***

The first contraction woke me at 1:45a.m. While the contraction was very light, something instinctual told me that this was the beginning of the real deal. I untangled myself from Kieran’s legs and reluctantly left the warmth of our family bed to use the restroom. Another light contraction washed over me while I was in the bathroom, and I decided to stay up for a few minutes to see if the contractions would pick up or peter out.

After another contraction or two, I nudged Tom at 2:00a.m. and told him that I was fairly certain I was in labor. He asked if I needed him, and I told him to get more rest – I wanted to take a shower. Not only had I not showered for a few days, but I also thought that a shower might slow the contractions down if this wasn’t really labor. The warm water felt marvelous, and I don’t remember contracting while I was in the shower, but as soon as I got out and began to dress, another much stronger contraction came on. I took time to dry my hair and let my friends and family know that we were anticipating a Thanksgiving baby.

In the fifteen minutes it took me to finish those tasks, my contractions had gone from mildly annoying to increasingly uncomfortable. I woke Tom up at 2:50a.m. and asked him to get the dining room ready. The two biggest tasks would be moving the table and chairs and setting up the birth tub. I also called my midwife, Amber, to let her know that we were setting the room up. When I called her, my contractions were about five minutes apart and 45 seconds long. She asked if I could talk through them; I considered that and said “well, if I had to, yes, but it wouldn’t be pleasant.” Amber told me to call her back when the contractions were two to three minutes apart and a minute long.

The only picture we got from labor - Kieran patting my head while I reach down to touch Ailia's head (this is the edited version).

I hung up the phone and told Tom to start timing my contractions. He started timing immediately, because a strong one had just hit. As he started getting the room ready, my focus centered abruptly on the waves of contractions. I hesitate to call them painful – although they were – but I felt so calm, so wonderfully assured that my body knew exactly what it was doing.

I remember thinking that this labor was absolutely nothing like my labor with Kieran. While there are obvious differences – my labor with Kieran took 30+ hours at a birth center with a medically-minded midwife, my labor with Ailia took only 2.5 hours at home, and I labored alone for most of that time – the mental differences are what really amaze me. With Kieran’s birth, I felt scared and out of control during much of my labor. I remember struggling against my body – I was fighting contractions, and when the midwife told me to push (hours before my body was ready to push), I had no idea what I was supposed to do. With Ailia’s birth, I felt prepared. I’d been doing daily relaxation techniques and affirmations because I was so nervous that I would have a repeat of Kieran’s birth. I had convinced myself that my body knew what to do – all I had to do was give myself over to it.

And that’s what I did. When contractions felt like they would overpower me, I retreated to the part of my mind where I felt safe and calm. I still felt the contractions, but at some deeper level of my consciousness, I accepted them.

So after hanging up with Amber, Tom timed the next four contractions: they were two to three minutes apart and over a minute long. I texted Amber around 3:20a.m. and told her, and she said she’d get ready to head over. By now, I was vocalizing loudly through contractions. I’d also made several trips to the bathroom and seen a hint of bloody show. Tom was still setting up the birth pool, and I asked him to come help me through a couple of particularly difficult contractions. He pushed against my hips, and the counter-pressure felt so good.

Tom went back to the birth pool, and as I watched him finish the liner, I mentally rolled my eyes – there was no way I would be getting in there. During a break, I tried to clue Tom in to this fact, but he was intent on finishing his job. (He later told me he’d thought I was crazy, in no way did he think I was close to having a baby.) At some point during this time, Amber texted and said to let her know when I wanted her to head over. I immediately texted back one word: Now. I knew it was time. I also (belatedly) realized that I should call Lacy, my birth photographer, but as I searched for her number, another big contraction forced me to abandon that task.

When that particular contraction hit, it was just past 4:00a.m. I’d been using the birth ball to support myself, calmly and steadily moaning through each one. But this one was big, and the panic threatened to unnerve me for the first time. My brain registered the intensity of the pain, and I started to lose my focus. But some inner peace – a peace I never imagined myself capable of – wrapped its arms around that hurting, scared part of me and whispered, “You can do this. Your body is designed for this, and you are amazing.”

And I believed myself! I took a breath and got it together, and in the next moment, I realized I was really about to have a baby. In that very next contraction, I felt Ailia descend through my pelvis. It was the most incredible feeling – I was so aware and in tune with everything going on in my body that I could practically visualize the baby moving through me. As soon as she had descended, I felt my body gearing up to push.

I hollered¹ to Tom and told him that I was about ready to push. He asked if I was sure, then he started to mess around with the birth pool again. I told him that it was too late for the pool and asked him to help me take my pajama pants off. He helped me move over to the plastic drop cloth, and another contraction hit as I was struggling out of my pants – a pushing one. I dropped to my hands and knees, Tom rolled the birth ball over to me, and I groaned.

At the next break, we heard Kieran wake up. Tom went in to get Kieran, and while he was in the bedroom I reached down and felt Ailia’s head during another contraction. I called to Tom and Kieran, asking Tom to get back in with me right now. When he got back in, I breathlessly peppered him with requests: call Amber, get the camera and take pictures, get the camcorder and record, and for the love of God get over here and help!! Tom managed to get one (dark, blurry) picture, he turned on the camcorder and threw it on the table (so there is sound, but no picture), and he called Amber and threw the phone on a chair.

As I pushed, I gently massaged and stretched my skin with my fingers, and I roared. Kieran sleepily wandered into the dining room as Ailia’s head was starting to come out. He walked behind me to look, then he ran back around, rubbed my head, and said “You can do this, mama!” At some point, Tom asked Kieran to get on the phone with Amber, and you can hear Kieran’s little voice on our (pictureless) video say, ”Amber? Can you come help? Mama is having a baby right now.” just as calm as calm can be.

I remember a few things very distinctly from my pushing stage. The first is how calm and collected Tom and Kieran both were. You’d think that I give birth on our dining room floor quite regularly with how ho-hum they seemed to be at the time. The most vivid physical feeling I remember is after Ailia’s head and shoulders were out. I yelled at Tom to “stop pushing me! Stop touching me!” because I thought he had randomly started to put counter pressure on my hips again – but it was like he was moving me from the inside. It was the strangest feeling. Tom responded, “honey that’s not me, Ailia is squirming to get out.” And so she was! Tom could see her squirming from the outside, and I felt her pushing against me from the inside. I said “Get ready to catch, here it comes!”

Within seconds, Ailia and I worked together and she was in Tom’s hands. I had another moment of panic when she did not move or breathe (for what seemed like much longer than it was), and then she took her first breath as I held her to my chest. Once she was breathing I looked and announced she was a girl. Within about two minutes I birthed my placenta in one easy push – between the quick placenta delivery and a part of the umbilical cord that looked like it had been squeezed, Amber thinks that Ailia probably grabbed on and pulled the placenta along with her.

