Monthly Archives: October 2015

Black Bean Salsa

Posted on by

Black Bean Salsa

20151013_045141

The body needs great nourishment during the healing and recovery stage of postpartum. In this time of adjustment and transition it can often be difficult to find the time necessary to eat adequately for your health, energy and the support of a well established milk supply for your new baby. This salsa makes that easy! Packed with omegas, healthy fat, a ton of nutrients, and added protein depending on your dipping choice.

This recipe was passed down to me from one of my Midwives, and has been a blessing throughout my breastfeeding journeys.

ENJOY!

Ingredients

Use all organic ingredients if possible.

Salsa Ingredients

1 Large Tomato Diced

1 Can Organic Sweet Corn Kernels

1 Can Organic Black Beans

1 Bunch Green Onions Diced

1 Bunch Cilantro Finely Chopped

1 Red Bell Pepper Diced

1 Large Avocado (Diced – to be added with the drizzle ingredients)

5 – 8 Cloves Garlic Finely Chopped

Drizzle Ingredients

1/3 Cup Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice

1/3 Cup Flax Seed Oil

1/4 Cup Olive Oil

1 Drop Lime Essential Oil (optional)

1 Drop Fennel Essential Oil (optional)

Seasonings

Sea Salt to taste

1/4 tsp. Ground Cayenne Pepper (Optional) (May add more, if you like spicy!)

Mix all salsa ingredient together and stir.

Pour drizzle ingredients over the top and stir. Add avocado. Avocado may brown due to air exposure, but will still be good in the lime juices.

Add seasonings and stir again.

Stores in fridge for about a week depending on your fridges internal temperature.

20151012_155617

Enjoy with some flax seed chips

for additional protein intake!

6 grams in 7 chips!

YUMMY!

Dad’s and Doula’s

Posted on by

Dad’s & Doula’s

Preparing for childbirth is much like preparing for a voyage around the world by sea.

If you have never taken a voyage by sea, and have no experience sailing, it would be nearly impossible to set out without an experienced guide and know that you are going to have a smooth voyage from beginning to end, that you are going to arrive at you intended destination point having met all of your goals for the planned journey.

A doula is your guide to understanding the birth process, knowing where you are in each moment, what to expect around the next corner, how to handle each wave as it comes crashing your way, how to be supportive, how to meet the changing needs of the laboring mother as the weather out to sea changes and intensifies.

A doula is the voyage guide … the lighthouse on the shore … the whisper through the winds of change

Mom + Baby + Dad = “The Birth Team”

A Doula = “The Nurturer of the Birthing Process”

Giving “The Birth Team” the physical, emotional and informational support needed along the way.

A Doula is not only support for the birthing mother, she is also support for the birthing father.

This is a journey that mom and dad are taking together with their baby.

A Doula’s role is to facilitate that journey and protect the bond between “The Birth Team” as they work together.

A Doula is not a replacement for a dad’s role in the birth process. Quite the opposite in fact.

  • A Doula is an extra pair of hands in many laboring positions which require more than one support person attending to mom
  • A Doula is an extra pair of ears in recognizing the changes in the progression of labor and keeping dad informed along the way
  • A Doula is an extra pair of eyes in assuring proper advocacy of the desires and wishes of your birth plan, so dad can be completely focused on mom
  • A Doula speaks the language of birth and keeps mom and dad well informed about the stages of progression and the changes in care that mom and baby will need throughout each stage
  • A reduction in the amount of stress and confusion which can be caused by an often intimidating hospital room and staff who are not always available to answer immediate questions
  • The Partner doesn’t have to worry about remembering everything learned in the childbirth class because the Doula is there to provide guidance, reassurance and provide information on the ‘normalcy’ of the birth process
  • With a Doula present, dad will have his emotional needs met (ie. stresses, worries, concerns, etc) so dad can remain positively focused on mom and his baby and his role in “The Birth Team”
  • Having a Doula means dad can step away for a spell to use the restroom, have a light snack, take a brief power nap, or just catch his breath and have a moment to reflect, with peace of mind that mom and baby are being well supported in his absence
  • Doula’s provide comfort to dad’s and help them remain calm and collected during a time that might otherwise have felt stressful
  • Doula’s provide heavy doses of guidance & encouragement keeping “The Birth Team” feeling confident in themselves and the birth process
  • A Doula can help you and your partner have a more intimate birth experience by helping to set the tone in a non-intimate setting, such as in a cold hospital room, and help to protect the intimacy desired in a hospital birth

