90 Seconds to Change a Life

"The stakes couldn't get any higher than this for children's health."

Wow, Dr. Greene on cord clamping. Worth the time!

From You Tube:
In 2010, Dr. Greene founded the WhiteOut Now movement aimed at changing how babies are fed starting with their first bite of solid food. In 2012 he launched a worldwide campaign aimed at changing the practice of Immediate Cord Camping To Optimal Cord Clamping or TICC TOCC. He is the author of Feeding Baby Green, Raising Baby Green and, From First Kicks to First Steps.

Raw Foods in Pregnancy

Curious about raw foods in pregnancy?

When a Facebook friend asked which raw foods she should avoid in pregnancy, I decided to do some research. Raw foods diets are popular in crunchy circles, is there any reason they can't be continued in pregnancy?

There are a lot of mamas out there doing it! I found three especially interesting blog posts on happiness and success with raw foods pregnancy diets.

The Raw Food Effect shares stories from mothers

The Raw Food Family includes great videos

Tera Warner has some beautiful posts on the topic

The consensus is that women who follow a raw diet pre-pregnancy should feel free to continue to do so once expecting.

If you're wondering what foods you should avoid, the American Pregnancy Association has the following thoughts...

Foods to Avoid:

*Raw meat
*Deli meat
*Fish with mercury
*Smoked seafood
*Raw shellfish
*Raw eggs
*Soft cheeses
*Unpasteurized milk
*Pate
*Unwashed vegetables

See their website for more information.

What are your thoughts? Have any of you eaten a raw foods diet while pregnant? We'd love to hear!

Pelvic Pain and Lecithin

This is a really interesting article! Thank you, Anna, for sharing!

http://birthfaith.org/do-it-yourself/got-lecithin

Sacred Pregnancy classes coming this January in Williston and Minot

Your Sacred Pregnancy is a journey.

Our classes hold space for pregnant women to connect with one another and their pregnancy experiences in meaningful and personal ways. Sacred Pregnancy groups are being held all around the world and are the new wave of the pregnancy + birthing future. We are hell bent on changing the birth conversation as Sacred Pregnancy classes bring back the age old tradition of women sitting with one another during pregnancy and birth, getting empowered, witnessing each other's proce

ss and BEING there for one another during an incredibly power-FULL rite of passage...becoming mothers.

Sacred Pregnancy classes are a special place for pregnant women to gather together, for 8 weeks early on in their pregnancy journeys. Each week is spent exploring pertinent topics that naturally arise for most women as they walk down their pregnancy paths and encourage deep sharing, exploring art, expression, laughter, honoring and celebration.

Pregnancy is one of the deepest drinks life has to offer. Each woman's pregnancy pot gets stirred with various emotions and we all need a safe place to process those tides and sip some sanity from the community cauldron. We want you to come and sit with us and explore your pregnancy journey in a meaning-FULL way and hope that you will reach out to find a class going on around you.

The class will begin January 7 in Williston and continue each Monday evening for eight weeks. In Minot, classes begin January 10. I am excited to share this journey with you!

Please contact me if you have any questions.

Sacred Pregnancy Workshop

I was blessed and honored to be a part of the first Sacred Pregnancy Retreat in Ojai, California this weekend, and to become a certified Sacred Pregnancy instructor.

The strong and beautiful women that gathered for the retreat could not have been a more lovely mix of energies and experiences. As we came together in a circle and looked around the first morning, we knew something special had drawn us all together. This was not your average collection of birth workers! Women came from all over California, the United States, and other countries to gather under the Sacred Pregnancy banner. There were yoga instructors and doulas, midwives and chiropractors. There were shop owners and childbirth educators, writers and readers. This aspect was one of many things that made it different from any experience I have had in the past, as the breadth of experience was so much wider!

Sacred Pregnancy writer and founder, Anni Daulter, has an energy that radiates from her in ways words can’t describe. You just want to be there to soak it up, to draw anything from it you can.

