself for the purpose. She at once uttered a cry and called her husband, telling him that a child was born and entreating him to send for a physician. Weill saw the woman in about ten minutes and she was in the same position, so he ordered her to be carried to bed. On examining the urinal he found a female child weighing 10 pounds. He tied the cord and cared for the child. The woman exhibited little hemorrhage and made a complete recovery. She had apparently slept soundly through the uterine contractions until the final strong pain, which awoke her, and which she imagined was a call for urination."

"Shortt says that one day, while crossing the esplanade at Villaire, between seven and eight o'clock in the morning, he perceived three Hindoo women with large baskets of cakes of 'bratties' on their heads, coming from a village about four miles distant. Suddenly one of the women stood still for a minute, stooped, and to his surprise dropped a fully developed male child to the ground. One of her companions ran into the town, about 100 yards distant, for a knife to divide the cord. A few of the female passers-by formed a screen about the mother with their clothes, and the cord was divided. The after-birth came away, and the woman was removed to the town. It was afterward discovered that she was the mother of two children, was twenty-eight years old, had not the slightest sign of approaching labor, and was not aware of parturition until she actually felt the child between her thighs."

"Smith of Madras, in 1862, says he was hastily summoned to see an English lady who had borne a child without the slightest warning. He found the child, which had been born ten minutes, lying close to the mother's body, with the funis uncut. The native female maid, at the lady's orders, had left the child untouched, lifting the bed-clothes to give it air. The lady said that she arose at 5:30 feeling well, and during the forenoon had walked down a long flight of steps across a walk to a small summer-house within the enclosure of her grounds. Feeling a little tired, she had lain down on her bed, and soon experienced a slight discomfort, and was under the impression that something solid and warm was lying in contact with her person. She directed the servant to look below the bed-clothes, and then a female child was discovered."

"Coleman met an instance in a married woman, who without the slightest warning was delivered of a child while standing near a window in her bedroom. The child fell to the floor and ruptured the cord about one inch from the umbilicus, but with speedy attention the happiest results were attained. Twitchell has an example in the case of a young woman of seventeen, who was suddenly delivered of a child while ironing some clothes. The cord in this case was also ruptured, but the child sustained no injury."
-From Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine, by George M. Gould, A.M., M.D., and Walter L. Pyle, A.M., M,D. (The Julian Press, Inc., 1896)

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Vocal toning

I came across an article today on 'vocal toning' during labour, and it mentioned that the long A sound as in "ACE", when said in lower tones and held helped dilate the cervix and create more space within the pelvis.

Janice Clarfield is a Yoga instructor from Vancouver, BC; she has put out a Prenatal Yoga CD set which includes instruction on Visualization, Guided Relaxation, Vocal Toning and Breathing techniques.

a new camera for me!!

 I've been wanting to work on my photography skills for awhile now..about 8 years ago i got into the idea and bought a Pentax manual/automatic and began shooting everything i saw (we lived in Victoria so most of it was beautiful)..and then i got less inspired and my skills rapidly diminished to point and shoot. So yesterday i took my new Nikon to a class to learn how to use it!! I had alot of fun..just taking the whole day for taking pictures. Now i'm walking around my house seeing photos that are over exposed, and feeling sorry that my kids had to put up with all those darn flashes. I can now go flash free (most of the time)!! Here are some of my manual photos from yesterday..

my tattoo

                                                                      "CHAVA"

dropped food..to eat or not to eat??

Rebozo for labour

Canadian study on homebirth

Read this: Canadian study on homebirth.

why choose a midwife?

so simple.

The Top 10 Things Children Really Want Their Parents to Do With Them

Posted by: Dr. Mercola

January 21 2010
1,525 views

Many moms today feel as if they are not good mothers unless they are racing around, shuttling their children from lessons to practices, and back to lessons again. What do you think matters most to your children? You driving them to lessons and practices? Or the smile and hug you greet them with after school?

If you guessed the latter, you are correct.

Here is a list of the top 10 things students around the world said they desire most from their mothers.

1.Come into my bedroom at night, tuck me in and sing me a song. Also tell me stories about when you were little.

2.Give me hugs and kisses and sit and talk with me privately.

3.Spend quality time just with me, not with my brothers and sisters around.

4.Give me nutritious food so I can grow up healthy.

5.At dinner talk about what we could do together on the weekend.

6.At night talk to me about anything: love, school, family etc.

7.Let me play outside a lot.

8.Cuddle under a blanket and watch our favorite TV show together.

9.Discipline me. It makes me feel like you care.

10.Leave special messages in my desk or lunch bag.

