A funny story from a client of mine- Hot Belly Mama

I have a wonderful client who writes an awesome blog about living in the country, being a wife and being pregnant. This is a recent story she wrote that I just have to share. If you get a chance, go check out Hot Belly Mama and read more of her delightful tales.

Thanks a lot Fonzi

So last night my water broke. I thought it did. It was 1 A.M. and I was having a dream that my period started. It was a long and weird dream that included the Fonzi. Don’t ask and I won’t tell. But he was pretty nice, that’s all I can say. A real gentleman actually and for some reason in my dream he was texan with a texan accent and he had brown hair and a brown leather jacket (instead of black). And he was nicer looking. More like my husband. Actually, Fonzi is not even that good looking. But my husband is hot. Okay, I am done talking about him.Anywaaaay… I was dreaming that my period started and so I woke up to find that I was saturated, no soaked. I thought, huh, I wonder if my water broke. I went to the bathroom, dried myself off and waited to see if more would come out. Yes, more came out. Just a little. I dried myself off again and went back to bed. Yes, you heard me right. I went back to bed. Both our birthing class teacher and my midwife had reassured me that I would never sleep through real labor – so I figured if something was happening – I would wake up. Yes, I was having contractions. But I’ve been having them for three weeks now. I’ve gotten used to them.

I was about to fall asleep when I noticed that I could feel and hear my own heartbeat. It was loud. Maybe loud is not the right word. But as I was drifting back to sleep, it felt as though I was awash in the sound and rhythm of my own heartbeat. It was in my head, all over my body, in the sheets, surrounding me. Thump…. thump…. thump… Since I was falling asleep – I was only vaguely aware of it. But I did for a moment think about how this must be how it is for the baby. Awashed in the sound of it’s mother’s heartbeat. I felt calm, at peace… Ah, sleep here I come. Now where did Fonzi go? Then I felt another gush.

It was a small one and enough to make me alert. So small was the gush, it didn’t saturate anything. But in that moment, the soft thump of my heartbeat turned into a full on banjo drum going at a much faster rate. POUND. POUND. POUND. It was so noticeable that I forgot about the gush of fluid and brought myself into focus onto my heartbeat. If a little gush could cause my heartrate to speed up that much – what would everything else about childbirth do to me? A faster heartrate equals faster breathing equals less oxygen than goes on to higher blood pressure and you get the picture. So I remembered everything I’ve learned so far in all of my research, our birthing classes, the books recommended to me by my doula and even the things my midwives said. And I took a deep breath. It was actually hard to do that because my chest felt tight from that momentary anxiety. But it worked, and it brought that heartbeat back down. Thump… thump… thump… And I fell asleep.

This morning, when I awoke I told Bo what had happened. After I promised I would call the midwife, he kissed me goodbye and left. He’s pretty calm about this whole having a baby thing too. The midwife had me come in right away. Yes, you heard me right. I drove the one hour drive all by myself (contractions and all) to see her. I figured the worse case scenario is that I would have to stop, have the baby and drive the rest of the way to hospital. What’s so bad about that? The midwife ran some tests, checked my cervix and came to the following conclusion: my cervix was tight as a drum and my water had never broke.

So long story short, I dreamnt about the Fonzi and he made me pee on myself.

Tips for the Partner, Coach or Friend

When labor begins…

If labor begins at night and she is not in a lot of pain, help her back to sleep with a soothing massage.

If labor begins during the day, take her to a place you both love where you can get used to labor together. This could be a park or a comfortable room in your home. Enjoy your last moments together before your family size increases.

Help her to remember to drink plenty of water or juice and to eat small meals as long as possible; prepare (or buy) her favorite foods.

Take responsibility for seeing that the bags are packed and the baby’s carseat is properly installed in your car.

Take a shower and wear something she likes — no aftershave, please.

Keep in close, relaxed physical contact with her.

As labor progresses…

Help her relax by encouraging her to let her body relax. Stroke her gently to reassure her.

Breathe with her if she starts to panic. Help her to regain her control.

Don’t be embarrassed to use common endearments with your Doula, caregiver or nursing staff around; she needs to hear them from you!

In transition…

Speak tenderly to her between contractions, and maintain eye contact during contractions.

Once she is pushing, get your body close to her so she feels your support and reinforcement.

Let her know when you can see the baby’s head, and help her reach down and touch it.

Tell her you love her, especially after the baby is born.

Yummy Seed Milk!

Homemade nut and seed milk is easy to make, high in many beneficial vitamins and minerals, and is great for those with lactose intolerance or those who simply prefer a non-dairy alternative.

The tradition of making seed milk has been documented from medieval times if not earlier. Have a glass, pour it on cereal, make a smoothy, even a latte. It can also be used in baking and cooking.

BASIC ALMOND MILK RECIPE
1 cup of almonds
Place almonds in a 1 quart jar
Fill with water and let sit 8 hours or overnight
Drain water off, add 1 quart of fresh water and blend thoroughly.
Pour from blender into a sieve/cheesecloth over a container to
collect the milk.

If you are using a sieve, take a spatula and squeeze the pulp to get as much liquid out as you can. (If you are using a cheesecloth give it a good squeeze too). Don’t throw out the pulp you can use for baking, a facial scrub, add it your garden, etc.

After it has been strained you can drink it as is or it can be
flavoured or sweetened.
Store in closed container in fridge. It will keep up to a week in fridge.