 

Quotes of the Soul

Posted on by

Quotes of the Soul

“If I don’t know my options, I don’t have any.”
~ Diana Korte

“Birth is powerful… Let it empower you.”
~ Unknown

“Just as a woman’s heart knows how and when to pump,
her lungs to inhale,
and her hand to pull back from the fire,
so she knows when and how to give birth.”
~Virginia Di Orio

“Only with trust, faith, and support can the woman allow the birth experience to enlighten and empower her.”
~ Claudia Lowe

“There is a secret in our culture, and it’s not that birth is painful.
It’s that women are strong.”
~ Laura Stavoe Harm

“You are constructing your own reality with the choices you make…or don’t make.
If you really want a healthy pregnancy and joyful birth, and you truly understand that you are the one in control,
then you must examine what you have or haven’t done so far to create the outcome you want.”
~ Kim Wildner

“The need to pursue healthy birth options and birth rights for women and babies doesn’t end with our own births;
for women will always birth after us.”
~ Desirre Andrews

“You block your dream when you allow your fear to grow bigger than your faith.”
~ Mary Manin Morrissey

“Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood.”
~ Marie Curie

“Those who fear birth, also fear those who don’t fear birth.”
~ Angela Woerner

“The best way to avoid a cesarean is to stay out of the hospital.”
~ Brooke Sanders Purves

“I am the hero of this story”
~ Regina Spektor

“Strength doesn’t come from what you can do…
It comes from overcoming the things you once thought you couldn’t.”
~ Rikki Rogers

“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop and look fear in the face.”
~ Eleanor Roosevelt

“There may never be a baby book that offers the conclusive answer to every question,
but it’s possible to extract some wisdom from the suffering of past generations of parents.
Does the book you’re reading contradict itself repeatedly,
require you to override all your parental instincts,
or send you into a panic over your own inadequacy?
If so, burn it.”
~ Libby Copeland

“Childbirth provided the drama I craved,
the thrill of peeking over the primal edge of creation,
the rush of the unexpected.”
~ Peggy Vincent

“Birth isn’t something we suffer,
but something that we actively do and exult in!”
~ Sheila Kitzinger

“For far too many women, pregnancy and birth is something that happens to them rather than
something they set out consciously to do themselves.”
~ Sheila Kitzinger

“The power and intensity of your contractions cannot be stronger than you,
because it is you.”
~ Unknown

‎”Rain, after all is only rain; it is not bad weather.
So also, pain is only pain; unless we resist it,
then it becomes torment.”
~ the I Ching

“The knowledge of how to give birth without outside interventions lies deep within each woman.
Successful childbirth depends on the acceptance of the process.”
~ Suzanne Arms

“Birth is not only about making babies. It’s about making mothers…
strong, competent, capable mothers who trust themselves and believe in their inner strength”
~ Barbara Katz Rothman

“A woman in harmony with her spirit is like a river flowing.
She goes where she will without pretense and arrives at her destination,
prepared to be herself and only herself.”
~ Maya Angelou

“The same movements that get the baby in, get the baby out.”
~ From Birthing From Within

“Giving birth should be your greatest achievement not your greatest fear.”
~ Jane Weideman

“When you change the way you view birth, the way you birth will change.”
~ Marie Mongan

“A healthy woman who delivers spontaneously performs a job that cannot be improved upon.”
~ Aidan MacFarlane

“Life only demands from you the strength you possess.”
~ David Hammarskjold

“All natural birth has a purpose and a plan; who would think of tearing open the chrysalis as the butterfly is emerging?
Who would break the shell to pull the chick out?”
~ Marie Mongon, Hypnobirthing

“Birth is the sudden opening of a window, through which you look out upon a stupendous prospect.
For what has happened? A miracle.
You have exchanged nothing for the possibility of everything.”
~ William MacNeile Dixon

“It seems that many health professionals involved in antenatal care have not realized
that one of their roles should be to protect the emotional state of pregnant women.”
~ Dr. Michel Odent

