“I open, I transform, I bleed, I scream and I smile.”

These photos are absolutely beautiful, a perfect depiction of the true magic of natural birth.

I Am Chris Nolan.ca

In 2005 artist Ana Álvarez-Errecalde responded to a recurring dream she was having and decided to take self portraits of herself, and her newborn daughter.  The resulting images she has titled “Birth of My Daughter (or El Nacimiento de Mi Hija)”

I am moved to share her photos because I feel birth is a monumentally inexplicable alteration of reality and in our culture it is too rarely revealed as such.  If you are having a child, please explore your options of how your family can truly experience the beauty of birth.

If you are curious about the origin of the images, please watch the short documentary “Umbilical Self-portrait” by MiNuShu.

To see some of Ava Álvarez-Errecalde current work, where she has created bodysuits  representing nude forms (called the More Store), review this article at Empty Kingdom and this piece at Elephant Journal.

Thanks…

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Preparing for a Beautiful Birth

The day is almost here, our Buddha Baby will soon be joining us outside my womb in this three dimensional world! We are so excited to meet our little one and begin our journey together.

Birth is an absolutely magical time that will be a part of your baby’s life forever. So I’m going the fully unmedicated, natural route to help ensure a perfect start to my baby’s life on the outside. The trip down the birth canal and out of a woman’s vagina can be joyful and absolutely pleasurable to both mother and child. This might sound totally crazy to many people, but I’ve heard from many women and watched a whole lot of videos where the mother is at complete peace or even experiencing ORGASMS during labor! There’s a great movie I highly recommend – The Orgasmic Birth .

1. TAKE CARE OF YOU –

Your baby is growing inside of you and you are providing everything it needs to survive and thrive. This includes the food you eat, the thoughts you think, the lifestyle you live, and everything in your environment. Everyone is unique and we all require a unique life so there is no one fool-proof way to nourish your baby… You will have to really look within yourself and do your research about what is best for you and your baby. One thing is true for everyone, positivity is a fundamental necessity of a healthy life so do what it takes to be in a happy state of mind! Good health starts with a positive spirit.

2. HYPNOBIRTHING –

One way that I have been preparing for a beautiful birth is through hypnobirthing classes that I have been taking from my doula. This is a style of birthing that utilizes self hypnosis, relaxation, meditation, and positive thought to encourage a pain free birth. We have practiced several guided visualizations that put me into a state of extreme relaxation. The women in the videos that she showed me are totally amazing, peacefully going in and out of surges (contractions) with no discomfort. The baby easily makes it’s way through the birth canal and out of the vagina without any noticeable pushing. Instead of pushing, I’ve learned to breathe the baby down. Pushing creates a lot of tension that is totally unnecessary when giving birth. Next time you take a poop, try breathing it out rather than pushing it out and notice the difference.

3. FEAR RELEASE –

To ensure a pain-free, stress-free labor FEAR RELEASING is absolutely essential. All fears are created by our own minds and with our minds we create our reality. If we are constantly worrying about something, it’s virtually impossible to relax and just enjoy the situation. So release that fear! Birth is natural and women have been doing it since the dawn of humanity. Nature gives birth to new life every moment of every day and more often than not it’s peaceful without any complication. Take the time to write down your fears and release them with love into the abyss. Just let go. Here is a great post I found that will help you to release those fears – Hypnobirthing: Effective Techniques to Release Fear, Stress, and Pain in Labor

4. CHOOSE THE PERFECT BIRTH SPACE –

Choose a space that you are comfortable to give birth in. The hospital can cause undue stress and treats birth as a business rather than a natural gift of life most of the time. There are many other options besides the normal hospital room. Some hospitals have birthing centers in the actual hospital that use midwives who can provide you with very professional and comforting care. You can also find a birthing center run by midwives outside of a hospital. Another option is to give birth at home with a midwife. There are so many options! Do your research and do what is most comfortable for you. It’s totally up to you what you decide to do. For it to be stress-free, you must be comfortable in your decision.

Every mother is a beautiful, unique goddess. You can create life without stress in utter bliss if you choose to do so. I believe in all mothers!! If you have a beautiful birth story, please share it in the comments! I would also love to feature some guest writers, please let me know if you are interested.

