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Sweet Pea ​Births
Sweet Pea ​Births
...celebrating every swee​t pea their birth
...celebrating every swee​t pea their birth
Blog
Q&A with SPB: DIY Padsicles
| Posted on January 17, 2017 at 6:27 AM |
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 Here is PART II of our VLOGS with guest doula, Michelle
Ludwig from Modern Mama Doula Services. Last week, she showed us her TOP 5 picks for postpartum. Today she is going to share her DIY tutorial for you to make
soothing postpartum “padsicles” right at home during pregnancy so that they are
ready for you when you are home holding your sweet pea! What you need: -Witch Hazel ~ we both really like the Humphrey’s brand –
available in regular or organic) -Maxi-pads ~ if you can find them, get some chemical-free and
bleach-free; usually available online -Cookie Sheet -Freezer Storage Bags How to: 1) Open up all the pads and leave them on the wrapper so
that they don’t stick to each other later 2) Lay them all out on your cookie sheet 3) Spray the witch hazel on to the pads until they are wet
BUT not dripping 4) Put the whole cookie tray into the freezer for about two hours 5) Once the witch hazel has frozen, take them back out of
the freezer and fold them back up for storage.
Place them in a freezer storage bag and back into the freezer while you
wait for your Sweet Pea to make their appearance. 6) Use them during the postpartum period on top of the large
postpartum pads you will receive in your birth kit or from the hospital. They will be a little chilly at first, but after the initial
freeze they will feel great on your bottom. I did ask Michelle what her experience was with other “add-ons”.
Some info out on the internet suggests using lavender essential oil or aloe
vera gel along with the witch hazel on the pads when you are preparing them. As Michelle so wisely answered, less is more. Witch hazel is
an extremely effective healing agent, and it would be a bummer to find out that
you are allergic to lavender or aloe vera when you are trying to heal from
birth, learning to breastfeed and figuring out your mothering. The witch hazel and pads are part of Michelle’s especially
prepared Bump Boxes. Along with the items
for padsicles, you will also receive some hand crafted postpartum essentials
that she makes herself. You can order Michelle’s specially
made with love package from her HERE Would you
like to interview Michelle as a doula? Please read her meet the doula feature
HERE Contact
Michelle: WEB http://www.modernmamadoula.com/ CELL OR TEXT 7204098977 EMAIL [email protected] Disclaimer:
Birthing From Within and Bradley
Method® natural childbirth classes offered in Arizona: convenient to Chandler,
Tempe, Ahwatukee, Gilbert, Mesa, Scottsdale
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Q&A with SPB: Postpartum Care Kit
| Posted on January 9, 2017 at 10:00 PM |
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 I am so
excited to feature Michelle Ludwig on the blog today! She is a birth doula and placenta
encapsulation specialist in the phoenix metro area.
In today’s
vlog, Michelle is sharing some ideas for postpartum self-care to help make the
early days of healing and breastfeeding a little smoother – every tip helps!
Here is a
recap for you:
1+2) Witch
hazel and some chlorine-free, bleach-free pads. You can use these to make “padsicles”, a cold compress that can be placed on top of the giant postpartum pads you will
get from the hospital, or your birth kit if you are birthing at a birth center
or at home. Stay tuned when we do our
diy share next week :) 3) Red
raspberry leaf tea – red raspberry is used as a uterine tonic and has long been
known to promote good uterine function.
It will help the uterus continue to contract as it heals and returns to
it’s pre-pregnancy size.
4) Herbal
soak – this is a special blend of herbs to promote healing. You can steep these
and use them in the peri-bottle to rinse after using the restroom. Another option is to use them in the a sitz-bath container or the bathtub. As Michelle mentions in the VLOG,
these herbal baths are an internet sensation now – many mamas are using them as
a setting for their pregnancy or postpartum photo shoots.
5) Nipple
cream – Michelle mixes up her own brand of wonderful using ingredients that are
safe for baby. You can apply and feed without having to wipe of your breast
first. A good nipple cream is an incredible relief to sore or chapped nipples
as you and your baby have your postpartum learning curve. Even if you have
breastfed before, there is a learning curve with each baby. And if you haven’t
been nursing through the pregnancy, your nipples will have to acclimate to
being used again. Even with a nursling through pregnancy, they typically don’t
feed with the same frequency as a newborn, so a little soothing is a welcome
relief.
You can order
Michelle’s specially made with love package whether or not you are her client.
Please check HERE for more details.