And so went our short – and incredibly empowering – homebirth. I am so thankful that I believed in the wisdom and power of my body- I know that my faith in myself helped make this experience so peaceful and gentle. And Tom and I have agreed – if we ever have another baby, we’ll just have a midwife on standby.

?Visit Authentic Parenting and MudpieMama to find out how you can participate in the next Authentic Parenting Blog Carnival!
Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:
(This list will be live and updated by afternoon January 27 with all the carnival links.)

• Becoming Intentional with My Time Valerie at Momma in Progress shares the beginning of her year-long journey toward more intentional living. 
• Alirik’s Birth Story: Sweet Surprise Lauren at Hobo Mama tells the sweet surprise unassisted home water birth story of her second child.
• My Rebirth: An Honest Look Darcel at The Mahogany Way talks a little about some of the fear and insecurity she’s felt over the years since starting her parenting journey and her blog.
• Trusting My Body: Ailia’s Birth Story After a very challenging birth with her son, Dionna at Code Name: Mama was nervous about having another natural birth. But practicing relaxation techniques and birth affirmations proved to be just what she needed to have her perfect, peaceful, unassisted homebirth.
• My Homeschool Philosophy Paige a Bay Dust Diaries shares her new year’s resulution about homeschooling. 
• Yet Another Resolutions Post... Zen mummy‘s resolutions for a better 2012
• Renewing Green Passions in the New Year Jenn at Monkey Butt Junction talks about renewing a passion for green living in the new year
• Birthing and New Beginnings… And Better Mothering Sheila at A Living Family shares her first ever New Year’s resolutions to be a more mindful, compassionate and respectful mother to her two-year old daughter after the recent birth of her son.
• An Open Letter to MTV Regarding 16 and Pregnant Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama delivers a pointed message to MTV about how they misrepresent birth and parenthood on 16 and Pregnant.
• Setting Intentions Megan at The Other Baby Blog shares another way to ring in the New Year.
• Spencer’s Birth Story Momma Jorje shares her family’s story of birthing her son with Down syndrome.
• Looking Forward, Looking Back Erica @ ChildOrganics shares how she is able to look back at the loss of their daughter and yet move forward with her family at the same time. 
• Unique unto Itself. Melissa of Vibrant Wanderings has chosen a word for her second child’s birth: awareness.
• The Unassisted Birth of The LIttle Buddha. Laura at Authentic Parenting shares the birth story of her new baby
• Birthing and Resolutions: Keeping Good Things in Motion. MudpieMama shares her VBAC story and why she skipped making resolutions in the traditional way. 
• The Birth of a New Era by Mandy from Living Peacefully With Children

Thank you for subscribing to my RSS feed at Code Name: Mama! I would appreciate your comments and feedback on the entry you just read, Trusting My Body: Ailia’s Birth Story. If you write about similar topics, I would also like the opportunity to link to your blog or have you write a guest post. Contact me for details!

Related posts:

1. Healthy Birth Blog Carnival: Birthing On Our Backs
2. Kieran’s First Year
3. 30 Natural Birth Videos and Slideshows to Prepare Children for Labor and Birth (Plus Additional Resources)

Today I’d like you to join me in partnering with BirthSwell and Circle of Health International to improve maternity and newborn care in Haiti. Today I’m asking for your help. The help I’m asking you to give is very simple: you can donate $1.00.

One little dollar.

What can one dollar buy these days?

• A couple of postage stamps
• A bottle of water (maybe)
• Less than a third of a gallon of gas

But if every person who subscribes to this blog gives one dollar, you can send an experienced midwife to HCM Maternity Clinic in Fond Parisien, Haiti, an earthquake-affected region.

Your dollar can provide education and mentoring for the two Haitian midwives who work at the clinic.

Your dollar can improve the maternity care for the 2,000 women seen at that clinic every year.

Your dollar can improve outcomes for mothers and babies.

Your dollar can save lives.

Each year, one-third of the world’s population will be affected by natural disasters.¹ Thirteen million will become refugees and 20 million will be displaced within their own countries. Women and children constitute as much as 80% of the world’s refugees and displaced people.

The need for quality and accessible reproductive health care in crisis settings is urgent. In areas where conflict and turmoil is rampant, nurses and midwives are the primary reproductive health care providers.

Circle of Health International (COHI) is a US-based non-governmental organization with the mission of working with women and their communities in times of crisis and disaster to ensure access to quality reproductive, maternal, and newborn care.²

COHI knows that the majority of pregnant and birthing women worldwide are cared for by midwives. Karen Feltham is a Certified Nurse Midwife and Clinical Instructor of Nursing at Binghamton University in New York. Karen is a former board member of COHI and has volunteered her clinical services in Nicaragua and on a previous trip to Haiti.

Karen is planning a trip to HCM Maternity Clinic in Fond Parisien, Haiti, an area that was affected by an earthquake two years ago. She has three goals for her time in Haiti:

1. Review existing protocols for managing emergencies and deciding when to transfer to the local hospital. Provide clinical support and skill building where it could improve outcomes for Haitian women and their babies.
2. Run emergency drills using improved protocol for complications most likely to be seen at the clinic, including shoulder dystocia and postpartum hemorrhage.
3. Improve monitoring processes so that the clinic can evaluate their existing protocols and make improvements based on evidence, not just anecdotal understanding.

COHI relies on volunteers like Karen to provide support to the on-the-ground work of midwives. Karen is donating her time, but she needs transportation to Haiti (about $800 in airfare and local travel) and room and board on the compound where the birth center is located (about $300). This will be Karen’s second trip to Haiti – she first arrived in Haiti four weeks after the January 12, 2010 earthquake to help provide part of the emergency response.

The women at BirthSwell offered to organize a fundraiser to support COHI’s inspirational work. And like COHI, BirthSwell knows that change isn’t built by just one person – it takes a community working together. That’s why BirthSwell has asked a variety of bloggers to write about COHI and reach out to our readers to help Get Karen to Haiti.

So what can you do? Donate!

I would love for the readers of Code Name: Mama to join together and knock BirthSwell’s goal of $1000 out of the water. I have about 1,000 readers subscribed to my Feedburner. I have over 3,800 readers connected on CNM’s Facebook page. If each of you gave only $1.00, we would more than triple BirthSwell’s goal, allowing them to do even more to help the midwives, women, and children of Haiti.

As of 11:59p.m. on January 15, the amount raised was $496. How much can Code Name: Mama readers contribute today, January 16? Just $1.00 each – that’s all I ask! Keep an eye on the ticker below – your contribution counts!

And if you do want to donate more than $1, there are also several beautiful perks and gifts for donors offering $10, $20, $35, $50 and $100 gifts. See the right sidebar of the Get Karen to Haiti page for more information on how to claim your gift!

We’d also appreciate it if you’d “like” COHI on Facebook, like BirthSwell on Facebook, and Tweet about the campaign using the hashtag #GetKarenThere.Be sure to follow COHI and BirthSwell on Twitter too.

