Ridge Meadows Doula Services

Your experienced Doula Collective (Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows and beyond!)

The Importance of Routines- Guest Blog Post

So way, way back in July (or June) Nicole asked me to do a little blog for her on the importance of routines. Since I wasn’t in the routine of being a guest blogger, I came up with a few reasons why I couldn’t do it, and when all else failed, I ignored her. Now if you know anything about Nicole, you know she doesn’t do ‘ignore’. So last week I found myself in possession of yet another email requesting I get on it and get guest blogging.

 

So I found myself in the position of actually thinking through routines and why they are important to us. And actually that not only are they important, but a requirement for stability within a person and a home.
I think that some people baulk at the idea of a routine as they believe it will take away their freedom, their creativity and their independence. Routines will make us un-flexible, make our lives boring, creating a monotonous existence that will numb our minds and cause us to be a little like the stepford wives.

 

In actuality, just the opposite is true.

 

To begin with, most of us already have routines in our lives. We rise and go to bed roughly at the same time every day. We have a hygiene routine and a routine to nourish our bodies.
Whether we work at home or out of the home we have our routines.  Another reason to establish routines is that they provide emotional safety for children (and adults too). We are all better at attempting new challenges (from children learning to tie their shoes to adults beginning a new job) when the regular routine is reliable. Generally speaking we handle change best within the framework of well-known routines, which allow us flexibility but keeps the expectations consistent. This means, “no surprises”, and that help us all to manage our thoughts and emotions, which empowers us to take control of ourselves and our environment.

 

Routines work in our lives from eliminating power struggles with your children to getting your children to cooperate. We all know “what comes next” and so it becomes habitual. No one feels, overpowered, disregarded or pushed around.

 

Daily, weekly, monthly and even yearly routines guide our lives and provide consistency, which enables us to live with harmony and security. And just so you know, I was reading the other day about artists. Even the most creative of them need to start by mastering the standards of the past and learning the rules of art composition. Only after the rules have been mastered and the artist feels safe within the structure of traditional visual artwork, can he stretch his wings and be his most creative. And so it is with us and our children. We are the very best we can be when we have a routine that helps us to know and understand the rules that keep us grounded and in control of ourselves. After that creativity, freedom and independence abound! So don’t be afraid of routines: embrace them. You’ll be glad you did!

 

 

 

sandra

 

The talented Sandra Deutsmann is local to Maple Ridge and Pitt meadows area and has been teaching Parents and Parenting classes for many years.  When she’s not facilitating Parenting Programs she can be found singing, dancing or chanting overtop of crying babies and bouncing new mothers at her Parent Child Mother Goose Programs . She not only has a voice of an angel but she has a very experienced non-judgemental approach to parenting that has been desired from many parents in the community.

Going Paperless

As an Apple lover, I’ve always had apps on my iPhone I use for my Doula Services- To keep an eye on my clients, track due dates and keep in contact via email, text or phone (heck! even Skype once!). I recently bought an iPad to add to my service and now I’m making all my paperwork paperless… Although now I’m not sure it’s called paper work?!?  Nonetheless, I have apps where you can sign my contract from the comfort of a coffee shop table on our first meet. This makes my green crunchy side happy and my busy doula/mommy life more organized.

 

The newest app I found is called Square.  I download this FREE app and they send me a deceive that connects to my iPhone or iPad and turns it into a portable debit machine. Awesome right! Now after the family has a new baby, or I drop of placenta pills we can conveniently use my device and there is no cheque or cash required. So easy!  Read more about Square here.  https://squareup.com/ca

 

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Have you liked my Facebook Page?  https://www.facebook.com/RidgeMeadowsDoulaServices

 

 

 

 

 

Placenta Encapsulation

November 2013 is a new step for Ridge Meadows Doula Services. We have added a new service, Placenta Encapsulation. Now before you barf in your mouth or tell your friends about this crazy witch doula’s blog you read- take a minute, a breath, a sip of water to relax and read on.

 

I heard about placenta encapsulation through other doulas, mostly on social media. Then I became intrigued. Why would someone pay to ingest their own placenta? As soon as I did any research I found benefits, and multiple benefits.  One that stood out to me was that 80% of woman report having the baby blues (me!) having the baby blues makes every day tasks mentally and physically exhausting, this includes taking care of a new baby.  Placenta encapsulating gives you back the hormones and vitamins you lose after you birth your baby and placenta and  lessons the risk of postpartum depression.

A few other Benefits are………………….

– Increased milk supply

– Increases your iron

-Encourages your uterus your uterus to return back to it’s pre-pregnancy size

-Combats stress

-Increases energy

 

For the germaphobes out there-  It can be safely done if you have a trained Independent Placenta Encapsulation Specialist. Part of training with Full Circle Placenta is the  requirement of a blood born pathogens certificate and a Food Safe certificate. We always wear gloves, masks and goggles and we sanitize the surface we work on and all the utensils we use with bleach.