Would you
like to interview Michelle as a doula? Please read her meet the doula feature HERE Contact
Michelle: WEB http://www.modernmamadoula.com/ CELL OR TEXT 7204098977 EMAIL [email protected]
Disclaimer:
Birthing From Within and Bradley
Method® natural childbirth classes offered in Arizona: convenient to Chandler,
Tempe, Ahwatukee, Gilbert, Mesa, Scottsdale
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Info Sheet: Perineal Massage
| Posted on February 7, 2014 at 5:21 AM |
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"Prenatal" aka "Antenatal" Perineal Massage *Definition Massaging, stretching and/or relaxing of the perineum & perineal
tissues, the area between the vaginal opening and the rectum.  Image Source: http://www.nurturingheartsbirthservices.com/blog/?p=1362 *History Women frequently suffer perineal trauma while giving birth and thus interventions to increase the possibility for an intact perineum are currently being explored. Reducing tearing has been the subject of many research studies. Some have shown favorable outcomes:
and, some have shown neutral outcomes:
*PROS
*CONS
*Pages to explore for more reading on Perineal Massage
The material included on this site is for informational purposes only. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The reader should always consult her or his healthcare provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for their own situation. Krystyna and Bruss Bowman and Bowman House, LLC accept no liability for the content of this site, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided. This blog contains information about our classes available in Chandler, AZ and Payson, AZ and is not the official website of The Bradley Method®. The views contained on this blog do not necessarily reflect those of The Bradley Method® or the American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth®. |
Some Homebirth Secrets Revealed
| Posted on February 24, 2012 at 8:54 AM |
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We discovered many little “secrets” when we had our
homebirth. I have no idea why some of
this information has not made it to the OB offices that are given credit as the source of
knowledge for birth-related information in Western society.  Herbal Therapy for Perineum HealingThe first one is: there are herbs that aid with perineum healing. Click here to see the ones that came in our homebirth kit. I guess I should have known – there are herbs for everything. I cannot believe that it wasn't until our fourth birth that we
found out about them. Especially since
the homebirth was the least traumatic to the vaginal area since I didn’t push
on my back! According to the package, the blend we used contained
organically grown comfrey,
calendula, witch hazel, uva ursi, shepard’s purse, and yarrow. The herbs can be steeped to make a
“tea” and used in the peri bottle - it is not a tea you drink, it's a topical application. Another use is to add the "tea" to a sitz bath, or you
can use the herbs to make a compress that is applied directly to the perineum. The healing in the vaginal area was so much faster. Although the stretch is do-able and it is a
stretch with a purpose, it is still a big stretch! I had a little tear that we allowed to heal
without stitches, and there were internal skid marks from baby’s nose. Everything healed beautifully and felt better
within days, as opposed to the week+ with births #2 and #3, and several months
with our first birth when we had an episiotomy. After our experience of faster healing, I am even
more incredulous that these are not available in the hospitals. Especially since hospital births are the more
likely source of vaginal trauma due to the higher rate of episiotomies and the
extra pressure placed on the perineum when moms push in semi-supine position as
opposed to the positions that work with gravity to move baby down and out. You can order these herbs and have them available to brew
whether you have a hospital, birth center or home birth. It was $12 very well spent!  Hearing Screens are still an option.The second secret is that you can still have your baby’s
hearing checked even if you have a homebirth.
You can make an appointment at the hospital and pay upwards of $100 for
the hearing screen. The other option in the
Phoenix area is to call Pam Qualls, a licensed midwife in Glendale, and have
your baby’s screening done for $25. We got to take Angélika to
a private office space, free of hospital smells, hospital germs and all the
extra people that she did not need to be exposed to. The hearing screen took all of a minute or
two. The drive from Chandler was well
worth it to have the peace of mind that our daughter passed the screening test. To visit Pam’s website, click here. Another secret that has been gaining more mainstream attention is
placenta encapsulation, also known as "happy pills". I will write
about it in a separate post since there is a lot more to share regarding the
process and the benefits. For now, I
will say we had the happiest postpartum ever, and I encourage you to read up on
it and decide what works for your family.
You can start with my interview with Wendy Diaz, PBi certified encapsulationist, and go from there (read more). I will write soon for about our experience with
placenta encapsulation. In the meantime,
I would encourage you to check out the herbs for the perineum and get them to your house one way or another. What are some birth "secrets" you have learned? To read more about other herbal therapies we used in as a result of our homebirth experience, click here. Disclaimer: The
material included on this site is for informational purposes only. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The reader should always consult her or his healthcare provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for their own situation. This blog contains information about our classes available in Chandler, AZ and Payson, AZ and is not the official website of The Bradley Method®. The views contained on this blog do not necessarily reflect those of The Bradley Method® or the American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth®. |