Love, Desiree

Linked up at: Thank Goodness it’s Monday

The State of Arkansas Tried to Force Me to Take Pre-natal Tests

I’m about 8 moons pregnant, and thus far I have had very little intervention as I feel that most intervening is absolutely unnecessary and a lot of the time is potentially harmful. I took my time finding a perfect midwife, found her around week 22 or so and I absolutely love her!

I really don’t see a doctor for anything, I take my health into my own hands or go to people who I can trust (herbalists, an essential oil therapist, nature). For thousands and millions of years, people did just fine without hospitals and crazy pills… and in my experience pills cause way more harm than good. That’s my personal belief through my personal experiences and I feel that I am totally entitled to that belief as long as I’m not putting myself, my baby, or anyone else in danger. My decisions for myself and my family are very educated, this is my right.

That being said… There were a few tests that my wonderful midwife wanted me to have done that she cannot do herself at her birthing center. A blood draw and a pap smear… okay that was fine with me. I can handle getting a couple of standard tests done that are totally non-invasive and non-threatening. I knew no harm could come from them so I went ahead and got it done. It was definitely not a pleasurable experience waiting for an hour and a half in the health clinic waiting room although I had scheduled an appointment 2 weeks in advance, but I got it over with and thought that would be the end of it. Nope, not quite.

The next test they wanted to do is called a Beta Strep or Group B Strep test. I declined this one because I feel that it can cause undue stress on me and the baby. The thing about the test is that if I come up positive for Beta Strep, I will then be REQUIRED to take antibiotics during my labor. I feel that antibiotics do FAR more damage than the potential effects of having strep in my birth canal could do. There is a 1 in 200 chance of the baby having strep B if the mother tests positive for it, and about 25% of women do test positive for it. (http://www.cdc.gov/groupbstrep/about/fast-facts.html) So if I do have it, the baby has a .5% chance of getting it… Yet with antibiotics there is a 100% certainty that they will also end up in my baby.  And what do antibiotics do? Well they totally kill all living bacteria good or bad that reside in me and the baby. That means no intestinal flora, killing our immune systems, potential serious illness, etc.. It’s just a bad idea.

All that aside, I do know how to eliminate the Beta Strep from my system naturally. By using charcoal pills, all of the bacteria can be eliminated and cleansed out of me before the test so that I test “negative”. So I could just go ahead and take the test, do just fine, and not have to undergo any antibiotic treatment… but I don’t want to play those games. The government is trying to take away my rights as a mother and indoctrinate me into their systems to do what is good for them. Sorry guys, I’m going to go ahead and do what’s best for ME!

The midwife is no longer allowed to see me. I refused the test so the State of Arkansas will not “approve an out of hospital birth.” So I’m having a home birth with some wonderful women and my amazing partner attending to keep the peace and support me during my beautiful, perfect labor. I am totally confident that all will go well.

Are Fetal Dopplers Really Safe?

On my first visit with my midwife, she had me lay down on the bed and checked the babies heartbeat with her fetal doppler. I’ve done some research on ultrasounds ability to damage the growing fetus with it’s super high soundwaves and I have no desire to get an ultrasound done. I have talked to several friends who have seen speech impediments and learning disabilities with their children who received more than two ultrasounds. Since the doppler is a much lower sound frequency than the ultrasound, I decided to go for it. It was so exciting to hear our baby’s little heartbeat! And then came the pains…

My whole abdomen became tense as soon as our midwife touched the doppler to my belly. It wasn’t a terrible pain, but a discomfort. For the next few hours I was experiencing cramps and tension in my abdomen and on my sides. Sometimes it was barely noticeable and other times it was a sharp, shooting pain. I’m sure that my baby is fine and I’m not worried about one doppler checkup. I do worry about the women who receive the doppler every time they see their doctor or midwife, or worse, mamas who buy their own home doppler and use them every day or multiple times a day! From the sensations I got, I feel certain that it causes a lot of stress on the growing fetus. Certainly a mother may get used to the feelings and the baby may get used to them too, but the soundwaves stay the same and with every doppler check there is more of a chance that some damage may be done.

