This will be  five of the most peaceful minutes of your day, I promise!

So, in honor of all of our mothers, Strong Families has created these lovely e-cards, which aim to reflect a broader spectrum of mamas out there, including grandparents who are parenting, lesbian mamas, teen mamas, trans-gender mamas, etc. These images are beautiful, and offer a power validation for all the mamas out there who feel like they don’t fit the narrow mold of “Motherhood” prescribed by mainstream culture.

Take a look, and send an e-card to a rock-star mama in your own life.

I am a Midwife offers a unique look at more than 40 real-life midwives and the work they do across the country providing care to women of all races and socioeconomic levels, in all childbirth settings including hospitals, birth centers and women’s homes. I am a Midwife describes why midwifery care is safe, satisfying, reduces disparities, decreases costs, and increases better outcomes for mothers and their newborns.

While not all of my clients choose to have a midwife as their care provider, I definitely support those who do…and because midwifery is my own calling and passion, of course, I have an interest in how midwifery is portrayed in the general media.  What I love about this first video is the diversity of midwives–from all cultures, speaking many languages, working in all settings.  Just as I believe that there’s a doula for every woman, I believe there’s a midwife for every woman, too…and this video demonstrates that well.

If you love midwives, or know nothing about them, this is a great introduction! Enjoy…

The last days of pregnancy— sometimes stretching to agonizing weeks—are a distinct place, time, event, stage. It is a time of in between. Neither here nor there. Your old self and your new self, balanced on the edge of a pregnancy. One foot in your old world, one foot in a new world.

Shouldn’t there be a word for this state of being, describing the time and place where mothers linger, waiting to be called forward?

Germans have a word, zwischen, which means between. I’ve co-opted that word for my own obstetrical uses. When I sense the discomfort and tension of late pregnancy in my clients, I suggest that they are now in The Time of Zwischen. The time of in between, where the opening begins. Giving it a name gives it dimension, an experience closer to wonder than endurance.

I love this…and sometimes feel like doulas go through their own zwischen, too.  As I enter that two-week on-call period, I take the opportunity to slow down when I can, to remind myself to take time to nurture myself and prepare the space I hold as a doula.  I still go about my routine, but it’s with an awareness that at any moment, I could be called to drop into LaborLand with a mama, where time ceases and magic happens.

Fast forward two years, and now I find myself at another crossroads…one in which I find myself drawn to the clinical side of things. Although I’ve always left the door open that I might someday move into midwifery, I hadn’t yet heard the call deep in my bones, so I focused on strengthening my skills as a doula.  This past fall, though, I had the opportunity to attend a birth that opened my mind and heart to the possibilities of stepping into the role of midwife.

This was a birth that exemplified everything that I love and believe in about the care that midwives can provide.  They were supportive and attentive to this mama’s needs, recognizing her own strengths and fears, responding with kindness and humor and just the right gentle touch.  That this birth happened in the hospital was even more amazing to me–I had that lightening a-ha moment that if these midwives could provide this level of nurturing care to their patients, staying true to their principles even within the sometimes challenging protocol-heavy environment of a hospital, that I could find my way, too.

This spring, I had the incredible honor and privilege of being present and witnessing the birth journey of a dear friend of mine…and perhaps most magical of all, her little boy was my first unofficial “catch”! It’s a long story not entirely mine to share, but the long and short of it is that my hands happened to be in the right place at the right time to support this little babe’s head as he emerged into the world.  My hands still tingle with excitement when I think about that birth, even a month later.  In the rush and chaos of the emergence of this new being, I had a few breaths to just connect with him, and knew then and there that this is the work I’m meant to do. I could no longer ignore the whispers I had been hearing for several months.

And so, it is with great joy, a bit of trepidation, and a lot of passion that I have found myself on the path toward answering the call to midwifery.  It will be a long journey, I know, but it is one that I am now ready to face, knowing I have the support of my family and my community.  I am gathering the resources I will need, and trust that my passion for holistic, full spectrum women’s health care will sustain me during the many long nights and weeks and months.

What does this mean for Cascadia Birth Services? Not much, right now…I won’t be starting midwifery school for a while yet, at least until June 2013 at the earliest…so until then, I’ll still be available to provide the same nurturing doula support that I’ve built my practice around.  The only real change is that I have a renewed focus and passion for this amazing work I’m privileged to do, and I’m so grateful to each of my clients and their families for sharing this incredibly intimate process with me.