And thank you – for reading, for sharing this with your friends and family, and for caring enough to help.

~Dionna

Thank you for subscribing to my RSS feed at Code Name: Mama! I would appreciate your comments and feedback on the entry you just read, How Your $1 Can Save Lives. If you write about similar topics, I would also like the opportunity to link to your blog or have you write a guest post. Contact me for details!

Related posts:

1. 5 Tips for How to Save Time and Money by Eating Healthier
2. Breastfeeding During Pregnancy – Common Concerns About Safety

Via E online) –
Beyonce and Jay-Z have made an official announcement:
Hello hello Baby Blue!
We are happy to announce the arrival of our beautiful daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, born on Saturday, January 7, 2012. Her birth was emotional and extremely peaceful, we are in heaven. She was delivered naturally at a healthy 7 lobs and it was the best experience of both of our lives. We are thankful to everyone for all your prayers, well wishes, love and support.
-Beyonce & Jay Z

Photo Credit: mp3waxx.com

If you hadn’t heard, Beyonce and Jay-Z were blessed with a baby girl yesterday. Being the twin peaks of celebrity goodness that they are, this called for drastic measures: the two “rented out the entire fourth floor of Lenox Hill Hospital, on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, for the birth.”²

So what does $1.3 million dollars buy you at a hospital these days?

Apparently it buys you the right to prevent parents from visiting their babies in the NICU. Family members have been thwarted by “security measures that delayed or completely prevented them from visiting” their own babies.³ But that didn’t stop the celebrity couple from welcoming their own visitors at will. “Beyonce had a steady stream of visitors yesterday. A makeup artist was spotted going up with several bags in tow, and lunch was special-delivered from a local burger joint and gourmet market.”⁴ It is unacceptable that the munchies are deemed more important than a parent reaching a sick child.

It also buys you the right to interfere with other patients’ medical care. Security even barred doctors and nurses “from entering the fourth floor, prompting one doc to complain that he had patients to see.”⁵ How did the hospital not have these kinks worked out in advance?! And yes, I agree – it is the hospital that ultimately holds the responsibility here. The hospital accepted the arrangement, so it had an obligation to provide for the care of all its patients, not only the wealthiest.

Not to mention the fact that it buys you the right to compromise the safety of others. “In an effort to keep images from leaking to the public, hospital workers placed tape over security cameras and are forcing employees to turn in cell phones when they arrive for their shifts.”⁶ While there are certainly other security measures in place, there is a reason security cameras exist: to help security staff protect the hospital. The fact that Beyonce and Jay-Z had to rent out an entire floor of the hospital is testimony to the fact that there may be fanatic fans who would enter the hospital for less-than-honorable reasons. In order to help safeguard both the celebs and the non-celebs, it would probably be nice to allow the hospital’s security staff to do their jobs.

Did Beyonce and Jay-Z have any other options?

Perhaps. I’m not sure why Beyonce had a “scheduled C-section.”⁷ If it was truly for medical reasons, then of course she required the services of doctors and a hospital. But if it was an elective cesarean section as some sites are reporting,⁸ then Beyonce had a few more options at her disposal.

Maybe they could have rented out a different floor, one where they would not be interfering with the comings and goings of employees, other patients, and visitors. And while Beyonce did have a scheduled C-section, I imagine that her surgery and recovery could have easily happened on any floor of the hospital that housed the necessary equipment.

Maybe they could have rented out a birth center. If Beyonce was able to birth vaginally, she could have rented out an entire private birth center. This would have alleviated the problem of preventing parents from seeing their own sick babies or doctors and nurses from treating other patients. I’m sure it would have also been a major boon to the birth center, many of which operate on very limited budgets.

Maybe they could have birthed at home. Something tells me that Beyonce and Jay-Z’s home is awash in luxury. What better way to welcome their new baby to the world than in the comfort of home?! This would have saved them the trouble of shuttling around their entourage, not to mention $1.3 million dollars.

What’s the big deal about an elective c-section, anyway?

“When a cesarean is necessary, it can be a life saving technique for both mother and infant.” It is, however, major abdominal surgery, and thus carries with it significant risks to both mothers and newborns.⁹ In a review of research studies, Childbirth Connection compared the difference in risks and outcomes between vaginal birth and cesarean section. Of 37 possible outcomes reviewed, the evidence shows that cesarean sections are found to involve more risk in 33 of those areas. Vaginal birth involved more risk in 4 areas: (a) pain in the vaginal area (that’s kind of a given), (b) incontinence (both urinary and bowel), and (c) risk of nerve injury to babies’ shoulder, arm, or hand.

And the remaining 33 areas that involve more risk with a cesarean? I have most of them listed below.¹⁰

Risks to Mothers from Cesarean Section

1. Cesarean sections increase the mother’s risk for hemorrhage (severe bleeding);
2. Cesarean sections increase the mother’s risk for blood clots;
3. Cesarean sections increase the mother’s risk for bowel obstruction;
4. Cesarean sections increase the mother’s risk for longer-lasting and more severe pain;
5. Cesarean sections increase the mother’s risk for infection;
6. Because of scarring and adhesion tissue, cesarean sections increase the mother’s risk for ongoing pelvic pain;
7. Because of scarring and adhesion tissue, cesarean sections increase the mother’s risk for twisted bowel;
8. Cesarean sections increase the mother’s risk for a longer hospital stay;
9. Cesarean sections increase the mother’s risk for re-hospitalization;
10. Cesarean sections increase the mother’s risk for poorer overall mental health;
11. Cesarean sections increase the mother’s risk for depression;
12. Cesarean sections increase the mother’s risk for psychological trauma;
13. Cesarean sections increase the mother’s risk for rating her birth experience poorer than a mother who had a vaginal birth;
14. Because cesarean sections usually result in a mother having “less early contact with her baby,” she is also “more likely to have initial negative feelings about her baby”;
15. Cesarean sections increase the mother’s risk for future ectopic pregnancies;
16. Cesarean sections increase the mother’s risk for reduced fertility;
17. Cesarean sections increase the mother’s risk for maternal death at birth;
18. Cesarean sections increase the mother’s risk for serious problems with the placenta in future pregnancies (placenta previa, placenta accreta, and placental abruption);
19. Cesarean sections increase the mother’s risk for an emergency hysterectomy;
20. Cesarean sections increase the mother’s risk for stroke;
21. Cesarean sections increase the mother’s risk for a ruptured uterus in future pregnancies;

Risks to Newborns from Birth by Cesarean Section

22. Because cesarean sections pose challenges in forming a breastfeeding relationship, babies born by cesarean section are less likely to breastfeed and to get all of the benefits of breastfeeding;
23. Babies born by cesarean are more likely to be cut (during surgery);
24. Babies born by cesarean are more likely to have breathing difficulties at birth;
25. Babies born by cesarean are more likely to have asthma during childhood;
26. Babies in future pregnancies are more likely to be born too early;
27. Babies in future pregnancies are more likely to have low birth weight;
28. Babies in future pregnancies are more likely to have a physical abnormality or injury to their brain;
29. Babies in future pregnancies are more likely to have a physical abnormality or injury to their spinal cord;
30. Babies in future pregnancies are more likely to die shortly after birth.

