Nurture Welcomes New Acupuncturist

Nurture warmly welcomes our newest Family Wellness Professional Member, Amber Hincks. Amber is an East Asian Medicine Practitioner with a special interest in women’s health. Read on to find out more about Amber and all that she has to offer:

Amber Hincks, L.Ac.

Vital Moon Healing Arts
www.vitalmoonpdx.com
971.267.2229

Greetings! I am a licensed acupuncturist in the state of Oregon, and acupuncture is one of the many services I will be offering now at Nurture. Chinese medical theory provides the foundation for a holistic view of health that sees the individual as a unique and complex whole person. While I look at symptoms and how to resolve them efficiently, I also seek to bring the person back into balance with themselves, as well as with nature and community.

Along with acupuncture and its associated modalities, I use Chinese herbal medicine, massage, and dietary and lifestyle counseling. I am also a trained birth doula. I love working with women or couples who are starting new families, wherever they are in that process. It is such an important time to feel supported and have the resources you need. I also enjoy working with digestive disorders (herbs are great!), musculoskeletal conditions (tuina massage is incredible!), and emotional wellbeing.

Chinese medicine has so much to offer at any stage of life, and I look forward to adding my skills to the wonderful community at Nurture. Please contact me with any questions at 971-267-2229 or vitalmoonpdx@gmail.com. I look forward to meeting you!

Luna Lactation June 2011 Newsletter: Wakeful Nights

Please view our June 2011 newsletter:

http://www.lunalactation.com/June2011.pdf

Also, consider checking out the new Nurture Heartwise Mamas Program

This unique and supportive program is:
for women who are pregnant or postpartum and having a rough start on their journey of motherhood. One of the most helpful ways to decrease feelings of being overwhelmed, depressed, or anxious is to get out of your house and connect with other mothers who understand what you are going through. This program helps you to do just that and more. You can feel better and we are here to help you.

More details at: http://www.nurturepdx.org/tend-family-wellness/heartwise-mamas-program/

Melissa Cole, IBCLC, RLC

Board Certified Lactation Consultant

tel.360.830.MILK(6455)

fax.360.695.6193

www.lunalactation.com

Playing in the dirt

This weekend was full of sun and so much dirt-- rich, deep, delicious two yards, two truckloads full of dirt. Naturally, with the arrival of the dirt came the creatures who love dirt! Abby's boys wholeheartedly helped move the dirt. Oh, the joy of the freedom to embrace soil. Then, following the dirt came the seeds, the tiny capsules of plant just waiting to spring into action.

Nestled in all of that lovely dirt are:

• pumpkin seedlings (Thank you, Eden!)


• chinese lanterns


• two varieties of cucs


• peas


• lots of beans


• giant sunflowers


• enough salad greens to fill a bowl the size of Alberta St. (or maybe that is a wee exaggeration)


• chard (Thank you, Heather!)


• kale


• nasturtiums (heart)


• beets


• carrots


• Indian corn


• zucchini


• yellow squash


• tomato seedlings (Thank you, Heather!)


• some other beautiful seedlings (Thank you, Heather! what else did you give us?)


• basil


• garlic (Thank you, Meg!)


• peppers


• hops for the teepee (we still need a few bamboo poles)


• and we still have to build and plant the strawberry wall & plant the artichokes out front

Abby also created a fairy ring planted with cosmos, sunflower, lupine, viola, and daisies. And, we now have a little treehouse play structure and outdoor kitchen set and a few ride around cars, thank you to Sierra! Behind the stage-gazebo we can trim the bushes a bit and create a sweet little nature house.

Maybe Heather can concoct some brilliant garden art projects to add a little sparkle and shine to the mix. I love our garden.

Thank you, Abby and Dave and kids for all of your dirt moving muscle and gentle seed planting. Thank you Heather, Eden, Meg & Josh, and Abby for the plants and seeds and such. Thank you, Sierra for all of the outdoor toys.

Come out and play in the garden!

Little corners of the garden

The magic of a few days of fabulous weather brings big garden plans. Have you seen our yard? There is so much potential out there, a blank canvas waiting to be painted with life. Four raised beds, a stage-gazebo, lots of sun, lots of shade, lots of room...

Nurture members (more about that soon) are welcome (children and adults) to join us in the garden, get your hands (small or large) dirty, harvest goodies, play, rest, grow, and enjoy the abundance that will soon be.

Abby Wyers is our garden queen (queen Ab-bee?); she will be out there when she can to give the garden a little love and build community by growing food and beauty together with Nurture families in our seedling Growing Together in the Garden Program.

On Friday, to get things started, Abby, her two boys, me, and my two children planted 15 raspberry plants donated by my wonderful neighbors, Meg and Josh Prewitt. We also planted a few lily-like plants (not sure exactly what they are yet), and we have garlic waiting for a little corner. Strawberries and garden beds are next...

What would you like to see out there? Drop by and join us, bring a start or a few seeds or just come over to enjoy the development of a garden from scratch.

We have a little garden wish list if you have these things sitting around looking for a home:

• dirt (organic)


• small sandbox (with cover)


• sand


• a few small shovels


• bird feeder


• old mail box


• logs/stumps


• critter-free compost bin


• chairs

Music of Motherhood

Kate Bush is back and has remade her album The Sensual World. The new album is titled, The Director's Cut, and you can read the interesting story about the remake and hear the new album on NPR's First Listen.

Hearing the new album, particularly the song This Woman's Work, brings me back, way back; for me it touches a deep place of mystery about the work of mothering as well as the anguish in the outer fringes of anticipation. This Woman's Work was paired well with the cesarean birth scene in the movie She's Having a Baby. Up until I read the book, Baby Catcher, this scene was my only vision of birth; I think, while I was about to birth my second child, I even said the same thing that "Kristy Briggs" says in that scene.

This is the scene and the song; it may be a trigger for you if you have had a traumatic birth experience, so use your judgement in deciding whether or not to watch.

Also on the She's Having a Baby soundtrack, though not by Kate Bush, is another favorite song of mine about the tenderness of mothering--Apron Strings by Everything But the Girl. Sigh...I love this song....