Most women see no problems with their children after using a fetal doppler regularly. I’m really uncertain about the potential risks involved. I have been unable to find many studies about the doppler, and there aren’t very many studies regarding the ultrasound either. This lack of information is disturbing, but that’s how things go in our society in this day and age. People are innocently and blindly consuming so many things without having a clue what they are made of or the potential risks involved. I deeply consider the things that I put in and around my body and don’t do things just because they are “convenient” or out of fear…

My body tells me everything that I need to know if I listen to it and look internally. Our beautiful baby is healthy and thriving. How do I know? I feel the baby kicking, punching, and turning itself around on a daily basis. And I feel fantastic! I have lots of energy. I eat local, whole foods regularly. I stay positive and peaceful. I believe that if a woman listens to herself, her intuition will tell her what she needs to do. I accept whatever comes our way and invite wellness and happiness into our lives.

For most, I see absolutely no reason to have doppler checks. After speaking with my midwife about the discomfort we had from the fetal doppler, she began using a stethoscope instead and that works perfectly well for us! I’m at 6 months right now and so far we have had the baby’s heartbeat checked twice – once by doppler and once by stethoscope. There is no need to hear the heartbeat all the time. Fear is senseless. I trust the baby is doing well and so it is.

Linked up at : Thank Goodness It’s Monday

My Pregnancy Diet WITHOUT Prenatal Vitamins

I’m coming up on week 23 of my pregnancy and everything is going beautifully! I found my midwife who is incredibly open and understanding to my beliefs. To the surprise of many, I have not taken any prenatal vitamins and I don’t plan on starting it. Why do I not take them? I just really don’t like pills! I have found some good ones that are made with whole foods so the vitamins are actually very available to the body, but I have never liked taking any pills and I just forget to take them even when I WANT to.

Cod liver oil is something I tried to start taking, especially when I found out I was pregnant. I realize the benefits of it, it’s a whole food, super nourishing… but I just couldn’t ever remember to do it because I’m subconsciously anti-pill. So I didn’t even try any other prenatals.

How do I get my vitamins and minerals? From food of course!! I eat A LOT of food every day, food that is very rich and dense with vitamins and minerals. My food is extremely important to me and I take great care in what I choose to eat. The bulk of my diet is organic and sourced from local farmers who I know and talk to. I grow vegetables at my own home and I have recently been offered the task of slaughtering and butchering people’s chickens and other pesky critters to take home and eat. Raw milk is a big part of my diet, sourced from grass fed, free ranging Jersey cows. I drink 3 or more cups of raw milk a day. We also make yogurt and kefir from the milk which I also consume daily. I’m blessed to be pregnant during the Spring and Summer when there is an abundance of local, organic fruit growing around me. I eat LOTS of fruit every day. I also eat a lot of meat, including livers and hearts because they are very rich in nourishing vitamins and minerals.

There is no method to my food, other than listening to my body. I don’t know the science and specifics behind what I “should” be eating, and I don’t necessarily want to concern myself with any of that. My body knows what it needs and I don’t deny it. When I have a craving, I listen to it. If I want to eat 5 peaches, I go for it. Some days I want meat with every meal. Some days I want eggs for dinner. Other days I want nothing to do with meat and I just feel like eating greens for every meal. I trust my body to tell me what it needs.

As for the health of the baby, all is well! I have had the most minimal amount of tests that I can get and everything has turned out perfectly. The baby is moving every day, definitely an active little thing! The heart is beating at a steady pace. My hemoglobins and sugar levels are all good. Everything is peachy!

In closing, trust your instincts. You know what you need better than anyone else. Prenatal vitamins might be great for many women and there are some amazing options out there, but they aren’t for me. 🙂

For a more detailed and scientific approach to the diet approach to pregnancy well-being, check out this amazing post by the Holistic Squid : The Outlandish Alternative to Prenatal Vitamins

Natural Pregnancy Update at 5 months

Here I am almost 5 months exactly from the time of my conception and I’m feeling fantastic! The second and third month were filled with lots of morning sickness and food aversions, but I figured out what helped and got over that pretty quick. Since then I have had great energy, have been eating lots of healthy foods VERY regularly and everything is great.

Tests… Midwives… Doctors…

I have not been to a single doctor, OB/GYN, nurse, midwife, or any other so-called “professional” during my pregnancy so far. Shocking! I have been doing my research and I’m a huge believer in the power of creating my own destiny and reality. With my positive thinking and also growing my knowledge of healthy natural births, I know that everything is okay. There is no need to stress.

