The Pregnancy Place

Erica Matteson and Karen Wells, two doulas in our fabulous Portland doula community, are hosting a radio show, The Pregnancy Place, streamed on PDX.fm channel 2 on Tuesdays right after another favorite: Parenting Unplugged.

The Pregnancy Place show will cover all things pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and the first years of parenting. If you missed this week's show about doula care, you can listen to it here. Stay tuned for next week's show...

Mama Mantras

At a four-year-old's birthday party, I managed to have a very helpful conversation with my friend and colleague, Rebecca York, about the challenges we both worked through during the early postpartum days. As we talked about the difficulties of bonding with a baby when one is struggling to stay afloat, Rebecca mentioned an affirmation that was helpful for her during that time. She said she posted it on sticky notes all over the house, had it written on index cards, and would say it gently to herself as she held her baby.

Rebecca's mama mantra was:

My child/family and I are connected with love.

Rebecca is a social worker with a private practice offering counseling to women. Her specialty is pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and life transitions. Thank you, Rebecca, for sharing your mantra.

My child/family and I are connected with love.

Meet a Doula: Nurture hosts a community Doula Meet and Greet

Are you considering hiring a doula?

Are you overwhelmed by the number of doula options in Portland?

Would you like an opportunity to meet several doulas, face-to-face, to get a sense of compatibility, but don’t have the time to attend several meet and greet appointments?

Join us for a late afternoon mixer and meet several pregnancy, birth, and postpartum doulas all in one place.

October 3, 2009
4:00-6:00pm
1614 NE Alberta St.
in the large red house
Hosted by Nurture: Center for Growing Families

Highlights:
Meet local pregnancy, birth, and postpartum doulas
Connect with other expecting parents
Learn more about our services
Enjoy light refreshments

Doulas attending the event:

Baby My Sweet Baby http://www.babymysweetbaby.com/
Welcome With Love Family Care: http://www.welcomewithlovefamilycare.com/
Sacred Arrivals: http://www.sacredarrivals.com/
Sacred Pathways Doula Services: http://www.sacredpathwaysdoula.com/
MotherTree: http://www.mothertreebirth.com/
Renaissance Childbirth and Postpartum Professionals: http://www.renchildbirth.com/
Birth Journeys Doula Collective http://www.birthjourneys.com/
Nurture: http://www.nurturepdx.com/
Mama Bear Healing Care

Announcing Mothergarden: A new mothers' group starting in September

Nurture is excited to announce Mothergarden, a new mothers' group at Nurture hosted by Welcome with Love Family Care starting in September.
Mothergarden
A free drop-in group for moms & babies
Come meet other moms, laugh, cry, tell our stories, and most of all, support each other.

Mondays 10:30-noon, starting September 7
Nurture, Center for Growing Families
1614 NE Alberta St, Portland, OR 97211
www.nurturepdx.com/mothergarden

Hosted by Welcome with Love Family Care (www.welcomewithlovefamilycare.com), and Nurture, Center for Growing Families.

What is Mothergarden? Mothergarden is a space to relax and share your experience of being a mother, meet other moms, trade stories and suggestions, find the support you need, and simply enjoy the company of other moms & babies.

How did Mothergarden come to be? Mothergarden has been birthed from a lovely partnership between Nurture and Sarah Nuxoll of Welcome with Love Family Care. Sarah's vision of helping women as they grow into their roles as mothers is perfectly complemented by Nurture's mission to provide a warm and welcoming space for growing families to find the support they need. Our intention is to bring together moms & babies to help bring forth the collective wisdom, humor, and compassion that sustain and nourish us as mothers.

Who is invited? Although we created Mothergarden to help new mothers find support and companionship, we also welcome expectant mothers, dads & partners, grandparents, friends, and others who are interested in creating a parenting community to support each other.

For more information, visit www.nurturepdx.com/mothergarden, or contact Sarah at welcomewithlove@gmail.com.

Wade Bowen's song benefiting Postpartum Support International

Wendy Davis, of Baby Blues Connection and Postpartum Support International, posted this video: Wade Bowen's song benefiting Postpartum Support International. If you are a partner of a woman with a postpartum mood disorder, visit the Baby Blues Connection's Tips for Partners, PSI's Family & Partners support resource list, and the Postpartum Dads Project. You and your partner are not alone; there is support available.

Let's Talk Placentas

Placentas are the heart of connection between a baby and mother during pregnancy, literally anchoring the baby to the mother's uterine wall. In an intricate dance, the placenta gathers blood from the mother, pulls oxygen and nutrients, transfers them to the baby's blood system via the cord, and then sends the waste from the baby's blood back out to be excreted by the mother's body. This whole waltz happens without the mother and baby's blood ever combining. The placenta also produces hormones that are essential for many changes in the mother's body during pregnancy as well as the fetus's growth. It is a pretty powerful and important organ and not just during pregnancy.

