19 1/2 week Ultrasound of Asher!

I have a 3D video, but can't seem to make it stick here (will try again later). Here is a 2D photo (less fun, I know, but I'll fiddle with the video later ;)

Fantastic Family Photos!

It's a bit late to be posting this, but a bit ago we FINALLY got some family photos done. I have befriended a great photographer who is awesome with kids and could make the most unhappy baby smile ;)

Of course, my baby is extremely happy and adorable, so all the more easy for him. Here are some pics.










That kid has good looking parents ;)

If you find yourself in the western washington with cute kids, or even pregnant, here's his site:

http://www.philmaland.com/

He will be doing my maternity photography in a few months, which I will then post here :D

I should also mention he's basically giving it away- you wont find another photographer this good at his prices. Anywho- Love y'all!

My New Website!!!!

Please check out my new website-

www.holistic-doula.com !!!!


That is all :)

If You Should Need a Cesarian Section

I wrote this a little while ago for a woman that was interested in what she could do to make her c-section more memorable with the help of a doula- or what the point of having a doula at a planned c section. She didn't want to have a c section, but unfortunately her child was breech and they'd done everything they could to turn her, with no avail. It's very difficult to find a physician willing to deliver a breech vaginally.

I hope this can help women who are having a c section against their want. I had to have one after 60 hours of laboring naturally at a birth center. I wish at that time I would have known more of this. I suggest even if you are not planning a cesarian birth to read this.


Here is a list of some things that can make cesarian birth more comfortable/ special. These things can be done by your partner, but I highly suggest having a doula. I think a lot of people forget that this is a birth for the father also, and when the father is expected to do all of the leg work, he can maybe feel like it's less about him and more about mother and baby (which are of course very important!)

*A doula can tell you what to expect during a cesarian birth, which can be invaluable. As someone who didn’t know anything about cesarians, I was deathly afraid of everything that happened to me because I didn’t know what was normal. Being in the know can make you more comfortable with what’s happening.

*Almost always they will let you play music in the operating room (this is something that I was completely unaware of until recently. I don’t think that they will offer it to you unless you ask. Perhaps you can play a song that you’ve sang to your baby during your pregnancy!)

*You can bring in some essential oils for aromatherapy during surgery. Peppermint oil is great for nausea, which is a common occurrence during cesarian.

*They will generally allow you to take picture of the surgery if you wish. If you are unsure, I would recommend doing it anyway. You can always throw pictures away, but you can never get the moment back.

*You can have your partner or a doula describe what’s happening during the surgery if you’re comfortable with that. It’s sometimes nice to know right when the baby is being born, and that they can see the babies head, and what color the hair is, etc.

*Once the baby is born, they will take he/she over to a side table to do their normal routines. It’s nice to have someone go over to the table with the baby and talk to him/her and let the baby know- we love you, welcome to the world, you’re beautiful, etc (don’t forget pictures!!!) The issue that arises when the father goes to do this (which isn’t a bad idea), is that the mother is left alone for part of the sewing up process. Cesarians are not comfortable, and it’s good to have someone doing your focus/breathing exercises during this (as well as throughout) surgery.

*A doula can advocate for you, and remind the staff that you’d like the father to hold the baby while the repair work is being done. She can also remind the staff that you would like to hold the baby as soon as humanly possible. They should be able to get the baby to you as soon as you’re out of surgery.

*A doula can also help you with breastfeeding if you’re a new mother. It can be trickier than it seems.

Please feel free to post any questions you may have :)

Frugality!