That said, I did find a really nice midwife located in Barryville, Arkansas about 30 minutes from where I live in Branson, Missouri. It has been tough finding midwives in my area because there are so few of them and I honestly can’t even remember how I found this one… I will be meeting her for the first time next Thursday and from our phone conversation I have a really great feeling about it! She does a free consultation in the comfort of her stucco home and she said I can stay for as long as I want and ask all the questions I can think of. She mentioned nothing of pricing yet, which is very nice since every other person and birthing center I have called are pretty pricey and have a very specific payment method laid out… little wiggle room.

In other news…

My mom and I are planning a baby shower for August!! We hope to have it at a local pub that a lot of mine and Carlos’ friends hang out at. They have a beautiful patio with lots of tables, and a lovely indoor pub since it will be hot and muggy in August and I’m sure people will want to venture indoors. My ideas include:

• a handmade organic theme, no crappy store bought gifts!
• live music played by our friends
• local food including potato salad, fruit salad, meats, & sweet treats

A pub baby shower might sound a little strange to some, but so does natural births and getting no tests or ultrasounds! I’m having so much fun and feeling so great with this pregnancy and my fabulous, amazing, sexy husband has been totally supportive the whole time! We are blessed.

Check out my baby list if you’d like to buy us a gift. 🙂

http://babyli.st/desiree-and-carlos

Natural Pregnancy . Creating life is natural and beautiful!

Mother Earth Pregnant Goddess by PearlWhitecrow

Pregnancy has been an incredible journey and it is totally enlightening, I’m learning so much about myself!! It’s an exciting new experience growing a real life human in my uterus right now! The other day when I was walking, I subconsciously placed my hand on lower belly and could feel a life spiraling around me. This is a different kind of life than little gassy indigestion amoebas.. it’s very spiritual and holy.

Birth is an absolutely holy thing for every woman. It is holy for a walnut to fall from a tree and years later there appears another walnut tree bearing so many fruits. Birth is magical! Birth is beautiful! Birth can be a spiritual awakening that connects a woman and her partner to god, the creation, light, source, the entire universe. Birth is NATURAL… It is nature. Human nature, animal nature, plant nature, and amoeba nature. Every life in this universe was born from something. To be more specific, female humans have been giving birth for a heck of a long time (as long as there have been humans) and we’ve been doing it without fail until now… and we are still doing it!

Gaia Goddess by Michelle Molesch

For some reason, doctors seem to truly FEAR BIRTH. It totally disgusts me to hear stories from pregnant friends about their experiences with doctors. Of course all doctors are different, and all midwives are different too, but for the most part the stories I hear from folks are just horrendous!

One friend of mine was pregnant with her first son and during her pregnancy went through many many ultrasounds. She got a C-section for that baby. That child started speaking late in his life and is still overcoming a speech impediment and is now 7 years old. A couple of years later when she was pregnant with her second child, she did not want to have a C-section. The only reason that doctor had for wanting to give her a C-section is that she had one before. She refused so the doctor dropped her, and so did the next 5 doctors! She finally found a doctor that would deliver her baby naturally and she had a perfectly healthy little boy! Why did these doctors refuse to deliver her naturally? Fear of some sort of liability.

Joyful Soda Fire Goddess by gislebertus

I have two friends who are pregnant with twins right now and getting ultrasounds every two weeks. Their doctors also refuse natural birth and will only do a C-section to deliver twins. Yes, it is more of a hazard to deliver two or more babies because of the chances of them being at difficult angles, bleeding, tearing, etc. But it can be done and has been done many times! If a woman believes in herself and finds a spiritual midwife who is fully 100% present and aware of the moment, the birth will be a beautiful thing no matter what happens.

For my own pregnancy, I have no intention of going to a doctor or hospital at all and I am totally comfortable in that choice. I do not fear doctors but I find them totally unnecessary and unable to help me during this time. My partner Carlos has been the most amazing help for me throughout this time and I’m so thankful to have a fantastic and honest relationship with my life partner! We have a seriously tantric connection a lot of the time where he just knows what I need in that moment. He is the sweetest, most understanding, and very wise spirit. I’m blessed. We are all blessed and we all deserve the most amazing experience!!