Are there any advantages to giving birth in a birth center or at home?

Yes! There are many reasons birth in an alternative setting is preferable to a hospital. I’m only going to list my top 10, but there are many more.

1. Hospitals often restrict your food and drink – both what you can have and when. At home and in most birth centers, you can eat and drink whatever your body tells you it needs to.
2. Hospitals often restrict your movement – laboring mothers are often required to lie still for fetal monitoring, or they are restricted because they are tethered to an IV. At home and in most birth centers, you can move freely – this allows labor to progress much more quickly and naturally.
3. You are less likely to have unnecessary medical interventions – like episiotomies, inductions, or c-sections – at home or in a birth center.
4. Mother and baby are at less risk of infection at home or in a birth center.
5. Birth center and homebirths are typically much less expensive than hospital births.
6. Laboring mothers are given more control (in a birth center) or complete control (at home) of who is allowed in the room, what music is playing, how/where they want to labor, etc.
7. Birth centers generally offer more of the comforts of home than hospitals do; and with homebirth, you are laboring and birthing in the most familiar environment you have!
8. Bonding and breastfeeding may be more likely to be interrupted in a hospital by staff taking the baby as their schedules allow for newborn testing, etc. Mothers are more likely to have control – and more time to bond with and breastfeed baby – at home and in a birth center.
9. Mothers generally have a closer, more caring relationship with midwives than they do with hospital care providers.
10. Birth is more likely to be seen and treated as a normal family event outside of a hospital, making the entire experience more satisfactory and pleasant for the entire family.¹¹; Why Homebirth?

I hope this post is taken in the spirit it was intended – as one sharing information, not as a criticism of the many mamas who have had cesarean sections. Knowledge is power!

Thank you for subscribing to my RSS feed at Code Name: Mama! I would appreciate your comments and feedback on the entry you just read, Hey Beyonce: Next Time, Consider Homebirth. If you write about similar topics, I would also like the opportunity to link to your blog or have you write a guest post. Contact me for details!

Related posts:

1. Pregnancy & Birth: Interventions (Part 3)
2. Pregnancy and Birth: Midwives
3. Giveaway: 2 Sets of Children’s Homebirth Books $24 ARV CLOSED

In case you were wondering, yes, I am indeed one of those crazy ladies who ingests her placenta.¹

Tom – wonderful and brave man that he is – accepted the task of cutting five pieces of my placenta off. We gave the rest to my friend Kandice to encapsulate for me.

Every day for five days, Tom made me a placenta smoothie. He rocks my world.

On day #2, Kieran wandered in as Tom was preparing my smoothie and said, “is that smoothie? I want some!”

Tom hadn’t put the placenta in, so I told him to go ahead and blend the smoothie, give some to Kieran, then blend it again with placenta for me. Kieran’s ears perked up and he asked, “why are you making mine different?”

I said, “when mama had Ailia, it took a lot of energy and my body lost a lot of nutrients. Many women ingest – eat – their placenta to help rebuild their strength and repair their bodies after birth. We saved some pieces of my placenta, and I’m going to put some in my smoothie.”²

As soon as he heard “I’m going to put placenta in my smoothie,” the look on his face was like he had bitten into something rotten. He immediately said, “YUCK!,” and Tom and I got to laughing so hard I had to run to the bathroom.³

At any rate, the smoothies were good. And to get you motivated to try your own placenta smoothies, here are five easy recipes that are healthy and flavorful, because not all of us actually want to taste our raw placentas.⁴ The recipes here were inspired by some I found via the Mothering.com forums. I have tried almost all of them, and they are all strong enough in flavor that they should hide the taste of the placenta for the vast majority of mamas. Really, you should be able to concoct any type of smoothie you desire and add in placenta.

For our smoothies, we love our Blendtec – it does a fantastic job of blending everything up so there are no hidden chunks.

Five Yummy and Healthy Placenta Smoothie Recipes

Frozen Fruit and Veggie Smoothie

You can easily substitute any fruit and or veggie of your choice. The smoothie simply tasted fruity, and I could fool myself that any tiny bits were really strawberry seeds. All measurements are approximate, Tom just dumped them in. Other optional add-ins to consider are a squirt of lemon or lime juice.

4 frozen strawberries
1/3 cup frozen blueberries
1 banana
4 baby carrots
1/3 cup spinach
3/4 – 1 cup cran-grape juice (any flavor juice will work)
1 tbsp flax seed meal (for Omega-3′s)
1 tbsp dry quinoa (whole or ground) (for protein)
Placenta (for each smoothie, we added a 1-2 cubic inch block of placenta, or about the size of your thumb or a good sized strawberry)
Dollop of honey (optional)
3 ice cubes

Nut Butter Smoothie

The spirulina will turn the smoothie black, but the frozen berries will also mask the appearance of the placenta. Add some cocoa powder if you are craving chocolate!

3/4 – 1 cup milk (dairy, rice, or other)
1 tablespoon nut butter (peanut is best, but almond is good, too)
1 banana
1/2 cup frozen blueberries, raspberries, or strawberries
1 tbsp flax seed meal (for Omega-3′s)
1 tbsp dry quinoa (whole or ground) (for protein)
1/3 cup spinach
1 heaping tsp raw honey
1 heaping tsp spirulina powder (optional)
1 tbsp cocoa powder (optional)
Placenta

Frozen Tropical Fruit Smoothie

The strong flavors of tropical fruit will mask any taste of placenta. Add something dark/red-colored (spinach and/or a few berries) if you want to hide the placenta’s color. This might have been my favorite smoothie – it was delicious!

3/4 – 1 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup pineapple
1/2 cup mango
1/4 cup frozen berries
1/3 cup spinach
Juice from one lime
1 tbsp flax seed meal (for Omega-3′s)
1 tbsp dry quinoa (whole or ground) (for protein)
Placenta
3 ice cubes

Vanilla Yogurt Smoothie

For those of you with a sweet tooth after the hard work of childbirth, this smoothie will satisfy!

1 cup yogurt (I love Greek yogurt)
1 banana
3 frozen strawberries
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp flax seed meal (for Omega-3′s)
1 tbsp dry quinoa (whole or ground) (for protein)
Placenta
Dollop of honey (optional)

Veggie Blend Smoothie

I have to admit, I didn’t even attempt this one. The thought of tomato-based juice made me queasy, and I didn’t want to waste placenta on something I probably wouldn’t be able to drink.⁵ But for those of you who love V-8 type drinks, this one is for you!