After a baby is born, there are several ways that the placenta can be honored and utilized:

• In numerous cultures families plant the placenta under a tree. Some cultures burn or smoke the placenta first and plant the ashes, but other cultures plant the placenta directly in the ground. The tree's growth is a beautiful reminder and symbol of the child's growth.
• Some women encapsulate (or otherwise prepare) the placenta for ingesting. It has been said that placentophagy helps a new mother's body recover more quickly and lessens the chances of baby blues following a birth. For more information visit Placenta Benefits.info For a recipe visit Placenta Remedy
• A beautiful keepsake can be made by doing a placenta print. The placenta makes a tree-like shape when printed, and the print can be framed. The prints can be made before encapsulating or burying if you choose to do either (you would not want to use paint or ink for the print if you are going to encapsulate or otherwise ingest the placenta). Visit this webpage for more information on how to do the print. These websites both have a beautiful picture of a placenta print: http://www.ebsqart.com/Artists/cmd_690_profile_portfolio__11_1_G.htm & http://www.beautifulbellies.co.nz/Placenta%20Prints.

I am also including two links to videos below. The first one is a step-by-step how to make a placenta print. The second one is a video of "the Placenta Lady" encapsulating a woman's placenta for her as her husband films and makes not-so-pleasant comments. Despite the commentary, the video is informative if you are interested. Both videos show placentas and blood, so if you do not want to see either, you might want to skip the videos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHc-zV77JLY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuxeAbeDcU0

Full Moon's Daughter

Courtney Jarecki, a Nurture Family Wellness Collective doula and women's health advocate, has launched her new practice: Full Moon's Daughter. Congratulations, Courtney!

Courtney Jarecki, Doula and Health Advocate
503.737.8834
courtney@fullmoonsdaughter.com

Support. Compassion. Energy. Birth. Dance. Movement. Ceremony. Freedom. Life. Joy. Love.

There is nothing on earth more amazing and humbling than witnessing a mama give birth. I strongly believe in the beauty and power of a woman’s body to birth and am honored to be a part of this experience.

For a lot of people, the concept of a Doula is a very new thing. Often, women don't have built-in family support and a Doula can fill the gap for the new family by providing knowledge, compassion and practical support during this very important childbearing year.

I am director of Full Moon’s Daughter and trained to provide Doula support during three different times of your childbearing year; pregnancy, labor and postpartum. My ongoing academic and professional experiences include training at Birthingway College of Midwifery, working as a Postpartum Doula at an established birthing center and research and training as I attend Ancient Art Midwifery Institute to become a Midwife. Throughout my work and responsibilities, I maintain a flexible schedule to ensure you will never be without Doula support.
Outside of the birthing world, I love spending time with my amazing husband Dave and puppies Satchel and Maji. Dancing, cooking, meeting friends for tea and hiking are favorite activities of mine.

I look forward to speaking with you about your baby and birth. Please feel free to call or email to ask questions.

Antepartum Doula
As an Antepartum Doula, I will support you later in your pregnancy. Antepartum services can be especially helpful if you are a single or teen mom, have multiple children, are on bed rest, have severe morning sickness or have emotional trauma. I will provide informational, emotional, physical and practical support during your pregnancy with pregnancy massage, meal planning, education labor preparation.

Labor Doula
My work as a Labor Doula means I will provide you with continuous physical, emotional and informational support before, during and just after birth. I will be there for you, your partner and baby after delivery to help in whatever way best serves you.

I can assist with birth plans, birth art, pain coping techniques (massage and touch, positioning, breathing, meditation and visualization, vocalization, aromatherapy and healing energy techniques), pregnancy and postpartum diet and fitness designed to ease labor and recovery, Reiki healing, and creative expression and relationship / birth coaching. This time is all about you and what works best for your family.

If time allows, we will meet two-to-three times prenatally where we will get to know each other. We can incorporate any modalities that you and your family need.
Postpartum, we will meet once, during which we will share your birth story and discuss all the challenges and joys that lay ahead. You will also receive any needed breastfeeding support during this time.

Postpartum Doula
Postpartum is a special and sometimes trying time for a new family. I can help ease this transition by providing lactation consulting, infant care techniques, meal planning and cooking, gentle yoga and exercise options, natural healing, light housekeeping, dog walking, nanny care and companionship.

Fees
I believe that all families should be able to afford Doula services and all Doulas should be able to pay their mortgages. Therefore I offer my services on a sliding scale, based on what each family can pay. I am happy to discuss pricing options and payment plans with each family and am open to barter and trade.

Antepartum & Postpartum Doula Services: $25 - $35 per hour with a 4 hour minimum.

Labor Doula: During certification process I only ask for reimbursement of transportation and food expenses, usually between $50 - $75.

After certification: $400 - $700. Includes 3 prenatal visits (if time allows), full labor and delivery support, 1 postpartum visit. Additional prenatal visits are available, based on a sliding scale.

