Belly Earrings

My sis-in-law Kati made these for me.  See the pregnant belly shape?  I love 'em!  I discovered that they can tangle in the laboring mama's hair at a birth...but they're great for prenatals and classes.  Actually I wear them a lot since they are sweet & simple, and subtly proclaim my passion for birth  :)

Untitled poem

Every now and then, a poem somehow unearths itself in my head.  This is not an announcement, just a remembrance!

Delicate tap and click like sticks

Knit and purl, twist and flick

Three ply cord binds one to one

Strands of life can't be undone

Protect as if within my soul

I'm whole and then some; I overflow.

Blessingway

Up until recently I've thought of the blessingway as a new-age ritual, one that I as a believer in Christ wouldn't be interested in considering either in theory or practice.  In the interest of avoiding being labeled "religious" (rooted in the Truth and reconciled wi

th God through faith in Jesus, but not focused on the rites and rituals of organized religion)  I cringe somewhat even at the word "blessing" as it is so overused in Christian and non-Christian circles.  However, Nicole at Bellies and Babies just shared on the blessingway in such a way that I want to revisit this way of honoring a mother-to-be. 

Baby showers.  Tense and awkward icebreakers, childish games (I rock at them, by the way!), group measuring of the mother's belly and gawking at her swollen ankles.  Weird pink and blue cakes with a baby bottle and pacifier motif.  Is this really the best way to honor the sacred time of preparation for birth and baby?  Is this to empower, encourage, and protect?  Despite good intentions, I think not. 

What if the mother chose an evening shortly before her birthing time to be surrounded by her the women in her life she most cherished.   They would speak uplifting words to her and pray for strength and health.  They would rejoice in the journey that lay ahead, confident in the womanly ways of birthing that are designed by a loving Creator.  What if those women prepared her favorite foods, washed and massaged her tired feet, and presented her with thoughtful or even handmade gifts?  

Belief in empowered birth necessitates a change in that outdated prenatal ritual of the baby shower.  Whether or not we call it a "blessingway," let's always uphold the birthing ideals of the mother-to-be as we celebrate her upcoming birthing journey. 

United Nations Millenium Development Goals

Lately I've been wondering what the global humanitarian organizations are doing concerning maternal and infant health.  I've only scratched the surface in researching this topic, but today I found the eight United Nations Millenium Development Goals, derived from the Millenium Declaration in 2000.  The goals concern the world's primary development issues and are to be achieved by 2015.  Check out goal 5, and it's (cute) symbol. 

 

Here is some more news and information related to goal 5. 

Island Style Labour Ritual

In December, I assisted my friend Olive during her first labour.  She ended up being transferred to the hospital in Suva, and so I missed the birth itself, but she did have great and healthy natural birth. Yeah!  I love this photo of her on the birth ball.  She is a professional polynesian-style dancer and was quietly "dancing" some of her routines when I took this.

Birth + art

So I've been delving into creative stuff again in the last few weeks (knitting & baking desserts mostly) and looking at crafty stuff online.  I came across this beautiful watercolor print on Etsy, celebrating waterbirth.  I LOVE it!!  

The seller caryyork has lots of other artwork depicting the joy of birth and breastfeeding.  I encourage you to take a peek....

There's nothing like a good birth story

Oh, how I love to read birth stories.  It's a good thing there are so many online, because although I love Ina May's and Peggy Vincent's stories, you can only read a book so many times.  I sit riveted at the computer screen, savoring the details of the birth, and hoping to absorb them into the birthing wisdom that is accumulating in my brain, storing itself up until the time that is right for me to break forth into the real world of doula work.  

Today's story find is UC waterbirth at home, a hypnobirthing mama whose labour was just over 2 hours long.  I love how matter of fact it is... and Dad's "there you are, baby" made me smile. 

Someday I will stand and sway for long hours through the night, rubbing tired feet, fetching ice, and whispering encouragement.  But for now I look on my four darlings tucked quietly in bed, waiting for the littlest of the little to cry out for milk, while my mind wanders and ponders the complex beauty of new life born into the world.