Healthy

Mommy Moments

May 4, 2014

The mommy moment contest came to me as I realized so many of my photos were with me behind the camera! Taking photos is something I have a lot if fun doing…. But sadly I’m not in many.

The contest is based on voting alone and we have 16 families entered. You can vote for them on my Facebook page and you can give them a BONUS vote here. Take a look at these Mommy Moments and when you have picked a image, write the number in the comment section.

#10

#11

#12

#13

#14

#15

#16

find me on FB @ www.facebook.com/RidgMeadowsDOulaServices

**Once vote per email address, play fair and have fun**

I did it, I hosted a table at a Baby Show (phew)

March 26, 2014

Saturday march 22nd was my first baby show. I was prepared… I had brochures, business cards, placenta prints, boobie beanies and my sparkling personality.

This show taught me many things: It prepared me for the million questions, positive and negative about being a doula.

“What is a doula?”

“You charge how much?”

“You only charge how much?”

“What is a placenta?”

“Ewww, you do what with it?”

My RANT: “We are educated people that have a passion for birth and know the strength of a woman. We know that birth is normal and natural, we stay calm and collected. We engage moms in relaxation techniques both physically and in grounding exercises.We prepare dads and moms in prenatal visits and check in after the baby is born. We prepare placentas because we know the importance of postpartum health and we have learned and studied the sacred organ and are intrigued by it’s beauty. We do this all with being on call for sometimes a month at a time! We go to bed early, we sleep beside our phones, we say things like “I`ll be there if I’m not at a birth” … And in the big scheme of things we likely make less than $25 an hour, but we do it because we are PASSIONATE and we believe every woman deserves a doula.”

Ok, so I didn’t say all that, but I wanted to. I wanted to shout them, I wanted to have a big sh-peal about doulas while on the little stage after the handsome tap dancing boy and before the sleep consultant. But instead, I handed out cards, I answered each question with respect and evidence based information. I answered everything from my heart.

Here is hoping someone heard me and wants to book me for a birth. All I can be is me, and I’m happy with that.

Please share. Feel like leaving a comment? I’d love to hear from you.

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Essential Oils for Healing

February 18, 2014

So, when I’m not at a birth, helping a mom postpartum, encapsulating a placenta, being a mom or a wife or working full time…. Phew, I decided to distribute Essential Oils For Healing.

Now this is not something I thought i was going to do, it was actually something that was relativly new to me. Not until I was pregnant in 2009 did I learn more about Essential Oils and the benefits. I’ve since used them in cleaning products, in my cloth wipes, in baths, in diffusers, orally, topically…. (and probably more). I’ve decided to write a few ways I use them in my day to day life.

Diffusing

If you asked my husband he would say my new favorite past time is researching diffusers and then purchasing them. Well, partially true, I have 3 very different diffusers. I have one that is a plug in (think Glade without chemicals, only pure essential oils) and I have a candle diffuser (I think its about 15 years old from the Body Shop, but it’s a goody) and lastly my most prized possession is a cold air humidifying diffuser.

These allow me to diffuse my favorite scents (right now eucalyptus, lavender and grapefruit). Some are for healing– (I have a nasty cold right now and the eucalyptus helps my nostrils do their job properly). And some are for air freshener– our bathroom smells like grapefruits, better than what it has smelled like in the past.

My Every Day Cleaner

When I was pregnant I started reading labels of household cleaners and freaking out a bit. So many chemicals! To make me less paronoid I started concocting my own cleaning products. After many attempts I think I perfected my everyday cleaner. Here is a simple one I use on a regular basis.

4 cups of water

1/4 cup vinegar

20 drops or tea tree oil

1 tbs castile soap

Home Made Bum Wipe Solution

This is so simple and much easier and healthier for your baby. No nasty ingredients you can’t read or pronounce.

–Roll up your soft cotton wash cloths and place in a wipes warmer

–add 2 cups of warm water

–5 drops of Tea Tree Oil

–1 tablespoon of coconut oil

What do you use Essential Oils for?

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Happy Birthday and happy day YOU birthed!

January 10, 2014

Never did I realize the importance of birthdays until I brought a child into this world. January 11 2010 was the day I birthed my daughter. Did you catch that? the day I birthed her. Where is my cake and party hat? Who is pampering me as I wipe away hidden tears because my baby is 4 years old? Is there at least wine when she goes to bed at night?!

I am making a choice to celebrate birthdays for the parents…

For the dads that walked blocks and blocks with their wives (ME!) who were 42 weeks pregnant and were trying everything to encourage their babies to slide down the birth canal, for the dads that applied pressure on all the aches of labour and for the dads that learned quickly that love is meant to be expressed with kisses, cuddles and silly voices.

For the moms that carried children inside them for 10 months, for the moms that changes their eating habits for their child because of heartburn, Gestational Diabetes or to just eat clean, for the moms who sat in the dark at 2 in the morning breastfeeding a newborn every 1-2 hours while in tears because they were wondering if they are going to be a good mom.

I celebrate you! Happy Day you birthed!

***Feel free to share this post with all your friends and families that are celebrating the day they birthed… they will appreciate your awareness***

Why only one?

July 14, 2013

Something I’ve been hearing more and more often is “when are you having another baby?” My daughter is 3.5 years and I can tell acquaintances and clients at work are on ‘baby bump spotting’. Continuously judging my belly and really I just skipped my run for the day and had an extra helping of dinner the night before.

My answer is often “not anytime soon” or “I get my baby fix with my doula clients”… On occasion I get really adamant people who are insisting I am not being the best mother to Mia because I’m not giving her a sibling. I mean, is it really their business? They don’t know my personal life, my family life or my health issues I have been working through for the last 4.5 years (edit- 7.5 years). They don’t know I had a hysterectomy a year ago because i had cancer. And do they need to? Part of me wants to say “I’d love to but I’m missing my uterus” (spiteful maybe?!) The other part of me wants run away and cry and the 3rd part wants to educate. I want to educate people about cancer below the belt and I want people to get regular pap testing. I want to educate people on the challenge it was to get pregnant and the fact that many other woman have a challenging time as well for varying reasons…. And lastly educate people on being happy, content and mindful of their own lives and kiss all the sweet children they have been blessed to have.

Edit- June 2016 and Mia is 6.5 years old. She now has the knowledge of anatomy to know that Mommy doesn’t have a uterus and proudly shares this with alone that will listen. Do her friends or class mates know what a uterus is?! Probably not, but after spending some time with Mia, she will teach them.