Children are incredibly wise and tend to see the world more simply than we do. Perhaps it is time we start taking their advice.

big mom and tots

                                                      art by Creative Thursday for TWIG
This painting is so sweet....it reminds me of how (most) of us mothers forgo our best 'style' when we have children...i feel like this momma looks. Big, puffy and busy. Ha. As a child I remember thinking about how it wouldn't be much fun to have a tiny mom without any boobs, my mom wasn't big at all, but she was the perfect amount of soft.

warning against vacs

Happy Birthday to me!

Today i am 29, my last year before 30...so thankful i haven't died yet. ha..that IS how i think. I haven't gotten eaten by a huge mammal, and i've gotten enough (well, a little too much) to eat in the last 29 years. I've had three babies and have a good man to boot..and i've still got my teeth. Life is good.

I got a tattoo this past week...at book club i said, "i need to do something crazy before i turn 29", and Mar said, "get a tattoo", so i did, a small one on my wrist. It reads "Chava", but its written in Hebrew, and it means Eve, life giver (mother).  I can hear my kids fighting over Connect Four upstairs, off i go to break it up.

oh Gloria

This is taken from http://www.glorialemay.com/blog/?p=260

January 10, 2010

“Being a Midwife”

Being a midwife starts with the ego. Our “ego selves” see the status, admiration and responsibility of the job as an attraction. What the ego cannot see is that the aspiring midwife has placed her foot on a road by taking up the work. This road will take her on a journey, which she will only finish when they chisel the word “midwife” on her gravestone.



The midwife will know days when the road is clear and smooth and her heart is bursting with joy. Along the road, she will also be ambushed and attacked. This is the nature of life and it is not personal, but it will seem to be personal. Childbirth is so pivotal to society and there have been so many years of misinformation that the attack that befalls midwives is swift and harsh—it is not for the faint of heart. Many good women have left the midwifery road because the attacks were just too violent for their spirits in this lifetime.



The midwife who sticks to the road learns to temper her pride in her work, knowing that, to the degree that she is pumped up by success she will be devastated by failure. Failure and success become less important to her as she walks the road and her focus on the birthing family becomes more important. She begins to disappear as an individual and a personality and, in that disappearing, her true Self emerges.



She learns from the mothers. The most important things are the simplest: be on time, keep your word, keep confidences, be organized and, above all, be patient. These things take a lifetime of mistakes to master. She constantly looks critically at herself to unearth her failings in these areas. The midwife makes many mistakes. There can be no learning or growth without mistakes. She doesn’t make the same mistakes over and over. She listens to the experiences of others to avoid those mistakes she can avoid and is grateful for the teaching. She is able to be honest with herself and her clients about what she learns.



She is averse to condemning other practitioners, knowing there is a karmic come-uppance that comes with self-righteousness.



She understands that her words are remembered for a lifetime and chooses them wisely. How she speaks results in the birthing woman being honored, respected and dignified. She knows her role is to be transparent in the process of birth. She has a quiet, dignified way of being. Her context for each birth is, “This is the only one.” Her actions and attitude at the birth will affect the family for the rest of their days. She is trusted because she has shown by her actions and speech that she is trustworthy. She has no need to prove anything and is able to discover some new lesson from every birth.



Numbers of births, degrees and licenses do not concern her. She knows that she chose her profession with all its inherent risks and she refuses to portray herself as a victim.



She takes responsibility for passing on the knowledge to the new ones; her legacy will be generations of women who emulate her. She teaches the old ways because birth is ancient and it works. She distances herself from the crowd. She takes the time and space to develop and formulate her own values and ideals.



She has known the warmth of the placenta, the tear-filled eyes of a happy new father, the devastation of miscarriage, the freedom of a fast car and the fear of imprisonment. She has been honored and insulted, blessed and cursed, loved and hated and has reached a place where she likes the woman who gazes back at her in the mirror. She is excited about her future and at peace with her past. All this she brings to the birthing chamber as her contribution.



Written at Burnaby Correctional Center for Women in 2002.

First published in Midwifery Today Magazine Issue 68, Winter 2003

purdy as a picture

http://www.jamesjean.com/

i'm gonna get it, and wear it and love it, and prance.

http://www.anthropologie.com

Moomah

Ode to Moomah. Lets take a moment to click on the link and search through this beautiful site. This cafe is a super cool place in NY...dedicated to moms and their kids. I want my house to look like a mini version of this place...i'm going to steal some ideas for sure. When we lived outside of Calgary i would take the kids into the city to go to the Coup for lunch, and then to a kids play place that had OK coffee and a HUGE playspace that i would often lose them in. It was a great escape though and i miss having those options.

Everyone knows about ETSY but do you know about  http://www.weloveindie.com/ ? They edit what comes onto the site so they aren't promoting bad artistic endeavors that should not be online..ha. ETSY allows anyone to set up an account..which is great, but http://www.weloveindie.com/ is a bit more pared down to the really well done.

(Photo taken form the Moomah site)