“Call it “womb awe” or even “womb worship” but it’s not simple envy.
I don’t remember even wanting to be a woman.
But each of the three times I have been present at the birth of one of my children,
I have been overwhelmed by a sense of reverence…
It was quite suddenly, the first day of creation; the Goddess giving birth to a world…
Like men since the beginning of time I wondered:
What can I ever create that will equal the magnificence of this new life?”
~ Sam Keen

“The whole point of woman-centered birth is the knowledge that a woman is the birth power source.
She may need, and deserve, help, but in essence, she always had, currently has, and will have the power.”
~ Heather McCue

“Childbirth is more admirable than conquest, more amazing than self-defense, and as courageous as either one.”
~ Gloria Steinem

“The effort to separate the physical experience of childbirth from the mental,
emotional and spiritual aspects of this event has served to disempower and violate women.”
~ Mary Rucklos Hampton

“Deep within each woman, lies the Knowledge of how to give birth without outside interventions.”
~ Unknown

‎”The wisdom and compassion a woman can intuitively experience in childbirth
can make her a source of healing and understanding for other women.”
~ Stephen Gaskin

“The instant of birth is exquisite. Pain and joy are one at this moment.
Ever after, the dim recollection is so sweet that we speak to our children with a gratitude they never understand.”
~ Madline Tiger

“It is not only that we want to bring about an easy labor, without risking injury to the mother or the child; we must go further.
We must understand that childbirth is fundamentally a spiritual, as well as a physical, achievement.
The birth of a child is the ultimate perfection of human love.”
~ Dr. Grantly Dick-Read

“No other natural bodily function is painful and childbirth should not be an exception.”
~ Dr. Grantly Dick-Read

“Many women have described their experiences of childbirth as being associated with a spiritual uplifting,
the power of which they have never previously been aware.
To such a woman, childbirth is a monument of joy within her memory.
She turns to it in thought to seek again an ecstasy which passed too soon.”
~  Dr.  Grantly Dick Read

“Fear can be overcome only by Faith.”
~ Dr. Grantly Dick-Read

“Mothers need to know that their care and their choices won’t be compromised by birth politics.”
~ Jennifer Rosenberg

If in doubt, breathe out.”
~ Cathy Doberska

“When you have come to the edge of all light that you know and are about to drop off into the darkness of the unknown,
FAITH is knowing one of two things will happen:
There will be something solid to stand on or you will be taught to fly.”
~ Patrick Overton

“30,000 women will be giving birth with you today.
Relax and breathe and do nothing else.
Labor is hard work and you can do it.”
~ Unknown

“Focus on what you can do, then do it with all your heart.”
~ Lois Wilson

“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak, courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.”
~ Winston Churchill

‎”No amount of prenatal blood sampling, uterine testing, ultrasounds, amniocentesis,
or other physical evaluations can substitute for good maternal nutrition.”
~ Dr. David Stewart

“It does a man good to see his lady being brave while she has their baby… it inspires him.”
~ Ina May Gaskin

“Life only demands from you the strength you possess.”
~ David Hammarskjold

“If I had my life to live over, instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy,
I’d have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.”
~ Erma Bombeck

“Imagine what might happen if women emerged from their labor beds with a renewed sense of the strength and power of their bodies,
and of their capacity for ecstasy through giving birth”
~ Dr. Christiane Northrup

“Birth is an experience that demonstrates that life is not merely function and utility, but form and beauty.”
~ Christopher Largen

Birth Poetry

Posted on by

Poetry

“Where the essence of our strength is found,
the limits of our weaknesses are discovered,
and who we once were is lost forever.
For with the first breathe of this ever so tiny one,
the marrow of our soul… finally lives.”

~ Shelby Miller

The Rose

My cervix is like a rosebud
Ready to Open
I am nurtured by those around me as the rose is nurtured by the soil
The rosebud gradually, ever so softly, opens and blossoms.
I open and blossom.
My cervix is soft and ripe like a rosebud.
I see the outer petals of te rose falling away
I see my cervix yielding like the outer petals of the rose.
Every contraction opens another petal of my rosebud cervix.
I welcome each contraction, which helps me open my rosebud cervix.
I welcome and receive all the nurturing around me, which helps me open.
Just like the warm sun opens the rose, the warmth I receive opens my cervix.
I yield and open.
The rose does not resist.
I open and blossom.

