Thursday, May 30, 2013

It's A ... !!!!!!!!!

It's a girl! Olesia Elizabeth. Born 5/29/2013 7lb 8oz 19.5 inches. Born in our backyard hot tub at 6:00 a.m. after four hours of labor. She's perfect!




I will be taking a short break from encapsulating placentas, but am still able to respond to inquiries. I will also be taking a little break from posting blogs to enjoy my new little one. :)

Monday, May 27, 2013

AZ Dept. of Health Services Director Responds to Midwifery Scope of Practice Protest

Will Humble, the director of the AZ Dept. of Health Services has responded to the outburst of protest amongst midwife and homebirth supporters regarding the proposed changes to the midwifery scope of practice.

Read his response on his blog:

http://directorsblog.health.azdhs.gov/?p=4069


Be sure to read the comments on his blog. They are very interesting and highlight exactly what issues women are having with the proposed scope of practice.

Friday, May 24, 2013

Information on Circumcision

Figured I could possibly be needing this sometime in the next week or so, so I thought I'd save it here and share with others.

http://www.drmomma.org/2009/06/information-on-circumcision-for.html

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Please Help Protect Our Birthing Rights in Arizona

Our birthing rights in Arizona are being threatened. Please take a quick moment and sign this petition. Even if you don't live in Arizona, this affects birth throughout the country. It's time we stand up for our rights instead of government politicians deciding what is best for us and taking away our rights.

https://www.change.org/petitions/will-humble-azdhs-change-the-current-draft-that-is-for-the-midwifery-scope-of-practice

This is the petition. Please visit the above website to sign.


To:
Will Humble, Director, Arizona Department Of Health 
I am extremely concerned about the Midwifery Rules Revisions. The latest draft of proposed rules is extremely unsafe and impractical. It will endanger lives of mothers and babies. It will work against collaborative care for families who chose homebirth. It will increase unassisted homebirth. These negative effects will reflect badly on our state and on ADHS.

The following issues MUST be changed in the final draft:

1) It will be a Class 6 felony for midwives to administer lifesaving medications
that they are currently licensed to purchase, carry, and administer. These medications are the standard of care worldwide. Midwives must be allowed to administer these medications.
2) Parents do not have the right to refuse testing or treatment for mother or
baby that they are opposed to. If they do, they are no longer able to be attended by a midwife. This is a severe parental rights violation.

There are numerous other issues with the draft. These are a few of them:
• Midwives will be required to call EMS BEFORE they can handle emergency situations. This will drastically endanger lives because time is critical in some complications and stopping to make a phone call would be inappropriate and negligent.
• There is a required call to the closest hospital at the beginning and end of every labor to alert them that a woman is in labor at home. This is a violation of HIPAA, and it will increase liability and work for hospital staff. This will promote more discord in the birth community.
• All consultations are required to be in writing, which most doctors don’t have the time and won’t be willing to provide. A documented verbal consultation is the current reasonable standard.
• All consultations are required to be with an OB when it may be more prudent for a mother to consult with another type of specialist such as a cardiologist, neurologist etc. CNM’s should be added to the list of providers that can be consulted with.
• There is an increased amount of paper work and reporting to the state that will burden both the midwives and the state.

Thank you for your time and concern. I hope that you will repair these issues so
that families in Arizona will have freedom and safety in their birth choices. 
Sincerely,
[Your name]


Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Scripture Verses for Pregnancy and Birth

I made a compilation of scripture verses for my upcoming birth. While I respect not everyone will be interested in this post due to the topic of this blog, I felt for those who can benefit, I would share.