3-4 – 1 cup tomato juice (or a blend like V-8)
Approximately 2 cups of your favorite veggies (carrots, spinach, broccoli, etc.)
1 tbsp flax seed meal (for Omega-3′s)
1 tbsp dry quinoa (whole or ground) (for protein)
Placenta

Did you consume any of your placenta? What was your favorite recipe?

Thank you for subscribing to my RSS feed at Code Name: Mama! I would appreciate your comments and feedback on the entry you just read, Five Delicious Placenta Smoothie Recipes (aka Would You Like Placenta with That?). If you write about similar topics, I would also like the opportunity to link to your blog or have you write a guest post. Contact me for details!

Related posts:

1. Quinoa Chili
2. Stuffed Bell Peppers
3. Homemade Fruit Smoothies and Popsicles

Have you ever wondered how can you help make life a little more normal for new parents?

Below are twenty ideas that friends and family can do to give the parents (and families) of a newborn some relief in those first few weeks.

1. Give Them Space: Many couples today are hoping for a “babymoon” that is peaceful, calm, and relatively free of a steady stream of visitors. Too many businesses give little or no maternity/paternity leave, so new parents are forced to return to work very shortly after the birth of a new baby. Let the new couple enjoy their short time with their newborn without feeling the need to entertain guests.
   I would suggest an email of congratulations with an offer to stop by as soon as they are up to visitors, then follow up in a two to three weeks – the new parents may not feel comfortable enough to reach out for help when they need it. And when you do finally stop by? It might be nice to make moves to head out the door within about 30 minutes, unless you are actively doing something in the house to help or the parents ask you to stay longer.
2. Provide Fresh or Frozen Meals: It is hard work taking care of a newborn and trying to feed a family. New parents (whether they have one or ten children) will almost always appreciate food, and there are even free online services that can help you organize a “meal train.” Be sure to ask if the family has any food sensitivities, and whether or not they would prefer fresh or frozen meals or a combination of the two. An added bonus? Consider bringing the meals in portion sizes with disposable plates and cutlery – yes, it’s not the greenest option, but less dishes for the new parents might trump their environmental ambitions during the first weeks of a newborn’s life.
3. Bring Goodies for the Breastfeeding Mama: Nursing mamas are often tied to a chair or bed for hours with little relief. And when they do get up, they may rarely get the chance to do something for themselves, because there is a baby (and possibly other children) to tend to. Brighten a breastfeeding mother’s day by gifting her with goodies she can keep in her breastfeeding basket – lactation cookies, a fun bottle for water, the latest novel or magazine in her chosen genre, etc. Check out “What to Put in a Breastfeeding Basket” and “Breastfeeding Gift Ideas for Expecting Mothers” for more ideas.
4. Help Around the House: No matter who you are, never stop by the house of a new parent without offering to help out with some kind of chore. Take the garbage to the curb, vacuum, pick up toys, do a load of laundry, wash the dishes in the sink. If you are getting some snuggle time in with a sweet-smelling newborn, it’s only fair that you pitch in to help your friend (who may be sleep-deprived and exhausted from around-the-clock nursing).
5. Hire Professional Housecleaning: If you don’t have time (or you feel awkward) helping clean the new parents’ house yourself, get some friends to pitch in on a gift certificate for a professional housecleaning service. Try finding a green service – the new parents will appreciate the fact that they will use fewer toxic chemicals around their newborn.
6. Offer to Run Errands: If the grocery store or library is on the way to your friend’s house, offer to stop by and pick something up the next time you are out. Or better yet, ask your friend if there are any errands that she has been unable to do herself – she may be grateful to avoid the trip.
7. Arrange Playdates for Older Siblings: For parents of newborns who also have older children, offer to host a play date for a couple of hours once a week after baby arrives. Their older children will benefit from time with their friends, and it will give the parents some much needed rest. If the sibling is not ready for playdates, offer to play with the sibling there at the house for a few hours.
8. Help Older Siblings with Outside Obligations: There may be other opportunities for you to help older siblings in those first few weeks – if your child is involved in activities with the older siblings, offer to take them to/pick them up on your way. If the children are in school, offer to help out with lunches, rides, practices, homework, or other tasks that can easily get overlooked in the whirlwind of a new baby.
9. Create Activity Bags for Older Siblings: If there are older siblings who are toddlers or preschoolers, the parents are likely going to be looking for ways to help the older siblings entertain themselves more often than usual. Help the parents out by creating easy and inexpensive activity bags. You can read more about activity bags – and get tons of great ideas – at Toddler and Preschooler Activity Bag Fun.



10. Take Pictures: Whether you’re a professional photographer or simply handy with a camera, offer to take a few candid shots of parent(s) and baby. The parents would probably appreciate a heads up so they can actually shower, but don’t hesitate to bring a camera with you if you happen to stop by without a planned photography session. The newborn never needs to shower, so you can always get a few beautiful snapshots of a sleepy baby.
11. Check in to See How Breastfeeding Is Going: Especially for first time mamas, check in to see how breastfeeding is going. Really listen to mama and let her express any worries or frustrations. If she needs more support than what you can give, offer to go with her to a lactation consultant or a La Leche League meeting.
12. Loan or Gift a Quality Carrier and Help Them Figure Out How to Use It: Baby carriers can be the saving grace for many tired parents, but they can also be incredibly difficult to figure out – especially when parents are operating on little sleep. If you know how to use (and nurse in!) quality baby carriers¹, offer to stop by and help the new parents become familiar with the carrier.
13. Give the Gift of a Postpartum Doula: If the new parents are open to having a postpartum doula, consider helping them hire someone. Postpartum doulas do “whatever a mother needs to best enjoy and care for her new baby.” This could include anything from education to house cleaning – the details would need to be arranged with the individual doula and mother.
14. Give Them a Rest: If you are a trusted friend or family member, the new parents may appreciate an offer to have you come snuggle the newborn for a couple of hours on a regular basis so they can get some uninterrupted sleep or relaxation time – usually in the same house, just in case.
15. Listen: Sometimes the one thing a new parent needs is someone to listen, especially when that listener comes without judgment or criticism. A new parent may simply need to unload on someone who has walked this road previously. Withhold unsolicited advice, and just be a good friend by listening.
16. Send a Note: Let the new parents know you are thinking of them beyond those initial days after the birth announcement. Send a handwritten note with a special poem or quote that will bring a smile to their faces. Even if you live far away and cannot stop by with a meal or an offer of help, your thoughtfulness will surely be a blessing.
17. Provide a List of Resources: Do you have all of the best parenting resources at your fingertips? Are you the organized mama who has phone numbers handy for lactation consultants/LLL groups, parenting support groups, and the like? New parents might appreciate short, concise lists of some of the most practical resources for new parents in your area.
18. Help Them Get Out of the House: New parents can turn into shut-ins if they don’t make an effort to get out of the house, help them out by inviting one or both out for tea, to the park, shopping, etc.
19. Breastfeed in Public with Mama: There’s nothing like the solidarity of nursing in public with another mama – so if you are still nursing, support her in the way only a nursing mama can – nurse your little one along with her! Give her plenty of positive words and encouragement as she learns how to latch on in public, and let her know what your state’s law is for nursing mamas. Hopefully, your state protects the right of mamas to breastfeed anywhere, anytime.
20. Ask and Offer: No matter what you do, ask what the parents might need and continue to offer to help. Offer something specific, like one of the suggestions above; if they turn you down one time, they might accept your help the next.