~ Barbara Harper “Gentle Birth Choices”

_________________________________

_______________

If we hope to create
a non-violent world
where respect and kindness
replace fear and hatred…

We must begin with how
we treat each other
at the beginning of life

For that is where
our deepest patterns are set.

From those roots
grow fear and alienation….
~ OR love and trust.

~Suzanne Arms~

________________________________________________

The Candle

Imagine that your pelvis is a candle with a flame in the middle
As my contractions come, the flame burns brighter.
My body is the wax of the candle, warming and yielding to the flame.
The more I breathe, the brighter the candle burns.
The wax melts and drips with each contraction.
My body becomes looser and opens to the flame.
I see my pelvis becoming soft and warm and pliable.
I breathe. With each contraction, the candle becomes softer.
I melt with the candle.
My breath helps the candle burn brighter, melting quicker.
I remain soft, warm, and yielding.

~ Barbara Harper “Gentle Birth Choices”

________________________________________________

Slow down mummy, there is no need to rush,
slow down mummy, what is all the fuss?
Slow down mummy, make yourself a cup tea.
Slow down mummy, come and spend some time with me.

Slow down mummy, let’s put our boots on and go out for a walk,
let’s kick at piles of leaves, and smile and laugh and talk.
Slow down mummy, you look ever so tired,
come sit and snuggle under the duvet and rest with me a while.

Slow down mummy, those dirty dishes can wait,
slow down mummy, let’s have some fun, let’s bake a cake!
Slow down mummy I know you work a lot,
but sometimes mummy, its nice when you just stop.

Sit with us a minute,
& listen to our day,
spend a cherished moment,
because our childhood is not here to stay!

~ Rebekah Knight

_____________________________________________

We’ve all been waiting for you.
For you.
Your arrival has been marked, has been recorded
on earth,
in the universe,
in the galaxies,
in all of space,
in all of time.
You come with a birthright, written in love and sung
through all Creation in words which promise
that no matter where you’re at,
you’re home
that no matter who you’re with,
you’re welcome
that no matter who you are,
you’re loved.
Welcome.

~ Rita Ramsey

________________________________________________

Through pain find strength
Through birth find healing
It is never easy to keep reaching for dreams
Strength and courage can sometimes be lonely friends.
But those who reach, walk in stardust.
~ Flavia

________________________________________________

They Invite Us In
women
who trust us
inviting us in
to share their secret passage
we count their moons with them
waiting for a pause
and in that suspension
we wait with them
fingers granted privileged entry
into innermost recesses
secrets shared
stories heard
lessons learned
they invite us in
to help their babies out
we dance with them
slowly
as they grow and wait
each day a little larger
new life jostling their ribs
until its stretching
threatens to burst
her fleshen bubble
and
at last
she is ready
taking your hand
she flows in and out of
the deepest shadow places
love and terror
the waves grip her
and
release
until she is ready
also
to release
you sing to her
breathe, my dear
hold her close
relax now, it’s over
help her see
she will not die
not today
at last
fire
then
water
and
for the first time ever
air
into tiny pink balloons
their love made
earth
elements
into a body
your hands felt it first
still one with her body
as it grew
ripened
and fell out
into
your waiting palms
you love this moment
this woman
this baby
then you entrust her back
into the arms of her mate
hoping he’s learned
even more
how grand she is
this bearer of life

~ Judy Edmunds (1997)
from Midwifery Today

________________________________________________

Birth

This exaggerated hip swing,
The rocking of my own cradle;
Relaxin relaxes my joints into soft sensual submission,
Allowing me to open, open, open.

How did I get here?
Oxytocic orgasm,
Estrogen and Progesterone, mounting, mounting, mounting,
Leaving me cry, cry, crying, over spilt milk.

How did I know I was here?
HCG whispered it in my ear
Two blue lines, in parallel
The tell tale sign, that every woman anticipates and fears.

Oxytocin awakes me at 2am,
I feel the pulling
The downward force
My body is moving
…without my permission.

Still, it says yes, and asks for more.
More oxytocin… more….
More pain, more force.

The hours go by…
I pace and dance
With my relaxin hip swing.

I feel the baby drop down

Down

Down.