Scriptures for Birth

They shall not labor in vain,
Nor bring forth children for trouble;
For they shall be the descendants of the blessed of the Lord,
And their offspring with them." ~ Isaiah 65:23


"Shall I bring to the time of birth, and not cause delivery?” says the Lord.
“Shall I who cause delivery shut up the womb?” says your God." ~ Isaiah 66:9


"A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world." ~ John 16:21


"Nevertheless she will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control." ~ 1 Timothy 2:15

"Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me." ~ Ps 54:4


"So do not fear, for I am with you;
   do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
   I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." ~ Isaiah 41:10


"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power" ~ Eph 6:10

"I waited patiently for the LORD;
   he turned to me and heard my cry." ~ Ps 40:1

Even youths grow tired and weary,
   and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD
   will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
   they will run and not grow weary,
   they will walk and not be faint." ~ Isaiah 40:30-31


"But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me." ~ 2 Cor 12:9

So let's not get tired of doing what is good.  At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up.
~ Galatians 6:9


The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace.
~ Psalm 29:11

Hebrews 10:35-36 - “So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! [A baby!] Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that He has promised.” (NLT)

Be still and rest in the Lord; wait for Him and patiently lean yourself upon Him; Psalm 37:7a

Wait and hope for and expect the Lord; be brave and of good courage and let your heart be stout and enduring. Yes, wait for and hope for and expect the Lord. Psalm 27:14

The strong spirit of a man sustains him in bodily pain or trouble... Proverbs 18:14a

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Birth of the Placenta

Many women wonder what it will feel like to birth the placenta. After you've done the monumental task of giving birth to your new baby, one more thing to do may seem overwhelming. Women need not fear. The birth of the placenta is often an easy and pain free task that is hardly noticeable when you're bonding with your new baby.

The placenta should be allowed to deliver naturally without manual traction on the cord or intense pushing on your abdomen. Both are unnecessary and can add to your discomfort. The placenta will detach on it's own, usually within 30 minutes of the birth of your baby. It is painless. There are no bones in the placenta, so it passes through much easier than the baby and chances are you may not even notice. You may have to give a little push or the placenta may just slide out on it's own.

Once the placenta is birthed, your uterus will begin to clamp down to stop the bleeding from the area where the placenta was. This is the time your caregiver will be watching your bleeding to make sure you don't hemorrhage. You may feel cramping in your uterus, which is a good sign. Usually the cramping will be much less intense than the contractions and if you have an epidural, you will not feel them until it wears off. The cramping is more significant with each subsequent baby.

Overall, the birth of the placenta is an easy process and should not be fretted over.


Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Ten Years With My High School Sweetheart

Today I celebrate my ten year anniversary. I married my high school sweetheart right out of high school and ten years later, we are still together, happy, and about to welcome our third precious blessing any time now.

This day is so full of blessing that I couldn't help to post about it. Please Raspberry don't come out quite yet, I want to celebrate!


Monday, May 13, 2013

University of Nevada Leads Way on Placenta Research

The University of Nevada seems committed to lead the way on placenta encapsulation research. Here's some of the topics they plan to study in the near future. This is an exciting time as we advance our knowledge of placentophagy.

They plan to do a placebo study to determine the true affects of taking the capsules.

They also plan to study the placenta tissue to see how the preparation process affects the nutrient value in the tissue.

They also want to study what contaminants may be contained in the placenta and if taking the capsules reintroduces contaminants back into the mother or her breastmilk.

These studies will give us valuable information. No news yet on when these studies may be completed.

Source: http://www.fox5vegas.com/story/22201257/placenta-pills-a-growing-trend-for-new-moms#.UYukqqx23cU.facebook

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Friday, May 3, 2013

Historical Perspective of Placenta Eating

This article tells more about the history of placentophagy than most I have come across. It makes for some good reading and isn't too incredibly long. Check it out...

http://www.christianitytoday.com/women/2012/june/why-women-today-are-eating-their-own-placentas.html


Thursday, May 2, 2013

Would You Turn Your Placenta Into A Teddy Bear?

So, I just heard of a new bizarre concept for parents who want to honor the placenta, but not necessarily ingest it.

You can turn your placenta into a teddy bear!

Designer Alex Green has designed a teddy bear out of the placenta and even sells a do it yourself kit that allows the placenta to be made into a teddy bear.

The teddy bear is not made for cuddling, but instead it's purpose is to celebrate the unity between the mother, baby, and placenta.



It's a little weird right? Would you want a teddy bear keepsake of your placenta? Share you thoughts.

Source: http://www.inhabitots.com/doing-it-for-the-kids-design-exhibition-placenta-teddy-bear/