I have been reading a book called Spiritual Midwifery written by Ina May that fills my heart with a beautiful realization that I CAN DO IT! Ina May is this amazing midwife who has been doing it for years and years and years, since the 60s. She shares stories from hundreds of women about their birth and all of them have this psychadelic experience during their pregnancy. Sometimes they are afraid or nervous, but their midwife helps bring them to a state of mind where they just are present with the miracle of life that is happening in their body! It is truly a magical thing. If you are pregnant, I highly suggest reading Spiritual Midwifery!

I have not yet found a midwife, but I know it will all happen naturally and beautifully. I have no doubt, no fear.

Things to think about…

Are ultrasounds causing the huge rise in autism?

Research on ultrasounds

Have you delivered a baby naturally or are you going through a natural pregnancy? I would love to hear your stories!

Linked up at: Small Footprint Fridays, Tasty Traditions

Natural Remedies for Morning Sickness

This pregnancy is a fascinating and exciting journey to be on! My periods had been completely in harmony with the moon cycle for the past 3 months or so before I became pregnant. My period was occuring on the new moon (a time of rest) and I was ovulating with the full moon (extreme fertile energy)… no surprise that I got pregnant! Carlos and I are very excited to bring a special new life into this world we’re living in.

I conceived right around January 27th so I’m still in my first trimester, right around 2 months. Sometimes I walk around with my hand on my belly and become very aware of the life within me. Beautiful. Many women get morning sickness during her first trimester and sometimes it carries on well into the second trimester.. I have definitely had a fair amount of the morning sickness! Thankfully I only threw up one morning, but much of the time I just feel sick to my stomach and can’t think of anything I’d like to eat. There are many remedies to morning sickness, and I have tried the lot… some work, some don’t. Hope this list helps someone in her first trimester!

Remedies for Morning Sickness

• Ginger root – I tried this in several forms and had luck sometimes… Two times I made ginger tea and that didn’t help me very much. My mama got me some crystallized ginger slices that helped me when I first started eating them. After a few days, the effect wore off. The form of ginger that helped me the most was GINGER ALE – real ginger ale in the glass bottles. It’s very strong and carbonated so the bubbles + the ginger is what did it I think. I decided to lay off the ginger though, because it is so strong…
• Peppermint tea – This has helped soothe my stomach slightly a few times. I also like to use peppermint essential oil and rub it on my belly which relieves some of the discomfort as well.
  

  mint that loves trying to take over our apartment garden

• Preg-Ease vitamins – These are mainly B6 and calcium (for morning sickness and heartburn) but has some real fruit in there too. I take one chewable tablet in the morning and it is effective for a little while, giving me time to make breakfast or wait for Carlos to make breakfast.
• Eating FREQUENTLY – I make sure to eat SOMETHING right when I wake up in the morning. Sometimes I grab an apple, other times a fresh baked slice or 2 of sweet loaf (like squash loaf). Then I eat small meals throughout the day, maybe 5 times a day. I make sure to eat lots of cheese for protein and essential fatty vitamins and minerals.
• Walk outside – This is one of the most effective ways that I have relieved my nausea symptoms. I’m so glad it’s starting to get warm out so I can have a fabulous, comfortable barefoot walk around the garden or over to Hackett Falls in Hollister. 🙂 Just breathing the fresh air of the trees and putting my feet in the dirt really grounds me and makes me feel awesome!!
• Herb… as in weed – This is controversial and may not be for everyone, but I have done lots of research about it online, asking people I know, and taking note of how my body reacts when I do it. There are no ill effects known to occur to the developing fetus. When I first started experiencing nausea, I was totally turned off to eating so I ate little and lost about 8 pounds the first 5 weeks. No good! Then I realized that when I vaporize a little marijuana, it eliminates my nausea and makes me feel hungry so then I eat! Now I’ve gained the weight back and I’m feeling way better. I use it medicinally and in moderation, and have had super awesome results.

So that’s what I’ve figured out about my morning sickness… the kind of morning sickness that can last all day sometimes! Hope that some of these will help you amazing ladies out there!

Linked up at: The HomeAcre Hop, Thank Your Body Thursday, Natural Living Link-Up, Tasty Traditions ,  Your Green Resource