NUTS – Almonds, cashews, brazil nuts, hazelnuts or filberts,
macadamia, peanuts, pecans, pistachios, walnuts
SEEDS – Hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds [linseed],
pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, pine nuts
FLAVORINGS- Cinnamon,nutmeg, vanilla, maple syrup or honey

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

Sesame Street Video- Buffy nurses Cody

This is a great old school video, I wonder if it would get air time if it was prooduced in this era? Gotta love Sesame Street for pushing the boundries:)

The art of Jacqueline "Hope" Medford

I met Jacqueline Hope Medford and instantly loved her. She is the founder of the Artemis Institute of Women’s Healing Arts, a midwife, community education coordinator, drummer, and artist.  I was fortunate to take her class, “Healing Arts for the Childbearing Years” where she brought together an amazing group of teachers to share their gifts with us including, Sobonfu Some, author of“ The Spirit of Intimacy” (William Morrow) and “Welcoming Spirit Home”, a wonderful book on creating rituals that I highly recommend.

But one of the things that I most admire about Hope is that she has a passion for capturing creativity in the birth world be it through music, song, art or ceremony. It seems no matter when the occasion–drumming with one group of women, or sharing birth stories with another there always is a circle of women and it’s always inspiring.

Visit Hope here and here.

A bold advertisment for a bed and a homebirth

Director, Sra. Rushmore made a bold and wonderful statement when she created this video for Spot Flex Mattress.

“The campaign revalues its product bases–the mattress, and elevates it to another category: the one of a space, a place in which passes great moments of our life, which extends the functionality and the exclusive benefit of the dream.”

This campaign was created around the idea that the bed is one of the most important places in life. In fact, as they explain in the agency “the bed knows more of us than we ourself”.

You probably won’t be seeing this video on US airways anytime soon!

MUSIC & SOUND

Music and sound can embody a variety of approaches during pregnancy and birth. All sounds whether it is our voiced exhalation, a word, phrase, chant, mantra, or song can become a powerful influence and energy. Sounds also vibrate in the body when we make them, creating a feeling of peacefulness and balance.

Simply making vowel sounds can be relaxing.
AH (“mama”) EE (‘see”) AY (“say”) OH (“toe”) OO (“too”)

This is a nice video of a woman singing while having contractions. She had a home birth and delivered a 10lb. baby boy.

The Naming Ceremony

The miracle of birth is a cause for celebration in the family and the community. Many cultures celebrate the birth of a child with the a naming ceremony as a way to honor and welcome the new arrival. And all have some common features based
on this universal heritage.
• Welcoming the new member of your community
This stems from the concept that each adult present at the ceremony is in part responsible for the care of the child.
• Announce the names that have been chosen
The naming ceremony serves to identify this new baby as someone who exists as a unique individual – with a name that has meaning.
• Make promises of commitment to the child
Those invited are often the core of the community that the new baby belongs to and will help share and shape the future of the child.

Rituals and traditions are wonderful for families, because they bring adults and children together in a sacred space of connection and togetherness.

This is a cool baby name website- What a lovely name.

Eating Healthy

Healthy eating is always important, but especially when you’re pregnant. So, make sure your calories come from nutritious foods that will contribute to your baby’s growth and development. Incorporate these dietary guidelines in your diet:

• Eat more plant foods, 1-2 servings a day
• Eat a variety of vegetables, 1-2 servings a day
• Fruits,1-2 servings a day
• Lean meat or beans, 2-3 serving a day
• Whole-grain breads
• Low-fat dairy product

FOODS HIGH IN CALCIUM – dark greens especially collards, kale, broccoli, kelp, turnip & mustard greens.
FOODS HIGH IN MAGNESIUM – brown rice, buckwheat, corn dandelion greens,dark green vegetables,legumes,nuts (almonds, cashew, brazil), rye, seeds (sunflower, sesame, pumpkin), wheat germ/bran, whole grain cereals.
BEANS- Beans are high in fiber and protein. Be sure to soak them up to 8 hours or longer before you cook them. Don’t soak them in salt, but you can add salt to the cooking process. Good beans- anasazi, aduki,lentils,black,mung,black-eyed peas, pinto and garbanzo.

By eating a healthy, balanced diet you’re more likely to get the nutrients you need. But you will need more of the essential nutrients (especially calcium, iron, and folic acid) than you did before you became pregnant. Make sure you take your prenatal vitamins to be sure that both you and your growing baby are getting enough. Be aware that they are supplements to eating a well balanced meal.

There is power that comes to women when they give birth. They don’t ask for it, it simply invades them. Accumulates like clouds on the horizon and passes through, carrying the child with it. ~ Sheryl Feldman

Herbal Love

Herbal teas provide a gentle mechanism to support your journey through pregnancy by: decreasing symptoms that may cause discomfort (such as nausea), tonify your uterus as you prepare to give birth, and supporting the postpartum period by encouraging relaxation and additional nourishment.

All ingredients used in these teas enhance the natural processes of your body by helping balance and sustaining your energy flow.

Pregnancy Tea- Herbal Healing for Women, Rosemary Gladstar
4 parts Peppermint/Spearmint
3 parts Red Raspberry leaf
3 parts Lemon Balm
2 parts Partridgeberry
2 parts Nettle
1 part Alfalfa leaves
You can also add 1 part Fennel to aid digestion

Drink 1-3 cups daily as a hot tea (let steep for at least 15 minutes), or blend with a juice for a cool beverage

Energy Tea- Herbal Healing for Women, Rosemary Gladstar
If you are fatigued, first of all take the time to rest and relax. Then have some Energy Tea. The recipe is the same as for the Pregnancy Tea, but the Lemon Balm is replaced with ¼ part grated ginger root.
Your spirit as a woman has all the knowledge and power you need to give birth and to nurture your baby. It is in your genes. it has been there since you yourself were conceived. You can trust its wisdom. ~Gurmukh Khalsa