As an added bonus, the retreat site (Ojai Foundation) was beautiful and inspirational, and the opportunity to commune with nature was one I don’t take as often as I should.

The retreat itself equips women with the tools to teach the Sacred Pregnancy classes, which honor expectant mothers and help them to find a sisterhood to be with them through birth and the journey of motherhood. I can barely contain my excitement to share this beautiful program with the women of my community. I know I will be channeling the energy of this weekend every time I bring this experience to a new group of women.

For birth workers called to facilitating these workshops, I could not recommend it enough. I am so honored to have been a part of the first group, and can’t wait to participate in future retreats as a level two! Hope to see you there!

Learn more at www.sacredpregnancy.com of visit Sacred Pregnancy on Facebook.

What's all this talk about placentas?

It’s a super common question in my birth work. What’s all this talk about placentas? Do people really eat them? How? Why?!?

The baby blues and health

Approximately 70-80% of all new mothers experience some negative feelings or mood swings after the birth of their child, so taking proactive measures without the use of medications is a real draw for many women. Ingesting the placenta after birth, or placentophagy, is known as an ancient remedy for the blues. Other health benefits are also touted, including:

• less bleeding during the postpartum period
• speeding the return of the uterus to its original state
• replenishing depleted iron levels
• energy - especially raw methods
• support milk production in breastfeeding
• helping to even out moods and happiness

It's not just an old wive's tale, either. There is scientific research out there on the benefits of placenta during the postpartum period. Over and over again, iron deficiency has been addressed with placentophagy, with positive results. ACOG does not currently have an opinion on the topic.

So, if you want to experience the potential benefits in your own life, how would you go about it? There are a few options to consider.

Encapsulation

For many moms who are interested in trying placenta for their postpartum health, encapsulation is an option that allows them the benefits without having to consider the ick factor. A birth professional will take the organ and prepare it (in mom's home or far from it, depending on her preference), then present here with a neatly packaged jar of pills to ingest at will.

Here is a news story featuring our friend and fellow doula Anne Ferguson, talking about the benefits of encapsulation. I appreciate this story not only because it is giving attention to the topic, but because it addresses the opposing view, as well. New parents should know there are two sides to every issue, and make the decision themselves.

There are so many great stories and resources out there on the trend. Here is a blog post from The Feminist Breeder, who always makes me smile and think, on her own plans for placenta encapsulation. ("And I'm not even a hippy," she proclaims.) 

For the visual and auditory learners among us, this is a pretty thorough explanation of the benefits of encapsulation for fending off the baby blues.

Here is another story from MSNBC, which includes a conversation with a mom who was where many of us have been -- riding the crazy wave of emotions following childbirth -- when she decided to try ingesting her placenta.

Cyber Doulas does offer placenta encapsulation as a service for our clients. Speak to your doula or send an email to referrals@cyberdoulas.com for additional information on this service.

How about a smoothie?

Another option is to blend the placenta up in a smoothie. Some dedicated parents have even been known to bring a blender in their hospital bag to get the benefits as soon after birth as possible.

Dionna at Code Name: Mama used both the smoothie and capsule methods, and talks about her experience on her blog.

The New Yorker addressed this one, too, in their article "The Placenta Cookbook," which also includes some fantastic history on the topic.

Feeling really adventurous? Cook that bad boy up!

The idea of ingesting the placenta is definitely not a new one. Mothering Magazine published a list of recipes in 1983. While they are not currently available on the Mothering website, you can find them here. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. You will find more recipes here, and here.

And of course there is the one I always hear, "Do people really make placenta pizza?" I can't say I have ever known anyone to do so, but it is certainly an option. Maybe you'll want to add some other healthy toppings for flavor.

Not just for home birth

If you have made the choice to have your baby in a hospital or birth center, you should not feel as though placentophagy is for someone else. Every day, mamas take their placentas home from the hospital, and you can, too! Be sure to mention it to your healthcare provider ahead of time, though, because the facility will need to make some arrangements for you.