Prostaglandins are massaging my cervix,
Softer, thinner,
Creating gentle passage for my child.

Down and through he slides…

Just when I think I can take no more,
When I can do no more to birth my child.
Endorphin release…

Things get less sharp…
The sights, the sounds, the pain.
Suddenly it is just me
And this child… Working together, a team.

Finally the time is coming
Rushes of oxytocin are overwhelming
I feel a rush of urgency and fear
Catecholomines.

Noradrenaline is telling me to get this baby out…

So I push…
My heart pounds and I push….

And I push…
And the child bursts forth, and lies before me…
Shakes its head and begins to scream.

I feel something come over me,
Something I never knew I could feel
Overwhelming love, intoxicating….

I hold my child on my chest,
He slowly bobs towards my breast.
I watch him with tears in my eyes.
Prolactin and oxytocin bring me so close to my child.

These hormones have made me a mother today.

~ Stephanie Elliott

________________________________________________

The Birthsong

The night is still, the moon full and bright
She feels it approaching, her belly once again tight
All is in ready the time’s finally come
She’s hoping her baby will be here by the rising of the sun.

The song begins gently, moving slowly at first
The courage, the fear, the love, the hope and the mirth
Some sing quite softly and some loud and strong
Their babies emerge as they sing the Birthsong

Time becomes frozen as woman by woman, birth by birth
They’re all connected through their bodies & songs
It knows no boundaries, no color, no races
It fills all their bodies, their hearts, souls and faces.
The sounds of each woman as she sings the Birthsong

Her breathing grows faster as each new wave moves within
She remembers to let go, to surrender again
She opens her eyes and sees her partner, her lover, her friend
Remembering with tenderness their choice to begin

The song begins gently, moving slowly at first
The courage, the fear, the love and the hope
Some sing quite softly and some loud and strong
Their babies emerge as they sing the Birthsong

Time becomes frozen as woman by woman, birth by birth
They’re all connected through their bodies & songs
It knows no boundaries, no color, no races
It fills all their bodies, their hearts, souls and faces.
The sounds of each woman as she sings the Birthsong

The songs been completed the babe’s in her arms
Both teary eyed parents are moved by it’s charms
The song appears ended at least in this room
But I’ll hear it eternal with other bright moons.

The song begins gently, moving slowly at first
The courage, the fear, the love, the hope and the mirth
Some sing quite softly and some loud and strong
Their babies emerge as they sing the Birthsong

Time becomes frozen as woman by woman, birth by birth
They’re all connected through their bodies & songs
It knows no boundaries, no color, no races
It fills all their bodies, their hearts, souls and faces.
The sounds of each woman as she sings the Birthsong

~ Dana Beardshear

The Birthing Dance

Come to me, My Child
Secret longing of my inner heart
Breath of spirit
Wandering the cosmos
Choosing your next lifepath
Seeking sanctuary in my womb
Visions of you stir my dreams
Your gentle essence drifting inward
Merging into matter
Coming into consciousness
Birthing into being
Your tender wisdom speaks
The ancient knowledge
of a mother’s power
Our bodies grow together
Two as one
Turning round, in birthing dance
You lead me
Opening the circle corridor
Descending into unhindered ecstasy
Into my arms.

~ Judie C. McMath

Affirmations of the Heart

Posted on by

Affirmations of the Heart

Pregnancy

Pregnancy is a joy

I feel good and love being pregnant

My belly is full of light and love

I am a strong and capable woman

There is no need for us to hurry

My baby will be born at the perfect moment

I desire foods that nourish me and support my health

My baby is strong and perfectly healthy

Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing
can be changed until it is faced

I acknowledge me fears whenever I feel them
and send them on their way

I let that fear … GO

Birth is a wonderful, safe experience

Birth is as safe as life gets

I believe in birth

I choose a gentle and natural birth

My body is nourishing my baby perfectly

My cervix is firm and strong to hold my baby safe

My baby is in the perfect position for birth
I trust my knowing of what is true for me

