Call for Birth Stories!

Birth: In Your Words

The Arizona Birth Network is planning a printable Birth Connection e-newsletter with the theme of  “Birth Stories”.   We’d love to have YOUR story as part of our featured newsletter.

Whether you gave birth in a hospital, birth center, at home, or in the car , we want to hear your powerful story and share it with our beloved community.

Send your fully-edited story to Leigh at leighasteele@gmail.com.

• Submission deadline is July 6, 2011
• Please limit your story to 1,000 words or less.
• In some circumstances, if your story is longer and you have it posted publicly on a blog or website, we may be able to link to your complete story in our newsletter.
• Photos are welcome in jpeg format.  We just ask that you limit your photo submission to two of your favorite photos.
• We may do some very gentle technical editing on your story; however, you would be provided a draft copy before it is published.  The editing would not alter the overall content, voice, or style of your story.
• If we are not able to use your story in our e-newsletter due to space constraints, we kindly ask that your permission be granted for us to potentially share it on our blog.

The Importance of Birth Stories

Storytelling is an ancient means of processing experiences and learning from them. It is an interactive way to pass along information from one person to the next and involves a range of colorful emotions, voices, and perspectives. Our stories hold the power to define us. Our culture’s stories about birth reveal much about how we view the rite of passage known as Birth.

Most would agree that the classic “birth horror story” is the one most told and the one most repeated. What do we learn from these stories if we don’t ask the right questions, or listen carefully? Perhaps we can begin to shift the horror stories into stories of a “Hero’s Journey”** – not by changing the story, but by changing our awareness into more conscious and introspective views of women as active adventurers vs. passive participants.

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In this upcoming edition of our e-newsletter, we hope to create a safe place you to tell birth stories full of empowerment, courage, even trial and tribulation. This doesn’t mean that you can’t share traumatic birth stories. Instead, it means that your story and your heart will be held tenderly with the knowledge that no matter the place, setting, or outcome of your birth story you were a transformed and brave woman. Here, all stories matter.

So, we invite you to tell us about the journey you walked during labor and birth.

What is your story?

 
(**From “Birthing from Within”: New mothers need your help to counter the Western message and initiation of birth as a “victim’s journey” into birth as a “Hero’s journey”. Learn how you can guide new mothers from their perfect beginning place of innocence, show them to see the prey and the predator and teach them how to ‘hunt’, and how to cultivate the determination and courage of their inner Love Warrior. This kind of birth preparation leads to awakening the Mother-within.)

Tips for Sharing Your Birth Story
• Can you incorporate/identify some of the elements of “The Hero’s Journey” into your unique story (i.e. how you accepted/declined the journey, your challenges and trials, your triumphs, how you returned to the ordinary world with new insights)?
• What have others’ reactions to your birth story been?
• Has the view of your birth story morphed over time, or have your insights continued to reveal themselves?

 

 

Birth Connection Newsletter Feature: Hypnobabies

The Spring edition of our newsletter, Arizona Birth Connection, was published last month.   Pick up your copy at our next birth circle (members will be mailed their copy)!

This edition features useful and intriguing resources on a variety of pregnancy and birth-related topics,written by local community members, and includes the following articles:

• Benefits of homeopathy
• The Bradley Method
• Placenta encapsulation
• Hypnobabies
• Q&A with home birth midwife Shell Walker
• Raw pregnancy diet
• Birth story by Tatiana Indrisek

To submit an article for the summer edition, or to advertise in our newsletter, please contact us at abnmembership@gmail.com.

We will be featuring these articles periodically on our blog and are pleased to highlight our our second one today, by valued AZBN Member Noelia Waldo.

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Hypnobabies®- The “Eyes Open” Childbirth Hypnosis Experience

By Noelia Waldo

Amy is forty-one weeks pregnant with her first baby, and early one morning she begins to have signs of early labor. She lets her midwife know, and calmly goes about her day as usual. As the day unfolds Amy begins to feel powerful birthing sensations, a feeling she has never felt before. After some time goes by, she decides to call her midwife and asks her to head on over. The midwife arrives to find Amy resting comfortably in her birth pool, surrounded by family. The midwife thinks to herself, “We’re going to be here for a while.” An hour later Amy decides she would like to have her cervix checked and the midwife hopes she is at least 3 cm dilated. The midwife finds that Amy is not 3 cm dilated, she is 8 cm dilated. Amy’s reaction is a tranquil smile and a quiet, “Yay.” Two hours later she begins to gently push her baby into the world, calmly, peacefully, and with complete control. When her 10lb baby girl is born she joyfully exclaims, “I did it! That wasn’t bad at all!”

Amy is just one of a growing number of women choosing to use Hypnobabies Childbirth Hypnosis for the births of their babies.

Hypnosis for childbirth?

“But I don’t want to quack like a duck when I’m birthing my baby!” Many people think hypnosis is like the stage hypnosis shows they’ve seen where people seem to be unable to control themselves, act goofy, and provide entertainment for the audience. In reality, hypnosis is very simply a natural state of mind in which the body and mind are extremely relaxed and yet the mind is also highly aware and focused. We are all in states of hypnosis many times a day automatically, so hypnosis is a very normal state of being. Watching TV or movies, driving a car, waking up and going to sleep, and daydreaming are just some examples of when we are in hypnosis in our everyday lives. It is not a form of “mind control.” In fact, you can choose to accept or reject any suggestion given to you while you are in hypnosis. You are in complete control.

Did you know?
There are people that have life-threatening allergies to anesthetics who successfully undergo medical and dental surgery with hypnosis as their only anesthesia! Hypnosis alone has been widely and successfully used within the medical community for pain relief and hypno-anesthesia.