What did your friends/family do to help after you had a baby that you loved, or what do you wish someone had done for you that would have made your life easier?

Thank you for subscribing to my RSS feed at Code Name: Mama! I would appreciate your comments and feedback on the entry you just read, 20 Ways to Help Parents of Newborns. If you write about similar topics, I would also like the opportunity to link to your blog or have you write a guest post. Contact me for details!

Related posts:

1. Seven Ways to Reduce Unwanted and Unnecessary Circumcisions
2. Top 10 Ways to Avoid a Time-Out
3. Six Ways to Raise Eco-Conscious Toddlers

I’ve spent the last five years trying to figure out this parenting business. At first it was relatively simple. One smiley, oh-so-cute baby to love and cuddle. I breezed through that first year and half with few bumps, aside from being a bit sleep-deprived. I was thoroughly enjoying every second with my new love, watching him grow from baby to toddler, learning to walk and talk. I was definitely in my happy place. We all were!

When he was 17 months, we found out baby number 2 was coming. It was a medically uncomplicated pregnancy, but a very complicated pregnancy mentally. Though he was planned and very much wanted, I began to experience terrible anxiety and panic attacks. I am still not sure why. Hormonal changes? Perhaps at an unconscious level, I was unsure of my ability to care for two children? Whatever the reason, the attacks continued. I was nauseous most days with worry of when the next attack might come. I was afraid for myself, for my toddler, and for what the worry was doing to my baby growing inside.

Once he arrived, I immersed myself in figuring out how to juggle the needs of a toddler and a newborn. Realizing I could not be 100% to both at the same time all the time caused me a lot of unnecessary guilt, and I berated myself for failing. The panic attacks waxed and waned, but continued still. I was even more sleep deprived, having now two children who did not yet sleep through the night. Though I adored my new son, I was exhausted, worried, guilty, and scared. My happy place was lost.

My firstborn was having a difficult time adjusting to big brotherhood. He went from “Oh, it’s a real baby!” to “Take him back!” to blatantly ignoring him for months. He also began “acting out” like he’d never done before. Cue “how on Earth do I discipline this child?” That was my question. Well, one of my questions. Along with “how do I make sure they love each other” and “who is this man bringing home the paychecks again?”

I began to research. A lot. My focus on discipline became sort of a distraction from my panic and anxiety. The more I obsessed over parenting, the less I obsessed over my health. I began a journey that took me from control to relationship, from unconscious parenting to conscious parenting. This led me to look more at the actions of the one in the mirror than the actions of my children, which were a direct reflection of myself anyway. You can read about my road to nonpunitive parenting on Positive Parenting, but what is more important than my choice for discipline is my choice to search for my happy place once again.

I sought counseling for what was deemed a panic disorder, and I started to get to know that man bringing home the paychecks again. I realized an old truth, “if mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.” My mood affects us all. I set the atmosphere in my home. What kind of atmosphere could I possibly set if I’m riddled with anxiety and guilt and fear all day long? The pain of my constant, persistent worry echoed through the rooms of this house. It affected my marriage, my children, all of my relationships on every level.

I realized a profound truth, something I wish I’d known all along; parenting is not so much about “how do I raise great kids” as it’s about “how do I make myself great for them?” Children are born perfect and great with only the need of having that greatness nurtured. Like beautiful little flowers, we only need to place them in the right environment, water, and watch.

I’m still a work in progress, striving to find my own greatness. Nothing brings out greatness like happiness. When I’m happy, I’m positive, and I’m at peace. I am working daily toward my happy place. Sometimes I’m there, and sometimes it’s hard to find. My goal is to get there and get comfortable for the long haul, because what I’ve noticed is that when I’m in my happy place, my whole family joins me there.

_________________________

Becky Eanes is the creator of Positive Parenting: Toddlers and Beyond on Facebook and Positive-Parents.org. She is passionate about gentle parenting and chocolate, and she is a struggling cook, an avid scrapper, a wannabe photographer, and the doting mother of two little boys.

Stop by and check out some of my favorite posts from Becky: The Newbie’s Guide to Positive Parenting, The Benefits of Laughter, and 10 Things That Are More Important than Discipline.

Thank you for subscribing to my RSS feed at Code Name: Mama! I would appreciate your comments and feedback on the entry you just read, Happy Place Parenting. If you write about similar topics, I would also like the opportunity to link to your blog or have you write a guest post. Contact me for details!

Related posts:

1. Attachment Parenting Chose Us: November Carnival of Natural Parenting
2. Gentle Parenting Ideas: Getting Into the Car Seat
3. Gentle Parenting Ideas: Toddlers and Brushing Teeth

We didn’t think too hard about the timing of our second child. My body and my mind told me the timing was right. The pregnancy was planned and I conceived very quickly after we started trying. The age difference between our children seemed right. We’d allowed the baby to be a baby for as long as he needed, yet they were still close enough together in age that they would be able to play together and have common interests as they grew. We were sure it was time. But that doesn’t mean it was always easy.

I remember a few times when I got panicky. Especially as I wound into the third trimester and was still nursing my two year old son back to sleep. What on earth were we thinking? Or at least that’s how I felt at 3:00am. During the day, I was (mostly) able to take a more rational approach.

If you are pregnant with your second child or are thinking of adding another child, there are some things you may want to think about (ideally not at 3:00am!).

The Birth and Arrival of New Baby

I heard a story once about a couple who decided to surprise their toddler with the birth of their second child. They never gave any explanation for mommy’s growing belly. They had Grannie take the little guy out trick or treating for Halloween and “surprise!” when he got home, he had a little baby brother. It didn’t go well. For that child, who had always been the only child, it probably felt like it would if your husband suddenly brought home a second wife.

I’m a big advocate of preparing your child for the birth. By the time you start showing, it is probably time to start talking. The longer your child has to prepare for the arrival of a new sibling and the more involved they are in the process, the more likely they are to be excited than to feel like the new baby is an intruder.

• Find ideas for preparing your child for the arrival of their sibling, including talking about the new baby, getting a gift from the new baby, making your lap bigger, becoming mommy or daddy’s helper, and multi-tasking tips.
• Find ideas for preparing the older sibling for the birth itself (whether they will be there or not), including explaining pregnancy, talking about the birth, watching human and animal birth videos, telling your children their birth stories, and figuring out your birth plan for your older children (where will they be?).