My baby is healthy and innately knows when to begin labor

My body knows how and when to birth my baby by Instinct

My baby is free to choose her own destiny in the world

I have patience

My baby will be born at the perfect moment

My body will give birth in its own time

I will meet my baby when my baby and my body are ready

I trust my body to know exactly what it needs to do

My mind is relaxed, my body is relaxed

I free my mind from negative thoughts

I am whole and at peace

I am aware of my balanced, calm center

I put all fear aside as I prepare for the birth of my baby

I invite peace and serenity into my life

I choose to enjoy my birthing experience

I am focused on a smooth, easy birth

I see my baby coming smoothly from my womb

I welcome my coming labor as the perfect one for me and my baby

I welcome this opportunity to grow and change

I love and trust my body

I deserve and receive all the love and support I need

I deserve a gentle, natural birth

Only I can give birth to this baby and I accept
responsibility for that challenge

I claim my birthright for a wonderful birth

My mind has released all fears and trusts birth

The knowledge of how to birth lies deep within me

I am perfectly in sync with nature,
allowing the rhythm of life to flow through me

My body knows how and when to birth my baby,
I listen for my bodies messages

My baby know how and when to be born,
I listen for my baby’s guiding voice

I remember all of the women who have walked this path before me … I too can walk this path

I will draw strength and courage from the other 500,000 women who will birth alongside me the same day I birth

I insist on being treated with respect and dignity…
I am my strongest advocate and I speak up for myself

I will follow my body’s lead

Labor

Today my body will fulfill a purpose for which it has been divinely designed

Today I will show my strength, my courage, and my love for my baby

Today my body is opening and releasing my child into my waiting arms

My body has been preparing for this labor for nine months

I am strong and calm and beautiful

I am a link in the endless chain of birthing women

I fully relax and turn my birthing over to Nature

My body knows exactly what to do

My breath is easy, deep, and full

My body knew how to grow this baby and now my body knows how to birth this baby

I am relaxed and happy that my baby is finally coming to me

During each surge, I allow my body
to slip effortlessly into deep relaxation

Time does not matter… For I dwell within laborland

My baby feels my joy

I am giving my baby the best start I know how

I trust my labor

I trust my Baby

God designed my body to birth the baby He has knit into my womb

My body was intricately designed to do this

Birth is what I was made for

I am enjoying this process and growing through it all

I am doing this exactly right and exactly as nature intended

I trust my inner wisdom

I embrace the wisdom of my body

I am surrounded by loving, nurturing support

I am open to the energy of birth

My energy flows down and out,
just as my baby is moving down and out

My body is working efficiently, at a pace of my choosing

Together my baby and I dance our birth dance and sing our birth song

I accept each stage of labor as a wonderful new adventure

I fearlessly surrender to the power of my body

I turn my birthing over to my baby and my body

My body is wise and purposeful

My body knows how to birth my baby

Each surge of my body brings my baby closer to me
My body knows how to open my baby freely to the world

I welcoming my baby with love and encouragement

Birthing my baby is a situation that is
impossible for me to fail at

I am an active and powerful laboring woman

I cooperate with my body and my baby

I feel confident; I feel safe; I feel secure

My baby knows how to be born

I am birthing this baby

I will birth this baby

My body was built to do this

Birth is what I was made for

My body knows how to have this baby just as
my body knew how to grow this baby

I know my baby feels our calmness and confidence

I accept this labor as my labor and believe it is the
right one for me and for my baby

The power and intensity of my contractions cannot be
stronger than me, because it is me

I surrender completely to my labor… I trust my body to be in control of my birth

The strength of my contractions reflect the strength of myself

I allow my body’s natural anesthesia to flow through my body

I surrender to the contractions and relinquish control
of the forces within my body

I am surrounded by loving, nurturing support

It is safe for me to verbalize my feelings and desires

Inhale peace, exhale tension

The moment you think of giving up, think of why you held on so long

Nothing that is worthwhile is ever easy

This birth only demands from me the strength I already possess

Untapped sources of strength are available deep within me

Soon my baby will be here and this will be a memory

I breathe in confidence, I breathe out fear

My muscles work in complete harmony to make birthing easier

My body has a wide open space for my baby to descend

Each surge of my body brings my baby closer to me

My body knows how to open my baby freely to the world

I have an open heart, open mind and so my cervix will follow

My cervix opens outward and allows my baby to ease down

I am willing to release my baby into the world

I put all fear aside and welcome by baby with happiness and joy

My baby is born in pure pleasure