Hypnobabies is a six-week complete childbirth preparation course that teaches the same medical hypnosis techniques used by people who undergo surgery with hypnosis as their only anesthesia. Couples will learn about the stages of birth, prenatal nutrition and exercise, options for birthing, positions for labor and birth, what hypnosis is and how it works, powerful “Eyes Open” childbirth hypnosis, and much more. Mothers are awake and aware, can move about freely, still very relaxed, still very deeply in hypnosis, and still comfortable while giving birth.

“My son’s birth was the most powerful experience of my life and I’m thankful I was able to experience it fully, naturally, and without medical interventions. The Hypnobabies training gave me the confidence to trust in my body’s wisdom and let go of my fears about pregnancy and birth. I’m grateful to Hypnobabies and will be using the program again if I have another child.”- Joy F., Phoenix, AZ.

Hypnobabies does not just teach the mother to enter hypnosis on her own, but also teaches the fathers, or birth partners, to assist the mother in entering hypnosis and deepen it powerfully when she needs it. The Birth Partner also receives their own special hypnosis CD to help them remain calm and confident during the birth of their baby.

If you would like to learn more about Hypnobabies Childbirth Hypnosis please visit www.TranquilityBirth.com or call Noelia Waldo at 480-295-0895.

Noelia is a wife and mother of three amazing kids and one on the way; her last baby was born at home using Hypnobabies®. She is a DONA certified doula and Hypnobabies® Instructor and has been attending births since 2004.

Spring Edition of “Arizona Birth Connection”

The Spring edition of our newsletter, Arizona Birth Connection, was published last week in time for our family picnic.    Pick up your copy at our next birth circle (members will be mailed their copy)!

This edition features useful and intriguing resources on a variety of pregnancy and birth-related topics,written by local community members, and includes the following articles:

• Benefits of homeopathy
• The Bradley Method
• Placenta encapsulation
• Hypnobabies
• Q&A with home birth midwife Shell Walker
• Raw pregnancy diet
• Birth story by Tatiana Indrisek

To submit an article for the summer edition, or to advertise in our newsletter, please contact us at abnmembership@gmail.com.

We will be featuring these articles periodically on our blog and are pleased to highlight our our first one today…

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Placenta Encapsulation with Shell Walker

Shell's "placenta chocolates"!

You are known for your amazing placenta encapsulation processes, some of which include unique ways of preparing a placenta such as smoothies and chocolates.  First of all, what is Placentophagy and Encapsulation?

Placentophagy means to eat the placenta.  Encapsulation is the process of dehydrating the placenta at low temperatures, grinding into a powder and then packing into vegetable grade gel caps for easy consumption.  Of course, much more goes into the process, but that is the basic outline.

What is the history of Placentophagy and the encapsulation process?

Dried placenta has been used in Chinese medicine for centuries.

What are the benefits of consuming one’s own placenta?

The reported benefits are: increased iron, less postpartum bleeding, increase milk supply, increased energy, less postpartum depression.

Can you tell us about the actual process that you go through to encapsulate a placenta?

The process takes place in the mother’s home.  Once I arrive:

1.       Preparing the placenta: Wash the placenta and drain it of the blood by opening the vessels (this is a very important step).  Once the placenta has been washed and drained, I will then remove the membranes.  A properly prepared placenta should be almost yellow in color.

2.       Steaming:   Important note: Don’t use the steaming process to remove the blood, blood removal should take place prior to steaming.  Steaming will NOT remove all the blood.  In a steam pot add water, I fresh lime and a jalapeno pepper.   Steam on low heat for 10 minutes and then turn the placenta over and steam for another 10 minutes.  Remove and let cool.

3.       Carving: Once cool, carve the placenta into thin strips.

4.       Dehydrating: Place in dehydrator on low heat for about 8 hours.  Check occasionally to make sure that it is not being over cooked, but do not undercook or it will not be easy to grind. A perfectly dehydrated placenta will snap when you bend it.

5.       Grinding: Place a few pieces at a time into a simple coffee grinder.  By simple, I mean the kind where you just press a button to make it go- no fancy options.  Put the powder into a bowl and keep grinding until complete.

6.       Encapsulation: With a handy-dandy encapsulation machine, fill up your capsules.

7.       Supplementation:  The simple method is to take 2 capsules 2-3 times a day until gone.  DO NOT take if you have ANY infections, including breast, urinary, cold or flu.

Can anyone hire you to encapsulate their placenta, even if they are not your clients or have birthed in a hospital?

Of course!  I provide the service at a discounted rate for my clients, but I am happy to take care of anyone’s placenta.

How do you respond to the cultural reaction to Placentophagy?

I think that it is kind of funny.  I mean, look at what most people are eating!  They eat anything from pink sludge from fast food restaurants to poisons in their own refrigerator and yet they would turn their nose up at the placenta?!  Give me a break!

What have been the reactions of your clients when they’ve tried the capsules, chocolates, or other placenta recipes?

So far, so good.  Everybody seems to love it, especially the moms with a history or concern for postpartum depression.  One unexpected bonus is the time that I get to spend with the moms during the process.  Since I do the encapsulation in their home, it gives us time to chat and visit with one another.  There is love in that and that love goes into the capsules.

What placenta services do you offer?

Placenta prints, Cord preservation, Encapsulation, homeopathic  placenta remedy, placenta print, placenta cooking (stew, bruschetta, sauce), smoothies and a new development that I have been working on for the last year, Placenta Chocolate.

Shell is a happy wife, mother and midwife. Working with pregnancy and birth is her passion. She is a certified placenta care specialist.