For those who are not yet aware, Carly and I are going to begin our Frugality Challenge again!!!!! We started last Wednesday (posting late- oops!) and are cycling from Monday through Sundays (so obviously this weeks post is a short week). We have been particularly bad since buying houses. The shame. I went from getting to a place where I had only about a grand in debt left…to, well, getting to a place where I have much more debt than that. No need to give out specifics…let’s just say it’s not very good. And not only that, but scares me how much I have accrued in only a 7 month period or so. I also began getting into the teachings of the Law of Attraction and my original thought around that and money, was that if I’m trying to be frugal I am no allowing money into my life. Well I was sincerely wrong. Looking back, when I was paying attention to my money and not spending frivolously, I felt GOOD about money. When I spend like a maniac and buy anything I feel I deserve, nothing is sacred. Nothing is valuable. Everything is taken for granted. The other thing that happened when I was frugal, was that I received incredible amounts of unexpected money- weekly!!! I constantly received unexpected money- large amounts also (feel free to look in the back logs of my blog to confirm). I have a GOOD feeling about money and money came to me. Or I can spend spend spend, feel guilty, feel bad about money, be afraid I don’t have enough money, and then guess what happens? Overdraft fees, unexpected bills (huge huge huge bills), constant money guilt and stress. Being frugal isn’t about denying yourself the things you truly want. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. It’s about giving yourself the things you really want. It’s about appreciating the amazing things you have in your life and being GRATEFUL. Constant shopping is an addiction. I really believe that. Like any addiction- you get to shopping and your dopamine levels rise. You feel high. But then you feel guilt later (I imagine that’s the same with other addicts). No more! I am not a slave to a shopping addiction.

So moving forward, here is my spending from Wednesday August 29th until Sunday September 2nd:

Wednesday:

Chips (I have been addicted to chips during this pregnancy- odd since I don’t generally eat chips!)- .98

Taco Bell (also a pregnancy fave)- $2.05

Thursday:

Taco Bell- $2.30

Friday:

Starbucks (oops)- $5.55
Juice- $1.30

Saturday:

Safeway- $29.10

Sunday:

Coca Cola and Ice cream at the corner store (always more expensive- blah)- $9.44

Total for the partial week: $50.72

I think I can do better this week because I don’t really need groceries…stay posted ; )

I'm a Doula!!!

I lied- I finished an article to post today!!!


Well, I finally did it. I finally signed up for my doula courses and finished them. I am a doula. I have wanted to be a part of childbirth since I was 12 years old. It’s my passion and my calling. I still have a long road to travel down, but I think I have taken a pretty good first step.

My courses were through Seattle Midwifery School. (FYI- if you shop Amazon.com, please use this link and a portion of your purchase will be donated to SMS www.seattlemidwifery.org/retail_books.htm)

I was taught by the one and only Penny Simkin. If you don’t know this name, you should. She is famous in my book. A pioneer for women striving to give birth naturally. She has written at least 15 books that I am aware of, as well as co-authored I believe at least 8. She INVENTED the birthing bar, and has attended hundreds of births. Check out her website here:

http://www.pennysimkin.com/

Not only was Penny there, but so was Carrie Kenner who is the founder of Big Belly Services. She is an amazing doula that also teaches Birthing From Within courses (something I’d like to do in the future). If you find yourself pregnant in Seattle and needing childbirth education courses, this is highly recommended-

http://www.bigbellyservices.com/

For those not in the know, a birth doula is a woman that assists women through childbirth, emotionally, and physically. We can offer advice during pregnancy, as well as give further information regarding medical procedures during birth if asked. We can help you in finding the distraction techniques that work best for you during labor, be it massage, acupressure, aromatherapy, breathing, etc etc etc. We know how different positions that can possibly speed up/ slow down labor and can help with that. Doulas on average reduce your risk of cesarian birth by 50%, laboring time by 25%, epidural requests by 60%, oxytocin use by 40% (oxytocin = pitocin. Used to induce labor among other things), as well as reduce your risk of a forceps delivery by 40%. That’s pretty damn amazing.

If you have any questions about doulas, or if you need help finding a doula in your area, please feel free to send me a little message and I’m more than willing to help : )

Please stay tuned!!!

I will be blogging again. I know I've been on hiatus, but I do enjoy blogging even if I'm the only one that reads it :D

Many new things to speak about. Among them:

I am now a doula

I am pregnant again (14 weeks today)

Eli is still awesome and cute

and I will be doing a once a week frugality check in again. I've gotten a little out of hand...shame shame.

Oh! Also, Jake has started a business. Lots and lots in the last 6 months or whatever it's been!!!!!!

More details starting tomorrow!