Where Will Everyone Sleep?

For co-sleeping families, the question of where everyone will sleep can be a big concern. It isn’t safe to have an older child sleeping next to a newborn baby in bed and a lot of parents have concerns about the baby waking up the older child or vice versa.

In our case, it was important for us to still be able to provide a warm and comforting nighttime environment to both of our children. Our motto is “Everyone can have someone to cuddle if they need it. No one has to sleep alone.” However, we weren’t sure we wanted both of them in our bed at the same time. From that perspective, we transferred our son fully to his own bed (a double bed in his room) long before the arrival of the new baby and one of us went to him at night if he needed us rather than the other way around. That way he wouldn’t feel like he was being kicked out because of the new baby. He already had his space and we had our routine long before the baby arrived.

But that is only one option. Other families use an arms-reach co-sleeper or side-carred crib to create space for the baby that is away from the older child. Others put a mattress on the floor in their room for the older child.

• Learn how four different co-sleeping families dealt with the addition of a new baby to their beds.
• Review the guidelines for safer co-sleeping to ensure that you are keeping your family as safe as possible.
• Find out how to side-car a crib.

Tandem Nursing: Yes, No, Maybe?

If you are still breastfeeding when you become pregnant, you may want to think about the possibility of tandem nursing (continuing to nurse your older child while also nursing the newborn).

Some toddlers will wean, others will keep nursing. If you had asked me at the start of my pregnancy or even part way through, I would have thought that my son was going to continue and that I would end up tandem nursing. In the end, he ended up self-weaning when I was about 7.5 months pregnant. There are times when he was having typical two year old meltdowns or when he was very, very busy, that I wished I had nursing as a tool to help him calm down. But it wasn’t meant to be in our case.

If your child doesn’t make the decision for you, then you will have to decide whether you want to tandem nurse. I think it is something that you should decide early in the pregnancy because weaning quickly toward the end of your pregnancy and then suddenly replacing your older child with a newborn at the breast could make them feel displaced and resentful. If you are going to try mother-led weaning, I would do it in the second trimester at the latest.

• Read the Nursing During Pregnancy and Tandem Nursing FAQ by Kelly Bonyata (of kellymom.com) and Hilary Flower (author of Adventures in Tandem Nursing)
• Read how four moms handled the possibility of tandem nursing and read one mom’s tips for moms who decide to tandem nurse.

Dividing Your Attention, Meeting the Needs of Two

I always had my hands full chasing after one child. One of my biggest worries about having a second child was how I would keep up with him, while still meeting the needs of the newborn. Probably the most important thing I learned was how to nurse in a ring sling (…and a wrap, and a mei tai). That meant that I could nurse the baby while still pushing my toddler on the swing at the park. Or I could make him a sandwich while nursing the baby. Ultimately, with a baby who nursed 12+ times per day, it meant that I didn’t constantly have to put my older child on hold.

After our daughter arrived, one of our favourite games became “my two babies.” I would take both kids on my lap and cuddle them and say “my two babies” and give them both kisses and hugs. There were also times when I would put my son up on my back, even though he was a very big boy, so that he didn’t feel left out of the closeness of babywearing.

No matter how hard you try to ensure that your older child is never excluded or pushed aside, I do think it is still important to give each child undivided attention. When the baby was napping solo or when my partner or my mom was taking care of her, I tried to carve out one-on-one time with my son. As much as possible, I made that child-led time, where he was guiding the conversation, choosing the games, and leading the activities. It was an opportunity to make him feel like he was in charge and to give him my undivided attention.

• Get more ideas for one-on-one activities and ways of playing with two children at once.

You Can Do It!

Adding a second child into the mix can seem overwhelming at times, both for the primary caregiver and for the kids. It is really important to find a way for everyone to get a break. I think a healthy combination of family time (everyone together), one-on-one activities, and solo breaks are what will help any family to get through it all and come out on the other end smiling.

There is nothing more rewarding than seeing my two children play and interact happily with each other. Despite some challenging times, it was all doable and is definitely worth it in the end.

_________________________

Annie has been blogging about the art and science of parenting on the PhD in Parenting Blog since May 2008. She is a social, political and consumer advocate on issues of importance to parents, women and children. She regularly uses her blog as a platform to create awareness and leverage collective empowerment to make a difference in the lives of parents and their children.

Stop by and check out some of my favorite posts from Annie: Toddler Hitting: 5 Strategies to Handle It; Gentle Baby and Toddler Sleep Tips; and 8.8 Deaths Per 100,000 Population.

Thank you for subscribing to my RSS feed at Code Name: Mama! I would appreciate your comments and feedback on the entry you just read, Second Child on the Way? Are You Ready?. If you write about similar topics, I would also like the opportunity to link to your blog or have you write a guest post. Contact me for details!

Related posts:

1. The Joys of Breastfeeding Past Infancy #30
2. My First Tandem Nursing Experience
3. The Joys of Breastfeeding Past Infancy #25

It has been four years since our second daughter was born, and as it seems to happen all too easily, so many of the details of that second whirlwind of pink and ribbons and bows have lost their sharp focus in my mind, blending and smudging together into one big hazy memory.

There is one thing, though, that I still remember perfectly; one memory of that moment in time that is precise and vivid in my fond recollections, a magical First with my second baby. For the first time as a new mama, I treasured and even looked forward to nighttime feedings with her.

With my first baby, nighttime wakings and feedings and time spent with her in the rocking chair were anything but sweet and idyllic. I spent most of her earliest months of life consumed with her “sleep problems.” Why wouldn’t she nap for more than 45 minutes at a time? Why was she waking up so much at night? I was following our schedule perfectly. Why were we up so much at night?

I grew bitter and resentful of those nighttime feedings, just sure that it was a symptom of a bigger problem – either an abnormal baby or a failing mother.

Months later, I happened to stumble across an article by Dr. Sears and soon discovered the concept of nighttime parenting. Wow. What a difference! I was able to let go of unrealistic expectations and finally felt empowered to nurture my child through the night, just as I would during the daytime hours.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t go back and change the early months of tears and anger and desperation that marked my first months as Mama. My second child, though, she offered to me the power of redemption.

Those are the moments I can recall with crystal clarity. She would awaken and together we would slip out of the darkness in our room and into the dimly lit living room. My husband is a terribly light sleeper who was under a lot of stress at work during this time, and our wee babe was the nosiest eater you’ve ever heard, so we would settle into our nursing nest on the loveseat several times each night.

Goodness, I loved those times with her. I was completely free to enjoy her without a smidgen of guilt over not giving my oldest my full attention. I thought I was prepared for the emotions of mothering more than one child, but I don’t think I realized how tense I was during the day until those blissful moments alone with my new baby at night.