This story is a great example of this…this mama, a former client of mine, has written a wonderful account of her 40 hour vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) at 35 weeks! What was so wonderful about this birth was how empowered this mama was throughout the whole process. She was a great inspiration to the entire labor and delivery staff.  It’s births like these that leave me in awe of women’s strength and intuitive wisdom as they bring new life into the world.

Vivante Midwifery is hosting a Doula “speed-dating” event this coming Sunday, November 20th, at Eco-Baby, in SE Portland.  This is a chance for pregnant mamas and families to come and meet several doulas at once, picking up cards from doulas that you might want to interview.  It’s a great way to get a sneak preview of several doulas at the same time…and of course, Corinne and I will be there!

Come join us!

Sunday, November 20th, 2-4 pm

Eco Baby, 2122 SE Division Street, Portland, OR 97202

Yes, the same elements of excitement, nervousness, and the unpredictability of birth were still there…but second-time mamas bring their experiences with them into this new birth, and all the emotions and body memories that go along with them.

I think one of the biggest challenges for second-time mamas is finding that zen balance of not getting too attached to a particular outcome based on their last experience, but still finding that reserve of strength and power to advocate for themselves and the birth they’d like to have. Of course, my bias here is that doula support can be invaluable in creating safe space to have those conversations, process the last birth experience, and set fresh intentions for this new experience.

I loved watching this mama find her rhythm as labor flowed, drawing upon her support–external and internal–to ease into new rhythms when the transitions came. It was a relatively fast labor and we were all caught a little off-guard by how quickly things were happening…and yet, because we all knew each other so well and had spent so much time talking about her vision for this birth, I feel like it all came together just right. I can’t wait to work with more second-time mamas…it’s such a rich experience!

This week, though, is all about the breastfeeding, as it’s officially World Breastfeeding Week. My friend and colleague Joanne Edwards is once again organizing the now nation-wide Big Latch On, which, if you’re a nursing mama, you should check out! There will be events all around Portland on August 6th! If you’re not in Portland, not to worry–there are events happening all around the country!

As someone considering becoming a lactation consultant (more on that in another post), I’m so thrilled that there’s greater awareness out there on the value of breastfeeding.  It is one of my favorite aspects of supporting new families after birth, and there is nothing sweeter than seeing a newborn nursing.

Here’s to breastfeeding!

But I also have a passion for postpartum support, and I think that good postpartum support is just as important…maybe even more so than labor support. Many parents talk about the moment of truth, two to three weeks after the birth, after all the relatives have gone back home and their spouse has gone back to work, and they’re still recovering from the physical and emotional roller coaster of bringing a new life into the world…when they realize, “It’s just you and me, baby, and I have no idea if I’m doing this right!”

Enter the postpartum doula.

Like birth doulas, postpartum doulas are trained professionals who can offer support to new families after the birth, in the comfort of your home. They can support breastfeeding, hold the baby while Mom showers or naps, play with the older siblings while Mom gets baby time, or hang out with the baby while she gets some one on one with those older sibs. Most doulas will help out with light housekeeping and meal preparation, and also will help you with the basics of newborn care.

Having an extra set of hands, a listening ear, and a compassionate heart, postpartum doulas “mother the mother,” making sure that she is taken care of and nurtured in the weeks and months after the birth. For moms who have had more challenging births, this support can be a lifesaver, and even for those who had relatively straight-forward births, knowing that you’ll be getting some TLC on a regular basis puts many new parents at ease.

Because I feel so strongly about the value of postpartum doula support, I have made the decision to include four hours of postpartum care into every labor doula package. Most doulas will include at least one visit postpartum, but I’ve found that oftentimes there are so many questions, that the visit could easily be extended! I love being able to spend time connecting with families after the birth, not only hearing their birth stories and celebrating their new little one, but also rolling up my sleeves and helping out, whether it be with helping mama and baby with that breastfeeding latch, letting mom get a few hours of precious sleep, or putting away the dishes.

This is one more way in which Cascadia Birth Services can be of support to families during the journey to parenthood. Whether you are a first-time or second-time or fifth-time parent, we believe every parent deserves special care after the birth of their baby, and we are excited to include this piece of postpartum care in the Cascadia Birth Services labor doula package. Please contact us if you have any questions about postpartum care, or our overnight support services. We look forward to serving you!