Gift certificates are available.

Summer Parenting Workshop Series

Moving Beyond a Difficult Birth:
Embracing Healing and Connecting with Your Baby
Two-part workshop: June 6 & 13, 2-4pm $45
Part One: Healing through Birth Story and Art
Part Two: Connecting Deeply with Your Baby
The experience of birth doesn’t always happen the way we imagine. Intense emotions from a challenging pregnancy or birth can make it feel difficult to be fully present with your baby. These emotions need and deserve to be expressed and acknowledged, before we can allow ourselves to release them and begin true emotional healing. Then we can relax more deeply into a heartfelt, intuitive connection with our children.

So This is What it’s Like to Be a Parent?
Integrating Emotional Wellness with the Realities of Day-to-Day Parenting
July 11, 2-5pm $35
The reality of parenting a child can be frustrating, chaotic, and overwhelming. We may be surprised by the intensity of feelings such as rage, grief, or resentment. Without learning to truly take care of ourselves, it is difficult to move beyond these feelings toward emotional wellness as parents.

Parents are People Too:
Reclaiming Our Personal Expression as Parents
August 22, 2-4pm $30
As a parent, it is so easy to get caught up in the flow of daily obligations, leaving little time or energy for expressing who we are and what captures our imagination. Yet this creative exploration is essential to feeling fulfilled in our lives, which in turn translates into feeling more relaxed and happy in our role as parents.

Join us for all three workshops for $100, sliding scale available.
For more information, visit www.nurturepdx.com/workshops.html
To register, contact Mychelle at 971.344.7527, or Mychelle@nurturepdx.com

About the presenters
Sarah Nuxoll: After several years of feeling frustrated as a parent, I began working toward deeper body-mind clarity and emotional and spiritual healing. Now I feel excited about engaging life, moving with my creativity, and allowing myself to feel happy as a parent. In these workshops, I share insights from my experience as a mother of two, as a spiritual practitioner, and as an apprentice homebirth midwife. I look forward to meeting you!

Mychelle Moritz: Having experienced the beautiful yet challenging transition to parenthood, I have developed a passion for helping women and their growing families. I am an artist, an art therapist, and a licensed professional counselor, as well as the co-founder of Nurture. My two active young children keep me very busy and I enjoy watching their creative antics.

Nurture Welcomes (with love) Sarah Nuxoll

Nurture welcomes Sarah Nuxoll to our Family Wellness Collective. Sarah offers many services for the postpartum period. She will soon be hosting a new mama group at Nurture as well as a down-to-earth postpartum workshop series. This is what Sarah says about the services she offers:

I believe that what babies need from us most of all, is heartfelt connection with us. It is to be acknowledged and related to as the unique and conscious beings they are, to be welcomed fully and lovingly into our community.

Yet, having a child doesn't always happen the way we imagine. Sometimes intense emotions about our pregnancy, birth, or just the realities of parenting a newborn, can make it feel difficult to be fully present with our baby.

If we can ask for and allow ourselves to receive help from others during this intense time of transitioning into parenthood, we can then relax more deeply into this intuitive emotional connection with our baby.

I would like to help nurture you and your family, by offering:

• Ideas for welcoming your baby. I can help model ways of deeply relating to your child and welcoming them with love and consciousness.
• Tools for healing to help you identify and unwind difficult emotions from your pregnancy or birth that may block this natural connection with your baby
• Postpartum doula care, including breastfeeding assistance and help with your physical needs, to help you transition into parenting and allow you the time to bond with your baby
• Parenting workshops to help you embrace emotional healing and take responsibility for your own happiness as a parent

About me
After several years of feeling frustrated as a parent, I began working toward deeper body-mind clarity and emotional and spiritual healing. Now I feel excited about engaging life, moving with my creativity, and allowing myself to feel happy as a parent.

Welcome with Love family care was born from the interweaving of my desire to assist others with emotional healing, and my passion for helping birthing families. What I share with you comes from insights from my experience as a mother of two, as a spiritual practitioner, and as an apprentice homebirth midwife. I look forward to meeting you!

Scheduling information
Location: I am happy to serve families in their homes in the Portland metro area. I am also available for phone consultation for those who live further away.

Days/Times: At present, my preferred availability is from 9am-3pm Monday thru Friday, though other times or days may be possible by prior arrangement.

Rates: I offer the first half-hour of our initial meeting for free, to be able to relax and spend some time simply getting to know you and your baby. After that, I request $25 per hour for my services, with a two-hour minimum per visit. If I need to travel more than 20 minutes to reach your home, I may request a small additional donation to help cover my childcare expenses during that time. Please contact me so we can talk together and feel if what I can offer is a good match for your family's needs.

Sarah Nuxoll 503-285-4906 http://www.welcomewithlovefamilycare.com/