I can still picture it now: the soft glow of the kitchen light gently illuminating her sweet little face, the flicker of the TV screen, the gulps and slurps followed by the contented sighs of a milk-drunk baby. Common sense told me to hurry us both back to bed, but so often I didn’t. Alone in the dark in the middle of the night, those were the moments I really got to know my second child.

Those first babies do the hard work of breaking us in and smoothing off the rough edges of who we thought we would be as mothers. The babies that come after owe an enormous gift of gratitude to those first-borns, I think, because they weather our anxieties, worries, and insecurities. With the babies that follow, we know better than to waste time with worry. Once we get a taste of how fleeting the baby days are, we learn the importance of savoring each moment, drinking in the sweetness of the second.

_________________________

For over five years, Megan Tietz has written about faith, family, and natural living at SortaCrunchy. She and her husband and two daughers live on the windy plains of Oklahoma where she spends her days engaged in the fine (and messy) art of mothering.

Stop by and check out some of my recent favorite posts from Megan: In Defense of Scuffed Shoes, Lunchboxes and Love Notes (sniff), and her Pinterest tutorials – one for beginners, and one with more tips and tricks and FAQ.

Thank you for subscribing to my RSS feed at Code Name: Mama! I would appreciate your comments and feedback on the entry you just read, The Sweetness of the Second. If you write about similar topics, I would also like the opportunity to link to your blog or have you write a guest post. Contact me for details!

Related posts:

1. Sacred Time: Nursing My Baby to Sleep
2. The Joys of Breastfeeding Past Infancy #27
3. The Big Lessons

But most of us cannot afford to get regular professional massages. And very few of us are lucky enough to have massage therapists as partners (oh what bliss that would be!). So it’s up to us to show and tell our partners how to massage us so that their efforts are effective.

My incredible midwife, Amber of Trust in Birth, agreed to come up with some universal tips that partners can use to give effective massages during pregnancy. Massage has numerous benefits:

• Massage helps us physically throughout pregnancy by relaxing our bodies and minds;
• Massage can help us bond with our partners, and it can help both us and our partners bond with baby;
• Massage is a wonderful way to practice relaxation that can be used during labor.

Below is a video that features Amber giving me a prenatal massage. Underneath the video is (basically) what Amber says during the video (plus a little extra that we had to cut out of the spoken script), for those of you who do better reading rather than listening.² Let me know if you have any questions.

Prenatal Massage Techniques

I’m going to share a few tips about how to relax a pregnant mama with breathing and massage. These are some great tools to help any woman stay comfortable and relaxed during pregnancy while bonding with her partner and baby. It’s also great to practice relaxation so that it can be used in labor. Relaxation has been shown to facilitate easier, faster births, and it is also a great method to help with pain. No supplies for your massage are necessary. Human touch and a quiet voice are all you need.

Before you start a massage, it’s nice to get the mama very relaxed so that she can get the full benefit. Start by chatting and playing with her hair, or whatever it is that makes her feel comfortable and relaxed. You can play her favorite music or nature sounds if that is something she would like.

Now let’s work on breathing abdominally. Have mama take in oxygen deep through her nose, down to baby, and then out her mouth. Visualize baby receiving oxygen.

Next, massage mama’s head moving all of your fingers in a circular motion. There are several energy points on the head, so be sure to massage the entire head to release all of them.

Go down the base of her neck with your palms, then down and out to the shoulders. Bring your palms around the front of her neck and sweep your hands down across her clavicles and the front of her shoulders a few times. You can tap her cheek bones a few times to release tension.

Have the mama get comfortable laying down on her side. Either the floor or bed will work, just make sure she is well supported with lots of pillows — especially between her knees. Tell her that you want her to visualize relaxing every muscle in her body — from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. You can say “Picture yourself limp and heavy, melting away like a stick of butter in a warm pan. If at any point I feel your body tensing up, I’m going to gently tap your shoulders to remind you to go limp and heavy.”

Tell her to sink down into the floor. Talk about each body part, having mama relax each in turn. You can say: “Let your head sink into the pillow. Next let your shoulders, arms, and hands be limp and heavy. Take another deep breath and visualize all tension leaving from your fingertips.”

Pick up her hand and ask her to give you the full weight of it. Massage her hand and each of her fingertips. Do this with the other hand. Next move to her back and rub gently down her spine. Tell her to imagine each one of her vertebrae being warm and relaxed. Give her more or less pressure depending on what she is comfortable with. Encourage her to imagine her thighs and legs being limp and heavy. Tell her that even her ankles and feet should be relaxed and heavy. Do with her feet what you did with her hands and tell her that if she finds any tension in her body, to release it from the tips of her toes.

Now that she is very relaxed ask her to visualize her baby inside her womb. Baby is healthy and growing every day from her strong, nourishing placenta. Baby is swimming in amniotic fluid and possibly sucking his/her thumb. She is excited to meet baby but patient to wait and let baby decide when she/he should be born.

Practice massage with your partner regularly to get the full benefits.

What was your favorite way to be massaged when you were pregnant?

Thank you for subscribing to my RSS feed at Code Name: Mama! I would appreciate your comments and feedback on the entry you just read, Prenatal Massage Techniques. If you write about similar topics, I would also like the opportunity to link to your blog or have you write a guest post. Contact me for details!

Related posts:

1. Prenatal Yoga Poses to Relieve Back Pain
2. Breastfeeding Through Aversion – Inner Body Awareness Exercise
3. Practicing Compassion

Forget baby powder. I want to breathe that musky newborn scent in so deeply that it penetrates to my toes.

Admission: we didn’t give Kieran more than a cursory wipe-down for over two weeks, so badly did we (I) want to preserve that smell.

It is primal, that smell.

I could have picked Kieran out of a room of newborns while blindfolded, just by smelling their little baby skin.

Even now, I love his smell. It’s no longer musky, no longer from me, it is uniquely him.

I want to bottle it.

In my lowest moments, those times when I am crushed by an overwhelming fear that something will take my baby away from me, I frantically search my olfactory memory for a trace of what he smells like. And then I lie there and ponder how I could preserve something – an article of clothing, our pillow, anything – in an attempt to forever capture his scent.

And now, as I approach the time when I will cross over from my journey as a mama of one to my new role as a mama of two, I wonder: will Roo own me in the same way, simply because of how s/he smells?

I can only hope.

Do you remember your newborn’s scent?

Thank you for subscribing to my RSS feed at Code Name: Mama! I would appreciate your comments and feedback on the entry you just read, The Power of Smell. If you write about similar topics, I would also like the opportunity to link to your blog or have you write a guest post. Contact me for details!

Related posts:

1. The Power of 10
2. The Tyrannical Toddler: Beyond Power Struggles to Choice, Reason and Negotiation
3. 10 Unique Gardening Activities for Kids