My extensive training makes me a great choice for encapsulation. We can meet, have a coffee, chat about your pregnancy and if we are the right fit- go from there. If you feel we aren’t a match- I trained with some amazing doulas that are also encapsulating. So if im not the right one in your eyes I will find you the right Placenta Encapsulation Specialist. The benefits and research are there. So lets get you some  happy mama placenta pills.

 

dream catcher

 

 

Miscarriage

October 15th is Infant Loss Awareness Day. It is to remember miscarriage, stillbirth and infant death.

Miscarriage can be a very isolating experience. Many people don’t share they are pregnant in fear of miscarrying. So, if you miscarry, you haven’t told anyone you are pregnant so you have little or no support. For me and many of my friends talking about this trauma was helpful.  If 15-25% in woman who conceive miscarry then why the heck are we not talking about it?

I’m writing this post to encourage woman who have miscarried to talk about it, find a friend, a sibling or  a counsellor…SOMEONE you feel you can be open with. Then share. Many woman’s experiences are downplayed as it is “common” or “gods way” or any other lists of reasons “why”. These messages are often said with a good intention of stopping the woman’s hurt. Instead it is devaluing the woman’s experience and emotions. Woman (and men) then feel they are not suppose to cry, feel disappointed, be angry or experience loss.

The second reason I’m writing this is to normalize feeling sad. I had a miscarriage at 6 weeks. You can’t base love on how long you have known someone. I heard from people I care about telling me  it wasn’t my time, or the baby obviously wasn’t healthy. Again, not helpful—  to me it was a loss of our baby and our dreams. I was SAD. I wanted to grieve, but didn’t think I should. For a long time I didn’t work though my miscarriage, I just went on and avoided. Men and woman don’t become parents when the baby is born, they become parents when they feel like they are attached to their pregnancy and have love for the liny human growing inside of you…. This can happen while pregnant for 4 week, 4 months or after the baby is born.

I want mothers and fathers to allow themselves to feel, then share and remember— feel whatever emotions are in you and share that with someone healthy in your life and remember

My Birth Story

As a doula, I look back on my birth and dream of what it could have been. I know my birth experience was the way it was for many reasons. The day it happened, the time of day, the reason I had a hospital birth and not a home birth and the people I had with me were all sequenced that way on purpose.

My birth story has many chapters, but today I will keep in short. One day I am sure I will dive into the details.

My daughter was due December 30th 2009, but fitting to Mia’s personality, she took her own sweet time and was encouraged (via Pitocin) to be born on January 11th. I chose this day because the midwife I was most connected with was on call and if I was going to have a hospital birth and not a home birth, I wanted people around me I was comfortable with. Along with Sylvia I had my husband, friend Jenn and my mother-in-law.

I was induced shortly after 8am, was able to walk around a short time and then things started moving around noon. My husband was on massage duty and was applying pressure to my hips (now trained as a doula I know he was applying a double hip squeeze) as I had a contraction. My support person had just birthed her 3rd child at home 6 months prior and knew exactly what I needed before I knew it. I had a cold cloth on my face, neck and forehead between waves and sips of water and “labour aide” given to my from a straw while I rested between contractions. PS- This really is only good cold! My mother-in-law was encouraging everyone to eat and making sure all the hospital staff were doing their best work, she demanded informed choices and for me to be part of the decision making process. My body just knew what to do. I pushed when I needed to push, I rested when I needed to rest. Not once was I checked by my midwife, she encouraged me to listen to my body. At around 2pm Sylvia (my midwife) told me I was already pushing… I had no idea, I was just in the zone. This is when I asked to be checked….. being a first time birther, I was starting to get nervous about pushing, anxious to birth and excited to meet my daughter. being an experienced midwife, Sylvia was right. I was 10cm dilated and ready to push. 4 hours later I was still pushing and still on Pitocin, baby was doing ok, but I was really beat.

This is where everything happened so fast, the pitocin machine was beeping, something strange was happening and it was not giving the proper dosage and my pushing was not as effective. Suddenly there was an OBGYN in the room with team. I consented to the vacuum. A large difference from the serene home birth I had planned. Being educated on the subject I knew the fact that I was essentially strapped to the bed and already having the intervention of Induction along with pushing for 4 hours the likelihood of the vacuum, forceps or caesarean were increasing. In moments, the vacuum was on, baby was born, the cord was cut (little delayed cord clamping) and the OBGYN flew out like a flash leaving Mia with me.

Mia was on my chest, I cried, Jonathan cried,my support person cried, the Midwife had a happy smirk and my mother-in-law was doing her best not to cry. Mia was born… healthy, alert and perfect. January 11th 2010.

I had a long amount of skin to skin with Mia as well as breastfeeding initiation within the first hour… 2 key points on the crumpled up, re-wrote birth plan I really wanted.

Are there things I would have changed, sure. But I made informed choices along the way… There was no coercion or fear. I knew my body was amazing and I knew by baby was coming out of my vagina.